Film posters are rubbish. That wasn’t always the case, but somewhere along the way the wrong people took over and film posters went from something you’d want in a frame on your wall to something that isn’t even palatable outside a cinema. Tyler Stout, an illustrator from Washington, may turn out to be our saviour. Go to his site and you’ll see his excellent music and skateboard art – but it’s his incredible film work that is really helping him make a name for himself.
Vice: Have you spent all your life watching films?
Tyler Stout: I’ve spent a good portion of my life watching films. College was no exception. Even in high school me and my friend would rent ten movies for ten bucks and watch them all in one sitting; that was our idea of an awesome weekend. Needless to say I didn’t have a girlfriend until I was well into my 20s.
How did you get into designing film posters?
I started out doing posters for music venues while I was in college. Every venue needs 11×17 flyers to advertise upcoming shows, so I started doing those. Eventually I was asked to contribute to the Alamo Drafthouse cinema in Austin, Texas, basically to advertise upcoming showings of older classic movies like The Thing or The Warriors. I got asked to do one and people responded well, so they asked me to do more and it went from there.
Judging from the passion and detail in your posters – especially the attention to specific moments and supporting characters – I take it you’re a big fan of 80s cinema.
Yeah, I came late to 1980s movies; my parents were pretty strict so I missed most of them until I was in my late teens, in the 90s. I couldn’t watch anything R-rated, and the best 80s movies were R-rated. Practical special effects, total commitment to stories (no matter how unlikely), iconic actors – there just won’t be another decade in movies like the 80s. Take 1984, for example: Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Spinal Tap, Terminator, Red Dawn, Nightmare On Elm Street. All in one year. That’s nuts.
What films from that era would you kill to design a poster for?
I have a ton I’d like to do. Maybe something different like Rambo or something. Of course the holy grail would be Escape From New York. That’s my all-time ‘want to do’ poster.
I heard you’re inspired by comic artists. Any in particular? And what comics are you reading at the moment?
I’m a big Alan Moore fan, but who isn’t? I’m usually more inspired by the art than the story, so the perfect storm for me are the ones that have both. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen would be one of those, with Moore writing and Kevin O’Neill illustrating. I like a lot of Geof Darrow’s work, a lot of Frank Miller’s stuff, Mike Mignola (Hellboy). At the moment I’m reading the Fear Agent series. The first few are illustrated by Tony Moore, who I really like, but after he left they found some other pretty outstanding artists.
I’m also looking to pick up The Art of Tim Burton book, whose illustration work I’ve always been inspired by and probably ripped off. A lot of these people – Burton, Miller, Mignola – are pretty mainstream now but that doesn’t take away from the accomplishments that brought them fame. Even though Miller’s The Spirit movie wasn’t that great, the dude still reinvented comics with The Dark Knight Returns in ‘86.
Do you think the film poster is a dying art?
I don’t think so, I think it just goes through phases. Right now it’s very dependent on movie stars’ faces, but eventually I think it’ll go back towards conceptual posters, or fine art illustrated posters – anything that grabs people’s attention by being different. I think the reason I’ve had some success in my poster work is because people are interested in hand-illustrated movie posters.
I’m not a big fan of contemporary film posters. I’m sure there are some great ones but when I buy book collections of film posters, I don’t buy ones covering the 2000s, or even 1990s; it’s more 1980s, 1970s, etc. I think it’s just a matter of craft; if people put the same amount of time and effort into a current movie poster that was put into a film poster like Chinatown, you’d have some pretty amazing results.
I think marketing companies can be guilty of just phoning it in, big heads floating above whatever. I love 1970s exploitation posters the best, the ones with an explosion of stuff going on. The more stuff on a poster, the better.
ALEX GODFREY
Reader Comments
December 8th, 2009
Very good stuff. I’m glad when I clicked ‘Read more’ I wasnt linked to some vodaphone promo
December 8th, 2009
Why are they all the same, did he run out of ideas after the first one?
December 8th, 2009
These are fantastic, the amount of time and detail put into them is great.
Really like the way he has done the light on the faces they really have a sense of a on going style. And the typography in them is quality.
scumnation if you could do better lets see it? Idiot.
December 8th, 2009
those are some sexy poster ideas. i love post war posters though, b-movies please.
December 8th, 2009
I agree with scumnation. Not only are they all the same… but they are so chaotic they are just plain ugly. The reason why we don’t have movie posters like this is because you are supposed to see the poster from a distance, and still know what is going on.
December 8th, 2009
Oh, and what so you mean typography? Almost all of these are the stock typefaces from the actual film.
December 8th, 2009
I think they’re pretty good, I like the style. Reminds me some illustrations from sci fi books from soviet era. And I have to agree, movie posters nowadays are crap.
December 9th, 2009
Isn’t a poster supposed to say what, where, when, reading down the page. None of these draw the eye down, the info is all bunched together so it fails as a poster.
December 9th, 2009
branstrator, the type on your site is all over the place and fucking disgusting, so don’t start mouthing about typography. The main type is based on, not copied from, the originals, also, I like the black type at the bottom of them too. Go learn what leading is, shitface.
December 9th, 2009
How? They’re all posters for screenings at a particular cinema. They’re cool illustrations with all the info at the bottom. It fails as a poster? Guess it’s time to consult the film poster rule book. These are awesome.
December 9th, 2009
Shows you how much you know about poster design, where’s the tagline where’s the logline?
December 9th, 2009
They don’t have to have taglines you moron, these are posters for screenings of old films that everybody’s already seen! It can have whatever it wants on it! Cock!
December 9th, 2009
ZANG. dude. its a blog. calm down. I’m not making 20×24 prints out of my entries.
December 9th, 2009
then that’s why they are shite
December 10th, 2009
branstrator, your blog sucks. stop wasting precious space on the internet with your useless shit. how lovely are you branches? what the fuck is that? ms paint much?
December 10th, 2009
No, but you are commenting on something you obviously know fuck all about.
And Scumnation, I fail to see your point. If legibility was the most important thing then everything would be in Helvetica and black on white?
December 10th, 2009
I was referring to the lack of tag-lines and log-lines on the posters which is what draws in the punters, according to the Hollywood studios. It doesn’t matter that they are old movies, not everyone has seen all the old movies. These are the selling points of any movie outside the theatre and on the billboards. The typography is also taken into consideration when designing a cinema poster.
December 10th, 2009
It’s art. Why so many critics?
December 11th, 2009
I was thinking the same thing as I went down looking at these. They all look the same. I would think it was cool if I saw one, however if this guy somehow took over poster design it would just turn into the style that all movie posters look like, i.e, we’d have the same “problem” we have now. I don’t mind today’s movie posters. There are some creative ones, and some that just show a closeup of John Travolta’s face… just like how there are creative movies, and crap ones with John Travolta.
December 11th, 2009
These posters are beautiful. They do all look kinda similar, but I suspect that may be because they were all done by the same dude, and this is his style. It ain’t a crime. We ain’t saying he should illustrate every movie poster, that’s retarded, but it would be nice if illustration was taken more seriously by Hollywood. But, as they say, “I didn’t invest 10 million dollars in this picture just to have some kid doodle a fucking poster with his ass”. Lol of sadness.
Also, these aren’t intended to attract hordes of mall rats to the megaplex, they are meant to be viewed and enjoyed (and, apparently, viciously criticized) by people with an interest in classic movies and illustration. Why hate something so filled with stuff you love?
Actually, I think the last thing anyone wants is for trendy illustrations like this to become mainstream. It would make all our blogs redundant.
December 11th, 2009
I think the posters are fabulous :) They would catch my attention right away.
December 11th, 2009
great posters. this is not my artwork but i think this guy is another great addition to the posters cause, there is still hope people! http://www.strongstuff.net/
December 12th, 2009
These are awesome. Quality choice of films too.
December 12th, 2009
I think it is important to remember that these are posters for screenings of landmark films, or cult films, or event films, or whatever you want to call them, over months and years of time at a specific venue. If they look the same, that’s cool, because that is his style. And they are beautiful by the way. They don’t need to be as informative as a real poster for a new release, because they have been in pop culture for twenty years (with exceptions). The point is, theses posters are for events, not for current releases, and they capture the essence of the movie and the experience one has by watching it, especially at the Alamo theater (the best theater in the world). And if you haven’t seen these movies you are either too young, or too sheltered to be commenting on a blog about them anyway. So, get out of your crappy city and state of mind, and move to Austin where we love and celebrate film.
December 12th, 2009
So, yes we could have movie posters like this for current releases too, especially for a book or comic book type property that has a fan base built in, and it would still work because it is attention getting, and all of the important information is at the bottom of the poster (clear as day). Oh, and it would be awesome.
December 12th, 2009
Did anyone notice Jim Morrison snuck his way into the Lost Boys poster?
December 12th, 2009
“Did anyone notice Jim Morrison snuck his way into the Lost Boys poster?”
“People are strange” by the Doors is the opening song to “The Lost Boys” Starts at 1:58 of this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7T-YG_6uMU
December 12th, 2009
Aren’t all you guys basically doing what all artists want the viewers to do?
Thw point of art is to create a reaction, it isn’t for everyone to like it.
As long as you idiots keep arguing over the work, he’s done his job properly.
December 13th, 2009
the purpose of movie posters is to get asses into the seats. if you think these posters would get the majority of people to a movie its probably a good thing you don’t make decisions at a studio, hipster.
December 13th, 2009
Bransator: “Design, Photography, and everything in between”… It’s people like you and wafer-thin knowledge and that give creatives a bad name… just stop. Maybe if your friend wants a wedding flier and photos, that’s fine…
December 13th, 2009
Misanthropy Today: The purpose of these posters is NOT to get the majority of people to a movie. It’s to get a certain type of fan to go to specific screenings at specific cinemas. The screenings sell out.
December 15th, 2009
So, the thing about these posters is, they’re interesting, and they do serve as a refreshing take on old films, the problem is they’re too consistent, and look like they’re not really hand-illustrated. They look like portions are brought into photoshop and had 2-3 filters applied.. The layouts are all the same, the type always has the same weight, never the focus, never not.
Still good though.
December 15th, 2009
These are awesome. Can’t wait to see more! Have you seen the poster for Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye? The Mad magazine style that’s used in that and some other 70s stuff like Animal House is also cool. Keep up the good work!
Here’s a link to poster for The Long Goodbye:
http://www.impawards.com/1973/posters/long_goodbye_ver2.jpg
December 15th, 2009
I don’t like these at all. I think they’re too harsh and rather ugly. The colours aren’t very nice either. Just my opinion.
I haven’t seen most of these old movies, the way everyone has, and have no idea what most of them are about. I would not be drawn in by these.
December 16th, 2009
I think these designs are pure brilliance… They have the perfect look to them to match what they are trying to promote. Not only that, but they are so complex and creative that I can’t stop looking at them in awe.
From one graphic designer to another, I applaud the craftsmanship of these posters, and I aspire to be as creative as the person who created these.
December 16th, 2009
I was in Minsk, Belarus a couple years back and each movie theatre had handpainted posters out front! I’m talking a painting of Will Smith (and co) advertising his new movie, done fresh and hung on the side of the building. When a new movie comes in, the theatre hires an artist to paint a new one. Now thats keepin it real!!
December 16th, 2009
Amazing posters. I would definitely buy several t-shirts with these designs on.
December 16th, 2009
Why?!?!?! All his posters look exactly the same. Why did he used the same drawing on all the posters?
December 18th, 2009
[...] van posters voor bandoptredens zijn erg de moeite waard. Kijk op de site van Vice voor een interview met Stout en meer [...]
December 19th, 2009
This guy is good, but don’t forget DREW STRUZAN.
http://www.drewstruzan.com/
December 20th, 2009
Looks too nerdy
December 20th, 2009
“December 11th, 2009 great posters. this is not my artwork but i think this guy is another great addition to the posters cause, there is still hope people! http://www.strongstuff.net/”
Too vectorish, although alright… A bit naff, still
December 20th, 2009
“and they capture the essence of the movie and the experience one has by watching it”
I don’t think they fully capture the essence, atually, I think they are missing part of the essence, they have a bit of an illustration-student touch to them
December 21st, 2009
Gross.
December 21st, 2009
[...] I gave you an interview with the incredible poster artist Tyler Stout, sparking a debate which is still going on. Some of the more moronic among you seem to think you’re experts on film posters, [...]
December 22nd, 2009
[...] couple of weeks ago we did an interview with poster artist Tyler Stout, sparking a long and still on-going debate. Some readers, it turns out, are film-poster experts and [...]
December 27th, 2009
Those were all pretty cool… and it’s deff a shame you don’t see that style of artwork much anymore. Still, you do find some creative ones that surface here and there, it’s just a bit more work in spotting them.
December 28th, 2009
[...] başarılı illüstratör Tyler Stout ile, yaptığı film afişleri üzerine bir röportaj yapmış. var addthis_pub = ”; var addthis_language = ‘en’;var addthis_options = ‘email, favorites, digg, [...]
December 28th, 2009
These kick ass
December 29th, 2009
[...] Linkte burada efem => http://www.viceland.com/blogs/uk-film/2009/12/08/can-we-have-movie-posters-like-this-again-please/ [...]
January 12th, 2010
Estan de buevotes los carteles! hartas felicidades!… soy reteharto fan!… which means: “Your work is awesome, lots congrats… i‘m a big fan”
January 14th, 2010
These totally rock. This is art.
January 16th, 2010
[...] we have movie posters like this again [...]
January 22nd, 2010
[...] see more of Tyler Stout’s brilliant poster work, head to his official web site. And hit up Vice Magazine for an interview with the [...]
March 19th, 2010
[...] и совершенная им противоположность; [...]
April 13th, 2010
[...] Movie Poster Art 2010/04/13 paganatheist Leave a comment Go to comments Can we have movie posters like this again please? Categories: Films, Really Cool Tags: Art, Films Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Leave a [...]
May 1st, 2010
[...] Para uma entrevista em inglês com o carinha, clique aqui. [...]
May 16th, 2010
I loved your writing, please do keep it up!
June 17th, 2010
[...] he makes alternative film posters. I found his work while skimming an interview he had with VICE, and I’ve gotta say, I have seen this sort of style before. But I’ve hardly seen this [...]
June 17th, 2010
decent work but VERY limited. it becomes a formulaic style. some background and space filled with several faces.
June 18th, 2010
“the purpose of movie posters is to get asses into the seats. if you think these posters would get the majority of people to a movie its probably a good thing you don’t make decisions at a studio, hipster.”
These are posters for Alamo Drafthouse in Austin…have you ever been to Austin? “Hipster” doesn’t even begin to cover it. This is exactly what works for that area, for that demographic.
It’s probably a good thing YOU don’t make decisions at a studio: you’d cost someone quite a bit of money by pretending the people in Boise, Idaho want the same thing as people in Miami, Florida.
June 19th, 2010
I think that some people have way too much time on their hands. I wish I had no job so I could get mad about someone who is more talented than myself. Hey scumnaiton, how’s your Mother’s basement?
June 20th, 2010
A lot of the time the critics are the people who can not accomplish the same thing as the artist. They’re called critics for their eyes that catch what other people, including the artists, cannot. This is why I think it’s ridiculous that people use the phrase “If you can do better, lets see it, otherwise shut up.” (Or phrases along those lines.)
The first one was impressive and refreshing, but honestly, I wouldn’t want to see this style all the time because it’s easily tiresome after the second or third.
June 30th, 2010
Awesome level of detail.
June 30th, 2010
Great post. Hope to see much more good posts in the near future.
July 14th, 2010
[...] ~Bad-Ass Movie Posters. From Viceland, a great blog/site to spend time, FYI, if anyone can ever find that Blade Runner poster, I would hang it in a place of honor on my walls. [...]