FAQ

FAQ #3

Q: Hey, will you design key art for my film?

A: You know what, I might. I don’t actually care that much what your budget is. I just want to be inspired by you or your work. If it’s an interesting idea, a compelling script, or the talents involved are people I’d like to work with, then yes, yes, yes. I don’t really care whether you are making a short film or a feature, a doco or a three-part epic. It’s easier, more fun, and also produces more interesting key art when the project moves me.

A few points to note:

Market posters can be produced, but you’ll need a good script and/or some compelling filmmaking talent to get my gander up.

I know: you’re not finished cutting and the sound is temp and the effects are placeholders and some of the dialogue needs fixing and the grade will save the visuals. It’s okay. I rarely see films these days that are finished.

You really don’t need key art as a cover for your unfilmed script. Trust me on this one. Save your money for a rewrite instead.

Any project promoting any form of religion will be rejected immediately. Other than that I’m pretty open to anything.

I’m more than happy to do shorts and no-budget-feature jobs, providing I have the time – and the fiscal room to manoeuvre at the time. These jobs tend to be the most offered and least-taken; it’s nothing personal – despite my good intentions I still have bills to pay. Golden Rule is: get in as early as you can.

I’d much rather work with nice people than be rich.

I reserve the right to do a job just because it pays well even if I think the film is a dog. My principles have limits, except for the religion thing.

FAQ #2

Can I buy one of your posters?

Unfortunately Australian posters are only produced for the theatres and not reprinted for the general public.

I’ve decided to sell off the very few copies I have in my storeroom. They are unused and somewhere between MINT and VERY GOOD. Plus, it’s not like you can get them anywhere else, right?

Well, there is one place: try Phil Edwards at www.cinemarts.com as he manages to get his hands on some of them, and he credits me by name.

Note: Don’t, don’t, DON’T buy the horrible quality, copyright-breaching shit from Pop Culture Graphics on Amazon.com. They are not original posters, and are exactly the sort of quality you’d get if you were to print out images you’d nicked from IMPAwards…

EDIT: The shop is closed at the moment, but will re-open shortly.

FAQ #1

How can I get into making film posters?

Okay, firstly we call it key art, not film posters. It sounds Far More Important and we can also make believe we’ll still have jobs in five years’ time when no-one prints posters anymore.

Basically any design skills are secondary to your ability to analyse and dissect a film, and interpret the film in a creative way (this is a good thing as I — obviously — cannot design for shit). Which takes a lot of watching and discussing films — the design bit is just a simple spewing out of ideas you’ve already worked through in your head. Stay away from high concept blockbusters and immerse yourself in stuff with ideas. Watch The Cremaster Cycle. Watch The Holy Mountain. Watch The Seventh Continent. Watch Inland Empire. Anything that makes you think ‘what the?’ but is obviously dripping with ideas just beyond your grasp is a good place to start. Watch stuff in other languages, from other cultures.

Analyse and interpret, and work out what you want to say about what the film wants to say. Think about who would enjoy the film and what they would enjoy about it. And even if you hate it, you have to analyse what people who will like it would want to see on the poster, that will attract them to come along and pay their $15. So aside from the gut response you have to have a really strong marketing instinct. It’s not art — graphic design is about selling stuff and all the technical skill in the world will not help if you don’t understand sales and marketing.

Roll it all up and design ‘posters’ for everything you watch (if only in your head). Visit IMPAwards.com regularly. I’d suggest trying to do book jackets or cd covers as well, given they are solely metaphorical and ideas-based, rather than measuring actors’ heads to avoid getting shouted at by their agents, which is dull.

Short film-makers always want posters and dvd slicks for their films whether they need them or not, so that’s a good place to start. Hassle the local film school or theatre companies for work. You may be doing stuff for free or cheap but it’s all about getting contacts and a portfolio up together. Don’t think of it as selling your soul.

That comes the first time you have to disregard everything I’ve just said and stick three actors’ heads floating in the sky.

Good luck!