Movie Posters, Tickets, and Ratings

Movie posters developed as a major part of spreading promotion for a film. At the same time, they have also come to operate as artistic creations in their own right.

When it comes down to it, these valuable commercial products have quite an unexpectedly rich history. MoviePostersLtd.com is here to explore this history and the implications behind it. At the same time, plenty of practical explanations, facts, and advice are also presented related to the subject matter. Whether you are an avid collector, one-time framer, or a general but curious movie fan, we are certain to have something for you.

The earliest film screenings began at the end of the eighteenth century. At first, these were for pretty short features. The earliest known poster was created for "Projections Artistiques" in 1890 by a French man named Jules Cheret. For these first designs, generally just the title and creator of the production were depicted. It's hard to imagine today, but at these times there were no images included. Of course, it didn't take long before embellishments evolved. In particular, these arose hand in hand with the studio system.

As they strove to inspire people to purchase movie tickets, studios of the 1910s worked to create unique and memorable images. During the 1920s, the major studios had cultivated their own aesthetics which are readily apparent in vintage movie posters:

MGM – Founded in 1924 as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, they emphasized big star names and also hired notable artists and illustrators. Poster designs were uncluttered, painterly, and highly-polished. Pastel colors and white backgrounds were a common theme for them.
Fox – Later to become 20th Century Fox, this studio used vivid colors and rich lithography.
Paramount – Witty designs that were also sleek were common for this company.
Warner Bros – Photo-montage creations were favored here. Their style avoided thrills and favored starkness.
Columbia – Eye-catching designs and intense color schemes were favored by this studio. In fact, they eventually pioneered the coloring of black and white photos.
Universal Studio – Bold saturation of color as well as dynamic compositions where associated with the posters of this studio. Very little white space was included.

Universal was the oldest of the major studios, founded in 1912. When collectors wish to buy movie posters, Universal's vintage styles are a wide emphasis. This is particularly true of their horror movie poster designs. Because the focus of these earlier designs was upon selling movie tickets rather than getting people to buy movie posters, they were not created with a focus on being long lasting. For that reason, many rare movie posters of vintage styles are cheap movie posters as far as design goes. Preserving them involves a great movie poster frame and, more importantly, breathing cover material and acid-free backing. From simple text announcements to elaborate image designs, film posters have come quite a ways. In fact, there have been many fascinating technological advancements in recent years, allowing for such things as "living posters" which surprise viewers with sudden movement. These are possible due to the increasing popularity of HD advertising screens.

It is not only the old ages and the rarity of a poster design which makes it desirable. Some people love memorabilia related to recent material with great movie ratings. Other people love newer elements of an older franchise. For instance, a Star Wars movie poster may come in an older 1970s style or be related to more recent productions. The same could be said of a Rocky movie poster.

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