Theories and practitioners powerpoint for my FMP

1. FMP
• Collect theories and relevant practitioners for your style of FMP
• Research graphics designers, filmmakers, fashion designers, artists, photographers, authors, journalists.
• Even if you don’t like their work, if they are significant to the area you are working in, find out about them.
• Collect their work, beliefs, approaches to work.
• Focus on the person- who they are? What they believe? Their approach to work. What have they said about
the medium your working in?
• Make it detailed. Become an expert on the people you look at.
• Include images to illustrate the topic.
• Explore a MINIMUM of 3 people
• Look at BOOKS (Library and Google Books)
• If you find someone you like- put there name in Google Books and see if anyone has written about them or if
they wrote a book
• Use Harvard referencing (Neil’s Toolbox)
• If your struggling- google search: ‘(Your Medium Here) Theory’ or ‘Magazine Theory’, etc.
• Branch out into representation theory if your product will predominantly represent a specific social group.
What other theories could you include?
• Use what we taught you in theory lectures on a Monday to develop your work.

2. Andrew Sebastian Kwan
• Andrew Sebastian Kwan is an artist from Toronto who specializes in graphic design and illustration. He has his own website where he sells
posters and prints of alternative movie posters and comic doodles.
• In 2017, Andrew began creating movie posters everyday as well as working on a graphic novel. He began creating these posters because he
was not allowed to post any photos of his graphic novel on Instagram. However, he wanted to engage with his audience so he posted
pictures of his alternative move posters and he received an overwhelming response.
• At the beginning of this project, he only had a couple of films posters that he wanted to recreate, however he started to get lots of requests
for different films therefore his work expanded.
• He firstly posted posters of big films such as The Dark Knight and Lord of The Rings and then introduced smaller films such as Amelie so
more people would watch more indie films.
• Andrew enjoyed drawing as a child and studied sequential art at university. “I got into comics really late during high school and I thought
well this is really cool, people can make a living drawing superheroes and stuff well maybe I'll pursue that and I was actually really
interested in storytelling.”
• Colour plays a big part on the movie poster, each colour used has a connotation to the film. “Hollywood sends us another signal when it
wants us to think “comedy.” In this compilation, French film scholar Christophe Curtois highlights the trend of a white background, which
sets a light, friendly, and understated scene. Like a blank canvas, it leads our eye to the actors.” (The Wrap).
• “The popularity of action, thrillers, and sci-fi of the past decade may have led to a darker and more “masculine” palette.” (The Wrap).
Andrew has not followed any of these conventions when creating his alternative movie posters. His posters always have a white
background, even if it is not a comedy or romance film he is promoting. When editing the images, he has muted the colours used so that
the posters are not stereotypical and do not highlight to the audience what the film is about: the audience has to analyze the poster to
discover more about the film.
• I think that Andrew’s work will appeal to young adults the most because young adults want alternative movie posters on their walls.
Andrew has successfully appealed to young adults because his work looks vintage and simplistic which intrigues the audience. His posters
will not appeal to children as there not much colour featured which is a stereotypical technique used for children's films posters.

3. Andrew tends to recreate
cult classics with colourful
and vibrant posters and
edit them to be much
more simple and basic. He
uses a photo from a scene
that it not necessarily
relevant in the film and
uses it as the cover image.
He always frames his
photos with a cream
white border which makes
the poster look like a
polaroid print. I like this
editing technique because
it is not a stereotypical
poster that you would see
for a blockbuster film. Its
unique and different
which I think influences it
to be more interesting.
The colours on the images
themselves have been
muted more so that the
poster is not colourful or
eye catching. The neutral
tones further develop the
vintage mood of Andrew’s
work.
The fonts on the posters is always black
and very simple. Andrew has used this
technique to make the poster as
simplistic as possible. There is never
much text on the poster: only relevant
information such as the certificate and
director etc. There is lots of empty
space on the poster which is not a
technique commonly used on traditional
film posters. Usually, the front cover is
filled with one iconic image and small
pieces of text, it is always detailed and
colourful. Andrew has done the
opposite to traditional posters which is
what influences them to stand out.
Andrew also creates his own graphic
design novels that are filled with
doodles. This work follows a different
approach to his alternative film posters.
The comics are much more like pop art;
colourful and vibrant. The page is full of
different actions scenes between the
hero and villain. This means that
Andrew does not have a stereotypical
approach to his medium. His work varies
from simplistic to detailed and eye
catching. He sometimes follows
conventional skills and techniques and
other times breaks this conventions to
make his work unique.
Andrew’s work appeals to a niche audience because his work is so unique. He has included photos from scenes that are
not important to the film as the cover image which does not give the reader much insight to what the film is about: we
are only introduced to the characters. His work does not include bright colours or any taglines which is what makes his
work so different from other artists. The white border makes the cover look like a polaroid which I have not seen used
before. His own unique twist is what makes his alternative film posters appeal to a niche audience

5. John Alvin
• John Alvin was a graphic design artist who's most famous is the Aladdin, Beauty and The Beast and Alien. John Alvin created film
posters for over 135 films. His first poster that he designed was ‘Blazing Saddles’ in 1974. John graduated from the Art Center
College of Design in Los Angeles in 1971. After that, he began working as a freelance artist. John was working at an animation
studio when a friend gave him the job designing the Blazing Saddles poster. They liked the poster so much that he began getting
more recognition.
• One of his most famous posters was for ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ in 1984. In Alvin’s later years he began focusing more on fine art
until his death in 2008. A book called ‘The Art Of John Alvin’ was later published in 2014 which features a collection of portfolios of
his artwork.
• John created several doodles and alternative poster ideas and put them in a portfolio that is included in the book, as well as some
of his sketches.
• John Alvin has created some of the most iconic film posters. This means that his work influenced more artists to become inspired
and follow similar conventions that he has used on his posters. His artwork created the movie poster movement and made it what
it is today.
• I think that John Alvin’s work can appeal to any age group. Because he worked with Walt Disney, some of his posters are targeted
more at children as they include animals and vibrant colours. However, he has also incorporated his own unique touch to his work
where there is an element of mystery on his posters which appeals to an older audience.
• His posters are targeted at a mainstream audience as his artwork is what triggered the movie posters to be designed the way they
are today. His conventions include: minimal text and contrasting colours. The audience wants to focus on the imagery/graphic
design on the poster: not the tagline.

6. John produced several film posters for Walt
Disney, Warner Bros. Entertainment and
New Line Cinema. One of his most famous
posters is his artwork for E.T: his daughters
hand is on the cover. There are lots of
similarities in Alvin’s work that make him
stand out amongst other artists. For
example, both of the posters follow a
orange and blue colour scheme. “They sit
on opposite sides of the color wheel,
evoking the two poles of hot and cold and
explosive action.” (The Wrap). These
contrasting colours are used a lot on film
posters because the colours are opposite
which means that they influence each other
to stand out. It also symbolizes action and
drama in the film. Alvin’s artwork has a
mystery tone to it. For example, on both
The Lion King and E.T, he has created in
depth detail in the sky. This influence the
movie to come across as a mystery and the
reader wants to know more. His posters are
always focused on the colours in his art. The
colours play a big part on the poster
because they signify what the film is about
and gives the audience more of an insight.
For example, the brown, green, blue and
orange colour scheme on The Lion King has
connotations to nature, earth, danger and
mystery.
Alvin follows the same convention on his posters:
highlight the art work and include only the title and a
tagline. The font is small so that it does not distract
the audience from the artwork which highlights what
the film is about in much more detail. Alvin has placed
his title or tagline at the top of the page or the centre
because this is where the eye is naturally drawn to
first.
I think that John’s work appeals to a mainstream audience because his work follows conventions of
the film poster industry. Because he created several posters for Walt Disney, his designs have been
influential on more children movie posters. Some conventions that Alvin has followed include a
vibrant colour scheme that tends to be blue and yellow which is commonly used to “represent
power (…)and explosive action” (The Wrap). Alvin’s work always fits appropriately to the target
audience due to his style of design. The target audience for Disney films are children: his poster
appeals to this audience because it is colourful, features animals and has a large bold title to grab
your attention. Even though similar conventions have been used on the E.T poster, they appeal to a
different audience successfully. The colour scheme is much darker and blue which has connotations
to the film genre being sci-fi and fantasy. The lighting is much darker to add to the mystery. The
artwork used on the E.T poster are much more realistic because they are set in space.

7. Saul Bass
• Saul Bass was a graphic designers and artist best known for his artwork creating film posters and motion picture title sequences.
He has worked with some of Hollywood's most famous film makers such as Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese.
• He studied part time in Art Students League in Manhattan until he then began taking night classes at college. He began his career
in the 1940’s when he created print advertisements for Champion and The Moon Is Blue. During the 50’s he began getting
recognized for his work and started making more film sequences.
• Bass did not only design movie posters and create title sequences: he also designed logos for AT&T Globe and Continental Airlines
in 1968.
• Bass’ work opposed the traditional film poster conventions by creating work much more simple and basic but effective. Usually
film posters include pictures of scenes or the lead characters, however Bass’ work encompasses symbolic designs with key
essential elements to the film.
• “Bass's iconic Vertigo (1958) poster, with its stylized figures sucked down into the nucleus of a spiral vortex, captures the anxiety
and disorientation central to the film.” (Wikipedia).
• Bass worked as a film poster artist for over 50 years, however some of his work as never distributed such as his artwork for
Schindler’s List (1993).
• His work is very minimalistic but effective symbolizing subjects such as depression, anxiety and disorientation.
• Bass has claimed that several artists have stolen his art design and has regarded it as theft.
• Further work that Bass has created include film festival art work, album designs and several magazine and book covers.
• His best known film posters include Vertigo, The Shining and Anatomy of Murder.

8. Saul Bass has a very unique style that is
developed in his artwork of film posters. His
most famous work is his poster design for
Vertigo and The Shining. Traditional
conventions in designing film posters tend
to feature images of different location,
scenes or characters of the film on the
cover; however, Bass has opposed these
stereotypes by incorporating alternative and
unique designs. For example, the film poster
always features a prominent colour scheme
of primary colours such as red or yellow.
The brightly coloured backgrounds grab
your attention and also give the audience
an insight to the genre of the film. Red has
connotations to danger, anger and blood
which is what themes are featured in the
thriller The Shining. His artwork tends to
feature lots of block work whether that be
the font choice or the art itself. The choice
is always bold and tends to be black. The
block work grabs the audiences attention
and gives insight into the genre of film: a
children's film but not feature strong bold
font like this. Furthermore, the block
showcase the power of the film and
emphasize it to the audience. Bass’ artwork
is simple but effective. The drawings are
bold and strong lines cutting the art. This
unique style leads the eye to the centre of
the page.
The film posters that Bass has created also have a
vintage tone to them: the primary colours and the
simplicity of the design almost influences his work
to look like a movie poster in the 50’s or 60’s. The
title tends to be featured in the centre of the page
underneath the art work or sometimes the art work
is incorporated into the text such as on The Shining
poster. The title is usually the same size as the
artwork itself which allows the audience to
appreciate both elements of the poster. In the
drawings themselves, there is not any colour; only
black and white. This further develops my idea of
the poster looking vintage and like a classic poster.
The information of the director and producer etc. is
included at the bottom of the page or in the top
corners. Film posters tend to be minimalistic or
include lots of information about the cast etc. Bass
has done this to give credit to the film and its
workers as well as promoting his own work. “As we
glance at a few of his pieces we see much more
emphasis on simple but powerful shapes - Bass
would probably be more of a bridge between
American illustrative posters and the more abstract
posters that came out of Europe”. (Film Maker IQ)
Bass’ unique style is memorable for its simplicity.
The audience may find it hard to remember a movie
poster if there is lots of colours, characters and text.
However, Bass has challenged these ideas and
created a poster that is much more effective at
enticing the audience to watch the film.
I think that Bass’ work appeals to a mainstream audience as well as a niche
audience. His artwork is very unique and alternative which appeals to a niche
audience as it something that we do not commonly see on other movie posters.
The lack of colour and simplicity of his work is what makes it so creative. However,
it also appeals to a mainstream audience because he has produced posters for
famous directors and blockbuster films which appeal to a mainstream audience.

9. Saul Bass
• There are several books dedicated to Bass’ artwork and what he is was able to achieve.
• “I began as a graphic designer. As part of my work, I created film symbols for ad campaigns. I happened to be working on the symbols for
Otto Preminger’s Carmen Jones and The Man With The Golden Arm and at some point, Otto and I just looked at each other and said, “Why
not make it move?” It was as simple as that.” (Medium Art and Science).
• “The film was about drug addiction. The symbol — the arm — in its jagged form expressed the disjointed, jarring existence of the drug
addict.” ( Medium Art and Science). Even though his work does not include images of the characters or scenes, the poster always
incorporates the characters emotions and the genre of the film in discreet ways to influence the audience to look for hidden meanings and
not take things for how they look.
• His approach to work was being inspired by other creators within the film industry. He enjoyed working with different directors to develop
his artwork further and become more creative within his posters.
• It can be challenging creating unique ideas that have not already been approached, which is why Bass struggled with several artists copying
his style of artwork for film posters.

10. Bibliography
• .. (.). Interview: Andrew Sebastian Kwan. Available: https://www.rollcredits.net/interviewhub/2018/andrew-kwan. Last
accessed 24th Jan 2019.
• Andrew Sebastian Kwan. (.). .. Available: https://andrewkwanart.bigcartel.com/. Last accessed 24th Jan 2019.
• Margaret Andersen . (2018). The Art of the Movie Poster In The Age Of Netflix. Available:
https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/the-art-of-the-movie-poster-in-the-age-of-netflix/. Last accessed 24th Jan 2019.
• Nola Barackman. (2013). Why Movie Posters All Look the Same. Available: https://www.thewrap.com/why-movie-posters-
all-look-same-75846/. Last accessed 24th Jan 2019.
• Tony Pierce. (2016). The Making of 7 Iconic Movie Posters. Available: https://medium.com/art-science/the-making-of-7-
iconic-movie-posters-1deec2e17e42. Last accessed 24th Jan 2019.
• John Alvin, Andrea Alvin (2014). The Art of John Alvin. .: Titan Books Limited. p1-p160.
• Jennifer Bass, Pat Kirkham (2011). Saul Bass: A Life In Film and Design. .: Laurence King Publishing, 2011. p1-428.
• John P. Hess. (2017). Key Movie Poster Artists. Available: https://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/key-movie-poster-artists/. Last
accessed 28th Jan 2019.
• .. (2015). Saul Bass On His Approach To Designing Movie Title Sequences. Available: https://medium.com/art-science/saul-
bass-on-his-approach-to-designing-movie-title-sequences-47fd537c457b. Last accessed 28th Jan 2019.