Elements of a good and effective film poster

1. Attention
One of the most important steps of making a good and effective film poster is to get the attention of passers-by and encourage them to look. By using one of the films characters or a part of the plot, you can reveal a small part of the storyline while gaining the attention of anyone that views the poster.


2. Iconography
The most effective movie posters are iconic, presenting the themes in the film without totally revealing what it is all about. They usually use imagery, a close-up of a character or a major plot point, to show off the film's plot. Along with an eye-catching design, this can be an effective way to gain attention and create interest. 


3. Interest
Many good, modern film posters use images that put the viewer in the middle of a scene from the film, creating tension and is a good incentive. This is because, in order to find out what is happening in the poster, the viewer needs to watch the film. The Inception poster is a good example of a movie poster that puts the viewer in the middle of a scene. This works best for films that cover unrealistic, fantasy-type films, especially supernatural and psychological.

4. Appeal
Posters need to draw in both fans and non-fans. Some people may have already heard of the movie and plan to watch it anyways, so the poster does not need to appeal to them as much as people who have not heard of it. For example, fans of Quentin Tarantino may have already heard of a film he is making whereas others may not have and so his name does not need to be as large. Usually famous actors names are quite large on a poster, drawing in fans of the actors.


5. Style

Posters need to be consistent with the style of the film. The movies promotional package and the style of the film need to link together. For example, Watchmen uses the recognizable comic book style and draws in fans who were fans of the book. It matches the style of the film and means that it can be used for DVD and other releases.


6. Lasting Appeal
After the film has been released in cinemas, the poster can occasionally  used as the cover for the DVD, meaning that the poster is shrunk down, losing some of the appeal that the original poster did. Therefore, the images on the poster need to be just as visible and clear when they are scaled down to DVD size.


7. Recognizability
The images, fonts and style of the poster need to be recognizable and iconic. Many films nowadays have sequels and most of these continue the same themes through all posters, making it obvious to the viewer that it is a sequel.