What makes a poster appealing to you?

[CJ138]

Just wondering what some opinions are here. It seems as though some people look at collecting as sort of a monetary investment. Others are fans of the film the poster is for, and yet others just appreciate the art/artist. Do you own posters for films you do not particularly like?

[Harry Caul]

Way to open a can of worms!  I'm interested to see the responses...  yours included!

Me.  I primarily collect posters from movies and stars that I love.  For a movie buff, that means I collect damn near everything and I have the piles of paper to prove it... much of it that will never see the light of day.  The movie posters I display tend to be some combination of: A) from a movie which has impacted me strongly, B) visually striking (at least to me and/or my wife), and C) moderate to high value.  If I'm going to shell out for a special piece, its going on the wall.  Basta.  But I also have relatively inexpensive posters which I also display due to factors A & B.  My East German Lavender Hill Mob, Cuban Soy Cuba, Once Upon a Time in the West WC, Czech Jaws, etc... would all be examples of the later.

SIDE NOTE: It's funny, I used to think of an "inexpensive" poster as something under $50.  That was my threshold for buying something I wanted without having to give it too much thought.  Now that my tastes and collecting have evolved... that number is probably up to around $125.  I'm afraid to see where it will go from here   

That all said, it is weird as even though I'm a child of the 80s and have been impacted as much or more by modern movies (90s+), I rarely display any of those posters even though I have a ton of them.  Even 1970s posters still feel like... well... posters.  And I'm not in college anymore.  Poster collecting to me is as much about the appreciation of the art.  Many of my older posters or eastern bloc posters can be displayed alongside more standard artwork and they look beautiful and perfectly natural together.  However, I LOVE Pulp Fiction as a film, the poster is a fantastic design, and depending on which version you have (I have the 2 "inexpensive" ones) it can be quite valuable... but sorry, that doesn't mean its is going on the wall.  So I guess there is an implied "D" as well that has something unexplainable to do with the age... 

What can I say, vintage paper gets me hot in a way that modern posters do not. 

 

[CSM]

Classy femme fatale chicks with guns!

[Ari]

Like the movie, like the art, thats really it.
I wouldn't display (or buy unless for resale) a poster with great art for a film I didn't like.
I DO however own many posters with art that I am not fond of, but for films I like OR to complete a certain collection/set.
Some may know I (not so) secretly love Doris Day/Rock Hudson films, and have a few posters, love them, but wouldn't display them.
Also as above GENERALLY speaking newer posters don't do much for me, there are of course some exceptions (although I can't think of any offhand), oh wait, an example, SCANNER DARKLY, I LOVE the Book, liked the film a lot, have a nice 1 sheet for it, I like the art. Wouldn't frame it though, I prefer vintage - not just posters, but furniture, houses, whatever - I am an old man trapped in a young body (well, um a youngish body that looks old).

[50s]

I buy purely for the art. Only one or two posters contain a photograph as I much prefer hand drawn art. My posters are nealy all b-type movies with little known actors. I watch about one or two movies a year if that - not into movies, so have little interest in posters apart from the art. ie I dont have any movie posters for movies I like. What annoys me is when sellers pump up the colours/saturation, leaving me with an unattractive poster. I collect duplicates of posters I like art wise to maybe sell or to hang one & store/save the others. My collecting is not viewed as an investment just a very expensive hobby that I must be prepared will probably be worth nothing if robbed, caught in fire or flood or bugs or whatever. Ie I buy fully prepared to not be devastated if they are no more. I think with collecting, I am growing a little less interested, so moving on would be easier to accept. Less interested because where the heck am I going to put them all up... it seems half my collection is larger that 1 sheet. 99% of the time I have zero posters on my walls.

[Ari]

I watch about one or two movies a year if that

(Hi Steve) CRIPES, I've watched more in the last 24 hours. usually 2 or 3 a day.
I LOVE MOVIES.

[Dr Hackenbush]

I collect for one of three reasons:

1a) Actor
1b) Movie that I like/love
1c) Image

As you can see, all three are important to me, therefore none of them takes precedence over the other

[MoviePosterBid.com]

T&A

[Ari]

Transvestites and Apes? wow Rich I never knew.

[CSM]

Transvestites and Apes? wow Rich I never knew.

Oh "we" knew!

[oldposterho]

I've always been interested in the nooks and crannies in the history of films, (clearly should have chosen History/Crit instead of Production), but the graphics need to be good as well.   It pains me when there's a film I'd like to have represented in my collection that only comes with craptastic art, that's why I've got no problem with other country art, although I'd prefer CoO in the best case scenario.  I'm done with owning posters I would never put up, even though most of them will never go on a wall while they're with me.

I find myself going deeper and deeper into the past with films I have no prayer of ever seeing, and the films I thought were "vintage" now seem pretty modern.

--Peter

[paul waines]

I'm a huge Horror film fan, but also of Cinema in general, so I collect posters from films I like. Good, Bad, or ugly. I also enjoy art to a certain degree, so I will buy a poster even if I know nothing about the film.

I have never bought for investment, in my ideal world you would pay £1 for a poster, and if you sold it you would get your pound back. I have no intention of selling anything I have, I do have a couple of duplicates but even they won't be sold. I know in this day and age we need to look at the cost of our hobby, but If I cannot afford something I don't buy, when I have funds I go nuts.

As for appeal you cannot beat Horror or sex on a poster, but that said I'm just as happy buying Mickey Mouse.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

T and A lesson #1

Richie could be talking about any of these combinations.
Take one from Column A and one from Column B




T and A lesson #2

of course, any brilliant person would really correctly presume this is the T & A I was really talking about

[Posteroid]

.......Armin

[Harry Caul]

That looks like T & T, not T & A... 

[CJ138]

The first original poster I bought was a Return of the Living Dead one sheet.  What hooked me was that this "original" poster was a small piece of the film's history. It hung in a theater, was seen by patrons and so on. As many have already indicated it is more a combination of factors which draws my attention. I typically truly enjoy the movie and the image on the poster. However, as of lately I have been appreciating more the art itself and recognizing my favoritism of certain artists (i.e. Struzan).

[Meansheets]

I tend to fall in love everyday looking at these posters, especially the pre-70s foreign titles that I wasn't aware of.
That said, price is a major factor. I get much more of a kick getting a "steal" on an underpriced/undervalued poster (such as a $12 Venturi last year on EMoviePoster)--than I do paying retail+ prices on a well-known title.

So my breakdown would be this:

1.) Design
2.) Price
3.) Artist
4.) Movie Star/Director
5.) Title

Of course, talk to me tomorrow and I'll probably have just bought a poor condition repro video poster of THE FLAMINGO KID!

[brude]

Of course, talk to me tomorrow and I'll probably have just bought a poor condition repro video poster of THE FLAMINGO KID!

                                                       

[erik1925]

For me, it's a rather mixed bag of reasons. The first is that posters are related and part of cinema. I also am drawn to films, actors and directors I like, but at the same time, the art also has to be appealing to me, even in those circumstances. If a poster also doesnt pop and "grab" me that way, I may still not be interested.

From an artistic point of view, I can also find posters very attractive for films I have never seen or have never even heard about, whether they be domestic or foreign. And many times, a foreign poster for either a US or film from that country can also make a huge impact, art and design-wise (= based more on the aesthetics). Plus, it can be great fun to trip across the occasional piece that isnt quite as common, but again, (for me), it has to fit the visual bill, too.

At the end of the day, it's a combination of those elements.

[eatbrie]

It's price.

T

[Mirosae]

Bogart

[50s]

Boobs

[50s]

Sorry, I blame the sangria I just had at a tapas bar

I meant to say: the art

[erik1925]

Art in all forms, eh, Steve?

[Mirosae]

Boobs

I believe you.