PALMETTO is a film noir tale against the backdrop of the town of Palmetto, Florida. The movie poster art went through many tweaks along the way, hence the differing elements that fill the layout. The original design was similar to what you see here, but with different head shots, a different small figure, and a more simplified layout. Often in movie poster design, various issues having nothing...

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NATIONAL LAMPOON'S SENIOR TRIP is a good example of a copy line making a movie poster work:

FOUR SCORE AND SEVEN BEERS AGO...

The most difficult movie poster genre is comedy. How do you market the movie AND have the film poster appear funny on its own? For SENIOR TRIP (about a group of high school kids unleashed on DC), the client didn't want a poster showing a...

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In MISS CONGENIALITY Sandra Bullock plays Gracie Hart, an FBI agent who goes undercover in a beauty pageant to catch a criminal. For the international poster for MISS CONGENIALITY, the client wanted to create a "cosmopolitan" feel, which was served by creating a fictitious city background with stylized light bulb flashes and lights blending into the scene. The pose of Sandra Bullock used in this poster is...

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In addition to "protecting the earth from the scum of the universe", MEN IN BLACK became one of the highest grossing films of all time. This slightly quirky science fiction adventure comedy (how's that for hitting several genres?) called for less than conventional key art. Drawing from the film's neo-deco production design helped establish the right look and tone in one-sheet comps. For this teaser poster concept,...

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FIRST STRIKE was the third Jackie Chan film to see a US release. Being a fan, I enjoyed being a part of this campaign, one of several Jackie Chan movies I have worked on including: RUMBLE IN THE BRONX, SUPERCOP, MR. NICE GUY, and RUSH HOUR. The client wanted to depart from the standard "kung fu" action film look in an effort to broaden the international...

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A female flight attendant plays both sides of a double-cross involving the police and an arms dealer in the Quentin Tarantino film JACKIE BROWN. For this ode to 1970s exploitation flicks, it was important to emphasize the stellar casting and visual elements that help define the film's modern day "pulp" crime novel heritage. For a series of character based teaser posters, I gave each actor a high...

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HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE was the first Harry Potter film, laying the groundwork for the young wizard's many future adventures. Working on key art for one of the top grossing films of all time was an exciting proposition. Working a full year before the film's release, I designed a steady stream of Harry Potter poster "comps" (compositions), outdoor, print ads, standees, promos, toys, and...

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Stop me if you've seen this before: For the teen thriller GOSSIP, arrange a group of hot young stars faces in a "V" shaped formation, against a black background. This is sometimes referred to as a "SCREAM head lineup" or "Miramax lineup", in reference to the group cast shot layout in film posters for the Miramax SCREAM films. Cynicism aside, there are reasons this layout is common....

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The film GO features several subplots about a group of twenty-somethings in Los Angeles. Whether it is a drug deal gone bad, or a wild trip to Las Vegas, GO is a wild ride of a film. As with many ensemble movies, the problem is how to show a group of people on the poster in an interesting way. For this design, I separated the characters and...

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The indie film BLOW DRY chronicles an unlikely arena for a movie: a British hairdressing championship. The ensemble dramedy features a mix of acclaimed British actors and an American teen idol or two. How do you market an eclectic film about hairdressers? The answer, at least in this concept, is the popular mantra: sex sells. The "sexy" being sold is supplied by supermodel and PROJECT RUNWAY host...

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