By Mathew Carpenter

Big movies are a huge business, as the recent success of films such as Jurassic World and Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron suggests.1. 此處提到的兩部電影分別是《侏羅紀(jì)世界》和《復(fù)仇者聯(lián)盟2：奧創(chuàng)紀(jì)元》。

Billion-dollar revenue figures aren’t all that uncommon today in cinema, placing many major movies alongside companies such as Facebook when it comes to revenue.

With so much riding on a film’s success, marketing one is a massive opportunity for creative designers.2. ride on: 取決于，此處指電影的成功意味著巨大的經(jīng)濟收入，事關(guān)重大；market: 推銷。

We’ve looked at some of the most effective film marketing materials out there—the promo posters that have been used on modern releases and older movies—and established some key elements that have contributed to their success.3. promo poster: = promotional poster，宣傳海報；release: 新發(fā)行的電影；establish: 證實，確立。

These aren’t just commercial successes either—everything from smaller cult movies to huge blockbusters benefits from these seven simple movie poster design elements.4. cult movie: 在某個小圈子內(nèi)受狂熱追捧的電影；blockbuster: 轟動一時的電影（或書籍等）。

1. Attention—jump out off the wall.5. jump out: （某人）一眼就看得出來，極易引起（某人的）注意；off the wall: 不同尋常地，奇妙地。

If there’s one simple sales formula that everyone in a performance-based position should know, it’s AIDA.6. formula: 公式，配方；performancebased: 以勞動或表現(xiàn)為依據(jù)的，以績效為基礎(chǔ)的。The four-step formula—attention, interest, desire, and action—has been used as the basis of thousands of successful movie advertising campaigns.

The first step, and the one most important for designers, is attention—grabbing the attention of passers-by and encouraging them to look.

This doesn’t have to be achieved with provocative pictures or flashy graphics, although given their advantage at grabbing attention, it’s no wonder Hollywood’s turned to them en masse.7. 這并不代表海報非得使用具有挑逗性的或艷俗的圖像，雖說這種圖像確實非常抓人眼球，也難怪許多好萊塢電影海報都如此。provocative:（動作、圖片等）挑逗性的；flashy: 艷俗的，招搖的；graphics: 圖像；en masse: 一起，全體。

By using the film’s characters or a major plot point8. plot point: 劇情點，電影中的某一場景。, designers can establish some level of plot while still gaining the attention of anyone that views the poster.

Check out The Hangover9. The Hangover: 《宿醉》，2009年由托德·菲利普斯執(zhí)導(dǎo)的一部喜劇電影。posters for a classic example. None are particularly beautiful, nor are they real iconic designs, but they’re very effective at getting people to look.

The flashy gradient background, head-and-shoulders character pictures (which can improve response rate) and bright lighting make it difficult not to stare at one of these posters.10. gradient: 漸升的，漸降的，此處指（顏色）漸變的；response rate: 回應(yīng)率。

電影未上映之前，電影海報是其一項重要的視覺展示宣傳——它的好壞，它是否能吸引人的眼球，是否有創(chuàng)意，在某種程度上決定了這部電影是否能吸引更多的觀眾來看。如今，許多設(shè)計師把創(chuàng)意、文字排版、色彩、明星照片、電影情節(jié)巧妙地混搭在一起，為電影產(chǎn)業(yè)創(chuàng)作了一幅幅電影海報杰作。這些成功的設(shè)計有哪些共同點呢？

2. Iconography11. iconography: 圖解，圖示法?！猻howing without telling.

The most effective movie posters are iconic,presenting the themes in the film without resorting to flat out saying what it’s about.12. resort to: 訴諸某事，求助于某事；flat out: 坦率地，直截了當(dāng)?shù)亍?/p>

They use imagery, whether a close-up of a character or item that’s a major plot point, or a simple graphic, to establish the film’s plot.Combined with an eye-grabbing design, this can be an incredibly effective way to gain attention and create interest at once.

The Jennifer’s Body poster is a classic example of this, albeit one that borrows quite heavily from True Blood.13. Jennifer’s Body:《詹妮弗的肉體》，2009年由梅根·福克斯和阿曼達(dá)·塞弗里德主演的一部驚悚電影；albeit: 雖然，盡管；True Blood:《真愛如血》，2008年開播的一部關(guān)于吸血鬼的電視劇。

It uses tactics honed in on by advertisers over the decades—sex appeal, contrast, and spacing—to grab your attention.14. 廣告界這幾十年來所熱衷的抓眼球策略 —— 性的魅力，強烈對比，海報留白——在這個海報中都可以看到。tactic: 手法，策略；hone in on: 對……全神貫注。

At the same time, it also gives a glimpse into what the film is about. This allows it to market to casual observers and horror fans at once, all through imagery.

3. Interest—create an incentive15. incentive: 刺激，激勵。 to see the film.

When using icons and more abstract imagery doesn’t work with your film—say, for example, it’s a serious drama or a thriller that can’t be explained with iconography—using an image that provides viewers with an idea of the story is a great idea.

Many of the best modern film posters use pictures that put the viewer in the middle of a scene from the film, creating tension and a major incentive.

The incentive is that in order to resolve16. resolve: 解決（問題、困難等）。the situation, the person looking at the poster needs to see the film and find out what happens.

The Inception17. Inception:《盜夢空間》，2010年由克里斯托弗·諾蘭執(zhí)導(dǎo)，萊昂納多·迪卡普里奧等主演的一部好萊塢電影。poster uses this strategy—it puts viewers in the middle of a scene from the film that can only be explained by seeing what occurs before and after it. As a result, the curiosity created by the poster translates into on-the-spot18. on-the-spot: 現(xiàn)場的，當(dāng)場的。ticket sales.

This type of design strategy tends to work best with films that cover unrealistic, fantasy-type events, particularly those that deal with the supernatural or psychological.

Since it’s hard to offer insight for this type of story using icons and simple colors, a still19. still: （電影的）劇照，定格畫面。from the film can work wonders.

4. Appeal—create desire with fans and non-fans alike.

With film studios cranking out comic book adaptations at a rapid pace,20. crank out: 快速機械地制造，粗制濫造；comic book: 漫畫書；adaptation:改編。it’s the “true fans” that end up last in the marketing line.

Studios can rely on them to see their new releases regardless of its review coverage or promotional materials, since chances are fairly strong they’re already aware of it.21. review:（報紙或雜志上的）評論，影評；coverage: 新聞報道；chance: 可能性。Great film posters, particularly those for adaptations, use this dual22. dual: 雙重的。appeal to enhance their advertising.

Look at the Inglourious Basterds23. Inglourious Basterds:《無恥混蛋》，2009年由昆汀·塔倫蒂諾和伊萊·羅斯共同執(zhí)導(dǎo)，布拉德·皮特等主演的戰(zhàn)爭電影。poster. It’s made by one of the world’s most celebrated and well-known film directors, yet it barely states his involvement on its promotional poster.24. celebrated: 著名的；barely: 幾乎不；involvement: 參與，介入。

The reason is that Quentin Tarantino25. Quentin Tarantino: 昆汀·塔倫蒂諾，美國后現(xiàn)代主義導(dǎo)演、編劇、制作人，代表作除上文提到的《無恥混蛋》外，還有《低俗小說》、《被解放的姜戈》等。fans are probably already aware of the film itself—it’d spend several years in production before finally being released—while newer fans are less interested in its history.

Compare this type of promotional poster to the marketing materials used for films that draw appeal from the involvement of a certain actor.

Since fans’ ties with actors are generally weaker than

those with directors or producers, their names usually appear in large print to grab attention. The stronger the audience’s bond, the less important it becomes to highlight features that appeal to current fans.

5. Style—a look that’s consistent with the film.

Whether you’re marketing an art film or a blockbuster,style matters. Some of the most memorable film posters out there have used bold26. bold: 粗體的，黑體的。, unique artistic styles to their advantage.

What separates these posters from their ineffective art-forart’s-sake27. art-for-art’s-sake: 為了藝術(shù)而藝術(shù)的。此處是指電影海報為了追求某種風(fēng)格而使用那種風(fēng)格，而非根據(jù)電影本身的內(nèi)容來選擇風(fēng)格。rivals is that they’re consistent with style, in both the movie’s promotional materials and throughout the film itself.

The poster for Watchmen28. Watchmen:《守望者》，2009年由扎克·施奈德執(zhí)導(dǎo)的一部根據(jù)DC漫畫改編的超級英雄電影。is a classic example of this technique succeeding. Since it uses an instantly recognizable comic book style, it grabs the attention of fans of the book.

It’s accurate too, using the same type of stylized imagery as the film itself. This consistency means that it isn’t just a great theater-based marketing tool, but a recognizable image for DVD and other releases.

6. Lasting Appeal—a look that suits other formats.

Here’s the danger in getting too “arty” and delicate with your film poster: it’s eventually, after release and theater shows, going to be shrunk to a fraction of its original size for the DVD release.29. 這些制作得過于“藝術(shù)”、過于精美的電影海報，總面臨著這樣的危險：在上映之后，電影海報終歸會被縮小，做成DVD版本的盒面。arty: 附庸風(fēng)雅的；delicate: 精致的，精美的；shrink: （面積、體積等）縮小，變??；fraction: 少量，一點。

While a growing number of films now use different designs for their DVD cover than their in-theater promo posters, most of the classics and high-budget blockbusters still use the same poster for both. This means that your imagery, your titles, and your major points of interest need to be just as visible on a small DVD case as they are on a giant movie poster.30. title:（書籍、電影等的）題目，標(biāo)題；visible: 看得見的，可見的。

The Jurassic Park poster really gets this feature, using imagery that’s just as visible and clear when it’s small as when it’s gargantuan.31. Jurassic Park:《侏羅紀(jì)公園》，由史蒂文·斯皮爾伯格執(zhí)導(dǎo)，山姆·尼爾等主演的一部科幻冒險電影；gargantuan:巨大的，龐大的。For your poster to work for the long-term, it needs to have scalable32. scalable: 大小可改變的。, clear, and lasting design appeal.

7. Recognizability—if it’s a sequel33. sequel: 續(xù)集。,make it obvious.

From time to time, the entire box office34. box office: 票房。seems to be made up of sequels.

There’s a good reason for it too—some of the most financially dependable films are sequels to successful franchises35. franchise: 產(chǎn)品經(jīng)銷特許權(quán)，此處指通過系列電影或其他附屬產(chǎn)品取得額外收入的電影。.

From films that dominated both the commercial world and the awards scene to purely commercial releases, few films can guarantee studios income like a good sequel.36. 無論是純粹的商業(yè)電影，還是在商業(yè)和演藝界內(nèi)都吃香的電影，絕少能如同一部好的續(xù)集一樣，保證良好的票房收入。

That’s why sequel posters tend to be highly related to the first release, generally with a giant title in the top third of the canvas37. canvas: 畫布，帆布。此處指電影海報的版面。and instantly recognizable imagery throughout it.

The Godfather and the two sequels in the franchise are a great example—all three use the same style and design, using the critical and commercial success of the previous films in the franchise to draw in would-be viewers.38. The Godfather:《教父》，由弗朗西斯·科波拉指導(dǎo)，馬龍·白蘭度和阿爾·帕西諾等主演的一部經(jīng)典黑幫題材電影；critical success: 好評；draw in: 吸引某人，使某人參與進來。