First, a bit of history. Starting out in the early 1900’s simply as placards outside movie theaters listing the films being showcased within, film posters quickly began including illustrations of a film’s scenes, and with the advent of Hollywood stardom also portraits of the actors and actresses. Where the early posters were very literal representations of what the moviegoer could expect to see on screen, they later became an opportunity to tease the moviegoers by way of symbolism or suggestive imagery. The visual marketing of a film had become another creative level of the filmmaking process. And it still is. With the current need for quickly digestible promotional content on social media, the iconography of a film may be less prioritized now than it was 20 years ago, but all the more reason for you to explore and use the art of the film poster. A picture is, after all, worth a thousand words.

So what makes a great film poster? Let’s see what some of the great posters of decades past have in common.

The Clockwork Orange poster hints at the central themes of the film (good vs evil, light vs dark, danger, violence, sexuality) while much is left to the imagination. Why the triangles? Why the dagger? Why the eye? Why is Alex lurking in the shadows?

The image used for American Beauty also hints at the central themes of sexuality and desire, while the tag line suggest that not all is what it appears to be. ‘Look closer’ at what? The American dream? The rose? The naked body? Yourself?

Most of Forrest Gump unfolds as a story told by Forrest as he’s waiting for the bus, so it’s only fitting that the poster recalls the iconic bench. But the image says so much more. Many of the film’s central themes are hidden in plain sight: the loneliness, the journey, the anticipation, leaving the past behind you.

This epic poster for National Lampoon’s Vacation is all about intertextuality. The style is an homage to the film posters of yesteryear, with several of the film’s highlights depicted, but it also calls upon the viewer’s knowledge of iconic film posters like Barbarella or Conan The Barbarian to add humor and kitsch. But even with the lighthearted illustrations, the themes of the film are present: feeling powerful vs feeling inadequate, love vs lust, disaster vs triumph, patriarchy.

One of my favorite posters, the Pulp Fiction poster is as ‘meta’ as they come. The design is that of the cover of a pulp fiction novel, which Mia Wallace also happens to be reading. It’s a book in a book, that’s actually a movie. The style invokes the kind of pop-culture nostalgia that Tarantino is famed and loved for, but it’s not ‘all style no substance’ either. The image is not a still from the movie, so why is it there? It’s presenting the themes. Crime. Violence. Seduction. Pop-culture. Aah. Star Wars. An iconic poster if ever there was one. Notice a familiarity with the one for Vacation? Certain elements of the plot are hinted at, without revealing too much. Our main characters are introduced. Luke and Leia are both in white – as opposed to the darkness surrounding Darth Vader. Recognize a theme of good vs evil here? What about Luke fighting to get out of the shadow cast by his father – recurring theme in Star Wars? Oh yes. Add to that the alien landscape, the spaceships in motion and the droids trekking through the desert and you have the theme of ‘the journey’.

So there you have it, folks. Even if it’s not staring you right in the face, the best film posters will somehow hint at the themes of the film. Keep that in mind next time you sit down with your graphic designer.

Jesse Harris, the found of the NFFTY film festival in Seattle, shares some insight on what filmmakers should – and shouldn’t – expect from taking home awards at a film festival.

In 2005, Franklin Leonard, an industry executive, surveyed around 100 industry executives about their favorite unproduced screenplays from that year. He published their answers and thus The Black list was created. Since then, it has become a database where screenwriters can upload their script, pay for evaluations and get the attention of industry players. In addition, The Black List continues to publish a yearly report of the best unproduced screenplays. Past screenplays on this list have included Hanna, Argo, The King’s Speech, The Butler, and this year’s award favorite Spotlight.

So how does it work for me?

“Putting your film on The Black List” does NOT mean you are automatically included in the yearly report. You are paying The Black List to host your script on their database and make it accessible to industry executives/filmmakers. That’s it. The hosting fee for your script is $25 per month.

Similar to script coverage, The Black List offers script evaluations. Qualified readers will rank your script from 1 to 10 in a number of categories and give comments. Evaluations are a $50 one-time fee per evaluation.

Scripts that receive a “high score” (usually 8 or higher) are then labeled a “Spotlight Script.” The Black List sends a list of these Spotlight Scripts to industry members. If interested, industry members will then go to your scripts page and can choose to view/download the script. If they like it, they can then get in contact with you.

What if there’s a rewrite?

You do have the ability on The Black List to switch out versions of your script. However, you must consider this: How different is the draft? If we’re talking a page one re-write, then you might not want old evaluations and ratings associated with the new draft. It’s recommended (both by The Black List and myself) that you delete the previous entry and essentially start over.

Listen carefully, please – While The Black List does offer screenwriters an invaluable opportunity to receive industry attention, it’s really only screenplays that receive a rating of 8 or higher that get attention.

I believe The Storyteller received a 7 rating from the person we paid for coverage. Which is quite good I’m told, but not enough to really get anything moving for us on there. We weren’t willing to pay to host the script for more than a couple of months without any organic traffic. It adds up fast. – Rachel Noll, producer of The Storyteller

The key to a great screenplay is understanding where your script is in the writing process and what you need to get it to the next stage. Getting feedback is crucial to making any script grow.  Whether Coverage, Contests or The Black List is your next stage, you should know what you’re buying before you whip out your credit card. Our comprehensive article on the subject – The Storyteller Series: Script Coverage & Screenwriting Contests – will give you a head start.

Nevertheless. If no one sees your film, was everything else really worth it? Devin Buttner – CTO of Los Angeles-based digital marketing strategists Screenpush – urges you to consider marketing an important aspect of your planning, and reminds you to plan carefully so you know your money is well spent. Enter analytics. Here Devin breaks down the importance of using analytics and how you use them most effectively.

The main point Devin is trying to get across, is that you always want to start with a solid strategy. Nobody wants to pay for it (true), but everybody needs it (also true). Why would you spend your – probably pretty tight – marketing budget blindly? You wouldn’t and you shouldn’t. Your target audience may not be used to making their decisions where you think they are (on Facebook, twitter, at the grocery store), so make sure you do your research before you begin (what you think is) targeting.

Jesse is currently a commercial director at World Famous. Variety named him one of 25 talents who transformed youth entertainment and was named one of City Arts Magazine’s Top 50 Culture Makers. This is the second video in our interview series with him.

Federico Ponce may not yet be a household name outside a tight-knit Motion Graphics circle in Los Angeles, but chances are you know his work nevertheless. As a visual artist and creative director, he has designed the title art for movies like Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, District 9, The Twilight Saga and many more. He has also designed a handful of your favorite movie trailers and directed numerous commercials. And now he’s working on his narrative directorial debut, Sebastian: The Slumberland Odyssey – all of which he’ll be telling you more about in the video below.

In this video – part of a series with Federico and other filmmakers – he talks about how his elaborate Sebastian story came about – and why he decided to create a graphic novel for the story as well. Something many first-time filmmakers could take a cue from.

The options are plentiful when it comes to social media and various (paid) ways of promoting yourself and your project to the masses. But we also know that funds – especially marketing funds – can be limited on an independent production. Enter Devin and his knowledge of social media mechanics. Please enjoy his insight on how to make the most of what you got. Comments are welcome below.

About Devin Buttner:

As CTO, Devin oversees all technological aspects of Screenpush’s internal and external projects. Devin is an expert in information architecture and LAMP stack development.

With more than eight years of experience in technology development, Devin leverages his in-depth knowledge of computer languages to design, build, test, implement, and support applications utilizing programming languages and development tools. Devin has worked on IT projects and large scale integrations for brands like US Cellular, Magento, and Sales Force among others.

Prior to joining Screenpush, Devin had a career in the music business, working for major record labels developing and marketing artists, representing such brands as Universal Music, Sony Music, and Hollywood Records.

Connect with Devin on Twitter @drumit84

If you’re a low budget production, you may not have the budget for a full documentary crew. That’s okay. What you can have is stills. Now, there are two kinds of stills. Production Stills (also called Set Stills) and Movie Stills.

Set Stills show the film being made. Have a photographer, or even just a PA with a really nice camera, on set to document the production. Stills of the actors in make-up, the director with the DP and crew setting up a shot,  the director talking with the actors – they are all great because they show the filmmaking process.

Don’t think about pre-meditating or posing for these shots. Let your set photographer be a fly on the wall. His job is to give you lots of choices to pick from, so you end up with the stills that best capture a moment in the production. Aim to have a minimum of two and preferably three to five go-to production stills.

I bet it won’t take you two seconds to guess the movies just from seeing their Set Stills below:

So, does that mean I have to have a photographer on set everyday? No, if you can’t afford to have a photographer on set everyday, or if there’s a “run and gun” day where having a photographer just isn’t practical, it’s okay. The point is to get stills that show the production at it’s best, not it’s worst. Notice how there are never any stills of a famous director screaming at his cast (even if there are leaked audio tracks). Remember, every little thing that goes into your EPK should be carefully selected to present your film exactly how you want it. Your EPK will help set the tone and guide the conversation when marketing your film.

Movie Stills are chosen after the footage has been shot, and preferably when the film is complete. Scrub through the film and find two or three moments that you can create a still from. These are best used when you’re in a film festival and they want pictures to put on their website or in their program. You want someone to see that picture and say, “that film looks interesting!”

Do these classic Movie Stills make you want to see the movie again?

Next item on your list is chosen after the film has been shot, edited and color corrected: Film Clips. Go through your movie and pick one or two scenes that you feel best represent your film. What makes a good film clip? It, like your film, all comes down to story. A clip needs to show your story while telling its own story within a 30-second to 1-minute time frame. Like this EPK clip that was selected by Yours Truly:

When selecting clips, introductions to characters work well, because that’s when a character has to define themselves, both to the other characters in the scene and to the audience. Also, clips that show a moment of decision, like your hero choosing to fight the bad guy, are powerful EPK clips. Think of the theme of your film and pick clips that best represent that theme.

Third item on the list: Trailers. Good trailers show the story without giving too much away. When cutting together a trailer, it’s best to employ the services of an editor who has worked specifically on sizzle reels and trailers, because they can sit down, watch the movie and build a trailer that best advertises your story. There’s a very fine line that you don’t want to cross. Haven’t we all said, “That’s a great trailer! Now, I don’t have to see the movie!”? Trailers, like the stills and clips, are about building desire to see your movie. They should capture the tone and genre of your movie. If your movie’s a thriller, your trailer needs to be thrilling.

Here’s the International trailer for a film that had a great EPK package. Did you see it?

So how long should your trailer be? Well, for a full feature, it’s best to have a 1-minute teaser trailer and a full 2-minute trailer. Depending on the platform, you can choose which trailer is best. If your film is a short, aim for a 30-second to 1-minute trailer.

Item four on your list: A Digital Poster (also called a one-sheet). Often times, particularly with short films, filmmakers will take a still from the movie and design the poster around that image. It’s valid and if you look at some of the stills above you can understand why they became the poster. But remember: your poster is the title card to your EPK package and unless you have a name actor in that still, you’re going to have a much harder time distinguishing yourself from other films that do the same thing. Get a graphic designer to watch your film, as well as the trailer, and customize a whole design around your film and it’s theme. Chances are that you’ll be using this graphic design for a lot more than just the poster. You might be printing postcards, stickers, running web or print ads, send out invitations to screenings, and so on and so forth.

The last two items on your EPK checklist are: A Logline and a Summary. Now, yes, these are things classically used in print media, but they are also used when listing your film on FilmFreeway and WithoutABox, on festival websites, youtube channels, twitter accounts, and more places than you care to think of. Although you will tailor the logline and summary to each medium, having something already written creates a coherent voice for your marketing strategy.

How do I create a logline and summary? Well, ask yourself; who are my characters? Where are they at the beginning of the story? What are they trying to accomplish over the course of this film? You don’t have to say whether or not they succeed. Like with every other part of the EPK package, the point is to wet the audience’s appetite. Still need help? The best place to get examples is IMDB or Netflix. They give short summaries for every title you see.

Once you have all these things, all representing your film with a singular voice and within the appropriate theme or genre, you are well on your way to having a kick-ass EPK. So to close, here’s the trailer for a film that came out a few years ago, was a hit at Sundance and went on to be Oscar nominated. Check out the “Show More” section on YouTube –  it includes a logline. Who would’ve guessed?!