My first idea came from a still I took during filming. The idea came almost instantly and this design was very spontaneous. After studying the still, with the close up of the books in focus and the out-of-focus subject in the background, I found an opportunity to be creative and inventive. After duplicating the original background layer, I altered the tone, contrast and brightness of the photograph to increase its attractiveness. I further used the clone stamp tool to slowly create an overlay above the original text on the margins on the books, whilst keeping the background colours. After this, I experimented with fonts until I found ones I think suited the books well and went on to fill in the gaps with the director credits and film title. This initial design received very positive feedback on twitter and Instagram as soon as it was exhibited.
Although I really liked the original idea and image, I felt that as a poster, maybe it didn't have enough information on it. I went on to create a alternative poster, with some very slight changes. I bracketed the photo with two white spaces. I filled the top with the director and film title in my chosen fonts; Seen It At The Movies (director) and Colours of Autumn (film title) which work very well together through their contrasts. I additionally inserted film credits which are traditional on film posters into the bottom bracket, along with the films imaginary producers and distributers. I think this poster is very modern, effective and stylish and is more likely to be used as a poster due to the minimal increase in information.
My following idea was party inspired by the poster-work for Zach Braff's up and coming film Wish I Was There, in which he uses painting and art filters on the background of the street but keeps the four characters in normal clarity and clearness. In this still, The subject fit so perfectly into the frame which was filled with beautiful natural colours of green and brown from the trees and bushes on each side of him. Also the white space above the character, and the grey space underneath him allowed some room for text to be seen clearly. Firstly, I duplicated the layer and increased the tone and vibrance of the colours to heighten the impact of nature within the shot. I followed this by putting an artistic filter onto the frame called 'dry brush' which gave the style of watercolour. Subsequently, I used the eraser tool over the character to leave him clear and un-filtered, making him stand out above the background. After finishing a draft of this picture, I instantly felt a sense of pride. I loved the colours and the expression of solitude within the frame, as well as the stressed sense of freedom and independence. Additionally, I felt as though the fact the character was normal and the colours and style of the background surrounding him was stylised, vibrant and enhanced, its almost as if we are seeing the world through his eyes; the eyes of a dreaming who loves life and relishes the beauty of the world. One problem I quickly realised was the break of symmetry with the lamppost, and quickly used the clone tool to rectify this.
After developing such a colourful vibrant poster, I felt I wanted to balance the designs out and experiment with a more subtle approach. I took one still of the subject against a white background. As shown with some of my other ideas I wanted to create a sense of anonymity through a lack of identity. I decided to use the gaussian blur tool again to achieve this, blurring the background, also making the title and text pop out and seem sharper and clearer.
I liked this idea through its simplicity. The style of the photo is not overwhelming at all, but its still attractive and stylish. I liked the symbolism that came with the notion of a blank canvas; this is a character who is ready to write his story and he has the world at his feet and nothing stopping him from finding his path.
