The cure for FHS (Floating Head Syndrome)
November 2, 2010 4:10 PM Subscribe
Mondo Tees create absolutely gorgeous movie posters.
The first link is to their blog, which sports large images of their designs.
As lagniappe, here are some (unrelated) posters for Darren Arnofksy's Black Swan that are really lovely.
The first link is to their blog, which sports large images of their designs.
As lagniappe, here are some (unrelated) posters for Darren Arnofksy's Black Swan that are really lovely.
Movie posters are the new HDR.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 4:22 PM on November 2, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by Threeway Handshake at 4:22 PM on November 2, 2010 [4 favorites]
I love that Four Lions poster. I'm both delighted and worried to find out that the shop is local to me, because that means I might go buy one of their posters.
posted by immlass at 4:23 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by immlass at 4:23 PM on November 2, 2010
Except movie posters require talent, unlike nearly every HDR photo out there.
posted by GuyZero at 4:23 PM on November 2, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by GuyZero at 4:23 PM on November 2, 2010 [3 favorites]
I didn't like these, except for the Evil Dead one, which was quite good in conveying tone and tensions. The others just seem silly and hard to take seriously, due to the style.
posted by nomadicink at 4:25 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by nomadicink at 4:25 PM on November 2, 2010
Olly Moss is consistently great.
posted by the cuban at 4:26 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by the cuban at 4:26 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
I am loving that Mondo Tees blog. So much more than just movie posters, it is full of some beautiful geeky awesomeness. Thanks!
posted by Gator at 4:28 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by Gator at 4:28 PM on November 2, 2010
Except movie posters require talent, unlike nearly every HDR photo out there.
And, like HDR, nearly all of these are purely masturbatory and will look extremely dated in a few years.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 4:32 PM on November 2, 2010
And, like HDR, nearly all of these are purely masturbatory and will look extremely dated in a few years.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 4:32 PM on November 2, 2010
These are gorgeous, it's so sad that if I saw one on the tube I wouldn't even recognise it as advertising a film though. I'd love if films I loved would do this when you bought the DVD or even as separate merchandise.
posted by shinybaum at 4:42 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by shinybaum at 4:42 PM on November 2, 2010
Movie posters are the new HDR
Real estate agents where I live use massively altered HDR photographs of houses and flats to make them look clean and bright and new when actually they're just shitty decaying rental properties. Does this mean in a year or so they're going to start using movie posters to lie instead of photographs?
2/3.5 BEDROOM UNIT! INTERIOR LAUNDRY! CARPET! $750/wk! NOT VERY MUCH WATER DAMAGE! STARRING WALTER MATTHAU!
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:52 PM on November 2, 2010 [4 favorites]
Real estate agents where I live use massively altered HDR photographs of houses and flats to make them look clean and bright and new when actually they're just shitty decaying rental properties. Does this mean in a year or so they're going to start using movie posters to lie instead of photographs?
2/3.5 BEDROOM UNIT! INTERIOR LAUNDRY! CARPET! $750/wk! NOT VERY MUCH WATER DAMAGE! STARRING WALTER MATTHAU!
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:52 PM on November 2, 2010 [4 favorites]
Holy crap, I love the Beetlejuice poster. And Let Me In, even though I have conflicted feelings about the film itself (yes, another LTROI devotee). Nice use of Morse code.
posted by katillathehun at 4:57 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by katillathehun at 4:57 PM on November 2, 2010
Every putz that does a series of "minimal revisionist" movie posters should get slapped with a rolled up copy of that terrific Evil Dead poster.
That is how you do it, boys.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 5:03 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
That is how you do it, boys.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 5:03 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Why would you want a movie poster that wasn't actually *the* movie poster? Seems a bit peculiar to me. A bit like those Music For Pleasure albums that featured anonymous sounding cover versions of your favourite chart hits.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:03 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:03 PM on November 2, 2010
That Dead Alive one is great, but owes a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge debt to Tyler Stout
posted by Senor Cardgage at 5:05 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by Senor Cardgage at 5:05 PM on November 2, 2010
I was disappointed to see that awesome Beetlejuice pic on a site called Mondo Tees and nowhere did I see it on a t-shirt for sale.
Mondo TEASE, pssh. *snaps*
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 5:10 PM on November 2, 2010
Mondo TEASE, pssh. *snaps*
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 5:10 PM on November 2, 2010
Why would you want a movie poster that wasn't actually *the* movie poster?
I don't think enjoyment of a poster is determined by whether it's "official," especially when what's approved by distributors is so often so bland. Think of these as celebrations of the original films.
posted by brundlefly at 5:16 PM on November 2, 2010
I don't think enjoyment of a poster is determined by whether it's "official," especially when what's approved by distributors is so often so bland. Think of these as celebrations of the original films.
posted by brundlefly at 5:16 PM on November 2, 2010
As an example of that blandness:
Official poster, complete with floating heads.
Mondo Tees' take.
posted by brundlefly at 5:28 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Official poster, complete with floating heads.
Mondo Tees' take.
posted by brundlefly at 5:28 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
I don't think enjoyment of a poster is determined by whether it's "official," especially when what's approved by distributors is so often so bland. Think of these as celebrations of the original films.
I can see this. Though by this token, the Dead Alive poster needs some fixin'!
The film was (and is) called Braindead. In America, marketers decided to rebrand it with the blander name "Dead Alive", lest delicate American sensibilities be offended.
Having a Braindead poster would not only be a celebration of the original film, but it would be ten times the hipster-points as having a Dead Alive poster :)
posted by -harlequin- at 5:29 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
I can see this. Though by this token, the Dead Alive poster needs some fixin'!
The film was (and is) called Braindead. In America, marketers decided to rebrand it with the blander name "Dead Alive", lest delicate American sensibilities be offended.
Having a Braindead poster would not only be a celebration of the original film, but it would be ten times the hipster-points as having a Dead Alive poster :)
posted by -harlequin- at 5:29 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
As an example of that blandness:
Official poster, complete with floating heads.
Mondo Tees' take.
The Mondo Tee is missing the point, as it focuses on the art as opposed to the stars. I say that as Nick Cage fan and graphic designer, I'm usually game to see what's he in. Having to search for his name somewhere while gazing at an opaque piece of art would make me move on to another poster.
posted by nomadicink at 5:34 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Official poster, complete with floating heads.
Mondo Tees' take.
The Mondo Tee is missing the point, as it focuses on the art as opposed to the stars. I say that as Nick Cage fan and graphic designer, I'm usually game to see what's he in. Having to search for his name somewhere while gazing at an opaque piece of art would make me move on to another poster.
posted by nomadicink at 5:34 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Gorgeous? Low on originality, low on craft, low on feeling. Low on understanding of what movie posters do. Not for me - some of these posters are downright terrible.
A bunch of dashed off illustrations that would make the average rejected Threadless design look like Toulouse-Lautrec. As dated and tiresome as the cute oil paintings of quasi-asian girls done on pine with the grain showing through, cross stitch portraits of Paris Hilton's mugshot, or metal songs covered on toy instruments. The predictable dreck peddled by BoingBoing and the like as cutting edge creativity for the past 5 years.
posted by fire&wings at 5:37 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
A bunch of dashed off illustrations that would make the average rejected Threadless design look like Toulouse-Lautrec. As dated and tiresome as the cute oil paintings of quasi-asian girls done on pine with the grain showing through, cross stitch portraits of Paris Hilton's mugshot, or metal songs covered on toy instruments. The predictable dreck peddled by BoingBoing and the like as cutting edge creativity for the past 5 years.
posted by fire&wings at 5:37 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
The Mondo Tee is missing the point, as it focuses on the art as opposed to the stars.
We clearly have different priorities.
posted by brundlefly at 5:40 PM on November 2, 2010 [3 favorites]
We clearly have different priorities.
posted by brundlefly at 5:40 PM on November 2, 2010 [3 favorites]
The Mondo Tee is missing the point, as it focuses on the art as opposed to the stars.
I have the impression that these posters are actually making an altogether different point, that point being art, as opposed to marketing a film. If you look at these things with an attitude of, "This is stupid, who would ever go to see this movie if this was the actual poster," you're probably correct, but I don't think that's remotely the artists' intentions.
posted by Gator at 5:45 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
I have the impression that these posters are actually making an altogether different point, that point being art, as opposed to marketing a film. If you look at these things with an attitude of, "This is stupid, who would ever go to see this movie if this was the actual poster," you're probably correct, but I don't think that's remotely the artists' intentions.
posted by Gator at 5:45 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
We clearly have different priorities.
I don't know why, it's the stars that are in the movie, not the art from the movie poster. Plus that Mondo Tee version uses fonts horribly, it looks like someone grabbed crap off DaFont and slapped it on there.
And I have no idea why floating heads are so bad, but blackened out heads with awkwardly and unrealistically placed crime scene tap on it that's resting in a cloud of smoke is ok.
posted by nomadicink at 5:45 PM on November 2, 2010
I don't know why, it's the stars that are in the movie, not the art from the movie poster. Plus that Mondo Tee version uses fonts horribly, it looks like someone grabbed crap off DaFont and slapped it on there.
And I have no idea why floating heads are so bad, but blackened out heads with awkwardly and unrealistically placed crime scene tap on it that's resting in a cloud of smoke is ok.
posted by nomadicink at 5:45 PM on November 2, 2010
Maybe Gator, but I was commenting on brundlefly's comparison of the two and why I thought the Mondo Tee version was poorly done.
posted by nomadicink at 5:57 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by nomadicink at 5:57 PM on November 2, 2010
I bought this poster a few years ago. It's pretty badass, done with a metallic ink. It's gone up in value, but I've never gotten around to hanging it up.
posted by ColdChef at 5:59 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by ColdChef at 5:59 PM on November 2, 2010
You've made a successful, well designed movie poster when people say, "I want to see that movie!" not "I want to buy that poster!"
posted by Brocktoon at 5:59 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Brocktoon at 5:59 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Also, browsing the trailers over at Apple, I see plenty of well designed posters, and plenty of bleh. So, bad design is not endemic.
posted by Brocktoon at 6:03 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by Brocktoon at 6:03 PM on November 2, 2010
If that was your intention when you made the poster. Come on, it's not a movie marketing firm, it's an art (T-shirts and posters) store.
posted by Gator at 6:03 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by Gator at 6:03 PM on November 2, 2010
You've made a successful, well designed movie poster when people say, "I want to see that movie!" not "I want to buy that poster!"
Except, that's not what these are. You've missed the point entirely. Most of these are fan posters. Posters for people who have already seen the film and love it. They are not enticing someone to see a movie. They are an artist's representation of what the movie is. It's a tribute, not an advertisement.
posted by ColdChef at 6:07 PM on November 2, 2010 [4 favorites]
Except, that's not what these are. You've missed the point entirely. Most of these are fan posters. Posters for people who have already seen the film and love it. They are not enticing someone to see a movie. They are an artist's representation of what the movie is. It's a tribute, not an advertisement.
posted by ColdChef at 6:07 PM on November 2, 2010 [4 favorites]
Yeah, like CC said, they're masturbating. Badly, in most cases.
posted by nomadicink at 6:10 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by nomadicink at 6:10 PM on November 2, 2010
Yeah, like CC said, they're masturbating. Badly, in most cases.
That is, of course, not at all what I said. I'm a huge fan of these.
posted by ColdChef at 6:12 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
That is, of course, not at all what I said. I'm a huge fan of these.
posted by ColdChef at 6:12 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
My bad, didn't mean to imply you didn't like them, but was admittedly stretching your words to indicate my dislike. Apologies for that.
posted by nomadicink at 6:13 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by nomadicink at 6:13 PM on November 2, 2010
In case anyone was wondering, that last poster (The Warriors) is done by Tomer Hanuka—who's got a lot of other great stuff on his site (careful, some illustrations NSFW) (his twin brother Asaf is also an artist/illustrator also, and together they fight crime have a neat little illustration blog).
posted by 0x88 at 6:14 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by 0x88 at 6:14 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
A lot of these posters, on closer examination, seem to have been done for specific showings of the films at repertory theaters. So that's why you'd want them--it's like buying a cool art poster at a rock show.
posted by padraigin at 6:35 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by padraigin at 6:35 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
I don't know why, it's the stars that are in the movie, not the art from the movie poster.
If you define the movie by what actors are in it, then yes, the official poster is clearly superior. However, the official poster also makes the film look like a generic cop thriller which it is absolutely not. I think the Mondo poster is much better in the sense that it captures the tone of the film. Also, what ColdChef said re advertising vs. tribute.
And I have no idea why floating heads are so bad,
Floating heads are bad because they're in half the movie posters in the world. They're generic, and get across nothing about the film other than cast.
but blackened out heads with awkwardly and unrealistically placed crime scene tap on it that's resting in a cloud of smoke is ok.
If you're judging that poster on realism, we're definitely on a different page. Anyways, different strokes for different folks, so I'll step out now. I don't want to run the risk of posting too much in my own thread.
posted by brundlefly at 6:53 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
If you define the movie by what actors are in it, then yes, the official poster is clearly superior. However, the official poster also makes the film look like a generic cop thriller which it is absolutely not. I think the Mondo poster is much better in the sense that it captures the tone of the film. Also, what ColdChef said re advertising vs. tribute.
And I have no idea why floating heads are so bad,
Floating heads are bad because they're in half the movie posters in the world. They're generic, and get across nothing about the film other than cast.
but blackened out heads with awkwardly and unrealistically placed crime scene tap on it that's resting in a cloud of smoke is ok.
If you're judging that poster on realism, we're definitely on a different page. Anyways, different strokes for different folks, so I'll step out now. I don't want to run the risk of posting too much in my own thread.
posted by brundlefly at 6:53 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Yeah, these posters in particular are pretty darn cool and are among the best of movie poster re-dos that I've seen. Unfortunately people's opinions of this post are colored by the several previous and not as good "look at these cool re-done movie poster" posts here on MeFi. Oh well, they're cool.
posted by zsazsa at 7:27 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by zsazsa at 7:27 PM on November 2, 2010
After a couple of years buying used CDs at a local store, I was talking to one of the owners and he told me that most of the albums I purchased were sold to the store by the same guy, that it was funny that we pretty much had the same taste. It was pretty predictable, he would drop off albums there, and within a month or two, I would buy them. I was laughing about it with the store owner, because it occurred to me that most of what I thought to be awesome obscure finds were, in fact, this one person's cast-offs. While I thought that I was listening to great music, somewhere out there, this guy was out there listening to really really great music; music I would never know about until he was bored with it.
Anyways, the designs in this post are fun, I think the designers are having a great time combining movies and visual styles that they love, and it comes through in the work. They aren't always to my taste, but I think they are well done. But it's kind of surprising to read this thread and to hear that these designs are terrible. So would those of you who think this is crap work, well, would you please show me the really really great DIY movie posters? If there is better work out there, I want to see it. Seriously, don't be that like the mystery obscure album collection guy, keeping all that awesome material to yourself.
I'm making this request in all earnestness, and I promise not to turn around with a lol your favorite movie poster sucks.
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 7:34 PM on November 2, 2010 [15 favorites]
Anyways, the designs in this post are fun, I think the designers are having a great time combining movies and visual styles that they love, and it comes through in the work. They aren't always to my taste, but I think they are well done. But it's kind of surprising to read this thread and to hear that these designs are terrible. So would those of you who think this is crap work, well, would you please show me the really really great DIY movie posters? If there is better work out there, I want to see it. Seriously, don't be that like the mystery obscure album collection guy, keeping all that awesome material to yourself.
I'm making this request in all earnestness, and I promise not to turn around with a lol your favorite movie poster sucks.
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 7:34 PM on November 2, 2010 [15 favorites]
Except, that's not what these are. You've missed the point entirely. Most of these are fan posters. Posters for people who have already seen the film and love it. They are not enticing someone to see a movie. They are an artist's representation of what the movie is. It's a tribute, not an advertisement.
I haven't missed the point, seeing as how they are for sale.
posted by Brocktoon at 8:40 PM on November 2, 2010
I haven't missed the point, seeing as how they are for sale.
posted by Brocktoon at 8:40 PM on November 2, 2010
I haven't missed the point, seeing as how they are for sale.
Christ on the cross. Look, when you're at the Alamo South Lamar or the Alamo Ritz (and probably the others I guess) there's an area where Mondo sells its shit. If you're stopping to look at wares in the kind of shop that sells a dang Ingmar Bergman shirt, you're not thinking "Yeah, but what about the headshots of the cast of Bad Lieutenant?"
posted by Roman Graves at 9:17 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Christ on the cross. Look, when you're at the Alamo South Lamar or the Alamo Ritz (and probably the others I guess) there's an area where Mondo sells its shit. If you're stopping to look at wares in the kind of shop that sells a dang Ingmar Bergman shirt, you're not thinking "Yeah, but what about the headshots of the cast of Bad Lieutenant?"
posted by Roman Graves at 9:17 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
Also, I'm sorry that we're arguing, because I love your name.
posted by Roman Graves at 9:17 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by Roman Graves at 9:17 PM on November 2, 2010
would you please show me the really really great DIY movie posters?
Right this way, sir.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:47 PM on November 2, 2010
Right this way, sir.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 9:47 PM on November 2, 2010
Either that link is broken, or you are taunting me.
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 9:54 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 9:54 PM on November 2, 2010 [2 favorites]
This entry brings to mind this old metafilter post. What a strange movie...
posted by Green With You at 10:05 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Green With You at 10:05 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
I love polish posters!
Here are some more from a shop in Berlin. "Dziady" on this page is on my wall. So good.
posted by kenko at 10:32 PM on November 2, 2010
Here are some more from a shop in Berlin. "Dziady" on this page is on my wall. So good.
posted by kenko at 10:32 PM on November 2, 2010
Nice links, kenko. I remember seeing some of Wiktor Sadowski's work in a design magazine 15 years ago, and thought it was impressive, but I don't think I ever followed up on it until now. Good stuff.
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 10:51 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 10:51 PM on November 2, 2010
I love polish posters!
Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. A lot of these remind me of the classic Polish movie poster approach, which can produce some spectacular designs.
I'm not loving that site you linked to, though. I think this one is better, though hard to navigate.
posted by mr_roboto at 11:16 PM on November 2, 2010
Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. A lot of these remind me of the classic Polish movie poster approach, which can produce some spectacular designs.
I'm not loving that site you linked to, though. I think this one is better, though hard to navigate.
posted by mr_roboto at 11:16 PM on November 2, 2010
I love Polish posters as well! I have a print of a nice one for Cronenberg's The Fly (of course).
posted by brundlefly at 11:40 PM on November 2, 2010
posted by brundlefly at 11:40 PM on November 2, 2010
The Star Wars bounty hunter prints are great. Would totally buy them but I doubt my gf would let me hang them up...
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:02 AM on November 3, 2010
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:02 AM on November 3, 2010
This past September, Alamo Drafthouse screened a restored copy of Fritz Lang's Metropolis at Austin Seaholm power plant, with a live score. It was fantastic, and Mondo created a poster for it.
I couldn't help but pick one up and frame it.
posted by kaseijin at 6:52 AM on November 3, 2010
I couldn't help but pick one up and frame it.
posted by kaseijin at 6:52 AM on November 3, 2010
This past September, Alamo Drafthouse screened a restored copy of Fritz Lang's Metropolis at Austin Seaholm power plant, with a live score.
Was it a traditional score or something weirder? My buddy Leila is in the band The Invincible Czars, and I know they've performed live scores for silent films at the Alamo before. I'm not sure if they've done Metropolis before.
posted by brundlefly at 9:50 AM on November 3, 2010
Was it a traditional score or something weirder? My buddy Leila is in the band The Invincible Czars, and I know they've performed live scores for silent films at the Alamo before. I'm not sure if they've done Metropolis before.
posted by brundlefly at 9:50 AM on November 3, 2010
It was a modern score from the Golden Hornet Project. Good stuff!
posted by kaseijin at 10:09 AM on November 3, 2010
posted by kaseijin at 10:09 AM on November 3, 2010
I'm not loving that site you linked to, though
Nor am I, to be honest. It was just the top google hit. I like the Pigasus Gallery much more.
posted by kenko at 11:57 AM on November 3, 2010
Nor am I, to be honest. It was just the top google hit. I like the Pigasus Gallery much more.
posted by kenko at 11:57 AM on November 3, 2010
I still heart Olly Moss's film posters. The Evil Dead poster in the original post is one of his.
posted by hot soup girl at 7:14 AM on November 6, 2010
posted by hot soup girl at 7:14 AM on November 6, 2010
Today I finally got around to framing the Total Recall poster I bought from these guys about a year ago.
posted by brundlefly at 11:02 PM on November 7, 2010
posted by brundlefly at 11:02 PM on November 7, 2010
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