|
Movie
Posters | Other
Paper Products | Non-Paper Products
Movie
Poster Art Descriptions
North
America || United Kingdom || France
|| Australia || Other Foreign Countries
 Following
are brief descriptions of the more common forms of movie poster art. Andy
the Usher, your assistant at MovieGoods, will show you the relative
size of each. You can search the MovieGoods site
for products in these sizes.
Movie studios produced as
many as 12 different kinds of advertising collateral from the years 1940 —
1985. This was done primarily because each theatre displayed only one film on
one screen. As a result there was a need to have numerous different sized movie
posters, lobby cards and scene stills promoting the film throughout the theatre.
With the emergence of the
multiple screen cinemas the studios chose to phase out many of the older styles.
More screens meant the space to advertise had to be divided between more films.
Currently in North America today the principal advertising size for a movie
poster is 27" x 40" commonly referred to as the one sheet. There are
still various different sized posters with different artwork for films released
in countries overseas which we detail below.
Many of the older items (i.e. mid-1980s and earlier) for sale at MovieGoods have actually been displayed in a
theatre or cinema. Given the nature of their use, many products will have
some wear. If a pristine copy of a product for a particular film is
important to you, be sure to ask us about the condition before you buy your product.
More detailed information
about movie poster art and collecting can be found in our help/learn
section.
North
America
ONE-SHEET
Size: 27"
x 41" (typically pre - 1985); 27" x 40" (typically post - 1985)
Type: Printed
on paper stock. Before 1985, usually folded; after 1985, usually rolled.
History: Traditionally,
the one-sheet (OS) is the "standard" size for movie advertising in North America.
The one sheet is undeniably the most popular size for collectors and consumers
alike. Most new movie releases since 1985 were advertised using this size
In addition to the regular release One-Sheet poster produced for most movies,
there are also "special" versions made for some films. They are as
follows:
Advance: Sometimes
called "Teasers", Advance One-Sheets are released before the film
comes out. Some of the Advance posters have completely different artwork than
the poster accompanying the final release version. Some are identical to the
release One-Sheet, with the only difference being the word "Advance",
"Coming Soon", or a specific date will be printed along the bottom.
Anniversary: These
one-sheets mark the anniversary of the original release date of an all-time
favorite movie, such as "Casablanca" or "Gone with the Wind".
They can be elaborate with different artwork than the original release One-Sheet.
Awards: Award One-Sheets
indicate somewhere on the poster that the movie has either won an award, or
been nominated for an award.
Different Versions:
Sometimes a film will have a series of One-Sheets as part of its advertising
campaign. You might see many styles of One-Sheets for the same film, called
Style A, B, etc. Each of these styles will have different artwork.
Double-Sided: Many
of the One-Sheets that are currently produced are double-sided, meaning that
they have printing on both the front and the back of the poster. These can be
used in light boxes in movie theater lobbies.
Lenticular: Lenticular
posters are three-dimensional, holographic designs. An example of a Lenticular
poster is "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"
Limited Edition:
Limited Editions contain original artwork and are released in limited numbers.
Some are even individually numbered.
Re-Release: If a
film is re-released, you will often find different artwork for each release.
Examples of this are "Gone with the Wind" and "Star Wars".
Review: These One-Sheets
have very little artwork or credit information, and contains mostly quotes from
movie critics, newspapers and magazines.
Video Release: Often
the artwork on a poster that is produced for the Video Release of a film differs
from the One-Sheet artwork produced for the theatrical release.
>>Return
to relative size guide
HALF-SHEET
Size: 28"
x 22"
Type: Printed
on card stock, usually not folded
History: First
used in the 1910s and discontinued in the mid 1980s. Used for special
sized displays. Artwork tends to differ slightly from the one-sheet for the
same film. Typically less expensive than one-sheets this size continues to be
a popular vintage product.
>>Return
to relative size guide
INSERT
Size: 14"
x 36"
Type: Printed
on card stock, usually not folded
History: One of
the earliest of movie paper sizes, inserts were first used in the 1910s
and were used extensively until the 1980s. Used in special sized displays.
Like the half-sheet the insert is generally less expensive than the equivalent
one-sheet from the same film. Also the insert is still a popular collectible
product category.
>>Return
to relative size guide
LOBBY
CARD
Size:
- 11" x 14" (standard)
- 8" x 10" (mini)
- 14" x 17" (jumbo)
Type: Printed
in color on heavy card stock. Priced by the set.
History: One of
the oldest forms of movie poster art. Lobby cards were first introduced in the
1910s in theatre lobbies. A display fixture in most theatres for 75 +
years. Although still available for some films, they are typically used only
in foreign markets. Lobby cards remain a very popular collectible product today.
>>Return
to relative size guide
WINDOW
CARD
Size:
- 14" x 22" (standard)
- 10" x 18" (mini)
- 22" x 28" (jumbo)
Type: Heavy
card stock, usually not folded
History: Typically
used by local theatres or chains for advertising movies in the window displays
in within stores in community. Several companies (including the NSS) produced
them. Window cards can have an area at the top that was blank so the local theatre
could write in the show times. Many window cards actually have the writing with
the times at the top, this generally will not diminish the value. Occasionally
the blank space has been cut off which reduces the size and the value.
This particular form of
movie art is no longer used.
>>Return
to relative size guide
MOVIE STILL PHOTOS
Size: 8" x
10"
Type: Vintage still photos are printed
on glossy heavy card stock while newer photos are not. Please note that 8" x 10" is the total size of the photo itself. In some cases, the image size may be smaller than 8" x 10". There are also some cases where a photograph is cropped somewhat to ensure that it fits into the 8" x 10" size.
History: Black
and white or color, stills are used for printed media as part of the press kit
or campaign book. Scene stills are photographs of specific scenes in the
movie. They can be as diverse as action shots or shots or the actors. In many
cases vintage still photos have descriptions on the front or back, describing the
photo and what is happening in that particular scene of the film. Still photos are widely used today and are a very popular collectible item.
>>Return
to relative size guide
11" X 14" MASTERPRINT
Size: 11" x 14"
Type: Reproduction posters, printed on glossy heavy card stock paper.
>>Return to relative size guide
11" X 17" MASTERPRINT
Size: 11" x 17"
Type: Reproduction posters, printed on glossy heavy card stock paper.
>>Return to relative size guide
MOVIE POSTER PRINT
Size: 27" x 40"
Type: Reproduction posters, printed on satin finish paper. Movie poster prints also come in other sizes, which will be stated in the item descriptions on the web site.
>>Return to relative size guide
24" X 36 " POSTER PRINT
Size: 24" x 36"
Type: Reproduction posters, printed on satin finish paper.
>>Return to relative size guide 30
X 40 POSTERS
Size: 30" x 40"
Type: Heavier paper, usually not folded
History: Used for special displays, typically the same image as the original release one-sheet.
30 x 40s are no longer produced for films released in the domestic market today.
>>Return
to relative size guide
40
X 60 POSTERS
Size: 40"
x 60"
Type: Printed
on card stock, usually not folded
History: Introduced
in the 1930s, used as both inside and outside displays. They are no longer
used today.
>>Return
to relative size guide
43" X 62 " BUS SHELTER POSTER PRINT
Size: 43" x 62"
Type: Reproduction posters, printed on satin finish paper.
>>Return to relative size guide TWO-SHEET
Size: 46"
x 64"
Type: Printed
on paper stock, folded or rolled.
History: Sometimes
called a "Subway" because it was used as subway advertising.
>>Return
to relative size guide
THREE-SHEET
Size: 41"
x 81"
Type: Printed
on paper stock, always folded.
History: These
were used for larger lobby displays, and are rarely used today. Typically 3-Sheets
come in two pieces.
>>Return
to relative size guide
SIX-SHEET
Size: 81"
x 81"
Type: Small
billboard
History: Small
billboard — used outside theatres can come in two to four pieces
>>Return
to relative size guide
TWELVE
SHEET
Size: 9’
X 12’
Type: Small
billboard paper
History: Used
in the 1940s, no longer in use today. They were small billboard advertising,
issued by Paramount. Extremely rare. Always folded, comprised of numerous pieces.
>>Return to relative size guide
TWENTY-FOUR SHEET
Size: 246"
x 108"
Type: Large billboard
History: Large billboard advertising, rarely used today. 24x the size of a one-sheet.
>>Return to relative size guide
United
Kingdom
- Quad
- Train
Station Billboard
Quad
Size: 30"
x 40"
Type: Printed
on matte or glossy stock. Paper about same thickness as North American
One-sheet, unfolded
History: Like
a larger version of a half-sheet, has different artwork than the one-sheet for
the same American movie.
Train Station Billboard
Size: 40" x 60"
Type: Printed
on paper
History: Used
as advertising in train stations
>>Return
to top
France
Petite
Size: 15"
x 21"
Type: Printed
on paper
History: Printed
in French. Quite often American films shown in France have the title in French
with the American title listed in parentheses below.
Medium
Size: 24"
x 32"
Type: Printed
on paper
History: Approximately
the size of an American one-sheet
Large
Size: 47"
x 63"
Type: Printed
on paper
Bus
Station/Train Kiosk
Size: 48"
x 72"
Type: Printed
on paper
History: Added
in recent years, used in bus shelters and kiosks.
>>Return
to top
Australia
Day-Bills
Size: 13"
x 30"
Type: Almost
always folded twice.
History: Often
printed for American-made movies, Australian day-bills most often have different
artwork than the American distribution for the same film.
>>Return
to top
Other Foreign Countries
You will also find movie poster items from other foreign countries on our web site, including India, Belgium and Italy. The dimensions of foreign posters is included in the item descriptions.
>>Return
to top
North
America || United Kingdom || France
|| Australia || Other Foreign Countries
| 
