There is a lot of history behind movie posters and movie poster collection. Jules Cheret, who created 2 movie posters in the 1890s, was the artist credited with creating the first movie posters. By the end of the early 1900s, movies had become a great source of public entertainment. In this time period, the movie poster would become a standard size known as a sheet measuring 27″ x 41″.
In the early days, actors’ names didn’t appear on posters, which the movie studios liked, because it meant paying actors less money. However, it was at this early period in film history that film studios realized that movie stars were as much of a viewer attraction as the film itself. Thus the movie star was born and movie posters began to display the names of the actors along with the title of the movie.
In the 1920s, the golden age of silent movies, movie posters became more artistic and spectacular, and movie studios hired accomplished artists to paint star portraits for posters. In the late 1920s, the images on movie posters became sharper due to a new printing process developed by the Morgan Litho Company.
In the 1930s, also known in the movie industry as “The Golden Age of Movies,” another style of movie poster was created, the half sheet. Major movies sometimes got more of the two styles. However, due to the depression, many movie materials were created more cheaply, leading to a loss of quality in movie posters.
The dawn of World War II in 1941 saw many of the movie stars go off to war and war was the main theme of movies at the time. The film industry cut advertising costs and used cheaper paper for posters due to wartime paper shortages.
In the 1970s, movie posters used photography, occasionally using drawing and painting styles. Movie posters at the time were printed on a clay-coated paper, giving them a glossy finish. Star Wars and Star Trek posters were the most popular posters of the time and are still collected by many.
In the 1980s, the special effects blockbuster era, the mini sheet was invented and video stores became popular, thus the video store sign was created. Today, movie poster reprints are mass-produced and sold in many stores or just a click away on the internet. Due to their rarity, the avid movie poster collector has concentrated on movie posters or theatrical art. These are the posters that are delivered and displayed in movie theaters and then intended to be thrown away. Another type of movie poster is the commercial poster, which is mass-produced for direct sale to the public. Video banners are distributed to video rental stores for advertising material. Cable and TV posters are used as promotional material by TV stations for their programming. Like theater art, video posters and TV and cable posters are not produced for the public. Although not as valuable as theater art, these types of posters are still popular with collectors. Special promotion posters promote a movie along with a product. Finally, there are anniversary issues, limited editions, and special releases that are being released in limited numbers and are gaining favor with collectors of theatrical art. Other types of movie posters include advance posters that promote a movie well in advance of its release. The award poster, indicating that a film has won an Academy Award. The combined poster, which advertises two films instead of just one. The popular double-sided poster that has art on both sides, with the artwork reversed on one side of the poster. There are feature film posters featuring short films or cartoons, review posters for when a movie gets a good review, series posters for movie series, and special distribution posters.
With the popularity of movie posters has come the need to create various sizes of posters. The first and most widely used poster is the one sheet poster, which is usually 27″ x 41″. The meter, also known as the two-sheet, is larger but not exactly twice the size of the one-sheet. Sheet 3 is three times the size of a sheet that measures 41″ x 81″. Sheet 6 is six times the size of the 81″ x 81″ sheet. There is also a 12 sheet about twelve times the size of a sheet, and the colossal 24 sheet that measures 246″ x by 108″. Other sizes include the mini sheet, which is usually much smaller than the single sheet and comes in a variety of sizes, and the standard sheet issued for cartoons or other shorts.
As with all collectibles, condition is a big factor when assigning a value to posters. The value of a movie poster is determined by demand, rarity, and condition. Poster collectors use the same rating system that comic book collectors use: perfect (perfect), almost perfect, very good, good, fair, and poor.
For those who want to be serious movie poster collectors, you will need to know a few things about how to take care of your movie poster art.
Tips for Retaining the Full Collectible Value of Movie Posters
Never alter the appearance of a sign. Do not bend, bend, tear or puncture it, even to hang it on the wall.
Never place a movie poster in direct sunlight. UV lights can also be harmful.
Do not write on your poster, not even on the back. Marks on the back can sometimes be seen from the other side, detracting from the poster.
Never put duct tape on the front of a sign, even to repair tears. If using tape, use acid-free tape available at an art supply store and place the tape on the back. If the film art is expensive, take it to a professional for restoration. Posters can be restored the same way rare comics are professionally restored.
When mailing posters, use thick poster tubes or bubble mailers.
For long-term storage, frame or place the poster in a plastic bag or tube and keep in a cool, dry place.
When framing a poster, don’t dry mount it and use an acid-free backing board.
Now that you know a little more about movie posters and movie poster collection, go ahead and start collecting!