Last weekend, at the American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica, Wild Bunch and Jet Tone released some poster art for Wong Kar-Wai’s upcoming Ip Man biopic THE GRANDMASTERS.
This poster really punches me in the face.. in a good way. No real surprise because the poster art for Wong’s films are usually superb.
What I love about this one is the iconic image of Tony Leung (Hero, Lust Caution) as Ip Man. Almost the “last man standing” in the rain, at night, near the end of what surely was an epic fight. Busted bodies strewn about, but a few more asses left to kick. It’s a view of the main character as a legend in the making. I really want to see this scene in the movie. That’s the whole point of a movie poster, right? To make you want to see the movie?
I also really like the use of space, drawing your attention straight to the lone fighter readying himself for another round of head stomping. So small in the frame, yet so large in defining the image. The washed out colors, high contrast, partial obscurity through the rain and the hastily written Chinese script all add to the atmosphere. In a way, the image makes me think of BLADE RUNNER. Not the poster for BLADE RUNNER, but the film.
There were some other versions of the poster released over the weekend, including this vertical edition with a colorized Tony Leung:
Now, while I like this one, it doesn’t evoke the same feeling of the horizontal version. First of all, colorizing Tony Leung seemed to take him right out of the context of the image for me. In my opinion, it jumps out too much and peels the character away from its context. Also the cropping of the frame is not as impactful as the horizontal version with Leung so close up. He dominates the frame in size, while in the other he dominated the frame in focus. One other thing to notice, Leung’s pose is slightly different and you can more clearly see his face. I like the silhouette of the horizontal poster. Of course, these are just my opinions.
Below are variations of the main posters released for the film. The first is the sales poster Wild Bunch has been using to promote the film. It also appeared on the cover of the AFM edition of Screen International Magazine, which was given away for free at the event.
Then there is a cropped and more colorful version of the vertical poster.
While not a poster, a wonderful promotional image of Ziyi Zhang (House of Flying Daggers, Memoirs of a Geisha), probably the most recognizable cast member of THE GRANDMASTERS to American audiences.
There is a higher resolution un-cropped version of the Zhang image on Wild Bunch’s website.
The films of Wong Kar Wai always look great. When you see promotional stills or posters from his films it’s a good bet the film is going to look exactly like that. The cinematography and design often approach the quality of fine art photography, except that it moves and tells a story. Wong’s style and technique are constantly co-opted and mimicked, even by established film directors. While he may not be a household name to most film goers, many rising and very well known artists see him as a visual superstar and inspiration. Like Wong Kar Wai’s films, the poster art used to promote them often approach the realm of fine art design.
Below is a gallery of some of my favorite (and least favorite) posters for Wong Kar Wai’s films. You will find leading examples of cinematic marketing design over the past two decades. You will also find some that just plain suck.
If you are designing poster art for your own film, some of these can serve as excellent inspiration.
Just click on the slide to open the gallery and click on the pictures to close it again.
Also, I would love to get your feedback on some of the designs. Even suggestions about who else consistently gets top notch poster art for their films.
In the meantime, enjoy the show.
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You need a “like” button.
Fixed.
Thank you.
It works!
Lovely collection – how did you find these?! And do you know where you can purchase any of them if at all?
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