When inspired film-poster art like The Social Network is created,similarities inevitably follow in promos from The Program to The Kings SpeechYou might notice something familiar about the poster for Stephen Frears’s upcoming Lance Armstrong biopic The Program. To the left of Ben Foster’s face are the words “CHAMPION HERO LEGEND CHEAT,” and while this effectively articulates what makes the disgraced cyclist such a compelling figure, or the inspiration for the tag line is instantly recognisable. Like so many other efforts from recent years,The Program arguably owes a debt to the most surprisingly influential film poster of the past decade: Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg was likewise represented on the poster for 2010’s The Social Network as “PUNK PROPHET GENIUS BILLIONAIRE TRAITOR.”
The Social Network poster was the work of Neil Kellerhouse, the recede-to graphic designer for Steven Soderbergh and David Fincher, and noted for his minimalist technique and unconventional employ of type. Although The Social Network didn’t invent the GOOD THING GOOD THING obnoxious THING tag line format – examples can be seen in the promotional materials for Abel Ferrera’s original obnoxious Lieutenant (“GAMBLER THIEF JUNKIE KILLER COP”) or 24 Hour Party People (“GENIUS POET TWAT”) – Kellerhouse’s striking design rippled throughout the increasingly homogeneous world of film posters. It is a world,by the way, where the disembodied heads of film stars float menacingly over landscapes for no particular reason.
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Source: theguardian.com