hollywood has a floating head design problem

Hollywood movie posters look the same. There's many trends in movie poster design: one being the curse of the floating head syndrome. Here's why it works (sometimes) and why we see it so much.

Marvel films. Horror. Romance. Sci-fi. Period dramas. Sometimes all you need to sell a film is a big actor's head. The beauty of this trend is how versatile it is. Like ketchup you can spread that ish anywhere.
Look at Marvel, any Nicholas Sparks movie remake and even 2022's most anticipated film releases.
We talk about the use of colour, composition and some good and bad(?) examples.
It's all up to your own interpretation.
Of course, more goes into the poster making process than just the designer. Often, marketing for a movie can be make or break. So when the steaks are high and you have input from different people in the marketing department sometimes the floating head becomes the safer bet. Depending on the arrangement, floating heads can be used to communicate a particular message to audiences within a design.

Some resources:

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - intro
00:21 - why movie poster design is hard
01:00 - a floating head for every genre
02:23 - menacing floating heads
03:00 - bigger heads mean more success
04:30 - women in film posters
04:55 - celebrities sell
05:30 - why the trend won't stop
06:10 - outro / ukraine
06:50 - bloopers

If you would like to help out and donate to those in need in Ukraine, here is a start for some charities. Please feel free to do your own research.

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INTRO ARTIST

[itsdivyag]

personally i like the look of the orange dune poster but the floating head one makes me want to watch it because... you know... zendaya.
what do you think about this trend?

[sweetschokicake]

I think the orange dune poster is more creative, interesting and aesthetically pleasing, but let's be honest, I go into the movie mostly because of the actors, soo... Timmy/Zendaya it is

[AnnekeOosterink]

I don't really see movies for the actors in it, so the floating heads don't do anything for me, and I prefer simpler posters. The floating heads thing can work well, but very quickly become visually cluttered imo. I prefer cool minimalist posters for the sleek looks. They often do this for teaser posters. I've also seen some reimaginings of posters, that still manage to convey the essence of the story, while being an intriguing image. Though, many of those minimalist posters only work if you already know about the movie, or one of its elements.

[Jyn.Andors]

That Spiderman: Homecoming poster looks too much like a bad edit from 2010's Tumblr 💀

[TheDiabeticGameMaster]

It's so funny that you've not see Star Wars and yet you got so much right just from the poster of Last Jedi. Despite all the issues and controversy, one of the best and most unique things about the film was that it had a VERY strong sense of visual storytelling. This is by far the most colorful Star War and BY FAR the one which most successfully leveraged it's visual spectacle into a selling point of the film. And, yet, even with just a floating head poster, you got that! I hate boring pictures of the character or their head posing or standing, duly as the poster, HOWEVER for once, the did a good job communicating that through their dumb cranium poster. Just goes to show that even bad or lazy techniques can still sometimes get the point across, if it's in the right hands. Good job!

[PatrickWDunne]

Tbh, the floating heads always lead to really strange proportions. The characters are often radically different sizes.

[fulana_de_tal]

i actually really like the floating head dune poster, it is very aestheticaly pleasing, the colors and composition just feel nice, but can we all agree that putting it on the cover of a book is totally Not Ok?

[Ren-lsyl]

Of all of these, I'm most inclined to excuse the 1977 Star Wars poster in 2:39. It's supposed to be this epic space saga and it has more than the heads, right? It has the cast ready in these iconic poses, the background is space dark and there's Darth Vader's head looming over the horizon. Considering how much the movie is a dramatic story of family and conflict, set in space, I think the poster perfectly captures the emotion.

[Mario_Angel_Medina]

I have a soft spot for the floating head posters. I know a lot of times is the opposite of creativity, but it just brings me memories of my childhood, looking at movie posters and VHS* covers on the off-brand Blockbuster in my town, where the floating heads in the poster would tell me "this story is so big in scope, and so full of movie stars that half of them never get to share screentime with one another"

*the store went from renting VHS to renting DVD in the mid 2000's and closed arround 2010 or 2012. What killed it? Streaming? DirectTV? Online piracy? I don't know, I was in college at the time

[whatalsaid]

I like movie posters where there are a lot of characters, but it's full body shots. Like, the 2010 Alice in Wonderland. Say what you want about the movie, but the posters were Tres Magnifique! Or the poster for Cinderella 2015. Simple and very gorgeous.

[roosdrawsthings]

And the alternative posters (usually illustrations) are always so much more creative. They are something I would actually put up in my room

[filmstuff]

I really do like the floating head posters that are hand drawn like from the 80s, a few modern films/shows have captured this style of poster well like stranger things but without the drawn aspect it kind of loses its charm. A floating head poster is probably gonna be the one that’ll make you watch it for the actors but a stylised poster will be the one you wanna hang up in your room. Also yeah the last Jedi poster is awesome

[Misswaterfluff]

your editing has literally been soooo good in these videos - it’s giving professional, it’s giving graphic design, it’s giving visual storytelling

[debzykvids]

When one of my favorite UK YouTubers drops a video on my birthday with my favorite 2021 film in the thumbnail, you know its gonna be a good one!!! Thank you Divya! 😍❤🎊

[blatherskite]

The blue Dune poster is arguably the better movie poster, i.e. an image designed to get people to go to the cinema and see the film, but the orange Dune poster is far more evocative and artistic, so it's the image I'd prefer for more "permanent" uses like the Blu-ray sleeve-art or as a poster on my wall.

[dibidubu]

2:19 THANK YOU FOR showing me this poster i had NOT SEEN IT it has improved my day IMMENSELY I LOVE IT THANK YOOu especially because i love this movie

[wonderworld]

Floating face posters aren't great at being aesthetically pleasing, but they serve their function. As long as they aren't as atrocious as homecoming. They are really annoying on books though.

[Plexuz]

I love the new production values on the transitions. Seeing Divya thrive, grow, expand, claim, develop. 😔 It just empowers me and puts me in a better mood.

[teodorapetkovic]

Why doesn't the G stand for "gigantic heads everywhere, for some reason" or something like that??? Loved the vid btw!

[salsasas]

no thoughts, head empty, just floating