MovieChat Forums > Butter (2012) Discussion > Movie poster... missing something?

Movie poster... missing something?


Or should I say missing someone?

Does anyone find it strange that the co-main character, and co-narrator of the movie, Destiny, is completely absent from the movie poster? It's not like she was a minor character, she's the protagonist of the film!! Sure, the actress might not be well known, but that doesn't mean to leave her off the poster when 7 other, mostly minor, people on on it.

If anything the poster just reads as "BUTTER- lookit! We's done spent a lot of money and got famous peoples in this here movie! That's why you should watch it!"

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You're absolutely correct. Unfortunately there is no school for intelligent movie marketing. Movie studios see posters and DVD covers as a marketing tool not as a true representation of the movie.

For example: the first movie poster for Scary Movie had the whole cast but was missing newcomer Anna Faris. That's right, Anna Faris the star of the movie. They later Photoshopped her in when the movie became a hit and was released on video.

Don't even get me started on the first movie poster for Star Wars.

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And keeping up with that trend, the cover for "Waiting" had Kaitlin Doubleday on it but Anna Faris was a much bigger star so they 'shopped her head on Kaitlin Doubleday's body. If you look at it, it looks completely awkward and that's why. Link: http://sarcasticreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/waiting-dvd-front-cover.jpg

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I think it's ridiculous and completely unfair, but that's just how Hollywood works. They care about promoting the big well-known stars of a film. If you're not well-known, even if you're THE main character, you're not gonna get top billing or promotion on posters. Another perfect example of this is Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. She was the main character, but they chose to market Jeff Bridges as the lead instead.

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I can see both sides to this argument. Many people see posters as an artistic representation of a movie, just as movies themselves are an artform.

On the other hand, there is the reality that most movies are simply commercial products, designed to make a profit for their producers and everyone else involved. And there's nothing wrong with that really. They have an incentive to make a quality film so that people will want to pay to see it. Of course, they do churn out poor-quality sequels and tie-ins with bankable stars to often, but we only need vote with our wallet.

As far as posters go, they are basically advertisements to try and entice you to see the movie. As artistically unappealing as it is to simply place sticks of butter with the names and pictures of stars on them, it works as designed. The subject matter of the film has very limited appeal and the only way to get people to watch is to bank on the actors involved. Unfortunately, Yara Shahidi is not (yet) a draw.

To be honest, if they had used a picture of Garner and Yara carving some butter on the poster, I probably would have skipped the movie (and I enjoyed it). I thought Yara did a great job, especially given her age. Her day in the sun (and on posters) will come.

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Unless Tara specifically asked to be off the poster (which I doubt) then her omission is shameful.

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