Why do movie posters do this?

[Smiley]

The solution is simple. If you're not sure what an actor looks like, look at IMDB, the actor's website, or some other resource you prefer, not the movie poster.

 

[Aragorn]

I guess these posters will make the OP happy:

But really, if you think the woman on the left is John Travolta, then you've got bigger issues:

 

[Tiberius Jim]

This is a trend I have noticed all my life.

Whenever you have a movie poster with the cast on it the order the cast is in on the poster is usually opposite the order their names are across the top of the poster.

Why is this?

Wouldn't it be more logical to order the names at the top of the poster in the same order as the actors are lined up in the picture of the poster?

Didn't we just have this thread recently?

Yep. I started one a few months ago.

 

[Ethros]

I would agree it can be kinda annoying. Not really in knowing who's playing who, but mainly because it just looks wrong.

Example of a DVD I own-

 

[Skywalker]

Wow, Gillian really let herself go. David's looking pretty hot, though.

 

[MyCylon]

I've noticed this myself. What bugs me about it is two things:

- It looks wrong because visually there is a clear connection between the words and the images due to the layout. The layout clearly indicates a connection which is often contradicted by the order of the names and the fact they don't match the order of the faces. Personally, I find it looks unprofessional.

- You can easily figure out which name belongs to which face when famous actors are involved or when a clearly male name hangs above a female face. However, sometimes a movie poster will make me curious. I might have heard one of the names before and would like to know what that guy looks like. If it's in the wrong order, it's not helping me. Sure, I can go and look it up on IMDB, but then why can't it simply be in the right order? There's obviously reasons for the discrepancies (as indicated in this thread) but it still annoys me at times.

 

[Starbreaker]

I'm shocked by how many people didn't read the original post all the way and started griping.

 

[M'Sharak]

This is a trend I have noticed all my life.

Whenever you have a movie poster with the cast on it the order the cast is in on the poster is usually opposite the order their names are across the top of the poster.

Why is this?

Wouldn't it be more logical to order the names at the top of the poster in the same order as the actors are lined up in the picture of the poster?

Didn't we just have this thread recently?

Yep. I started one a few months ago.

I thought it sounded awfully familiar.

Has Trekker finally run out of his own topics to recycle and has started in on recycling topics initiated by others?

Staaaay tune!

 

[Trekker4747]

Didn't we just have this thread recently?

Yep. I started one a few months ago.

I thought it sounded awfully familiar.

Has Trekker finally run out of his own topics to recycle and has started in on recycling topics initiated by others?

Staaaay tune!

Didn't know about Fluxie's topic when I started this one. As far as I'm concerned this one is all me and original.

And, believe me, there's no end to topics in my vast brain. You should thank whatever God or power you believe in that I've got SOME restraint.

 

[T'Baio]

This one is a perfect example of actors having their agent negotiate where their credit is placed. George Clooney had as part of his contract that being Batman, he gets first credit on the poster (unlike, say, Michael Keaton). Schwarzenegger was signed afterwards, and it was a part of his typical package deal that he got first billing. How to solve this problem? Clooney is first left to right, Schwarzenegger gets first up top.

I shit you not.

Rumour was, Clooney's agent was not all that happy. But soon after Batman & Robin came out, he didn't have a job much longer, anyway, so...

 

[Trekker4747]

It's also a really shitty poster.

Suitable.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

This one is a perfect example of actors having their agent negotiate where their credit is placed. George Clooney had as part of his contract that being Batman, he gets first credit on the poster (unlike, say, Michael Keaton). Schwarzenegger was signed afterwards, and it was a part of his typical package deal that he got first billing. How to solve this problem? Clooney is first left to right, Schwarzenegger gets first up top.

I shit you not.

That was apparently the same tactic used when movie legends Steve McQueen and Paul Newman starred in "The Towering Inferno" (they even used it in the end credits). Poor William Holden didn't stand a chance...

As an interesting footnote, here's the poster for Ron Howard's film adaptation of "Frost/Nixon" - amazingly they very nearly get it right...

 

[propita]

Usually it's in the contracts that, if the actor is not in the center of the poster, their name will come first at the top. Not exactly that, but something like that. So the actor featured most prominently in the picture come first there, but not first as top billing.

Of course, there are times when the top star gets complete top-billing. They're that big a star that they can demand and get both.

 

[cultcross]

It's a big 'science', movie poster billing. Remember Generations, when Whoopi Goldberg went uncredited? That was because her name would appear as top billing above Stewart or Shatner on any cast listing, if she was credited.