BLOG: Schaefer's minimal posters win

Joshua Ligairi » 2.23.10 »

I was pretty happy with myself for finding those Ibraheem Youssef minimalist Quentin Tarantino poster all by myself (see post here), but I quickly learned that you just can't compete with these movie news guys. Just a few days later, my friend Jordan Duke (This Is the Duke) informed me that Peter Sciretta from /Film had not only beaten me to the punch, but kicked my sorry butt.

At the risk of being redundant, I'm sharing these posters from Massachusetts-based graphic artist Brandon Schaefer (which can be seen at his site and purchased as prints from inPRNT.com) because they are simply the best minimalist poster art I have seen so far. I would buy the Rear Window and Back to the Future prints in a heartbeat and all of them have either a great concept or great design, if not both. I've posted some of my favorites below.


Minimal Rear Window poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Ghostbusters poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Life Aquatic poster by Brandon Schaefer


Minimal Murder by Death poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal 8 1/2 poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Inner Space poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Back to the Future poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Empire Strikes Back poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Sleeper poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal The Wizard poster by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Child's Play poster by Brandon Schaefer



The biggest difference between Schaefer's work and others I have seen (Youssef's, for instance) is that his designs actually serve a purpose. First of all, most of the posters are for a free film screening series (I'm guessing is held in Massahusates) that looks to be the coolest screening series ever. Then, there are Scaefer's BluRay sleeves. Makes me want to throw out all of my old DVD cases right now for something a little sleeker. My only worry is that these stylish sleeves may promote illegal downloads, but I know you think that is lame.



Minimal Jaws BluRay sleeve by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Groundhog Day BluRay sleeve by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure BluRay sleeve by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Science of Sleep BluRay sleeve by Brandon Schaefer



Minimal Office Space BluRay sleeve by Brandon Schaefer

Other favorites not-pictured are minimal posters for Annie Hall, Manhattan, Planet of the Apes, and Network. Also, I have to take issue with the poster for The Wizard for being so California-centric when one portion of the film clearly takes place in Utah. You may think that is a minor complaint, but it's not. Those LA people think they are the center of the universe and it drives me crazy. Still, nice poster from a movie I haven't seen for a VERY long time. It was just one of those movies that was instantly dated, but would probably be fascinating to see now. In fact, these posters have made me want to see all of these movies again, which is exactly what a poster is supposed to do, and why I think these particular posters are such a success.

Congratulations to Brandon Schaefer for making, in my opinion, the absolute coolest alternative posters around. If anyone is looking for a birthday gift for me (wink), you can visit Brandon Schaefer's site Seek&Speak here (remember, Rear Window). Follow him on Twitter here. These posters came to me via @slashfilm and @thisistheduke. Thanks guys! You are geekier than I will ever be.

PRESS: /Film review of Cleanflix

A review of our film, Cleanflix, by /Film editor Peter Sciretta. Direct link to the original post at /Film's site here.

Peter Sciretta » 09.19.09 »

When I first found out that a documentary about CleanFlicks was playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, I immediately added it to my must-see list. I’ve always been interested and outraged at the concept of Cleanflicks.

For those of you who don’t know, Mormons are advised not to watch R-rated movies because the language, sex and violence will contaminate and pervert your brain. The modern day prophets say the best solution is to avoid these things at all costs. A video rental store was opened in Utah to cater to to the sanitized beliefs. CleanFlicks would take Hollywood movies and professionally edit them in final cut, removing most of the “bad parts.”

The film features a number of comparisons between original theatrical cut and CleanFlicks re-edits, most of which are both hilarious and appalling. Swear words aren’t bleeped, scenes are suddenly cut, the CleanFlicks edits are actually remarkably well done, at least technically. But deleted shots, sequences, or conversations, often results in a completely different intention in the dialogue or moments of a film.

"Cleanflix is easily the most interesting topical documentary about movies since This Film Is Not Yet Rated."

The sanitized versions could be rented at the CleanFlicks store, or even be made available for purchase to the paying public (they did this using a 1:1 ratio, including an original purchased copy with each CleanFlicks copy). At one point the company was operating 10 corporate stores, in addition to almost 70 franchised dealerships. The documentary Cleanflix tells the story of the rise and fall of CleanFlicks and other edited movie dealerships in Utah, with a primary focus on Daniel Thompson, a CleanFlicks franchisee who became the de facto leader of Utah’s the edited movie revival. And Daniel’s story has just as many twists and turns as the headline story.

If I have any complaint about the documentary, it is that at one point it becomes too focused on Thompson’s story, and misses opportunities to talk about the ethics, present and future of the sanitized movie business. I would have loved to learn more about how and why Hollywood creates TV and airplane edits of films, but refuses to provide these edits to the Mormon audience. I would’ve liked to see a follow-up on the DVD players being created today that allow parents (or whomever) to selectively edit adult content out of a movie. This story doesn’t end with Daniel, and the movie shouldn’t end with him either.

But that said, Cleanflix is easily the most interesting topical documentary about movies since This Film Is Not Yet Rated. Cleanflix is a movie which continues hours after the credits, in the conversations and debates you will have with your friends and family. It creates a discussion about art, censorship, rights, religion, and technology. With popularized art, what are the rights of the creator (director), copyright owner/distributor (studio), and the art buyer (moviewatcher). And as technology grows, will Hollywood be able to contain the demand for sanitized movie edits?

Interestingly enough, the directors have said they would like to give the film a big premiere in Mormon country… Sundance, make this happen!

/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Direct link to the review on /Film.