Movie Posters Discussion Thread

[xtop]

Originally Posted by OrlandoEastwood

Yeah, to compare Terminator Salvation

Real: http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_prod...movie_id=37941

Reprint: http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_prod...movie_id=37941

aside from the 20 dollar price, what difference are we supposed to see?

[KubrickFan]

I love movie posters. Always had at least one hanging in my room. Used to have all posters from all the Star Wars films (except Episode III, that wasn't out yet) but I threw them away. They were just attached to the walls with simple poster strips, and I wanted new posters in frames.
Now I have two posters. One of the Shawshank Redemption. The Drew Struzan art for the 10th Anniversary. Struzan makes the best movie art ever, and this is a perfect example. It's also a favorite film of mine.
The other one was I think a promotional poster for the Stanley Kubrick collection, when it was first released in 1999. It's thick cardboard, very unusual. Looks great as well. I've been thinking to hang another poster (I guess it will be another Star Wars poster again) in my room, but I don't think I have the space for that .

[Bear28]

Originally Posted by Kinsella5

Absolutely, anytime Xtop, I will send you a PM now as well and that goes for everyone here that wants to get into the movie poster collecting hobby. But don't think I am trying to say all dealers are bogus and I am the only legit one, that isn't what I am saying or implying. I guess I just hold my customers and this hobby in a higher light than some. Again, there are good dealers and sellers out there who feel the same way I do, and then there are those who don't, and go on the attack when they feel they are being threatened. If a dealer isn't able to get a certain title, but others are, some may go on the attack of their character out of spite. I haven't made the best calls when it comes to every poster out there (good lord I totally underestimated the first Pirates of the Caribbean posters) but I do as best as I can.

Hey its good to get some inside knowledge and we all appreciate it!

I bought some movie posters awhile back, mainly 11x17 as space was an issue. They were all reprints and Im very happy with them, but I have a question about the double sided posters.

The reason they look so good in theatres is because of the display case right? They are lit from the back, so in order to fully take in the quality of these, would you not have to have a lit case for them as well?

Oh and do you have a link to your store that we could see?

Thanks!

[rkolinski]

Originally Posted by xtop

aside from the 20 dollar price, what difference are we supposed to see?

In answer to your question, first off Moviegoods is a reputable dealer but another way you can tell is that they list the original as a "DS 1 Sheet Movie Poster" and list the copy as simply a 27 x 40 Movie Poster." That doesn't mean that you can trust every dealer that list their posters as being original as opposed to being a copy. You have to do a lot of research before you buy if you are looking for "ORIGINALS." There are sites on the internet where you can check this out (for example: http://movieposterauthenticating.com/wordpress). I myself, being much older and since I've been collecting movie posters for their VALUE since the 1970's, tend to purchase much earlier posters which were made out of paper and were not glossy like the newer posters are. Most of these posters are folded as opposed to rolled. My earliest poster is for the 1943 "BATAAN" and it needs some restoration work before I can hang it on my wall. There are of course FOREIGN originals too which are different from the American release posters. In England, for example, they are generally called "QUADS." For example, I have a British Quad for the movie "ZULU" which is pretty awesome and hard to find. Some reissues posters can also have monetary value and can look pretty awesome. I have a one-sheet reissue movie poster for the original movie "THE THING," which came out in 1951 but my reissue when it was shown in theaters again is from 1957. Here is what the original looks like
http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/ws/eBayISAPI....m=320096875713 and here is what the reissue looks like http://www.movieposter.com/poster/b70-10361/Thing.html. And even though the original poster, as you can see, can be worth thousands of dollars, the reissue isn't a cheap change poster either. One does have to do a lot of research - an original "JAWS" poster for example (everytime the movie was reshown at theaters, the color of the box surrounding the word "JAWS" on the movie poster was changed for each reissue. I'm just giving you some examples and don't claim to be a complete expert in this area. However, I hope this information at least helps you out just a little!

Rich

[xtop]

well yes i did see one was listed as ds 1 sheet, which i know means is original, but it seemed like he posted the 2 and we were supposed to SEE a difference. was just curious what he was getting at other than one listed as original and one not

[rkolinski]

Originally Posted by xtop

well yes i did see one was listed as ds 1 sheet, which i know means is original, but it seemed like he posted the 2 and we were supposed to SEE a difference. was just curious what he was getting at other than one listed as original and one not

Well, if you notice further, that site lists the ds 1 sheet as being "near mint" condition while the copies are always listed as "NEW!" That is why moviegoods is a reputable site but there are other ones out there. I tend to stick with the older folded paper movie posters because there are things which one can look for such as one I have for the movie "SPARTACUS" which has printed at the bottom a statement from the National Screen Service Corp. which states that the poster is for movie theaters and is not for resale. Usually, the older posters also have a number written on them like mine for Spartacus, which shows that it is the 61st poster out of 208 printed. Since the poster you are discussing says it is near mint, most likely the colors will not be as vibrant as the copy which is new because it was outside in a glass case being hit by the sun and elements, etc.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by OrlandoEastwood

Yeah, to compare Terminator Salvation

Real: http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_prod...movie_id=37941

Reprint: http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_prod...movie_id=37941

With regards to those above, reprints have usually been 27x39 inches in size with originals coming in at 27x40 inches, but places like MovieGoods offer up 27x40 inch reprints. They do offer their "original authentic item" seal if it is original. For example, if you look at their original Terminator Salvation (which is officially known as the advance style "A", NOT the style "B" as they refer to it as) they sell it for $49.99 plus shipping. The next link is the same SIZE poster but is one of their reproduction styles, more than likely, what they are producing themselves. They charge $29.99 for the reprint.

At this time, I charge $20 plus shipping for the original double-sided authentic version. So the question is, buy one from one place for $50, or from another place for $20? A big difference in price, but when you have no employees to pay or carry every title out there, you can allow for a cheaper price. Also with regards to that Terminator Salvation style, what you want to make sure of IF you order it from them (or anywhere) is what does it say at the bottom of the poster. For example this style "A" comes in two versions, one of them the domestic U.S. style, and the other the International style. The domestic style states "5-22" at the bottom (as pictured in the link). The International version states "Coming Soon" at the bottom. Collector's prefer domestic over International especially when the two have the same artwork. But that is just one little bit of information most collectors' don't know, or even dealers for that matter, or perhaps don't bother to inform their collectors. The second Terminator Salvation style out features a Terminator firing a weapon.

With the film only a few weeks away, I am not sure if a 3rd style is planned. Also, don't always assume every image released on the internet as a "movie poster" is just that. Many times what is considered a poster is actually a theatrical banner, or a subway poster, or not even a poster at all, but merely a promotional image. And then you have to take into consideration the fan-made posters that are created with Photoshop, some of which are convincing, they aren't posters, but just fan created images. Dark Knight had a few of these that people tried to pass off as originals when in fact they were not.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by EvilE981

When I see both of them I can see the difference. But unless I saw both Id never know. I guess what I was curious about is- is there a water mark kind of feature or a specific stamp, marking, imprint, symbole, in one of the corners or something specific to origionals that you cant find on reprints?

Like I used to sell seiko watches. Some knock offs were dead on. But they had 1 difference besides being fake lol. The seikos had screw on backs to keep water out. The "fakos" had a push back that would pop off to change the battery.

Also what you are looking at are STOCK images, not images of the actual posters. Most dealers tend to use stock images and if their posters are different, meaning the wording such as with a domestic compared to an International version, they SHOULD inform the customers, which is something I believe in. Another example is the Watchmen "final" style, the domestic style had the date at the bottom, the International stated "coming soon" at the bottom but a few dealers who had the International simply used the domestic image. It can be quite frustrating when you see a poster you like, and then you get it, and the poster isn't 100% accurate.

Generally wording, size, and sometimes watermarks can help in determining originals and reproductions. Star Wars posters have always been some of the most heavily reproduced and counterfeited posters out there. Starting with the prequel films, Lucas had anti-counterfeiting water marks placed on the posters (not all the prequels had them though). Generally it is in the form of a logo embedded into the poster not visible unless under the proper lighting or at an angle. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (both advance style and final style) featured this watermark on the back of the poster underneath the date. If it doesn't have that watermark, it's not authentic. With regards to the Dark Knight style "B" advance I talked about earlier, the Movie Poster Authentication Website has a very good write-up on that style and what to look for. They back up my statement about the size, as the authentic originals are 27 x 40 1/6 (or .1 meaning the first slash mark after the "40" on a tape measure).

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by xtop

aside from the 20 dollar price, what difference are we supposed to see?

If you bought an original and bought the reprint, laying them side to side, you will probably notice one isn't as vibrant as the other. Also, their reproduction should technically be single-sided, and not double-sided. One of my projects is to measure originals for any size discrepancies from the standard 27x40 inch standard size.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by Bear28

Hey its good to get some inside knowledge and we all appreciate it!

I bought some movie posters awhile back, mainly 11x17 as space was an issue. They were all reprints and Im very happy with them, but I have a question about the double sided posters.

The reason they look so good in theatres is because of the display case right? They are lit from the back, so in order to fully take in the quality of these, would you not have to have a lit case for them as well?

Oh and do you have a link to your store that we could see?

Thanks!

Generally studios will sometimes print up 11x17 single-sided promotional posters but they aren't classified as a theatrical original. They are designed to be given away, perhaps at conventions, advance screenings, etc. There really isn't much in the way of value to to them but are a cheap alternative if space and money is of concern.

Theatrical movie posters, also known as one-sheets, are double-sided. Double-sided posters didn't really start until around 1988/89 but not all posters coming out were double-sided. Miramax Pictures, which was a smaller unknown studio put out classics like The Crow, and Pulp Fiction as some of their earlier films, and they did NOT produce any double-sided versions for these posters, ONLY single-sided originals exist. They started doing double-sided posters around 1995-1996, in particular The English Patient. The light box frames you see in and out of theaters are designed for the light to reflect the poster image more and grab the attention of passing by moviegoers.

Also what is not widely known is most double-sided posters, if not all, feature a lighter back side than the front. It used to be that double-sided movie posters had the same color vibrancy on both sides, but nowadays, if you took a double-sided authentic movie poster, for example, Iron Man from Paramount Pictures, and looked at the front, and then flipped it over, you would notice the backside, while double-sided, is a lighter. Not every studio started doing this at the same time either. My theory on this is two reasons, one reason being to help stop counterfeiting since it would be much harder for a counterfeiter to produce the faded backside, but more importantly I think this new "faded backside" look is being done is because light will reflect greater through a lighter source. If you put an older double-sided movie poster in a light box frame, and next to it, a newer double-sided movie poster with the faded look, chances are you would notice the faded look one standing out more so in the frame.

Do you need to do anything special to frame a double-sided movie poster? No, you don't need a light box frame, unless you A) have the money to spend as lightbox frames can be expensive) and B) want to have the theatrical look by having the light box frame. All of the double-sided movie posters I have framed were done professional but just as if you would frame anything else. There are more details on framing that I go into with my customers because finding a good framer is key.

Of course, as one other poster said here, they are fine with reprints, and I respect that. Everyone has the choice to decide for themselves. If you want something of really no value and want it just to put up to fill a space on your wall and aren't a collector, by all means, I say buy a reprint. But for those who are collector's and want the real deal, then go authentic and once you start collector, you will enjoy your investment even more. Some posters can be quite valuable.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by rkolinski

In answer to your question, first off Moviegoods is a reputable dealer but another way you can tell is that they list the original as a "DS 1 Sheet Movie Poster" and list the copy as simply a 27 x 40 Movie Poster." That doesn't mean that you can trust every dealer that list their posters as being original as opposed to being a copy. You have to do a lot of research before you buy if you are looking for "ORIGINALS." There are sites on the internet where you can check this out (for example: http://movieposterauthenticating.com/wordpress). Rich

Rich brings valid points to this discussion, thank you Rich, and good to see that there are collectors here chiming in. Research is key, and it is like that for any collectible. But I have a hard time agreeing that MovieGoods is a reputable dealer. They were at one point, but when a dealer starts offering double-sided "reproductions" and can't give a reason WHY they are offering them double-sided, I have a problem with that, as it only causes confusion amongst collector's, or those people who now think they have an original just because it is double-sided. I touched on these points a few posts ago, there is no reason to produce ad double-sided reproduction, especially if they are a "reputable" dealer.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by xtop

well yes i did see one was listed as ds 1 sheet, which i know means is original, but it seemed like he posted the 2 and we were supposed to SEE a difference. was just curious what he was getting at other than one listed as original and one not

XTop, as I mentioned, those images they are using are simply "stock" images, it would be very time consuming if a dealer took a photo of every single poster they have to offer. Those images are just to show what the poster would look like, but again, sometimes you have to contact the seller/dealer to clarify if it is a U.S., International, etc.

[xtop]

Originally Posted by Kinsella5

XTop, as I mentioned, those images they are using are simply "stock" images, it would be very time consuming if a dealer took a photo of every single poster they have to offer. Those images are just to show what the poster would look like, but again, sometimes you have to contact the seller/dealer to clarify if it is a U.S., International, etc.

i understand, just seemed silly to post the 2 links is all

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by EvilE981

I had no idea posters were so big.
Now that you mention it... I cant have a fake. I was looking on line and decided I want the bigger ones 27"40" around there give or take an inch on either/both sides.

Let me ask you as a novice. Whats a clue its a fake aside from where you are buying it. Walmart isn't going to have originals neither is Spencer's gifts. LOL

Since I will be buying from online some helpful hints would be cool on how to spot a reprint.

I saw a few images id like to get but not if they are reprints. Can you PM me the link to your site if you have one?

I was looking for The Matrix Revolutions with Smith and lightening. Is this one real? Do you sell frames too. I cant find any 27"40" locally so id be buying them on line too.

I also saw a Spiderman3 image of the red and blue spiderman facing the cosmic spiderman. Each is sitting on an ledge facing inward with the moon in the top center. This print was shown horizontally vs vertically

EvilE I will get back to you shortly, my fingers are hurting from all my typing! I type really fast, last time I checked was about 80 words per minute so I sometimes need to rest them but I will get back to you.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by xtop

i understand, just seemed silly to post the 2 links is all

I understand, but the first thing then need to do is correctly title the poster, as they have it listed as the "B" style, when it is the "A" style.

[EvilE981]

LOL when I started this thread I was just looking for cheap graphics to put in a pretty decent inexpensive frame to spice up my walls from a more clean quiet living room feel to a more lively animated room.

The only local place that sells poster frames is Target and they dont have any the size I wanted leaving me 2 options buy online or drop down to the common size and pick new prints. I did not realize this would require so much leg work.
But its all good. I love learning new things. And considering the prices getting an origional isn't really that more expencive.

Last thing I thought was Id be "collecting" something new. As I am prone to collecting.

[milner828]

Now im not a movie poster expert by any means but I have dealt with moviegoods numerous times and always order the 27x40. I will say that even though they are reproduction that are great quality and great for the price. For instance whether they are real or not they offer some foreign posters. For example I purchased this Blade Runner poster(link Below) and it always seems to get the most appraise. If you want to go out and get originals than do so. I do warn you that they don't usually come at a low price. I have ordered over ten posters from moviegoods and every single one looks great. I have found a local store here in town that sells frames that fit them perfectly. I have seen that Jeffrey Allen's has frames for that work for that size as well at a decent price.





http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_prod...HCQCVMNU5KBMQC

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by milner828

Now im not a movie poster expert by any means but I have dealt with moviegoods numerous times and always order the 27x40. I will say that even though they are reproduction that are great quality and great for the price. For instance whether they are real or not they offer some foreign posters. For example I purchased this Blade Runner poster(link Below) and it always seems to get the most appraise. If you want to go out and get originals than do so. I do warn you that they don't usually come at a low price. I have ordered over ten posters from moviegoods and every single one looks great. I have found a local store here in town that sells frames that fit them perfectly. I have seen that Jeffrey Allen's has frames for that work for that size as well at a decent price.

http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_prod...HCQCVMNU5KBMQC

The problem I have with MovieGoods is they also are producing double-sided reproductions which only confuse collectors. Also, reprints are typically 27x39 inches, yet they produce them 27x40 inches in size. Again, in my opinion, and others that I know in the poster industry, we feel they are doing this to further confuse collectors or people just getting into this hobby. What would help them more is if they clearly state it is a reproduction that you are buying. They tend to add their "original item" seal on those items that are originals, but they don't bother to do that with reproductions.

If you are ok with reproductions, paying $30 for one when in most cases you can get a newer original for that price or less, then that is up to the individual such as yourself to decide. There are always people who prefer originals as opposed to reprints when it comes to posters, it all depends on if you are a collector or you just want something for the artwork and don't care if it a reprint. I do laugh though, the original Japanese Blade Runner posters were nowhere near 27x40 inches in size. That size is for U.S. and International one-sheets only.

[JAC6]

For me, I'm happy with framed reprints of some of the posters than I think are exceptional, primarily for movies I really like. I not looking for appreciation, nor am I an avid collector or an investor. But reprints give a nice feel to an A/V space and can be reasonably priced, even when framed. There are several in my gallery.

But I can also see the view of the collectors, even though I am not one myself. This is an informative discussion -- thanks.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by JAC6

For me, I'm happy with framed reprints of some of the posters than I think are exceptional, primarily for movies I really like. I not looking for appreciation, nor am I an avid collector or an investor. But reprints give a nice feel to an A/V space and can be reasonably priced, even when framed. There are several in my gallery.

But I can also see the view of the collectors, even though I am not one myself. This is an informative discussion -- thanks.

No problem at all, thanks for the kind words!