Contentastic - The Lost Art of the Film Poster - Akiko Stehrenberger

The Lost Art of the Film Poster would be a regular feature in VL, and to illustrate this point I am working on a concept for a DPS focusing on the work of a fantastic illustrator and art director currently working in the film industry, producing amazing film posters. This article will form the basis of the copy to be used in this DPS, but this piece will be heavily imagery based as it is a form of exhibition of her work, as would each regular feature of this kind.

Akiko Stehrenberger graduated as an illustration major from the Art Centre College of Design in 2000. Upon graduation she moved to New York where she began illustrating for such publications as SPIN, The Source, FILTER, New York Press, and more, before moving back to Los Angeles in 2004. While still maintaining a steady flow of freelance illustration work, she then began for the movie poster advertising industry. Her digital illustration for Funny Games (centre frame) received a lot of press, including taking both number one spots on The Auteurs Movie Poster of the Decade list, and the Australian Stale Popcorn Top 50 Posters of the Decade. Her recent poster for Life During Wartime (right page, centre frame) garnered a lot of press as well, earning Stehrenberger the headline ‘Poster Girl’ in an interview for INTERVIEW magazine.

I fell into making movie posters in 2004 when I returned to Los Angeles after working as a freelance editorial illustrator in New York for four years. After interviewing with agency Crew Creative for freelance illustration work, one of the directors, Charles Reimers, saw potential in me as a designer and gave me my start in the industry. Being a painter himself, he somehow foresaw how I could apply my illustration knowledge to movie poster design. He was the first of the creative directors I would have the pleasure of working with, that would embrace what I could bring to the table.

Now a freelance art director, I am hired by agencies that are hired by movie studios. Various designs are created and presented for each project, and sometimes from many competing agencies. When a poster is finally chosen (called a ‘finish), unfortunately it has a very little to do with it being the best of the bunch, but sometimes more with what the movie studio feels will fill a cinema. I have my fair share of illustrated and non-illustrated finishes and have worked on all types of films. Although each project brings new challenges, my heart is definitely in the projects where the advertising is willing to take more risks, which tend to be independent films.

I am most proud of my first three illustrated finishes; Funny Games, Life During Wartime and Surfwise.
This is a selection of some of my favourite illustrated pieces. Some became official posters, some came close and some didn’t see the light of day after the first round. Regardless, I am honored for the interest in my work and look forward to creating many more posters for movies.