Case Study
Film Promotion
The Fountain
A project reimagining the physical and digital designs for the promotion of an existing movie.
Tools
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Firefly Generative AI, Midjourney Generative AI
Project Description
Design Challenge
To create advertising elements for the premiere of a movie including printed advertising, website design, and packaging for film premiere items.
Background
The Fountain is a 2006 film by Darren Aronofsky starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. It explores themes of life and death across 3 independent but thematically interweaving storylines and timelines with the main actors featuring in the prominent roles of each timeline. The movie showcases strong visuals and powerful musical scores.
This campaign aims to capture the themes and visuals of the movie as its selling focus rather than the star power of the actors. I wanted to incorporate the central themes of life and death (particularly in relation to the concept of a tree of life and the Mayan cycle of rebirth), the golden color palette, and the unique storylines featured in the movie.
Poster Redesign
Print Advertising
Original Campaign Posters
Movie Poster Redesign
For the poster redesign, I chose to focus on one of the iconic lines from the movie that is both powerful in tone and powerful in its ability to encapsulate a major theme of the film. The typography was chosen to create more interest and character compared to the original campaign as well as better reflect the film’s tone.
The primary elements of the poster are Rachel Weisz as Queen Isabella and the Tree of Life as Hugh Jackman’s character walks through the fountain toward it. Rachel Weisz’s portrait and visual in this still is attention grabbing and reflects well the tone of the quote and message. The nebula was incorporated from a separate timeline as a way to enhance the primary elements through framing and visual interest, to encourage the viewer’s questions, and to bring in a different aspect of the movie’s unique storylines.
Poster Assets
Poster Design Process
The most challenging aspect was the design of Rachel Weisz’s portrait in the poster and involved combining 3 different images. The primary image I wanted to use was evocative and powerful and was strong enough to handle the weight of being a primary read for the viewer. However, the frame was heavily cropped as many of the character closeups are in the film.
This required me to find a separate still from the movie of her character in a similar perspective so that I could combine the elements of her clothing and hair/crown to the main image. Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to a resolution nearly at the same level as the primary element of her face, so I had to utilize numerous techniques to bring them to a seamless composition.
A third image of the actor was found from an entirely different photoshoot which gave me access to higher resolution textures. I pulled textures from her forehead and neck to help transition the first 2 images into one another so that I could add the crown and clothing to my primary visual of her face.
Finally, some digital hand painting, masking, and color/value adjustments were used to blend everything seamlessly with one another and with the piece as a whole. Adobe Firefly AI was used to extend the top of her crown and across her chest where it was cropped in the source image.
A screenshot still of an altar was added behind Rachel Weisz for visual interest and character communication/tone. I used two versions of the nebula representing the dying, Mayan star Xibalba which is featured in the film. The screenshots were masked and blended with the heart of the star representing rebirth framing the Tree of Life. Generative AI was used to extend the nebulous element where needed as well as extending the fountain further down toward the bottom of the poster. Individual specks of light were digitally painted in.
A gradient was added to the title and masking and adjustments of hue/saturation, levels, and curves were used to bring all the elements together under the same visual tone.
Banner Poster
I created a large scale banner poster intended for big, attention grabbing advertising. This featured another one of the iconic lines from the movie, and coupled with the striking nebulous visuals of the dying star, is meant to communicate interest about the content of the movie while also reflecting its tone. The emphasis is not on the actors, but on the message and visuals of the movie.
The heart of Xibalba from the film is layered on top of the nebulous regions. Generative AI was used to extend the nebulous element and then heavy masking was utilized to create the form.
Banner Poster
Digital Advertising
Website Homepage
I designed the homepage of the website for the film. Existing elements from the poster redesign were used to maintain the visual language of the campaign. In addition, I was able to add Hugh Jackman’s conquistador character from the same Queen Isabella timeline owing to the horizontal format. Generative AI was used to extend elements horizontally due to the new dimensions of the design form.
CTA items are simple: a trailer for the movie and social media links that would be used in a modern advertising campaign. The navigation bar mimics the production company’s design for current movie pages.
Website Homepage
Mobile Homepage
The mobile version of the homepage uses the same elements from the desktop version. However the background images were cropped horizontally, and Hugh Jackman’s character was removed due to the vertical form of the layout, also reflective of the primary poster. The social media links were relocated to the menu icon in the navigation bar.
Mobile Homepage
Movie Premiere Gifts
Gift Box
Gift boxes or bags are often given out to cast members, VIP, or press attendees at official movie premieres. Many gift items may be brand advertisements for other companies looking to share their products with industry professionals. However, many other items will be specially designed by the production company to compliment the film itself. I designed a gift box and some of the interior items that would be custom made as VIP gifts at the film’s premiere.
The exterior of the gift box features a gold-embossed, artistic representation of the Tree of Life and the fountain. When opened, the interior lid would display one of the iconic lines from the film, as well as the visuals of Xibalba that has been used throughout the promotional campaign.
Movie Premiere Gift Box Design
Gift Box: VIP Premiere Tickets
I designed unique, one-of-a-kind tickets for the movie premiere. On opposite sides, each actor seems to be looking toward one another from 2 of the different timelines in the movie, representing their connection throughout the different storylines.
On one side is the icon representing the Tree of Life near the fountain that is featured on the gift box cover and the movie poster. On the other side, is the dying tree enclosed in a bubble with Hugh Jackman’s character as he ascends into Xibalba to die.
VIP Premiere Ticket Front
Marigold Seed Packet Front
VIP Premiere Ticket Back
Gift Box: Seed Packets
I created unique seed packets for the gift box that represent the themes of the movie. One packet holds baobab tree seeds, a tree also commonly known as the Tree of Life.
The front features the same Tree of Life icon as on the other items, as well as one of the iconic quotes associated with the Tree of Life. The back has basic care information as well as a small blurb relating the Baobab to the themes of the movie.
Baobab Seed Packet Front
Baobab Seed Packet Back
The second seed packet contain Marigold seeds. The Marigold was sacred to the Maya and often used in rituals related to death, both of which are related to the plot of the film.
The front features the same dying tree in a bubble icon as on the VIP ticket, as well as one of the iconic quotes associated with death. The back has basic care information as well as a small blurb relating the Marigold to the themes of the movie.