Poster child

Since 2009, the Seine-Saint-Denis County Council has been backing “la Culture et l’Art au Collège (CAC)”. This project is based to a large extent on the presence in class for several weeks (40h) of an artist or scientist whose mission is to engage the students in a process of research and creation. 

Tutors: Emmanuelle Buchet, CAROLINE CUTAÏA, Olivia Grandperrin/ graphic designers
 

Project manager: Mathieu Marion

Objectives:
Spin-offs play such a major role in the film industry that it’s easy to forget the role played by the poster. Although it may seem a minor creative project compared with the “big” movie, the poster has the same objective as the trailer – to arouse people’s desire to come and see the film. Film posters therefore represent a wealth of treasures both in their graphic design and the messages they convey. 

Workshops:
Deciphering Posters
The class opens the discussion by plunging into the world of movie posters. Examples are analysed: a close-up of a face, a title either in small font or taking central place; a dominant colour or a highlighted expression or word, etc. The group’s discussions with the graphic designer advance as they decipher the many characteristics of this medium.

Movies on Show
The class chooses three well-known films from three different genres (horror, drama, documentary, comedy, etc.). Using the ideas that emerged during the discussion in the previous phase, the class has to try and subvert or rework the films’ original posters. The students can also seek inspiration by watching the films or comparing French and foreign posters. By the end of this workshop, they are capable of producing designs that make use of poster “codes” (film atmosphere, title, actors, slogan, information, etc.). 

Get Real
The idea is to offer the class the chance to work with the same restrictions as an “official” film-making team, with a panel of photos, the author’s intentions and the producer’s objectives. The students are divided into several groups so that as many ideas as possible can be formulated. They then summarise their proposals in writing. Depending on the contributor’s reactions, they perfect their projects, which are then ready for graphic design in the strictest sense. Using computer graphics software, the class can now finalise its posters, incorporating the restriction of requested formats (from the bus banner to the 4x4 at “Decaux”). At the end of this project, they supply a document ready for printing    

Outcome:
A selection of the posters produced by the class is exhibited at the Ciné 104, one of cinemas in the Seine-Saint-Denis network. The students are responsible for putting on this event for one day in June. They invite partners, parents and the educational community and present their work in a booklet compiling all their designs. The entire group shares top billing! 

Outings (selection):
- CINÉMATHÈQUE FRANÇAISE
- CINÉ 104
- MUSÉE GAUMONT
- FONDATION JÉRÔME SEYDOUX PATHÉ

Participating schools:
- class 6e, COLLEGE CLAUDE DEBUSSY, AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS
- class 4e, COLLEGEVICTOR HUGO, NOISY-LE-GRAND
- class 3e, COLLEGE JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU, PRÉ-SAINT-GERVAIS

Photo: PIERRE ANTOINE