Essay 003

Love, Posters & Film

An Examination of the Intersection of Visual Culture & Filmmaking

February 26, 2023

It seems too obvious to say that films are one of the most compelling forms of storytelling in contemporary society. By the sheer volume of movies, shows, and documentaries being produced today, filmmakers feel compelled to tell their stories, and those stories are resonating with audiences. But why is this so? The most common answer is that films are a form of entertainment or escapism— there is no doubt that is a part of the answer, but films, like other art, work on many levels. The more interesting explanation is that filmmakers and audiences try and make sense of the world through the stories of characters seen on screen. As film director J.J. Abrams once said: “Life often makes no sense. There’s something about stories that gives a sense of order and purpose to the world.” Indeed, it is through the connection of filmmakers and viewers that a community is formed—a phenomenon that highlights the fundamental human desire to share experiences and emotions. Films often explore aspects of the human condition that are relatable; consequently, the topic of love and connection is something that is often considered. For example, in what is known as The Before Trilogy, the filmmakers explore these topics through the evolving relationship of the two main characters, Jesse and Celeste. In these three films—each shot nine years apart, with the filmmakers and audiences aging in real-time alongside the characters—the filmmakers explore the idea of love within the context of time. By comparing and contrasting the movie posters that represent each of the three films, this paper will see how the idea of love changes with the passage of time and will attempt to understand what this says about the people who create and watch the films.

At this point it would be fair to ask: why examine the movie posters rather than the films themselves? Now more than ever, with the incredible volume of content, not every film is able to find its audience. This points to the fact that creating the film is only half the battle—the other half of filmmaking is successfully marketing it. Interestingly, for an art-form that is defined a linear progression of thousands of images, the single still image of a movie poster is the part of the film that people will most often interact with—people only begin to notice a film through advertisements of movie posters plastered on large billboards, along bus stops, across online banner ads, and injected into social media feeds. While yet, the primary purpose of the movie poster is to convince audience members to go out and see the film, the posters can also be a creative extension of the ideas expressed in the films themselves. This is especially true of films that cannot compete with larger budget movies, and instead must rely on word of mouth. As a result, through the combination of photography and graphic design, the movie poster serves as the symbolic artifact of the film—visually representing the stories, characters, and concepts explored in the movie.

So, what are the Before Trilogy movie posters communicating exactly? Looking at the poster of the first film, Before Sunrise, we see the female character, Celeste, with her head on the lap of the male character, Jesse, with both of them looking deep into each other’s eyes. From the onset, it is clear that they have fallen in love with each other. In fact, the colors used in this poster further communicates this interpretation. In the same way that the color red can be observed on the heart symbol, the universal symbol of love, the warm colors that fill the cloudy skies reinforce this idea that they are deeply in love. On the poster for the second film, Before Sunset, we see Jesse and Celeste in the midst of what looks to be a serious conversation. There is physical distance between the two characters; this posture is a departure from the one of passionate embrace. What was once a passionate romance, their relationship has now devolved into something much more ambiguous. What the poster is communicating is that the idyllic hopes of love has now been replaced with conflict or perhaps disappointment. So too, the colors seen on this poster is consistent with this interpretation—with the top half of the poster is darkly cast in shadow. Indeed, the black background can be communicating ambivalence, especially when compared to the hopeful, passionate, optimistic colors of the first poster. However, on the lower half of the poster, the couple is shown backlit by the glowing gold and yellow sunlight. Perhaps, against all odds, there is still hope for love. Finally, on the poster for the third film, Before Midnight, we see Jesse and Celeste sitting at a café table, casually looking out to the sea. The couple are physically much closer than they were in the second poster—though as close together as they were in the first poster. Regardless of where the relationship is, they seem to be in harmony with one another. This is a relief given the ambiguous nature of their relationship seen previously. Along the same lines, we see the poster covered with hues of blue— a color typically associated with feelings of nature, peace, and calm. In fact, when compared to the ornate domed churches and the arched bridges in the background of the first two posters, the scenery here is much more natural and serene, with the majority of the poster set on the backdrop of the open sea. When all three posters are seen side by side, we see the complete three act progression of the relationship between these characters. The posters show the excitement felt at the beginnings of love, the inevitable realities of conflict, and the resolutions of those struggles. Whether or not we can directly relate to these exact experiences, we are presented with an opportunity to experience those emotions through those expressions of love.

So what do these depictions of love say about us? In fact, the more interesting question to ask is: are these depictions representative of society or are they helping to shape the way we think about it? Likely, the answer is more complex than either or. In reality, the way we define love is a complex, dialectical process between the filmmakers and the audience. This is likely true given the fact that the films were produced over the course of nearly two decades. Through the lens of these films, the definition of love is seen as highly dynamic—with the love between the characters changing drastically over time and with more experience. It is important to point out that something so dynamic—such as love or art-forms like film—can be encapsulated into a series of still posters. Consequently, this highlights the way people contextualize their own experiences into stories and characters, helping them find meaning and a sense of order in their own lives. Accordingly, all of the ideas and emotional resonance from the films is portrayed on the posters—creating a cultural artifact that people can reference in their own lives. In short, the expressions of love found in the posters for the Before Trilogy films demonstrates the power and influence of movies and movie posters in our everyday lives, and shows how society might think about ideas such as love.

It is often said that films are the most human form of artistic expression; no other medium can encompass all other art-form—the characters and story from literature, visual communication from photography, drama from theater, and emotion from music. Holistically, the film experience is more than simply the films themselves, it includes all the various cultural touchstones, like the movie poster, that leave great impressions on our everyday lives. The captivating nature of films is what has brought together generations of filmmakers and their audiences. In fact, the recent advances in film production, marketing, and distribution have allowed filmmakers and audiences to connect on a global scale. Furthermore, with media companies controlling the entire production and distribution processes, a film can be produced once and be distributed and made available to audiences worldwide. However, the question we need to ask ourselves is: do these changes to the filmmaking processes promote ethnocentric views on ideas such as love? In reality, what we see in the Before Trilogy films are about two white characters experiencing love in a Western setting. With the seemingly infinite diversity of cultures, it would be foolish to think that every society would view components of the human experience in the same ways. The cynic in me begs the question: is the data-driven model of content creation simply creating an echo chamber for certain pockets of people—just as it has on social media platforms? It remains a mystery. Stories shared through films can most definitely highlight the ways we differ, and perhaps that’s the point—but, ultimately, learning to understand each other, and accepting those differences is what love is all about.