Film Posters: Positioning and Sizes

Place	Advantage	Disadvantage
Bus Stops	Many people take the bus, sometimes on a daily occurrence so it is very likely that people will see a poster at the side of a bus stop. If they arrive before the bus arrives, they will have time to sit down and observe the details of the poster. Even those who are driving or walking past the bus stop will be able to see the poster.	If you are driving past the bus stop then you might be going too fast or might be concertrating on the roads, this would mean you not seeing the poster. Some bus stop posterss are not backlit, therefore you would not be able to see these when it is dark or at night. Bus stops can also be vandalised with graffiti to the point where it is unidentifiable. They also do not target to a specific audience since a wide range of people usse the bus. They are replaced reguarly.
Billboards	Billboards are placed in a variety of areas, be it above or next to a busy road, or on the side or top of buildings. They are often very large in scale to make them unmissable and so that its easier to see from a far distance. In some cases, billboards make it so that the main image spreads out of the 'box'  to make it look more three-dimensional, or the billboard may have actual three-dimensional elements to it, such as having a deliberate whole cut out of the middle and having bent edges to form the shape of a symbol.	Some people may not take notice to billboards if they are driving past it.  Similar to bus stops, not all billboards are backlit or have spotlights on them so you can see them in the dark. Billboards are replaced on a regular basis.
Magazine	Film posters can be placed inside magazines, typically film magazines as it fits within the topic area. If you are an avid magazine reader then you would read through	Not everyone buys magazines or looks at the contents within to see these film posters. If they do read it, it is likely they might only read it once and will not pay attention to the advertisements.
Cinema	When going to the cinema there will be multiple posters placed around the interior and exterior which are usually back-lit to help bring out the colours more and help them stand out to catch your eye if they are on the exterior at night.	As there are a large number of posters of upcoming films within a small area, there will be a lot of competition to grab a person's sight. Some people might only be interested in going to see a certain film that they are no interested in looking at the posters.

Examples of different poster types and their dimensions:

A one-sheet portrait: 27 inches by 40 inches (686x1020mm)
These types of posters are always portrait and is the most commonly used poster type for film advertisements.They can be used for cinema and magazine posters as well, thiugh the scale of the poster would be downsized or increased in order to fit the layout.








Bus Stops:

Bus stop advertisements are usually placed at the corner of the bus stop, and are always portrait due to the shape of the bus shelter. The posters are often very simple and have large text to draw your attention. Some of the time, the poster will feature only one character from the film which takes up most of the poster's design, like in this example of Up's poster. They are usually 70" x 48".

Billboard: typically 14 feet x 48 feet (168" x 576")

Billboards can vary in size depending on the location it is placed. When placed over a highway it is usually 14ft by 48ft.

UK Quad landscape: 30 inches by 40 inches (762x1020mm)

The UK quad is almost square-like in shape. It provides more space for the main image compared to the one sheet portrait. These types of posters can be found around cinemas and buildings.











 
T-Side: 
 






Like the name suggests, 'T-side' posters are shaped like the letter 'T', though the left end of the overscore is ilongated to stretch over the side of the bus. The main image of the poster is usually placed within the 4th box and below as there is more space for an image in this section, whilst the film title is usually placed in the 1st-3rd box.