We all had movie posters on our walls in high school. Mine was for the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — no, I’m not ashamed — and when I close my eyes, I can still picture it. That incredible effect that makes a movie poster iconic is exactly what makes Film the Blanks so interesting.
In its own words, Film the Blanks is “a design experiment that abstracts existing film posters by reducing them to their core elements.” That means no detailed images, no people, and certainly no words. John Taylor, the London-based designer, who runs a blog for the experiment, does offer clues from the films as titles for each post. But for some films, you don’t really need them.
I’ve collected some of my favourite posters from Film the Blanks and included the clue. If you like any of the images, click through to buy a print or a post card. You might also want to rewatch the movies, because they’re pretty good!
The book has no story.
He’s colourblind. He can’t fly.
Milk-plus
Spared no expense
Perfect Wave
Single file, beaks RIGHT!
Plethora and Hfuhruhurr
Invested in some kind of fruit company.
Nostromo
