Trainspotting

Artist: Other
Format: UK Quad (30"x 40")
Condition: Excellent
Year: 1996

Description

Whilst the general release Quad for Danny Boyle’s controversial but critically acclaimed film “Trainspotting” is also in the collection (see below), here is the rarer Advance Quad for the film. Though similar in design and layout, the Advance is presented in more spartan fashion, featuring the photographs of the main cast but prioritising the release date of the film.

 

The design team responsible (The Creative Partnership) had initially been instructed to use a group shot of the principle cast as the main image for the posters. However when shooting the cast together they felt that the images didn’t properly represent the film. Instead individual shots of the cast in character were taken. This was somewhat inspired by individual UK character posters used for Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” a few years earlier which perfectly embodied the film’s cool style and violent nature. See an example of these posters below courtesy of emovieposter.com.

 

Subsequently it was decided to use the individual character shots in the "Trainspotting" posters with a numbering system which was a reference to a literary device that author Irvine Welsh had used in the “Trainspotting” book. The end results were a UK Quad and Advance Quad which were stylish and distinctive, but which also successfully alluded to the film’s “everyman for themself” nature.

 

For more on the “Trainspotting” poster campaign, see this fascinating article with the designers: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/march/trainspotting-film-poster-campaign-15-years-on