Film as much as any other creative medium is a form of art. As much as OTS is about the wonders of the big and the small screen, another passion we share is art of the visual variety. Not only does OTS strive to offer an insight into the world of independent film but also strives to join the creative process through providing custom artworked posters in order to refine its visual language.
Thank you to the filmmakers who have put their utmost trust in OTS so far and allowing it to keep growing with a wonderful community of filmmakers, actors and fans. OTS hopes to give new and emerging talents a platform where they feel welcome, appreciated and comfortable working with us. Thank you to all who have written a testimonial and it needs not be said that every collaboration is highly valued.
This poster for Adrian Leon's Hitchcock-esque psychological thriller Kin Dread tried to find balance between sexy and unsettling. The style heavily inspired by the Hitchcock mood of the film with a little visual nod to 1960's Psycho.
Another for Kin Dread, this minimalist poster also sought to reflect the gritty, claustrophobic feel of the film- revolving around Winters-an isolated sound engineer who finds himself wrapped up in a difficult and sinister situation, reflected by the headphone wire wrapped tightly around the arm.
What makes Retro Video Pictures so interesting is that they create films that resemble the look of a VHS tape. Not only is this achieved through visual effect but also the style of filmmaking itself. If one was unaware that these were in fact not VHS made movies of the 90s, one would be none the wiser.
For the poster of Brandon Espana's Forgotten Trash, the idea was to reflect that "retro" feel and considering the story is of an extraterrestrial serial killer, it only felt right to pay homage to the slasher icons of cinema, specifically 1978's Halloween.
Aiman Samat's short action flick Eighth Wonder is a hard-hitting, bone-crunching and blood-splattering affair.
The rough artistic style of Fiona Ho's character along with the gunge texture which has become a staple of OTS Arthouse, looked to reflect that, with a startled expression and empty space inspired by the the posters of TV drama The Terror.
The sky plays a significant part in the film, and so it only felt right to reflect it's significance on the poster.
Gabby Lee's experimental short Renegade creates a parallel between the exchange of matter in the universe and the Latin American immigrant experience.
The poster was an attempt to reflect the idea of space and the universe emerging from Edgar Moza's being, whilst he also looks forward to the "land of opportunity", representing what could perhaps be colour and light, but how can he be sure? Addtionally, as Moza has such the look of a rockstar, it was difficult not to let that influence the feel of the poster! The addition of the border gave it the look of an old-school polaroid photo, and so the decision was made to age it a little with the grunge texture.
Introspectum Motel is a special film for Outside the Spotlight as it is one that was on the OTS radar from the very beginning. One of the first posts on this website was the trailer for Marcel Dorian's erotically-charged psychological thriller. As it would turn out, it would also be the first film that OTS provided artwork for.
The thinking behind the poster started as a film noir-esque affair with all of the characters sharing the space and looking to give it the sultry revenge feel of the movie. Some of those qualities were retained but with a twist. The film takes place exclusively inside of a motel and so the neon light style as is shared with the official logo, was envisioned almost immediately. Furthermore, each colour of the 4 characters represents an emotion they feel throughout the film. Blue being coldness, orange being fear, red is lust and green- disgust. The faint spotlight in the centre represents the "lies" coming to light.
