Often highly anticipated and among the first visuals to spread, the image can even become a desired object, as poignantly illustrated in this still from François Truffaut's The 400 Blows. In the film, Antoine Doinel and his friend René are shown stealing a promotional photograph of Ingmar Bergman's Monika from a cinema lobby.
Sent to publication editing departments by press teams or movie distributors as prints or slides, they became digitized in the early 2000s. Previously, these photos lined movie theater lobbies.
Their rise can be directly linked to that of print media, while their decline began with the arrival of televised and then digital media. This downturn can also be attributed to economic reasons—when the production budget is limited, allocations for still photography are one of the first to be cut. There are several different types:
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)Cahiers du cinéma
1. Still photography
Still photography captures a more or less accurate scene from the movie. The framing, lighting, composition, etc. can be close to the actual frame or, conversely, far from it, especially since the representation of a moving image can't be clearly captured in a still image.
Heaven Can Wait (1943)Cahiers du cinéma
These photos could have been in black and white, even if the movie was in color, because the press only began to systematically and regularly publish illustrations in color very late on. Still photography is often accompanied by graphic elements, like a banner or a label, presenting key information about the movie.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But You Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)Cahiers du cinéma
Sometimes printed on paper and destined for movie theater lobby displays, these photos are also known as production stills.
Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)Cahiers du cinéma
3. Set photography
As the name indicates, set photography captures filming on set and backstage moments.
Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)Cahiers du cinéma
The director with the actors rehearsing the scenes, etc.
Spartacus (1960)Cahiers du cinéma
But also breaks in shooting, guest visits to the set, birthdays, and so on.
Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Rear Window (1954)Cahiers du cinéma
As well as the director and their team at work, the equipment, etc.
Psycho (1960)Cahiers du cinéma
3. Promotional photography
Promotional photos are taken in a studio. The actors pose in their roles, recreating the expressions or actions that characterize them.
The Big Sleep (1946)Cahiers du cinéma
Generally speaking, they capture the essence of the movie in a still image.
Secret Beyond the Door... (1947)Cahiers du cinéma
One of the most unique and successful promotional photos is from Secret Beyond the Door by Fritz Lang. The differing sizes of each element, the distortion of the huge door opened by Joan Bennett (which appears to be hiding behind her), and the superimposed watchful eye of Michael Redgrave sum up the mystery at the heart of the movie, as well as its troubling psychoanalytical dimension.
Photograph of Joan Crawford (Circa 1930)Cahiers du cinéma
4. Portraits of actors
These photos were mainly produced by Hollywood studios for publicity purposes, but also, to a lesser extent, by some European studios between the 1920s and 1950s.
Lil Dagover (Circa 1920)Cahiers du cinéma
They promoted the movies or studios, via the stars and lead actors under contract, and were distributed to both the press and general public.
They could be accompanied by captions, written by the advertising departments and printed on the back of the photo, to pique the public's interest and create a buzz.
Claudette Colbert (Circa 1930)Cahiers du cinéma
Their pinnacle was the glamor portraits of stars captured by photographers during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
To delve deeper, Cahiers du cinéma has published several special editions dedicated to movie stills: special edition no. 2 (1978). Movie stills special edition no. 5 (1980). Monstresses—movie stills no. 2 special edition no. 7 (1980). Scenography—movie stills no. 3.
