Hollywood Loves GIFS But Doesn't Understand Them

    There is a way to make motion posters into a huge Hollywood marketing tool. Keep trying, you can do it! (Warning: Auto-Sound.)

    Donna Dickens
    by Donna Dickens

    BuzzFeed Staff

    "Conan The Barbarian" was one of the first attempts at a motion poster. It…could have been better.

    Pros:

    - Flying birds in the background.

    - Pioneer attempt opening the door for other studios to try too!

    Cons:

    - Mostly just a big poster you move around with your mouse.

    - Auto-play sound. (NO!)

    - Not a GIF but a "sharable" link. There isn't even an embed feature so click thru to see it in motion.

    - No ability to save to desktop for sharing later.

    "The Hunger Games" realized their target demographic loves social media, home of the GIF, and marketed accordingly.

    Via collider.com

    Pros:

    - FIRE!

    - Lots of motion.

    - Embeddable.

    Cons:

    - Still not a GIF, making it slightly more difficult to share.

    - No ability to "Save As".

    - Auto-play sound (NO!)

    Intrepid fans managed to turn the motion poster into an easily shared GIF.

    thecitycircle.tumblr.com

    Pros:

    - GIF!

    - No sound.

    Cons:

    - Low quality.

    - Shorter snippet.

    "The Wolverine" is by far the best motion poster to date.

    Pros:

    - Gorgeous art.

    - Original (not a remake of a poster)

    - Subtle motion and hints as to the movie plot.

    Cons:

    - Still not a GIF.

    - NOT SHAREABLE! (whyyyyyyy?)

    - No embed, no "share on social media", definitely no "Save As" option.

    - Click thru to Entertainment Weekly to see it in motion

    Fans did what they could but a lot of quality was lost in the conversion.

    tumblr.com

    Tumblr's GIF size limitations were no help but that's another post entirely.

    "Stark Trek Into Darkness" fell into the same trap of the GIF that is not a GIF.

    Via cinemablend.com

    And was also pulled from the fire by fans dedicated to sharing their excitement.

    cumberbabe83.tumblr.com

    But there is hope! "Looper" hit all the right notes.

    flavorwire.com

    Pros:

    - GIF!

    - Easily shared and/or saved.

    - No sound. (YES!)

    - Cinemagraph quality subtly.

    With a little luck, the future of movie posters, even in theater lobbies, looks like this.

    images2.wikia.nocookie.net

    After all, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.