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To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird: Publicity Stills

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Definition: “A photograph taken by the unit photographer before, during, or after the
shooting of a film for the purpose of advertising, publicity, and display in movie theaters”1

A Brief History of Movie Stills2

Movie stills (photos) have been issued by studios since the earliest days of cinema.
They were sent in limited numbers direct from the studio’s publicity department to theaters
and the media to promote a new release and the film’s stars. The photos had very short
printing runs, and became in essence “limited edition” prints.

Most movie stills show a movie scene, but also feature stunning portrait shots and fascinating
candids. Studios recognized the great promotional value of these stills to entice moviegoers
into the theater, and often spared no expense in creating beautiful scene stills, portraits
and candids taken by some of Hollywood’s most accomplished photographers. Many stills are
works of art in themselves, and have become iconic images of cinema and 20th Century culture.

Since the late ’60s stills have taken their place along movie posters and lobby cards as
desirable and highly collectible cinema artifacts.

 

Here are a number of stills I have collected from various sources. Some are actual
Universal publicity photos (bearing a number in the lower left or right hand corner);
others are stills taken from the film itself.

Using some of the key questions of media literacy, a teacher might have her students
consider each photograph by asking:

– what is the purpose of each photo?; how might each be used?
– why was each framed in this manner? could it have been framed differently?
– is anything important left out of the frame?
– what does each photo say about the setting or character ?
– what do the clothes they’re wearing communicate?
(social status, occupation)
–  what can you glean from their expressions?
(happy, sad, fearful, loving, hateful, reflective, worried, frustrated, neutral )

Click on a link below, which will open a separate window of photos:
Atticus
Atticus & Scout
Atticus with Jem & Scout
Scout
Jem
Scout & Jem
Atticus In Court
Other Courtroom Shots
Miscellaneous


Suggested Resources

NEW Compare TKAM publicity still with lobby card

Motion Picture Still Archive

Discovering How Images Communicate

The Power of the Camera

Understanding How Still Images Make Meaning

1   Publicity & Advertising
http://library.thinkquest.org/10015/data/info/reference/exhibition/publicity.html
2 http://www.autographsmovieposters.com/Stooges_original_vintage_photos.htm

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