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Design Students’ Work Draws Crowds to the Ambler Theater
September 26, 2019 • Caitlin Burns
Posters for Cry Baby and An American Werewolf in London created by Cheyenne Baker (left), Crystal Madison (center) and Zach Bondurant (right).
Movie posters are an iconic part of cinema. Whether you’re imagining Marvel’s Avengers movies or getting a fright from a horror film, movie posters can draw an audience as much as the names in lights.
And now, Arcadia University students in Graphic Design Visiting Instructor Christian Patchell’s senior studio course can see their work outside the iconic Ambler Theater, a renovated establishment dating back to 1928.
“This is the first time we’re working with clients, and it’s been very informative and helpful,” said Zach Bondurant ’20, whose An American Werewolf in London poster was selected for the Retrograde Programming at the theater. “We have to listen and respond to criticism from the client. It’s one of the hardest things to learn as a designer, because sometimes your vision isn’t the same and you’ve got to put the client’s perspective before your own.”
Students created movie posters for Cry Baby, a 1990 production by John Waters, and An American Werewolf in London, a 1981 film by John Landis, for the Retrograde Programming at the theater. While Cry Baby was featured earlier in September, An American Werewolf in London will play on Oct. 17.
For Cry Baby, Ambler Theater management selected posters by Cheyenne Baker ’20 and Crystal Madison ’20 for their program advertising.
“The objective is to get our students working and collaborating and becoming familiar with the client/designer relationship,” said Patchell. “All the students involved are improving their skill sets, portfolios, and resumes. My hope is to eventually do more outreach with art students of all levels not just the seniors.”