Dear Edwina,
So, a former marketing executive at Sony, Dana Precious, wrote a novel called BORN UNDER A LUCKY MOON. At Sony, she worked under Josh Goldstine, who is now the head of marketing at Universal.
Here is the cover of Dana's book...
And here is the onesheet for a new Universal movie...
Coincidence?
If you can’t judge a book by its cover, then it stands to reason that you can’t judge a movie by its poster.
At least that would have been our conclusion had not another one of our readers found Ms. Precious’ own blow-by-blow account of how the cover art was created by her husband Martin Gueulette and photographer Pete Tangen.
It's called "perspective" kids, look it up.
Posted by: Art Korrector | Wednesday, January 04, 2012 at 09:39 AM
I read her book. Lot's of references to large polo mallets and string cheese. Very strange.
Posted by: Saul Abromowitz | Wednesday, January 04, 2012 at 09:46 AM
"Our friend, Pete Tangen, who is a professional photographer, took the photo of Morgan in exchange for a home-cooked dinner."
I'll have to remember his new rates the next time his portfolio makes the rounds...
Posted by: Cheap Bastard | Wednesday, January 04, 2012 at 11:32 AM
Will work for food.
Posted by: Pete Tangen | Wednesday, January 04, 2012 at 11:36 AM
I'll wait for the movie poster.
Posted by: Stephen King | Wednesday, January 04, 2012 at 01:38 PM
Martin and his darn Photoshop magic!
I'm sure it's just a 'coincidence.'
Posted by: Grassy Knowles | Wednesday, January 04, 2012 at 04:40 PM
That's super.
Posted by: Rev. Lovejoy | Thursday, January 05, 2012 at 03:53 PM
Isn't that the Lakeshore Entertainment logo?
Posted by: Hello? | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 08:51 AM
Stealing is stealing. But what would you expect from someone who makes up critics to promote his movies and then blames his assistant?
Posted by: David Manning | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 12:14 PM
Haven't read the book but it has great reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Wonder if this movie will get good reviews? Well, Josh can always make them up.
Posted by: Used to work at Sony | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 01:17 PM
"That was my job. I’m an executive at a major film studio, Oxford Pictures, and I handle the advertising.
This means I head up teams of people to create the movie trailers,television spots, and posters. I was in the middle of a photo shoot for Oxford Pictures’Heaven Is in the Wind. It was a dog of a film and we all knew it. I could just see the review headlines now: “it blows.” But that didn’t matter. Opening weekend of a picture is the marketing ex-ecutive’s responsibility. After that, it stands or stumbles on its own merits. But an audience initially goes to a film based on the avertising and publicity. So while I didn’t make the films, it was my job to sell them to an unsuspecting public.
Right now, I was attempting to get photos of the damn star, Nikki Strong, so we could create a poster. And, as usual, Nikki
Strong was not cooperating."
...riveting prose!
Posted by: Cut Copy | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 01:38 PM
sounds like a good chick-lit book. but I would have preferred a juicy tell-all that named all the assholes names in studio marketing.
Posted by: gossip grrrl | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 02:16 PM
Hi all, Dana Precious here.
Personally, I think this is hilarious. A friendly shout out to Universal as imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
oh, and to the person who wrote about mallets and cheese -- neither are in my book.
and to the person who wrote about 'riveting prose' -- all 5 star reviews on amazon and barnes and noble must mean something. :)
Yours, in the wild and wooly world of film marketing -- Dana
Posted by: Dana | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 04:01 PM
Hi Dana! Kisses!
Posted by: Red Volvo Wagon | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 05:12 PM
Go jump in a lake!
Posted by: The Screaming Art Director | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 05:33 PM
The film rights for the book have been optioned by Janet and Jerry Zucker of Zucker Productions (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Fair Game) and Jesse Kennedy of Aurelius Films, with Randi Singer (Mrs. Doubtfire and the upcoming Topper, starring Steve Martin) attached as screenwriter.
http://tinyurl.com/76r38od
Posted by: Just F#cking Shoot Me | Friday, January 06, 2012 at 07:44 PM