by: Dakota Caudilla
Just like collecting stamps, collecting movie posters is a fabulous way to either decorate a place or keep a piece of the movie with you for a long time to come. There are really no set rules as to what kind of movie posters to collect. Some people collect movie posters only from a certain genre, e.g. comedies and romance flicks only. And some people collect movie posters of movies from a certain period of time. Some people who are fans of all types of movies collect movie posters of ALL kinds! And then the movie posters are filed according to the time they were released or genre that the movie belongs to.
The basic general rule of thumb is that you should just collect whatever movie poster that you like. Apart from movie posters, some people collect souvenirs, lobby cards, tickets, or CDs. There’s no limit as to what you can collect apart from movie posters.
One of the most difficult thing to master about collecting movie posters is…how to keep the movie poster from disintegrating over time! Like all other types of art work, the quality of the movie posters will deteriorate. One way to preserve the movie poster is to use the ‘linen-backing’ method. You mount the movie poster onto a treated canvas and then place a sheet of rice paper on top of the movie poster. So, the movie poster is actually safely sandwiched between the canvas and the rice paper.
If you intend to keep the movie posters for a long period of time, you should take proper care of the movie posters and keep them away from direct sunlight. When the movie posters are exposed to direct sunlight for a long time, the colors on the movie poster will start to fade and the paper will start turning yellow. Be warned, the yellowing process is not reversible. Therefore, keep the movie posters in a safe place, away from the sun and at room temperature.
The biggest problem about having a large collection of movie posters is the space. While you may choose to frame and display some of your favorite movie posters on the walls of your office or home, you can’t possibly find enough space to display all three thousand over movie posters in your possession! A filing cabinet is the best way to file and keep the movie posters safe.
If you have children, keep the cabinets locked if you don’t want them tearing into your movie posters collections. And keep the key somewhere safe.