Chrysalideis a fantastic and poetic drama. The Éclats agency intervened in the project through a redesign of the poster, at a stage where the work was finalized but required an adjustment of its marketing and editorial reading.
The objective of the intervention focused on the visual translation of the intimate stakes of the narrative, in a VOD distribution context oriented towards auteur cinema.
Project context
Chrysalideexplores the transformation of the body and mind as an extension of inherited trauma. The work is part of a symbolic approach to the fantastic, where metamorphosis is more of a psychological process than a spectacular narrative effect.
In the context of its distribution on a specialized platform, the poster needed to allow for an immediate understanding of the tone and nature of the film, while respecting the aesthetic codes of a catalog oriented towards works with a strong identity.
Identified marketing issue
Several limitations were identified in the initial visual proposal:
An iconography that is too literal, centered on an explicit symbol, leaving little room for interpretation.
A difficulty in bringing out the human and emotional dimension of the narrative.
A gap between the visual promise and the intimate, sensitive, and ambivalent nature of the work.
The challenge was to reposition the transformation not as a visible fantastic element, but as a perceptible inner mutation.
Implemented methodology
The intervention by Éclats was structured around several stages:
Thematic analysis of the film, particularly the links between body, memory, and identity.
Definition of a visual axis that translates metamorphosis in an implicit and organic way.
Reinterpretation of the central symbol, shifted from the iconographic register to an embodied expression.
Retouching and adjustment of the poster to create a controlled visual tension between attraction and discomfort.
Verification of aesthetic coherence with the graphic and editorial standards of the VOD platform.
Observed results
The new poster offers a more nuanced reading of the work:
The visual positioning reinforces the psychological dimension of the film and its emotional register.
The work is more clearly aligned with the editorial line of author dramas with a fantastical tone.
A poster should not only identify a genre but also guide the emotional reading of a work. A relevant visual repositioning often relies on the ability to suggest rather than show, aligning symbolism, narrative, and viewer experience from the first contact.