Oscars final designs - Hacksaw Ridge

This was the first of my posters that I finished, and at first I didn't feel okay about having it done. I spent a lot of hours on it and I feel that it communicates the message of the film quite well, but I didn't really feel that it was illustration, so to speak. I've been trying to be more subtle in my work and ideas, but I don't want it to become so simple that it doesn't mean anything. After having some feedback from tutors and people in the class, I feel a lot better about this kind of work, as what matters is the strength of the idea the image is based on, I don't want to become obsessed with aesthetics to the stage where it supersedes the importance of having inventive and engaging ideas.

Hacksaw Ridge is the true story of Pfc. Desmond T Doss, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour after WW2, despite the fact he refused to bear arms on religious grounds. Because of his beliefs he was treated as an outcast initially by fellow soldiers, branding him a coward or anti-patriotic for his lack of willingness to kill. However the film illustrates that just because a man doesn't take physical part in the killing, the toll of war is no less for him compared to the other soldiers. I wanted to incorporate this into my poster, using the red cross to represent both the role of Desmond as a field medic, and his religious beliefs. These two elements are the pillars of his character, and I wanted to show them here in this tattered state to represent the toll of war on everyone involved, even those who might be perceived by the world as not as brave, or not as important, as anyone else.