By Quintin Smith on May 6th, 2011 at 5:18 pm.
That’s me done for the day, but I saw this over at gaming.reddit and basically needed it to be on the RPS frontpage over the weekend.
Seattle-based artist (edit- and Valve employee) Tristan Reidford has made a 1970s-style movie poster for Portal 2. It’s an absolutely stunning piece of work, and awaits you in full after the jump.
Reader! Click for bigger. Tristan? Make prints of this (edit- prints of this are coming). Sell it. Sell it so hard. We will make you a rich man.
Have a great weekend, guys!
06/05/2011 at 17:21 Cradlejoe says:
Wallpapered.
06/05/2011 at 17:31 Rii says:
Vertically-oriented monitor?
06/05/2011 at 17:53 Cradlejoe says:
Nah, 1280×1024. I just edited it a tiny bit so that it’d fit properly.
No stretching ;)
06/05/2011 at 19:16 gallardo1 says:
yup, 1 column of 3 vertical monitor with eyefinity with this wallpaper http://img33.pixiv.net/img/atelieriji/16868303_m.jpg
06/05/2011 at 20:55 Trans says:
Gallardo1 your link is forbidden :(
06/05/2011 at 21:21 passingstranger says:
Gallardo, we are forbade from seeing the image.
06/05/2011 at 21:24 Napalm Sushi says:
Conflicted now, since this is spacetime-bendingly awesome, but then so is my current wallpaper of Danny Trejo as a Starcraft marine being outfitted by a crew of leather clad Asian nurses.
07/05/2011 at 03:23 Raiyan 1.0 says:
I don’t need to edit this to fit as my wallpaper.
06/05/2011 at 17:22 Nighthood says:
I would be having a great weekend, if it wasn’t for the clusterfuck of an election.
Poster has cheered me up a little though.
06/05/2011 at 17:26 alexmasterson says:
Wow.
06/05/2011 at 17:29 Unaco says:
Nice poster. But, who is that in the middle, with the Portal gun and the Heel Springs pretending to be Chell? Is there a 2nd female protagonist in Portal 2 that I missed?
06/05/2011 at 17:49 MrWolf says:
This wasn’t nearly as funny or original as it was when you first started to write it, was it?
06/05/2011 at 17:55 Unaco says:
Who is trying to be funny? Is that meant to be Chell?
06/05/2011 at 18:04 Rii says:
It’s actually my girlfriend.
06/05/2011 at 18:48 Donjonson says:
The poster’s amazing, but I have to agree, she doesn’t really bear a likeness to the character in the game…
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/archive/7/7f/20080725081234!Portal_Chell.jpg
http://www.pyrorockstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/145px-200px-chell.jpg
Edit: I just realised that those are Portal 1 models, the Portal 2 model is more similar-
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110501094642/half-life/en/images/thumb/8/80/Portal_2_chell.jpg/450px-Portal_2_chell.jpg
06/05/2011 at 20:05 mpk says:
Um? Does it really matter?
That’s not Mark Hamill or Carrie Fisher either… http://blastr.com/assets_c/2010/06/OriginalTheatricalStarWarsPoster-thumb-550×869-41517.jpg
06/05/2011 at 21:24 born2late says:
Brunette Denise Richards?
06/05/2011 at 21:27 passingstranger says:
As was pointed out, Portal 2 Chell looks a good amount like the poster.
And it doesn’t look like Portal 1 Chell because 70s posters tend to only have really attractive women. The Chell the First wasn’t super attractive for the most part.
06/05/2011 at 22:31 mpk says:
Again, does it actually matter? You instantly know who the character is meant to be (unless you’re our friend Unaco, obviously)
I dunno. When I play Portal “as” Chell, all I see is an Aperture Dynamics Portable Quantum Tunnelling Device. What the characters face actually looks like has never concerned me, any more than Gordon Freeman’s did.
07/05/2011 at 11:42 Masked Dave says:
The Robots are the spitting image of their models either, it’s just stylised you dipshit.
07/05/2011 at 16:56 Unaco says:
There really is no need to resort to insults (“dipshit”) or condescension (“unless you’re our friend Unaco, obviously”).
I know that the woman is meant to be Chell. I know that it’s meant to be stylised. But, I think it’s been too stylised and it doesn’t look enough like Chell. With some of the other ’70s posters linked on here (“Papillon”, “Pat Garret & Billy The Kid”, “Star Wars” & the James Bond film) I know instantly who those actors are. With this poster, I know it’s Chell, because she’s in the middle and is the main character, she resembles Chell as far as shape and hair colour, and she’s got the Portal Gun and the Heels. But it’s not that instant recognition… take away the context, the Gun, the Heels, the background and I don’t think I’d be able to tell you confidently that that was Chell. Do the same with any of the other poster’s I mention, and you’ll still instantly recognise the Actor represented.
07/05/2011 at 19:09 Aejis says:
Well, it looks a lot like Alésia Glidewell (meh, just google it) in the poster! And considering that Chell’s model was based on Alésia Glidewell, I think it’s fair to say it’s her.
06/05/2011 at 17:30 xcession says:
Absolutely, categorically awesome.
06/05/2011 at 17:30 node says:
It’s actually by a concept artist at Valve so hopefully they’ll do posters! http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Tristan_Reidford
06/05/2011 at 17:32 Heliosicle says:
I thought that him being an artist in Seattle sounded funny!
06/05/2011 at 17:33 node says:
Good news everyone, it IS coming to the store as a poster! (see the comment from “tristan” further down here http://tristanreidford.blogspot.com/2011/05/portal2-70s-style-movie-poster.html )
06/05/2011 at 17:43 Cradlejoe says:
I’ve been meaning to buy some Valve posters for ages! :D
06/05/2011 at 17:30 Davie says:
Awesome.
06/05/2011 at 17:31 stander says:
He’s not some fan, but actually a modeler at Valve.
06/05/2011 at 17:34 Rii says:
I was under the impression that Chell was asian. =/
08/05/2011 at 20:58 Rhys says:
Chell is Brazillian-Japanese
06/05/2011 at 17:36 Perjoss says:
why wasn’t this the box art?
call me old fashioned, but i like to own game boxes with nice art on them.
06/05/2011 at 17:39 Rii says:
Because this isn’t actually the 1970s?
07/05/2011 at 06:27 Burning Man says:
And what does that have to do with owning nice box art?
06/05/2011 at 17:36 Inigo says:
It must be nice to have your job.
06/05/2011 at 17:43 Matt_W says:
Why is Lara Croft wearing Chell’s outfit?
06/05/2011 at 17:46 33degrees says:
I think the likeness is pretty accurate http://handshape.com/document/128b4c4149e744b492817ac5656ef2a1
06/05/2011 at 17:50 MrWolf says:
There’s a tasteless joke just waiting to be made about opening and passing through her portal….
06/05/2011 at 17:50 fallingmagpie says:
Hottie.
06/05/2011 at 18:54 FalseMyrmidon says:
What’s with the blog linkfarming?
06/05/2011 at 17:48 Soon says:
But she doesn’t even have an afro.
06/05/2011 at 17:52 MartinNr5 says:
It’s good to have you back Quinns!
06/05/2011 at 18:02 tstapp1026 says:
This also follows the blue/orange rule for movie posters! Good job m8!
Orange/Blue Contrast in Movie Posters
06/05/2011 at 18:25 Falx22 says:
I admit I’m a sucker for some orange and blue
06/05/2011 at 18:13 McDan says:
This. Is. Awesome. Definetely buy this as a poster.
06/05/2011 at 18:21 Gap Gen says:
I’ll add my voice to the chorus of people who think it’s a shame that they took one of the least sexualised female videogame characters and did them up, but it’s a nice poster otherwise. Yeah.
06/05/2011 at 18:39 Rii says:
mmm, I’m not really seeing it. The tight, sleeveless top? Practicality.
06/05/2011 at 18:46 the geebs says:
Well, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go tell every female protagonist to stop having boobs.
06/05/2011 at 19:01 Lilliput King says:
I think he’s talking about the face.
06/05/2011 at 19:38 Rii says:
Still not seeing it.
06/05/2011 at 19:47 Shih Tzu says:
Well, if you want to find plausible excuses, it’s common in ’70s and ’80s movie posters for the artist to slightly idealize and objectify the actor they’re painting.
06/05/2011 at 21:09 Vinraith says:
@Gap Gen
Valve already “sexed up” Chell’s image with the front page graphics when Portal 2 was released. This just follows on from that. I agree that it’s a shame, though.
06/05/2011 at 21:44 Lilliput King says:
Rii: If you look at Chell’s face in the original Portal, she’s got a flat, wide nose and prominent, wide cheekbones. This one is far more traditionally attractive with a small nose and shallower cheekbones, creating a much longer, leaner face.
I don’t really care, so it’s weird I’m still explaining this.
06/05/2011 at 21:44 Xocrates says:
Although given that Chell was modelled after the same person for both games, it seems a rather strange argument.
EDIT: Googling a few images for comparison, I note that while the face certainly seems to have been tweaked, I think the most significant difference is that she looks tired and unkempt in the original, but not so in the sequel.
06/05/2011 at 21:46 passingstranger says:
Hmmm. If you listen to the commentary, they talk about how the outfit design alterations were made to reflect Chell’s changing attitude toward GLaDOS, Aperture, and the situation in which she has been placed as well as signaling general development as a character.
I don’t think the mere fact that we can now confirm Chell possesses breasts is really a reason to argue that she has been sexualized. And I don’t think her face looked incredibly natural in the first. This one does and, consequently, is more attractive. She’s still strong, silent, and incredibly cool.
06/05/2011 at 21:50 Lilliput King says:
The faces are completely different. It’s not that she “looks tired.” They’ve rearranged her fucking bones.
06/05/2011 at 22:20 Xocrates says:
I DID say the face was tweaked, having overall been softened, but if you look closely Portal 1 and 2 Chell actually have a fairly similar face and body structure, down to prominent cheekbones (as consequence of being modelled after the same person). The Chell on the poster however looks like a significantly different person.
Yes Chell did go to the plastic surgeon between games, yes she looks a lot more attractive in the sequel.
But she also looks like she had a good night sleep and put some makeup on.
My point is that it’s still recognizably the same person and that the differences aren’t much more significant than the ones between a movie actress on camera and drunk off her ass off the set.
06/05/2011 at 22:21 Vinraith says:
I don’t think the mere fact that we can now confirm Chell possesses breasts is really a reason to argue that she has been sexualized.
Chell’s image was not present in Portal 1 advertising, whereas a very made-up, prettied up Chell in high heels with her suit half-off is one of the central marketing images of Portal 2. Are we really going to pretend we don’t know why that decision was made?
06/05/2011 at 23:13 Lilliput King says:
Xoc: It occurs to me that we’re probably talking about completely different faces. I was only talking about the one in this poster (which it makes sense to change for the 70s poster. I’m not complaining). I agree that Chell in Portal 2 looks fairly similar to Chell in the original. Longer, slimmer face, but recognisable, anyway.
06/05/2011 at 23:27 Xocrates says:
@liliput king: Ah yes, so it seems. We are in agreement then.
06/05/2011 at 23:31 passingstranger says:
@Vinraith
I think this oversimplifies the situation. Chell isn’t seen in the Portal 1 advertising because Portal 1 advertising was next to nonexistent. They didn’t need to sell Portal to gamers past the original trailer because it was really just an experiment that everyone was getting along with the big name games. This has changed for Portal 2 because a 60 dollar game needs a recognizable icon and an attractive protagonist certainly doesn’t hurt. Even then, Chell is only featured prominently in one of the promo videos with the robots getting most of the publicity. The “high heeled” effect of the leg braces is basically unchanged from the first.
Valve decided to go from this to this. I think, more than a profound statement on the status of women as symbols in gaming, this is just a result of Valve continuing their tradition of constantly re-examining and testing designs until they reach something they really like. And, finally, much like traditional male protagonists, it is very possible for a female character to be attractive without being sexualised.
07/05/2011 at 02:42 Gap Gen says:
OK, having seen Donjonson’s screenshot links, I’m inclined to agree that the Portal 2 Chell does look quite like that, even if the Portal 1 Chell doesn’t. Ah, the travails of post-feminism.
07/05/2011 at 03:33 Raiyan 1.0 says:
I remember my FemShep getting
a boob joberr, upgraded, back in ME2. So we know where a few of that 4 billion credits went…06/05/2011 at 18:26 Duffin says:
I need to buy a full size one of these. Please make some Valve.
06/05/2011 at 18:50 Antlia says:
Onwards to here for wallpaper version: http://wallbase.cc/wallpaper/1044802
06/05/2011 at 19:12 ShineyBlueShoes says:
Alternatively I give you this one: http://wallbase.cc/wallpaper/1044885
06/05/2011 at 19:16 Doesntmeananything says:
Just here to say that you messed up a link so my message would be a reminder of your ineptitude even after you edited the comment. Have a nice day. :)
Edit: Failed timing on my part. That’s bad karma, right?
06/05/2011 at 19:17 Lilliput King says:
On the flipside, I think I like that one better! Anyone know of any for my wimpy 1680×1050, incidentally?
06/05/2011 at 19:25 ShineyBlueShoes says:
Well you said something nice and until recently I felt the pain of finding wallpapers for that res so here ya go: http://wallbase.cc/wallpaper/1044936
Hopefully I don’t bork the linkage this time.
Edit- Fail again on my part, do not like this commenting system. lol
06/05/2011 at 20:31 Lilliput King says:
Awesome, thanks.
06/05/2011 at 19:36 BreadBitten says:
Eerily reminiscent of the poster to ‘Blade Runner’…
06/05/2011 at 22:25 lethu says:
Seconded. And me likes.
06/05/2011 at 19:56 Chris D says:
I tried using this as wallpaper but there’s too much white. I nearly go blind every time I close a window.
06/05/2011 at 20:31 Defiant Badger says:
Well change your monitors brightness then? Or perhaps have adequate background lighting?
07/05/2011 at 00:46 KaiserJim says:
I found the background too white also, so I edited the poster image into another Portal 2 background – and it came out really nicely. Hopefully this link works:
If you’ve not finished the single player campaign though, you may want to avoid looking at the picture.
Enjoy!
06/05/2011 at 20:28 Stevostin says:
” It’s an absolutely stunning piece of work”
It seems I am the only one to disagree, but to me this is of little worth compared to real 70′s artist. The drawing of the girl is pretty perfectible, the overall texture is missing charm, as does the lack of color composition.
Here are some some of the stuff from that time that I think are good :
http://eu.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/52/MPW-26451
http://eu.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/67/MPW-33528
http://arts-wallpapers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/star-wars-poster-Wallpaper.jpg
http://eu.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/91/MPW-45956
The global composition is pretty good, thus. IMO this would have needed an extra day of work.
06/05/2011 at 20:58 heretic says:
I like how Luke is holding her ass TIGHT.
06/05/2011 at 21:22 Quinnbeast says:
If you’re going to grope your sister, I suppose one might as well give it a firm squeeze.
06/05/2011 at 22:17 Lightbulb says:
Yes weird. When I’m swinging across random space station ravines I take a loose grip of the girl I’m carrying…
07/05/2011 at 11:21 Stephen Roberts says:
I’ve been trying to figure out what was bugging me about the picture as I read through the comments. I feel, like Stevostin, that it’s not quite superbular. I mean it’s super-great. But I find that the top of the poster seems a little open and out of shape. As if it should all be neatly ensconsed in a portal shape oval. With only a little bit of bleed from certain characters.
But whaddo I know I’m just an Internet goon. Everybody will love it, it’ll sell like… potato cakes.
06/05/2011 at 20:57 kobre12 says:
WOW!, stunning! :D
06/05/2011 at 21:14 Jahkaivah says:
“BASED ON THE NOVEL BY CAVE JOHNSON”
06/05/2011 at 21:34 Foosnark says:
Carrier has arrivedCave Johnson here.06/05/2011 at 22:05 sexyresults says:
WTB
06/05/2011 at 22:59 Ralud says:
Valve is politically correct, one of each and both mute.
Hats off to the artist.
07/05/2011 at 00:30 TsunamiWombat says:
The deer is a lie.
07/05/2011 at 00:31 sandcracka says:
Love the artwork! That being said, I thought it would look better in a frame:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k50/bigjonstudd1/portalposterb_framed.jpg
I can upload the full size image to anyone if they would like this.
07/05/2011 at 01:48 Rasputinator says:
Whipped a 1920×1080 wallpaper if anyone wants it. Here: http://min.us/ln0g2Q
07/05/2011 at 09:58 Zer0w says:
I just made a quick wallpaper out of this, gave it a paper-ish background and a slight gradient effect to finish it.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10633539/Photoshop%20images/24.jpg
2560×1600
07/05/2011 at 11:16 terry says:
Dear Finance Department,
Please send my future paychecks to directly to Valve, Inc, Washington. It’s better to cut out the middleman at this stage.
Regards,
terry
PS What a shame.
07/05/2011 at 14:42 jon_hill987 says:
Bird! Kill it! It’s evil.
07/05/2011 at 16:34 littlewilly91 says:
Based on the novel by Cave Johnson? A biography? I would buy? Conspiracy?
08/05/2011 at 15:28 Kaldor says:
Gabe Newell is kind of like the John Lasseter of games and nerdy stuff. This game in particular seems to be somewhat influenced by Pixar.