It’s here: backdrop customization. our Patron tier, you’ll be able to pick a custom backdrop image for any film, and separately change the image on your reviews, diary entries, lists and profile.

Along with customizable posters and cast and crew photos, backdrop changes give Letterboxd Patrons another avenue to express their singular tastes and personalities on their respective pages. An example: when the poster feature dropped, my first act was to change the poster of every movie starring Robert Pattinson to include his face, no matter how small his role. I intend to do the same for backdrops.

This leads us to some ground rules. First of all, this is primarily a way for you to customize your own content—you won’t be able to pick custom backdrops for other Patron ’ reviews or lists; their pick (if there is one) is king. Thus, a universal Robert Pattinson takeover is effectively thwarted.

Second, we are sourcing all backdrop options from TMDb, and we expect our to abide by TMDb’s platform rules. This means no spoilers, no fan art, no nudity, no graphic violence and—this will be the tricky part—no memes may be ed to the Backdrops section for any film. Not following the rules will cause both TMDb and Letterboxd s undue stress, and we are prepared to disable custom backdrops on the individual s of any naughty outliers who abuse this gift. Many movie obsessives already likely suffer from the high anxiety of so-many-movies, so-little-time, so let’s try our best not to exacerbate it!

Okay, enough with the don’ts, let’s move on to the do’s. You can use this new-found backdrop freedom to frame your review, and to illustrate specific scenes that you want to talk about. If you’re itching to dive deep on the three-way dynamics of Challengers, for example, select the above backdrop and go to town.

Along with better-known marketing images like that, you’ll find that many films also have behind-the-scenes photographs featuring directors and other crew at work. Think of this feature as unlocking a new way to champion the artists and storytellers behind your favorite films. Not only that, but you’re selecting a work of art about a work of art. Most of the backdrop images are taken by unit stills photographers, who are an essential part of a film set, shaping audience perspectives and first impressions before a picture even premieres. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate them in our own Letterboxd‑y way.

Take it from Jane Campion’s photographer Kirsty Griffin, quoted in our Journal article on the power of still images: “With the perfect, iconic still, you’re capturing all of that hard work that everybody’s done to get to that point. Someone’s gotta acknowledge these people. They do incredibly long hours, you know? They’re all artists and storytellers.”

For more information about the nitty-gritty details of backdrop selection, check out our FAQ. Shout-out to Sholto, David, Hyung, Jonty, Mike, Hayden and Tom for their work building this feature, to Ben for the animation above, to Focus Features for unlocking The Bikeriders backdrops and to all of our and our wider crew for their trusted . Most of all, thanks to you, the Letterboxd community, for your continued and suggestions. Happy watching and backdropping!