If you are buying a gift card for a movie fan, the first thing to know is that I have made six film plot maps: James Bond, Back to the Future, Blade Runner, The Shining, Jaws, and Dirty Dancing. A card sent by email lets them pick from those six, or spend it on any of the eighty-odd music maps instead. It arrives in minutes, never expires, and can be scheduled to land on the day itself. If their favourite film is one of the six and you are certain, buy the print. If it is not, or you are not, the card is the better bet.
Which films have plot maps at the moment?
Six, and I would rather tell you that plainly than imply the range is bigger than it is.
| Film | Year | Who tends to want it |
|---|---|---|
| James Bond | The Eon run | The franchise completist, and the most common Father's Day choice |
| Jaws | 1975 | The person who quotes it constantly and knows the shark barely appears |
| The Shining | 1980 | Kubrick obsessives, and the one people buy around Halloween |
| Blade Runner | 1982 | The sci-fi fan who has opinions about which cut is definitive |
| Back to the Future | 1985 | Anyone who enjoys a plot that folds back on itself, which this map shows well |
| Dirty Dancing | 1987 | Anniversary and Valentine's gifts, more than any other map I make |
If the film you have in mind is not on that list, a card is the honest answer. They can put it toward a music map, or hold it until I draw the one they want, since it has no expiry date.
Should I just buy the film print instead?
Often, yes, and I would rather say so than talk you into a card you do not need.
Film fandom is usually easier to read than music taste. People tend to know exactly which film a friend quotes at dinner, whereas guessing a favourite album out of a forty-year discography is genuinely hard. If you are sure it is Jaws, buy the Jaws print. The unwrapping is better.
The card earns its place in three situations. You have run out of time, and a posted print will not arrive. You know they love films but not which one, or you suspect they might prefer a band. Or you want them to choose the size and whether it is framed, which is a decision about their wall rather than about the film.
Spend it on any of the six film plot maps, or cross over to the music maps. No expiry date.
Does a plot map give away the ending?
This is the question I get asked about the film maps far more than the music ones, and the answer is that it depends where it hangs.
These maps chart the story. Characters run as lines, scenes and turning points sit as stations, and the lines cross where the characters meet. Someone who has not seen the film will not read a narrative off it from across a room, because without the film the station names mean very little. Stand close enough to read every station, and you will pick up the shape of the ending.
In practice, nobody buys one of these for a person who has not seen the film. They are bought for people who have seen it a dozen times, and the pleasure is recognition rather than discovery. The card is useful here too, since it lets the recipient decide whether it goes in the hallway or somewhere more private.
Which card value covers which format?
Film prints are priced the same as the music ones: £42.00 for A2 unframed, £58.00 for A1 unframed, £125.00 for A2 framed and £175.00 for A1 framed. UK delivery is £5.95. I have set the card values so each tier above Starter covers a format with that delivery included.
| Card | Value | What it covers in the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | £20.00 | A contribution toward any print |
| Classic | £50.00 | An A2 unframed plot map, delivered |
| Statement | £65.00 | An A1 unframed plot map, delivered |
| Smaller Gallery | £135.00 | An A2 plot map in a black wooden frame, delivered |
| Large Gallery | £200.00 | An A1 plot map in a black wooden frame, delivered, with room to spare |
For the film maps in particular, I would lean toward a value that covers A1. The plot maps carry more small type than most of the music maps, because every character line needs labelling at every crossing point, so the larger size is where the detail actually reads.
What makes the James Bond map different from the other five?
The other five each chart a single film. The Bond map charts a franchise, so the lines are recurring characters rather than one story: Bond himself, M, Q, Moneypenny and the rest, running across the Eon films.
That makes it the safest of the six to give without knowing much, because it does not depend on one favourite film. It also makes it the busiest, which is the strongest argument in the range for the A1 size.
Bond, M, Q and Moneypenny drawn as lines across the Eon films rather than a single plot.
What if they are not the horror and sci-fi type?
Then Dirty Dancing is usually the answer, and it is the map that most often gets bought as an anniversary present rather than a fan gift.
It is worth saying because people assume a plot map is inherently a thing for the sort of fan who owns a box set. The same drawing approach works just as well on a film somebody has watched every Christmas since they were fifteen.
The 1987 film drawn as a transit network of characters and turning points.
Frequently asked questions
Can a film gift card be spent on a music map?
Yes. There is one card, and it works across everything in the shop, so they are not restricted to the six films.
How quickly does it arrive?
Minutes. It is emailed as a redeemable code, so there is no postage. You can also schedule it for a specific date if you are buying ahead.
Will you be adding more films?
Yes, the range grows. Since the card has no expiry date, it can sit unspent until the film they want appears.
Are the film maps spoiler-free?
Not entirely. They chart the plot, so anyone reading the stations closely will follow the story. They are made for people who already know the film well.
What are the prints made from?
Every one is a Giclée print on 230gsm premium fine art paper, textured matte, archival and acid-free. Framed prints come in a black wooden frame.
Does any balance get wasted?
No. If they spend less than the full value, the remainder stays on the card, and it can be put toward delivery as well as the print.
Let them pick the film
Six plot maps, eighty-odd music maps, and no need for you to guess which one they would hang.
Choose a gift card →Delivered by email. No expiry date. Redeemable against any print.
If you would rather choose for them, all six are in the film plot map art prints collection, with the darker two also in the horror plot maps and Blade Runner in the sci-fi plot maps. If the person you are buying for is more of a music obsessive, I have written a companion piece on gift cards as a last-minute gift for music fans.
