TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MAGAZINE COVERS AND POSTERS

John Wick

Denotations:

A man is wearing a black suit.
He's staring straight at the camera.
He’s pointing a gun directly at the camera.
The back ground has lots of bubbles
the slogan:"Don't let him off"

Connotations:

In the poster there is a man centre shot wearing a black suit with his hair neatly gelled back. The image could mean that he is grieving because black is the universal colour for loss and grievance. Further where he is in his suit still means that someone has only recently died, implying that the film may be about revenge for the person who has died. However it can also be denoted that he is an assassin or a secret agent, this would be stereotypical as in most spy movies the main protagonist wears a black suit to show their confidence and their level of expertise. The colour of the suit is black which conveys power and authority this can further be indicated, as he is shown in the centre of the poster with a gun pointed directing into the camera or at the audience. Furthermore the colour can be conveyed as submissive, this suggests that he is dedicated and also suggests that the film will be about him not giving up on what he has dedicated himself to. John Wick's personality can also be hinted towards being evil and a killer as in many horror films the murder dresses up in black because it’s a cynical colour.

The camera angle for the poster is a medium shot that is tilted upwards towards John Wick. you see him looking directly down at the audience pointing a gun, indicating that he's coming after us to kill us. This makes the audience feel involved, and also shows John Wick's power and intimidation towards everyone. The viewers also feel a sense of sympathy for whoever he is going to kill in the film.

John's facial expression is serious this denotes that the film is a serious film, including serious content and maybe plot twists. Also the film being based on an assassin which implies that he takes his job serious and isn't afraid to kill anyone.

Furthermore the colour palette is very blue and dark. The colour blue is conveyed to be cold and a sad gloomy colour, this is further backed up from the film as he is depressed from his wife's departure and assassins are seen as cold as they kill on a regular basis and aren't very affected by it. The dark shade implicates that there is death in the film and also a sense of good vs. evil. Furthermore in the background you see lots of bubbles which look very imaginative and unrealistic. This suggests that he doesn't care about the world around him he is set on what he woiants to do no matter what. Furthermore this can suggest that he’s up against something so unrealistic that it’s nearly impossible to imagine.

The Dark Knight

Denotations:

There's a man standing with a batman costume on.
In the near middle of the poster you see a burning bat that goes across a building.
The building is destroyed and abandoned.
the angle of the camera is a low angle
"welcome to a world without rules"-slogan

Connotations:

In the poster you can see a man wearing a black costume with his hands in a fist shape, which can imply that he is after someone and is going to kill them. Also it can mean that he’s doing it for revenge. The man is wearing a black costume with a mask suggesting that his identity is incognito. Also the colour black can infer that he breaks rules, from previous batman films we know that he’s a vigilante going against the law to bring justice to other people. In the poster you can see that batman is standing in the dead centre of the screen, showing that he has power over others.

Furthermore the detail on his costume suggests that he’s very healthy and fit, this can imply that there will be a lot of fighting and chase scenes. This also conveys that he’s very skilful as he is going to fight lots of enemies off and protect his city.

Above batman on a building there is batman's burning logo. The fire on the building can connote that maybe he’s gone a little mad and evil because it’s the only way to save his city. What’s more it could also mean that he’s trying to show that he’s there and nothing can take him away. The building that the logos on is damaged and falling part, this shows that there is going to be a a big fight scene in the film including the whole city. Also if batman doesn't fight away the evil people it could mean that the whole city will perish.

The bat logo on fire also suggests danger and destruction, suggesting that Batman is dangerous and if he needs to, he can destroy things. The fire also symbolises divinity and power. Because the Batman logo is on fire this conveys that batman thinks he's god like and should be praised for what he does. Also the theme of power and divinity is further exaggerated as the batman logo is high up on the building suggesting that he wanted everyone to see it. in addition the logo being on the building implies that he may own it and if he owns a big building like that then he’s rich and powerful even without the costume.

The angle of the shot is a low angle. A low angle is used to identify power and authority this suggests that batman is a big public figure with or without the costume. Also the angle makes the audience feel vulnerable and inferior compared to him. Batman also makes the audience feel intimidated this places the audience in the shoes of a damsel in distress.

the whole poster looks amazing but the slogan, "welcome to a world without rules" makes the film seem to be a bit reckless and very violent. Also the slogan can infer that the cops also don't pay by the rules meaning that they're corrupted by gangs and people trying to make the city fall. If you're in a world without any rules then that means that Batman doesn't play by the rules and seen as he is a vigilante he also doesn't have any rules. In previous films Batman has been very brutal and occasionally leaves people bloody and bruised.