Production: Warner Bros. and Ron Howard
Distribution: Warner Bros.
Genre: Drama/Action
Director: Ron Howard
Synopsis: Set in 1820, aboard the New England vessel, crewmen (Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland) are confronted by a despairing battle for survival when an unfathomable sized whale of attacks their ship with brute force, crippling and leaving them adrift in the ocean. Being pushed to their limits by facing storms, starvation and panic, the unthinkable becomes thinkable in order to stay alive. Their incredible tale ultimately inspires the book Moby-Dick.
UK/American Poster: This marketing seems to thrive on minimalistic, captivatingly beautiful landscapes and scenery though they have an element of darkness and dreary reality to them, as if to juxtapose the mammoth size of the whale at the centre of the plot, perhaps alluding to how the themes in the plot are fiction, the aspect of realism is what promotes this sense of uncertainty and fear. The darker vingette colours and low key lighting promote mystery and the presence of surrounding antagonism that shrouds in on the characters. The large scale of the whale, as an Enigma Code as it is not distinctly addressed, promotes this fear and uncertainty, especially as it is coated in the darkness of the sea and the fact that the ship is so tiny and of no pertinence. This creates a Binary Opposition of man and nature, an unwittingly lost one by man as we are transient beings, whereas nature persistently dominates Earth and outlives and outgrows. This force of nature seems particularly formidable due to it's enormity, something that the extreme long shot captures well, it effectively establishing inevitability due to the time it was set, but the lack of proximity due to us and the characters; we feel as though there is no helping them, intriguing us as to their fate against a seemingly imminent death. This Binary Opposition also promotes character's innate conflicting morality in the aftermath of the attack and how clear cut the inhibitions to stay alive are, but how animalistic and barbaric the choices to be made are. The extent and details of this can only be answered in the movie, promoting the importance to see it.
In the confines of the bottom third of the poster, the font used seems rather traditionalistic, connoting to the classical strands of history behind the story, and also how many movies in the past tend to be drama-based. Furthermore, the term 'Coming Soon' seems quite foreboding, enticing an audience interested in the drama and action of the movie as it is evidentially clear that there will be some high-octane, high-budget action scenes in the water due to the high quality of the picture and how realistic it looks. This promotes a focalisation of the antagonism of the murderous sperm whale, a potentially allegory for foreign life posing a threat to the familiarity of our own cultures, ie. American/English cultures being influenced by Marxist ideologies (contemporary when Moby Dick was released) and now with Eastern tensions, etc. This allows the audience to see the characters as weak, evoking pity for them as their struggles, whilst not strictly relatable nor tangible, are very visually demanding and shocking. We are placed at the privelledged position of a birds-eye view, but are still in the same position as them as it's very dramatic and tense; a convention of the drama genre is to relate to the characters, or atleast empathise with them. The entertainment/drama side is emphasised in this poster more than the next one.
The top third of the page draws our eyes to the Moby Dick influences, perhaps attracting a fan of the novel, but directly below it is the cast list. This heavily connotes the possible potential for this movie to be a star vehicle due to the highly infamous cast with affiliations to popular culture such as Avengers/Marvel Cinematic universe, Peaky Blinders, and The Impossible. This may allude also to how some of the actors have been typecast into these dramatic roles, providing a Mainstreamer with comfort and reliability, a familiar essence to these new household names. This leads me to believe that this is perhaps for a C1C2 audience that take a slight interest in the historical/literacy influences, otherwise a DE audience may watch this for the action and drama.
Japanese Poster: Whilst this poster was not exclusively the Japanese marketing, it was the only poster used for countries exclusive to USA/UK, potentially due to the lack of intertextual expertise on Moby Dick. This is prevelant in this poster as whilst it is clear the whale's antagonism is the basis of the film, due to being centre of the poster and the darker, enigmatic colours used for the tail that spears out of the water, it is not the focalisation point. Whilst the characters at the bottom third of the theatrical poster are focused on the sense of evil they face via the whale, the protagonists are shown in universally understandable ways, such as the glorification/heroic stance of characters in a position that is difficult or vulnerable, and how they defy the odds of being scared. This is translated via the shot types in which we are positioned below the characters, allowing them to proclaim authority and dominance, henceforth alluding to their rise to power throughout their story arcs. This also establishes the star vehicle some global fans may be watching the movie for (hence the medium shot to feel close to the actors, and so the only way for closer proximity is to watch the movie), and also the actual characters appearance and their clothing which furthers onto setting. This connotes an story set in the past, and as their clothes are altered (buttons loose, shirt sleeves rolled up), it may also imply they are in an unusual situation as their clothes are not particularly suitable for their activity. This chaos and disorder adds to the Engima Code of the movie and how these characters clearly not cut-out for this line of work will survive. This also furthers as a Semantic code for a universal theme of unification. This is alluded to by the spectrum of characters surrounding the protaganist, simply understood by everyone that this is a story about bonding and teamwork, something that is morally enaging.
The lighting for the poster alludes to an outside space, adding to the exposed vulnerability of the characters and how the presence of evil surrounds them as though they can see it in the open, they are defenseless as there seems to be limited options and resources around them.
We are encouraged to view the characters as bold and an embodiment of masculinity, perhaps as this is an archetype that many audiences can recognise and familiarise with. However, this poster seems to focus on the action side of the movie, as in the aftermath of the wreckage and how those events occurred., perhaps because a global, more general audience can take interest in the mindless action of the plot rather than the profound moral establishments.
DVD Cover:
The back cover contains image stills from the movie, acting as Enigma codes towards the relevance of the plot, something to only be answered in an Action Ciode in the actual movie, promoting the necessity to see it to uvell these answers. In addition to this, the back also contains information on the running time and a synopsis of the film that teases the audience. Obligatory information includes a barcode, institutional information, key personel such as writers, directors and producers. Some also may contain a special features section, and this one does; this effectively is selling a notion of ‘exclusivity’.
The spine is what is seen from the side, and this is often how DVDs are stored, so this needs to look just as good, so they have the same logo, colour scheme and font here, aswell as the viewing certification.
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