Spectre (2015) is the 24th instalment of long running James Bond film series and Daniel Craig’s penultimate film as titular character Bond. Bringing in $880.7 million at the box office, it is clear that the film was well enjoyed by people in both the United Kingdom and the United States. As time goes on, James Bond only becomes a more iconic character and a British cinematic staple, this is reflected in the more recent posters for Craig’s films as there is not much detail showing that there is little to be said that people don’t already know. Spectre is a perfect example of this simple marketing.
Roland Barthes’ semiotics theory is the idea that texts communicate their meanings through a process of signification, that signs can function at the level of denotation - which involves the ‘literal’ or straight forward meaning of the sign - and at the level of connotation which involves the meanings associated with or suggested by the sign. He also said that constructed meanings can come to seem self-evident, achieving the status of myth through a process of naturalisation. Barthes’ semiotics theory is a good theory to look at when analysing Spectre’s poster because there are a lot of different codes used here to create meaning.
Most obviously, we have the protagonist large and centre holding a gun which, with the audience having adequate cultural knowledge, denotes he is a spy. Other than this denotation, most of the codes on this poster are more implied.
The colour and costume of the figure in the background implies they are a villainous character, compared to Craig’s white suit connoting being a hero or innocent as the colour white is associated with goodness. However, the black tie and trousers may connote that Bond is not all good and actually has a villainous streak himself. Other than telling us he is a spy, the gun itself connotes danger either towards Bond or from Bond. The red flower above his breast pairs nicely with the gun to push this connotation as red is well established as a symbol for danger. This being said it is also a well established symbol of romance meaning this small hint of red on a poster with an otherwise ‘boring’ colour scheme is symbolic in that it represents both the extreme danger and risk we see in James Bond films as well as the recurring theme of love and sex.
Going in to the specific codes Barthes likes to look at:
Action codes are “actions” that are significant to the progression of the story, anything that alters the state of the narrative to give revelations or introduce a new problem. As this is a 2 dimensional film poster, there can be no movement or changes during consumption. However, the skull/Día de los Muertos character in the background is significant to the narrative because when audiences watch the film they will realise that this mysterious figure is actually Bond himself, changing the narrative of this poster from a matter of hero vs villain to a question of the duality of man.
The Enigma Code is simply a theory that suggests a text portrays a mystery to draw an audience in which allows the audience to pose questions and as such become intrigued in the piece. This is probably most evident in the Spectre poster with this skeletal character behind Bond; because each James Bond film has a different plot, this isn’t a character people would or would be expected to recognise from this image. The fact that the image is almost faded into the background signifies there is a lack of importance about this character whoever it may be which adds to the intrigue. Another aspect of the poster which may provoke curiosity is the title. Other than the fact that most James Bond films have names with multiple words in them (therefore making this one word title seem significant in the decision,) a Spectre is a ghost and themes around the supernatural are not much of a regular occurrence in spy films. The very fact that this area has been interconnected with the spy genre will create questions for audiences such as whether the film is going to feature a storyline around ghosts etc or whether the spectre in question is more metaphorical as in the ghosts of someone (Bond)’s past and the story becoming more focused on an emotional aspect.
A semantic code is something within a text that means something, often multiple meanings. when there are many meanings within a single text. An example of this in the poster for Spectre is the gun Bond is holding. As we see it, it is unclear as to whether or not it is being pointed in anyones direction as the end of the barrel faces out of shot. However, the fact that it isn’t pointed towards the camera shows that there is no reason for the audience to feel threatened by the arms possession. Holding a gun isn’t necessarily something that should make the audience feel an immediate sense of danger as it may be a sign of self defence. As a spy, there is a great chance that Bond would need to defend as well as attack. Another part of this poster that may have multiple meanings is the aforementioned red flower above his left breast. Not only could the flower signify danger or love but it could also be representative of blood. While blood often follows or links to danger, it could also be a physical reference to internal/emotional pain as supposed to physical.
Bond’s iconic white suit also connotes wealth, luxury and sophistication that he is known for enjoying after the Spy business is done.
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