Case Study 1: World War Z

Over the last few days I've been analysing three very different posters used in the marketing campaign for the film World War Z. Here are the posters, and each analysis is below the corresponding poster.

This poster is clearly meant for a billboard, as is evident by the size and simplicity of the image. Those driving past wouldn’t have the time to stop and read and so the image is expressing the general plot with one clear image depicting the nature of the film. This is also why there are no credits to read. It’s also likely that the poster would be situated in Rio, as that’s the city shown – obvious by the Christ the Redeemer statue on the left side. Having the poster in the city shown not only speaks of wide marketing of a worldwide audience, but also makes the citizens feel much more included and gives a more personal feel to the issues presented, making them more likely to watch the film. The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue also introduces a sad irony to the situation; the irony of having an immortal saviour watch over a dying city. This suggests that it is beyond saving even by the most powerful. There is also symbolism in the bright yellow of the sky, as it’s shown being clouded over by smoke and the ashes of the destruction below. The lack of human focus the image has  emphasises this destruction by showing, however subtly, that the antagonist of this film has the power to overthrow major cities just like Rio.

Despite this lack of human connection, the name of the star, Brad Pitt, is still written in text almost as large as  - and even slightly clearer than – the title itself because he’s a major unique selling point (USP) for the film. The font for the “WORLD WAR” part of the title is the largest text on the poster so it can be clearly read from passers by. There is no release date on the poster, only a simple “COMING SOON”, which implies it is from early in the stages of release. This also keeps the viewers on their toes and interested as they’ll (hopefully) want to know when it will come out. All the text on the poster (barring the “Z”) is white, completely contrasting from the dark background image. The words “WORLD WAR” are white so the audience can see them clearly, but they are marred and far from implying purity. The “Z” is in a smeared red font, reminiscent of blood. Although it is unclear, it stands for the antagonist of the film: “Zombie”. It’s also the last letter in the alphabet, possibly reminding those who look more closely of the end of times, too.

 Considering the shape, orientation, and subject focus of this poster, it’s likely a poster for cinema advertising. The eye is instantly drawn to the family in the middle of the picture, and this focus of people will appeal to audiences – especially the family aspect. There is also a lot more detail on this poster than on the previous one (designed for billboards) because people standing in queues will have a lot more time to read than those driving past. The film credits and exact date of release are also included in the poster, meaning it’s likely a much more recent one.

The location of the family in this poster is easy to recognise as New York because of the high-rise buildings and the iconic (if burning) yellow taxis in the foreground. These, however, are easy to differentiate from the important part of the picture: the family. There are plenty of other people around to add to the mass chaos and destruction of the scene, including those blurred with movement in the immediate background and the stacks of people climbing over each other on the right hand side. These people are all  blurred and their colours are faded, singling out the only in-focus and fully coloured family and bringing the to the centre of attention. The personal direction of family, made more personal by their closeness and the parents’ protectiveness , brings the audience much closer to the advertisement with something they can relate to. The male lead, Brad Pitt, stands as the tallest by far, and is the only person face-on to the camera. This brings him out as the most important character and the dominant male of the story – as is reflected by his name at the top of the poster.

Similarly to the billboard poster, the sky in this picture also seems to reflect the situation: smoke from a burning building spilling out in a dark streak across an otherwise dreamy blue sky, indicating the sudden devastation that their unshakeable world is facing. The perfect blue fades to a much darker blue towards the top of the picture anyway, meaning the name “BRAD PITT” in white is still visible even without being on the dark smoke background. Again, the name is almost as large as the title of the film itself, and the letters are very far apart to emphasise his key role. The font for the title is much more solid this time, looking less scruffy and scarred and more metallic, leaving the audience to think of the connotations this holds to hard steel, cold guns, and warfare. Using the same dark background for the text means their film title can always stay relatively similar and recognisable  - especially the iconic red “Z” that looks like smeared blood, always reminding the viewer of the one prevailing theme of zombies, destruction, and massacre.

This minimalistic poster highlights the key themes of the film with one quick glance, and has no hidden details to dwindle on. It’s simplicity and lack of detail suggests a poster that people would glance at in a hurry, however the shape suggests a poster that would perhaps be found in a cinema or at a public transport station. This means the designer was likely trying to invoke curiosity amongst his audience and take a different angle to the other posters they may have seen. The monochrome theme is bland, hopeless, and immediately introduces the bleak, dystopian themes. It also means that viewers’ eyes are very quickly drawn to the biggest and most important parts of the poster: the picture and the bright red “Z” that stands out in contrast to the colourless background. This, through means of other, more common posters, has become part of the film’s iconography, and it is coming into play even when placed on a simple poster like the one featured. Audiences that are familiar with the themes would already know about the fire and destruction and familial side of the story, and this poster takes the opportunity to show the plot in a different light – quite literally. The only other colour given is shading to let the audience see that it’s a pile of cars being climbed, and this reinforces the abandonment and carelessness in the picture. It allows us to see that the people in the picture are climbing atop each other and grabbing onto a helicopter, making it clear that any thoughts they had for their own wellbeing have been disregarded, once again bringing the chaos back to the foreground.

The shape in the silhouette perhaps even reflects the way the story progresses, slowly becoming a problem and then gradually building up and becoming messier and messier until it reaches a point of no return. The helicopter at the top reflects the themes of warfare told in the title of the film and also in the style of the font, as “WORLD WAR” is written, again, in metallic silver on the black background.

The name of the male lead, though not even pictured on the poster himself, is still written along the top of the poster to attract more viewers. His name is very clear, though this time it is reversed. Often his name is in white on a black background, but in this image, monochrome and the complete opposite of the bright and fire-like colours of the last posters, his name is in black on a white background. The white space around the main image suggests isolation, and that there is nothing except the mess in the middle. It gets the audience to think that maybe there really is nothing there, maybe past the chaos really is just that: white space.