Analysis of Oblivion and Avengers dvd covers

In my previous post I published a collection of old and more recent film posters. When looking at those posters I noticed a recurring aspect about some of them. Most of the posters with the exception of two or three only show the main character or star of the film, with the exception of the others which show 2-4 characters. The reason for this is perhaps to clearly represent the main focus for the film and or advertise its star. So for example the Skyfall poster, (pictured right) shows James Bond or Daniel Craig staring off into the distance armed with a flashy sidearm and a touch of swag.

What this poster tells me is that the main focus for the film will be about this character and that he is the most important aspect of the film. Firstly he is central to the picture and secondly he towers above the main title of the film itself. Other examples of film posters that solely present its main protagonist include Iron Man 2 and Halloween Uncut ( which is pictured in the previous post). Looking at the movie posters in this way reminded me of a lesson at school when we looked at the differences between DVD covers and in what ways they advertise the film.

The two modern DVD covers I have chosen to analyse are Oblivion (a personal favourite), and The Avengers. I chose these two film covers due to the fact that they are distinctly different and are very recent.

Starting with the Avengers film cover we can see straight away that there is a lot more going on compared to Oblivion. Firstly instead of on person we have a whole squad of superheroes, some more dominant than others but there none the less. I understand that the reason for the cover showing all of its main heroes together is because there is no distinguishable main role. They all play an equal part within the movie and are no less or more important than others. The reason is probably a more political reason, placing Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) at the front and centre due to the fact he is the highest paid actor and the most popular and successful of all the heroes. Explosions are present in the background and the characters all look as if they are prepared to fight imminently  showing the film is definitely an action.

 

Oblivion's cover is calmer than Avengers. The colours look more monotone but create a lighter and softer feel for the film in comparison to the dark blues and the dotted oranges of explosions on Avengers. Only once character is present in this picture, giving the impression he is the main character and the most important role within the film. The cover gives away that its a sci-fi due to the future looking weapon and suit the protagonist is wearing, but is not as obvious as a film such as Star Trek. The is due to the fact that we can see modern human structures in the background. Similarly our main hero looks prepared to fight but looks more in thought, adding a twist/mystery to the film alternative to the 'bring it on' attitude the superheroes have on their faces.