Denotation and Connotation

Supernatural, Season 8 Promotional Poster

This promotional poster depicts two brothers, Sam, who is crouching and looking into the camera, and Dean, who is standing, with his head facing off screen, over Sam's shoulder, in the foreground of the shot, with a man on either side, Crowley and Castiel (left, right) in the distance, both dressed in sharp, black suits. The background and setting is an empty highway. Behind Crowley, there is darkening clouds, with a lightning bolt hitting the ground, and a pit of fire where the grass should be. Behind Castiel, there is white clouds with the sun shining through and grass. The title, 'Supernatural' is written at the bottom in white, shadowy letters.

As Dean is standing tall, we can assume that he is in a position of power over Sam, however, Sam is looking directly at the camera, which could symbolise that he can take control from Dean, who can be easily distracted, which we can assume from him facing off screen. Sam and Dean are in the foreground, so we can expect them to be the main characters.

Crowley, who is standing in the left of the background, has a pit of fire beneath his feet, we can judge that he has a link to Hell, and is fairly formidable, due to the lightning in the background, which stands out despite being small and far away. The fact that he is in a suit tells us that he is in a power of position, perhaps the ruler of Hell, or a close consultant of the ruler, or just an incredibly powerful foe.

Castiel is standing in the background on the right, beneath the opening white clouds, so we can guess that he has a link to Heaven, as an Angel, or perhaps a Seraph. The fact that he is also is in a suit says that he too could be incredibly powerful. The white of the clouds suggests Castiel's purity, saying that he wants to do the right thing, no matter what.

Despite the different parts of the image, Dean and Castiel are standing very close, with a small visible gap between them. This suggests that they have a very close relationship, despite what seems to be two different species.

The road that Sam and Dean are standing on separates the two realms; Heaven and Hell, suggesting that Sam and Dean are the thing holding the two realms in peace from each other. We can see the animosity in Crowley's and Castiel's faces, who both have incredibly strong glare on their faces.

The actual title is blurred vertically. This suggests that everything is not what they seems up and down; in Heaven and Hell. However, the actual writing is still clear, which could symbolise Sam and Dean, showing that they're the only things that we can rely on and trust.