Empire - Hell Boy

The name of the magazine and the image in the middle are very eye catching and drew in the attention of the readers. The fire around the name of the magazine has been added to fit the theme and the name of the film, which is known as Hell Boy. Hell, is supposedly full of fire, which is why the name is crawling with fire.  The mid shot of Hell Boy shows the audience that he has returned in another movie, hence the title below ‘Hell Boy’. The use of the two puffs highlights important articles featuring inside the magazine including ‘Sneak Previews’. Using a bright colour such as yellow on a puff, again draws attention. Smaller text on the side is also on the cover to show what also is inside, these may not be as important as the other text which are more bold. 

Total Film - Spider man

The front cover of this TOTAL FILM magazine is designed in such a way to give the appearance of a comic book. The text font inside the red puff is commonly used in comic books and is featured on a magazine front cover to appeal to a certain audience. Other factors of a comic book feature on this cover such as, comic sketches of characters on the top of the page, comic strips at the bottom and the bright and bold colours and text. This cover is very eye catching, the use of the yellow draws attention and highlights main parts inside the magazine. A background which is typically used for magazine front covers is just simply a white backdrop, however, this challenges the conventions of a magazine by using a black version of Spiderman’s suit.  The cover holds a lot of text to appeal to the audience, it uses up all given space to insure people will buy their magazine.  If anyone is a fan of Marvel and DC comics, this magazine is aimed towards them, there are even mentions of Batman, Iron Man and The Avengers. 

Total Film - Harry Potter

This magazine front cover features a picture of Daniel Radcliff appearing as his well-known iconic character Harry Potter. Surrounding him is an array of colours which give a very magical feel to the picture. We can tell this is Harry Potter due to the use of the wand in the picture and his glasses he is known for wearing. This picture, other than the magazine name, is the only piece which is displayed on the front cover of the magazine. By the use of the picture standing alone, tells the readers that it is a Harry Potter special (maybe released when the final Harry Potter was) or there is a major Harry Potter section inside. The angle of the picture is very unusual for a magazine front cover; a typical shot used is either mid shot or long shot face on. This is challenging conventions of a typical magazine front cover. 

Valentine's Day

The most eye catching piece on this film poster is the pink heart in the middle. The heart symbolizes love and the pictures in the middle suggest there is a link between all the characters. The colour of the heart represents love, peace, femininity and passion. The colour of the names of the female actresses is also pink, which is associated with femininity. The blue text for the male actors represents masculinity. Blue represents peace, calm and loyalty. Blue is widely associated with boys, for example, a new baby boy is given blue gifts and a new baby girl is given pink. This is a stereotypical cliché, but suits the film and poster. The black background is used to be subtle in contrast to the heart, pinks and blues. Black represents sophistication and power, which is demonstrated in the film. By looking at the facial expressions on the characters faces, we can tell they’re happy and or in love, however, a small minority of the characters look sad, in shock or discrete. This tells us that there will be a twist or confusion in the film.

One Missed Call

The image on the centre of the poster is very disturbing, which tells us that the film is a horror. The spot light effect creates a dark/eerie feeling for the audience. It can also show importance to the character. The face of the character displays screaming mouths for eyes. They appear to look like glistening eyes, which would give an innocent feel, however, by having screaming mouths, it makes you double take and realise in fact a horrific character. The way the image seems to be immerging from darkness adds to the horror genre and gives you a sense of loneliness and shock. The black on the background represents sadness, death, unhappiness and evil. The use of the phone on the poster suggests that the character featuring on the poster is killing the people on the other line. The line “what will it sound like when you die?” connects to the audience. The use of the work ‘you’ draws the audience in and shows interaction. It also makes you put yourself in the situation.   

Friends With Benefits

Both characters that appear on the film poster are displaying fairly sexual suggestive hand gestures. The female characters hand signal is known as “okay” which suggests that the idea of friends ‘with benefits’ is an okay idea.The subtle blue on the background and letters represents trust and confidence. Both characters have the confidence and trust to have built a complicated relationship and make it work for them.

The loose tie on the male character represents a comfortable and casual personality; it can reflect their relationship.The male character has a cheeky look on his face, which is quite flirtatious and seductive. He is also smiling which shows how he is fun and maybe isn't looking for a serious relationship. The female character is also smiling showing her fun side and playful attitude. 

The Dark Knight

The colours which are shown on this film poster are used to create a cold feeling to add to scary factor of the film. The blues and whites work well together to make a spin chilling result. Blue represents depression and sadness, which may be how ‘The Joker’ may felt or currently feeling now, which would explain his need to kill and terrorise. The use of the white spot light effect is used to show the characters importance and status. The dark eyes bare symbolize his empty and dark personality. By blurring the face of the character, it creates a mysterious persona of his part in the film.  These are both very strong pieces of imagery which again adds to the scary factor. The famous saying by The Joker “Why so serious?” is written in blood, showing the audience he can and will kill. The blood is associated with death, and the use of the red represents intense emotions.

This poster challenges conventions of a typical film poster, for example, the title of the film is at the bottom of the poster which isn’t as eye catching as “why so serious?” This may be used to catch audience’s attention and make them look at the poster in more detail.



Friends With Benefits (2011) Trailer Analysis

The beginning of the trailer begins with an establishing shot. This long/bird’s eye view shot shows the audience where the film is set. It also opens with upbeat and cheerful non diagetic music. From just the first few seconds, we know as an audience that the film is a comedy.  After the establishing shot, text swipes in reading ‘bad relationships’. Then a cross fade shows a mid-shot of Mila Kunis standing with her current partner who is breaking up with her. Around the same time, Justin Timberlake’s girlfriend is breaking up with him. The mid-shot demonstrates a sad character, but the non diagetic music is asynchronous. If the non diagetic music was suited to the situations occurring, the trailer would not portray a comedy film, it would be more like a drama or a sad love story.

The film title appears towards the end of the film to insure that the audience will have a better chance of remembering the name of the film after watching the trailer.

The orange text represents open mindedness and also portrays an experimental personality. Both characters are being open minded about trying new things, such as having a sexual based relationship with no feelings or attachments involved. Only using orange on the first letter of each word makes a bold statement and is in contrast to the white, which represents innocence and purity. Sexually speaking, the colour orange signifies passion, aside to the colour red which also represents passion and erotica, a more powerful image of their relationship. Hence, using orange rather than red shows the fun and open mindedness of film. The Black symbolizes sophistication, sexuality and power in Western and European cultures.  

Whenever a joke or comedic comment is made in the trailer, the music comes to a sudden halt. This is a trait commonly used in comedy trailers, to make sure the audience can hear it the dialog that is used to make the audience laugh.

This long shot of a living room shows low lighting which is a cliché setting for a romantic atmosphere. The dimmed lights create a more passionate/romantic setting suggesting there is an ambiance between the two characters. The mise en scene in this shot is also suggestive. Both characters are in their underwear which suggests their comfort with each other or it can also be a sexual gesture.  The female character is wearing a black bra which is a powerful and sexual colour, it also represents sophistication.

Later on into the trailer, we see a change in moods for the characters. This shows the audience there is a complication in the film. A long shot of a mother and her daughter is displayed showing what seems to be a deep and meaningful conversation. The daughters body language demonstrates a fed up attitude, and the mother is sitting next to her, trying to make eye contact to show she cares. Through the dialog, we can gather there is a confusion with the young woman and Justin Timberlake’s characters ‘relationship’.  The purple shirt symbolizes creativity and independence. This may suggest that she may have felt the need to prove her independence by experimenting with different types of relationships. We can see here feelings may have been involved due to not being used to being ‘creative’ in a sexual sense.

To remind and bring the audience back to the genre of the film, a quick change in shots and locations is demonstrated. An over the shoulder/long shot of the mother dressed in role play is shown to shock the audience and remind them it is a comedy film trailer.

Towards the last minute or so of the trailer, the music changes to a more gentle sound with a man singing, it has a warm and ‘lovey’ feeling to it. The change in music adds confusion to the audience, wondering if they will fall in love, loose their friendship or stay the same. The change in music is also a comparison to how the characters are feeling.