Magazine Cover Analysis: Fangoria

This magazine cover is Fangoria’s January 2011 issue, #299, featuring Natalie Portman as its cover model. This issues main feature is the horror-thriller film ‘Black Swan’, in which Natalie Portman plays the character Nina Sayers. First released in 1979, Fangoria is a movie magazine that focuses on the horror genre. Focused in the U.S.A, it is published monthly by The Brooklyn Company Inc. and has a circulation of 46,000.

The general conventions of magazines are followed by this cover with the masthead (Fangoria), the strapline (Darren Aronofsky’s Dance of Death), the cover text and the barcode (bottom-left).

The colour scheme focuses mainly on white, red and black. White, which commonly represents innocence, is the main feature of this cover photo. This presents the idea that innocence is a main feature in the film. However, the black and red intrude violently against the white, raising the possibility that the characters innocence will be intruded upon or damaged. This is further enforced by the fact that red represents danger and that black represents death. The use of red against white is also cleverly used to grab the viewer’s attention. In a sea of magazines, the massively white cover could at first glance be considered blank. A second glance would then reveal that it is not blank. The use of red, as highly visible colour, for the masthead, which is almost always red in all of its cover history, helps grab the viewer’s attention and hold it too. It also helps allude to the type of magazine it is; being a horror magazine the red could represent blood, a common staple in horror movies.

The cover photo is of the actress Natalie Portman, dressed as her character Nina Sayers from the movie ‘Black Swan’. The main focal point(s) of this photo are the eyes of the subject. The red, a highly visible colour, layered against the black which is layered against the white makes the eyes stand out the most out of the entire cover. This piercing stare forces the viewer to stare back, paying more attention to this magazine than others it is sat next to. Also, because the eyes are faced straight forward, no matter where the cover is viewed from, they will always be staring at the viewer. 

Magazine Cover Analysis: Total Film

This magazine cover is the cover for Total Film magazine’s August 2010 issue, #170. It features Angelina Jolie as its cover model advertising the film ‘Salt’. The main feature of this issue is the ‘total access!’ of information related to the film ‘Salt’. Total Film magazine was first released in 1997 and is published every 4 weeks, totalling to 13 times a year. Owned by Future PLC, it is sold for £3.99 per issue and has a circulation of 60, 912.

 This cover follows the common conventions of magazines by having a masthead (Total Film), a strap line (The Modern Guide To Movies), a cover photo (Angelina Jolie), an issue number and date (August 2010, #170), cover text and a barcode (bottom right).

The colour scheme of this cover focuses mainly on black, white and orange. Black and white is used to covey the idea of secrecy, since the movie it is advertising features a spy as the main character. This can be learnt from the cover text, with the largest section reading “Cinema just got a new spy”. The orange is used predominantly in the background in a blurry effect, to represent something moving past at a high speed. With the model clearly visible and the rest of the photo blurry, it could be assumed that this character will be the centre of the film and the subject of the audience’s attention. It could also show that the character will show a high level of focus and concentration in the film, further enforcing the ideas that they are a spy. The rest of the cover text and ‘stickers’ are in black and white, standing out clearly against the background. The masthead, however, is almost transparent and has a broken/shattered effect applied to it. The breakage focuses around the models head, almost looking like the result of a gunshot. With the presence of the gun being held by the model, we can assume that the character will be in a firearms-fight at some point. It could also allude to the possibility of this character dying in the film, or killing another character. It may also represent their effect on the world around them and the people they encounter.

The cover photo of this magazine is of Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt in the movie Salt. The main focal point of this photo is the subjects face. Framed by her hair and clothes, her skin stands out brightly against the black and dark brown around it. This stark contrast also makes it stand out against the brightly coloured background that it may have faded into. The positioning of the model is very straight, almost making the photography symmetrical. This straight-line down her face and along her arms and gun draws the viewer’s eye-line continuously up and down the cover, almost forcing them to take in every detail. 

Magazine Cover Analysis: Empire

This magazine cover is Empire’s February 2011 cover, featuring Johnny Depp as the cover model. This issue’s main feature is the exclusive behind-the-scenes look at ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’.  Empire magazine was first released in July 1989 and is the biggest selling movie magazine in the U.K, as well as being published in several other countries internationally, including the U.S.A and Australia. Owned by Bauer Media Group after its purchase in 2008, the magazine sells for £3.99 per issue and has a circulation of 145,117.

This cover follows the general conventions of magazine covers by having a masthead (EMPIRE), a strapline (Movie’s biggest year ever!), a cover photo (Johnny Depp), a barcode (bottom right, out of the way of the photo and text) and cover text, to advertise the contents.

The colour scheme focuses on black, yellow and white. The red masthead is a commonly used staple of Empire magazine that features on almost every single one of its covers. Red is a highly visible colour which grabs the eye, therefore when a viewer looks at the cover, they will very quickly be drawn to the title. If they are already a fan of the magazine, this will allow them to easily pick it out from the hordes of other magazines. The black, yellow and white colours are also highly visible, making them easier to read against the tropical background of the photograph, while at the same time matching it.

The cover photo of the cover is of Johnny Depp as the character Captain Jack Sparrow from the movie franchise ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. The face of this photograph, specifically the eyes, are the main focal point of the cover, drawing the viewer’s gaze in, piquing their curiosity with the way the subjects own eyes stare straight out. This technique makes it seem like the subject is staring directly at the viewer, no matter where the viewer is standing. This forces the viewer to hold the gaze for as long as possible, meaning they will be staring at the magazine for longer than the other magazines and as such, will be more likely to buy it as they are already interested in it.

Poster Analysis: Prometheus

Prometheus is an American-English action, sci-fi, horror film released in 2012, focusing on a research team following clues about humanity’s creation to a mysterious planet. Once on the planet, they find strange contraptions and end up in a battle that will ultimately decide the fate of humankind.

The main focal point of this poster is the giant head in the centre and ranging to the top. It dominates the majority of the poster, meaning the viewer’s eye will automatically be drawn to it. This insinuates that this head, or whatever it represents, will play a large role in the film. After this, the viewer’s eyeline is dragged down by what appears to be torchlight, which almost forms a straight line down. Following this ‘line’, the viewer reads the tagline “The search for our beginning could lead to our end” next. After this, they continue down to the person, presumably a human, who is shining the torch up at the head. The combination of the tagline and the person holding the torch creates the assumption that this person is the one doing the searching in this film. During their search, the come across this giant head. The result of the overall search ends with the potential for the death of all humankind. It can then be drawn from this that the head either is or represents the main antagonist of the film, and that this person, presumably the protagonist, finds them during their search, setting the antagonist on their path of destruction. The aspect of the search is further reinforced by the use of mist and the torch. Torches are commonly used by people investigating things or exploring places and mist is commonly used as a device to convey mystery. The combination of these two devices insinuates that the protagonist will be searching through a mystery which will result in the finding of the antagonist.

The colour scheme for this poster features two main colours: black and white. Black is the overarching colour in this poster, taking up the most space and encompassing the head and the person in an oval. Black is commonly used to represent death, so such a large amount of black on this poster suggests there will be a large amount of death in this film. However, black also represents mystery and the unknown. The fact that a search features as the main narrative device in this poster backs up the use of black as a tool in enforcing this theme of mystery in this poster and the movie. White is commonly used to represent innocence, and the fact that the black is encroaching on the general area of the white suggests that innocence will be lost in the film, most likely through death. White also represents safety and, again, because the black is encroaching on the area of white, it can be assumed that the characters in this film will not be safe.

After analysing this poster, I would say the target audience would be females and males aged 16 – 24.

Poster Analysis: The Collector

The Collector is an American crime-thriller-horror movie released in 2009 about an ex-con who breaks into his employer’s house to rob him, only to find another, more sadistic criminal has already targeted the house for their own devices.

 The main focal point of this poster is the head of the person, specifically the gap in the back of their mask. This character is the antagonist of the film, a fact that can be coined from the fact that they are the main subject of the poster and that the title is ‘The Collector’. The tagline ‘He Always Takes One’ highlights the sinister aspect of this character and since we know it is a horror film, it is very unlikely that this character is good or positive. From the tagline and the title, we can assume that the film will involve some sort of kidnapping. This is further enforced by the antagonist wearing a mask and gloves to hide his identity and that he is facing towards a home, suggesting that a home invasion features in this film, a common aspect of kidnappings. Also in the background, we can see what appears to be people in the windows, further enforcing the idea that the antagonist will be breaking into the home forcefully. The positioning of the hands gripping the lace almost looks like the antagonist is holding piano wire, a common weapon for people sneaking into places to kill people. From this, we can gather that death will be a main feature of the film. This is further enforced by the gap in the mask, which almost looks like an open wound. The lace tying it shut could be seen as stitches, showing that there may be a medical aspect to this film, so maybe people will be hurt and then stitched back up. It may also allude to the presence of torture in this film, as in many horror movies featuring torture, medical tools are used.

The title ‘The Collector’ is in white, to stand against the black background of the antagonists clothes. White is commonly used in films to represent innocence in characters, however the title has a damaged effect applied to it, looking like it is breaking apart. This could represent that the antagonist is going to destroy the innocence of somebody in the film by killing them or someone they care for. It could also mean that the antagonist themselves has lost their innocence in one way or another and as a result, has begun to hurt and/or kill people.  Overall, the colour scheme in this poster focuses mainly on black and yellow, with small sections of white. The white is mainly being dominated by the black, again to show the destruction of innocence, the dull yellow could represent sickness or decay, aspects commonly connected with death. This could, again, allude to the presence of death in this film and the effect death has on those connected to those who are deceased. There are also two small sections of red in this poster. The first is the line “From the writers of Saw IV, V & VI”, which are highly successful horror movies, which is meant to entice fans of those movies to see this one. The second section of red is the website name, placed so those interested by the movie can seek more information. The use of red here is used to connote blood and danger. Saw IV, V and VI are very blood-filled movies and the use of red when mentioning them connects the level of bloodshed in those films to this one, suggesting that fans of those movies will find this film just as entertaining.

After this analysis, I would consider the target audience for this movie to be males, aged 18 - 24

Solo Trailer Review: Resident Evil: Retribution

Name of Film: Resident Evil: Retribution

Year Released: 2012

Genre of Trailer: Action Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 7/10

What happened in the trailer?

It starts off with what seems to be a ‘normal’ family morning until a zombies attack. The mother, the protagonist, and daughter run outside only for a computerised voice to repeatedly say “None of this is real” overhead. The mother then wakes up inside a facility run by a corporation that has been experimenting on her. Aided by another woman, the protagonist fights zombies and other human beings as she attempts to escape the facility, while the main antagonist boasts that the corporation has taken over several capital cities and that she will need ‘good luck’ to kill him. The trailer ends as the music builds up to the close and the protagonist throws a pick-axe at the screen.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          The misleading opening is a clever twist as it tricks the viewer into thinking the plot is going one way, before shooting off into another. The initial happy family start would start viewers thinking that the trailer was a romance or a comedy, then the zombie attack would make them think it was a simple horror. However, when the protagonist ‘wakes up’ the plot delves deeper into a sci-fi realm, twisting the audiences preconceptions onto their heads.

-          The pacing of the trailer is built simply and solidly. It starts off slow, speeds up for a short section, slows down again and then speeds up. This allows the audience to easily grasp the film in terms of tension and suspence.

-          The narrative is very easy to follow in the trailer; there is an enemy the protagonist needs to defeat in order to escape, she has allies and so does her enemy. There is no room for confusion.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          There are no real jump scares, either during or at the end of the trailer. Instead the horror is meant to come from the onslaught of zombies, but they do not generate any real fear in the viewer. Niether is there any real gore, which is the other branch of horror for zombie films. With a lack of both gore and jump scares, this trailer is not very scary.

Why did it receive that mark?

I gave this trailer a 7 as it was a fast-paced an easy to follow trailer with an interesting narrative. However, nothing really jumped out in this trailer, leaving an adequate but not totally satisfying result. 

Solo Trailer Review: Silent Hill Revelation 3D

Name of Film: Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

Year Released: 2012

Genre of Trailer: Psychological Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 7/10

What happened in the trailer?

A girl, the protagonist, wakes up from a dream involving deformed monsters, before heading off to start at a new school. While at school, she has more visions, ‘falling’ out of one when she bumps into a boy inside the school. She calls her father, thinking she is being watched and starts to head home. On her way home, the father is attack by an unseen person. When she arrives at her home with the boy, her father is gone and a symbol is drawn on the wall. After finding a strange disc, the area around her appears to transform and the boy and dragged away. Venturing outside, the girl finds herself in a strange town filled with monsters. We then see a montage of fast scenes featuring these monsters, the girl being attacked her father and the boy trapped and a larger monster swinging a giant sword at the camera, before the title appears.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          The pacing of the trailer is done perfectly; starting with a small jump scare but going slow, then introducing the characters and then speeding up, revealing the scary side of the events in the trailer and setting the narrative and the location.

-          Near the end of the trailer, we hear the protagonist shout “Go to hell!” before someone replies “We’re already here.” These quotes increase the horror of the trailer and help reinforce the psychological side. They show the audience that what happens in this movie is going to be so horrifying that it’s going to be like that characters are in hell. Furthermore, since these lines are near the end of the trailer and can be heard very clearly, they are likely to sit in the mind of the viewer for a while after watching and will probably repeat themselves, making the viewer thinking about the trailer continuously.

-          The repeated use of silence and the sirens increases the tension and suspense throughout the entire trailer. We see and hear repeated section of silence, like where the protagonist attempts to rescue the boy, and then have the siren play after it to highlight the drama of the situation, where the deformed nurses attack the protagonist. This pattern starts about halfway through the trailer and continues until the very end.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          The overall narrative of the trailer is slightly confusing to understand. It starts off easily, with the protagonist having nightmares and visions, then her father is kidnapped. But afterwards it becomes hard to make sense of. We see her running about in a town being chased by monsters and at a few points trying to rescue her father and the boy; however, apart from the monsters, we are not presented with a true antagonist or a main villain, with the exception of one character saying “You were chosen to destroy the demon.” While there is one figure that could be considered ‘the demon’, it is never fully confirmed, meaning that the antagonist is not truly revealed.

Why did it receive that mark?

I gave this trailer a 7 out of 10 as I believe it created a good atmosphere of tension and fear while also providing an original plot and an adequate about of scares and thrills.