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. 

Solo Trailer Review: House at the End of the Street

Name of Film: House at the End of the Street

Year Released: 2012

Genre of Trailer: Psychological Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 8/10

What happened in the trailer?

It starts with the main character walking down a road before getting into the car of the other main character. They talk, setting the backstory of the male character and presenting the antagonist. Then we see a montage of events from the film, cultivating with the main female character being attacked and trying to escape from a house. The trailer then ends on a jump scare.  

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

-          The montage in the middle of the trailer heightens the tension and excitement of the film, reinforcing that it is a psychological horror film.

-          The creepy setting of the trailer, a house in the middle of some woods, is very effective is this trailer. It highlights the secluded feeling of loneliness as well as the feeling of being unable to escape and there being nobody around to help.

-          The jump scare at the end of the trailer helps give the trailer a lasting impression on the viewer, helping the trailer stay fresh in their minds.

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

-          The pacing of the trailer is very dragged out, making the first half of it rather slow. This can make the viewer bored and could cause them to turn off the trailer. It also provides an overload of information on the characters and the plot, which could instead have been reduced to more basic information to keep the trailer short and snappy.

-          The plot seems fairly cliché in horror terms. There is a house in the woods. The protagonist is a young woman trapped in the house trying to escape. It is a plot that has been used several times over and could therefore dissuade the audience from viewing the film itself.

Why did it receive that mark?

I gave this trailer an 8 out of 10 as I thought the pacing was good, the trailer kept the suspense and fear up throughout its entire length and the jump scare at the end was well used. 

Class Trailer Review: Cloverfield

Name of Film: Cloverfield

Year Released: 2008

Genre of Trailer: Action Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 8/10

What happened in the trailer?

Starts slowly with a party and people talking to the camera, then what appears to be an earthquake hits and the partygoers rush to the roof. Suddenly, a set of explosions go off and there is a quick montage of static-y cuts as people fall over trying to get inside the building. Then it cuts to the street and we see another explosion before the head of the Statue of Liberty crashes past. We then cut to a clip of one of the partygoers talking, before ending.

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

-          The use of handheld camera is very clever as it makes the trailer seem as if it could be real, like a found footage movie or a documentary.

-          The news report in the trailer also adds to the reality of the trailer, making the events seem more realistic and dramatic.

-          The scene at the end with the party-goer saying “It’s going to be the best night ever” adds dramatic irony to the trailer, as it is obviously filmed before the explosions and earthquake happen, so the audience know it is not going to be a good night. It also adds to the expectations of the audience, telling them the movie is going to be exciting, maybe even one of the best they’ve ever seen.

-          There is a heavy element of mystery to this trailer. We see no title or release date. Instead, we are only told who the producer is, J.J Abrams, and who it is produced by. This increases the curiosity of the viewer, making them want to learn more and thus forcing them to actively research the film.

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

-          The handheld camera could produce problems for some people watching it. Handheld camera is very shaky to watch and can cause some people to feel ill, putting them off seeing the film.

-          The CGI with the head of the Statue of Liberty is obvious fake, taking away from the realism of the trailer.

What was the trailer's average score in class? Why did it receive that mark?

The average score from the class on this trailer was 7.5 out of 10. This trailer was more exciting and interesting than the others, but a few people were put off by the handheld camera and the overall lack of scares.

Class Trailer Review: 30 Days of Night

Name of Film: 30 Days of Night

Year Released: 2007

Genre of Trailer: Action Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 5/10

What happened in the trailer?

1. Starts with a couple in a house, before a jump scare occurs of the woman being attacked and dragged out the window. It then slows down as it introduces the vampire as the antagonists of the film and the setting, before speeding up again as the vampires hunt down the people and the people talk about and attempt to fight back. It ends on a fading shot of the title with the music fading too.

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

-          The starting jump scare is an effective way to grab the viewers attention and to wake them up. Since jump scares are commonly used at the end of a trailer, the audience would not expect a jump scare to occur at the start, therefore they will be alert and attentive throughout the rest of the trailer in case there is another unexpected jump scare, meaning they will view the entire trailer.

-          The shot of the vampire in the background behind the window when the camera pans with the view of the boy was very creepy and unsettling. I think this is a very effective shot and, for me, was the scariest part of the trailer.

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

-          Overall, the trailer wasn’t very exciting. It just seemed to present the movie without highlight its exciting and interesting sections. With the exception of the opening sequence, there are no real scares in the trailer.

-          The fade to black at the end of the trailer was disappointing as it did not contain a jump-scare. While in some trailers the lack of a jump-scare is fine, in this trailer a jump-scare would have greatly enhanced the fright of the trailer.

What was the trailer's average score in class? Why did it receive that mark?

The average score in our class for this trailer was 7 out of 10. This trailer appealed to more people, especially those who are not big fans of gory-horror films. 

Class Trailer Review: Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Name of Film: Dawn of the Dead

Year Released: 2004

Genre of Trailer: Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 6/10

What happened in the trailer?

A slow start with Anna, the main character, being introduced. Then, then zombie outbreak occurs with Anna escaping to the mall. We then see a montage of clips followed by the title.

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

-          During the montage, we see the scenes freeze at the same time we hear the blaring siren/static sound. I particularly liked this as it heightened the tension in these scenes and freaked me out slightly.

-          The effect of the film reel burning out after the montage before fading to white to allow the title to appear. I thought this was a very clever way of ending the montage as it didn’t take away from the drama of the montage, and instead made it seem more horrific, as if the events in the montage were so scary the film instead burnt up out of fear, or if someone burnt it to hide what happened in the montage to keep others from being scared.

-          The news report over the radio and on the television adds a dose of reality to the trailer, making it seem as if these events could actually happen. This scares people more as seeing horror films as something that could happen to you scare the viewer more and leave a longer lasting impression.

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

-          The lack of a jump scare at the end of the trailer meant that the trailer didn’t end on making the viewer jump. Jump scares help leave a lasting impression in the mind, while those without jump scares end up fading quickly from the mind.

-          This movie has a heavy emphasis on gore, however in the trailer there is next to no gore at all. This means that the target audience for this film would view this trailer, think there is no gore in it and avoid watching it, when in reality there is plenty of gore for them to enjoy.

What was the trailer's average score in class? Why did it receive that mark?

There average score from the class was 6.5 out of 10. This was because the trailer was good and interesting, generate curiosity about the movie, but it did not really feature any true thrills or scares for the viewer.

Link to trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LUzJAsa-gg (unable to embed video)

Evaluation: Part Four

Butchered: Evaluation Screening

Evaluation: Part 3

Evaluation: Part Two

Evaluation: Part One

Evaluation Part 1 from akeenan42

Dawn of the Dead Image Analysis 3

In this shot from the penultimate scene of DotD, Anna  is aiming a gun at the undead Steve, before shooting him. The gun is a phallic weapon, usually used to represent male power. However, because Anna is using it, it represents Steve’s lack of male power, further proved by his death and reanimation as a zombie. It also strengthens Anna’s role as the final girl, who is generally shown as more masculine than the other female characters. Her clothing is more masculine with trousers and jackets and her hair is tied back in a ponytail, which while is not short like final girls usually have it, it is more practical and masculine than long hair. This scene makes use of low key lighting to emphasize the fear in this scene, as the group are trying to escape from the zombies, and coupled with the blue filter, it also connotes sadness. Anna has to kill Steve who, while not a likeable character, was part of the group. Monica and Glen also die in this scene and later on, Michael commits suicide after revealing he has been bitten, who is Anna’s romantic interest further connoting the sadness in this scene. 

Dawn of the Dead Image Analysis 2

In this shot from the ending scene of Dawn of the Dead (2004), we have the survivors of the movie escaping on a boat out to the open sea. In this shot, we see Anna standing at the bow of the boat, the sunlight lighting her from behind, with the American flag to the right of her. This shot uses pathetic fallacy to show how Anna and the other survivors represent America and the American dream. It also links into the fears of the Middle East and how America acts as the apparent defence against terrorism. It also shows how America thinks itself better than the rest of the world as in this scene it seems as if these characters are the only survivors. However, this scene also shows the folly of the American dream and how America is not as strong and all-powerful as it thinks as, during the credits, the survivors encounter problems on the boat and reach a dock upon where they are attacked by zombies and are presumably all killed. 

Dawn of the Dead Image Analysis 1

This shot is taken from the opening scene of Dawn of the Dead (2004), during which the story of the zombie outbreak is introduced. We see a series of shots including biological tests, armies, mosques, the Middle East, reporters being attacked etc. It is implied from this scene that the zombie outbreak originated in the Middle East, an area of which, during 2004, had America and most of the world in the grips of a moral panic from terrorist attacks. The context of the time was the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers and the world was deep rooted in fear of the Middle East and of the Islam religion.

Butchered Final Cut Trailer