Magazine Analysis

Connotations:

-         The main image of this magazine cover connotes mainly two things. Firstly that the film will be set in or have something to do with an American high school; this is represented through the cheerleading outfit that Megan Fox’s character is wearing. Being a cheerleader also has connotations of the person being ‘bitchy’ or stereotyped as a ‘blonde bimbo’ character type. The second connotation is that the film itself may involve sex. This is shown again by the costume; the short skirt and low cut top.

Denotations:

-         The character is standing in an unconventional pose for someone who is to be portrayed as the villain. She is wearing a high school cheerleading outfit and has blood on one hand. Surrounding the main image are taglines focussing on a wide range of movies form different genres. A montage of images has been used at the top of the cover, depicting three different films. The main image has been edited so that it is ‘in front’ of the masthead, implying importance.

Non-verbal communication:

-         The main source of this is Fox’s body language and the way she is positioned. Her facial expressions are neutral, not giving anything away to the audience and therefore creating a sense of enigma. The pose in which she is standing could be considered as ‘seductive’ as her hands are against the wall, and one leg is up. The fact that the audience can see a large proportion of her skin also adds to the ‘sex appeal’.

Typeface and text:

-         The typeface, like Entertainment magazine, is neutral. This allows the magazine to cater to a large audience as they can feature any genre of film they intend to. Also, the size of the masthead makes it standout even though it is in the background. Red, white, blue and black are the predominantly used colours. Red white and blue have connotations of the American flag, sticking in theme with the American high school

Visual techniques:

-         The main visual technique used would be that of the arrow pointing to Megan Fox. It has almost been used as a highlighting tool to direct the audience to her. It is also in the left third which is where the audience’s eyes will look first and then they will literally be directed to Megan Fox.

Audience:

-         The audience is being addressed through the representation of Megan Fox’s character. The costume and showing of skin would appeal to a male audience. At the same time, fans of Megan Fox will be interested. The use of blood on the character’s hand shows the audience that the film is from the horror genre – blood being a convention in this genre. Therefore the audience will be able to recognise what kind of film it will be.  

Conventions:

-         The conventions of the magazine are the masthead being at the top, multiple taglines outlining what’s going to be in the magazine, a barcode, issue date and number, website. The convention of the image for the horror genre is the use of blood. Besides that, the rest of the mise en scene is unconventional. Where dark colours are usually used, here bright colours have been, creating enigma. The format of the cover follows a ‘T’ shape.

 Enigma:

-         Enigma has been created through the mise en scene. The audience would usually expect dark colours and costume/make-up to create a sense of abnormality. However, the cheerleader costume is so normal that it makes the audience wonder why or what has happened for this character to have blood on their hands. It isn’t clear if this character is the antagonist or protagonist which creates ambiguity. Despite this, when thinking about connotations, usually the person with ‘blood on their hands’ is the antagonist.

Use of thirds:

-         In the left third, the arrow points to Megan Fox. This has been done to avert the audience’s attention, most likely a male audience, to Megan Fox’s body. Fox has been positioned directly in the middle, not only does this look pleasant to the eye but also gives the cover an area of focus.

Target Audience:

-         The target audience for this would be fans of Megan Fox and due to the representation of her character, males. Also, with the films that have been used in the photo montage and in the taglines, the target audience could be fans of films in the sci-fi/fantasy/action genres.

   

Connotation:

-          The connotations of this magazine cover mainly revolve around the main image. Johnny Depp’s character ‘Sweeney Todd’ has used as the main image. The mise en scene demonstrates that there is something strange or abnormal about the character. This is shown with the pale make-up, making him look ill, along with the dark eyes. His facial expressions also show that he may be angry or a ‘tortured soul’. The patch of white hair adds to the sense of abnormality. The colour of the Masthead and tag lines juxtaposes the darkness of the main image. Blue is generally thought of as a calming colour but here it has been used alongside someone who is showing that they are anything but calm. The abnormality created with the mise en scene also allows the audience to connote that Depp’s character is the villain of the film.

Denotations:

-          The cover consists of conventional magazine features. The main image is of Johnny Depp’s character ‘Sweeney Todd’. The character is breaking the diegesis of the film by staring directly at the audience – this creates a deeper connection.

Non-verbal Communication:

-          The only non-verbal communication used on this cover is that of Depp’s facial expressions. He is frowning and therefore makes his character look angry. A frown to demonstrate anger is something the audience will be able to easily recognise.

Clothing and make-up:

-          It isn’t very clear of what time period the clothes are from, which creates a sense of enigma. However, some people may know the history of Sweeney Todd and therefore recognise the clothing. Make-up has been used to  enhance the character villainous qualities.

Typeface and text

-          The typeface for the Masthead and tag lines is bold and simple. As entertainment magazine isn’t solely dedicated to one type of movie genre, the simplicity of the typeface allows them to cover all genres.

Audience:

-          The audience is being addressed through the mentioning of a wide range of actors. The magazine is reaching out to a wide variety of film-goers as each actor has acted in a certain type of film: Angelina Jolie, action; Will Smith, comedy; Daniel Craig is well known for his James Bond movies. Also, by having Johnny Depp’s name in a larger font than the film he’s appearing in, the size of the audience isn’t being limited to those who just like the horror genre but those who like Johnny Depp – which would most likely be a larger number of people.

Conventions:

-          The masthead is at the top of the cover and the biggest piece of text. This is important for the audience to know what magazine is providing them with things like ‘the inside scoop’. The issue date is conventionally the smallest piece of text on the page. The colours used are unconventional considering the type of film that is being featured on the cover. The format follows a conventional ‘C’ shape, with the collar of the character’s jacket filling out the gap.

Enigma:

-          This has been created simply by having the character’s name in a smaller sized font. The audience may not know who Johnny Depp is portraying, thus creating ambiguity and enigma and eventually drawing the audience in to find out more.

Use of thirds:

-          In the left hand third, where the eye is naturally drawn to the tagline “39 new films” has been used. It is also in a large font showing that it is one of the most important features. Johnny Depp’s eyes fall on the same level as the tagline, but in the middle and last third. The audience is firstly drawn to the large tagline, than instantly to Depp’s eyes which are looking straight at them.

Target Audience:

-          The target audience for this magazine would be fans of any of the actors featured on the cover, mainly so Johnny Depp. The magazine has cleverly used actors’ names instead of films names as to not exclude anyone. 

Connotations:

-          This magazine cover has connotations of power and mystery. This is mainly demonstrated by the mask that Batman wears, we cannot see facial expressions of the actor himself, but only the ones on the mask. Even though the colour black connotes darkness and fear, Batman is to be feared by the antagonists, which is unconventional as usually the antagonists are enigmatic. Also, the name of the film ‘The Dark Knight’ suggests that despite the ‘darkness’, Batman is a hero or knight.

Denotations:

-          A close up of Batman wearing his mask. The diegesis of the film has been broken as he is staring at the audience. His mask makes him look as though he is angry, the only parts of his face the audience can see is his eyes and lips. Surrounding the main image are taglines and the masthead.

Non-verbal communication:

-          The expression shown on the mask is the only non-verbal communication. It shows Batman to either be angry or thinking.

Clothing and make-up

-          The only clothing the audience can see is the famous Batman mask, this is extremely enigmatic as it is conventional for the antagonist to be enigmatic, but here the protagonist is.

Typeface and text:

-          The masthead is the biggest typeface on the cover. Again, it’s simple and allows the magazine to dedicate itself to all genres of film. The colour blue has been used, despite it having calming connotations it is contrasted with the black and darkness of the main image. The black and blue work well together aesthetically and also make each other stand out.

 Audience:

-          Unlike the ‘Sweeney Todd’ magazine cover, the audience isn’t directly addressed through the names of actors but instead through the name of the films itself. Audience members who are familiar with the Batman franchise will be the main group of people who the magazine addresses.

Conventions:

-          The format of the cover follows a conventional ‘C’ shape. The magazine has general conventions as well: barcode, taglines, masthead, issue date and number.

Enigma:

-          This cover creates enigma extremely well. The use of the mask is conventional for the genre of film – superheroes.

Use of thirds:

-          The main image consumes all of the thirds. The fact that the image is this big draws the audience in.

Target Audience:

-          People who are familiar with Batman.