Here are 6 magazine front covers for film magazines. I have chosen ones with different styles and colours but with the entire same layout to show that you can differ from other magazines in your own individualistic way and still stick to codes and conventions. All magazines have a mast head, sell lines, puffs and main images but where these are placed are thought out carefully and yet must meet the requirements of the conventions. Three are from Total Film and three are from Empire, both of which are offering the same substance and are in competition with each other. We can see this through the use of the same movie but on two different magazines, Inception in on both of them but have two completely different styles. This shows the vastness with the designing the magazines and how two different designs can appeal to the same target audience.

The main images used on the magazine front covers are mainly dominant characters from the film, most of which are the protagonist’s. We can see that they are a male character which fits in with the target audience criteria for the magazines. A strong male lead is what the fans of the movies look for, its more plausible in an action film to have a dominant male, this however is different from horror films, as the antagonist is male and the remaining survivor is usually the final girl. The men in 5 of these cover all have a strong stance and they are showing power in both their eye contact and their costumes. Robert Downey Jr and Daniel Craig both have their shoulders forward emitting of them power and dominance. The Iron man suit that is featured in the Empire issue acts as a sort of armour for the character leaving him indestructible. The same can be seen in the James Bond Empire cover as he’s wearing the classic James bond suit, the bullet holes around his body just miss him showing that no harm could come to him either. For Total Film magazine, Iron man 2 cover, his arm is extended as though he stopping something or protecting someone, this is a male trait of protecting the weak and helpless, like a superhero, which is of course every man’s dream. Again appealing to the target audience. The colour surrounding the characters all seem to be a shade of blue/navy which is thought to be a man’s colour, again attracting the audience towards the magazine even further.

The colours that are used for the mast head and sell lines always match the colour scheme presented in the characters costumes. For Total Film’s Alice in wonderland cover the colour of the mast head is the same colour as the make up on Johnny Depp, this grabs our attention as it’s a lot of white in one place. The sell lines on this cover are also white, making every match with each other to produce the sense of continuity. The gold that is used on the Iron Man shows the legend behind his character as we can also see in the James bond front over, that the legend entitles them to the most worth colour; gold. 

The mast heads blend in well with theme of the issues we can see this especially in the Total Film issue with Inception as the main article that week. The Mast Head has been designed to look like buildings of which Leonardo De Caprio is standing in, and by watching the trailer the audience would know what this symbolises. We can see a mirror of this in Empire magazine’s cover as the depth and complexity of the film projects itself onto this cover again as well.  As it stands out among the rest of the sell lines as they seem less important that the main article.

The sell lines usually consist of other movies that feature in that issues that week. These are either upcoming movies or newly released movies or even movies that have been released on DVD. The other sell lines consist of promoting their own magazine by offering special offers on subscription to the magazine, which may entice the readership as they would want to know they are getting the latest movie new at their door every month. They also promote other ways of getting the audience’s movie fix as they offer free trips to the cinema or special merchandise to be won (freebies).

Over all these magazine front covers are very effective in attracting the audience’s attention as they are bold and cover the topic that they want to read about most. The most anticipated films of the year are always on the front covers and this always follows a theme for that magazine issue. This however may be bad as other fans may not want to read this sole topic throughout the magazine and may put them off buying that issue. However both magazines offer a wide range of genres that we can see through the sell lines. 

Trailer analysis 3

Trailer analysis 3

Scream 4

As the trailer starts we can hear the iconic ring that started it all, this ring indicates the beginning of a horror story. We are taken back to Woodsboro where the murders have happened before and one of the continuous survivors, Sydney has returned to her hometown and where she was first victimised. A new generation of teenagers live in the legend that happened there over a decade ago, these are seen to be smart enough that should a ‘killing spree’ happen to them they are well informed to be able to survive their real life horror movie. ‘What’s your favourite scary movie?’ is continuously asked throughout the trailer when said by ‘Ghostface’. We are shown all the possible victims of Ghostface through the new generation of teenagers.

The surviving character (Sydney) from the legend itself offers a guide as to how the narrative will pan out. However, Sydney having previously survived ‘Ghostface’ faces new challenges as the rules of his murders have changed. We are shown that Ghostface could be anyone and it’s always the person you least expect it to be. This trailer appeals to a new generation of horror film lovers as they see the advances technology has on the genre.  

The stabs that are constantly used in the trailer show the fast pace of the narrative and that the many characters the killer could be anyone of them. This makes the fear of the unknown even more suspenseful for the audience.  

Sound

‘What’s your favourite scary movie?’

This iconic line that is used throughout the scream film series scares those most who know the meaning behind it, as the ending of that phone call never ends in a life being saved. This question is the starting point of a new generation of victims and also a new generation of fans for the ‘Scream’ franchise.                                                                                                This is constantly repeated throughout the trailer in a mocking way. It shows that mocking an unknown force or pretending that it’s a joke will inevitably end in a brutal death of a character.  This can then be supported by the quote pulled from the trailer ‘it’s time for someone new to die’.

‘The unexpected is the new cliché, even virgins can die now’

This directly pulls the strings of the horror conventions that the first victims are the promiscuous and rebellious, however the rules have changed and anyone can die. This is a clever and effective way of challenging conventions that lie within a horror film. It creates a new type of narrative that can appeal to the new generation of horror fanatics.   

“Halloween, Texas Chainsaw, Dawn of the Dead, The Hills have Eyes, The Amittey Ville Horror, The Last House on the Left, Friday the 13^th, Nightmare on Elm Street, My Bloody Valentine, When a Stranger Calls, Prom Night, Black Christmas, it’s one of those right, RIGHT?!”

Here Kirby is desperately trying to save her life by showing her knowledge of the horror film and what entails if she gets it wrong showing that the new generation is smarter and more aware of the consequences of messing with a real life horror film. This again supports the notion that even though the characters are aware of what may happen to them they still feel that it actually won’t.

‘I’ll be right back’

 A classic quote that can be found in most horror films to show the lack of fear within the character and the innocence along with it, a common horror movie trait.

Meise on scene

For this movie the narrative occurs in a town which has previously faced Ghostface murders.

Props that are used within the movie are indicators that history is about to repeat itself. The town is littered with Ghostface marks. This could do one of two things. The first being them taking it seriously and fearing that they will die; the second being that think it is a joke and making light of the situation.

The use of technology is featured heavily in the trailer. This shows how it will play a massive part in movie and how the killer will expose his victims and may even help the victims and the protagonist expose the killer himself. In addition the use of technology shows the generation gap from previous horror films or even the first scream movie. It shows how the antagonist is smarter now as well for concealing himself from his victims and the public.

From looking at the trailer it is clear to see a generation gap in regards to the costumes the characters wear. 

We have Sidney who is the classic final girl, she’s brunette, wears sensible clothing, nothing provocative or flashy as though she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself. Then we have the younger generation who know now that being a virgin will not save you from a horror movie, there are new rules. Therefore they do not need to stick to the old ones. They were provocative clothing and still go to parties.

The iconic clothes of the antagonist; the long dark overall and the Ghostface mask make It impossible to determine who the killer is this time creating the sense of fear for both the audience and characters as to who it could possibly be, and that no one is safe and no one can be trusted. It also creates complacency for the audience. They know what story to expect just from seeing that mask.

Trailer Analysis 2

-Trailer analysis-

Friday the 13th

The trailer starts with non-diegetic sounds of the forest. These sounds indicates to the audience that peace is about to be broken. It also shows where the movie will be set (Crystal Lake). The long shot of the woods shows how immense the location is and if they were to get lost there, no one would ever find them, it also targets the audience’s fear of the unknown.

 Instead establishing the equilibrium with playful happy music a voice over is used, we hear a feeble weak whisper of a woman’s voice who is describing a boy named Jason, who should have been looked after properly. We can hear a hint of resentment in her voice as why there is we do not know yet. The flashes of scenes from the woods act as though they are pulling the audience and the characters deeper and deeper into the woods as though there is something or someone waiting for them. This is a ghostly feeling that whoever the character is they are about to meet their fate. The calmness of the woman’s voice and the subtle noises of the tress add a creepy, chilling, feeling that not all will be calm in the coming future. This soon cuts to a girl who is running through the dark woods who is sounding distressed and is crying. The camera takes us into an abandoned cabin that is filled with old toys and children’s bunk beds, proceeding to show that the narrative is about a child, a dead child as the voice over is speaking in the past tense. Here where the editing is now speeding up with more scenes of characters in distress, most of which are female, which made lead to the final girl which is an iconic feature in horror movies. In between theses shots we see the same girl running, crying and screaming through the forest, we can assume now that she is either the first victim or could even be the final girl??? of the movie. The trailer features a stabbing at the end with a girl crawling backwards away from the masked figure that is about to kill her. We then see the iconic Jason mask and this overpowering figure of which the antagonist forms from, again an iconic horror movie trait, of an almost ‘superhuman’ villain that no one can defeat. The mask of the villain hides his entire face which plays upon the basic fears of us all, the unknown.

Sound:

‘Did you know a young boy died here?’

Instantly we as an audience know that the narrative of the story will be retrospective.

‘The councillors weren’t paying attention’

The tone of blame amongst the woman’s voice can show us that this film will be about revenge in its most brutal and savage way.

‘You see he was my son and his name was Jason’

Here a link is seen as to who the antagonist might be. As we have guessed/established the narrative may be about revenge. His mother who has lost a son through carelessness may be looking for revenge or justice in a cruel sadistic matter.          

The only sound to come from the film is the voice over that is being used to narrate the trailer. There is no additional dialogue from the film, the only thing we hear from the characters are their screams and cries as they are being tormented and running through the forest.

The non-diegetic sound is different than most other horror trailers. This is because there isn’t any eerie music playing over the shots and scenes that are unfolding before us. However there is diegetic sound which comes from the scenes as we can hear the thumping of the feet from the characters running through the forest (the cracking of branches). These sounds reinforce the seclusion these characters are facing from the real world; they truly are alone in theses woods with this monster. The non-diegetic sound that can be heard over the shots is also a high pitch chime to create the feeling of high anxiety and something that pierces through you so you can understand the intensity that the characters are facing. 

Meise en scene

The still, clear ‘crystal’ like lake, is seen in the opening shot which shows peace and tranquillity that can be found here. The woods show the hidden depths that are here can show a deeper insight to the narrative of the film. Also, the immensity of the woods that is show can make the characters feel secluded and alone and unprotected.

The use of the torches throughout the trailer indicates to the audience that the ‘action’ will be mostly set in the dark. This creates the mood that the audience’s main fear of the unknown within the darkness will be met.

The old cabin we can see as it acts as a teleport which shows the amount of time it’s been since someone has been residing there. Old toys and dolls have been left behind by children who once stayed there. The broken toys can show us the loss of innocence that once occurred here at this camp due to a tragedy that must have unfolded years ago.

The sign ‘Camp Crystal Lake’ is shown so we, as an audience are immediately aware of the setting. The name ‘Crystal Lake’ is ironic in more ways than one. First of all the word crystal meaning clear and see through can be seen as though we know the fate of these characters. Also crystal lake could be seen as a sign of purity and again innocence which we know has been lost here due to the death of a young boy. Thus leading to dramatic irony; the audience are aware what is going to happen.

The costumes of the victims seem very feeble and weak. The shorts and vest tops warn by the girls gives them no protection, and thus gives them the stereotype of ditsy blonde who always dies first.  The costume of who appears to be the final girl seems more sensible as she sports a hoodie and a pair of jeans, the more down to earth intelligent one than the other characters. The costume of the antagonist is dark and heavy clothing keeping his identity very well hidden along with his hockey mask. This daunting image that he leaves in the heads of his victims makes him even more sinister, as they have no idea who it is and why he is killing everyone.

The weapon used by the antagonist is a long blade which gives him even more power over his victims, as opposed to just his physical appearance; it leaves no room for escapism leaving the victims powerless and doomed.  

magazine analysis

‘Total Film’ magazine covers all genres of film, not just horrors. It is difficult to find a magazine front cover with a horror film as the main feature as it is a select genre of film.

The mast head is bold and white, although the magazine is called ‘Total Film’, the main lettering seen is the word ‘Film’. This takes up the space for the mast head, however we can see the word ‘Total’ in the top corner of the letter F.  Although unconventional, this acts as a nickname of the magazine which is known as ‘Film’. We can see this in other magazines such as the shortened version of ‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine is known as ‘Cosmo’. This can be done by having a solid readership and having the popularity to do so. The way in which it singles out the word ‘film’ also shows the reader what genre magazine they are buying. It is straight to the point and snappy allowing a customer to find this magazine quickly amongst a shelf of other film orientated magazines. The colour attracts the readership’s attention, with the bright white upon a murky light blue background.  This differs itself from other magazine covers as most mast heads are red or they co-inside with the theme of the movie that is on the cover for that issue.

The main image is of the character Sherlock Holmes.  It is not a still from the movie but the colour of the frame, the pose of the actor and the costume he is wearing indicates he is in character and promoting the film. The image takes up most of the frame; the colour that surrounds most of the frame is a light midnight blue which correlates well with the iconography of the Sherlock Holmes’ brand as seen in the trailer and posters. The costume used shows the time era well of which Sherlock homes was in. He is wearing a blue waist coast with a dark grey coat with high waisted pleated trousers. The blues and greys that are used in the costume blend in well with the lighting and the colour surrounding the frame, making it an effective way to promote the film. The pose the character is assuming, demonstrates his authority and cool demeanour. His side smirk shows the readership that he knows something they do not, luring them into reading the article about the film to gain insight into the movie. Also Sherlock Holmes is a character that everyone can recognise, this would therefore create an interest amongst the readership. Now the problem arises here with the aspect that my character is a new and unheard of, therefore, I must make my character more appealing as the antagonist. This may be achieved by making him look as scary as possible, a new but yet intriguing face of horror.

The sell lines attract attention as they are in capital letters and have exclamation marks after them, as though they are shouting towards the readership for their attention. The colours that are used for the sell lines link in with the rest of the frame and they stand out against the background. There is not an enormous amount of sell lines but the ones they have used are full of detail as to what the article is about.

There is no banner above the mast head, but there is a form of sell line; images are used to create a promotion for the sell line. ‘10 coolest movies being made right now’ these would be used as they would be the most talked about movies of that season.  Iron man which ironically Robert Downey Jr also stars in. This may attract the audience in further as they may like him as an actor/person, however this is a risky sell line as others may not like him at all and avoid buying the magazine due to this. I will therefore avoid using two sell lines with the same actor twice; therefore showing I can offer a wider variety of movies in my magazine.

The words ‘World exclusive’ help attract the readerships attention as they would want to read the only magazine with the information about an upcoming movie they want to see and know about. The quote that is pulled from the movie gives a slight insight to the film and may entice the reader to read further on. 

The wording and phrase of the sell lines ‘Cracking the case’ reinforces the style of the film of an action mystery and uses a clever play on words to lure the readers into reading the article. Also some of the readership, being Sherlock Holmes fans will notice that this is a title of another Sherlock Holmes book.    

My Original Narrative

The narrative for my trailer will commence with a shot of a new mother and father and their new baby boy (Patrick). It will then flash forward to when the child is two and is seen to frequently have psychotic rages and is extremely violent. The parents are unable to cope with him and give the child away for adoption/ mental institution.

We then see the boy 15 years later and his behaviour and his obsession with his old family are becoming increasingly worse. When he is in his 20’s and can legally set himself free. He appears to be ‘normal’ again convincing the doctors that he is stable enough to live his own life. This is in fact untrue.

 He discovers the house where he used to live only to find that he has been replaced. Patrick then has an ‘episode’ and plans to kill his replacement in order to come home. Ryan the ‘new brother’ feels as though someone is watching him and following him and he seems to be becoming more and more paranoid. His girlfriend Lydia is becoming increasingly worried for his safety however unknown to her, she is Patrick’s next target.

The development- My main victim Ryan will experience alot more paranoia and disturbance in his life. The killer will be playing mind tricks with Ryan and making him believe things are happening when they are not. The audience will be made to believe that Ryan is lying or seeing things by having the other characters not believe him and dismiss his ‘cries’.

The Problem-

Patrick’s face keeps appearing everywhere, in crowded corridors, in parks, at school and whilst driving, thus leading Ryan’s paranoia to increase. There is an incident that happens that makes his girlfriend Lydia say she has had enough. The incident happens when they are driving. They are arguing in the car because Ryan is adamant that someone is constantly following him Lydia screams at Ryan to stop as someone is standing in the road. Ryan swerves the car of the road and swears blind that it was the same face he keeps seeing everywhere. Lydia having enough, moves her belongings into the spare room needing space from Ryan.

-The discovery-Whilst Lydia is sorting out boxes in the spare room she comes across a locked case, guessing the password she gains entry into the box. She discovers old medical records and photos of another baby. She looks at the photo and discovers that it looks like the face Ryan described. After reading the report she hears footsteps behind her, thinking its Ryan she stays on the floor and looks up. To her surprise it is the man from the photos ‘Patrick’. There is a struggle and Lydia’s bracelet falls of her hand, Patrick overpowers her and strangles her.

.-The Climax-Ryan then comes home and looks for Lydia.He starts to read the paperwork, as he reads the tension is building, the phone rings breaking the silence. It is Ryan’s dad, just as Ryan says everything is ok, but has found something peculiar the phone goes dead.

-The Final Scene-Patrick is standing behind Ryan as he has emerged from the closet that resides in the spare room, there is a struggle between them,but Ryan manages to break away. He runs down the stairs and finds that every door has been locked, and the keys are missing. He then runs to the kitchen for a weapon to find that all the knives and sharp objects have been removed all but one thing, a spade by the back door...

Further Development of My Narrative For Film

-Further development of my narrative- -

 

The Problem-Patrick’s face keeps popping up everywhere, in crowded corridors, in parks, at school and whilst driving, this is leading Ryan to start being more paranoid by the minute. There is an incident that happens that makes his girlfriend Lydia say she’s had enough. The incident happens when they are driving, they are arguing in the car about Ryan constantly going on about someone following him and how he’s not making it up or exaggerating. Lydia screams at Ryan to stop as someone is standing in the road. Ryan’s swerves the car of the road and swears blind that it was the same face he keeps seeing everywhere. Lydia having enough moves her stuff into the spare room needing space from Ryan.-The discovery-Whilst Lydia is sorting out boxes in the spare room she comes across a locked case, guessing the password she gains entry into the box. She discovers old medical records and photos of another baby. She looks at the photo to discover it looks like the face Ryan described. After reading the report she hears footsteps behind her, thinking its Ryan she stays on the floor and looks up. To her surprise it’s the man from the photos ‘Patrick’. There is a struggle and Lydia’s bracelet’s falls of her hand, Patrick overpowers her and strangles her.-The Climax-Ryan then comes home and looks for Lydia amongst the paperwork. As Ryan starts to read the paperwork, he reads the notes out loud and as the tension is building the phone rings breaking the silence. Its Ryan’s dad, just as Ryan says everything is ok but he found something the phone goes dead.-The Final Scene-Patrick is standing behind Ryan as he has emerged from the closet that resides in the spare room, there is a struggle between them, and Ryan manages to break away. He runs down stairs and finds that every door has been locked, and the keys are missing. He then runs to the kitchen for a weapon to find that all the knives and sharp objects have been removed all but one thing, a spade by the back door...

 

Exploration of Makeup, Location & Props

-Exploration-

By exploring the ideas for meise en scene I would research into props, costume, make up and location. The location for my filming will take place as though it is following a normal young adult’s life; his house, his school ,his and his girlfriends’ room, walking home through the park and driving to and from places. I have chosen these set locations already. The park scenes will take place in two parks; one has a maze within it, this can create an amazing effect of paranoia with the correct camera angles. 

This would be the type of park the Ryan will walk through
to go home, here is where he will experience his first set of
paranoia attacks.

This would be the type of park the Ryan will walk through to go home, here is where he will experience his first set of paranoia attacks. 

By using this, I can create a character with high anxiety and paranoia which will emit to the audience a change in the dynamic of an equribulm to the problem. The other park that I have chosen is an open park but is surrounded by forests and fog (at the right time). This would create a good effect of suspicion as the fog can be used to mask the person who is tormenting my main victim ‘Ryan’. The exterior of the will fall in line with horror conventions as the house will be detached and isolated from the rest of the town thus creating a sense of loneliness which the victim feels when he is being tormented . The exterior is dark and is covered with tress, this again creates a sense of darkness within the victim’s life, that there is a secret or a story to be told or that there is an explanation as to why this is happening to ‘Ryan’.

'Ryans' house

 By using this house I will be able to create good and effective camera angles, such as a tilt upwards towards the house to show that it is isolated and the immensity of the darkness within the story of ‘Ryan’. The school location (as Ryan is a trainee teacher) can be used to show the normality of Ryan’s life and how soon this changes when his paranoia and anxiety is present when he is in school. This is done by showing that even though he is surrounded by lots of people he still feels isolated and nervous about who is watching him. The school can create good shots as I could use my main victim looking into a crowded hallway full of students and then he sees the face that is always following him (see narrative)..


A long corridor can cause an uneasy sense, and can
play tricks on the mind. Here Ryan will see 'Patricks' face
suggesting he isn't safe anywhere

A long corridor can cause an uneasy sense, and can play tricks on the mind. Here Ryan will see 'Patrick’s' face suggesting he is not safe anywhere. The long corridors can be used to create a shift in the mind set of ‘Ryan’ a zoomed in shot at an angle to show again his paranoia. 

Here shows a crowded corridor

         



Here is an Example of the shot I
would like to get in the car, woth Ryan
and Lydia shouting at each other, this
is the excat angle I want to get.

The car is going to be used to show an argument that happens between ‘Ryan’ and his girlfriend ‘Lydia’. The car will show ‘Ryan’ driving whilst shouting at his girlfriend.  The shots that I will use will show that the car is moving, and that they will swerve of the road. This will show that ‘Ryan’ is not safe anywhere.   The bedroom will be a double room big enough to show their existing lives, photos and clothes etc...  The room will be light, to show that this was their sanctuary as such and that this is actually where ‘Lydia’ is murdered. This shows the contrast as to what was then and what has happened now.  By setting up a room in this way, it shows how much damage and destruction Patrick will cause when he returns.

The light bedroom shows how easy and nice their life
was beforehand. The simple decoration shows how young they are
making it more realistic

The props which will be used for the main clues and indicators of the narrative and the horror conventions will be: a weapon, ‘Lydia’s’ bracelet, medical records and photos. The weapon will not be used mainly for the antagonist as he is not a serial killer yet; he has not got a distinctive weapon that we as an audience can be aware or scared of. The weapon is used by ‘Ryan’ in the last scene of the film. The weapon is a spade which is placed by the back door, which is seen in the final fight scene between the victim and the antagonist. It decides the fate of the victim. Lydia’s bracelet is first seen at the start of the trailer/ film. It was given to her by ‘Ryan’ as an anniversary present to show how happy the couple were and how the dramatic irony is that we as the audience know that this is going to change very quickly. The bracelet is then found again in their bedroom where Lydia has just been murdered. ‘Ryan’ picks it up and realises something is wrong. 



Here we can see that the victim is wearing basic clothing,
nothing that would grab attention,
 but still stylish.

My main victim ‘Ryan’ will wear dark jeans with dull coloured tops to show how normal he is, he is not trying to draw attention to himself and he is not trying to stand out from the crowd. He is stylish, wearing leather jackets with plimsole shoes.



Here shows the perfect example
of how the antagonist will look in
his black hoodie, shawowing his face to make it
even more mysterious

The antagonist ‘Patrick’ will wear all black to show how dark his character is, and how he wants to blend in with the darkness as which we all know scares us the most, is the unknown within the darkness. He will have a hood to hide is face apart from his mouth which will reveal his evil smile.






Bruising that will occour in the struggle
between Ryan and Partick

Make up to be used will be minimal, the only form of horrific make up such as blood or scars or cuts will be used in the final scenes. Cuts will come from the fight scene between ‘Patrick’ and ‘Ryan’. Other make up used will be on ‘Lydia’ just as because she is a girl and it is part of her daily routine.





Trailer Analysis

-Trailer analysis-

The trailer for Rob Zombies remake of the classic horror film ‘Halloween’ which is effective in creating an effective and powerful example of a trailer promoting a psychological/slasher film . It was released in 2007 and followed by a sequel two years later.

Instantly the trailer draws in the audience’s attention. To open there is a news report being heard through the use of a non-diegetic voiceover, telling the audience of three murders that have just occurred. The audience recognise the voice as being that of a news reporter and so it adds a touch of authenticity to the announcement. Mise-en-scene elements also indicate that a crime has taken place; we see police tape and uniformed officers, as well as the kind of chaos and hustle and bustle that would be present at this kind of scene. In addition to this, there is a ten-year old boy being held in custody; this will shock and intrigue the audience, as it goes against all things natural for a child to be involved in a murder. Whilst the non-diegetic voiceover is talking, the audience sees a woman screaming and crying at medium shot range, being pulled away from the scene, suggesting that the victim was a loved one and making the crime seem crueller.  The victim was someone’s mother or boyfriend or son, etc. The audience then sees the transition of the ten-year old boy with a mask on, fifteen years later with the same mask and the audience can guess that the boy is the masked psychopath in the next shot. Here, the audience are told that its fifteen years later due to dialogue uttered by Michael Myers’ psychiatrist, saying he has not spoken in 15 years, suggesting that the problem is still there. Our arrival to real time is made more definite by a ‘break’ in the shots of the past and the shots of the present, achieved by a fade to black and a strap with a presentation of the film company that makes the film.

As we see, the shots that are used show the immensity of Myers’ character and just how powerful he is. We see Myers being led down a corridor by several guards, the low angle shot that is used makes him look more intimidating. The shots that follow this reveal his body size to us, to make him seem more dangerous scary and mysterious. Through Myers attempt to escape, the editing speeds up as the action takes place. The editing used are cuts that are spaced very close together, this shows how quickly and easy it was for Myers to escape. The officers have weapons, guns and police batons. He is also in chains thus again showing Myers’ character and body to be extremely powerful and being able to escape so easily as he is more of a threat to his victims. An extreme long shot shows him lumbering out of the institution that has kept him imprisoned, this can also show the immensity of the narrative a pre-warning. He walks with a Quasimodo-like gait, which makes him seem deformed and monstrous, but again indicates his strength. Though injured/disabled, he still won the fight.

The audience soon see Michael Myers killing and tormenting more victims. Here, we are presented with key horror iconography, such as knives and blood, which will help to attract an audience of slasher fans. The audience hears the diegetic sound of a male character telling his children to be careful as ‘nutcases’ come out on Halloween. This declaration is followed by a medium close-up of Myers, emerging slowly from the bottom of the frame, as if rising from the grave. The effect is monstrous, of course, and the order of the edits suggests that he is one of the ‘nutcases’ referred to. This is followed by a close-up of Myers’ face, allowing the audience to see the mask he wears, which looks cracked, distorted, scarred and tainted, just like his mind. We see his eyes within the mask and they look red and dangerous to suggest that the face beneath the mask is just as monstrous. The next shot presents a child also wearing a Halloween mask, also at close up range. A 180 degree reverse shot is used, nevertheless, so that child is presented on the opposite side of the frame, to highlight how different he is to Myers. Though he has a ‘mask’ painted on to his face, it is a childish display of Halloween fun; he is innocent, while Myers is evil. The child is asking about a childhood ghost story and a teenage girl is mocking him for it. This is a common indication that she will be a victim for scoffing at a childlike fear, a sign which the audience will recognise and that will keep them watching. The audience soon find out who the Final Girl is, Michael Myers’ younger sister; this is due to the fact that she is on screen more than any other character and is dressed more conservatively.

Sound: All sound was used to help explain the narrative; eerie loud music, dialogue from the film and a voice over (non –diegetic)

“You haven’t said a word in 15 years” –cuts-

“Listen be careful tonight, a lot of nut cases come out on Halloween” –cuts- this is dramatic irony as we know as an audience that this is literally the case and that children are to be weary at this type of setting and time of night.

“Is the boggy man real?”-

“Why are you so obsessed with the boggy man Tommy?”-

“Halloween night the boggy man attacks kids who don’t believe in him”

“Oh no Tommy! The boggy man is gonna get me!” –Cuts-

“I’ma cut that mask right off your face” –cuts-

“He’s come back for his baby sister”

“To do what?” –Cuts-

“MICAEL STOP!” –Cuts- 

 The basic narrative is explained through the dialogue between the characters. Although the dialogue is separated quite frequently by other elements such as music, non- diegetic sound and straps. The dialogue shown does explain the narrative, but not in detail, which makes the film look like it is filled with reckless killings, until the last thirty seconds we learn the reason why the killer is back. The audience see the potential main victim due to the length of dialogue used on one character; the snarky teenage girl, who could possibly be Michael’s little sister.

The non- diegetic sounds are; music that is fast paced and loud, the voice over from the news reporter and Michael’s psychiatrist. The music is immediately fast paced and loud which suggest that there was not an equilibrium to begin with which is normally a convention of horror trailers. At times we can see the screams of the victims but this is masked by the non-diegetic sound.

The trailer starts out with sound effects from the emergency services, police cars and ambulances are present already showing the audience that tragedy has struck already.  Police radios are being used and there is no dialogue used. Diegetic sounds such as the rattling of Michael’s shackles, are used to create dram and emphasis that things are about to come ‘undone’. A gunshot is fired but Michael is unharmed and reinforces the fact that every killer in a horror film is known as ‘super humans’. The diegetic sound of glass breaking is an effective way to make the audience jump; it is unexpected and makes both the characters and the audience jump. This shows how effective and powerful diegetic sound can be in both trailers and the film. From 0.29 seconds to 40 seconds  it is mainly diegetic sound , then as the editing speeds up, the non -diegetic music is louder and creates the sense that the ‘beat’ to the trailer is of someone’s heart beat just getting faster and faster. This is something that the audience will experience when watching a horror film (if it is effective that is).

Mise en scene:

Here we can see the antagonist ‘Michael’, with a ‘home made’ mask which is a classic horror convention.  The killer / tormentor always has a sense of mystery and unknown identity to leave both the characters and the audience in suspense as to what the killer looks like and who he is. His hair is covering his face again showing the fact that he does not want anyone to see what he looks like; he wants to keep his identity hidden.  

 Here again we see Michael has changed his makes to a more define one.Iit has changed to a more distinctive face that if a victim sees it then it is more memorable, it shows that the killer is evolving and wants his ‘face’ to be memorable’.

We can see that the killer is wearing overalls. This again reinforces the fact that he wants to remain unknown and not stand out; the colours are dark which would help keep him masked when he scares the characters in their own homes.

The use of editing changes throughout the trailer. At the beginning where a news report is being read out and the newspaper clippings are shown there are transitioned by fade ins and fade outs. After this, there is mostly a series of straight cuts from one clip to the next. As we near the end of the trailer the cuts are faster and the clips consisting of more tormenting and terrifying the victims. The straps are incorporated within, this help break up the clips of action that are shown. The straps conclude the narrative and help define just what may happen within the film. They also provide information about release dates and who has made the film (institution information).  The straps also include the slogan for the film.      

Here we a long shot of Myer’s standing outside of an isolated big house which is surrounded by trees to disguise it. This is a classic horror convention as we,  as an audience can see that here is where most of the action will take place. An isolated location is great as it makes the victims feel alone and threatened with no one to help them. The light that is shining upon Myers is ironic as though he is a ‘hero’ as the light shines on him, but this should warn the audience that this is just the opposite.

Myers’ position upon the balcony shows the audience his dominances and his power as the low angle shot makes his appear taller and bigger then he is, giving off the feeling that he can overpower anyone that stands before him. The way he is looking down is though he is watching someone, making himself the character feel more powerful over his victims. The moonlight which shines upon the house still shows that all the action will take place in the darkness revealing the audiences worst fear of the unknown in the dark.

The low angle shot here shows the position of Myers’ victims and the defencelessness of which she feels, she is cowering in the corner protecting her with broken wood out of desperation. The posture and position of Myers shows dominance and that he will overcome her. His mad hair shows the wildness and unsettled mind set of the character. The location surrounding them is a worn broken house or warehouse, of which the victim will not be able to receive help. Again reinforcing the classic convention of an isolated location of which the antagonist can torment its victims. 

Here shows the same balcony as mention before but instead of the camera being at a low angle we can see that the camera has moved slightly up maybe informing that Myers has met his match and that there is an ending to this story. The fight shows that they are matched and that they are both falling over the balcony instead of Myers just throwing his victim of.

Here is a medium shot of Myers outline, his body seems to be huge compared to the lifeless victim in his arms. The way in which he is carrying her, makes her look like a rag doll that he has easily overcome.

The lighting throughout is very dark and the outside lighting is based mainly on moonlight due to that the action takes place mainly at night. The darkness can play upon the audiences and victims minds as our deepest fear is the dark, and to know that a serial killer is on the loose, the darkness can play a heavy part in the imagination and fears of the both the audience and the victims.

I chose to analyse this front cover of Total Film magazine because it has actually broken codes and conventions of magazine as the main image is in black and white. This is a very rare occurrence and is deeply effective in catching the audience’s attention as it is different from the rest of the film magazine covers. It is normally done on a special edition of a magazine, not just for normal editions. 

The mast head is pure white, this works well with the contrast of the background, as it also has a slick silver tint to it also. It helps make the mast head stand out even more; it also works with the whiteness of the characters eyes, which are pierce and calculating as though he’s staring straight at you. It’s placed above the image which covers the top half of the characters head which draws our attention straight to his eyes and the shadowing of his face.

The sell line that reads ‘Star Trek the Boldest and Coolest Film Of 2009’ ironically describes its self as being ‘boldest’ which suits perfectly to appearance. It strikes the audience and grabs our attention through the use of the colour and the title of the film. The use of red which has been incorporated into the front cover is also a bold, bright, attention grabbing and adds an element of danger to the cover. Also as there is a curse word in one of the sell lines again adding a sense of rebellion and difference between this magazine and others.

The sell lines cover a variety of genres form sci-fi to horror. This shows the magazine’s diversification and that it can cover a range of genres that can appeal to all types of movie fans, not just those of action films.

‘The puff’ used is to lure the readership into buying more of the same issues, just with different covers, this may attract sci-fi fans as they would be interested in collecting the different covers for memorabilia.

The main image is in a defiant black and white contrast. The shine of his face and the background gives us that sci-fi feeling of a futuristic appearance. The smirk of Captain Kirk shows that he knows something we don’t, which would make the readership more inclined to read on, just to see if they can find put even more information about the upcoming film.  The shadowing underneath his eyes may indicate that there is a dark side to his character, this would intrigue the readership as Captain Kirk is mean to be the antagonist and should not have an evil traits.

‘Empire Magazine’ is a film magazine that covers all genres of film, with a target audience of men who are film enthusiasts. They who would read the entire magazine from cover to cover; ensuring they get all the inside information on upcoming films that they will go to see in the cinema. It is competition with another film magazine, ‘Total Film’ which has the same target audience and covers the same genres.

The mast head is a striking bold colour of red, which instantly attracts its audience in. It doesn’t cover the top third of the magazine cover but its slick font with the plain grey background still stand out and catches our attention. The red can also be associated with danger which fits in well with the main image and the main film that features with that week’s issue, as the James Bond films are all about assassination and danger.

The mission statement for the magazine ‘Nobody Does It Better’ is in fact a bold statement to the readership and its competitors that they are the best film magazine and they have the best articles and the best movies in their magazine. Also it can again reflect the character featured on the front cover as no one can beat James Bond at what he’s does; he’s the best at serving his country and catching and defeating his enemies.   

The main image is of Daniel Craig as James Bond in his iconic slick black suit that he ways throughout the film series, asking for martinis ‘shaken not stirred’.  He’s looking straight into the camera, with a dominant, strong defiant look on him that shows he’s back and better than before. The gun shots that are around him create a striking effect, it shows no bullets can bring him down. It could also show that the new film will be shattering to him as a character and to the fans that love the film series. Only one prop was used in this shot, which was a black gun. Even if it was James Bond just by himself it would have still been effective but with the added prop it reinforces his power that he has over everyone around him. His stance shows that he is bracing himself for what is coming for him, as though it’s going to be his toughest fight yet, revealing a bit or the narrative for the audience.

The smaller images are linked to the James Bond film series as they are the bonds that came before Daniel Craig, from the original Sean Connery to the second latest Peirce Brosman. They are in circle frames with gold lining showing the legendary and greatness that lies within all of them and their contribution to the film series.

On either side of the main image are stills from other movies. These help promote them as their individual genres differ from the James Bond genre. The Avengers was a highly anticipated sci-fi/action movie and had a lot of coverage. Also A different genre completely to other images, The Campaign a comedy film starring Will Ferrell. This promotes the magazine as a whole as it shows off the other genres that the magazine covers.

The sell lines

‘Bond Back in Business’ this blends in well with the image and the effects upon the cover as it shows the return of a bigger better more empowering Bond. The use of alliteration stands out and would stick in the readerships head as it’s catchy.

The sell lines aren’t eye catching and do not use clever play on words they are simply the names of new upcoming movies that have been edited. They mainly sell the movies that are featured within the magazine and do not sell individuality of the magazine itself. Only one sell line includes something that has originality which is ‘our greatest awards ever’. This could be a good thing as it focuses mainly on movies and reviews which the soul function of this type of magazine is. The colours that are used match the colours used for the bond images, the colours all coincide with each other. However to make the colour scheme more effective I would make ‘Empire’  gold also to signify a legend being reborn.                     

  

Directors cut from Nicolle04

Film poster over view

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These six posters have been created to promote films within the psychological horror sun-genre.i will be able to see what they all have in common, what makes them all powerful and successful and which elements should definately be included in my own work.

Each poster contains the obvious codes and conventions such as a slogan, a main image that takes up most of the frame, a dominant title, institution Information, and a release date. All conventions play a role in the iconography and imagery of the horror genre. They are all effective in portraying their sub- genre to their target audience. With these six posters five of them show repeated patterns surrounding the antagonist presenting as the main image that takes up the frame. Each antagonist shows to be blurred of some sort or the shot takes is a long shot and we can’t see the face properly, giving the sense of mystery and anonymity. It can be used to entice the audience and leave them guessing and wondering as to who they are and what they look like. We can see that in three of the posters the antagonist holding a form of weapon, whether it is to torment of kill their victims. The ‘Blair Witch Project’ poster shows a symbol which is used to create torment and pain of its victims in the film, showing that a weapon doesn’t have to be the soul symbolic link towards the psychological horror sub-genre as they are mainly seen within the slasher sub genre of horror. It also follows the conventions of a horror poster by using a female victim being tormented by something or someone. However this doesn’t follow conventions of the horror sub- genre; Psychological as in these posters the killer/antagonist is the main image on the frame rather than the victim. In ‘The Amityville Horror’ poster we see the outline of what appears to be the antagonist (as he has a weapon in his hand) standing in front of a big isolated house, which reinforces the horror conventions of having a large isolated house as the main locating of where the action takes place. As psychological horrors are known for surrounding the life of the antagonist and why he or she are killing or tormenting people, this is why they are the main image.

In five of the posters the predominant colour that features around the frame is black. This shows the darkness within the movie, also one of the most iconic scares during any horror film is where something or someone jumps out at the victims to scare both them and the audience. This plays upon everyone’s deepest fear of the unknown and what is lurking in the shadows.as seen in ‘The Blair Witch Project’ the woods outline is surrounded by darkness, leaving the unknown to play with the audiences’ and victims minds. In the ‘Uninvited’ poster the colour that surrounds the frame is grey to create a ‘cold’ effect, this is different to the rest of the posters, however the face of what seems to be the antagonist is covered by a dark black shadow.

The images that are used are designed to create a tension between the audience and the narrative. As the audience do not know who the killer is, the posters make the images ambiguous and distorted. But we can see a form of weapon or symbol that will be used to kill/torture the victims, as seen in the poster ‘Dead Silence’ the dummy appears to be wearing a demonic, evil smile, which suggests that it would be used to lure its victims into a false sense of security and then something will happen to them. The images of the horror genre altrogher mainly feature female protagonist's as they are more believeable in the sense that a woman is accepted for being less brave and more emotional than a man, therfore the create better victims for the fans to route for. With reference to the use of females in poters they are seen as the vitims, with  them screaming or looking as though they are being tourmented by something or someone. The antagonist, is mainly male, in which men are seen as stronger beings then women therefore can over power most people. We mainly see male antagonist in posters but we rarely see their faces , just the outline of their bodies, this creates a sense of fear within the audiece as we cannot see what their faces look like, and of course as we know the unkown is far more scarier then the familar. 
The images can also show the narrative of the film, such as 'Orphan', we can tell that there is a secret surrounding the girl featured on the poster, as she is not screaming or looking afraid , we can assume she is the antagonist and that her 'secret' will run the plot. 
 

The title of the poster is placed consistently in the same spot in every poster. It is the largest size of font on the poster and would attract the most attention. The titles are linked with the image its self, for the ‘Halloween 2’ poster the same colour is used for the title as it is used in the image, it reinforces the title and narrative as it is set on Halloween night, where a symbol of Halloween is a pumpkin. Five out of six of the posters all have titles that are written in capital letters, however on is written in lower cases lettering and in childlike handwriting. This could be a link to the narrative of the film as the main antagonist could be a child or the victim could be a child. The effects of all the lettering throughout the posters are in either white or red, the red is a symbol of blood that is a classic horror conventions and the white can be seen as innocence which would be ironic to the type of film.

Taglines that are featured within the posters are conventionally placed at the top of the poster or above the title. The tagline shows the link between the image and the title or may reveal what the narrative is. ‘Halloween 2’s tagline is ‘Evil Walks Among Us’ this shows that the victims may even know the killer, that it could be anyone and it not happening for a random reason, that the killer wants revenge or of psychologically sick. the taglines that are use also anchor the audience into the understanding