A2 Media Analysis of Film Poster and Magazine Cover

1. Poster & Magazine Cover
Analysis

2. Tagline
The tagline subverts the norm of having a
short sentence directed at the audience or
about the film. Due to the unique genre of
the film, the tagine is a short paragraph
telling the audience about the found footage
of film students who disappeared. It doesn’t
conform to Todorov;s theory as there is no
state of equilibrium as it begins “’In
October…”.
The Title
The title is in serif font and the color white. It
produces a great contrast against the black
background of the image. The white has
connotations of purity and innocence which
juxtapose to what the film is about. The title tells the
audience that the genre of the film will be
supernatural as it makes a reference to ‘witches’. The
text is spaced out, indicating that it is the title as it is
the most dominant piece of text.
The Billing Block
The billing block is where the information
about the producers and others involved in
the production of the film is located. The
production company’s logo makes audience
members who watch films by this company,
more inclined to watch the film.
The Image
There is an extreme close up, low angle shot
of one of the characters from the film. A light
source can be seen shining onto their face,
which the audience can assume is from the
handheld camera. This adds to the realism
that is created by the film poster. The trees
at the top of the frame in the background
appear to be dead.
The Website
The website is another marketing technique designed
specifically for the film. This is another way for the
filmmakers to raise awareness for the film and so it can
reach a wider audience.
The Date
The film was released on July 14, 1999. It was
premiered at the Sundance festival January
25 1999. The poster, however, does not have
the film’s theatrical release date. This is likely
due to a marketing campaign to create a hype
about the film. The theatrical release date of
the film was 22nd October 1999.

3. The Date
The date is at the bottom of the page. This
film was released in May 2010, which
subverts the traditional conventions of
releasing slasher films closer to Halloween or
in the ‘darker’ winter months. By releasing
these films at this time, filmmakers rely on
the atmosphere created by the weather as it
is cold and gets darker sooner.
The Tagline
The tagline uses the pronoun ‘your’ directing the speech
directly at the audience. By using a theme that everyone an
relate to such as dreams and nightmares, the audience
feels as though they cannot escape this villain and feels as
though they are not safe, adding to and emphasizing the
fear factor of this film. The white color of the font stands
out against the dark background and contrasts with the
title. The title is in serif font in the color red which reflects
the sinister intentions of the villain.
The Credits
The information about the directors, producers and other
people involved in the production of the film is at the
bottom of the page located in the billing block. The
production company’s logo makes audience members who
watch films by this company, more inclined to watch the
film.
The Image
The background is dark and patchy. There appears to be
a light source directly behind the villain. The positioning
of the villain in front of the light suggests that he brings
darkness and removes the light from the lives of his
victims. It also appears as though he is emerging from
the darkness.
The mid shot of the villain ‘Freddy Krueger’ shows him
in a sinister pose commonly associated with villains as
he places one hand over the other. His facial expression
is not clearly visible to the audience, which leaves them
to assume that he is smirking due to the way the
shadows cast on his face. His costume, a wool jumper
and wide brimmed hat, juxtapose with his appearance.
The glint of his knife-like claw accentuates his
supernatural being. The knife-like claw creates an
animalistic element to the character associating his
actions to that of a merciless and callous beast. The
image features a lot of red and brown hues, colors
commonly associated with blood. The colors on
Freddy’s costume make it appear as though he is
covered in the blood of his victims. This is highly
emphasized by the red around the neck of his jumper.
In this area the material is torn, creating an image
resembling that of torn flesh.
The Title
The color of the font is consistent with the film’s
franchise as every ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ film
including the ‘Freddy vs. Jason’ crossover, features a
red font. The color red has connotations of death and
blood. The smudges and stains makes it appear as if
blood has been smeared over the text. By setting the
events on ‘Elm Street’, the film plays on the fears of
the audience as a street is universal meaning these
events could take place anywhere.
The Franchise
Nightmare on Elm Street is part of a franchise and
this film, which was released in 2010, is a remake
of the original Nightmare on Elm Street film. This
is likely to encourage audience members to watch
the film if they are fans of the previous films.

4. The Masthead
The publication date and price are placed within the
‘M’ in the smallest font. This is to ensure that all the
other advertisements are read first. This is a common
feature of ‘Empire’ magazines. The color of the
masthead is white to match the film’s title on the page.
This is common with Empire magazines as they
frequently match the color of the masthead to the
featured film’s title.
The Film Title
The title of the film is clearly visible at the bottom of
the cover, this tells the reader’s what film is featured in
this edition. The white title and masthead pulls the
reader’s attention as it is the ‘electrical sparks’ which
are white and covered with a light pink/purple hue.
The Image
The ‘electrical sparks’ highlight ‘The Joker’s’ dark,
purple leather jacket. The Joker has green hair and
his eyes are also green, a color which is repeated
in the banner at the top of the page and in the
plugs (“Meet The Joker”, “World’s First”). The
colors purple and green are commonly associated
with evil. He is making direct eye contact with the
camera which makes it seem as though he is
looking directly at the readers. It also makes his
character seem more detached and sinister as his
facial expression is blank and void of emotion
which leads the audience to believe that he has
no concept of danger, as he is holding live cables.
By using a well known actor, Jared Leto, more
attention is drawn to the magazine cover as the
readers will recognize the actor.
The Barcode
The barcode is placed horizontally beneath the
masthead to the right of the page. The barcode
is necessary as it is scanned in shops.
The Banner
The banner is in a bold sans-serif font. It is
green so it matches the theme of the magazine
cover and stands out from the dark
background. The banner is usually positioned at
the top of page. The banner is used to advertise
‘exclusive’ content featured inside the
magazine. “ 30-Page Oscars Preview Inside”
The Plug
The plug is a feature of Empire magazines that
highlights what article is featured. It is usually a
circle with text inside. On this cover, it is
replaced with what appears to be streak of
green paint with bold black text over it. The
plug gives quick and brief information, in this
instance it introduces the character to the
audience ‘Meet the Joker’.
The Tagline
The tagline is placed beneath the film’s title in a
sans-serif white font. Magazine covers do not
always include a tagline, however, because this
cover is introducing a character of a film, it is
more likely to have minimal content and this
tagline is befitting of the film and it genre.

5. The Masthead
The masthead is placed at the top of the page with the
word ‘Total’ placed within the letter ‘F’ of “Film”. This is
a feature that is consistent within the house style. A
smaller plug is commonly seen placed in the “M” of the
masthead. This is to ensure that all the other
advertisements are read first. This is a common feature
of Total Film magazines. The color of the masthead is
white to match the film’s title on the page. This is
common with Total Film magazines as they frequently
match the color of the masthead to the featured film’s
title.
The Banner
The banner is in a bold sans-serif font. It is red
and white so it matches the theme of the
magazine cover and stands out from the dark
background. The banner is usually positioned at
the top of page. The banner is used to advertise
‘exclusive’ content featured inside the
magazine. “ 2017 Preview 64 Must-See Movies”
The Film Title
The title of the film is clearly visible to the left of the
cover beneath the masthead. This tells the reader’s
what film is featured in this edition. The white title and
masthead pulls the reader’s attention as there is a
striking contrast between the text and the plain dark,
background. The Image
The main image is of ‘Keanu Reeves’ in his
character of ‘John Wick’. From the main image,
the audience can identify the film as an action film
based on the fact that he is holding a gun and is
covered in cuts and blood. The prop (gun) is
highlighted as the film strip across the bottom
part of the page appears as if it is beneath his arm
adding to the realism that the audience will feel as
the actor is making direct eye contact with the
camera. This makes the audience feel as though
the threat is directly aimed at them. Buzzwords
are used frequently in the cover lines that grab
the reader’s attention, for example, ‘Exclusive!’.
The Barcode
The barcode is placed horizontally at the
bottom, to the right of the page. The barcode is
necessary as it is scanned in shops.
The Plug
The plug is a feature of Total Film magazines
that highlights specific features in each article.
The plug on the Total Film magazine covers vary
in shape and color, usually based on the
featured film. For example, The Ex Machina
cover has a plug that is black with white text in
the shape of a hexagon. On this cover, it is in
the shape of a rosette ribbon, with black and
white text. The plug gives quick and brief
information, in this instance it tells the
audience about rated movies of 2016.
The Slogan
The slogan is placed beneath the magazine’s
masthead in a sans-serif white font. This is a
feature that is consistent with Total Film
Magazines. Despite the fact that the main
character sometimes cover part of this text it is
almost always there. The only times when the
slogan does not appear in the cover are when
the background image is ‘busy’, when there are
multiple people as the main image, or if the
character is shot in a long shot with more of
their legs visible.