Poster & Magazine Cover Analysis

The ImageThe low angle long shot image of the masked villain is effective in depicting his power. The mask is hidden by the shadows which makes it frightening for the audience through the fear of the unknown. The mask is a conventional paradigm which invites audience members to view the film in order to find out who is behind it. The deathly chainsaw weapon highlights the sadistic nature of the villain and it is a weapon more effective than a gun for instance as it allows personal contact and it penetrates inside the skin. It conforms to Clover’s theory as when the Final Girl uses this weapon in her final combat with the villain, she displays her masculine traits.

The trees and mist in the background depict an isolated and claustrophobic environment. The villain stands in front of them as if he owns the area. The villain is certainly more familiar with this surrounding in contrast to the victims who have no chance to hide. The tall trees depict a sense of entrapment as they appear like bars, this instantly conveys to the audience that most of the action will take place in this place and the victims will make attempts to flee the area, alive. The lake and woods make a good horror setting and the tranquil nature of the natural world is subverted to witness disturbing brutal murders.

The TaglineThe tagline ‘Welcome To Crystal Lake’ is a jovial warm invitation which serves to inform the audience that the film is set near a lake. It is a direct address to the audience members. It is placed at the top of the poster and is visible through the colour white which makes it stand out. The audience recognise that the calm, tranquillity of the lake will be tainted by the sadistic acts of the villain.

The Title The red font connotes blood, death and passion establishing the slasher subgenre and making it stand out from the dark background. The broken effect coupled with a classic font style reflects how it is a remake of a classic film with a difference. Friday the 13th is a date considered to be bad luck and the target audience are certain to be aware of this. Thus, the title immediately attracts the audiences attention and conveys the horror theme.

The DateThe date is at the very bottom of the page and it is ironic that this slasher film is set to release a day before Valentines day. It subverts the notion of love and unity and presents a film all about the opposite.

The CreditsThere is information about the producers and people involved in making the film. The production logo makes loyal audience members want to go and see the film solely because they know that it is big budget and high quality.

The Extra StraplineKnowing that the film is ‘From the producers of ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ links it to a line of successful slasher films. Fans of ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ are likely to go and watch the film and this conforms to Barthes pleasure of Text theory where the audience guess what will happen and seeing this play out gives them the pleasure. Also there is another layer of pleasure to be had when the unexpected happens and seeing as this is a remake, there must be something which marks it out from the others.

The FranchiseFriday the 13th is part of a big franchise and audience members who have seen previous film will want to see how this edition is going to be different. A franchise film

The TitleThe font colour is the same as the “Friday the 12th” poster which informs me that most slasher films use a red font colour as it foreshadows the bloodbath featured in the film. The effect of the stains and smudges make it appear as if the title has been smeared with blood which continues the blood theme. The corporate font choice mirrors the image of the villain who appears like a scheming boss with his hand resting on each other.

“Elm Street” serves to play on the fear on audiences as a street setting is universal, it could be any street in any country.

The DateThe date follows the red colour scheme and is placed at the bottom of the page. Although, October is the most popular time for horror film releases, this film releasing on 30th April could entice audiences to go and watch it as no other horror films have been released closely to this time.

The ImageThe medium shot image of the villain is effective in conveying his inhuman characteristics. The casual woollen jumper and hat juxtapose with his inhuman horrific appearance and the claw accentuates his otherworldliness. Unlike many posters, here the face is partially hidden but the audience are still able to see the skin thus there is no need to see the full face as the audience are still horrified by the sight. The claw gives this villain animal attributes likening him to a ruthless and savage beast which uses sadistic methods on his victims. Through observing his facial expressions, it is evident that the villain enjoys torturing his victims as he has a smirk on his face. This makes it frightening for the audience but also the masochistic viewers may find comfort in this.

The background is dark and there seems to be a source of light shining behind the villain. Because the villain blocks the light, it makes him appear powerful and it reflects how he will be responsible for cutting the light of his victims’ lives.

The TaglineSimilar to the “Friday the 13th” poster, this tagline is also invites the audience. The second person pronoun “you” positions the audience in the victim’s place which creates fear. It is placed above the title and the white font colour ensures that it stands out from the title. The font is plain and serious with serifs which reflects the seriously brutal intentions of the villain.

The CreditsThere is information about the producers and people involved in making the film. The production logo makes loyal audience members want to go and see the film solely because they know that it is big budget and high quality.

The TitleThe title sums up the content of the film and the supernatural subgenre it belongs to. This is Barthes “Pleasure of text2 theory in action as the audience can guess what the film is about but want to view the film to see it play out. The font is dark red and has a sharp appearance. This poster and the “Friday the 13th” poster use a smaller font for “The” which allows for the main emphasis to be on “Exorcism”.

The DateThe poster is a teaser poster as the actual release date is not written. “Fall” is a popular time for horror films to release and this film is likely to be one in a line of many other big budget films.

The ImageThe long shot image of Emily walking towards the tree coupled with the mist highlights the ghostly and otherworldly nature of this film. The audience are not shown Emily’s face which adds to the confusion about her mental stability. Her hair is untied and unkempt which mirrors her lack of control as she is controlled by other forces. Her plain white costume is loose which makes her seem weak and fragile like she is in hospital robes. The supernatural element is depicted through the uncanny tree, the autumn tree which is emblematic of the end of life foreshadows that Emily will also die at the end of the film. Her vulnerability and lack of control is illustrated on the page as she only takes a small amount of space. Unlike the “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” poster, where the character is positioned in the centre, this character fades into the left and the mist accentuates her weak nature. She also seems very small when compared to the tree, further making her appear powerless.

The TaglineThe fact that this film is “Based on a true story” serves to heighten the fear amongst audience members. Knowing that the character is not fictitious and suffered the trials and tribulations mentioned in the film (albeit exaggerated for the purpose of filming) evokes empathy and sympathy for the audiences.

The WebsiteBy using extra marketing techniques such as a website designed specifically for the film, the producers are able to raise awareness of the film and it can reach out to wider audiences.

The CreditsThere is information about the producers and people involved in making the film. The production logo makes loyal audience members want to go and see the film solely because they know that it is big budget and high quality.

The BannerThe white colour font stands the banner out from the dark background and because it is placed at the top of the page, it is clearly visible when displayed in shop shelves. The logo for “The Dark Knight” stands out from the bright light giving the “Dark Knight” fans an incentive to purchase the magazine.

The BarcodeThe barcode is positioned on the bottom left hand side in a vertical position. A barcode is necessary for it to be scanned in the shops.

The Extra Cover Line The menu bar style cover lines inform the readers about the other articles featured. This is useful for readers who just buy looking at the front cover are given a glimpse of the content of the magazine. It is placed on the right hand third rather than the conventional left hand third .

The ImageThe Joker’s makeup and sinister smile depict his evil intentions. The direct eye contact functions to attract the readers to the magazine so they can be engrossed in the content of the magazine. The long shot allows the readers to observe the Joker’s posture, he seems confident and it seems if he is scheming something. His head covers the masthead, a convention for popular magazines whose title readers are already aware of.

The PlugThis is a feature of Empire magazine which highlights what special article is featured. The white font compliments the bright green background paralleling the green colour scheme.

The MastheadThe website is included for the benefit of readers who can find out extra information via the website. The issue number, price and date of publication are positioned between the “M” which is a convention for Empire magazine. The small font means that it is not very noticeable for readers as a result, it is the last thing the readers will look at.

The Main Cover LineThe use of the bright green font serves to make the word stand out and it denotes that the person featured is the Joker. This edition of the magazine gives the audience a chance to find out more about the Joker thus heightening the ‘buzz’ about the film. The purple and green font colour coupled with the comic style font, correlates with the Circus theme. It is ironic that a figure emblematic of laughter and amusement is in fact a “cold blooded, mass murdering clown”.

The cover line’s underneath the main cover line are in white font and the graffiti style font reflects the serious message being conveyed: this is no ordinary clown but a mass murderer.

The BarcodeThe barcode is positioned on the bottom right hand side in a vertical position. A barcode is necessary for it to be scanned in the shops.

The MastheadThe issue number, price and date of publication are positioned between the “M” which is a convention for Empire magazine. The small font means that it is not very noticeable for readers as a result, it is the last thing the readers will look at. The “Empire” has a green outer glow which correlates with the green colour scheme.

The ImageThe extreme close up shot of the Joker instantly stands out from the other magazine covers on the shelf. The readers are attracted to the front cover through the direct eye contact. The red paint on the lips and smeared across the face could be blood which highlights the sadistic nature of the clown. The white face gives him an almost ghostly, zombie and deathlike appearance which creates fear for readers. The smile is creepy and uncanny.

The Cover LineThe cover line invites the reader to take a glimpse of the articles featured inside and a “12 page career special” on Eastwood’s career is likely to make his fans want to purchase the magazine. The white font stands out against the green background making it stand out on the cover.

The Extra Cover LineThe cross is a conventional tool in Empire magazine covers and here it provides a neat ordering of the extra cover lines. Other films are featured on the front page with short descriptions to engage readers.

The BannerThe green font colour of the banner blends it with the green theme of the magazine. The banner provides an incentive for readers who may wish to collect the covers. It is positioned at the top of the page making it visible for readers.

The Film TitleIt is clear as to what film this edition will feature as it is shown on the front cover. The juxtaposition in “summer” and “scary” mirrors the juxtaposition of the “mass murdering clown” which conveys that the film will be unique.

The PlugThis is a feature of Empire magazine which highlights what special article is featured. The white font compliments the bright black background and the “First Look” feature is likely to attract attention..

The BarcodeThe barcode is positioned on the bottom left hand side in a vertical position. A barcode is necessary for it to be scanned in the shops.

The Extra Cover Line The menu bar style cover lines inform the readers about the other articles featured. This is useful for readers who just buy looking at the front cover are given a glimpse of the content of the magazine. It is placed on the right hand third rather than the conventional left hand third .

The Extra Cover LineThe cross is a conventional tool in Empire magazine covers and here it provides a neat ordering of the extra cover lines. Other films are featured on the front page with short descriptions to engage readers. The yellow and white bold font correlate with the refreshing Caribbean look.

The MastheadThe “Empire” is in bold red which makes it stand out from the sky blue background.

The BannerThe white and black font colours stand out from the sky clue background. The banner “Movie's’ biggest year ever” is likely to attract Empire readers who want to find out the content and the big names which will be releasing in the year. As it is placed at the top of the page, it is clearly visible for when displayed in shop shelves.

The ImageThe medium long shot of Captain Jack establishes his pirate costume. His attire and serious facial expression juxtapose with the tranquil sunny background. His head covers the masthead, a popular technique used by magazines.

The Puff“Essential 2011 Preview” parallels with the yellow and black colour scheme making it stand out from the cover lines.