Codes and Conventions Of Film Magazine Covers

In this post I will be analysing two film magazine poster, labelling the features used within the magazine, and the codes and conventions used within the magazines. The two magazine I will be analysing is 007 Skyfall from Total Film. The second magazine I will be analysing is a limited edition 007 Skyfall magazine from Empire.

Total Film: 007 Skyfall

This magazine displays the latest 007 Skyfall front cover, providing essential information for audiences.

Many codes and conventions have been used within this magazine firstly the main one I noticed was the main image, it is Daniel Craig (James Bond) who is displayed central within the magazine this is to inform audiences that he is the vocal point of the magazine furthermore implying to audiences he is the main prognosis of  the film. The main image is displayed in black and white imposed over the masthead, possibly conotating and implying to audiences that this new bond film is a classic and it is going back to basics in terms of referring back to the old James bond films. The mise en scene of the main image is effective as the Daniel Craig is displayed looking forefront into the readers eyes possibly connoting masculine behaviour and no fear, the use of the gun in which the main image is holding connotes to audiences possible violence scenes and portrays the genre of the film to be a Action/Thriller. The image is shown to be wearing a suit connoting the mise en scene to be professional, sharp and sophisticated however with the facial expression of the key image connotes danger and focus as he is directly looking into the readers eyes. These features which have been used makes this magazine attractable and eye catching towards audiences as smart effective, and star actor Daniel Craig has been used.

I feel the foreground of the magazine creates enigma towards audiences as the background is the classic James bond "Inside Barrel" which is displayed in black and white. This could give audiences clues of what the film is about in terms of old school bond films, and making this James Bond an ultimate classic this may consist of going back to basics. This effect creates the a sense of enigma towards the magazine as audiences may feel this magazine could be a vintage edition due to the black and white effects used.

The housestlye and the theme of the magazine is displayed towards audiences as eye catching and gives impact towards audiences with the colour schemes used as a sharp yellow has been used in order to display buzz words and make the magazine look attractive and effective. The sharp yellow I feel connotes danger, and acts like a hazardous warning. This makes the magazine special as black and white effects have been used with the main image and the foreground, and sharp yellow fonts have been used which makes the mode of address dangerous and furious in addition the magazine and buzzwords within the magazine to have impact towards audiences and draws them in too with the colour scheme used. The buzzwords and banners used introducing to audiences the contents and features within the magazines such as the actors and stories involved are included to draw audiences in to reach out to other target audiences apart from the main James bond fans.

The headline of the magazine displays "Skyfall" at the forefront of the magazine imposed in front of the main image. This shows audiences what the film is called, and with the textual font effects used within the headline with the tyre marks across the text is could give a glimpse to what the film is about towards audiences that it is fast and furious as tyre marks are mainly related to skid marks cars, this alone creates the atmosphere of the magazine to be informative and effective for audiences and relates to the genre of the main focal point of the film.

Buzzwords have been used in order to catch the readers eye such as "World Exclusive" a red  background has been used in order to make this specific piece of text stand out from the rest in order to imply to readers this magazine contains world exclusive contents and is a must buy. Throughout this magazine uses intertextuality as it makes reference to various media texts within the product.

Empire: 007 Skyfall Limited Edition



As you can see the magazine above is from Empire and it is the 007 James Bond Limited Edition, as this magazine is Limited Edition this magazine will have different codes and conventions than a normal magazine. Straight away as you can see this magazine is completely different than the first magazine I analysed.

As you can see there is no cover lines or banners within this magazine cover, I feel this is in order to keep the focus on the edition itself which is 007. Dark fonts have been used such as brown within the masthead in order to connote to audiences the vintage theme of the front cover this may have been included to target old audiences.

The main image has been deployed over the masthead to act as a unique selling point, but also in order to fill the page and be the main focus point. The image itself is Daniel Craig (James Bond) dressed in a smart formal suit and tie with one arm raised with a gun in his hand. The main image is black and white again maybe the portray to audiences a vintage theme which infernos makes the page unique and effective towards audiences because the background is white, it makes the key features stand out for audiences due to its simplicity.

I feel the whole cover is created for a Limited Edition version, as it reveals very little however portrays quite allot in terms of vintage and classic version of Empire Magazine. The Anchorage text used is placed to the left hand side of the main image and reads "Skyfall" this is to tell audiences what the magazine is about which is the new 007 film Skyfall, and below a buzzword reading "Limited Edition Subscriber Only Cover" this is to further ensure to audiences that this is a unique cover. In addition as this is a Subscriber cover only I feel the main image and the anchorage will act as a main selling point as it will encourage readers to be a subscriber in ether the Empire Magazines website or social networking site.

In conclusion I feel the simplicity of the magazine creates a professional format towards audiences and appeals well to bond fans and other interested audiences through it colour themes used and effects on the main image. This magazine clearly does not give anything away in terms of content of the magazine which therefore makes audiences want to buy the magazine, so this could be a unique selling point. So therefore I feel the little codes and conventions used have been really effective in relation to attracting to target audiences as this magazine looks neat and tidy and a mint edition therefore could again attract attention as some audiences may want to purchase this magazine for a collectors item as this magazine is limited edition, and shows this through the key effects and features used.

Codes and Conventions of Posters

In this post, I will be discussing the codes and conventions of film posters. I will be analysing two posters in my selected genre which will be Horror, the film posters I will be analysing is SAW IV.  I will be analysing two types of film posters, a promotional poster, and a teaser poster.

Promotional Poster

SAW IV

Above is a promotional poster of the horror film Saw IV, as you can see I have labelled the codes and convention used within this poster. A horror film poster realistically is meant to be dark and disturbing in order to attract the core of horror fans.

I feel the main target audience for this movie is between people ages 16-27, and specifically for mostly males. As most females do not like horror films compared to men because most males want to be scared and like seeing blood and guts. However I feel this age range could possibly changes as there is some older actors who are established within the acting world so this could bolster the target audience to maybe 16-34.

Firstly the main attraction of this poster is the key image, as it displays a character trapped on a chair which may connote to audiences some sort of integration or death with the devise on the back of the chair. The characters legs are strapped on the chair connoting danger and unease this could also be telling audiences that this character is some sort of victim with the use of straps around the leg. The image itself portrays allot of audiences such as false imprisonment and that the character is trapped and set up for death. I think that the images portrays a variety of different emotions and feeling towards audiences which is good as the main concept of the horror genre is to make audiences feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. The character within the main image is shown to be wearing black leather boots, which is maybe portraying the character to be a female. However the leather boots could connote sexual desire towards audiences too. The character is wearing a red cloak which is covering most of the characters body. This may suggest to the reader this character may have something to hide or even show with the use of the cloak, the colour of the cloak which is red makes the image stands out and connotes blood with the use of dark red which some audiences associate with blood and death. In addition this image is shown to have a pigs head which again adds to the enigma of this poster just through its main image as audiences now question what sexuality or race is, and questions what has the character done because it could be a mask, as pigs are normally viewed as dirty, and filthy creatures this character may relate to the perception of a pig which may give audiences mixed motions of being uncomfortable and scared. The camera angle used is a medium shot, while the character is placed within a angle in order to only show half of the character towards audiences. This create suspicions and tension which is a good angle to use as it only gives so much of the poster away through using a tiny technique. The main image fits in with the horror genre well as it creates enigma towards audiences making them question the poster and attracts the audiences attention through unusual ways.

The typography of the poster are typical within horror genres, as firstly different textual fonts have been used within the title. The first font which is used is a blood like font which could portray that part of the film may consist of bloody and violent and gory scenes because red is related to blood and the connotation of blood is death and violence. The second textual font used is "Time New Roman" this technique could be used to enhance the Roman Numerals used within the title to suggest to audiences that this is the latest movie. These textual two different textual fonts have worked very well for the poster and in relation to the genre, as one font clearly represents the genre in terms of productivity and the nature of the film, and the other font used relates to the film in general to communicate to the audience that this is the latest film.

The tag line is placed above the billing block, the text fonts and colour used are white and again are Times New Roman, this could possibly draw the reader in as the tag line acts as a caption towards the key image. Therefore connecting all the features within the poster up, as the tag line states "Its a Trap" in relation to the key image i shows a figure tied to a chair, which possibly could mean integration or death. In addition the background relates to both the tag line and the key image, as scratches are shown over the cover of the page again suggesting to audiences imprisonment and again creates enigma towards who gets trapped, and what happens. In conclusion I feel the whole theme of this poster is great as it creates emotions and shocks towards audiences, and with the use of low key lighting within the poster connotes suspicion and drama. Therefore with the dark colours used such as Black, Grey and white it sets the portrayal of the movie to be dark, gory, and uncomfortable for some audiences.

The billing block is placed below the tag line, the texts fonts are white and in a Superior font to the rest of the poster. However no main actors have been made bold or been altered in order for attention, the text just blends in with the page. This could suggest that the director wants audiences to focus solely on what is going on within the trailer, and to attract audiences for the SAW franchise and not the actors. In addition the release date is placed below the billing block in slightly bigger writing and in red font this is to make this feature stand out, to audiences can be informed of the date of release so that's why effective text and colours have been used to impact audiences to go and watch the film.

Teaser Poster

SAW IV

As you can see this is a teaser poster of the SAW IV film, you can tell from the first glance that this poster does no reveal much as it is here to just to raise awareness of the film that is is coming soon. I feel the producers and directors of the film intended this teaser trailer not to give anything away with the title effects and foreground used. No billing blocks have been used in order to focus the main attention on the title and the foreground to get audiences to focus on the upcoming film and not the stars of the film. I feel the target audience for this film is ages 16-27, and the main gender young males. As horror films mainly attract young males as hey are more likely to interact with the characters in the film, whereas women can interact with characters but they tend to react differently than males. As you can see below 48% of audiences of ages between 18-25 and 24% are ages between 14-17 so I have concluded that the target age group is 16-27.

The title is placed central within the poster. The common effect used within the saw franchise is the iconic title of "SAW" which uses a blood like font in order to make the brand and the film iconic and recognisable. The blood like font could connote to audiences gore and guts which portrays the outline of the film.

The second part of the title is "IV" which covers most of the poster, this possibly is meant to attract audiences to make them notices that there is a 4th film in the franchise. The textual font used for the title is unusual as the denotation is a scalpel and scissors have been used to shown IV in a effective and attractable way to audiences. This feature is perfect for the portrayal of the horror genre as these two hospital instruments connote possible surgical insertions to bodies, and bodies being cut up as these instruments are used for operations. In relation to this the hair and blood and tissues which is attracted to these instruments further implies the portrayal of the film, as it creates narrative enigma towards audiences. In combination with the silver hospital tray which is used as the main foreground, the tray is commonly used to place small body parts and hospital operation instrument. With the combination of the foreground having blood splattered over the tray connotes unease and violence and the scalp and scissors used for the textual fonts. All gives a small insight into what the film maybe about creating a unwarier atmosphere towards audiences and the poster.

Lastly the tag line which states "Its a Trap" ties the whole poster together as it brings into some sort of context of what the film might be about with the features used within the magazine. The tag line could suggest to audiences that some figure or character may be trapped in maybe a room and possibly getting tortured or body parts amputated these are some of the questions that the audiences will ask of the poster furthermore encouraging them to highly anticipate the film.

Codes and Conventions of Trailers

Codes and Conventions of Trailers

The modern trailer has consistent codes and trailers, in this post I will be discussing the basic codes and conventions which are required within trailers.

The modern film institutions use teaser trailers in order to advertise their film towards audiences, these trailers consist of a variety of the shots used from the film and mixed together into a montage format. These shots are selected carefully in order to give glimpses of the film towards audiences.

Typical Codes and Conventions

- Reflective of the Genre
- Use of Graphic Captions
- Continuity Editing
- Narrative Enigma
- Diegetic Sound/ Non Diegetic Sound
- Institution Logo
- Variety of Camera Shots and Edits
- Editing

The Codes and Conventions above all appear in movie trailer as they are essential in projecting the right image and portrayal of the film.

Firstly the trailer has to be reflective of the genre in order for audiences to firstly have a clear view of what type of film the trailer is. This is used in a variety in different ways, many include through transitioning editing and the specific camera shots and angles used for the trailer.

The use of Graphic Captions within trailers are used commonly for introducing the film to audiences, or introducing the cast within the film or the producers. However in some films graphic captions are used for text which is in relevance to the movie trailer, this could be a couple of sentence describing the set e.g the year of date.

Continuity editing is used within most film trailers, as this is used to smooth trailers over to give the trailer a smooth transition through the editing of the shots, this is in order to give a clear narrative of the trailer. There are many rules are continuity editing these include:

- Establishing Shot
-  Shot Reverse Shot
- 180 Degree Rule
- 30 Degree Rule
- Crosscutting
- Match on Action
- Eyeline Match
- Re-Establishing Shot

The Narrative Enigma allows the set up of the film to be clear towards audiences depending on which is used based on genre.

Diegetic and Non Diegetic sounds are commonly used within trailers to ether reflect the genre of the trailer, or are used combined with specific shots in order to create suspense or give emotion to the audience. This feature is mainly used from soundtracks, as it gives the trailer purpose and definition. However voice overs may be used in order to cover the amount of narrative that my be included within the trailer.

The Institutions logos is mainly placed near the start of the trailer, this is here in order for audiences to know what film institution created the film, as there is well known institutions who have its own fan base such as Warner Bros. With placing the Institution within the trailer audiences sometimes can tell the quality of the film.

A Variety of camera shots and angles are used in order to make the trailer look exciting and appealing towards audiences. Different shots and angles are used within trailers in order to maybe express different scenes and motions going on within the trailer. This shots are mainly fast and snappy. Many different shots and angles of used from the film, which are Incorporated within the trailer to give audiences a idea of what the film is about.

Editing is used within most trailers to give the trailer definition and make trailer look effective and attractive towards audiences. Montage editing is mainly the most common form of editing, which is made of a collective group of camera shots and angles mixed together to form a film trailer, the montage editing can ether be full of fast snappy shots in order to make the trailer fast and explosive towards audiences of the montage could be slow and relaxed this is all dependent on the genre of the trailer.

Codes and Conventions of a Horror Trailer

As you can see the trailer above is called the "Possession." I will be highlighting the codes and conventions used within this trailer/

Firstly I feel this trailer is reflective of the genre, as the trailer itself starts slow and builds up to more intense scenes, this may indicate towards audiences the genre of the film which is horror, as it is making the film look unusual through the build up of the film. Making this technique used unique and effective.

The use of graphic captions have been used at the end of the trailer, this is to introduce what the trailer is called and who made it, in this trailer is is Sam Raimi who created this film. This is unusual as most graphic captions are near the start or middle of the trailer ether introducing bits of the story or actors. However in this trailer the use of graphic captions have been used at the end of the trailer, this again is reflective on the genre as the films name is stuck in the readers head as it is near the end of the trailer.

Continuity editing has been used throughout this trailer mainly shots fading in and out, this is to create the slow suspense building up to the trailer. I feel this type of editing has been used effectively as further into the trailer the slow transitions stop and fast snappy shots are entered into the frame, this is again reflective on the genre in terms of the film build up, and the suspense leading up to the fast snappy shots.

This trailer contains narrative enigma as this trailer I feel makes audiences question the trailer, in terms of what is happening to the character as she is being possessed, I feel the use of short snappy shots and a slow build up emphasis this narrative enigma as the slow build up appeals to audiences as the focus around the little girl makes audiences question why is she so special, and why is she the main focal point of the trailer. And the end of the trailer makes audience questions what will happen next.

Diegetic and Non Diegetic sound have been used throughout the trailer to created build up and suspense. I feel the non diegetic sound at the start of the trailer contributes to the suspense and the calm era which is created and with good smooth transitional edits this contributes nicely, as the non diegetic sound consists of a calm keyboard tone creating the whole scenario of the trailer relaxing. Throughout the trailer the use of non diegeitc sounds kicks in with screaming and a creepy voice over, this contributes to the genre as being spooky, mysterious and scary as it can makes audiences jump at any within the trailer and the use of action shots makes the trailer again stand out.

The institutions logo which in this case is Lionsgate is shown at the start of the trailer this is to show audiences what institutions distributed this film.

In terms of camera shots and edits, lots of still, high angle, and low angles shots have been used and over the shoulder shots are used in order to establish introduce the surroundings and characters to the audience, as the build up of the trailer is slow. In terms of the edits montage editing has been used as various shots have been taken and are being faded in and out in order to make the scenario calm and cool. Further along the trailer shot reverse shot has been used in order to make the trailer short and snappy which further represents the genre.

Narrative Theory 

This trailer follows a linear structure, as there is a clear start to the trailer, as audiences are introduced to the trailer, this trailers also has a middle which follows the introduction of the possessed character, and a end of the trailer which finishes, creating enigma codes as the trailer is a preview of the film, and this is making audiences question the trailer in terms of what is going to happen next.

This trailer fits the theory of Vladimir Propp theory as he proposed that characters through their actions, can be defined through clear roles and functions throughout the film. As throughout this trailer audiences can establish who the Villian, the Hero, The Helper, The father, and the princess. As Propp used some of these categories to tell the roles and functions of the characters. However this trailer also follows Tzveton Todoroz theory, as this trailer starts with a state of equilibrium as the start of the trailer portrays to the audience that the life is normal and the prognosis is happy. However further into the trailer the state of normality is disrupted, further through the trailer it suggests the problem will be getting fixed, and a new equilibrium is made.

Throughout this trailer, with the scenes of the character at the end possessed character  suggests to audience Engima, as this trailer teases audiences about the film, and presents a puzzle to the audiences in terms of the character being possessed, and what will happen to her, this is known as part of the Barthes Code. The Claude Levi-Strauss theory has also been implemented within this trailer through the binary opposition as through this trailer is it clear to see what is good and evil within the trailer as the character possessed inside is evil, and the father is good.

History of Film Trailers

As times has changed so has the making of film trailers, within this post I will be reviewing trailers starting back to the 1960s firstly with the film "Physco." I will be reviewing the trailer in terms of techniques and features used within the trailer also the length of the trailer too. As the years have gone by trailers have now went shorter and shorter in terms of footage.

Physco 1960         

When reviewing this trailer, firstly I noticed there is no effects or features included in this trailer as this trailer is in black and white and lasts for 6 minutes, as compared to modern trailers they are in colour and last for 2-3 minutes. Also during this trailer it is narrated throughout by the star of the film who is Alfred Hitchcock, who is basically giving a tour around the set of the film while giving borderline information about what happens in the film throughout certain parts of the house. In this era this was a good effect as the narrator is keeping the audience interested as he was a big star in that era. Graphic captions have also been used within this trailer to telling the audience who the tour guide is, and where is he taking the audience on a tour to in this case it was the set of the Physco set. In addition this trailer was the first to air on television as back in the 60s as trailers where really shown before the screening of the movie in the cinema. Lastly during this trailer camera shots have been used such as close up shots, and long shots too of the house and the narrator, also a crane shot has been used near the star of the trailer which introduced the narrator and the set to audiences.

Cinderella 1950



  When reviewing this trailer, I noticed firstly that this trailer only lasted 27 seconds compared to the previous trailer which lasted 6 minutes. As this trailer was released 10 years earlier than the previous one. There are a lot of errors in this trailer firstly through the lack of camera angles, as this trailer only uses long shots and close up shots. There is no movement throughout the trailer which makes the trailer boring. This trailer has used colour as it is a animation and has basic quality, although this trailer is 10 years earlier than the previous one which used black and white trailers where still able to use colour in terms of animation. The lack of information given away from this trailer I feel draws audiences in as audiences will want to see the film as they have only basic knowledge of what the film in tails. Voice overs and graphic captions have been used throughout this trailer to again draw the audience in and provide some information about what the trailer is about and when it is out. Lastly non diegetic sound has been used as well this shows us although this trailer was created in the 50s they still had knowledge of effects and features they could use when creating the trailers. As the non diegetic sound used within this trailer contributes to the footage shown as the audio sound is trumpets giving the impression to the audience that this is a long awaited film.


Platoon 

 

When reviewing this trailer, the trailer only lasted for 2 minutes and 22 seconds. The previous trailers I had reviewed lasted for 6 minutes and the other 33 seconds. I noticed that this trailer has colour and a variety of angles and shots were used during this trailer as from before not many camera angles or shots where used. In addition this trailer used fast snappy shots throughout the trailer connoting to audiences about the war going on within the film. The use of multiple shots throughout the trailer was effective as combined they created a mini montage of the film which gives enough away to the audience to know what the film is about. Non diegetic sound was used through parts of the trailer form the beginning and the end to connote to audiences firstly with the bag pipes used at the start that they are going into battles, as this soundtrack is modernly used when troops are leaving to go to war. Finally a more relaxed and edgy soundtrack was used towards the end used with slow motion shots connoting to audiences about the displeasure of death in the film.