Sherlock Holmes 2 (Empire): Magazine Cover Analysis

The slogan, "The World's Biggest Movie Magazine" helps to show the reader that the magazine is important and will most likely have primary and exclusive interviews/news to share. This could be considered a unique selling point for the magazine. The fact that it is in white and all capitals helps it to stand out, to make sure that people read it. The positioning of the slogan above the title also makes people look at it.

The main image is simple, yet effective. Having a straight-on shot of the main actor in the film - and being interviewed - is important as people know who he is and makes them want to read it. The shadow behind the main image, as well as his facial expression, suggests a dark and dramatic film and aims to promote this aspect to the audience. The extra, secondary images below are provided to further appeal to the audience. They give more information about the types of things discussed in the magazine, whilst not taking over from the main image and selling point for that issue.

The use of the language, "Massive Winter Preview", behind the image ensures that no space is lost from the image and that people can see what type of issue the magazine is. The use of the word "preview" entices people as it means they can get something from the magazine that they, possibly, can't get anywhere else. The use of the word "massive" hints at just how exclusive the magazine hopes to be and just how much people will be getting for their money.

The price is listed at the top of the magazine in a very small font. It is not an overly expensive magazine, but having the price printed smaller enables the magazine to draw peoples attention and makes them want to buy it before looking at the price. This also ensures that the price doesn't take up too much valuable room on the front cover - room where the publishers could put more enticing information.

The target audience is likely to be someone able to purchase the magazine and who is interested in the certain actor or film projected through the issue. This particular issue seems to be aimed at men, as there is an emphasis on darker colours and action-based films and props. 

The emphasis of the language at the bottom of the cover is interesting, as they have used the gold to highlight the most important parts of the writing - in this case the words "35" and "must-see movies" - in order for people to get more information, quickly. Imperatives are used within this to effectively persuade the reader to buy the magazine. Addressing the reader directly helps to engage with the audience and target the magazine directly to them.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Poster Analysis

The red in the eyes and of the moth, in contrast to the black and white of the rest of her face, connotes danger and death – possibly from the moth. The red also links to the title at the bottom of the poster. The lowercase letters contrast the danger and shocking colour of the red.

The colour and pattern on the moth is significant as it connotes danger and death – from the skull to the flames – suggesting a death/hell like presence. The fact that it is covering her mouth may be symbolic of the moth’s presence and its deadly power. The black and white in the image is slightly out of focus which highlights the vivid colour of the eyes and the moth. This highlights the importance of the moth and the red in comparison to the woman.

The text is smaller on the poster and is in a vibrant red and white in contrast with the dark background. The text is small, meaning that people are able to focus on the image of the moth and contemplate its meaning.

Including the actors' names gives more information about the film and who stars. This could influence an opinion to go and see the film as the audience might like/dislike the actors starring in the film.

We are left asking many questions as the poster isn’t that descriptive of the overall story, however these questions entice the audience as the answers should become clear in the film. For example...

• What is the significance of the moth covering her mouth?
• Why are her eyes red in contrast to her face?
• What is the significance of the title within the story?
• Why is one nostril bigger than the other?

Logan (2017): Trailer Analysis

The equilibrium begins with the sadness and loneliness of Logan's life, shown through the dark, somber music and through the rainy settings. The fading to black and close-ups of the blood and injuries he has helps to highlight the darkness of his life and begins to show a contrast to the usual action-packed trailers the X-Men/Marvel franchise produce. The disruption appears with the girl in his workshop. The narration over the more somber music, with the medium cross cutting between Logan and the girl highlights the intensity of the moment and hints at what might follow in the film. The recognition stage is highlighted upon when it says "she needs our help". This suggests the girl is in danger and now that Logan isn't so lonely, he might be able to help. This leads in to the attempt to repair - where the action scenes begin. The more somber music becomes slightly more hopeful here however, having this music over more action-filled scenes is interesting as it is unexpected. The intense cross-cutting between action scenes heightens the tension and increases the appeal for audiences. 
Due to the film being a part of the wider X-Men/Marvel franchise, at this stage of its success, it already has an international mainstream audience to appeal to - so therefore the use of sound can afford be unconventional to make the film seem unique and perhaps more highbrow.  Fans of the genre expect repetitions - variation and the use music in contrapuntal to the action makes the audience expect something unique from the film.  The use of Johnny Cash's recording of Hurt is used as a soundtrack and therefore, the usual and perhaps, at this point of the franchise's success, cliched bass notes and dramatic music connoting epic fight sequences is substituted for something far more low key but also, at the same time, emotive - and it very effectively and subtly promises something more touching and dramatic than previous outings for Logan's character. 

We are left questioning certain aspects, as the audience only get a glimpse of the action that will occur in the film. The cross-cutting allows the audience to see parts of what happens to Logan and the people around him, however, we don't see everything and this is something that will entice people to go and see the film. The use of an already popular franchise means there is already a captive audience to go and watch it, however, the exploration of the emotion behind the action will appeal to even more people. 

Argo (2012): Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins by showing the audience the equilibrium narrative stage in the film through scenes from various news broadcasts about violence and extremism in Iran. We immediately do not feel safe and shocked as this is something a British audience wouldn't have experienced. The shouting from crowds mixed with the news broadcast and the rush of panic coming from the people in the building is disorientating and shows just how chaotic the country was at the time. The mixing of the sounds all at once enables the audience to also feel the panic and chaos that they are seeing. This glimpse makes audiences excited and entices them to want to watch the whole film, right from the beginning of the trailer. Whilst we are seeing the close-ups of guns and long shots of the crowds running, the news broadcast is explaining what is going on and giving all the information. 

The disruption begins when we find out that six hostages have escaped and are in hiding in the Canadian Ambassador's house. We get a medium shot of the Ambassador just as his name is said. This gives the audience an insight into who is who. The fade to blacks throughout, as well as the intense music, heightens tensions and increases the appeal to the audience. 

The recognition stage is obvious as the music changes to become a little more hopeful and upbeat as Ben Affleck's character has the idea that could get the hostages out of Iran. This also introduces the audience to another character - the young boy we only get a quick glimpse of in a close-up - which makes the audience curious as to who he is. The slide effect on image of the Hollywood sign makes the film look less like an action film and increases the comedic value of their plan to get the hostages out. This begins the repair stage of the narrative. 

The repair stage is quick, with a dramatic Hollywood style to it. It is shown when they are preparing to get the film crew together. The cross-cutting between scenes in a short space of time, as well as the upbeat music, makes the audience aware of the time frame they have to get the hostages out, but also shows the audience just how much had to happen to get it sorted. This entices people as they only get a glimpse of what happened in Los Angeles and will want to watch the film to see more. After this, as the repair stage continues, the music gets a bit more somber as they go to Iran. Throughout this scene, the music gets louder and more intense as it starts to get more dangerous. The use of the phrases "never left anyone behind" and "I'm responsible" increases the tension and threat in the film. However, the audience aren't shown what happens between the full-proof idea of making a film to the danger of death. This creates more questions as the audience will be wondering what went wrong and what will eventually happen to the hostages - will they get home or will they die?

A unique selling point of the film is Ben Affleck. Having him highlighted as a main actor is important as it might be one of the reasons that people go to watch the film. The representation of his character is vague as you see him predominantly as a protective and willing government worker however, aspects like the young boy, make the audience wonder what else makes up his character. As an audience, we don't learn much else about the other characters or their endings. This is intriguing, and makes more people want to go and see it. 

The Descendants (2011): Trailer Analysis

The trailer for this film reveals some key information in the film without revealing the whole plot of story line, leaving us with enigmas such as 'why is the mother dying', and 'why do the father and daughter have a bad relationship'. Although we are left with many questions, the trailer follows a careful and interesting narrative structure - including two periods of disruption.

We are shown the equilibrium through the fathers monologue and through the opening to the trailer. The use of phrases such as "back-up parent" make us assume that he is not as involved and that there may be some sort of tension within the family. The use of the establishing shot of the institute makes us wonder why his daughter is there and shows us that the family is possibly quite dysfunctional. The first disruption is when he has to go and collect his daughter and when her reveals that his wife is in the hospital. This follows the narrative structure as he has now got to find a way to repair his family in order to prepare for his wife's assumed death. Her death isn't specified within the trailer however is alluded to multiple times, especially when he must "tell family and friends". To repair this disruption, he aims to bring his family together, however the second disruption interrupts this as we find out that his wife was cheating on him. This affair is another genre indicator, as it shows a dramatic storyline for the film to follow. To repair this, he tries to find the man and aims to allow everyone to say goodbye to his wife. The music at this point is more upbeat as he runs to his neighbours.

The upbeat ukulele music throughout contrasts the dramatic story line but shows the aspects of journey and discovery, which we can assume is also depicted in the film. The music is also a genre indicator as it portrays the film as a drama - with the plot becoming upbeat in some moments and incredibly sad and thoughtful in others.

The representation throughout the trailer hints at the types of characters we will meet in the film. A typical off-the-rails teenager is presented, adding to the tension and making the characters relatable and easier to understand. The teenager character is also a genre indicator as she will create chaos and create more issues for the father to solve in a difficult time for the family. Another character we are introduced to is the uninvolved father, portrayed by George Clooney. We can tell he is a unique selling point for the film as his name is highlighted in the trailer, making him seem more important. Using phrases such as "but no one has noticed", the daughter is able to hint at the fact that her father isn't involved in her life and that they aren't very close as a family. The representation of these characters entice the audience and displays a typical family drama.

It (2017): Trailer Analysis

The low key lighting, somber music and the use of pathetic fallacy with the thunder storm at the beginning help to show that this is a horror film and that something bad might happen. These genre indicators help to highlight what type of film it will be, and will mean the film is more accurately directed towards its target audience. Another convention of horror films is the use of vulnerable characters - shown, in this film, through Georgie. We see other characters introduced and, although we don't find out much about them, we can infer that they are important to the storyline. 

These genre indicators primarily appear during the equilibrium narrative phase of the trailer where it shows the normal life of the children and the slow town in which they live - something that is relatable to most the audience going to see it. The long and establishing shots of the unassuming town help to show the normality of their lives before by creating a place that is relatable to the audience.

The disruption phase comes when the trailer alludes to the child being taken by the 'thing' in the sewers and the townspeople go missing. The close-ups of Georgie highlight the innocence of the boy and could symbolise the evil 'thing' taking over the innocence of the small town. The darkness and pathetic fallacy disrupts the quiet, normal life that the townspeople have been living. The fade-to-blacks and crashes within the music, which are all conventional of the horror genre, help to increase tension and fear within the audience and draws them in to see the film. 

The other children, who aim to find out what was going on, are relatable to the audience as they are about the right age and are seemingly normal in their clothing and appearances. The children highlight the recognition phase of the narrative as they all realise what they have seen and that the clown is to blame. The children also highlight the repair narrative phase, where they try to fix it by finding out about the sewer tunnels. The darkness in the sewer tunnels help to indicate further the horror genre and increase the tension within the trailer. 

As the film is a re-make, many older audiences, as well as younger audiences, are able to relate to the film as it brings a sense of nostalgia from the original film. This means it will attract a much larger audience as there is already a captive audience from the original film. Both films are based on the novel by Stephen King and this is highlighted as a unique selling point within the trailer. The use of the font for the title is effective in showing the horror genre as it is red and jittery, as if it were blood. This highlights the film genre and gives it an identity for people to recognise and want to see. 

Mr Popper's Penguins (2011): Trailer Analysis

The upbeat music at the beginning helps to highlight the comedic values within the film, whilst also showing it to be family-friendly. The equilibrium phase in the narrative is shown, at the beginning, through his successful career and his not-so-successful parenting. This representation of his character slowly changes throughout the film as he becomes more parenting-oriented than career-oriented. We learn quite a lot about Jim Carrey's character, however we don't learn much about his family or any of the other characters in the trailer - showing that he is the main character that we should be focusing on.

The music changes during the disruption phase to create a more elusive and mysterious feeling. The symbol and the long bass note at the beginning of this change increases the tension and makes the audience want to keep watching. The use of the wide-angled slightly panned shot of Mr Popper staring out of the window cutting quickly to shots of him pulling the package inside is clever as it adds even more tension and draws people into finding out what might happen. The fade-to-blacks in this sequence also highlight the mysterious change in the trailer. The editing swipes between pest-control people highlight the comedy and family genre of the film as it leads up to the flooding in the bathroom.

There is no specific recognition phase in the narrative, however it could be argued that he realises that he should be a better father to his children, and that the penguins may help him to do that - shown through him not wanting to hand the penguins over to the zookeeper. This also leads to the repair and resolution phases, where he bonds with the penguins and with his children and they all become a family. The emotional journey expressed through the trailer will help to draw parents in to watch the film with their children. The comedy genre is again shown when he teaches the penguins how to dance - this will be popular with children in the audience as well as adults. 

The trailer gives away a lot of the story and we aren't left asking many questions about the film. We learn quite a lot about the main characters but don't get the full story about them. For example, we don't know where his father is or why his career is so important to him. The audience are also possibly curious about the ending to the film, as that is not specifically mentioned, and about how some of the moments in the trailer come about, for example, when the penguins slide through the party. 

A unique selling point for the film, as highlighted within the trailer with multiple camera shots and close-ups as well as being the only actor specifically mentioned, is Jim Carrey. Many adults will form a captive audience through the love of Jim Carrey films, creating a larger target audience for the family film. Many of the elements used as genre indicators in the trailer, appeal not only to children but also to adults. This helps create the ultimate atmosphere for a family comedy and encourages people to go and see it all together as a family.