Kick-Ass (Empire): Magazine Cover Analysis

 

The title of the film stands out on this cover as it is the brightest colour on the page. The lime green helps to draw the eyes of the audience. This bright colour contrasts the rest of the cover as it is quite dark and gloomy. This, as well as the magazine title written in blood, suggests the film is going to be dangerous.

The colour red connotes danger and blood. This colour is used to highlight certain words and phrases, as well as the main magazine title. The green used is bright and exciting and entices people to pick it up and have a look.

The use of the image of the main character in the forefront of the cover is effective as the audience can see who the character is and get an idea of the story line - shown through his superhero-looking costume and the blood on his face. The pose also suggests that it is an action film. The drawings of the characters behind also suggest that these characters are equally as important to the storyline

Having the title written as if it were in blood makes the magazine different as it is trying to create an effect to match the nature of the film. This is something unique to Empire Magazine as it does this on other covers. It is effective as the audience are drawn to it being different, yet having parts of the title covered, shows that it is quite popular and not the main thing the audience are drawn to - the magazine makes sure the film title is the most important and visible part of the cover.

The Dark Knight (2008): Poster Analysis

The main image for this poster is effective as it shows the main character against a dramatic background - hinting at what might be to come in the film. The fire in the shape of a bat is symbolic of his character and the fact that it is burning the building hints at the destruction in the film. Having a darker colour scheme is interesting as it doesn't draw the eye of the audience as a brightly coloured poster might. However, the dark colours in contrast to the fiery orange and red increases the dramatic look of the poster.

The slogan, "welcome to a world without rules", adds to the dramatic nature of the background image. It hints at the action and dramatic genre of the film. The capitalised, bold font also suggests action in the film. The full-stop creates an abrupt ending to the slogan, further hinting at the destruction shown in the main image.

Addition of the actors involved at the bottom of the poster is typical. The use of larger font for the surnames possibly shows that the actors are well known and will encourage the audience to go and see the film.

The title at the bottom is effective as it is simple but still gets the information across in an aesthetically pleasing way. The film is a part of a franchise and so the use of the bat behind the title lets the audience know this. As the franchise already has a captive audience, this will entice the audience and encourage them to go and see it. The release information at the bottom is typical of a film poster and helps to entice the audience as it allows the audience to see when the film is out and who is involved in it.

The poster leaves the audience asking questions about the film, further encouraging them to go and see it. For example, they are left wondering what happened to the building and whose fault it was. We are also left wondering what made the setting "a world without rules" and will it ever get fixed.

The Girl on the Train (2016): Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins with a close-up of a woman (Emily Blunt), who the audience can assume is the main character. This makes her seem important to the film as she is the first thing the audience see and the first character the audience are able to make judgement on. The equilibrium phase of the narrative shows the perfect life of the couple, with a particular focus on the woman. In this short moment, there are a lot of medium shots of the woman showing parts of her life so the audience are able to see her as a character to focus on. 

The equilibrium is quickly disrupted by the news that the woman went missing. From this point on, the trailer is fast paced with very frequent cuts.  This creates a sense of fear and confusion in the audience and entices them to keep watching and go and see the film. Throughout the trailer there is upbeat but futuristic music playing alongside a single piano note. This creates a scary and intense feeling for the audience. This highlights the fact that the film is a thriller. 

The recognition and repair phases show that the woman at the beginning try to help find the missing woman - and also show her to be more involved in the woman going missing than originally thought. This begins a montage of clips that cut very fast between them. This speeds up the pace even more and adds to the fear and tension already building in the trailer. The music gets even more intense and louder throughout the trailer until it finally cuts out at the end and is replaced by screaming sounds. This plays whilst a close-up of Emily Blunt's character cuts to a medium shot of the missing woman and then back to a long shot of Emily Blunt's character at the train station. This scares the audience as it is unexpected at the end of the trailer. 

The audience are left asking many questions after the trailer is finished. For example, the audience don't know what actually happened to the woman, or if she was actually killed and the audience are left wondering why the is woman 'afraid of herself' if she didn't kill her. These questions will encourage the audience to go and see the film as they will want to find out what happens and how the film ends.  

Elysium (2013): Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins with an establishing shot of Elysium. This begins the equilibrium phase of the narrative, where it shows Elysium to be perfect and blessed whilst Earth is left to be devastated. The use of the language "the year 2154" helps to set the scene for the audiences and to intrigue them as this hasn't happened yet. The futuristic, mysterious music and the intense boom sounds throughout increase the fear and tension within the trailer and tell the audience that it is going to be a sci-fi, action film. There are a lot of fade to blacks in the trailer, further highlighting the tension the audience should feel. The close-up of Matt Damon highlights his character as one of importance, and tells the audience that the film will possibly be about him. 

The disruption phase begins when the character decides to increase his abilities using robotic technology. The recognition and repair phases begin when he decides to break into Elysium. Before this, the trailer was quite fast paced with frequent cuts, however, it begins to slow down and, with the quieter music and muted sound effects, creates a slow motion effect. This helps to highlight the fighting and action the audience see in the trailer. 

The audience are left asking many questions at the end of the trailer. For example, they are wondering who Matt Damon's character is. The trailer doesn't look into many characters, apart from Matt Damon's. The audience find out that he is one of the poorer people forced to live on Earth. Matt Damon is considered a unique selling point, among others, as he is mentioned and focused on throughout the trailer - this will encourage the audience to go and see the film as he is a popular and well-known actor. The audience are also left wondering if he actually gets to Elysium, and why he wanted to get there in the first place.

The representation of his character contrasts the privileged in Elysium. These people are represented as the elite who are able to live in a perfect world. 'Elysium' in mythology is where heroes were sent by the Gods after death, and the film highlights this perfectly with the beauty in Elysium and the destruction of Earth. 

Little Miss Sunshine (2006): Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins with the equilibrium phase of the narrative, showing a normal family in their home. There are close-up and medium shots of each character which allows the audience to see each of the characters predominantly involved in the film. The disruption begins when the little girl gets a place in the finals of a beauty pageant. After this, during the recognition and repair phases, there are many long shots of the van driving, cutting to medium shots of the characters inside the van. Upbeat music starts playing which suggests to the audience that it will be an upbeat and cheerful film. The sliding cuts throughout also help to indicate the comedic genre of the film. The yellow van is significant in the film, and the audience can see this from the continued shots of it. The music becomes more dramatic and hopeful during the montage of clips towards the end, suggesting that the film is of the dramatic genre. 

The audience are left asking many questions that will encourage them to go and see the film. For example, does she get to California in the end and does she win the competition? These questions allow the audience to think about what could happen and then go and compare it to the actual film. 

The actors help to create a unique selling point for the film. Popular actors, such as Steve Carrell, star in the film and encourage the audience to go and see the film. The actors all have different characters that the audience can relate to and want to watch. Other things that might entice the audience to watch the film are the heart-warming storyline and family journey, both of which are cliches of dramatic films. 

Shutter Island (2010): Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins with an establishing shot of the two men on a boat, and then a long shot of the island as they arrive. The equilibrium is quickly stated, with the two men being federal marshals and visiting the island where they keep dangerous and mentally unstable criminals. This is only mentioned once or twice in the trailer, and the audience only get glimpses of who the criminals are, which intrigues people as they want to learn more about the people living on the scary island. The music, at this point, is relatively calm with horror motifs sounding throughout. This increases the tension and anticipation within the trailer.

The disruption phase begins when the audience learn of the prisoner escaping. The music gets more intense with the introduction of ticking and stormy sounds. There are a lot of fade to blacks throughout the trailer and more intense cuts with flashes to increase the tension. These also act as genre indicators as they are typically used in horror films. 

The recognition phase comes when the two men realise something is wrong with the island and try to repair it by finding the missing patient and leaving the island. This is shown to be difficult as they change clothes half way through the trailer - into white clothes that closely resemble the patients'. The addition of screaming noises adds to the fear and tension that the trailer hopes to invoke in the audience. The more intense cuts also increase the fear that the audience feels but also encourages them to go and see the film to see what happens. 

We are left asking many questions after the trailer. For example, the change of clothes makes the audience wonder what happened to them and if they became patients - the images at the end of DiCaprio losing his mind also hint at this. The audience are also left wondering if they ever get out and if they find the girl, but also wonder how they went from investigating the island to being treated as patients.

Leonardo DiCaprio is recognised as a unique selling point for the film, as well as Martin Scorsese. There are a lot of close-up shots during the trailer of DiCaprio, to entice the audience as he is a well-known and popular actor. Scorsese is a celebrated director and producer and this will also entice the audience as he is well-known for directing very famous films. 

Despicable Me 3 (2017): Trailer Analysis

The trailer for Despicable Me 3 begins with medium and long shots that encapture the suburban life that Gru has been living since giving up evil. The dreamy, emotional music portray a touching narrative that appeals to families. The slow pace adds to the music to show the normality of his new life. This suburban family life is shown at the equilibrium stage of the narrative.

This is disrupted early on, with the introduction of his twin brother. When he meets his brother there is a bird's-eye view of the two. The slow-motion highlight the difference in clothing and attitudes between the brothers - Gru is emotionally unintelligent, wearing all black and grey, where Dru is stereotypically effeminate, wearing all white. The more upbeat music at this point, also helps to highlight the differences in the brothers' lifestyles. The long shots and close ups of the private island that Dru lives on shows a great contrast between their lives as it is much different from the shots of the suburban life at the beginning.

The realisation stage comes when Gru sees the extravagance of his brother's life. He realises that his own life has been dull since he gave up evil for a family life. He tries to repair this by going on one last heist with his brother. Towards the end of the trailer, the pace gets faster to show the more exciting life he is living on the last heist. We are left asking many questions, for example, how will the balance in Gru's life be restored, and what does the final heist entail? These enigmas entice the audience to go and see the film.

Throughout the trailer there is limited but key dialogue to ensure that the story isn't given away. The music is also stopped when jokes are made as a genre indicator - to highlight the comedy aspect of the film.

Steve Carell is shown as a unique selling point to the film, as he is the main name highlighted in the trailer. The Despicable Me films are part of a franchise, and so already have a captive audience. The captive audience is targeted through use of the same actors and characters, for example, the continued use of the minions to, again, highlight the comedy and family nature of the film.