Research into magazine posters

Case study: Empire magazine- Dark Knight

The denotation of the poster is of one of the main characters from the film The dark knight. The character is the joker, who is wearing face paint to make him look like a clown. It has the title of the magazine above his head and the name of the film they are trying to advertise. It also shows the left side first which mentions the article that are in the magazine. The connotations of the magazine cover are of the Star character Heath Ledger wearing clown make up and it gives off a sense of insanity as he is glaring up at the camera with his head down and the camera tilted down on him. The icon in the cover is the Joker because as soon as you see that face you know it is the Batman franchise. The signifier of the cover is the horror it represent through the Jokers insane glare at ther camera. Empire magazine released two covers of this magazine so the audience could pick whether they related better with the Joker or with Batman. The colour of the font is green which is the theme colour to what the Joker wears throughout the film. The font also matches the Jokers hair colour because for the film his hair is died green. Underneath the Masthead it says 'Batman vs The Joker summer just got serious' which is the tag line. This is a symbolic link to the catchphrase that the Joker uses in the film The Dark Knight which is 'Why so serious'. The left hand first also promotes other films like Hancock, The Hobbit and The real jaws.




Case study: Empire magazine- Megan Fox

The denotation of the film is the main attraction which is Megan Fox. She is wearing no top and a pair of tight trousers so it attracted many male readers. It has the title of the magazine above her head and they are advertising what is in the magazine, which is an interview with Megan Fox and her sexual attraction. It shows the left side first which says what that weeks magazine will contain. The connotation of the magazine is the star character Megan Fox, who is trying to promote her sexual image and attract many male readers just by her sitting down glaring at the camera showing a lot of flesh. The icon within the magazine is megan fox as she is portrayed as a sexual icon. Megan fox signifies a sort of sexual woman and symbolises sexy young women actors. The theme colour of the magazine is white which symolises virginity, so it contrasts with what Megan Fox is wearing, or isnt wearing. The Font size is bold and in capitals to catch the readers eye. Megan Fox's name is in bold so the first thing peoploe read is about the main attraction, which is her. The left hand first promotes other exclusives in the magazine which is: Wolverine, Star Trek and Angels and Demons.

Research in to existing posters

Case study: The Strangers
The denotation of the poster is there are three people standing with masks on, and there are a couple tied to a chair next to each other. The connotations of the poster is that the couple will probably be brutally murdered by the people in the masks. The icon in the poster is the masks as it hides their identity. The anchorage of the film is the title 'The Strangers' as the people in masks are strangers because you cant see who they are. The signifier of the film poster is the three people wearing masks as it portrays horror to the audience as their identities are hidden. The poster also keeps the audience on edge about what the people in the masks are going to do to the couple tied up in the chairs. The back ground to the poster is very dark so it is obvious the film is a horror. There is only a bit of light on the poster to show the people wearing the masks. There are the names of the two main actors who star in the film and they are 'Liv Tyler' and 'Scott Speedman'. On the poster the 'Liv Tylers' name comes first before 'Scott Speedmans', this is because 'Liv Tyler' is the bigger actor between them both. This is called Star billing; this is when the most famous actors name comes first on a poster.

Case study: UP
The denotation of this film poster is there is an old man a dog, a little boy holding onto a rope which is being supported by the house. The house is in the air flying up because it is attached by lots of balloons. The connotations of the poster are that they look like they are going on a mad adventure. The poster gives off a sense of youth vs. old age as it is an old man doing flying in the air on balloons. The icon of the film is the balloons as it shows a fun side of the film. The signifier of the film is the flying house and the people hanging from it as it signifies a fun side to the film and it gives the audience a feel that there is a sense of panic. It gives off the sense of panic through the old mans facial expressions as he is hanging off his house with a worried look to his face. On the other hand the boy is laughing while hanging off the house so this portrays humour within the film. The poster try’s to attract a younger audience by using lots of primary colours. The poster also advertises the brand of the company that made the film which is Disney Pixar. There is none of the actor’s names who took part in the film on the poster because they believe that the property of the film is more important.