Inception Magazine Cover Analysis

One thing that this cover makes clear is that this is a Christopher Nolan film, and that is because he is a very popular and well respected director. Because of this they make a clear link to his other big project of the time, his Dark Knight trilogy. This combined with the moody colour scheme of this cover suggest that fans of The Dark Knight would enjoy this film, a suggestion that would bring in large audiences as The Dark Knight is a very popular film.
 Leonardo DiCaprio is placed at the very center of the cover, making his role in the film as the protagonist clear. This is a clever move as DiCaprio is an extremely popular actor who can draw in large audiences. Also obvious on this cover is the gun he is holding suggesting that this film lands heavily in the action/thriller genre.All the dark colours make the film seem serious and the red, like the gun, hints at the action element of the film.
On the whole this cover remains ambiguous in terms of what the film is actually about but it does give off the vibe that its important. This will make people want to see the film to find out what the big deal is.What this cover does do is say "The matrix meets 007" which while it does actually pretty accurately sum up Inception, also puts it on the same level as those franchises which will make people sit up and take notice of this release.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Magazine Cover Analysis

The overriding colour scheme of this poster is red+neutrals, however because Scott is wearing green this makes him stand out as it is a complementary colour. This has the effect of making him memorable to anyone reading the magazine so they are more likely to go and see the film. While other empire covers are usually more focused on the actual image this one conveys a lot more about the film through the almost empty space. Around the edge of the cover are lines like you would draw to convey speed or movement it is this kind of graphic element that hints to a similar theme in the film. The text on the cover also features pop-culture references which represents another key aspect of the film, by showing off these elements it gives potential audiences an idea of what the film will be like and encourages them to watch it.
The USP of this film is its director, Edgar Wright, he is well known for his quirky, stylized and humourous films, most notably his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on their Cornetto Trilogy. As a result the cover makes this link clear by both displaying his name and making a link to the Cornetto Trilogy, This will build enthusiasm and trust around this upcoming film as well as bringing in any fans of his previous work.

The Riot Club Trailer Analysis


 One of the most interesting elements about this trailer is the way it evolves over its course. At the beginning its quite jovial with upbeat modern music which would draw in younger audiences, however as it progresses it starts to get darker and darker with the music building in the background. Near the beginning it almost comes across more as a comedy, with one of the female characters asking Miles "Are you, posh?" in an over the top horrified way. In fact for about half the trailer it seems like it is a film about rich boy hi jinks, however when the girl from the beginning says to Miles "they're not your friends. They don't know when to stop." the mood starts to change. At first its subtle a slight change in the tone of the music and a build in the on screen hysteria. However when Sam Claflin's character punches the landlord of the pub they're in the music cuts out and is replaced by some sinister sounding piano notes. Suddenly everything seems much more serious, and the fun and games are replaced with some kind of ambiguous crime. By the look of the characters covered in blood we are left to assume that it was a murder. Following the line "people like us don't make mistakes" the music suddenly picks up again but now with an orchestral track that build the hysteria. from this point onwards it is clear that this is a drama/thriller to with the politics of class and the line from earlier on in the trailer "these boys will go on to be very important people" becomes quite a scary thought. This is emphasized by the words which appear onscreen "Filthy, Rich, Spoilt, Rotten".
 Another key point to this trailer is it's cast. It features a large group of actors who over the past couple of years have really stepped into the limelight, most notably: Natalie Dormer, Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth, Jessica Brown Findlay, Holliday Grainger and Max Irons. This young, popular and attractive cast will have massive pulling power for the film as many already have dedicated groups of fans.
 The unique selling point of this film is its cultural relevance right now in Britain, with the election coming up next year and growing dissatisfaction among the younger generations a film like this about the infamous Bullingdon Club could not be better timed for release. Many of our politicians including the current prime minister David Cameron were members of this club and this film raises the import question of whether or not you really want people this out of touch with reality in charge of the country.

Targets for film trailer posts

Target: try and use key terminology such as, technical, verbal, symoblic and engima codes.

Are there puzzles and questions left unanswered in the trailer that create an enimga for the audience?

Are there symoblic codes that create certain connotations and impact the audience?

Could you comment on the narrative structure of the trailer according to Todorov's theory of narrative?

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Trailer Analysis


 As The Hobbit:TBOTFA is the final part of a prequel trilogy it has to feel like its going to be a massive cinematic event, as a result this trailer has a grandiose feel with many links back to the original trilogy and featuring almost every character. One of the most poignant references to the original trilogy is the song in the background of the trailer which is sung by Pippin in The Return of the King over the top of Faramir's doomed charge against the Orc forces. By including it int this trailer they not only promote the link between the two trilogies but also for those who have seen the Lord of the Rings it hints at impending tragedy. Another link back to the original trilogy are the characters that feature in both of them, for example Galadriel, Gandalf and Saruman played by Kate Blanchett, Ian Mckellan and Christopher Lee respectively. By having these big named characters and actors featured in this trailer it will bring in a wider audience of cinema goers who will see these names as a symbol of quality.
There is very little speech in this trailer which makes what speech there is especially important. At the beginning Bilbo has a short voice over which basically serves to build the mystery around the film, with the suggestion of key character death. However as this is very vague the ambiguous nature of it will serve to entice in a cinema audience by making them want to find out more. The next speech is over halfway through the trailer with the exchange between Bard and Thorin, "Will you have peace or war?" with Thorin replying " I will have war". This shows a shift in the dynamics of Thorin's character, while previously he was very much a "good" character this hints that maybe in this film that could change.
 There are lots of slow paced establishing shots and fast paced mid or two shots which introduce all of the characters while maintaining the epic tone of the trailer. The low angle shot of the dragon Smaug is intimidating for the audience and firmly shows that this film will be darker than its predecessors.

Course start checklist


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Comment?
RESEARCH


Uploaded YouTube videos of 15 trailers – analysed
Key Terms: genre conventions, mise-en-scene, camera shots, sound, editing, unique selling points (USP), target audience, verbal codes, technical codes, symbolic codes, enigma codes.

3 done
Technical codes, enigma codes and verbal codes. Also look more into composition.
Posters analysed – 5
Picture, costumes, font, captions, text, colours, target audience, symbolic codes, enigma codes.
Done
Add analysis of enigma codes.
Magazine Covers – analysed - 5
Key Terms:  font, layout, picture, target audience, verbal codes, technical codes, symbolic codes, enigma codes.
Typography • What font styles are used? • What are the connotations of the font (what do they suggest)?
Layout • What effect does this have? Why is the page laid out like this?
Colour •What do the colours connote?
Images • What shot types and angles were used? • What is the effect of the shot type and/or angle? • What effect does the mise-en-scene have? • Why were the props, costumes, locations, etc. used? • What do they signify?
Mode of Address • How does the magazine ‘speak’ to its audience? • What language is used? • What impression do the fonts, colours, etc. have?

 4 done
Add analysis of enigma codes.
Shot types, locations or lack thereof?
Mode of address
Reflection of Year 12


More detail in evaluation, download programs tomake seem more sophisticated and record sound separately.
Exemplars read and reviewed

Yes.

Kickass 2 Magazine Cover Analysis

In this TimeOut cover for the Kickass sequel it has very bright colouring of yellow and purple which demonstrates the boisterous nature of this franchise, however that they are complementary colours it is portraying the film in a positive light. The purple is also important because it is the signature colour of the feature character on this cover; Hit-girl. This establishes the brand and will help to create a hype around the upcoming release. She is positioned centrally, taking up most of the cover which shows how big a part she will be playing in the film and also would help to encourage fans of the first film to both buy the magazine and watch the sequel as Hit-girl is a popular character.
 While none of her signature weapons are visible you can see a good deal of her costume, including the now almost iconic mask and wig combo again reinforcing the branding. The lettering is big, bold and exclamatory, channelling the vibe of the film it is promoting, even including a humorous crossed out expletive in the style of Hit-girl. This alerts anyone who isn't aware of the first film to the mood of the films and may encourage them to look into them.