Magazine Analysis: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)

Rather than analyse the EMPIRE or Total Film's covers that feature 'The Dark Knight Rises' on the cover, I have chosen to have a look at the edition of The Hollywood Reporter that was published following the film's release and the midnight showing tragedy in Aurora, Colorado where a gunman opened fire on an unsuspecting audience. Unlike the aforementioned magazines, this cover is not intended to advertise the movie but rather uses the iconography of the film and its lead character to provide a powerful design that relates to the issue's key article focusing on the tragedy and its effect on the film and the future of cinemas. The design of this poster is very minimalist - Batman himself can only be identified by the white outline that is the curvature of his mask with the iconic ears at the top, both covering and being covered by the magazine's logo. There is a glow around the image of Batman that fades into the surrounding black of the image, with the large percentage of the cover being drenched in complete darkness with the text completely composed of white lettering with a mix of simple serif and sans-serif fonts.

The key tagline used to promote the feature focused on 'TDKR' is 'Tragedy at the Movies', and this is reflected in the red tear drop dripping from Batman's unseen eye - the cover's solitary use of colour. This very precise use of colour helps us to appreciate and focus on what is shown in colour, much like what Spielberg did in his seminal film 'Schindler's List'. The other text featured on the poster includes an explanation of the various parts of this feature on the film, in addition to titles relating to a series of other articles about other stories in film and television. In conclusion, while this is certainly a beautiful and poignant cover and an interesting one to analyse in comparison to the conventional covers of EMPIRE and Total Film, this is not really the sort of approach I will be taking in regards to my own magazine front cover.

Trailer Analysis: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (2013)

The trailer for what looks like what will be one of the finest, or at least most interesting, films of this year, is a stunningly realised piece of editing and marketing with an inspired soundtrack choice that works to elevate this trailer above most others. In the opening moments of the trailer for 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', from lead actor and director Ben Stiller, we are shown the mundane life of the titular character - getting dressed and heading off to work - through some visually spectacular cinematography, a highlight being the shot of the workers climbing and leaving a set of stairs like ants spilling out of an ant hill. This stunningly beautiful approach to the depiction of ordinary life heightens the fantasy of the film, which is heightened even further when the audience witnesses some of Walter Mitty's dream sequences which include but are not limited to flying through windows and leaping out of helicopters into a stormy ocean. Not at single word is spoken in the trailer until the final scene, yet the plot is hinted at simply and effectively through the use of visuals, much like a silent movie, and within the first minute we are given an insight into Walter Mitty's outlook on life, his unrequited affection for a female colleague and his desire to live his wildest fantasies, the latter most poignantly being explained by the shot of Sean Penn's explorer character coming to life in a photo inviting Walter, and by proxy, the audience into the fantastical world of this film. We see consecutive shots of Walter picking up his coat and his briefcase ready to set of on his adventure, much like the audience will as the trailer kicks off into high gear with a flurry of breathtaking shots that showcase the scope and beauty of the picture.

One minute into the trailer we are given the release window of the film, 'This Christmas', suggesting that this film will be lighthearted and suitable for a wide audience. Movies released at Christmas time send to be family movies and while the trailer for this film gives the impression that it will certainly be full of hope and wonder it is also a film with adult themes. Of course, this is the time of year that studios use to release films that they expect will be critically acclaimed rather than simply commercially successful in the run up to the Awards season when they could potentially pick up a number of nominations or even wins. 'Walter Mitty; certainly looks like a film of Oscar-caliber and it is clear that the studio is confident by marketing what is clearly a complex film without 'dumbing it down' as such by treating the audience like idiots and giving them unnecessary exposition. The trailer, however, follows the familiar, tried and tested, structure of most of today's trailers, and climaxes with a brief gag scene in which Walter is presented with two options of rental car: a cold and uninviting blue, or red which evokes feelings of excitement or passion. He immediately goes with the second option - and so it seems the filmmakers, and editors of the trailer have done too.

Poster Analysis: THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013)

In distinct comparison with the various posters released for the film's predecessor - which were overly clean and photoshopped and so had an uninspired, somewhat cheap, Direct-to-DVD feel - the studio behind 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' have this time wisely chosen designers who could give the film an air of class about it. So, here we have the teaser poster for the November release, and it is wonderfully finished in a style of a canvas painting, with Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen shown stood, bow in hand, upon a large rock with the clouds drifting in the sky behind her. The poster is simply an excellent design with several symbolic and religious undertones. For example, Katniss's steadfast position paints her, literally, as a brave, independent woman - which the rule of thirds (and her position in the very left third) dictating that the vast space she is looking into contains some sort of threat or danger to her safety. However she is stood upon a mountain, it seems, and is on top of the world which can either be a positive thing or a negative one as she climbed a great height but once at the top she can swiftly come down whether or not at her own accord.

The religious connotations are obvious with the shape of the clouds that are positioned immediately behind her. They are depicted as looking like long sharp wings emanating from Katniss's back to suggest she is of angelic tendencies - pure, innocent or perhaps working in the name of peace (as her bow is not raised but rather held in a relaxed position, suggesting her reluctance to fight when not necessary). They could also be a reference to the series logo, the Mockingjay Pin that is an iconic image, and if so it highly similar to the IMAX poster for last years 'The Dark Knight Rises' which had Batman stood in a similar position seemingly atop the world with the clouds opening up to reveal light - which in the poster was in the shape of the famous Bat logo. The colour scheme is a very vibrant series of colours, evocative of classical paintings, with parts of the image that would otherwise simply be white taking on various hints of colour, while a old style filter has been applied to add to the retro-painted poster look that the designers are going for. At the top of the poster two lines of text, 'The Sun Persists In Rising, So I Make Myself Stand', act as a tagline not only for the film but the character of Katniss, from whom the words must originate and reflect her struggle in the film. This is a very iconic and artistic design that will definitely be a source of inspiration when designing the posters for my film.

Poster Analysis: TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE (2014)

The poster design for Steve McQueen's latest film is very clean and straightforward, with Chiwetel Ejiofor's character of Solomon Northup depicted in a running pose against a background of pure white. Obviously I can be pretentious and suggest that there is meaning to the fact that his character, a black man, is alone in this poster and surrounded by the colour white (though I guess I've just suggested it) but I think this is simply down to a stylistic choice - a successful attempt to add a touch of class to the proceedings. However, his pose is certainly significant. Unlike many posters which have the characters stood in a photogenic stance, here the main character is presented in motion. Coupled with the title and its emphasis on the length of time he spent as a slave, it could suggest psychologically he was running all this time, or perhaps that at one point in the film he does successfully escape or at least attempt to do so - and this presumably standout scene is what is depicted on the poster.

Aesthetically, the poster is very pleasing to the eye. Strict restriction is given to the colours - his clothes are very basic and so are muted in tone, as his skin, so the orange of the number 12 in the title is the only real distinct use of colour in the poster, thereby making it stand out against the rest. Obviously the title is very important and so the viewer of the poster should remember that. While the 12 is presented in a stylised, perhaps hand-written style, possibly the handwriting of the main character, which makes it seem more down-to-earth, the rest of the font is a regular serif font that evokes the period in which the film is set. The names of the cast are overlaid on to his body, as is the rest of the text, but in comparison to the image of Northup, they are relatively small and hard to distinguish. Ejiofor is not a hugely well known actor so his name isn't singled out to promote the film and simply appears with the rest of the cast. Director Steve McQueen, however, is highly regarded in the film community and so his name appears in the same size font, but somehow more distinguishable due to its isolation, above the title, as his involvement will be a unique selling point for moviegoers. Underneath the title, which is given a clean line underneath for emphasis as well as aesthetics, is the tagline 'The Extraordinary True Story of Solomon Northup' which works in informing the audience of the film's basis in reality and that it has a story that is, for whatever reason, extraordinary, therefore inviting the audiences to see the film for themselves to discover the truth.

Magazine Analysis: SKYFALL (2012)

With a character as big as Bond, care must be made to respect the class and sophistication of the fictional MI6 agent while also highlighting the sheer badassery of the man. Typically, as I have seen through previous analyses, unlike Total Film who have released some horrendous covers with some of the worst photoshopping I've come across and even worse placement of images and mindnumbingly dumb taglines that are clearly intended to draw in the reader's attention but only serve to repel me from ever delving into their pages, EMPIRE Magazine have been consistent (I am not factoring in that disgusting ugly 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' cover) in giving us something that is clean and eye-catching and with fonts small enough not to detract from the presentation. The 'Skyfall' edition of the magazine makes sure to emphasise the amount of content relating to Bond that is present within its pages. This is done by giving us a nice big image of Daniel Craig in character, wielding a Walther PPK, as he frequently does, with a neutral but reassuring while simultaneously giving a 'staring in the face of danger look' that would melt the heart of any foreign, effeminate, maniacal world-dominating type and send them back to the mothers for comfort and support. Suited up in the finest money can buy, Bond is clearly the sort of guy you'd want on your cover - lean, men and a well-dressed machine. His head covers the middle section of the magazine's title but I'm sure this was something the publisher would be willing to sacrifice to ensure Bond would have as much page space as possible, and I am thankful for that.

The title of the film appears just below the centre of the cover and a small tagline below, 'Bond. Back in Business' is short, sweet and to the point. It had been several years since the release of the previous Bond film and so I expect EMPIRE would understand the anticipation of the masses who can finally have their hero back. Immediately underneath is the text 'Plus 50 Years of 007 (with the character's codename in its familiar logo) starring' which is then followed by pictures of the five previous Bonds, actor's surname in tow. The very top of the magazine cover has the words 'Nobody Does It Better'. This is a reference to the hugely successful, and a fan-favourite at that, Bond song from the film 'The Spy Who Loved Me', again one of the most famous and recognisable of the franchise. This phrase is a comment from EMPIRE Magazine that will surely resonate among Bond fans who would accept no replacement when it comes to badass British, semi-misogynistic, secret agents. Overall, the typography of the cover is excellent. Simplicity is key and EMPIRE have decided to play it safe by using bold fonts and colours, with red and white the major players, but with gold to add a further element of class to their magazine. Two bullet holes punctuate either side of the cover, and while their inclusion may seem a desperate attempt to make their otherwise calm poster more exciting, they are aesthetically pleasing and add a somewhat three dimensional effect to the cover.

Sadly, though, the beauty of the cover and its devotion to Bond is compromised by the placement of the characters of Black Widow and Ron Burgundy from the 'Avengers' and 'Anchorman' franchises, respectively. Their images seems majorly out of place in regards to the rest of the cover, especially the latter character and his immediate comedy connotations (plus his film's release is a year and half after from the publication of this issue so surely there would be a more time-appropriate film to advertise). However despite this, as well as the annoying taglines for other features at the side of the magazine, I have decided to forgive EMPIRE as the rest of the cover is so well done. Again, I recognise that simplicity is king, and I will have to make sure my magazine is classy and uncrowded to guarantee it has the look and authenticity of a top tier publication.

Trailer Analysis: FILTH (2013)

The upcoming film 'Filth' is a peculiar combination of comedy and extreme psychodrama with all sorts of oddities taking place in the film's action, and I believe the trailer helps portray this remarkably well. This generally unusual film is best represented in the first eight seconds of the trailer in which a series of adjectives, inter-cut with split second shots from the film, flash up on screen, such as (but not limited to) 'Sick', 'Depraved', 'Obscene', 'Kinky' and 'Offensive' which can be attributed to the film as a whole but also to the lead character portrayed by native Scot James McAvoy, who, within the confines of  the trailer, breaks the fourth wall and asks a young woman "What does that make me then?". Her response "You're a Policeman' introduces us to the character with whom the audience is typically supposed to relate with, despite his own special brand of madness. To the soundtrack of C2C's 'Down The Road', a popular contemporary song, McAvoy's voiceover introduces us to his world, and his own words, "of course me, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson" who immediately after the completion of this line has released a young child's balloon into the air and raised both middle fingers at the, admittedly, rude child.

The next set of title cards appear with the line 'Some cops...play dirty' as we are shown the wild and crazy behavior of our protagonist, with the claim of the next words 'but Bruce Robertson...plays filthy' - a connection to the film's title - confirmed in the shots where he places his male member into a photocopying machine and presses the enlarge button several times, to the dismay of a dissapointed (brief) sexual partner which only seems to incite maniacal laughter on his part. We flash through a series of images to the see the words 'From Irvine Welsh, Creator of Trainspotting', a film which has experienced a cult following with presumably the same expected of this, and a then a mix of surreal imagery and that of Bruce's reality in which his friends and colleagues question his sanity, a fact acknowledged by him with the line, "I think there's something seriously wrong with me." A meeting with his psychiatrist then quickly descends into a rapid series of shots depicting strange encounters and plenty of shots of Bruce laughing his head off while all manic hell breaks loose, while quotes from critics praising the film appear on screen to the tune of the Sister Sisters and the song Filthy/Gorgeous (an obvious choice given the lyrics and the film's title). An extended scene towards the end of the trailer has Bruce introduce an otherwise plain, by the book sort of character to the world of clubbing, by spiking his drink, and so in the final shots we see Eddie Marsan in full on dancing mode with a group of young men, rubbing his nipples in a rather sexy manner in the process, as Bruce gives a cheeky look to end the trailer. Overall, this is a very fun and energetic trailer with a number of comic moments while also having some darker, more stimulating scenes which I guess gives a good impression of the actual film and that is what is important - producing a strong, interesting trailer while not misleading audiences into seeing the film they weren't expecting as such.