Common features of Magazine Front Covers

Evident from all 3 covers, a bold masthead is used to inform the audience of brand identity. Well known brands let their masthead fall behind the image, suggesting the audience already knows of the brand, so more space can be used for the feature film. Usually white, if the background is grey or black and usually a gothic font, the masthead indicates the main content of the magazine. ‘Scream’ implies the focus on ‘slasher’ horror with exaggerated blood and gore shown by the blood drips on the front cover, whereas using ‘Horror’ as the title is quite ambiguous suggesting the magazine covers all sub-genres of horror. Clear interpellation on a front cover is a good technique as it allows the audience to choose a magazine based on the content that they specifically want, making the design of the front cover very important for sales. 

Colours are often used to reflect the mood of the genre. Stereotypical colours used are black, red and white. Black presents the theme of darkness, where horror films are commonly filmed, White is used for the writing, in clear contrast to the black background and Red is the colour of blood, making the cover more scary and appealing to a ‘slasher’ audience.

Most covers use a central image, focusing on the main character from the film. A range of shot types are used for this image. For bigger budget magazines such as ‘Total Film’, a Medium Long Shot (MLS) is used to dominate the cover, whereas smaller budget magazines such as ‘Scream’ have a Medium Close Up (MCU) with smaller images surrounding. The MCU shows a more gruesome image portraying horror, whereas the MLS relies on the film reputation to portray the genre of film.

As for subsidiary magazine features, puffs are very uncommon on movie magazine front covers, so are tag lines that encourage further reading. Most film magazine audiences are encouraged to buy the magazine depending on the film featured on the front cover. Nevertheless, ‘Horror” uses a puff along the whole top line for sales purposes, as it gives the audience a prompt to buy it.

Smaller film magazines also fill the cover with cover stories. As they can't afford to promote horror blockbusters, they surround the central film image with sub cover stories so that the magazine appeals to a multi film audience; again maximising sales. 

From these techniques identified, we plan to conform with the dark colour scheme with a large, white masthead on the top third of the page. Given that we are planning to re-create a 'psychological slasher' dripping blood effects might add interest to our print based project however it may look less sophisticated to our target audience of older males. We will use a basic font for text and a contrasting colour to highlight the story content. As for the main cover story image, we think a MLS looks better as our central image won't rely on the characters 'horror make-up' to effect the reader. A MLS also portrays the sense of isolation, which adds to the psychological side of the trailer. Conforming to general layout, we will probably use a few sub cover stories to make the cover look more diverse, however we don't want to use puffs or pugs as the best designs have simpler layouts. 

Common features of Horror Film posters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Print Based Analysis- Horror Film Magazine Covers

Textual Analysis of 'Scream' Magazine Cover

 

Textual Analysis of 'Horror' Magazine Cover  

 

 

 

 

Textual Analysis of 'Total Film' Magazine Cover

 

 

Print Based Analysis- Horror Film Posters

The Conjuring Film Poster



 

In this simplistic yet effective film poster, the image is centralised and is therefore immediately  the main focus point for the audience. The girl sitting on the rocking chair in this extreme long shot is facing away from the audience. The fact that we cant see her face adds an element of mystery and horror because it suggests that she perhaps has something to hide- a typical trait of a horror film protagonist. In contrast you can see the dolls face that she is holding which seemingly has a cynical, guilty smile on her face which has a creepy and uncomfortable effect to it especially as she is a doll. The girls clothes look very ragged and old fashioned which gives her a ghostly, lifeless look which could be suggestive of her role in the film.

The overall look of the poster is very dark and eerie which is predominantly because of the small variety of dull colours used. Stereotypically, dark colours are used in the promotion of horror films to portray the dark themes that are apparent in such films.

 The main background colours used are black and a grey/white colour. A large proportion of horror films revolve around darkness and such themes, so the dark low-key lighting that is used in this poster clearly connotes the horror genre.

All of the text has been cleverly put in a white font. Not only does this stand out against a dark background, but the colour white connotes life, death and ghostly persons. The text on the poster has been kept to a minimum- only giving you essential information so that your attention isn't deterred away from this or the image.

At the top of the poster it reads 'From the director of Saw and insidious.' This association with other well know, successful horror films will entice the audience and make them interested in not only the poster but the film also as they are aware of the directors previous work.

Text that is in bold on the poster includes the title of the film 'The Conjuring', 'Coming Soon' and 'Based on the true case files of The Warrens.' It is important for all the pieces of text to be in bold because it is essential information that needs to catch the readers eye. Furthermore, the fact that the audience is given the information that this film is based on a true case file immediately heightens the horror element in this film as it makes it more true to life and therefore making the audience want to watch it.

Insidious Chapter 2 Film Poster

   This film poster is even more simplistic than The Conjuring as it features a lot less text which I think makes it more effective. This is because I find myself immediately drawn to the image and the title of the film which presumably was the creators intentions.

The background image has been produced in a grey scale effect which makes the overall look very dark and sinister. The predominant colours are black and grey- which are colours often associated with the horror genre because of their obvious dark and scary connotations. Similarly to The Conjuring poster, the person in the image is looking away from the audience which equally suggests a element of secrecy to the film. The child also looks as if it is heading towards a dark abyss which adds the element of the unknown, especially for the audience which adds in the fear factor that horror films aim to achieve.
The image is of a small child which seems to be an apparent theme throughout the horror genre. The use of such a vulnerable person (a small child) creates a juxtaposition for the audience. This is because the innocence associated with children is put into question when it is put into a situation typical of a horror film.

The slatted wooden floorboards are not the main focus point of the film poster, however I think they have particular significance. Often in horror films there are moments of silence where the antagonist is seen to be hiding from someone. This is often unsuccessful though due to such things as squeaky floorboards which gives them away to the protagonist.

I think that the poster acknowledges the audience by involving them through various techniques. Firstly, in the tag line 'It will take what you love the most' the word 'will' stems under deontic modality which shows a real certainty that what they are suggesting, will definitely happen. Also the second person pronoun 'you' immediately directs itself at the audience which isolates each reader into thinking that the poster is directed at them. This is effective because it really grips the reader and makes them think which is one thing that a horror film, I believe aims to achieve.

The lettering of the title is very bold and predominant on the page which could come across as quite intimidating and powerful as it takes a lot of dominance over the page. The white writing stands out against the black background making it easy for the audience to read, whilst one again signalling connotations of ghostly figures that could be apparent in the film. 'SI' and '2' are in a bold red colour which makes them stand out compared to the other text whilst suggesting that in particular 'SI' is of particular significance in this film. The blood like red colour connotes danger and horror which indicates to the audience that this will be prevalent in the film.
The date is also in red at the bottom making it stand out. more importantly though, this poster indicates that the film will be released on Friday the 13th. This is a date that is widely known as being unlucky, therefore the release date is furthering the genre of this film by adding another element of horror.

Finally, I think that the uses of #INSIDIOUS is important on the film poster because it involving a wider mass audience by including social media on the poster.

 

Sinister Film Poster

 

Similarly to the other film posters, this one also only feature one character on the front who we assume to be a lead protagonist role in the film. Once again, you cannot see her face suggesting she has something to hide and is perhaps a more sinister character (as suggested in the film title), which contrasts with the innocence and vulnerability that is associated with girls of her young age. The background colours used are not black and dark like the other posters; instead the backdrop of the poster is white with a cracked effect in the wall. The colour white connotes purity and innocence- two things that are often associated with children. However, in this horror film it would perhaps suggest more ghostly and supernatural themes.
The girl on the cover is in pyjamas which I think could either be representational of night time or her state of mind. We often associate horror films with darkness, therefore leading to them often being set in darkness or at night time. Furthermore, you often see children in pyjamas when they are in hospitals, so in this psychological horror film, hospitalisation and her state of mind come into question in the film.
Slatted, wooden floorboards are also featured in this horror film. So as mentioned in the previous analysis of Insidious, this could be representational of a part of the film where an antagonist character is trying to hide from the protagonist.

 

'From the producer of Paranormal Activity and Insidious' is featured at the top of the poster and it is becoming apparent that this is a common techniques that film posters endure. Sinister, through this technique, has been associated with highly accredited psychological films. Therefore, this association with such films immediately puts a first good impression of the film in the readers minds.                                                           

 

The blood that is being scraped along the wall by the girl instantly gives away to the audience the genre of this film; horror. The fact that there is a demonic face within this blood makes the image even more impacting and terrifying, especially as it looks like it is looking straight at you. The image directly coincides with the strap line ' Once you see him, nothing can save you.' The use of the second person pronoun once again directly addresses each audience member which involves them in the film straight away and immediately adds an element of fear before they have even watched the film.









Trailer Textual Analysis

Analysis of trailers - Horror genre

The Conjuring Official Trailer 2013

An objective framing shot of the family entering the new house makes the audience look at the family from an outsider’s perspective, suggesting someone in the house watching them. A medium long shot allows the audience to see the upstairs, where they are playing hide and seek. The emptiness of the upstairs highlights suspicion and that something is hiding in the house. Many point of view shots are used in horror films to set the scene. The set portrays an intense mood in the horror genre; making the film scarier and therefore effective. Fast, panning shots of a child hiding under the bed relate to horror as they show the stereotypical unknown that hides under a child’s bed. Another technique used is the use of a back facing camera; it shows the child’s back in a shallow depth of field, which sees the audience watching the child from behind. Back to the camera, a high angle shot allows the audience to see more than just the woman standing there, they also see an open door, used to build suspense. In addition the camera is placed in objectively, which could allow the audience to feel her emotions or as the spirit watching her. A hand held camera is used to create verisimilitude and hysteria. Horror films nearly always use a hand held camera for action scenes as it helps the audience to feel what the protagonist is feeling.

In the horror genre, low key lighting creates subtle darkness allows the audience to imagine movements and figures in the dark, making the trailer scarier to watch. Furthermore, it can create shadows on the wall which develops the idea of something following the protagonist. Nostalgic memorabilia such as the old wardrobe and old paintings represent the haunted house. As the wardrobe opens, it becomes clear to the audience that the wardrobe is home to someone’s hands. Almost every horror uses symbolism to intensify the story. Crucial in this trailer the blindfold portrays the fact that the audience know there is something there, however they can’t see it. Mirrors are used to show that we can see what’s going to happen before the protagonist from the reflection. We see the woman in the mirror with an open door, with darkness outside the room. Usually, horrors have many doors as they suggest the feeling of being unable to escape. The black basement represents the unknown. A grey atmosphere implies the coldness down there, similar to the coldness of death. The only light bulb gets smashed, which leaves the woman in darkness; but the light doesn’t just die, it fizzles out and smashes. This is when the woman lights a match. Stereotypically, the match light flickers proving there is something moving it, as the flame is sensitive to movement.  Match light provides just enough light to show the hands of the spirit clapping behind her head.

Diegetic sound of children is deceivingly happy, which is a contrasts the terror during the main body of the trailer. Behind the children’s laughter, is a non-diegetic soundtrack, with minor notes and heavy breathing sounds, creating the feeling of someone blowing down your neck from behind. As the horror begins, the soundtrack quickly ceases. A following moment of silence, exaggerates the synchronous wardrobe handle sound effect that follows. The opening wardrobe sound symbolises the horror being released. A warped sound effect gets louder as she approaches the wardrobe. The amplified clap is used at three points of the trailer; beginning, middle and end. The clap is symbolic throughout. Again, the kids’ voices are used to contrast with the unnatural clap that the audience have just heard. The contrapuntal sound of a child chuckling; adheres with the innocent child theme. An amplified sound of a thumping heartbeat creates tension for the audience. As she gets closer to the basement it gets faster, used to raise the heart rate of the audience. Coinciding with the fast paced cuts parallel, snappy sounds are used to comply with stereotypical horror scenes. A door banging, a smashing light bulb and screams clearly communicate the peak of action. The woman strikes a match which is realistically loud, to make the whole situation seem genuine. Inversely, the hands re-appear beside the woman’s head. The clip finishes with a children’s nursery rhyme, which again is total opposite to what the audience have just seen, putting the children’s rhyme out of context, highlighting that something is unnatural.

The happiness of moving house, is followed by an ellipsis which accelerates time as we are then shown the family playing hide and seek when they’ve settled in the house. A long take of the woman’s face as she reaches out towards the wardrobe signifies the change from happy to sad. As we hear the parallel sound of the wardrobe opening, we see her smile fade away. Long takes also represent the sense of vulnerability as we see them standing alone, battling with their own emotions. Before the woman walks over the audience see a fade to black cut, where the fade hides match on action of the woman turning around. By cutting out her turning action, we are only presented with the real action as she begins to walk towards us. Eye line matches allows the audience to see the expression of the protagonist, get an opinion of what it is, build suspense ready for what it is and then see it. From then on, the clip is filled with fast paced cuts which are always used to build tension and increase the heart rate of the audience. Many straight cuts are used to advance time as they only feature the frame that is important to the story. When walking around the house, pull focussing is used to draw attention to certain articles associated with horror. The audience are presented to look at certain things, from both an objective and subjective perspective. Straight cuts in the dark generate tension towards the climax. One final fade transition is used at the end, matching the fizzling out of the candle as the terror peaks and she is no longer seen. Fades are common at the end of the trailer as the problem will never be resolved.


The Damned Official Trailer 2014

A pull focus shot highlights the chains and nail being knocked in, showing this is a crucial component of the story. A panning view shot makes the audience aware of the environment and the heavy rain they contend with. An objective, bird’s eye view shot captures their minor importance in the nearby surroundings, portraying them as vulnerable. A close up shot of the 2 protagonists is immediately followed with a close up of the man’s hand reaching down to get something.  The prevalence of this shot indicates it was this that caused the terror. Fast edits of close up facial shots and various framing shots create a balance that immerses the audience into their situation. They empathise with the characters and are made to feel like they are in the situation with them. For these shots, a hand held camera is used to create verisimilitude. A low angle subjective shot shows the audience a house on top of a hill, implying that this is the stereotypical ‘haunted house’. Medium close ups are used to show the protagonists reaction to the house and what’s inside of it. A behind over the shoulder shot is used when the woman explores the house, adding to the feel that something is following her. A framing shot of the woman looking through a hole in the door builds tension for the audience, as they know something is there, it’s just a matter of when it will appear. When in the lounge, 3 protagonists are all at different levels, creating a busy atmosphere. An extreme long shot shows the audience how isolated the antagonist is, as the girls stands there in the door way. As the girl sucks the blood from the other house members, a medium close up is used, so that the audience see just enough close up detail but can still see what’s around them. Different framing shots are used towards the end of the trailer to signify what’s causing the horror and how they deal with the pain.

The amplified synchronous sound of chains and knocking nails into a door are harsh and coarse sounds that coincide with the shot we see. Immediately following on, a non-diegetic soundtrack of an angelic chorus contrasts with traditional horror.  By using voices, with no face to match, the audience are still unsure of what to expect which adds to the mystery. A woman’s voice indicates the vulnerability of the group, as women are seen to represent the ‘damsel in distress’. As the car ploughs through the water a loud, sound effect intensifies the gush of water that we see. A contrapuntal piercing sound is played for the next 4 seconds as we see different frames of fear. As the screech reaches a climax, we hear a crashing car sound, illustrating the current situation. When the group are let in the house, a smashing glass sound effect is played for two seconds. A repetitive, humming sound runs throughout the next scene, as the man breaks the sound with a diegetic whistle, stereotypically associated with the sound ghosts make.  As the woman is stood on the landing, a diegetic, unexpected object falls from beside her. This unexpected sound is likely to make the audience jump, which then increases their heart rate, preparing them for what’s next. An unknown sound is coming from underneath the floorboards. This ironic stereotype of horror plays on the thought that we don’t know what’s hiding underneath our floorboards. As the audience are plummeted into darkness, a moment of silence is used to contrast with the door shake and the protagonist’s gasp. A non-diegetic drum sets the pace of the next few scenes. The minor thump of this drum is used in horror to regulate the heart rate of the audience.  As the doll is picked up, the drum fades and the sound of a nursery rhyme is amplified.