'Inception' Magazine Cover Analysis

Feature Article Photograph-
The feature article photograph is a long shot of the protagonist with a slight low angle, conveying power and authority. This is reiterated by the choice of costume as he is in a suit and the fact he is holding a gun which imply he is powerful and in control. The background of the image is very busy and hectic, which mirrors the exciting, thrilling elements of the mystery genre. It also has a futuristic, technological feel, which entices viewers as it feels current and modern. The blue colours used highlight the sense of masculinity portrayed in the image, again making the character seem strong and powerful. Finally, the lack of eye-contact suggests the protagonist is superior and untouchable, as it creates a slight distance between the audience and him. 

Masthead-

The masthead is a very bright red colour which gives it prominence on the page as it is very eye catching. The boldness of the text compliments the powerful mode of address given off by the feature article photograph, establishing a strong house style. The font has very harsh angles, making it edgy and unique, therefore appealing to a young demographic as it feels modern and interesting. It is positioned behind the feature article photograph, as it is a well recognisable brand, this technique gives the image a 3D effect.

Puff-

The puff uses the success of a previous movie to promote this one, which provides the audience with a sense of familiarity and anticipation, therefore encouraging them to watch the film.

Cover lines-

The main line of the cover line is a bold red, this connotes danger, therefore conveying the mystery genre. It also matches the colour scheme of the rest of the front cover, establishing a house style. It references other well known films in the line 'The Matrix meets 007', again creating familiarity and allowing the reader to connect with and understand the film.

Plugs-

The plugs are positioned at a canted angle which creates a distorted feel, this enhances the mystery genre. They are written in a bold font and the first lines are in block capitals to draw attention to them.

'Gone Girl' Magazine Cover Analysis

Feature Article Photograph-

The colours used are very cool toned and clinical, which are commonly associated with mental wellbeing, therefore connoting sadness and loneliness, provoking emotion in the viewer. The combination of a birds eye view shot and a long shot of the protagonist make her seem exposed and in danger. Additionally, her blank facial expressions connote vulnerability and death. The theme of death is also apparent through the rest of the mise-en-scene, including the table filled with medical equipment beside her, the tag on her foot and the metal bed that they are lying on. This all establishes the mystery genre as it makes the reader intrigued about what has happened to her. Additionally, the male who appears to be her partner intensifies the sense of mystery as he appears to be possessive and his entirely black costume connotes evil and danger. There is binary opposites used between the two costumes as she is in white which connotes purity and innocence, whereas he is wearing very dark, harsh colours. 

Masthead-

The white colour of the masthead contrasts with the picture, making it eye-catching and engaging. Additionally, the sans-serif font has fairly relaxed, laid-back connotations, which create an informal house style. The word 'weekly' is included in the title to encourage readers to read this magazine each week and make it appear as a well-established brand. Additionally, the masthead is superimposed, so it is positioned under the image, also to suggest it is a recognisable brand, as well as making the feature article photograph the most dominant part of the cover. The actual name of the magazine 'entertainment' has positive and encouraging connotations, as it implies that it will provide amusement for the reader.

Cover line-
The cover line is used to anchor the polysemy of the feature article photograph, as it has an ambiguity surrounding it, leaving the viewer unaware of why the protagonist is in the situation. It is written in a bold, sans-serif font which makes it clear to the reader that it is the title of the film. The fact it is written in block capitals helps to intensify it and highlights the significance of the words. The white font creates a strong house style along with the rest of the cover as it matches the writing of the masthead and plugs that are flush left. There is also yellow and blue colours used which match the plugs and the cool tones of the feature article photograph.



Plugs-
These plugs are successful in fulfilling their purpose of promoting the contents of the magazine and encouraging the reader to read the magazine. They follow conventions by being flush left and follow the same colour scheme as the rest of the front cover to create a strong house style and brand identity.

'Every Secret Thing' Poster Analysis

Every secret thing poster analysis from katiewinn

Purpose:
This poster is designed to create a mysterious feel and make the reader interested in watching the film, this is achieved through the eerie background and the police car, which connote danger and fear.

Colours:
The colours are grey and eerie and therefore are foreboding and threatening, creating an intimidating feel and sense of mystery.

Text colour:
The text is black and white, which fits in with the colour scheme of the poster. It also provides a harsh contrast against the background that it is on, making the text prominent and bold.

Text font:
The font on of the title replicates the title of newspaper article, suggesting that the events within the narrative of the film are intense and of a high significance. The font of the tag-line is fairly plain which ensures it does not take the viewers attention away from the main image.

Tag line:
The imperative tag line "don't look away even for a second" is threatening and intimidating, as it acts as a warning to the reader. This is therefore intriguing and encourages them to watch the film and find out what happens

Layout:
This poster has a fairly unconventional layout, as a lot of the text is down the left hand side, which would usually be at the bottom. The image is fairly plain, leaving a lot of negative space, which conveys eeriness and mystery, linking to the genre.

Target Audience:
This poster doesn't have a specific target market, as it is very vague it can appeal to a lot of people. It is probably aimed towards anyone but children (around 15 upwards) as the sense of danger and mystery may be too intense for people who are younger than that.

'Coherence' Poster Analysis

Coherence poster analysis from katiewinn

Purpose:

This poster is designed to give an overview of the film, and an insight into the narrative, without giving away what happens. It contains lots of different objects to create mystery and confusion, adding to the 'whodunnit' feel.

Colours:
The colours are fairly dull, other than the table-tennis bat and glow stick, which poses them as key items in the narrative, as they stand out. The dark, dull colours connote danger and fear, fitting in with the genre and house style of the poster.

Text colour:
The text is white which conventionally connotes innocence and purity, juxtaposing with the rest of the poster which contains weapons.

Text font:
A very basic font is used, which is very spread out and basic looking, this ensures that the viewer is not distracted from the image which is the main part of the poster.

Tag line:
The tagline used "rearrange your brain" is intriguing and makes the audience curious about what happens in the film. It creates a sense of mystery which achieves its purpose of giving an insight into the film and also conveys the genre successfully.

Layout:
The layout is very simplistic and stripped back, which allows the audiences main focus to be the image, and therefore allows them to take it in and process the image quickly.

Target Audience:
This poster appeals more to adults as it it in a dinner party setting, which is generally an activity that adults do. It appeals to both genders as all items are gender-neutral and are not specifically associated with males of females.

'Another Me' Poster Analysis

Another me poster analysis from katiewinn

Purpose:
The purpose of this poster is to create a dangerous and mysterious feel, as the backgrounded character is difficult to see, making the audience afraid of them, but also intrigued. It also makes the protagonist seem vulnerable and weak, allowing the audience to connect with and feel sympathetic towards her.

Colours:
The colours used are extremely dark and foreboding, emphasising the danger and mystery. Additionally, the darkness connotes fear and therefore appears slightly threatening.

Text colour: 
The text is pink which connotes femininity is also commonly associated with love and affection, juxtaposing with the dark, eeriness of the main image. This use of binary opposites creates a sense of confusion, adding to the overall mystery of the poster.

Text font:
The font has very harsh, sharp angles, making it appear threatening to fit in with the house style of the poster. It also looks as if the text is shattered, which replicates the protagonists psychological state.

Tagline:
The tagline "She's watching. She's waiting. She wants your life" is very threatening and intimidating, therefore achieving the purpose of making the audience afraid. The short, simple sentences, along with the use of anaphora create a quick natural speaking pace, creating a climax and therefore leaving suspense.

Layout:
The layout is very stripped back and simplistic which allows the audience's main focus to be the image, and therefore allows them to take it in and process all the information on it quickly.

Target Audience:
Due to the female protagonist and feminine colour of the text, this poster is most likely aimed to a predominantly female demographic, however, it could also appeal to males as well. The audience are probably teens/young adults, as the protagonist seems fairly young.

Design Brief

After researching different film trailers I have reached some conclusions regarding my final trailer:

• I will use a cast of 3-4 people to ensure they can all be familiarised with the audience and so that it does not become confusing
• It will be around 2 minutes long so it follows conventions
• There will be a combination of paces, from slow to fast, which will give the trailer depth and momentum
• It will have a missing person storyline as my demographic agreed this was the most affective
• It will be set in the woods or countryside
• The score used will be fast paced and upbeat to build tension and suspense
• The most prominent shot will be a close up to show the characters reactions, however, it will include a variety of shot to make it interesting and engaging
• I will use low-key lighting to create a mysterious, eerie feel

Audience Survey Results

"

Question 1
The majority of my demographic agreed that a mixture of paces would be the most effective as it creates a contrast between equilibrium and disequilibrium, a fast pace also helps to build up tension.

Question 2
The majority of people agreed that the best type of mystery is a missing person or murder investigation.

Question 3
The most popular responses here were woods and in the countryside and therefore I will use this setting.

Question 4
It was an almost unanimous response that people preferred a conventional narrative, this is because it is familiar to people and they know what to expect from the film.

Question 5
There was a mixed response here including: eerie, creepy, dramatic, intense, threatening and fast paced, therefore I will explore a variety of pieces of music in order to find one that fits in with the rest of the narrative.

Question 6
The majority of my audience preferred to have the film set in present tense.

Question 7
The most popular response was extreme close-ups, however, using a variety of shots will allow me to create an interesting, engaging trailer.

Question 8
Almost every member of my demographic agreed that they wanted a female protagonist, therefore I will use this feedback in my trailer

Question 9
The most popular response is to have a protagonist between the aged of 10 and 19.

Question 10
A lot of people wanted the protagonist to be vulnerable and weak, however, a few people wanted her to be more powerful and in control, therefore, I will try to combine these elements.

Mystery Trailer Audience Survey

Create your own user feedback survey

Genre Conventions

From analysing trailers and a full length film, i have discovered the following about mystery film trailer conventions:

• Low-key lighting is used to connote a sense of mystery and eeriness.
• Close-ups and extreme close-ups are used very frequently to allow the audience to connect with the main characters and also to allow them to see the panicked, scared facial expressions on them, therefore convey a sense of mystery.
• High angle shots are effective in making the characters appear weak and vulnerable, therefore in danger.
• The use of long shots allows the audience to become familiar with the setting of the film and understand the dynamic between characters.
• It is effective to use a slower pace of editing at the beginning of the trailer and build to a faster pace of editing during disequilibrium as this connotes panic and franticness. 
• A dramatic, fast pace score successfully builds tension and creates momentum throughout the trailer.
• The use of foley is effective as it accentuates important elements in the trailer.

'Coherence' Full Length Film Analysis

Coherence is a science fiction mystery film directed by James Ward Byrkit

Plot
A dinner party is held between 8 friends, which happens to be on the night of an astronomical disaster, as a comet hits the Earth. The film begins in equilibrium as the characters are greeting each other and exchanging phatic conversation. Disequilibrium then occurs as there are hints towards the disaster as small things begin to go wrong. Following this is the recognition of disequilibrium within the characters, as they become frantic and panicked, then begin trying to solve the mystery. Unlike in the trailer, there is a resolution at the end, however, this is not a conventional coda, as things are not back to normal and the film ends still with elements unsolved and a feeling of suspense. 
This narrative does follow Todorov's theory of equilibrium vaguely, however, it has been adapted slightly to fit the diegesis.

The narrative differs from the trailer in the feature length film as the trailer misses out key details to leave the audience with questions, whereas, the film answers these questions and provides a resolution at the end.

How Genre is Conveyed

Camera Angles, Shots, Movement and Composition

• The film includes lots of close-ups of characters' reactions to allow the audience to see their panic and anxiety, this enhances the overall genre.
• High angle shots are used to make the characters look vulnerable and weak, which helps to convey the genre, as it seems mysterious.
• Lots of long shots are used to allow the audience to see the situation that the characters are in, whereas, in the trailer more is cut out, to make the audience more intrigued.

Editing

• A slower pace of editing at the start of the film created a feel of equilibrium and therefore created a more dramatic feel when the main event occurred.
• The quick cuts between characters created a 'whodunit' feel and suggests that they are all to blame, conveying the mystery genre.
• Eye-line matches were used to allow the audience to get a better understanding of what is going on. This were missed out in some parts of the trailer to leave a sense of anticipation and mystery.

Sound

• Foley is used throughout to enhance prominent moments and make them more engaging.
• Dramatic, fast-paced scores are used to build up tension and suspense, this conveys the mystery genre.
• They use calm dialogue at the start to create a feel of equilibrium which contrasts with the frantic, panicked feel towards the end.

Mise-en-scene

• A lot of low-key lighting is used throughout the disequilibrium to create a mysterious, eerie feel, as it connotes danger and fear.
• They use props, such as a table tennis bat and glow-sticks, throughout as the main theme, this is effective as it makes the film original and interesting.

Unique Selling Point of the Film
Interestingly, Byrkit decided to produce the film on a very low budget, as he wanted to test the idea of shooting a film "without a crew and without a script", meaning that the success of the film was down to the actors/actress' ability to improvise. To enhance this idea, he made sure he casted actors that did not know each other already, to add to the spontaneity. He kept the actors very much in the dark throughout the whole process and threw curveballs and red-herrings at them to allow the film to evolve organically and interestingly. The simplicity of the set allowed all of this to be captured easily. Byrkit stated: