Content
Code
Unlike the other magazine, this magazine is in English, and
is the well renowned ‘Empire’ magazine. It looks as if it is a horror special,
due to not only the typography on the magazine, but also the fact that is in
grey scale and has a mysterious picture as the cover picture. The forest
connotes mysteriousness and to some viewers may connote terror. The black
figure in the middle of the page leaves the audience wondering what it is,
which could again bring fear to them. In my opinion, the figure looks like the
grim reaper, which is often associated with death and horror. We can tell that
the picture has been taken in autumn, probably late October, as most of the
leaves have fallen from the trees and have fallen onto the floor. This suggests
that it is near Halloween, which is regarded as the scariest day of the year.
Technical
Code
Shot
Distance- The shot is a medium shot of a hooded creature in the woods.
This creates mystery and suspense for the audience, which could cause the
reader to buy the magazine.
Camera
Angle- The camera angle is straight on but is at a slight low angle,
looking up at the creature. This could connote hierarchy and show that the
hooded creature is powerful and that the audience should be afraid and
intimidated by it.
Focal
Depth- The black and white photo is clear, but dark, which connotes
mystery and possibly death? The picture is in shallow focus, with the trees in
the background slighty blurred, which draws the reader’s attention to the
hooded creature.
Typography-
The title of the magazine ‘Empire’ is globally known, and is in red to
signify horror. It is on a black background, which stands out, drawing the eye
of the reader straight to it. The title of the film ‘Subliminal’ is in a
spooky, confused font, which again connotes more uncertainty for the audience,
which could also link to horror. The rest of the writing is in red and white,
causing them to stand out from the picture more. The magazine only has three
colours for fonts, black, red and white, which is typical of a magazine cover
as and more coloured fonts may make the page look messy and unorganised.
However, one less colour could make it look boring and uninteresting. I think
that the makers of this magazine have found a good balance of the number of
colours and fonts that they have used on the front cover.
