Harry Potter Empire Magazine Analysis

After analysing the two Harry Potter Empire posters I will now be analysing two of the Empire Magazines front covers.

In the first of the empire front covers you can see the three main characters are the main image of the front cover, we can also see that there is no background on this image. This implies that the characters are so well known and iconic that they do not need a background behind them to attract people to the magazine, this also keeps the main focus of the magazine on them at all times. The caption used "The Perfect Farewell" is also good as it symbolises the end of the franchise while also creating hype for the film. As you can see from the picture the actors are still in character for this shot while on the other cover they are dressed in more formal attire as if it where a red carpet event meaning that this front cover and article would be more about the film.
We can see that Harry is out in front as he is the main character.

In this front cover of Empire magazine we can once again see the three main characters from the Harry Potter franchise but this time they are not seen to be in character. We can see this from the clothes in which they are wearing that this was most likely taken at a red carpet event or some other occasion that is similar. This front cover, even though it is still to do with Harry Potter, focuses mainly on the actors as themselves instead of their characters meaning that the article would be more focused around them and their future careers instead of the Harry Potter franchise. Once again we see that they are in the same positions for the shot giving synergy between the front covers but are in a more casual pose. This front cover would be more of a collectable as it is a Limited Edition front cover.

Harry Potter Film Posters: Semiotics.

Harry Potter Film Posters: Semiotics.

Here I am going to be comparing two different Harry Potter Posters that have been produced for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part Two. Each of the different posters depicts a well known character from the film in an action shot. When analysing these from a semiotics standpoint I can see :

• Wand  - Action, Fighting
• Fire / Explosions - Destruction
• Embers / Debris in the background - Destruction and Violence
• Clothes - Casual, Not suited for fighting showing that they are unprepared.
• Action Pose - Action throughout the film. Dramatic Ending
• Red Flecks - Seen on all posters denoting Anger and Violence.
• Tagline - Short and very dramatic. Draws peoples attention in.

These posters make great use of synergy as they both use the same slogan of "HP7 Part 2 It All Ends", Both use similar red specks around the scene of the poster, both depict a well known character in some form of action pose and backgrounds. One of the most prevalent things that we can see is is image of Hogwarts, which has become a very iconic image throughout the Harry Potter franchise and has been described as the only safe haven that they have, being set alight and burning down. This is a very hard hitting image as it shows that the supposedly only safe place has now been overrun and the iconic image of Hogwarts is soon to be gone.

Semiotics In Film Posters

Semiotics In Film Posters

Semiotics can be easily applied to film posters. In a film poster the designers of the shot would carefully choose what would be within the scene that they are shooting. This could be either a iconic setting from the film, a certain object from the film or just the actor in costume as the focal point of the poster. There may also be smaller details within the poster such as embers flying around the scene or blood splattered on the poster, this would be a sign that there was anger and violence within the film. Using semiotics within a film poster can help to set the scene of the poster making it overall just a better advertisement.

Semiotics Recap

Semiotics Theory

Semiotics is the stud of mainly signs. I sign can be described as something that can stand for something other than itself. A good example of this is that the colour red can be used to signify either Passion or Anger.

There are two main theories when it comes to semiotics;
The first belongs Ferdinand de Saussure with his Dyadic Semiotics System. With this theory there is a Signifier and a Signified, this means the Signifier is the object that can be seen within the scene and the Signified is what is otherwise portrayed by this.

The next theory comes from a man called Charles Sander Pierce who invented the Triadic Semiotic System.In this theory there are three different elements.

• Index
• Symbols
• Icons

Charles Pierce described different types of signs. Indexes are signs that directly link to the meaning. Ions are related to the meaning but only slightly, and Symbols do not link to the represent the meaning in any way. 

Horror Film Trailer Overview

After watching several horror film trailer I have found that there are a variety of different things used within the horror film trailers. The first of these would be that at the beginning of pretty much every single horror film trailer it will set the scene by first of all showing the characters of which there are either usually 1 or 3-5 in a group during a normal day doing normal activities. But it does not stay this way for long as the trailer slowly becomes cut faster and faster building up the tension for the viewer before finally showing some of the more horror orientated scenes towards the end. This is good as it grabs the viewers attention and slowly hooks them in making them want to see what has happened to make the characters go from normal in the beginning to running for their lives at the end.

Next most of the trailers that I have viewed today have some form of slow slightly creepy soundtrack playing over the trailer, this also usually builds up with the pace of the trailer to help with building the tension. But there are also many places in which all sound is stopped for a few second giving the view a sense on unease only then to by ramped up again to give the viewer a shock.

Most of the camera shots were mostly either mid panning shots showing the characters and also the scene around them, Close-ups to show the fear that the character are feeling, long shots to set the scene of where the film is going to take place, or Extreme close-ups showing an object of interest to the viewers or an action of a character.

The Conventions Of Film Trailers

There are many conventions that film trailers employ, these would mainly be:

• Representative of the genre.
• Graphic captions - director's name, date of release, text related to the film.
• Non-diagetic music - this can also help reflect the genre.
• Production company logo.
• Narrative Enigma - this can help to set up the film.
• Editing - Quick or slow depending on the genre to create tension, excitement or mood.
• Close-ups - This will show off the stars in the movie.

I will now be comparing the two Harry Potter: And The Deathly Hallows Part Two Trailers.

Harry Potter ADHPT : Trailer 1

Harry Potter ADHPT : Trailer 2

There are some differences between these two trailers such as:

• Within the first trailer there is a lot less text shown within the trailer and is more focused on the action scenes within the film, it also provides more of an exciting look of the film. Comparing this to trailer two you can see that trailer two is looking to provide more of an overview of the entire series showing how the last film of the series is going to wrap all of the storylines up.
• Trailer two also uses clips from outside of the film that it is trying to advertise. This is rather odd for a film trailer to do as its main purpose is to advertise the film that is coming out, but as Harry Potter is a very well known film with many loyal followers people will have a nostalgic feeling from watching clips of the older films hyping the film that is coming out.

Film Trailers Comparison (By Decade)

To look at how film trailers have changed over the years I have chosen to look at 5 different films from different decades. I will watch all of these trailers and look out for any trends and changes that are made throughout the progression of the decades.

Here is a list of the trailers I have chosen and their respective decades:
(1960) - The Good The Bad And The Ugly - Youtube

• You can see within The Good The Bad And The Ugly film trailer that the clips used are a lot longer ans show a lot more content than the clips used within the newer trailers.
• You can also see that there is no voice-over used within The Good The Bad And The Ugly's film trailer, this is something that is used a lot within the newer trailers as well.

(1970) - Alien - Youtube

• You can within the Alien film trailer that the clips used are a lot shorter than those used within The Good The Bad And The Ugly's film trailer. This is more like the clips used within newer trailers.
• There is no voice over used in this film as well, this again is something that is used in the newer film trailers.
• There is no scenes within the trailer depicting the actors starring within the film.

(1980) - Back to The Future - Youtube

• Within the Back To The Future trailer there is a voice over describing what is going on in the film. This is not what most newer voice overs are like.

(1990) - The Shawshank Redemptions- Youtube
(2000) - Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of The Ring - Youtube

After watching all five of these trailers I have concluded that apart from the obvious change in quality of film and effects that there are also significant other changes that have occurred over the decades. One of the most prevalent changes is from the Sixties to the Seventies. The Sixties trailer is well over 3 minutes in length and shows a large portion of clips from throughout the film. Whereas the Seventies trailer was a little under 2 minutes and only featured small clips from the film. This was most likely done to reduce the amount of film shown before people have seen it in the cinema first.

Another change is that throughout the decade it has become less common to show the actors who are starring within the film on the trailer, as you can see in The Good The Bad And The Ugly each of the actors starring in the film have their own freeze frame with a picture and their name. When compared to the Back to the Future trailer in which the actors are only shown at the very end for a few seconds, and the Alien trailer in which the actors names are not shown at all throughout the trailer.

Trailer Feature Overview

             

From this trailer  you can identify some of the characteristics that are used in many film trailers. These things include an Ident which helps viewers to identify which companies made and produced the films at the beginning of the trailer, it also helps to give the film some credibility by using the name of a big publishing company. Another feature is the use of slow motion, this is used to bring the attention to what is happening. The cuts are also very fast within the trailer showing a lot of fast paced action occurring throughout the film. Lastly the trailer is only 2 minutes long, this is because it does not want to show too much of the film otherwise people will not go and pay to see the film at the cinema, this is why they only show 2 minutes of good footage to hook people into the film so that they will go to the cinema and watch it.

A2 Introductory Post

Welcome to my A2 media blog. Over the course of the year my task is to market a self made film through a variety of methods. These include creating a full 2 minute trailer for the film for which we must plan and shoot ourselves. To accompany this trailer we must also create a professional poster to further promote the film and also a magazine front cover showcasing the film trailer.