Codes and conventions of film magazine covers

Starting my research into film magazine covers, I first looked at the codes and conventions for any magazine cover.

Below is an example of a magazine front cover for the British GQ magazine.

There’s the Masthead, which is the block title for the magazine which aims to be bold and eye catching for readers, as well as being recognised by people who have brought or read the magazine before because it usually involves a recognisable typography.

Box Out’s are a bold colour behind text to make the text stand out and noticeable.

The main statement of the feature is shown through the Headline, which is larger than the rest of the text so it’s the first seen. The headline is usually followed by a Strapline which is the subheading below the main heading describing the article a little more.

Tags are used on the magazine cover within the headlines or straplines which engage readers to take an interest. They used words that entice readers such as ‘sensational’ or ‘new’, which grab the reader’s attention to the story.

The Main Image of the magazine cover is the main medium to grab audience’s attention because they don’t need to read any words. This is the image that features as one of the main features for the magazine and it usually takes up most of the magazine cover.

Even though the main image and headline show the main focus feature for the magazine, Cover Lines and smaller Headlines are on the sides or the bottom of the magazine cover, to reveal the other stories featured in the magazine.

Similar to cover lines and headlines are the Top and Bottom Strip which can give further information about other articles featured in the magazine.

The Barcode/Date/Issue numbers and Price are used to give details about the magazine. The Barcode is so shops can scan it, the date is so readers know if it is new or an old magazine, the issue number is for buyers who may collect the magazine or need to get a specific issue for a reason and the Price is simply so the buyer knows how much the magazine is.

In most magazines, Pug’s are used in the top right and left hand corners as either a freebie (free toy for children magazine or free poster etc…). Either a logo or promotion can come under a Pug. This is another feature to catch reader’s eye.

Keylights are used to highlight a specific selling point of a magazine, whether it’s the star or an article.


When looking into film magazine covers, I found that there is a significant difference in the type of film magazines that exist and what they usually feature on their cover.

For example this film magazine Empire (UK 2011), features the character of the film on the front, whereas the magazine cover below of Sight & Sound (UK 2011) features the film director Pedro Almodovar as himself, having his makeup done for a photo shoot.

These are two very different types of covers for the film magazine, but they are two completely different film magazines.

Empire is known as the UK’s leading film magazine, so they cover everything from the blockbusters to small independent films but mainly focus on the big releases.

Sight & Sound magazine is run by the BFI (British Film Institute) and they focus on more critically successful, independent and award/festival type films. Almodovar who is seen on the cover of the magazine is a famous, foreign film director who is known for his diverse range of films.


Codes and conventions applied to real magazines
Out of character magazines

This magazine cover features a film director as a drawn picture, which represents his type of film. This is quite unconventional of a film magazine, as they usually feature real photos.

There is a small section on the cover which features a Menu of Headlines, in a blue font so they are easy to see, followed by a small, inviting, description of the article the headline is about.

The magazine’s barcode, date and issue number is featured in the corner.

The Masthead of the magazine is bold and is followed by the magazine’s own headline. On the most part, the title is not covered up by the featured image, but in the bottom right hand corner the hat of the drawn character covers a few letters of the headline.

The main feature for the magazine which links to the featured image, is in a big, bold, capital letter headline which draws attention to it. The text for the headline is larger than all other fonts on the magazine cover, meaning that it is the first thing audiences will read. Above the director’s name is a small ‘Interview’ text box, describing what the main article is. Underneath the main headline, there is a small sub heading which features the director’s film and a description to audiences.

This magazine is a little different and is actually a Men’s Health and Style magazine instead of a film magazine; however the featured story and image is an actor to promote one of his films.

The other main stories of the magazine are listed on the left hand side, in bold letters and font colours so that they can be easily read as part of a Headline Menu. Different styles such as bold for titles, red for main title and un-styled for description, are used so that audiences recognise the headline, description and level of importance for each story.

The main feature is in the biggest size font of the cover and in bold Headline, so that audiences link the image to the story on the front.

The magazine Masthead is in the top right hand corner, like all of their magazines. This time, the featured image is placed on top of the title even though it is still identifiable by audiences.

Other extra headlines are seen on the other side of the cover, again in styled font for easier reading.


In Character magazines

The Masthead for the magazine is in a bright colour because the rest of the magazine colour scheme is quite dark; this is so it is clear and vibrant for readers to notice.

A Menu Header of other articles featured in the magazine is on the left hand side of the magazine. With different styles so they are noticed.

The main Headline for the featured image is in big, bold and capital font so that it is noticed straight away. This font is bigger than the other text on the page so that it is noticed and linked with the featured image/

The magazine has its own, special, headline for this issue which is featured at the top of the page so that it’s important emphasised to passer by’s or readers.

The Masthead for this magazine is in bold, big letters which takes up the whole width of the magazine. The featured image is in the foreground so it covers some of the Masthead; however the magazine is very well known and can still be noticed.

The main Header for the magazine is in the middle, across the whole width of the magazine cover. It has different levels of a small introductory ‘The World Exclusive…’ in a Box Out because of the background colour of yellow. The actual attention grabbing Headline is just over the image but is in a font that resembles the film. The Headline is followed by a small Tag, especially in the sense of ‘movie event of the year’ as these buzz words entice readers.

The Barcode is featured on the left hand side of the magazine cover.

A few Menu Headers are in the bottom right hand corner, with different colours and under a + sign, drawing attention to it. However the text isn’t in a large font in case readers connect it with the featured image.

This tag like header is at the very top of the page, referring to the main image. It acts as a tag because it is in small words with exclamation points providing short, intriguing statements.

As another form of a Menu Headline, a small image is shown of another feature in the magazine. Because this feature is in a small circle, it is easily not identified as part of the main image and feature.

Audience feedback for planning

After researching the different types of film trailers, I conducted a questionnaire for 20 people to hopefully gain an understanding of what is necessary for my own film trailer, magazine cover and poster to include as well as finding out about my target audience and the genre I am aiming for.

My questionnaire consisted of 14 questions with tick boxes.

 To make my questionnaire feedback reliable, I made sure to get it filled in by people of a different range of ages, gender and social groups. So instead of just asking one class of the same age and similar interests, I asked people from a fellow students, older family members, and teachers and asked a few people from social networking sites to fill out my questionnaire.

(In these charts, I did not use the whole question title or the whole answers..look above for full length questions/answers)

1. From my first questionnaire I simply asked what gender people are so I can see what type of audience my feedback looked at.

2. The majority of my audience feedback looked at people aged between 16-20, which could mean my sample was biased. However as this is my chosen target audience, this could work to my advantage.

5. This was quite a simple question and my whole population asked said that they noticed a key difference between a teaser and a full length trailer. When making my own trailer, I now know that audiences will know the difference so I can research both a teaser and trailer.

6. From this question, I received quite a mixed reaction from my population concerning what makes them want to see the final film. Most people said the Director or Producer, but nearly as many people said they like funny scenes or not actually seeing the main plot. Another common answer was the Actors of the film being mentioned. All of these answers I can take on board when creating my own trailer because I know they are important as my population found a nearly equal result.

7. 75% of people said that they do not like to see most of the film’s plot in the trailer before they see the film with only a quarter of the rest of the population not minded it. With this question I found difficulty because two people left side notes saying that they ‘liked to the see the main outline (like the theme of the film if there is a hunt or a romantic relationship) of the film but not see it in its entirety’. Because of this, I can establish that I must show as little of the plot as possible without giving away twists for audiences.

10. The majority of the population said that a Psychological thriller is when the characters have emotional or mental problems to overcome, which is one of the main definitions. I will have to make sure I show this theme in my trailer because it is the genre I am hoping to create. The other answers are valid because people chose them, especially the ‘mystery’ theme, but the main aspect people say best defined a psychological thriller was the emotional and mental problems.

Further research into psychological thriller trailers using theory

Further research into psychological thriller trailers using theory
To grasp an in depth analysis and understanding of the psychological thriller genre, I will be looking at a wide selection of existing psychological thriller trailers and teaser trailers. I will be using the film theories I have investigated and studied to analyse these trailers to see if these codes have been used. I will mostly be focusing on Roland Barthes Action/Proairetic , Hermeneutic , Enigma , Semantic , Symbolic , Cultural codes, as well as the narrative theories of Todorov and Propp.
Not only will these help with my development of my own psychological thriller trailer, but I may also find inspiration and ideas from the selection.

The list of trailers I will analysis and examine are:
Black Swan (2010 dir. Darren Aronofsky)
Donnie Darko (2001 dir. Richard Kelly )
The Machinist (2004 dir. Brad Anderson)
Memento (2000 dir. Christopher Nolan)
Shutter Island (2010 dir. Martin Scorsese)

Black Swan (2010)

(Barthes) Barthes ‘Symbolic’ code is used in this trailer from the very beginning because of the symbol of ballet dancing in a black room. The black room connotes darkness, horror and the unknown while the white ballet dress contrasts this to symbolise purity, elegance and grace. The beginning of the trailer uses the ‘Action/Proairetic’ code because normal, everyday actions and events take place such as ballet school, preparing for a show and training. Because of the soundtrack in the background of violins in eerie tones, the tension begins to arise during this code. The scene where the main character’s reflection turns on her, therefore not reflecting her appearance, is part of the ‘Hermeneutic’ code because this event is not explained and audiences are unsure of what is going on. It also keeps the audience guessing to what will happen next, especially as the screen fades to black and the music stops .Overall the ‘Engima’ code is very important in this trailer because the audience will be asking lots of questions after seeing the trailer because nothing that they have seen makes a lot of sense

(Todorov )There is a very small sequence at the beginning middle part of the trailer to show Nina’s equilibrium as part of Todorov’s theory. The disruption comes from her being chosen as the new ‘swan queen’ as weird events and other disturbances start occurring in her life. Nina recognises this in the clips shown of her noticing the scratches on her back and sensing that the other female character has an input with her psychological disturbances.

(Propp) With the focus on Nina, is it clear that she is the centralised character of the film and in Propp’s character types; she’d be simply defined as the Hero. However, the villain of the film is not clear in the trailer because of it being a psychological thriller and the other character types are unclear. There are a few hints to the villain being something deeper than a straightforward character, hence Nina’s obscure reflection and panicked voiceovers.

Inspiration: I am really fascinated by the small clip involving a mirror, when Nina is stood in front of it, but facing the other direction while her reflection moves and does not match with her normal posture and appearance. This iconic scene really plays on the mind because reflections are meant to reproduce the exact same image that looks into it, so Nina’s reflection does not match her appearance it could mean there is something deeper inside of her causing her to be psychologically disturbed.

Donnie Darko

(Barthes) ‘Hermeneutic Code’ is used a lot throughout this trailer, because the text is not fully explained in enough detail for audiences to understand it. Even when the trailer finishes, the audience is still unsure what has happened and will need to see the film in full in hope that all will be revealed in the end of the film. There are elements of the ‘Enigma’ code being used, because audiences will be asking questions concerning the characters, because so far they do not know who the hero, villain and other character types (Propp) of the film are. The voiceover over the black visuals of an unknown voice will also cause audiences to wonder who the person is, so the ‘Hermeneutic code’ plays a very important role in this trailer.

(Todorov )The equilibrium of this trailer is seen as the town’s peace and the main character, Donnie’s, normal life. However the disruption is soon in focus within the trailer once Donnie’s mind starts playing up and weird scenes are scene. There are little hints to other people recognising the disturbances, for example the scene with Donnie’s parents and therapist talking about a ‘bunny, but the rest of the recognition is Donnie knowing he has ‘emotional problems’. Todorov’s narrative theory is not very apparent in this trailer, however this is not a criticism because the lack of narrative theory reflects the genre of a psychological thriller.

(Propp) The main character for Donnie Darko is clearly made out to be Donnie, so therefore, in Propp’s theory, he is the Hero. There are a few scenes hinting to a romantic relationship between the Hero and a female who also appears to be lost, so in Propp’s theory she is seen as the Princess. Two little clips are shown of teachers and therapists, which are hinted at being either of the Donor, Helper or Dispatcher. Similarly to Black Swan, is it not very clear whom the villain of Donnie Darko is, but with small pieces of footage revealing a huge bunny and an evil looking Donnie, the villain is not simply a normal human character.

Inspiration: This film features another mirror scene like Black Swan, but this time the character is looking into it and the camera (audience) are on the other side. I like this idea because mirrors are known to be exact, but even if a little of their reflection does not match up with the first appearance, it can cause people to worry. I also like the voice heard over a black screen, because audiences cannot see who is talking so it is up to them to discover who the voice belongs to. Without the visuals, the voice can be quite daunting and creepy, which is all part of the psychological thriller genre.


The Machinist

(Barthes) The action/Proairetic Code is used at the beginning of the trailer because the man is seen doing his usual job and living his day to day life. These questions do not particularly raise questions; however they are soon involved in his psychological struggle and weird events. Barthes ‘Hermeneutic’ code in the form of the ‘Enigma’ code is also used, because the plot of the film is not fully explained and audiences are left asking questions about the weird events occurring in the trailer.

(Todorov ) In terms of Todorov’s narrative theory, there is a hint that there is an equilibrium at the beginning of the film in the trailer, because the character is seen living his normal, everyday life however it is not clear if he is happy or healthy. The disruption occurs once weird events start triggering off the main characters psychological difficulties and he recognises these problems because he attempts to make himself better and sets off to find out.

(Propp) The main character of the trailer is obviously the Hero for Propp’s narrative theory. Even though the villain is not clear, there are hints at villainous characters through cutaways or small flashbacks to other characters. The Machinist’s Hero is seen talking to various people who could possibly be the Dispatcher, Donor or Helper.

Inspiration: I like how the film repeats lines of dialogue but between two different characters, because this repetition plays on the mind because there must be a meaning to it for it to be emphasised. Characters are heard over different visuals, creating lots of tension as well as fast cuts and an increase in music tempo in the last third of the trailer. Another part of the trailer I found effective was the use of titles over a black screen, asking questions for the audience to ponder. I think the use of subtitles, which could be worked in as the tagline for the film, are very effective as questions because audiences try to find out the answer by watching the film. Even if the tagline isn’t a question, audiences still read the words which mean that they have to find an understanding behind them or it will stay with them once the trailer has finished.

Memento

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ploSYVE0uao
(Barthes) In reference to Barthes media theory, the trailer for Memento focuses on featuring the ‘Hermeneutic’ and ‘Enigma’ code because the film does not flow in chronological order. Clips of the film are shown from all different orders and the actual events shown do not make sense because they are not put into context. The character’s intention of seeking revenge on his wife’s killer is made clear through being repeated a few times for emphasis, but the rest of the trailer raises questions for audiences because everything seen is a mystery.

(Todorov )Todorov’s equilibrium is not seen in the trailer and the other stages of his narrative theory are not all seen. It could be argued that the disruption has been his wife’s murder and the man’s recognition of this is seeking revenge. Another disruption could be seen as the man having amnesia, therefore not being able to remember people, conversations or events. Though the stages are hinted at, not much is seen.

(Propp) The main character is seen as Propp’s Hero and the Villain is hinted throughout the film but not shown. There could be two Princess character types considered in the trailer for Memento, because the Heo’s wife who has been killed is obviously at the downfall of the villain, however she can’t be saved as she has already died. The other Princess could be the other female seen in the trailer, but her intentions are not clear and it is unsure if she is good yet. The other character types are not fully explored in this trailer because not all of the characters can be trusted as they are not fully explained.

Inspiration: Like some of the previous trailers, I like the use of the voiceover over a black screen, because it creates tension by not being able to see people and audiences are unsure who is exactly talking. Like the trailer for The Machinist, a few lines of dialogue are repeated through the trailer, emphasising the importance of that piece of dialogue to the film.

Shutter Island

(Barthes) Barthes ‘Hermeneutic’ and ‘Enigma’ code are used in the trailer because audiences are confused by the mystery of the film and are unsure what the main plot is. It causes them to ask lots of questions surrounding the film, but the only way they can discover the answers to the mystery of the film is to go and see it.

(Todorov )The disruption of the text in this case is the disappearance of a woman and the two detectives recognise this and set out to discover the secret behind it and therefore restore or create a new equilibrium. A few other disruptions are seen as the characters are faced with challenges to try and discover the truth behind the disappearances on the island.

(Propp) As for Propp’s character theory, the main character appears to be the Hero as he is the central character of the film and the one who is trying to achieve the new equilibrium the most. His detective partner is the Helper because they are assisting him on his journey for the new equilibrium and discovery. A Donor of the film is seen giving help as well as a Dispatcher and other character types being hinted at. The Villain is slightly hinted at, but because the narrative of the actual film doesn’t make a lot of sense so characters aren’t quite as they appear. This is a part of the psychological thriller genre.

Inspiration: I really like the use of sound in this trailer, as it speeds up once the tension increases at the end of the trailer and is minimal to provide extra tension in scenes where audiences focus on the visuals. In small montages of flashbacks, sound is used in the form of effects like screams and eerie tones. I also like the look of a small scene after the title of the film has been showed, this extra clip features a voiceover and visuals from another scene, which together show the feel that the film gives off, tense and suspenseful.


A lot of these trailers use voiceovers to introduce the main plot, but most of the teasers feature little or no dialogue.

Media Theories and applying them to film

Theories
Roland Barthes: media theory
Barthes looked at many different codes in media texts (whether it’s literature, film or television) and he was a semiotics professor, meaning that he was paid to unravel text and write about it. He used the basic analysis of text, ‘open’ and ‘closed’, and elaborated on these theories.

Action/Proairetic Code
This is the idea of little actions that do not particularly raise questions, as they are the consequence of a smaller action. This code is used to create tension and can assist audiences into guessing what could possibly happen next.

Hermeneutic Code

Barthes’ Hermeneutic Code refers to a text not being fully explained and therefore becoming a mystery for audiences to find out about. The author/director of the text’s aim is to keep the audience guessing up until the very end, referring to the basic structure of the enigma code (below).

Enigma Code
Barthes Enigma Code says that a text involves audiences to ask questions, leading them to (hopefully) continue because they have been enticed by this mystery. This is commonly used in cold openings for films as well as their trailers.

Semantic Code
This code focuses on connotations and meanings behind certain symbols. This code is known as ‘the voice of the person’.

Symbolic Code
Even though this code is very similar to the Semantic Code, it provides a much deeper look at connotations and meanings. This code is known as ‘the voice of symbols’.

Cultural Code
This is a code that refers to anything else in the said text externally. The external body of knowledge can be anything scientific, religious, and historical.

Using Roland Barthes most famous and focused media theories, I will be looking at film trailers and whether or not they use these codes and if so, how they can help benefit me in creating my production.


Tzvetan Todorov: media theory
When looking at trailers in general (a few posts back), I touched upon Todorov’s narrative theory and how it is used in trailers.

The theory says that every media text begins with ‘Equilibrium’ where characters, setting and everything else are at a balance. Then a ‘Disruption’ comes along as a threat to the Equilibrium. The character’s ‘Recognise’ the threat of the Disruption and set out to get rid or ‘Repair’ it in hope of the first or a ‘New Equilibrium’.

I believe that this theory can be applied to trailers to a certain point. Most feature length trailers feature the Equilibrium, the Disruption and show the character’s recognition of this disruption. But because trailers can’t reveal the ending of the film (cause audiences then wouldn’t need to see the film), the trailer either ends at this point or shows the characters attempt at repairing the disruption.

I will be looking at Todorov’s theory when I look closely at psychological thriller trailers to see if they follow a similar narrative structure. If this is the case, I will be looking at how the theory is used to help my own production.


Vladimir Propp’s narrative theory: media theory

Propp’s narrative theory can also be known as the character theory, because his work looked at the significance of character types and the role they play in the media narrative. There are seven main character types that Propp looked at; Hero, Villain, Donor, Helper, Princess, Dispatcher and False Hero.

The Hero is the more often than not the main character of the text, who restores the equilibrium (see Todorov). This character type is often male, but a recent trend in the last 3 decades has seen the role branch out to both genders.

The Villain is usually the character who causes the disruption for the text.

In order for the Hero to restore the equilibrium, a Donor is often used to aid the hero by giving them something, for example advice or an item.

The Helper is usually the character to assist the Hero on their quest or journey to the equilibrium.

The ‘Princess’ is a character type that is now known more as the victim. This is the character that is usually kidnapped or most at threat by the villain, in order for the hero to save.

The Dispatcher is simply known as the character that sends the hero to the task. For most films I consider this to be a community if a large setting or population are put at risk by the disruption.

The False Hero is the character who appears to be good, until the end where it is revealed they are not on the good side.

Of course, not all of these character types can be applied in every single film. But the majority on the most part can be noticed in films.
I will also be referencing to this theory in my study of psychological thriller trailers.