dvd cover, analysis

At the very top of the cd cover we see the name Beyonce, this instantly tells the audience who that artist this album is made by. The name Beyonce is at the very top as it shows that this person is the most important, they are the star of the album. However we also see that the central cover image, off the artist themselves, slightly covers the name of the artist suggesting that this person is a really big star, they are iconic. The fact she is slightly over the name suggests that people know who she is and don't need to see her full name to know who the album is by, it gives the album star appeal. We also see that all the letters are in capitals something we usually see on all of her albums. This adds to the iconography is the album.

On the central cover image we see a mid shot of Beyonce with a low camera angle. The image of Beyonce represents her as being very confident in herself. This is suggested by the way she had her arms up, her body language is open, again conveying to the audience that she is confident. In the central image we also see the camera has a low angle therefore we are looking up at Beyonce, that represents her as being powerful, this suggests to the audience that she is in control and that we should look up to her. This appeals to the target audience of young females as they want to be empowered. This also fits into the Bulmer and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory as the audience gains a sense of personal identity. They identify with a strong, powerful female or they want to identity as this. However Beyonce is also represented as being sexualised as we see her clothes are tight and seem to show a lot of herself. She looks as though she is objectified due to the mise-en-scne of her costume, therefore is fits with the secondary audience of males who will consume this particular piece of media because of the fact she is represented as being sexualised. The central cover image also has high key lighting which gives detail of Beyonce herself.

In the mies-en-scene we see Beyonce's clothing is all purple therefore it represents her as having power, this again fits in with her body language and the angle of the camera putting her in a position of power and having control. The colour purple helps her break stereotypes as she is given power. The colour purple also helps the audience decode her as having sense of pride due to her body language and mystery. The mystery is also added due to the fact she isn't using a direct mode of address therefore they audience are anchored in as they want to know why. The producers have encoded this to suggest to the audience that she is the one in charge.

On the back cover of the cd the central cover image we see Beyonce on top if a building presumably looking down. This then represents her as having power, she is higher than everyone else and looking down on them. He has the power and she is in control, Beyonce is on top. We also see the name of the distributor on the back of 'Sony music', this is a well known company therefore we trust them more meaning that we are more likely to by this album as we trust them.

On Adele's '25' album we see her name and the album name at the bottom of the screen. The title of the album uses iconography as Adele always has a number as her album title therefore the audience can tell without her name being there that this is an Adele cd, she is the artist. The title and name of the artist is also in very large writing which can suggest to the audience that all of the album is about Adele, no one else therefore she is the star.

Instantly we see the central cover image of Adele being a close up which helps us gain feeling with her as we understand how she feels. We see that she isn't particularly happy as she int smiling, she has a very neutral to sad facial expression which helps the audience consuming this album gain empathy for her, it also anchors the audience to by the cd as they will want to know why she isn't happy. Her facial expression makes us want to know whats the matter with her. We also see that Adele is using a direct mode of address therefore it anchors the audience in. It means that the audience want to know why she is looking at us. Her direct mode of address is very serious that could suggest to the audience that this album isn't up-beat or happy, it suggests that this album is sad or quite emotional.

While looking at the front and back cover of Adele's 25 cd we see the colour scheme of black, white, grey and red. This can mean that the audience can decode the colour scheme in many different ways linking to the reception theory as the audience decode the messages given in different ways. The use of the colour grey could suggest to the audience dullness however grey has been encoded to suggest loss in Adele's life. The colour grey also links to some of the song titles like 'i miss you' and 'send my love to your new lover' which suggest her as being sad as she has lost someone in her life and cannot have them back. The colour black could also suggest mystery to the audience, this is also shown through the lighting of low key lighting with many shadows. The mystery in this case could be why is she sad or who did she lose, we want to find out what happened, whats the mystery behind this album. The colour red could represent Adele as being passionate or powerful. She is passionate about what happened to her but also powerful as she has over come this.

From the album we can tell that Adele's main target audience is of females from early/late 20s to their early 30s. This is suggested due to the fact we see her has having a loss, people in their early teens probably won't have experience a loss like she has where as people of their 20s to 30s may have. This may also fit into the Bulmer and Katz uses and gratifications theory as the audiene gain a sense of personal identity with Adele herself.

magazine cover, analysis

When looking at this front cover of the magazine we instantly see the masthead 'Total Film', this is in big bold writing as it immediately anchors the audience in, it is also a typeface as it always contains the same writing and style in every magazine they print. However we also see that the main image is slightly covering the masthead implying that this is a well know magazine therefore the audience will recognise what the magazine is regardless of whether you can completely see the title.

The main image on the cover of the magazine is of Johnny Depp a well know actor giving the magazine star appeal, it draws us in as we we want to know more about this person, it attracts a wider audience as a lot of people know about him and want to learn about him. it also appeals to different audience as he has stared in a range of films not just 'Alice in wonderland' which is being promoted. Johnny Depp is also dressed as the mad hatter a character he plays in the film 'Alice in Wonderland' linking to the genre of magazine as it links to films. Johnny Depp is also staring straight at the audience using a direct mode of attention, this makes him seem friendly and anchors the audience as we are drawn to look at him, we are interested in him. We also see that he is standing straight up tall indicating that he is confident, he is the star and who we should be looking at or aspiring to be like. Behind the main image we also see that the background is blurred out, suggesting that Johnny Depp is the star, he is the most important thing on this cover as he is seen clearly.

In the cover lines we see the phrase 'Welcome to Wonderland!' this is directly aimed at the audience again, anchoring the audience in as we feel welcomed as if we we belong with the magazine, we feel comfortable reading it. This phrase is also followed by the 'Massive 2010 preview' suggesting to the audience that this is a big thing and by buying this magazine you will know all about it first, you will get the preview first, you will gain information before everyone else. . The other cover lines also use buzz words such as 'staring' and 'exclusive' this anchors the audience as it makes it seem more important and desirable.

The colour scheme of this magazine is of orange, purple and yellow maybe indicating to the audience that this issue is a halloween special as these colour like orange and purple are often used around halloween. By using the mad hatter on the cover also indicates halloween as he is seen as dressed up, he looks like he is in fancy dress something a lot of people do during this time of year. The colour purple also have the connotation of creativity of which the mad hatters has.


At the very top of this magazine we see the masthead 'Lucky' this instantly tells the reader what magazine this is, it is also type faced at it is the same style, font and usually colour on each front cover printed. Just above the masthead we see the slogan or tag line of this magazine 'the magazine about shopping and style', this gives the reader more clue to what the magazine is about. By saying 'shopping and style' it has the connotation of fashion, clothes and whats on trend telling the audience that this magazine is about clothes and fashion. This is also suggests the magazines targets audience of young girls interested in fashion, around teens to there 20s, this is also suggested by the main cove lines like 'a new way to perfect skin' as young teen want beautiful clear skin.

Directly under the masthead we see the main image, a close up of the actress Amanda Seyfried this gives the magazine star appeal. We see her looking straight at the camera using a direct mode of address therefore it captures the audiences attention as we are drawn to her eyes, it anchors the audience in and the audience wants to find out more. By having Amanda Seyfried as the main image shows to the audience that she is the star, she is what the audience should be looking at. The use of having her, a young woman, as the main image shows that this is what the audience is aspiring to be like, she is represented at happy as she is smiling but also confident as she is not looking away from the camera or throng away, she is not shy as she looks straight at the camera. The main image also fits into the Bulmer and Katz uses and gratifications theory the we consume media as we get a sense of personal identity, in this case with who is on the cover. The audience feels as if they know them or sees themselves as or like the person on the cover.

The audience then gets to see the main cover lines but they don't distract from the main image of Amanda Seyfried as she is the star. All of the main over lines are located around the main image and give an insight to what the magazine articles will contain. We see '624 ways to get the most out of your look', the '624' is in big bold red text suggesting that this is one of the main articles, this is one of the most important story lines. it also tells the audience what the genre of the magazine is, in this case fashion as we want the most out of the clothes and look we are wearing. We then see 'Amanda Seyfried' in bold red writing indicating to the audience that she is the main story she is the most important.

Another thing seen on the cover of the magazine 'Lucky' is the colour scheme of red and white. The colour scheme if this could suggest multiple meanings but in this case red has the connotations of glamour and class. The colour red also suggests to the audience power and strength. Amanda Seyfried is wearing the colour red therefore it represents her as having power, she is in control, it also suggests that she is sophisticated, glamours and has class. The colour white also has connotations of of perfection, this links to one of the main puffs which is 'a new way to perfect skin', as the audience wants to have perfect skin and white is linked to perfection.

the mortal instruments, dvd cover analysis

On the cover of the dvd 'The Mortal Instruments' we instantly see the central cover image, a mid shot of 2 characters. The first character on the left 'Clary' and the other on the right 'Jace'. These two characters are placed on the front cover to suggest that they are the two main characters, they are who the film will be focusing on, the starts of the film.  They are also showed on the cover to represent who they are in the film, the girl 'Clary' is represented as being confident as she is stood up tall and using a direct mode of address to attract the audience, this may suggest that she takes control and breaks stereotypes. The other character 'Jace' is represented as being dark and mysterious this is due to the fact he is wearing all black, with connotations of danger and mystery, and with his hood up to add an element of darkness, however his look at the camera suggest that he could be a villain but could suggest he also takes control, like a stereotypical male. His direct mode of address could suggest to the audience he isn't scared to back away from a fight, he won't back down.

On the front cover we also see the slogan 'Two worlds will collide', this suggests to the audience what the genre is, in this case it could suggest that this film will be a si-fy film or a fantasy film, this is because most si-fy films have some element of different worlds or characters from completely different unique places. The genre is also suggested through the background, this is not a meeting from an everyday setting suggesting its from a different world like most si-fy or fantasy films.

Under this the audience sees a symbol, that could be the symbol of the film, franchise. The symbol is also blue with lighting strikes coming of it suggesting that the film is cold. the lightning strikes could also suggest some sort of danger, lightning also suggests fear or darkness suggesting that the film contains danger. The lightning may also suggest the characters having some sort of power. The colour blue also suggests to the audience some kind of intelligence, in this case it could be another intelligent  race from a different world.  On the back cover we also see the two characters in the still images, again with the colour blue, this represents the two characters as being close, trusting and having faith in the other.

The still images also suggest part of the narrative, we see Jace standing in front of Clary suggesting that she gets put in some sort of danger or that she needs protecting, this also suggests that she is the stereotypical female or damsel as she needs to be protected. However we also see Clary in the still images looking as though she is protecting herself or maybe even others. This is shown on the second still image where she is standing with her hand out. This particular still image also suggest that she has some sort of powers, by the blue light coming from her hand. Magic or powers are a typical convention of the si-fy or fantasy films, this again suggests the genre of the film (sy-fi / fantasy).

On the front and back cover of the dvd 'The Mortal Instruments' we also see an age rating, on this film it is a 12 suggesting that it contains content unsuitable for young viewers. The age rating also suggests part of the narrative  as it says the film contains violence and threat, which adds to the danger and fear effect of the cover.

shot types, examples and analysis

Establishing shot -  in many tv shows or films an establishing shot is used to set the scene, so that the audience can understand where the situation is going to occur. An establishing shot is usually used to shot landmarks or grand cites e.g. new york / big ben. In the programme 'Panorama' a establishing shot is used to show the run down city of Aleppo. This shows to the audience the types of places these people are living, they see that even though its one of the biggest cities it is a poor place to live it is rundown.

long shot -  a long shot is used to show a full person/people, it shows where they are and even shows the mies-en-scene (props, costume etc). Long shots also place some relations to the surroundings and the environment. In this case a long shot is used at the very start of the first episode of 'Cleverman', this is because it instantly tells the audience where the action is to take place, we see a city background therefore the audience knows the action  is taking place in a city like London. We also get some indication to the characters. The audience see their clothing therefore the long shot used at the beginning tells the audience that the situation is going to take place in the modern day not in the past.

mid shot-   a mid shot is a shot which usually shows a person from the waist upwards this is because it helps set the scene by showing props in the background or clothing, however mid shots can be seen from the waist downwards but can still give the same effect. In the programme 'EastEnders' we see a mid shot is used to introduce the character. Here we see a character walking in holding the mail used as a prop, this indicates to the audience that there is going to be some talk about what came in the mail.




close up -  close ups show a characters head and shoulders. A close up is usually used to give information to the audience about the character, we start to understand the characters feelings therefore we begin to empathise with them. In the show 'Thirteen' we see a close up of the character Ivy, this helps indicate to the audience of how she is feeling. we begin to understand that see feels sad due to he facial expression on her face. She looks sad therefore the audience begins to feel sorry for them. We also see that she must not have been treated very well, this is due to her messy hair and her very pale face. We gain feelings towards her, we empathise with her.

extreme close up - most extreme close ups look at a particular part of the body, majority of the time we see eyes in an extreme close up as it helps gain feeling but sometimes an extreme close up is used to make the audience feel uncomfortable. In this case an extreme close up is used on a mans chest to show bloody bite marks, something gory, this makes the audience watching feel uncomfortable as we never usually see things like this up close. This also sets the mood as it is seen as a tragedy. The extreme close up shows something to make the audience uncomfortable and set the mood.

point of view shot 
reaction shot

Shot reverse shot- most short reverse shots shown conversation or dialogue between two characters, but they can also show how different characters interact with each other. In this scene the audience get to see how these two characters interact with each other.

High angle shot - normal a hight angle shot is used to show a character as weak, maybe even a villain as we look down on them. In this shot from the programme 'Ripper Street' we see a high angle shot, looking down on this character. This give the impression to the audience that this character is weak or cannot defend themselves. They have been knocked down, both the position of the angle and the characters body language shows to the audience that this character have little to no power.





low angle shot 
eye level 

high key lighting 
low key lighting

pan 
tilt 
tracking 
zoom 

runway magazine

Magazine, Runway

I chose the title of my magazine to be 'Runway' as this links to fashion, of which this magazine is about. By using the word 'runway' instantly gives connotations to fashion and being on a runway or clothes and what everyone is wearing/ what's on trend.This links to my target audience of females of the age 20+ as they will be interested in fashion and whats new in the fashion world. This engages the reader as its something they are interested in and want to find out more about the fashion world/industry. The word 'runway' anchors the audience in as it is a signifier, everyone sees the word runway as a part of the fashion industry.

On my magazine i used a picture of Blake Lively a famous actress/model of which many people know of. This draws the audience in as its a familiar face and someone the main target audience would be interested in knowing more about. The audience consumes this magazine as they want information about the person on the cover (Blake Lively) this fits into the Bulmer and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory where we consume media to gain information. The use of having Blake Lively on the front cover also attracts the reader as its someone of a similar age linking to demographics, or someone the may aspire to be like or identify with. This also fits in with personal identity as they see themselves as this person or want to see themselves at this person.

I chose the colour scheme of this magazine to be pink and black. I chose the colour pink as it has connotations of being very girly and feminine. This magazine is aimed at females therefore the colour pink links with the stereotypical view of females being girly and caring a lot about their appearance and clothes. All audiences reading this magazine will understand its primary audience is females.  The colour pink may even signify Barbie which again links to clothes and fashion of which my magazine is about. The colour black may even have the connotations of sophistication, this is something my target audience may be aspiring to achieve, or have already gained.