Semiotic Analysis of Empire Magazine and Total Film

By Jamie Read

The 2 covers that I have chosen to do.Empire Magazine - Expendables coverTotal Film - Sherlock Holmes 2 cover

The Expendables CoverIssue #252June 2010

Empire MagazineAnalysis

The characters here are all dressed very similarly. They are all dressed in black army style gear. All characters are stood looking directly at the audience and appear to have no fear. The character on the left has a gun which shows action and violence.

The images help appeal to many ethnicities and countries because the actors aren’t all from the same place. One actor is American, English and Asian meaning that this action movie can appeal not just to one ethnic group. For my magazine I don’t intend to put on different cultures because I am not trying to appeal to every audience.

The text that advertises this issue as being a significant action issue has been made to look like it goes with action. The font used create a spray paint look that appear on things in the army and on the side of weapons. The fact the magazine looks ‘tagged’ with this shows the issue isn’t going to be too neat and will try to live up to the acton genre.

The text here is all in capitals. The white of the text stands off the page but clearly has a golden stroke around it. It doesn’t look dead central but is still very eye catching. The size of the letters are the second biggest on the cover, second only to the magazine name.

The magazine shows another cover for the same issue of the magazine. This cover has the A-Team on it. This is a good way to advertise the magazine again. People that buy this regularly would likely be intrigued by the fact they can get 2 different covers so it makes it more noticeable and a better chance people will buy it.

The barcode is placed at the side of the magazine because it isn’t very important to the reader. It may contain the price but from a distance on the shelf it isn’t a main factor in attracting a customer. It slightly cover Jason Statham but only his shoulder.I personally don’t like the position as it is too close to the main image, my barcode will likely being nearer the bottom of my magazine.The strip here is a good way

to catch the attention of the audience. The text has a

gold background making it easy to notice. The 4

pictures are colourful and not too large. One picture has bullet holes on it, this

fits in with the action genre and special issue. The text is all in capitals making it very easy to notice. The word plus is in blue to get even more attention and

make it appear like there is more to the magazine.

The explosion in the background is important to illustrate the action special. The colours catch the eye and make everything in the foreground stand out. The characters give the impression they might have started this, which immediately makes them look tough and dangerous.

The Empire title is the largest text on the cover. It is slightly covered but being a well established brand means that it can get away with it. The red is very eye catching to the reader. To fit in with the action is is slightly charred and burning from the fire background. This gives the impression the title is there too.

• The reason I chose to analyse this cover was because I felt it had some features I wished to use for my cover.

• The Ultimate Action Special I liked because it made the magazine have something quite special about it, it’s a selling factor.

• The strip along the bottom I also liked. I want to do that with mine but slightly different.

Personal View

Sherlock Homes 2 CoverIssue #187December 2011

Total FilmAnalysis

Both characters fit in well with the Mise en Scène of the movie. They are both wearing clothes from the period Sherlock Holmes was originally set it. They attire makes them look respectable characters showing the audience that they are good. The gun in the hand of Jude Law is correct for the period. Though he is holding a gun he doesn’t look threatening. The stance of his character looks more protecting rather than a villain. If the gun was pointed towards the reader his character would automatically change.

Total Film’s title here is unedited compared to some other issues. The title is plain white because the rest of the magazine makes it easily stick out. There is a drop shadow on it though to help it stick out along with the characters.The title is behind the images of the characters to not only show their importance but because it doesn’t need to all be on show. The magazine is in it’s #187 issue, so it is recognisable just with the few letters on show. I like the effect of the Total being cut out of the letter F.

The text here isn’t written all in capitals. Sherlock Holmes’ character is seen as being posh and British so using capitals here would give off the wrong impression about the character. The text is close together and looks old fashioned. The old appearance of the text fits in with the Mise en scène of the movie.

The pile of coins is almost made to be 3D to jump out at the reader. Red is used so really grab attention. This is the only bit of text not completely written in capitals. Not all the text needs to be in capitals as it isn’t as important as other articles.

The barcode includes the price of the magazine. It also includes a small ident for the magazine’s creators. It gives the company advertising without stealing focus from the rest of the magazine.

The background fits in with the Mise en scène. The

image behind is an image from the movie and you can slightly see an explosion. The action behind it along

with the gun in the character’s hand show the

movie will have at least one action scene. Action

movies are very popular so that is the reason this

image has been chosen.

The strip here is a good way to catch the attention of the audience. It has a gold

background making it easy to notice. The 4 pictures are

colourful and not too large. The text is all in capitals making it very easy to notice. The word plus is in red to get even more attention and make it appear

like there is more to the magazine.

This red strip is very eye catching, the magazine want you to know they have an exclusive so make sure they put it directly at the top of the magazine. It is also written in capitals.

• The reason I chose to analyse this cover was because I felt it had some features I wished to use for my cover.

• The way the barcode is made I also like. The fact it has a little white box around it mean it is easy to see. It also contains the ‘Future’ ident. I would like to do my own version of this.

• The strip along the bottom I also liked. I want to do that with mine but slightly different.

Personal Opinion