Hetty's analysis' of existing products

Film Trailer

Mean Girls Trailer

Narrative: The trailer provides snippets of the film's storyline, without giving too much away - creating interest in the audience, without taking away some mystery. The story is of a new girl starting at a school and trying to fit in. It contains elements of comedy, romance and friendship: components which I think our teaser trailer should set out to the audience.

Mise-en-Scene: The use of costume is effective in creating divisions within the school life, the different styles each student has creates the sense of different 'cliques'. The main character of Cady is seen to be quite a tomboy when we first meet her, before she goes under some changes and is seen to be dressed more provocatively like 'the plastics' as she joins their group. The setting of a school is something we plan to follow to create a sense of verisimilitude, which in particular a teen audience can relate to; and in turn make the trailer more appealing to this target group.

Editing: The editing throughout is generally fast-paced, creating a sense of energy; keeping those watching engaged in what they are watching. There is also frequent use of flashes of whites to have a dramatic impact on the audience, holding their attention. The use of shot-reverse-shots often helps the audience recognise conversations and relate to the storyline which also helps maintain interest.

Camerawork: The majority of shots used are midshots, allowing the audience to se facial expressions but also their clothing - which helps them associate what the characters are like and making them more appealing. Panning, (edited in a fast way), goes across the cafteteria to identify the different groups of people, giving the audience, in particular teens, something to relate to.

Sound: The use of Cady as a voice-over helps the audience to identify with her point of view, and therefore makes the film's story seem interesting; other characters' dialogue is also used in a similar way to tell the story and give those watching an idea of what the film is about. The non-diegetic music is also modern music which teen audiences will recognise; which increases the film's appeal.

Applying Theories to the Trailer:

In some ways this trailer does relate to Laura Mulvey's theory of films assuming a male audience; the 'male gaze' as the costumes worn by the female characters provide visual pleasure for the males watching. In addition the use of slow-motion editing as the girls walk through the school emphasises what they are wearing and making use of objectification. However, the female characters do not seem passive to the males, in fact they seem to be more more active and this suggests perhaps this film may appeal more to female audience - may not assume a male audience.


Will Wright's genre theory also applies to this trailer in the way that in knowing its genre, the audience are more able to interpret and understand what they are watching. For example the conventions of Romantic Comedies are seen throughout the trailer; the use of an extra person in the way of the couple, an attractive couple and also the delayed unity of them. This helps the audience know how they should react to the events on screen; they want the two to be together. Also the use of school cliques could be seen as a reflection of society as there are often divisions within different social groups.

Foucault's social theory of idealised norms are also demonstrated in the trailer through the normalised values which are associated with gender. For example when we are introduced to the 'plastics' they are at the top of the social hierarchy as they epitomise what is expected of their gender; they are feminine and not particularly intelligent. By being at the top of the social hierarchy they are rewarded and respected by the others, unlike the character of Janice who is unfeminine and the character of Damien who is homosexual who are both more or less outcasts.


Poster

Mean Girls Movie Poster

Layout: The route of the eye demonstrates that the first thing the audience will see is Lindsey Lohan’s name; this grabs their attention immediately as she is well known and people will have heard of her – making the film seem more appealing. The audience then scan across the three girl’s faces and then their bodies. Their legs are positioned in the centre third and next to the hot spots which makes use of objectification. The position of the main character played by Lindsey Lohan separates her from the other girls, giving an idea of the storyline, which in turn makes the audience curious as to what the film is about in detail; following Barthes’ theory of narrative codes; the enigma code. The poster makes the audience ask questions and gives them interest in what it is about. In the terminal area; the last part seen by the audience, is the slogan ‘watch your back’. This relates to the image, but also addresses the audience directly, making the film something which they can relate to. The position of the title ‘Mean Girls’, divides up the poster images and as it is near the hotspots, it is something the audience is drawn to and helps them to identify quickly with what they are looking at.


Images: The image of Lindsey Lohan is separated from the other female characters to show that she is not part of their ‘clique’. This separation is cemented by the facial expressions and clothing of each character as Lindsey Lohan’s is wearing jeans and seems to be weary of those behind her; she is looking behind her and this idea is also shown by the poster’s slogan of ‘watch your back’. The three other female characters are pouting and wearing short skirts; connoting sexual availability and appealing to a male audience; as demonstrated by Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘Male Gaze’ and that all films assume a male audience – their appearance provides visual pleasure to men. The character of Cady played by Lindsey, however is unlike the others and this contradicts this message; she is more appealing to a female audience as her appearance makes her seem like someone whom can be related to.

Colours: The colours used are all related to femininity. Pink and purple both connote femininity relating to a female audience and the female characters also on the cover. Purple is also associated with royalty, which could relate to the 'plastics' and their obvious control over Lindsey Lohan's character; Cady. The use of white suggests some neutrality as white connotes purity and cleanliness. The use of the white also makes the text clear to read; and therefore displays the information to the audience legibly.

Fonts: The fonts used are quite simple; making them clear to read. However the boldness of some of the words differs to other parts; creating emphasis on some of the words e.g the word mean stands out as it is thicker than the other text; this creates interest as it shows what the film is going to be about.

Target Audience: The target audience of this film is likely to be a teenage female audience as it shows different female characters who they can relate to. As it is in a school environment it will appeal to a teenage audience more than an older one.


Magazine cover

Total Film’s Cover: Superhero and Villain Special

Layout: The subconscious route of the eye shows that the first thing the readers see is the magazine’s title: Total Film, in large lettering. It starts in the top left-hand corner and pans across; its positioning helps the readers instantly identify with the magazine and know what they are reading. The general layout of the page makes good use of the rule of thirds; the images and text divide up the page clearly; making the information on it easy to read and digest. In the primary optical area the names of various famous characters as to which the readers will know of and be able to relate to. As they are well-known it makes the magazine more appealing as the target audience will want to read about them and by putting them in the area we focus on most it emphasises this interest. In the terminal area, the last thing that the readers will look at, there is an image of a woman with the curious quotation ‘I want my ass kicked’. By positioning this in the terminal area the audience are intrigued to hear more about it and therefore makes them more interested in purchasing the magazine.

Fonts: The fonts used throughout the cover are bold and very clear – making the text stand out and reach out to the readers. The masthead is the largest font on the cover – drawing the readers’ attention to it; helping them to instantly recognise and relate to what they are reading. It also resembles a logo; with the ‘Total’ positioned inside the ‘Film’; making it even more distinguishable to the audience and in turn adding to the magazine’s appeal. The subtitle of the ‘Heroes and Villains Issue’: ‘The ultimate countdown of cinemas saints and sinners’, is a thinner font as to not steal attention from the main purpose of the issue, yet still provide additional information to the readers.

Colours: The main colours used are black, white, red and green. Black connotes death, maturity and darkness; which against white’s connotations of purity and innocence creates quite a contrast. These two conflicting colours relate to the main topic of the magazine; heroes and villains of cinema – helping the reader to understand the message the magazine cover is trying to convey. The red also contains contrasting connotations; from blood and danger to romance; this solidifies the contrast of the other colours. The green connotes wealth as well as goodness; this again relates to the theme of the cover as the heroes and villains are represented by the red and green.

Images: There are many small images, on the cover of Total Film, showing famous characters which the readers will know about and be interested in. The fact that the masthead interrupts the images at the top shows that it is of greater importance to the cover; as it will help the readers identify with it. There is one image that does not relate to the main article in the magazine and it is situated in the terminal area. It shows an attractive woman; which interests particularly a male audience. The main bulk of images are appealing to both genders and most age groups as the show characters most people can relate to. However the images also help the audiences to understand the sci-fi/action genre of the heroes and villians as it is clear which characters within the images are 'bad' and which are 'good' through the use of their costume and the colours associated with them. This relates to Steve Neale's genre theory. The fact the bulk of the images are of males and only one female shows how they are reppresented and suggests that males are perhaps more powerful; and so require more focus. This could affect the way women are treated in life and the way they see themselves as stereotypes are used to help reinforce social values as is said by Richard Dyer in his representation of social groups theory. This could suggest that women are considered inferior to men.

Target Audience: The colours and images are not gender-specific so the cover appeals to both sexes. However, to be most interested in this magazine, knowledge of film/book characters may be needed which may result in a slightly older target audience - therefore this relates to Pierre Bourdieu's Cultural Competence theory as the audience needs to understand the cultural codes to interpret the magazine cover.