Textual analysis

Steph Webb

Film posters

The VowWithin this romance film poster, we can clearly see a large image that covers the entire space of the

poster. The image that is shown within this space is of two people - who’re seen to be connected through the use of touching. The denotation of this image is two people of the opposite sex who’re

expressing themselves through the use of touch. The connotation that we take from this is that they’re in love. We take this idea from the image because of the way they’re looking at each other and how they’re touching one another. Although it Is just two people touching, we interpret it differently. The two people that can be seen within the poster Within the background of the image, we see a window of some sort and some grass. The light colours of the background allows for the two characters to stand out on the poster. The colours used within this film poster are natural and have been used to enhance the overall appearance of the film poster. The lighting allows for the attention of the audience to be put straight

onto the two characters within the poster. By using dark clothing for the character’s waistline, the audience is able to see he writing more clearly and is therefore effective. The text that is present can be seen within different areas of the poster. The biggest text size that we see is that of the title of the film.

The words ‘The Vow’ can be seen in the bottom third of the poster. Underneath the title is a smaller type of text. It reads ‘inspired by true events’. This allows for the audience to understand that the film has been created based on real life experiences so is easily relatable. At the bottom of the poster in small writing, we have the companies that are responsible for all types of industries such as production and distribution companies. To the bottom left of the screen we have a yellow box that reads ‘check the classification’. This tells the viewer that they have to check the classification of age in order to go and

watch this film. We also can see company logos at the very bottom of the screen which inform the audience which companies are associated with the film. At the very top of the screen, we see two names

and they are automatically associated with the two people that can be seen on screen. The two names ‘Rachel McAdams’ and ‘Channing Tatum’ are displayed in a yellow coloured font to allow for the

audience to see who is in the chosen film. The text can be seen within the top third and bottom third of the screen. This is where your eyes are automatically drawn too. This poster uses composition well in

order to allow for the two main characters to share the space with the text that can be seen.

Safe HavenMuch like ‘The Vow’ poster, the main image within this poster is of the two main characters who’re seen to be touching one another in order to show their affection for one another. The image allows for the audience to see clearly how the two characters feel about each other and therefore informs them that the two characters are in love. In order to make the text stand out within the poster, the

text is white and a light blue compared to the darker colours that are seen on the character’s clothing (a darker blue and a green). In order to make a contrast between the text and image, the creator has designed the poster using light text colours which stand out against the image. The biggest text that we see appears both in the middle and bottom third of the poster. This text informs the reader what

the film as called. This is due to the fact that the title of the film has been made biggest so people can see it as soon as they look at the poster. The next biggest text that appears on the poster is the

names of the two characters who play the main roles in the film. The names ‘Josh Duhamel’ and ‘Jullianne Hough’ are positioned in the middle third of the poster. In the top third, we see the text

which says ‘From the author of The Notebook and the director of Dear John’. By writing this on the poster where it is visible, it encourages the reader to go and watch the film due to the fact that both

‘The Notebook’ and ‘Dear John’ were huge films and were very successful in romance film genre. Underneath the film title, there is small sized text that says ‘you know it when you find it’. This has been put in the bottom third of the poster as it is the slogan that comes after the title. Underneath the slogan in smaller and thinner text, we see the names of media companies who were involved in

the process of creating the film. At the very bottom of the poster in the same size font as the slogan, we read the words ‘opens Thursday, February 14 valentines day’. By putting this on the poster, the

eye is drawn to it because it’s bigger than the text above it. The fact that they have put valentines day on it encourages people to go and see it because it’s a romance genre film and is the perfect film to watch on valentines day. Releasing it on this day would therefore encourage the audience to go and

watch the film if they see the date on the poster. Within the background of the image, we are able to see what appears to be a beach – due to the sand and sea. This gives the audience an idea that the

film is set in a seaside setting or near a beach.

The Fault In Our StarsThis poster for the romance film ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ isn’t quite the same as the two film posters

that I have analysed. This film poster is quite simple but uses bold colours and contrasts to inform the readers. The biggest similarity between this poster and the previous two are that the two main characters cover the majority of the space. The image that we see within this poster is the two characters laying on the grass. The female character is seen on the left-hand side of the poster

compared to the male character who is seen to be on the right-side. The two main character are laying in different positions but their heads about in line with one another. Their heads are

positioned within the top and middle thirds of the poster. The colours used within this image are sharp and consist of both dark and light colours. The female wears a light covered t-shirt and a black leather jacket compared to the male who wears a grey coloured t-shirt and a brown leather jacket.

They’re both laying on the grass which is a dark green in order for the main characters to stand out in terms of skin, face and hair. The composition of the film title is within the bottom third of the poster. The title has been placed in front of the females body in which the text therefore contrasts against the black leather jacket. Underneath the title in smaller font size, there is a piece of text that reads

‘one sick love story’. The use of the word ‘sick’ can create a double meaning for the film. The fact that we can see the female character’s tube which connects to her nose allows for the reader to tell that she is not well. The use of the word ‘sick’ is a denotation as we see it as simple just a word, but the

connotation that could be interrupted from the word is that she has an illness and is not well so therefore ‘sick’ could be referring to her illness rather than meaning ‘good’. Underneath the slogan at

the bottom is the date in which the film is released (June 6). At the very top of the poster, there is small text that says ‘based on the New York Times #1 bestseller’. The text within the poster uses two different colours – white and blue (which is the two colours associated with the book). In tiny writing in the bottom left hand corner, there is a small image and next to it there is text that says ‘#TFIOS’. In

the top right hand corner there is a website address that can be accessed by the public.

Magazine covers

GlamourWhen you look at this Glamour magazine cover, straight away you are able to tell that there is a colour scheme. The

text is seen to be only two colours – black and pink. These two colours have been used to stand out against the white background. The pink has also been used as it is commonly associated with being ‘girly’ and ‘feminine’ and

therefore enhances the femininity of the magazine. By using a feminine colour, it makes it easier to distinguish the target audience. The image that we see in the centre of the magazine is of celebrity ‘Cheryl Cole’. Using a famous female celebrity like Cheryl encourages people to buy it – including her fans. We can see Cheryl holding a yellow

camera in her hands that are positioned to the right of her face. The composition of the main title is in the top third of the cover. It reads ‘Glamour’ which indicates to the audience what the magazine is about. Above the title in

smaller font it says ‘Britain's no1 women’s magazine’. This has been put above the title as you are more likely to look at it. By putting this on the magazine, it encourages women to buy it because it’s been so successful. By also having

that text written on their magazine cover, it ensures that they’re linked to the popularity that they have. Underneath the title to the left, you can see really small text that gives the audience the website that is related to the magazine. Underneath the title to the right is where the date can be seen. This text is seen to be in capital letters and is small.

When you look at the magazine, you can see that there is text on both sides. Each individual section consists of different fonts, colours and sizes. Underneath the website is a section about how to look at a party. The biggest and most bold part of this section is the number ‘775’ which is seen to be pink. Below that are the words ‘ways to’ which are in capital letters and black font. Following that underneath are the words ‘nail your party look’ – which are also in capital letters, but this time it is in pink. Finally, underneath that is black font that is lowercase and smaller than

the text above. Having the different font size and colours for the same article allows for the audience’s attention to be put into the most important part of that article title. At the bottom left of the magazine cover, there is another

piece of text that refers to another article. At the top of the text, there is a pink box that contains white writing. The writing is fairly small but stands out against it’s pink background. Underneath the box is some text that uses a blank

font and capital letters. The fact that each word has a full stop beside it indicates that it’s important for the audience. Underneath this text, we have even more text that is smaller and in lower case letters. Within this text, there are bolder words that are in a pink coloured font to make them stand out. These words are £20 and ANYONE. To the

bottom right of the page, there is two lines of text that feature different colours and font sizes. The word that stands out the most is the word ‘EVERYONE’ which entices people to read it because it applies to them. Above that is

another piece of text that is in lower case and uses small black font This indicates that it isn’t as important as the other stories but still plays a role in the cover. Above this text is a piece of text that contains 2 different font colours and three different sizes of font. The most important part of the text is in bold uses a pink coloured font. The other

two parts of the article are smaller and in black font. Finally, above that text is another piece of text that uses 2 diferent colours and three different font sizes. The biggest part of the text is in black font and in bold because it

relates to the person whose in the image on the front of the magazine, therefore it is the most important thing on the cover. By using these distinct colours, it makes the magazine look organised and professional – which in turn

encourages the audience to buy the magazine itself.

Men’s HealthWhen looking at this magazine cover, we are immediately met by a male who is seen to be posing by crossing his arms.

When we look at the celebrity who is posing on the cover, we can tell that it is David Beckham. By putting a famous sporting celebrity on the front of a health magazine, it encourages the targeted audience to buy it because they know that

David is sporty and in good shape. He is positioned within the middle and right third of the cover. He is seen to be overlapping the title of the magazine – which is located in the top third of the cover. The title is in a red coloured font

which uses both capital letters and lower case letters. When looking at this magazine cover, we can tell immediately that there is a colour scheme. The magazine uses red, black and grey font colours within the text that is present. We can also

see a yellow that appears as a box underneath some of the text. The background of this cover is white. David is also seen to be wearing a white short sleeved t-shirt. This has been done to ensure that his body/face and tattoos are standing out

to make him more attractive (they’re defined/sharp). Above the word ‘Men’s’ in the title, there is really small font that reads ‘tons of useful stuff’. Above the whole of the title, there is a piece of text that is in black font and capital letters. It

reads ‘THE INCREDIBLE 24-HOUR FAT BURN!’. This has been put above the title to encourage the target audience to look at it. It therefore encourages people to look at the magazine and read the article as losing fat is important to most people – so they can become fitter. Underneath the title to the left of the page is a yellow box that has black writing in it. It reads ‘free workout poster’. This has been highlighted in the yellow box in order to capture their attention. By using the word

‘free’ it encourages the audience to get the magazine because they’re think they’re getting something for nothing. Underneath this is a large title that is a black font. This has been underlined using a grey colour. By making this text large, it encourages the naked eye to look straight at it. This is a technique that encourages the audience to buy it because the aim

of the magazine is to help get people fitter and in shape. Underneath this, there is text that readers ‘see results in just 8 days’. The words ‘just 8 days are in a different colours to the ‘see results in’ to make sure that the audience pulls their

attention towards the timespan rather than the other information. Underneath this text are two separate texts that are the same size but different colours – one is red and one is black. The use of the same font size means that the articles are

of the same importance. Below the two texts is another piece of text that is different sizes and font colours. The title of the article ‘instant energy’ is in big grey letters to attract the attention of the audience compared to the subtitle that is small and in black font. Underneath that text is an article title about money. This has been put in black font in contrast against

the white background. This therefore pulls their attention to the article. Finally, underneath the money text is a large text that reads the number ‘792’. This has been done to attract the attention of the audience towards the number. Underneath

the number is a long yellow box with black coloured text inside it. By making the number large, the audience is encouraged to see what the number is related to and therefore reads the yellow box text underneath. To the right of David Beckham is two other pieces of text that both have different font sizes and colours in order for the audience to determine which is the title and which is the main focus of that specific text. In small writing there is a piece of text that talks about

the ’10 best style tips’ with two arrows underneath it. This indicates to the audience that it is not the most important part of the magazine so doesn’t need to be in a large font. Below that is an even smaller piece of text that is about the model who is on the cover. This has been made small because it is not a priority for the audience to know who the model is due

to the fact that he’s already famous so people should have an idea before having to read who it is.

EmpireWithin this magazine cover of the cinema magazine ‘Empire’ we are immediately greeted with a photograph of someone in a red and gold suit. His composition is centred. We can tell that this

person is related to the film ‘Iron Man 3’ because the text can be seen in bold red text to the middle left of the actor. Below the title of the film, there is a piece of text that is smaller and in white. By

reading the text, it is obvious who the person on the front cover of the magazine in. Within the top third of the cover, we see the title. Although Robert Downey Jr. is overlapping some of the font, we are able to make out what the title is called because the cinema company ‘Empire’ is known largely by most people along with the magazine itself. Above the title is a piece of text that talks about ‘Star

Wars’. The text is in two different colours (red and gold) and is in capitals. Between the ‘M’ in the title, there is tiny text writing. This is tiny due to the fact that it is not important for the reader to see/read. Underneath the title to the right is a small piece of text that is in white. It informs the

audience that the magazine is the biggest in the film industry in the world. Underneath that text is a name of a actor which is in a white font. It is a bigger size than the font below it which indicates that it’s more important. The text below is in red and is slightly smaller as just mentioned. At the bottom left of the cover, there is some text that is of a small size. When looking at the text, we can tell that they’re for two separate articles. We know this because of the colours and sizes. The red indicates the title of that specific title and the white font gives a brief couple words about the article. Above this text is a gold coloured text that simply says ‘plus’ This indicates to the audience that there is more which is featured within the magazine. Below the title of the magazine to the left is a black

coloured banner which reads ‘the original avenger’ in white writing. By looking at the magazine, we can clearly tell that there is a colour theme within the cover. The three main colours which are present are red, gold and white. Due to the fact that the armour in which Robert Downey Jr. is wearing is gold and red, the magazine has decided to colour co-ordinate with it to make it look

more effective and professional. When looking at the image and what is going on, we are able to tell that he is standing in a surrounding that looks like the sky. This looks good against the colours of the

magazine and also the colours of Robert. It allows for him to stand out more within the magazine cover itself. When we look at Robert and his armour, we can also see sparks. These sparks indicate

to the audience that the film in which he stars in is an action film. This is due to the fact that sparks usually relate to fires, which is considered an action movie.