The Sun Front Cover Analysis

The headline is split up with the word Goal held up on a banner. As it is positioned across the models chest, it draws attention to her body. Depending on the reader, they may respond to it in different ways. A dominant reader would look at the image and enjoy what they see, which is the intent of the image. However some may be oppositional readers who do not find pleasure in the image. A negotiated reader would compromise: Look at the image, find the pleasure in the image then move on…

There is a myth that women with blonde hair are dumb and have large breasts. As she is a blonde haired model, it may signify to the reader that she has large breast. The reader may also fantasies about that too and this would be a dominant reader.

The font is simple because for the dominant reader the most important section of the page is the model and not so much the text.

The composition of the text and the image suggest the model is the subject matter and is important. This is because she is positioned in the middle, and the text is positioned to fit around her.

This is a medium shot and it is close enough for a dominant reader to clearly see her face and parts of her body that maybe visually pleasurable.

Top lighting is used and the model looks into it. This highlights her face which some readers may find pleasurable.

The headline is polysemic because it is a sexual pun. The headline with the image is anchored by the strap line which is talking about the World Cup: football. However as there is an image of a half-naked woman, the heading could signify the idea of “scoring” or getting a woman for sexual pleasures.

Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince Analysis

The poster has a blue tint throughout the image. The colour blue connotes sadness or coldness and therefore creates a cold feel or atmosphere to the poster. This suggests the film has a cold, dark side to it, which are the expectations of the film; as this is the 6th film of a series.

Three of the four characters are leaning forward in the image, which suggests they are leaning forward to counteract another force- maybe evil or a villain. It also shows they are ready for action or a challenge. This could reinforce stereotypical views of teenagers as being fearless and reckless. In contrast the other character is leaning backwards with a wind-swept beard. As he is old, with a white, long beard, he would be stereotyped as a wise, powerful man or wizard. Seeing him lean away with fear, would show this power/force going against him is too much for him. The audience would question why such a powerful man would seem afraid, and want to seek more information by watching it.

The title of the film is very large; so much that only the “Y”, “P” and “O” from Harry Potter are clear. As the characters and the film are so well established, and the font is unique, the title is easily recognised and known.

All written text is angled diagonally, which gives a sense of confusion or chaos, which might reflect the film. Again this is an audience expectation from the film. The tagline and the release date are white, while the institutional information is a blue-grey colour. The white stands out more because it is important information that the audience should pick out and remember.

The main character takes up a third of the whole text: the subject matter and shows he is the most important subject to remember. He is positioned to the left and therefore would be the first character seen, as we tend look from left to right. After the audience recognises who he is, the title of the film then becomes clear.

There is depth in the image, as the image of the main character (subject matter) would be classed as a medium shot. However the other 3 characters would be classed as a long shot. This depth makes the whole poster feel dramatic and hopefully reflects the film.

In the mise-en-scene, in the background there is a famous London landmark which visually states the setting of the film. The characters have serious facial expressions which show the film contains action and/or drama. All the characters have wands (props) in their hands which also show they are ready for action- or to battle.

There is a contrast in light and dark in the poster. This is because low key lighting is used and adds mystery to the poster.

Dying to be Thin Film Review

“Dying to be Thin” is a powerful production by the commercial broadcasting channel, Channel 4, which explores eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. This documentary really captures you attention from the beginning, with images of models, celebrities and designer shops which represents what our society aspires to have or to be. This reinforces stereotypes and opinions that we believe to exist.

Throughout this social issue documentary, members of society express their views, which reinforces what our society thinks and helps reflect a positive ideology.

This documentary is defiantly targeted at teenagers, mainly females but surprisingly also males. This reflects the topic accurately as men are also prone to these eating disorders as much as women, which isn’t “hyped up” so much by the media. The viewers of this documentary will learn and become more are of the topic- fulfilling the genre expectations.

A positive value is also made to encourage change, well… to at least make people aware of the effects of eating disorders.

Overall, this documentary does make you aware of the social issue in a powerful way, and therefore is given a 4 of 5 stars.