Preliminary Task: Front Cover Textual Analysis

Denotations and Connotations:

To start off with, the first thing that attracts me is the mass amount of textbooks surronding the girl - who seems to be writing on a sheet of paper. The large amount of books tells me about education and hard work - which if one were to enter a college, they would have to be prepared to take this on as alot of dedication is needed to produce work and the best standard one can do. Another thing would be the piece of toast (a little piece has been bitten off) on a plate on top of a pile of books, which may connotate mornings - as colleges at some days will start early, which the toast represents that a student needs to be prepared for the day and to gain good energy for the upcoming subjects/work they'll need to do. The girl studying there has her head resting on her arm whilst she writes - which symbolises to me that she is possibly stressful and also determined to get down her notes in order to revise. An extra thing that is there is the glass - which I would assume was water or milk. That to me means that it is (or was there - as it looks empty) there to supply the student with energy to continue on, as from the amount of textbooks she has to get through - she would need water or some source that she'll want whilst she is taking a break or quite thirsty.

Mise-en-scene:

Costume:

It is quite hard to distinguish exactly what she is wearing as the pile of textbooks seem to cover most of her costume. But what I can see is a white short-sleeved casual shirt which would be quite normal for any student to wear whilst they are studying as she seems to be at home, possibly in her room doing this revision - so it does seem fairly normal. She also has a headband on her head which shows me that she doesn't want her hair getting in the way or blocking her view from her studying. She is most probably wearing this type of clothing as she wouldn't want to wear nice clothes - or clothes that she doesn't want getting creased or used for studying and to save it for things like college or going out with her friends and/or family.

Props:

The props that I can identify are the books (most defineitly) which she would need to study with for her revision. Despite her seeming that she would want less books or another source to revise, she needs these books so that she feels that she has gained the best knowledge she can from those books. One other obvious prop is the pencil, which she would need to write the notes. This also shows how she doesn't want to just read the books and to try and remember as much as she can, but to also write most (or the key parts) of this information down - as she may think that this would be the best way to revise over her subject(s).

Setting:

The environment that she is in does seem to be her room, as most college students would do their revision at home and away from any distractions that may put her off her important revisions. Also the fact that there is a world map in the background does show that it is very likely to be there - although it could be in her school as a world map would be most associated with it. Based on all the books surrounding her, it looks like a very serious place as she is very focused on the work that she is doing. The setting also looks quite uncomfortable and as a viewer, I would not want to be there as the girl looks committed to complete her revision and it doesn't look like that anything can distract her.

Lighting:

The lighting does play quite an important part of trying to imagine the feeling that the girl is experiencing at this moment. At the top of the image (where the world map is) the lighting is very low and dark which this cover shows that the top of this image isn't the main focus of the image. The lighting is high and strong from the girl's head down so that the cover is more centred towards the girl herself and the mass amount of books she needs to revise from. However most of the strong light does seem to be more focused on the girl herself and the note taking that she is taking - which can show that she is focused on the note taking at the moment and the books would have to be used later on - as they are in a lower key of lighting.

NVC (Non-Verbal Communication):

Judging from the way the girl is sitting, she is leaning towards the note-taking that she's doing which shows how determined she is to finish the work that she is doing and with her head in one of her hand is being used to prevent her from getting distracted from what she is doing. It is quite hard to judge her facial expression, but tiredness and committed would be a way to identify it. The way that I see tiredness is from her eyes do seem quite red and there are distinctive bags under her eyes which proves that she may have been studying for a long time and is determined to complete all the studying that she needs to do. Also the way that she is sitting does look quite uncomfortable and looks like that she has developed into a slouch which also links to her tiredness as well - either way you look at it, it doesn't look pleasant to be in her shoes in that moment.

Anchorage:

From the font of the text, it does seem to be quite informal looking as the text is slanted slightly and doesn't seem to be taking studying and the scene of the girl very seriously as it seems to promote how studying isn't hard by using a few different methods. Under the title 'Extras this week' has a font that is more or less hand-written and like the all the other fonts - doesn't seem to take studying seriously, as a more formal text would be more neat, bold and adjusted to be more upright then the text used on this cover. I think that the text is really successful as it does attract me more to it to read it, if it were more a formal text - I wouldn't be as eager to read it then I do now. Also the pointy background behind some of the text also shows more informality and does appear to be very eye-catching and doesn't really fit to be in a school magazine, but now that the representation of the text is more laid back and informal - it would appeal more of the younger generation. The whole meaning of the poster (expressed by the text) means that studying is not as hard as you think it could be, as the informal text is put in to appeal to us that there are easier ways to studying that might find more useful.

Magazine Conventions:

There is no logo or dateline, but the main image really does focus on students' studying lives, hence the girl with her head down working. Despite the image seeming to be quite gloomy as it is just her by herself studying, the purpose of this cover may also send a message of hard work is rewarding and that all students need to prioritise their studies rather than other distractions as they may not get another chance like this. The cover lines from the cover do seem very encouraging about hard work and healthiness with phrases like: '5 steps to easy revision' and 'be happy, be healthy', which would be quite appealing to many students who may want advice on their studies and tips on how to revise better for future exams and such. Helped with the font and the background behind the text, these messages would really show out to the reader due to the vairety of colours that are used and the extravagant designs behind the text, which is a very useful method. The main cover line entitled testing times - is revision taking over your life?, is a question that some students may consider as they may have things to do outside of studying - but due to the amount of studying that they need to do, they can't do it. The title more or less encourages to take regular breaks from studying and to stay happy and healthy as well as producing hard work for the benefit of their knowledge, which would appeal to a vast majority of students as they may think that this magazine cover may have some information that could be quite vital for them and that it would benefit them by reading it. The left third however, is not really that different in comparison to the rest of the cover as there is not much text or information on that side. But the issue of the magazine is stated on there which can be useful to explain to the audience that this is the very first issue of this magazine and also the books and the messages about the school itself (which is named Fortismere) that this school is very beneficial to students and which questions asking what are our ideas of changing it, does really connect with the audience. There is also a website link which the reader can visit, if interested, which is about the school itself - so that if the magazine didn't answer all the students' questions - then there might be some helpful information on this site for them. Using a website link can be very beneficial as it is advertsing the school site on there which will attract more students and other people who may be interested so that they can have a look.

Induction: Movie Poster Textual Analysis

This task, we had to describe the different features we see on this poster (Connotation, Denotation, Mise-en-Scene and Anchorage).




To start off with, the setting of the poster does seem very dark and gloomy, and with a skull in the background you would expect a dangerous situation that's about to occur. The carvings on the side does show how the character is and how his skills may determine what happens to him later on, as he seems to have the look of an archaeologist. Also the setting does show that he is below some stairs which may mean that he is at the start of his journey. Also the setting takes place in some-sort of cave so that will show that he would have to enter a 'foregin location' so he could expect anything to happen, but to be prepared.

Moving unto he's NVC (non-verbal communication) he looks very determined and the rolled up sleeves suggest and the opened buttons on his shirt suggests to me that he is ready and prepared to the task ahead. He is also wearing clothes that really symbolises what he does as they are very old-fashioned and isn't the most smartest way of dressing which may mean that he is prepared to get a bit messy and dirty to achieve his objective. His facial expression also shows that he is serious about the upcoming task as he is glaring back at the camera, proving that he means business and is well-prepared.

The Anchorage that I'll be exploring would be the text on the front of the poster. Looking at the background of the poster - it would seem to be a very action/horror film judging from the skull and carvings, but the text really does seem to throw that assumption away as the denotation of the image is very soft and quite cartoon-like with the soft bubble writing that looks like that it's from a child's magazine. The connotation behind this tells us that it is more of an adventurous film and quite light-hearted and not as serious as the background would first appear. However, that is just the main title; the text below it seems quite different. The font used on the text 'and the kingdom of the crystal skull' is very thin and futuristic-looking which may also tell us that despite the old-fashioned costume that Indiana Jones is wearing, there might be a futuristic element to the film - suggesting that it isn't one of those films set in the past, but possibly present or future.


The props used in this poster however, suggests that this film may be set in the past as a whip isn't exactly the most modern weapon to use - but I suppose it would be more suitable for children and families as a gun wouldn't be suitable. The whip also suggests that he has it in case of any danger that may occur and may need it to protect himself - without creating a violent assumption to the audience. Another thing would be the utility-belt that he is wearing; this will suggest that he would need a couple of items on his journey and will save the hassle of bringing a bag. This utility-belt also symbolises that he is well prepared for the journey he is about to embark on and when in trouble - may come in handy.


The lighting of the whole scenario does seem quite gloomy and dark - but the skull in the background brings in a large amount of light which circulates around Indiana Jones putting the focus onto him. But also the skull is on focus as well, since it is literally behind his shoulder and with Indiana Jones at the front, it shows us the audience who is the main character of 'hero, if you like, of the film and with the scary-looking skull looming in the background - we'll know what Indiana Jones will have to encounter.

Induction: Re-Creation of a Movie Magazine Front Cover

This was my first time using Photoshop, To begin with, I did find it a bit difficult - but when I started to know how use some of the tools, I started to understand it. I used the colour-picker tool so that I could access the colour of another image. The other tools I used were: Horizontal type tool, Move tool, Drop shadow, Inner glow and other layer style tools to help me create the text to be comparable to the original version.

I also used the font to change the text of the title compared to the small text. I used the selection tool so that I can find it easier to edit each text independently. I didn't choose to use the filter tool nor the marquee tool as I didn't think it would be needed to make this image well.
Now that I have gained experience of using Photoshop, I believe that I can now confidently be able to make other covers such as this one and to also learn some new tools and enhancements to make my covers more successful.