By Kate Willson and Annabel HughesAnalyzing Print Products

The Sixth Sense Film Poster

When I first looked at the Film Poster for the Sixth Sense, it seemed really dark and mysterious, this is because they have used dark colours for it. This is to reflect what the film is really about it, it’s a Horror, so you wouldn’t have bright colours such as yellow as the background, as this is seen as more of a happy colour opposed to a dark colour. The font which is used on the poster as the films name is a very distorted/ scary font, it’s rather long and thin, it’s not bubble writing which you might see on a comedy film, the distorted font is one of the key signifiers in the text which classify it as part of the genre Horror. For the tag line font, it is just a basic Arial font, in white, this is so it stands out on the black background, and also so it is very clear to read across the page, it’s bold and it’s a statement. For the Image, it is showing one of the main characters in a dark setting, but with a yellow lighting, this could be as a candle flame light, as on side of his face is lit, then the middle isn’t and then the other side is also lit. The image of Bruce Willis is a medium close up shot, he’s on the left hand side of the page, this makes him more dominant as this is where the audiences eyes will be drawn to first. Then there is a smaller image of a number 6, as if it is a bright light, it then has a child walking into it, the letter 6 is to show the sixth sense. The institutional information is in very small font which goes across the bottom of the film poster in a paragraph, it’s in white, so it stands out against the black background and also works well with all the other text on the page as that is also in white.

My Thoughts On The Film Poster…

The Main ImageThe main image for the Film poster, is one of the most important things about the poster, as it has to be eye catching, but at the same time also represent what the film is about. This image is very dark and spooky looking, which does represent what genre it is, which is Horror. It is a medium close up of the main character looking to the side, he’s not looking into the camera, which could be more eye catching for the audience, as they would think that he is looking at them, but maybes it makes it look more mysterious, that he isn’t and you can’t see his eyes properly. Both sides of his friends are lit, but the centre of his face is in darkness, it’s as if it is is a candle light shining against his face. There is a letter Six which is being portrayed as a bright light, this could be seen as the light before you die. There is a small boy walking into the six, which is probably meant to be the main boy in the film ‘Cole’. The letter Six is for the Senses, which ties in with the film and what’s it’s about, which is that he can see dead people.

The Main Character

The main actors name is displayed across the top of the film poster, this is very eye catching for the audience, as this will promote the film more, as fans of ‘Bruce Willis’ will see this and want to go and see it because he is in it. The font for the actors name is very tall but skinny looking, it’s a bit distorted, which would relate it back to being a Horror film, because if you had big bubble writing people wouldn’t see it as being a scary film, they’d see it as being maybes a comedy. Females may also want to see the film more because he is seen as a good looking actor, and a strong person, so this will bring more people to go and see the film.

The Institutional Information

The Institutional Information is at the very bottom of the film poster, and it’s in very small writing, this is because it’s not the most important thing on the poster, so it doesn’t need to be displayed all across it in a large font. The whole point for the Institutional Information is to show the producers name, camera men, some of the actors and what company it is with, and who it’s been directed by, so such as Spyglass Entertainment.

The Film Title

The title of the film is placed right below the main image, its on ‘Bruce’s Clothing, but on a black background and because it is a white font it stands out even more on it. It is the same font which is used for the main actors name ‘Bruce Willis’ it’s portrayed as being a scary, distorted font, as the letters are a bit off central and all different sizes, this is to make it blend in with the genre of the film which is Horror and because the letters are tall and thin it makes it look even more spooky.

The Tag Line

The tag line is a catching quote from the film or a statement about the film, the one they have used for ‘The Sixth Sense’ is ‘NOT EVERY GIFT IS A BLESSING’ and what they mean by that is, that the gift that Cole the main character has, is that he has a sixth sense and that he can see dead people, but really it’s not really a blessing to have that gift, because especially being a young age, it would be very scary and know one would believe you and it would be scary to actually see them. It’s a bit of a play on words, because it isn’t a gift you would probably like to have. The font that they have used for this, is just a normal Arial font, it’s nothing fancy or distorted, it’s plain and it’s simple, but it does the job, because it stands out on the black background with the white font.

Film Magazine Front Cover

This magazine front cover really stood out to me, I think it’s because of the colour scheme that it has used, I love how the image is in black and white, it really stands out and looks very eye catching. I think the colours that they have used for the fonts as well, work so well, I think that's because they are simple colours, such as white and then the bright red to stand out the Sky Line. The image itself looks great it appeals to so many different people, it appeals to women, in a sexual way as he is seen as a good looking actor, but it also appeals to men because if they are fans of this certain actor, then they will see this and what film that he is promoting because he is in it, which will make the audience want to go and see it even more. The layout of the magazine looks very professional, the magazine’s name is spread out across the whole top of the magazine’s width , it’s very bold and readable, they have made it this clear and big, so the audience will see it and know what magazine it is. All of the Sell Lines seem very readable and bold, which is good for the audience so then they can see what articles will be in the magazine and what else will be in it, this is a great way to get people to buy the magazine, because they will read the front cover and see the sell lines, which may appeal to them, so they may end up buying the magazine.

My First Thoughts on the Magazine Cover...

Main ImageThis is the main image for the magazine cover ‘Total Film’ I chose this magazine because of this image, I find it works so well, I love how it is a very close up shot, you can see every detail of the actors face, and the way that his head is pointing slightly downwards, but his eyes are staring straight into the camera, is very eye catching, it will make the audience think that he is looking at them, so it will make them want to buy the magazine. The fact that it’s a black and white image as well, makes the image stand out even more, because normally on a magazine front cover the image is usually colour, but I think it looks even more eye catching in black and white, it really caught my attention.

The Masthead

The Masthead is very clear and bold, it’s in a bold thick white font and then the ‘Total’ is smaller but it is cut out of the letter ‘F’, I think that works really well for the magazine, because if it was set out where it said ‘Total Film’ the same size and font it wouldn’t give the same effect because that would then take up more room of the magazine, so it looks so much better like this. It looks good how it goes across the whole page and not just some of it, it’s very bold and eye catching and especially on the black and white background.

Main Sell Line

The main sell line is very big and bold and this is because it is meant to attract the readers to it and stand out by being eye catching, the font is very clear in block letters, I think if it was fancy writing it wouldn’t stand out as well and you wouldn’t be able to read it very clear, I personally think it wouldn’t be as eye catching that way. The line underneath ‘Star Trek’ covers the whole width of ‘Star Trek’ which I think it makes it look more professional because I think if it stopped in the middle of it it wouldn’t stand out as much and look a bit un even. The word ‘Coolest’ is underlined, this works well as it is very eye catching and it draws your eyes into the word ‘Coolest’.

Sell LinesThese are the other sell lines which are around and about on the magazine front cover, they are displayed down the sides of the actors face at the side, it doesn’t block the image which is good because then it doesn’t bring the attention away from it and the effect. As they are in white block letters they stand out very well on the black and white background, they are very readable and I think that they are very eye catching as you can see them very clearly. They are very short snappy phrases, some little lines from the magazine, this is so the audience can see what to expect inside the magazine.

Sky Line

The Sky Line is very bold and I think this is because it’s not in white like all the other fonts on the page, it’s in a red block font. It’s not a sentence, for the Sky Line it’s three different movies listed, which are ‘UP-Sherlock Holmes-Harry Potter 6’, these films must be the new ones out at the time, I think it’s effective how they have done it this way, because it’s short and simple but very eye catching as well because people will see it and want to read more about it inside the magazine. The Sky Line is positioned at the very top of the magazine cover, above the Magazine name.

Extras

The other extras on the Front cover of the magazine are the Date and issue of the magazine and how much it costs, this is also joined with the magazines website. This is in a very small font in white, but it is bold enough so the readers can clearly see it. Another item on the Front cover is a barcode this is for the shop, to know which ones are sold and to scan it to be sold, this is displayed very small at the bottom side of the page. The last bit to the Front cover is the Spine of the magazine, which displays the magazines name and issue, as well as some statement films.