Media Studies 3 - Shona Isla

Poster Analysis of ‘The Eye’

1 - The medium of the text is print, the purpose of this is to inform and persuade the audience to go and watch the film. The medium of this text is print. We know this as it is there to inform and persuade the public to go and watch the film. It has been chosen as a print so that the audience can take as long as they like to absorb the information, rather than just a moving image like a trailer. 

2 – The purpose of the text is to inform the audience, and public of who is staring in the film, like in ‘the eye’ it is Jessica alba, this may persuade people to go and watch the film, as they may like Jessica alba as an actress, and want to see her in this film. Or they may like the other films she has been in. The purpose is also to educate the audience as to what they can expect to happen, and when the film will be out, but this poster doesn’t do this. The purpose of this text is to also make profit for the institution, as by putting a big name, like Jessica Alba on the poster might persuade more people to go, then also bringing in more money for the production company, Lions gate. 

3 – The genre of the text is horror. We know this as the colours in the poster are dark, and there are quite a lot of shadows used, this give us the impression that it is horror, as most horror films are shot in quite dark creepy places. Also, the actual expression on the eye looks shocked and scared. Again emphasizing the scariness of the films genre. By having a hand creep out of the eye, it is like a monster is coming for them, and trying to grab them, and also as if something has consumed the body of this person, like a spirit has taken over, and the person is trying to escape but cant, this is again giving the film a sort of horror effect. 

4 – The fonts that have been used are sans serif. This is gives the poster a modern feel, as that is the uses for sans serif, also making the audience feel like this is within our time. There is also the use of boldness on the word EYE, therefore re-enforcing the fact that the eye may be a key symbol or code, for the film. By having Jessica Alba’s the only thing in colour, and it being red, connotes that she may get injured or attacked by whatever is coming out of the eye. 

5 – The technical codes used help to create the meaning of the text. This is as the lighting is dark helping create the terror of the horror genre. The camera is in a super extreme close up and in focus thus, making the viewers of the poster pay close attention to specifically the eye, and what’s coming out of it. Also by only having an eye on the poster, this may catch peoples attention, and make them want to go and see the film to find out more.

1 - The medium of this text is print. We know this as it is there to inform and persuade the public to go and watch the film. It has been chosen as a print so that the audience can take as long as they like to absorb the information, rather than just a moving image like a trailer. 

2 - The purposes of this text is to inform the audience of the many enigmas running through the film, we know this as there aren’t any characters on the poster. This then attracts attention to the film, the statue of liberty has its head blown of to symbolise that war may have broken out and that people are going against liberty, and that is why her head has been blown off, as liberty has been shoved out the window! This is also an persuasive poster as it is creating enigmas of who’s in the film, and what’s going on, and why is the statue of liberty’s head not there? By having all these questions it may intrigue the audience to find out more.

3 – The genre of the text is hybrid, as there is a mix of genres like action, sci-fi. We know this as there is a lot of disruption running through the city, the colour blue creates coldness, and connotes to hatred, and sadness. The tagline helps to convince us that it is a sci-fi as it connotes that it may be something futuristic coming to get them, and that is the destruction. The sans serif font helps to portray the sci-fi genre as it looks typed out on a computer or a robot and creates futuristic themes, making it look ahead of its time.  

4- The fonts are sans serif creating a sci-fi tone to it. The text also looks like it has been typed creating the effect of it being computer controlled, adding to the sci-fi genre, also making it seem quite far in the future, if everything is computer controlled. By the writing being sans serif it reminds people of the text of the Matrix,which is another science fiction film giving the audience the feeling that Cloverfield will be a similar genre to it.

5 – The technical codes used to create the meaning of the text, is that the lighting is blue therefore creating a code for us to unpick, and giving the film a sort of futuristic look, `cold look. The extreme long shot of the statue with the burning out city in the background relates to the tagline ‘Something has found us’, also linking the action genre of the film as there is much disruption on the city. The blown up statue of liberty is a cultural code, as it shows New York has become a war zone, and is broken up by liberty and will of others.  The statue of liberty is a sign of peace and for it to be broken shows the peace has been shredded in the city. By having the statue of liberty in the fore ground of the image, in shallow focus, as the background isn’t as clear in the shot, this is therefore creating the thought that it was the statue of liberty that caused the disruption; this is creating the enigma again of who started the fight in the city. This then persuades the audience to go and watch the film to find out who began the wreckage in the broken down city

The opening scene to The Untouchables

The music in the background of the credits is building tension, with the jumpy music. Also, the shadows in the background is like soldiers marching to the beat of the music, as the names are appearing in a serif text, and then the shadows crossing the screen turnout to be the letters of the words, The Untouchable. As the titles fade out into a dark scene, the audience represent this as there will be an unknown happening in the film, and there will be some enigmas, in the narrative structure. The music continues in to a scene, and ends with a bang into a scene with a bird’s eye view of this ‘unknown’ man, to the audience, who is in the centre if attention by all, so we assume that he is very important and the min man, so he is not to be messed with. There is there a wee paragraph informing the audience of what is going on in this time, 1930. The image then starts to pan into the unknowns mans face, and he is uncovered and is being interviewed, like a mini press conference by some men, with pads, representing that they are interviewers, or journalists. This then represents the man in the centre must be high up in the ranks of people, as he seems very proper, with a suit shirt and tie on. Then, when the man, who is shaving him cuts him, we assume by the shocked face he is making that he is going to take a rager on the guy who accidently sliced his face, as the man looks disgusted, and appalled by what the other man has done to him. But, then instead, he just basically forgets it happens and says ‘It’s alright’, the audience is then like, what? As we just automatically assumed he would crack. It then changes scene to outside, in a run down looking town. The audience sees this village as a bit shabby as everything is dull, and there is like no colour on the walls or anything buildings. The camera then appears to use a steady cam motion, as if someone is crossing the road and following the action. We are then introduced to what seems an ex-bar, cafe place, with a suspicious man in a white suit in the background, he looks suspicious as he stands out from everyone else, as he is in white, and everyone else is in greys, and cold colours. The man in the white suit then flicks something on his briefcase, and leaves. This leaving the audience puzzled as to what he is doing, just leaving. The wee girl then follows the man shouting at him to come back, but he ignores her. Our questions are quickly answered as to why he left as there is a bomb in the case. This is therefore leaving us as the audience with an enigma, as to why he wanted to blow up the place anyway, and who he is as his face is always hidden, buy a hat. He then runs away and gets into a car leaving the audience puzzled, and wanting to continue watching the film, so it has caught the audience’s attention from the very start.

By watching this opening scene, it gave our group an insight on what to do for our own opening scene production, and gave us some ideas too.