Textual Analysis of a Movie Magazine Front Cover by Olaide Sadiq

Total Film is a British film magazine published monthly by Future Publishing. It is one of the best-selling film magazines in Britain, amongst competitors such as Empire Magazine. The magazine launched in 1997 and now offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features. It provides a range of features, from full-length interviews and photo shoots with established and up-and-coming actors and directors, as well as major film previews and contemplated pieces. It is one of the biggest circulations of English speaking film magazines in the world. The likes of Peter Jackson, Kevin Smith, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have all featured in the magazine as guest editors. Licensed copies of Total film are also published in the US, Australia, Turkey, Russia, Serbia, Croatia, Indonesia and many other countries.

Denotation of the Front cover

The front cover has one main asymmetrical image consisting of 3 subjects. It is a photo of three young people, two males and one female. The two males are staring at one another over their shoulders and the female is looking at the camera. The shot used is a medium long shot showing their knees and above as well as some of their surroundings. The background of the image is a dark blue wood/forest.


Masthead/ Main cover-line /Cover-lines / Typography
The masthead has been specially edited to correspond with the theme of the issue, and to follow the Brand Identity of Twilight. As this episode of the series has a slightly different visual style, where darkness and 'glowing' is a key aspect of this brand, the Magazine's masthead has been designed to follow that visual style, so audiences will recognise that the issue is about this particular film.


The main cover-line features the film's title, "New Moon", using the same typography as the film's title on it's posters and in the film's trailers. This is another example of continuity of the brand identity, as this particular issue is designed to correspond with the visual style of the film. This is also evident in the style of the cover-lines, the colour of them continues the visual style of "New Moon" and coincides with the theme of the issue. 

Mise-en-scene

Setting


The setting of the image is dark forest location, like that of the film. This connotes a lack of safety, as a dark and lonely forest can harbour unknown dangers. It could also suggest that the film itself will have themes of  darkness and mystery like the view of the blue tinted forest. 

Lighting


The lighting used in the image is low-key, giving the image a dark appearance. This connotes to the audience that the film will be dark, and potentially scary 

NVC
The two male subjects of the picture are looking back at one another with stern and vengeful facial expressions. This connotes that the two males are rivals, fighting for the affection of the girl in the picture. Those familiar with the Twilight series will already know that the two male subjects in the image are rivalling over the affections of the female, as well as being natural enemies due to one being a Vampire, and the other a Werewolf. This image shows the continuity of the main issues of the series. The facial expression of the female appears unsure. This connotes that she is lost in her situation, and confused as to what to do about the two men fighting for her affection. She is also holding onto the arm of one of the men in the picture, which could connote that she feels more safe with him, than she does with the other. The connotations of the NVC is this image support and correspond with the storyline of the film.

Costume & Props

The characters are dressed in plain casual clothing, and appear to be young. The tone of their clothing is quite dark, which could be representative of the themes in the film. Those aware of the saga will know it is a dark fantasy film, with some elements of horror. The low-key tone of their clothing connotes this.