Textual Analysis of a Film Magazine - Tron Legacy

Textual Analysis of a Film Magazine

I chose this particular film magazine as it is the most well known Film Magazine to date and I also enjoyed the film: “Tron Legacy”. This magazine cover consists of the female lead character from the film “Tron Legacy”. The background image on the magazine looks quite futuristic which relates to the science fiction genre. At the bottom right-hand corner, it states “3 Collectors’ Editions!” which shows that there was a lot of promotion for the film. Also, the fact that a woman has appeared on the front page indicates that this female character plays an important part in the film.

The mise-en-scene portrayed in this film magazine contains:

·         Lighting: The lighting used in this magazine is of high-key lighting which produces a futuristic effect. The lighting also gives the main image an almost glowing effect which the makes the main image seem quite surreal.

·         NVC (Non-verbal communication): The lady’s face is quite blank but with a hidden dominance or fierceness. Her eyes stare straight into the camera as if her gaze is trying to pierce through the magazine. Her shoulders are levelled and her lips pursed; this may imply that she is ready for action (due to the action/adventure genre of the film) or that she is ready to defend a title of some sort. Her NVC also gives a mysterious aura.

·         Costume: The lady’s costume consists of a leather-type outfit. Her hair is black, short and styled. Her hair contrasts with the paleness of her skin quite vastly. Her appearance almost seems translucent. Her make-up consists of thick eye liner, dark eye shadow and black mascara however; her lips are coated in a thin layer of pink lip gloss to perhaps seem more natural/ human. There is very little colour in her costume which could relate to her serious attitude and possibly dark attitude.

·         Setting: The setting is unknown but looks to be of a futuristic, gleaming grid. The setting fits well with the main image.

Masthead: The masthead is in bold, large and red font. This iconic masthead is well known around many countries and is situated above the main image. The large red font is clear and easy to read as it is against a dark background. The tag line “MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR” represents the popularity of this magazine.

Head line: The headline appears as if it is shouting at the reader; “The 3D event of the year!” This shows that this film is ready to break barriers with its 3D effects and interesting characters. The head line also connects with a name tag “Quorra: Program”. This is most likely to be the female’s name that appears on the front page. The word “program” relates to computer graphic-type background image.

Main cover line: The main cover line relates to the film “Tron Legacy” as this magazine is all about the “behind-the-scenes” etc. about the film. The font is large, clear and of a turquoise/ white colour with more of the gleaming effect to relate to the future/ computer graphics. Underneath the main cover line, it says “The ultimate guide”, this again relates to the great popularity of the magazine and perhaps the attention of the film.

Cover lines: The cover lines are about popular actors and the latest films that are out and need to be watched. The yellow font is also very clear despite the odd colour coordination; however, it works well as there is small yellow section at the bottom right hand corner of the magazine.

Anchorage: The font used varies in size and colour but the font is all in sans serif font. For the darker font, it is placed in a white text box to be able to be read clearly however, this could look quite tacky on some magazines but it works very well on this magazine. There is also brief yellow text which doesn’t particularly suit what the magazine is trying to portray but works well nonetheless.

Barcode & price tag/ date: The barcode is on the right hand side of the magazine isn’t too small to notice but also doesn’t interrupt the main image. This is a good place to put the barcode as it can be easily views. The price tag/ date however is in much smaller font and may be a bit difficult to view if one is of poor eye sight but the white font does stand out against the dark background which allows the price tag/ date to viewed well.