
This magazine cover appears to be quite crowded. There is a lot of writing all around the picture of "Wolverine". Although each section of text is not a lot of writing individually, there is still a lot crammed onto the front page. However, each block is separated by a thin white line and also the font alternates between white and black. The font is large and easy to read making it stand out against the vivid blue background. The title of the magazine stands out because it is in red and also in capital letters, and although the middle letter of the word is covered by Wolverine, the title is still understandable, either because it is a well known magazine, or just because the font is clear and easy to read. This magazine has the typical conventions of a magazine, including a bar code, issue date, issue number and price. Empire also advertises it's own website under the title of the magazine. The series of bold and large texts makes the front cover stand out. Also the fact that Wolverine is in the centre of the page and no other writing covers his body or face emphasises that this feature is the main feature of the magazine in this issue. This picture of "Wolverine" is an example of the intra-diegetic gaze as he is not looking out towards the reader, he seems to be looking at something behind and above us, presumably inside the text.

This issue of "Total Film" differs to the issue of "Empire" above for many reasons. There is hardly any writing on the front of this magazine in comparison to the one above and also it covers the actor Johnny Depp, who although is in costume as Willy Wonka it has his real name next to him in bold. This could suggest that the feature could be an interview of the actor about playing the character, or just a review of his performance as the famous Willy Wonka. The font of this magazine is mostly white and grey which stands out against the greens, reds and purples of the photograph behind them. The fact that the writing covers the picture rather than going around the outside such as the "Empire" cover above, could be because the picture is such a close up, that there would be little else place for the writing to go without making it look cramped. However, it could be argued that Johnny Depp is so well known, it doesn't matter that writing covers him as we will still know who he is. However, is Hugh Jackman as Wolverine not equally as famous? This picture shows an example of the direct address (or extra-diegetic) gaze, as Johnny Depp seems to be looking out at the reader.

This cover of "Premiere" is different to a lot of film magazines as their titles tend to be in red or white. However, this issue is in blue along with a selection of text on the cover. The blue would make the magazine stand out on the shelf as it is a brighter colour and also it subverts the expectations, making people more likely to at least look at it for longer than they usually would. Again, although the picture is of Peter Parker in his black Spiderman outfit, the writing underneath "SPIDER-MAN 3" suggests that the interview is with the actor, rather than a review. This picture is another example of the direct address (or extra-diegetic) gaze as Toby Maguire is also looking out of the frame and out at the reader. This may intice the audience to pick up the magazine which is all part of the marketing and advertisement.
"The Gaze"
According to Jonathan Schroeder : 'Film has been called an instrument of the male gaze, producing representations of women, the good life, and sexual fantasy from a male point of view'. The media constructs the actor's/actress's body and position for the pleasure of people who are watching the films. This is often in a sexual way because people feel less ashamed of doing so in a cinema as the people are around them are not aware it is happening.
Theorists identified lots of different forms of "the gaze" and this is not only in film, but also in photographs, television and other forms of art.
- the spectator’s gaze: the gaze of the viewer at an image of a person in the text.
- the intra-diegetic gaze: a gaze of one person at another within the world of the text - this is often portrayed as a point of view shot in film and television.
- the direct address (or extra-diegetic) to the viewer: the gaze of a person shown in the text looking ‘out of the frame’ as if at the person watching the film or reading the magazine.
- the look of the camera - the way that the camera itself appears to look at the people pictured.
The Gaze on British women’s magazines:
Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera.
Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.
Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera.
Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.
Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown.
Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.
Romantic or
Sexual: a fourth and more general classification created to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual.
Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.
Male facial expressions in women’s ads
There are fairly direct parallels with the above - the
carefree,
practical,
seductive,
comic and
catalogue. The other two male expressions selected as types - the
thoughtful and the
self-reliant - have similarities to the female
introverted and
cool, though the
thoughtful is far
less introverted and the
self-reliant more smug than aloof or reserved, but there are no counterparts to the
narcissistic or
kittenlike.
This research will help our group decide how we want our actress to look out on the audience as it has given me a better idea of what sort of expressions can mean different things. We don't want her to look romantic or sexual, nor do we want the "Chocolate Box" look. The point of the magazine will to be to both sell the magazine and to promote the film so we will probably go for a "Super-smiler" or an "Invitational" look for the magazine. Of course, this will depend on whether we decide to have the actress as herself on the front cover, or in character because this will change how she looks out on the audience. For example, if we keep her in character, it may be more effective to have her looking at something within the text rather than "out of the frame". On the other hand, having the character look "out of the frame" could make the character seem more real and as we are creating a thriller, this could work to our advantage.