Research and Planning: Film Magazine Analysis

Famous - January 2010 Issue

This is a front cover from an issue of Famous Magazine who changed their name to 'Cineplex' in 2010. The film being promoted on the magazine is 'Youth in Revolt'(2010) it is a Comedy/Drama/Romance starring Michael Cera.

Genre
From only looking at the front cover you probably wouldn't be able to tell which genre the film they are promoting is. However if you are familiar with some of the other work of Cera you will know that he has had parts in other romantic comedies for example he starred in 'Juno'(2007) so if people know him from these types of roles then they might associate him with this genre in the future. The magazine has 'How can you not love Michael Cera?' written on it, the word 'love' is in red, which catches the readers eye because it looks different to the rest of the text. Perhaps the producers did this so the audience can see that it might be a clue towards the genre of the film. Another piece of text on this magazine cover is 'Faithful couple?' this is a separate cover line for an article not relating to the film. But couples are associated with love and romance so it still fits with the theme of the films genre.

Representation
I think that Michael Cera's character on this magazine cover is represented as being a young, innocent teen and maybe a bit of a 'geek'. I think this mostly because of his appearance. Although the actor is actually 25 years old (22 at time of filming) he still looks very young or he has been made to look younger with make up. He is wearing a smart buttoned up shirt, but from a stereotypical teenager you would probably expect more of a casual t-shirt, which is why I get the impression he might be a bit 'geeky'.

Narrative
Because there is only one cast member featured on the film magazine, I would say that Michael Cera's character is the protagonist. I also think this because when companies want to promote the film the film they will usually get the main characters/actors to do the promotional work in the media e.g. Magazines, chat shows.

Audience
I think the target audience for this film is teens aged 15-18, because the actors are generally aimed at them. However the comedy aspects might attract a male audience. They might also be able to relate to the male character.

Media Language
The main central image is a close up of the male protagonist character. This shows how young the character is. The expression on his face also shows us his inocence. You can also see a small amount of the clothing and mise-en-scene of the character. This might tell the audience a little bit about the personality of the character.