Magazine Reviews 4

Analysis of Magazines in terms of written codes among different publications and Analysis of magazines film reviews in terms of Visual Codes

 

Written codes in magazines are communicated through the language used. Mode of address is important in the way that it uses language (vocabulary) and style to 'speak' to its audience. In its most basic form it could address the audience in either a formal or a casual manner. It could also be; humorous, serious, chatty or maybe even professional. The mode of address is identified is identified through the selection of words and the style as well as the complexity of the sentences.

The Semiotics of the reviews are also sometimes referred to as symbolic codes and they are based around the choice of images, fonts and colours. When a reader sees a magazine review, the connotations that he gets from it is very important. So for example the use of an Arial font or the colour green or even 'hue saturation.' When a images are selected for use in magazine reviews several important choices have to be taken by the photographer; selection, cropping, framing and Point of View (PoV). In terms of selection when there are many shots of the same subject a photographer has to choose the image that most suits the article, cropping serves a similar purpose with making sure that the audience concentrates on that particular area of the image. Framing is  key when taking the image and the photographers has to choose whether the subject is close or far and whether some things are included and left out. The way that an image is perceived is influenced by the point of view from which the image is taken.

The layout, font and typography of newspapers depend on its readership and the audience that it tries to target as well as the type of content that it usually presents. It enhances the character and identity that I am able to percieve in a magazine. Font is especially effective at doing that and it can suggest whether a publication is serious or fun. If a 'House Style' is followed than a newspaper will have a look that makes it stand out from other newspapers. The use of graphics will reflect the readership of a magazine and it will also suit the audience that the newspaper is targeting. The placing of photographs affects how an article is read and because of the way we're used to reading text in the west our eyes is more readily drawn to an image that would appear on the right-hand page which is the reason why adverts on that side cost more.

The images that are used in film reviews are really useful and effective at breaking up an article. The amount, type and layout is what usually differs between different magazines meaning that each has an instantly recognisable style. For example a magazine could organise its reviews so that its built around a main image. Another layout could be a page in an article with smaller images spread around it.