Analysis of Jaws Magazine Cover

Layout- The layout consists of most of the writing being put on the left third of the magazine. This is because, usually we automatically read from the left hand side hence most of the information is put there. So you could argue that the significant information is placed on the left third, i.e the mast head and most of the cover lines. Also there is only one or two cover lines placed on top of the image. This could be due to the significance of the image. The image of the shark and the woman inside the shark is placed within the centre of the magazine. The reason for this is so that the audience can see what is happening in the image clearly i.e. she’s in the shark’s mouth. Although, written faintly on top of the image is the website related to the magazine. This is so that the audience can find more information about the magazine and this relates back to the jaws on the image of the shark as well. It is written across the image however its very faintly written contrasted against the bold colours on

the image.

Photograph The photograph is an image of a shark eating a woman. The shark is not fully seen though we can only see the top half and beneath the shark. Therefore we get a good view of its jaws and teeth. This is significant as the titles name is ‘jaws’ and this in turn symbolises and illustrates what the masthead is already saying. Also there is a lot of blood this is coming from the woman that has been eaten by the shark. This is significant as it is an convention of horror movies.

Masthead- The masthead is written in red and in bold to demonstrate its importance on the magazine. Also ‘Jaws’ is the only word that is written in the biggest font again demonstrating how prominent it is supposed to be on the magazine.

Representation- The photo represents horror through the visual imagery of blood and a woman panicking. Blood usually indicates the idea of gore which reflects the theme of horror. Also the colour red suggests danger, alertness and violence. This is significant as this all reflects the idea of panic and fear which is a convention of horror. The shark is represented as the big terrifying attacker, by the use of its teeth being very sharp and large. This is important as the shark helps create the fear and scares the audience. This is vital as this is exactly what a horror movie should do.

Typeface: There are various fonts used on the magazine. The masthead looks bubblier than the rest of the writing on the magazine cover. This could be because the masthead should look more different as it is the company’s name and needs to attract the audience. Another feature on the magazine that helps enables it to look more attractive is the colour red used on the title. It matches the blood around the whole photograph and also it has connotations of alertness and danger. This is significant as red is very bold and alerting, therefore addressing the audience simply through colour. Other writing on the magazine cover is straight, narrow and sharp. This is so that the audience can read the writing clearly and its different font in comparison to the masthead. Also the font used on the magazine cover is much smaller than the masthead right at the top, portraying the significance of the masthead as opposed to all the other writing on the magazine.

Denotation and connotation: On the front cover there is an image of a shark and a woman. The idea of this is so that the shark represents an attacker and the woman represents the defenceless. This is significant as these are the main types of characters in a horror movie. The ocean is then shown, which helps portray the idea of fear as the woman is stuck in the water with her blood everywhere. This shows her as helpless and makes the audience feel uncomfortable and uneasy. This is so that the idea of horror and gore is demonstrated and the audience get an idea of how they may feel when watching the movie. This is significant as the whole point of horror movies are suppose to be terrifying and scary and this is exactly what the photo illustrates. Also we only see the top half of the woman as the rest of her body is swallowed by the shark. Instead we can see the shark’s teeth and that’s mainly what the audience can see of the shark. This is so that we can see how brutal and horrific the shark actually is. The shark’s teeth look very large and sharp, indicating how much pain the woman maybe in. This reinforces the idea that the photo is trying to emphasise the movie is based on horror. Also across the image is the website of the company, suggesting that it is more significant than the image and may have more information about the image.

Colours and Meaning: The prominent colours are black, red and yellow. Black usually reflects darkness, anonymity and has generally negative connotation. This colour is used as the background behind the image of the shark and on some writing at the bottom of the magazine. This could be, to show that the audience that the film does contain ambiguity and also to show that there is negative scenes such as the one portrayed on the front cover. Red suggests danger, violence and blood. This is used on the writing and the picture as well to portray the idea that the horror movie includes danger and blood. This is significant as these are conventions of a horror movie. Yellow indicates brightness and is usually associated with the sun. This suggests that yellow is very effective for attracting attention and therefore highlights important features inside the magazine on the cover lines.