MIGRAIN: reading an image task.


Key media language:
  • Denotation: What the audience can visually see on a page
  • Connotation: Being what the denotation represents.
  • Colour: what the colour represents. E.g. black meaning gloomy or seriousness. green meaning environment, etc.
  • Pose: how the person is standing- what they want the viewer to feel.
  • Framing: The basis of framing theory is that the media focuses attention on certain events and then places them within a field of meaning.
  • Composition: how it was put together.
  • Size: why the size is small, medium, large.
  • Type of shot: face shot, medium shot, close-up, etc
  • Subject matter: what the photo is supposed to represent.
  • Setting: where the photo was taken.
  • Lighting: how dark/light the photo is, is the person in the picture in the middle of the light,etc.
This photo of 50 cent is a cover photo of his song "gunz for sale" and the picture show's 50 cent in the middle of the frame and the picture is really high contrast to add seriousness to the photo and makes the photo look vintage. The denotation of the fingerprints shows 50 cent has a criminal record and this connotes that 50 cent is  dangerous or "strong".The colours of the picture is dark and show how the editor wants the picture to look serious and vintage. 50 cent is posing with his left shoulder forward which shows him looking provocative and makes the viewer feel as if 50 cent is going to attack them. This frame of 50 cent  focuses on his face instead of his full body which could emphasise his emotions and wants the viewer to see his face whereas if it was a body shot, the viewer would just see his body and wouldn't be able to see his face more indepthly. Composition: The editor or the photographer probably got 50 cent to stand in the middle of where the light was shining downwards so when they contrasted the image his face would be visible whereas his neck and black shirt wouldn't be as visible. The size of this image is medium so the image of his fingerprints would also be able to fit in the picture and they would be equal size.Type of shot: This is a close-up picture of 50 cent.
The subject matter is to show power, strength and intimidation because of the picture of the fingerprints and the highly contrasted photo of 50 cent. Also the name of the cover of his song "gunz for sale" explains this too, gunz for sale is a aggressive term to gangs or people going against him because it show's that he has a lot of guns and he can use them. The setting of the photo is a photo studio or room with black walls and only one light from the ceiling. This is clear because there is no light visible in the background and there doesn't appear to be any furniture or anything behind him. The photo is really dark and there is low lighting. The target audience of this picture would be his fans because it is a cover photo for his song so I would assume they would be 16- 24 year olds. It attracts the audience because they would be waiting for his song and the cover photo would explain the mood of the song.

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