3. Sara McGranaghan
Characters
On the front cover, the main image is a mid-shot of a middle-aged man who represents a villain. He has
been convicted of animal cruelty after abusing his dog. He does not appear to be very friendly and looks
intimidating. His facial expression shows him to be extremely angry and as he is pointing threateningly
towards the camera. He is described as a "thug" in the headline which suggests how he is the villain and
violent. Passersby intervened in the incident by restraining the man and waiting for the police. These
people can be seen as heroes here as they were protecting an innocent animal.
On page 1 there is a typical mug shot of a man who is exhibiting similar stereotypical features of a
criminal. He has been convicted for fraud and is labeled an "ATM scam man" showing that he is a villain
who has been found guilty of stealing money. He is bald and possesses a hostile stare which makes him
appear extremely villainous. His facial expressions are emotionless, suggesting how he is a malicious
character.
Two guests in the Manchester Hilton Hotel were arrested after a "breakfast bust-up" took place. The
two arrested culprits represent the villains within this story as their behavior was uncivilized towards
staff and police members. The police arrived to control the situation so are considered the heroes. The
staff in the Hilton received "personal remarks" as the villains were "swearing loudly" towards them. This
portrays them as being the victims in the situation as they are innocent and handled the situation very
well considering the abusive that they received.
Iconography
On the front cover there is a Manchester United player: MarouaneFellani and a Manchester City player:
Vincent Kompany. Both of these footballers are iconic of the football teams they play for as they are
very famous. The colours red and blue signify each football team, which are the two main supported
teams in Manchester. Football is a very popular sport within Manchester and these iconic figures would
encourage people to buy the newspaper as they are both recognizable.
On the second page there is an image of The Hilton Hotel which is a very iconic building in Manchester.
The Beetham tower is a very popular tourist destination and is known for being extremely modern as it
is built out of glass. The building is recognizable as it is the tallest building in Manchester and so helps
anchor the audience in terms of the newspaper being local. There is another close up image of the
Hilton Hotel which shows the name and logo of the branch of hotels. This is iconic for the Hilton Hotel as
readers will see this logo and straight away be able to identify it with the well-known hotel company.
Also on the second page there is another image of the football player Paul Scholes who plays for
Manchester United. It shows him wearing a Manchester United shirt presenting the logo which is iconic
for Manchester. This relates back to the genre of the newspaper being local as most people in
Manchester will be familiar with who Paul Scholes is and what he represents.
Setting
On the second page there is an image of Hilton Hotel, which is a key building in Manchester. This shows
that the story is one that is centred in the city of Manchester. It also shows that the newspaper is a local
one as this is very famous building andis widely known for being in Manchester City Centre.
4. Sara McGranaghan
Mise en scene over both pages also signifies the setting as the football shirts that the footballers are
wearing convey the logos of the two main Manchester teams.
Narrative events
The man who has been convicted of animal cruelty on the front cover demonstrates Todorov’s 2nd stage
of disruption as he wrongly harmed his pet in public. The 5th stage, the restoration of equilibrium is
shown in this article also as civilians who witnessed the crime decided to take the incident into their
own hands by stopping him. The police then arrived and arrested the man, resolving the situation and
punishing him for his crime. The headline for this story ‘THUGS HORROR ATTACK ON HIS OWN DOG’
demonstrates Barthes hermeneutic code as it creates questions for the reader, wondering what has
happened. This creates a narrative enigma for the audience which will encourage them to read the
article in order to find out what has happened in the story.
Levi strauss’theory of opposition is also shown in this article as the dog is very weak and vulnerable in
comparison to the fully grown man. This creates an opposition of weak and strong as the dog is unable
to defend itself against anextremely dangerous and violent man.
Technical codes
The headline on the front page ‘THUGS HORROR ATTACK ON HIS OWN DOG’ is big and bold, standing
out from the page. This suggests it is a big story, due to it being so horrific so it takes the centre of the
front page. The image with this story is in the terminal area, which puts an emphasis on the headline
rather than the image. Also, as the photograph is quite large the reader will be drawn to looking at it
regardless.
The Guttenberg principle has been used on the newspaper as the masthead has been conventionally
placed in the primary optical area, allowing readers to easily recognize it. As sport is a popular topic, the
Manchester United and Manchester City story is also in the primary optical area. This will catch a
reader’s eye and encourage them to read the newspaper as both football teams are iconic of
Manchester.
There is quite a bright colour scheme on the newspaper as red, yellow and blue are each used. This
creates an informal look for the newspaper, but makes it attention grabbing.
