Main image and representation analysis This Billboard magazine cover

consists of a lot of mise en scene features. Firstly, the lighting creates a real sense of isolation and darkness that the artist, Eminem, has found himself in. As his target audience would know, Eminem was in a very rough situation where he was addicted to drugs and it reached a point where he almost died so this use of lighting where only part of his face can be seen shows his bad character and shows a dangerous side to him as well. However the clever use of ligthing in this image also reveals something else about the artist. As the caption suggests, Eminem is working on recovering and going back to being the great artist he once was. He even

admits in an interview that his album Relapse was disappointing because he was on drugs, despite the number of awards he received for it. His next album Recovery was to show that he’s back and this time he’s not playing around – he wants to make up for his previous album. So the fact that part of his face can be seen coming out of his hoodie shows that he is emerging from the depths of despair he was in and is ironically going through his ‘revovery’. Secondly, the costume shows another side to the artist. It emphasises the fact that he was in a place of darkness where he felt completely alone and that fact that he has his hood shielding his face shows that he doesn’t want to be seen or identified as the artist who went through those drug problems and released poor quality music as a result of it. The costume also shows that Eminem as an artist isn’t one that brags about having an expensive lifestyle like the majority of other artists, particularly ones in the hip-hop industry. The hoodie expresses a sense of normality and a lack of extravagance – here is a man who is simply about the music and not the fame.

The camerawork used in this magazine cover is also very clever in representing the artist. In a lot of magazines, specifically music magazines, the artist is often looking directly into the camera with their face and body facing the camera too. However, as shown in the image, there has been a different approach in the making of this magazine. Eminem is facing sideways but he is still looking into the camera – a look that conveys the impression that Eminem isn’t an artist that likes to be focused on, sharply contrasting with other artists. This emphasises again that he was essentially in ‘hell’ as the cover line suggests and he doesn’t want to be known as the artist would dropped dramatically. The camerawork also implies a sense of danger and menace in the artist – almost as if he’s rising from the dead.

This magazine double page spread includes many features of mise en scene and camerawork too. Firstly, again the lighting in this image showcases a lot of ideas about the artist, Eminem. He stands out in this double page spread because the background is black whereas he is shown as bright and completely contrasting the background. This is a clever use of juxtaposition. It could show the good and evil side of Eminem – Slim Shady, his alter-ego being the evil one and Eminem being the good one. Another example of mise en scene is the use of costume. The artist is wearing a basketball vest – a sleeveless vest – and tracksuit bottoms finished off with basketball trainers. It is a very casual costume and it is often his attire and this is because he doesn’t really care about his appearance, he only cares about the music and the sounds he’s producing. The tattoos on his arms show that he also cares deeply about is family and especially his children, he has his daughter Hailie’s name and face inked on his arm. The magazine wants to express and this would very much pass the approval of Eminem, that this is an artist who is very down to Earth and is extremely passionate about his music and family. This is something that Eminem addresses in essentially all of his songs, the fact that he is in the music industry purely for the music and to give his daughter the life that he always wished she had. This is expressed explicitly in his songs ‘Mockingbird’ and ‘When I’m Gone’.

The use of camerawork in this double page spread very cleverly shows little sign of wealth in Eminem’s life. It is obvious that he is a very successful artist who has an extreme amount of wealth but the camerawork further reinforces the idea that he is a very humble figure who is respected for this. The shot used is a medium shot and it captures his whole body whilst he is sitting down, giving the impression that he looks homeless or ‘on the streets’. This acts very cleverly as a sort of flashback to Eminem’s horrible past, filled with deprivation and poverty. Essentially every single one of the Eminem’s fans know and understand his story from rags to riches and this forms a huge part of his popularity. It also highlights a message he often gives to people of “no matter how great you become, never forget how you started’.