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Magazine Front Cover Analysis

I will be analysing 4 different magazine covers including 2 different film genre magazines, one international film magazine and a magazine of a completely different genre. I am doing this to research the common codes and conventions of a film magazine, and through comparison with a magazine of a different genre I will determine the similarities and differences between the film genre and other genres.

Masthead The typography is in a very plain, sans serif yet bold and striking typography. The boldness of the letters combined with the use of a drop shadow makes this masthead stand out very cleary. The masthead itself being Total Film gives away the magazines genre entirely as it expresses the word Film in such a bold manor.

Cover lines Capitalised to draw attention, used to show a preview of whats included and to entice the reader into reading various articles within the magazine. Follow the magazines colour scheme by using blue and black fonts.

Colour Scheme As the main image consists of mostly various shades of blue and parts of black and white, the colour scheme centers around this. Coverlines on the page are all written in the same blue, the main coverline consists of both blue and white and other smaller text on the page is in black. This colour scheme using 3 colours appears crisp, clean, and classy as the colours go well together making the page visually appealing. This class that the colour scheme represents also represents a mature audience.
Date, Issue & Price Common convention of any magazine of any genre. Included in very small text as it is not of most significance to attracting the viewer. Layout This layout follows the rule of thirds as there appears to be 3 main split sections to the page. This is a common convention of a magazine front cover, which generally applies to slightly higher priced magazines as in comparison, a cheaper magazine I analysed, shows no clear layout. The use of this layout appears neat and structured, and looks sophisticated and visually appealing, thus attracting the target audience.

Main Image Main Image is a medium close-up of film star Robert Downey Jr, representing the film genre of the magazine clearly. The main image takes up 50% of the page and is made central to immediately draw attention. Direct address has been used to entice the reader and engage them in the story. The miseen-scene shows a misty, cold setting which is enforced through the costume of a large thick black coat, jumper and shirt, suggesting a cold, icy environment. The colour scheme has been used to center around this theme, with the use of white, black and blue. His serious expression also represents a mature audience. Main Cover line This is the anchorage text, associated with the main image of the cover, clearly shown through the way it accomplishes the main image. A very large, eye-catching feature on the page which is centred over the main image of Robert Downey Jr. The way in which the text follows central down the page along with the main image appears neat and visually appealing, clearly showing theyre related. The varied fonts within this main cover line contrast each other through colour and typography, which stands out. The serif font further represents the maturity of the magazine and its target audience.

Colour Scheme A 3-colour colour scheme, consisting of red, white and black. These colours are simple, bold and contrast well with each other and are commonly used in magazine colour schemes. Black appears to dominate the page, representing a male audience as this magazine falls under the category of Male Entertainment. Masthead Written in a sharp, bold capitalised typography, the masthead stands out well, especially against the dark background. The name Empire connotes power and authority, suggesting the power and popularity of the magazine. This masthead is almost alwatys written in red and has made itself memorable through its unique look. Tagline This tagline reads The worlds best movie magazine which states the popularity and bigness of the magazine, attracting the viewer as it gives them legitimacy as a movie magazine. This also clearly shows the magazines genre as it states it clearly. This cover line features a special offer unique to this magazine. The word Free has been capitalised and written in a large bold font to catch the readers eye as it encourages them to buy the magazine as they will receive something free with it.

Date, Issue & Price Common convention of any magazine of any genre. Included in very small text as it is not of most significance to attracting the viewer.

Main Image Main Image is a medium close-up of film star Tobey Maguire in his famous role Spiderman. The image overlaps the masthead making it stand out and making it the focal point of the cover. Fans of previous films would recognise this and therefore be attracted to the magazine and know clearly of the magazines genre. He uses direct address which engages the reader in the image, enticing them into reading more. His costume is clear to be popular spidermans costume, but is featured in black as apposed to its usual colours, which is new and suggests to the reader that new information about the film is exclusively included in this magazine. His pose is also the well known Spiderman pose which fans would recognise. His serious facial expression and use of these new dark colours suggest this film will be more serious and filled with action. The use of this main image and particular film represents a male target audience. Barcode Common convention of all magazines, included in small as it is least important.

Layout Conventional layout, central main image with cover lines surrounding. Slightly busier and more random than Total film magazine which had a clear columnised layout. This busier layout connotes business and action, suggesting this magazine is jam packed with stuff, and also represents a slightly lower class audience, perhaps of class C2 and D.

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