Analysis of existing film magazine front covers

Empire Magazine is the biggest film magazine published in Britain and is published monthly, it's first ever issue was made in July 1989.
When first looking at this magazine front page, the masthead of the magazine stood out very clearly! The masthead 'EMPIRE' makes the magazine sound like royality, which I think is important for the success of the magazine itself. The masthead featured on the magazine is also featured in the colour red, which can be seen as having connotations for importance, urgence and can also be seen as sympolising the energy of an object. When looking at the colours portrayed on the front cover they are all bright and jump out at the reader, this is a look which many editors go for so that there magazine stands out from the rest. The use of the colour flureouscent green can be seen as a connotation of sci-fi films which can be linked to the main article featured in the magazine which is the hit science fiction film 'Batman'. However amongst the large title, the main focus (main image) on the front cover is the joker out of 'Batman-The Dark Knight' played by Heath Ledger. The joker was quoted as 'the mass murdering, psychopathic schizophrenic clown with no empathy'- wikipedia, however also the most talked about character featured in 'The Dark Knight'. By adding the Joker as the main and only image on the front cover it gives off almost a horror genre/science fiction sense about the magazine, it also projects to the audience that this is the upcoming and 'must see' film of the month. Therefore this is information I can apply to my final product. What i like about the front page is that the Joker's head is covering part of the masthead 'Empire' perhaps suggesting that his character has a great deal of power and is possibly looked upon as a powerful character. The Joker is sat in what looks like to be a form of a prison setting, immediately establishing to the readers that this character is dangerous and perhaps evil! It also shows the audience that this is the number one enemy of Batman. The setting of the photograph is used as the background of the front cover therefore implying again that this is the main article featured in the magazine.
'Meet the Joker' can be seen as a sub-heading, this creates a fun and exciting concept about the article almost as if the character is real and has come alive for the audience to get a chance to meet and engage with the Joker himself. A quote from the film is revealed in the form of a teller which reveals to the audience the motive of the character 'He's a cold blooded, mass murdering clown!' this immediately shows to the reader that this character is evil, and adds an element of suspense to the film. Empire refer to meeting the Joker as 'one on one with BATMAN'S new memisis' this adds a sense aggression and perhaps reflects the Joker's character, it however makes the article sound interesting.
On the right handside of the page there are several smaller articles which are also large to the readers interest, the films featured are also big hits such as 'I Am Legend', 'The Mummy Returns' and many others, the effect of this makes the magazine appear upto date, modern and good quality. At the very top of the magazine the text ' The Dark Knight- World Exclusive' this makes Empire extremely impressive, and will draw many readers into buying as the main word 'Exclusive' is looked upon as rare, this could also be seen as a buzz word as it draws in the readers.
Towards the bottom right hand side of the front cover there is a fluroescent cross and also a purple streak which appear to have the look of being graffitied on, this adds an element of rebelism possibly by the Joker himself, which again projects his character to the audience.
The 'Batman' symbol which is a black bat is used in the centre at the top of the page, this adds an extra element of excitement that 'Batman' himself has returned! The symbol has stayed the same throughout each film which makes the bat symbolic to all audiences.


'Total Film' magazine is the second best selling film magazine, the purpose of the magazine is to advertise new releases and also DVDs, reviews and many other features. 'Total Film' is released every four weeks, and was first released in 1997. The main image on the front page is three characters from the very famous film 'The Lord Of The Rings', therefore the audience recognise that this is going to be the main feature in the magazine. The characters are presented to look serious and perhaps concerned, this could possibly be reflecting what the film is going to entail and that the film is going to be dramatic and emotional. The setting and time zone of the film can also be spotted by the use of the mise-en-scene such as the clothes in which the characters are wearing, this tells the audience that the film is possibly set in a different era and magical world. 'Legolas' the character featured at the far right is photographed with his bow and arrows on his back, this could be seen as key to almost represent the genre of the film as it shows to the audience that there will be a vast amount of fighting, therefore an action film. Two smaller further pictures which appear to be action shots also help the reader to establish the genre of the film, and almost invites them into what the film is about.
The masthead of the film magazine is made up of two words, however the proper noun 'Film' is displayed in a larger font, I think this is a clever idea as it draws the reader in to the magazine, the reader immediately knows that the magazine is film based. The colour white could be viewed as being a connotation of a very neutral and peaceful feeling.
The textual phrase 'It's amazing people didn't get killed' (which is shown next to the photograph of the three characters) adds an aspect of excitement for the reader and it could be said as almost urging them to go and see the film as the scenes are so tense and realistic someone could have got hurt. The title of the film 'The Two Towers' is suitably presented next to the characters so that the readers can link the two together, as it is featured in the centre of the front cover this is often associated as the main and most important feature of the magazine, therefore I will take this into account when producing my anxiallary texts. Likewise with 'Total Film' it uses the buzz word 'Exclusive' which i have noticed is a popular word to use to draw in attraction as it makes the magazine sound special and the reader should feel privileged to be reading exclusive footage!
The colours used for the text featured are mainly red, yellow and white, all of these colours are seen as vibrant colours perhaps reflecting the content of the magazine and the main article featured on the frontpage of the magazine. At the top of the front page there are are three hit films displayed, to me this displays subtleness as if it is normal for 'Total Film' to feature big hit films in their magazine. Therefore, this a positive element for the magazine and it makes the magazine appear impressive. At the bottom of the front cover there is a section promoting 'MASSIVE DVD and video collection' using the adjective 'massive' to describe the size of the collection this is again using a clever device to intrigue the reader and to mark a positive imput to the reader. The adjective 'massive' is also featured in the colour red which can be seen as a connatation of urgent issues and importance, however again these impressive devices are featured at both the top and bottom of the page perhaps this is were the eye gets drawn to after focusing on the centre of the page. These can be viewed as being screamers as they are wanting to draw the public into purchasing the magazine.

SFX was first published in 1995 and is devoted to science-fiction and fantasty films, it is one of the recognisable magazines in the UK.
The masthead of the title 'SFX' is not an actual word unlike the other two magazines which I have analysed, therefore this a key idea into which I can apply to my final product as using letters for my magazine title can often have more meaning and become ambiguous to the reader. The title's colour scheme could almost be seen as a glowing white which works well with the bright colours featured in the main image on the cover. The glowing white of the masthead matches the dramatic name and colour of the hit film 'AVATAR' which is the major article involved in the film magazine. 'Avatar' took fifteen years to create and cost around $300 million to produce, therefore this film was bound to be a success. Therefore, to feature the film on the front cover will excite the reader and perhaps help them connect with the story and the plot of the film.
At the top of the cover the bold statement 'The World's Number One Sci-Fi and Fantasy Magazine' is presented, this again makes the reader feel priveliged and that the magazine is special! I have noticed many similarities with the film magazine front pages in which i have analysed such as the font colours featured are often red, yellow and white. One of the main similarities is that the the front cover is made up of a main image from the dominant article involved in the magazine, this has given me many ideas for my own anxcillary text. However the image advertised on the front cover is the main focus of the cover because of the use of the bright blue colours of the magical species, this immediately projects to the audience that 'Avatar' is a Science Fiction film also with the use of the magazine specialising in Fantasy and Sci-Fi movies makes the magazine more specific. The way in which the two characters are posed tells the reader that the film could perhaps be serious and dramatic in parts and also suggests that the two characters will be possibly the main characters and the film may revolve around them. I personally like and think it is a positive effect by having the only image being the characters from Avatar as it promotes the film very well and the magazine appears good quality. SFX also displays a well known saying in the form of a kicker 'Don't feel blue...' this is a popular saying in the UK and it is nicely combined with 'It's Avatar' which cleverly works with the colour scheme of the creatures featured in the film. The producer of the film 'James Cameron' is highlighted in the yellow colour compared to that of the rest of the sentence which is displayed in the colour white, therefore this clearly focuses in on the producer of the film who has been producing the film for fifteen years. At the bottom of the page there are several different television shows/ presenters such as 'Jonathan Ross' and 'Being Human' this is a tactical way of advertising the television shows/ upcoming shows by featuring them on a very successful and good quality magazine.

THE CONVENTIONS OF FILM MAGAZINES - From analysing three existing and contemporary film magazine front pages, I have recognised that the masthead and the main image are the centre focuses of the front cover. In all three existing front pages in which I have analysed the masthead has been featured at the top of the page in the largest font involved on the cover, therefore to almost scream out at the audience the name of the magazine! The masthead often uses a bold and bright colour scheme, often featured in the colour red. Therefore, this has many connotations often being urgence and importance!
The main image involved on the front page, reflects the main article featured in the magazine. The effect this has on the reader is that it establishes and tells them what to expect from the film magazine. In order to project the title of the film, the publisher displays the name of the film in the basis of creating a heading featured on the front page of the magazine. Often quotations are displayed in the form of a sub-heading, either displayed above or below the heading. To immediately attract and draw in the reader, screamers are used which often offer competitions or prizes in which the reader can feel perhaps involved. An example would be on the front cover of Total film 'Free prizes' this gives the reader an opportunity to win and take part in events and competitions.
An important aspect in which the front pages offer is showing information about the main headline/main image, this is better known as Kickers they are often displayed underneath the heading or sub-heading. Images from possible stories included in the magazine are frequently used on the front pages of film magazines, reflecting the information incorparated in the magazine. All of these features and many more are also located in any other type of magazine front page, as the conventions are shared.