Magazine Cover Analysis

I am going to analyse three film magazine covers that are of a similar genre to the one I would like to create. I am analysing the magazine covers to allow me to find out the conventions and styles that they stick by, and so I can understand the features that they use to target a specific audience and be appealing to this specific audience. By studying the covers it will allow me to use what I have found to apply to the Magazine cover I make.  In 1997 Bentley stated, “The creative process is the rearranging of the old to create the new.” I will use this statement to view another magazine with inspiration and recreate it using the successful conventions and styles. 

My target audience will be 15-25 year old males.  will be analysing the denotation and connotation of each aspect of media language; masthead, layout, colour pallet, images, typography, lexis and other features. I will also refer to how the language on the cover relates and appeals to the target audience. 

Empire
Empire is the worlds most popular film magazine and has been around since 2001, it has a readership of 193,000 and the issues are released monthly. The target audience of the magazine are Movie Buffs (Film fans) who tend to be around 18-45 year old and male. It is published by Bauer Media Group which is a very successful magazine publisher that publishes magazines of all different genres. Empire usually features the newest, biggest action/adventure Blockbuster of the month, the cover usually has an image of a star vehicle and is of a blue tint with a red masthead.

The masthead of the magazine takes up about 1/5th of the page and is layered over the main image of Daniel Radcliffe. The word 'Empire' is written in a bright red colour and is in a unique signature font which is a classic film looking font which relates to the genre well and is a conventional look for a film magazine. The use of a really bright red against the dark background/main image make the masthead really eye-catching.

The layout of the magazine is conventional. The text at either side of the main image is quite large but is mostly just language to attract the audience and is quite minimal considering it takes up a lot of space. The large bit of text under the masthead is very eye-catching and compliments the highlights of Radcliffe's face. The page has 1 small image that is a combination of a few of the characters from the films mentioned on the cover photoshopped together. The page has lots of text around it that all relate to the articles inside. The sections of text highlight the names of the films and articles inside are about which will appeal to the audience because they are very interested in new and popular films.

The colour palette of the magazine is yellow, red and black. The colours are used on different sections of text, but the main bit that is red is the title, giving it a more eye-catching look. The colours make each section of text seem to pop out and shout at you. The colour red usually connotes various things, but in this masthead I think it represents passion and intensity which is attractive to the target audience as they will more often like action movies. I also think the red gives a interesting classic look which reminds me of the cinemas when they had huge intense red curtains that would open before the film. The yellow and white text gives a bright contrast against the red and darkness of the background/masthead. 

The main image is a close-up of a very famous Actor called Daniel Radcliffe who played a very famous character called Harry Potter in the Series of films based on the books written by JK Rowling. Radcliffe was a suitable Star to use because the Harry Potter series had a very large and loyal fan base, therefore more people will want to buy the magazine because he is on the Cover and inside. He is also attractive which makes the cover more appealing to the audience as his face is nice to look at. Radcliffe is posing in a very dramatic way and he has dirty/bloody make up on his skin with broken glasses which makes him look like the typical action hero after a fight scene which would attract the target audience who like action films. Harry Potter is Fantasy, young-adult fiction, mystery, and thriller. 

Total Film

Total Film has been around since 1997, it has a readership of 12,280 and the issues are released monthly. The target audience of the magazine are Movie Buffs (Film fans) who tend to be around 18-35 year old and male. It is published by Future publishing which is a small company that publish alot of media/technology based magazines. Total film is similar to Empire but also features films on the cover from other genres usually Blockbuster films. It also usually has a cover which is full of images and text.

The masthead of the magazine takes up about 1/4 of the page and is layered under the main image of Tom Felton. The word Film is written in black and is large, the word Total is in white and is smalled so is layered over the F giving a very unique and signature look. The font is very plain and classic but has a very similar M to the one in Empire's masthead with a deep indent to the top. The use of black gives a pop from the bright white background and compliments Tom's dark suit.

The layout of the magazine is conventional. The text at either side of the main image is larger on the left side as it is about the main article and links with the main image of Tom Felton. On the right side the text is quite small but features words that draw in the audience.  The page has no other images so the reader's full attention is drawn to the main image. 

The colour palette of the magazine is blue, white and black. The colours are used on different sections of text, but the main bit that is red is the title, giving it a more eye-catching look. The title parts of the text is blue to make them pop and the main words in the larger text is also blue to attract the audience. The colour blue usually connotes coolness and in the lighter shade that is on this cover it is gender neutral unlike a darker blue which would be seen as more masculine.

The main image is a medium shot of Tom Felton who was also in the Harry Potter series and played the enemy of Harry Potter called Draco Malfoy. The Harry Potter fanbase is very large and worldwide so Tom Felton was a good choice of Star Vehicle. He also has blood on his face which could relate to the target audience maybe liking action films and violence. I also makes him look quite frightening and his eye contact to the reader gives you chills. Tom is attractive which makes the cover more appealing to the audience as his face is nice to look at. 

Total Film Pt. 2
The masthead of the magazine takes up about a quarter of the page and is layered under the image of Robert Downey Jr. The word Film is written in a very bold font and the word Total is cut out of the letter F so it shows the colour from the background. The masthead is in a very clean bright white which compliments the frosty look of the cover and makes RDJ stand out more.

The layout of the magazine is moderately conventional. The text at either side of the main image is smaller but the subtitle bits are large and in different fonts and colours to stand out. The text above the masthead is just to attract readers with things that might interest them. There is text layered over the main image which isn't very conventional but is quite effective as it shows the reader what the main article is about. There are 3 smaller images above the masthead beside the text which show three main characters from different films to interest the reader into picking up the magazine if they see a character that interests them e.g. Iron Man (who is also played by RDJ) because it is am action film.

The colour palette of the magazine is white and blue and the colours are used on different sections of text so some words stand out against the others and so the page doesn't look as flat. The colours make each section of text seem to pop out and shout at you. The colour blue connotes a coolness and links with the frosty feel that you get from the front cover. The white gives an icy clean look which also compliments the look. The blue and white theme helps give a conventional and consistent look so the over is pleasing to the eye.

The main image is a medium shot of a famous Actor called Robert Downey Jr who plays Sherlock Holmes in the films and Iron Man in the Marvel films. RDJ is a good star to use because he is already very popular for his role as Iron Man and people may not know him as any other roles so seeing him as Sherlock Holmes may make them want to read about it in the magazine and watch him in the film. RDJ is quite good to look at which makes the cover more appealing to the audience. RDJ is staring directly into the camera which draws you in and his costume makes his character look very interesting so may interest the reader.