1. The mise-en-sceneusedinthe image iseffective inpresentingthe genre of the film.
For Jack’scostume we can instantlysee he isa pirate;sothe filmwill be action
adventure.Jackispresentedonthe frontcoverwearingatypical pirate costume;
tatteredbaggyshirtwitha silkwaistcoat and a bandana,withhisoutfitaccessorised
withnumerousringsandbeads.Thisisour conventional understandingaboutthe type
of outfitspiratesusedtowear.Thisismainlybecause of the eratheywere aroundin
was one where commonersdressedinlarge shirtswithwaistcoats.Itisconventional
for piratestowearbandanasaround theirheadsthatare wornunderneaththeir hats.
Thisallowsthemtoinstantlybe recognisedasapirate.He also hasthe typical pirate
beltwiththe large beltbuckle.We canclearlyidentifyJackSparrow as a pirate fromhis
makeup.He has blackeyelinerunderneathhiseyestocreate a intense andmenacing
lookto try and presenthimself asaterrifyingpirate,wheninfacthe isthe opposite.
Alsohisoverall appearance ispresentedasdirty,whichiswhatmostpeople thoughtof
pirates.Thisisreflectedthroughisdreadlocksandthe numerous dirtymarksonhis
skinand clothes. Thisisfurtherreflectedthroughhispropssuchashisguns,whichare
oldfashionedriflesthatwouldhave beenusedinbattlesatsea.
The image of Captain
Jack isplacedover
part of the masthead.
Thisshowsthat the
magazine issowell-
knownthat evenwith
part of the masthead
coveredthe TA can
instantlyrecognisethe
frontcover as an
empire frontcover.
Thisreflectsthe
strengthof Empire’s
brand identityandthe
fact that ithas a loyal
fan base whoknows
the front coverwell.
From an anaesthetic
pointof view,itis
more effectiveand
has more impactto
have CaptainJack in
frontof the masthead,
particularlyashe is
such a dynamic
character.
The mastheadispresentedatthe top of the magazine
frontcover ina central position.Thisisa general layout
conventionof magazines.The mastheadispresentedin its
signature uppercase serif fontandispresentedinred.The
fact that inthisissue theyhave presentedthe mastheadin
the signature fontsuggeststothe audience thatthe film
they’re promotingissimplyaclassicand a must-see.The
colourof the mastheadwill appeal toamale audience
whoappreciate primarycolours.Itreflectsthe vibrantand
funcharacter of an actionadventure aswell.
The sell-linesare effective in
drawinginand appealingtothe
desiresof the TA.The TA are film
buffs wholove classicfilmsandbig
blockbusters.Thisisreflected
throughthe sell-lineswhich
advertise articlesfeaturedonfilms
such as CaptainAmericaand
SherlockHolmes.Thiswillappeal
to the readerand make them
wantto buy the magazine,asthey
know that the bestmoviesof the
yearare featuredinthisissue and
they’ll receive exclusive
informationif theypurchase the
issue.The layoutisverysimple in
thisissue,withthe sell-linesused
beingpracticallyjustfilmnames
and the namesof successful
actors. Thisreflectsthe successof
Empire as a brand.It doesn’tneed
to use drasticsell-linestoentice
the audience,the namesof the
filmsitisprovidingfeaturesonis
enoughtodraw inthe audience.
The onlyinformationthe TA need
to know is the title of the filmand
they’re hookedastheyknow
Empire will provideexclusive
informationaboutthe film.Italso
reflectsthe scale andsuccessof
the big blockbustersEmpireis
promotinginthisissue.All the
frontcover hasto do is provide
the name of the filmfeatured
withinthe magazine andthe
audience will instantlywantto
purchase the issue andreadabout
these blockbusterfilms.Thisis
furtherreinforcedbythe list-like
presentationof the sell-lines.The
audience wouldreaditlike alist;
checkingoff thisweeksbig
blockbusterfeatured.
There are fourdominatingcoloursusedonthisfrontcover;red,
black,yellow andwhite.Thesecoloursare effectiveinreflecting
and attractingthe male dominatedtargetaudience.Thisis
because these plaincoloursreflectthe masculinityof the magazine
and the TA. Also,the colourscontrasteachother whichmake each
individualsell-line standoutevenmore.The mainfontusedisa
bold,uppercase sansserif font.Thisagainappealstoandreflects
the fact that the TA is mainlymale. The font isveryeasyto read
and the boldand uppercase style makesitstandoutonthe frame.

2. A sell-lineispresentedatthe verytopof the frame,justabove the masthead.Thisisanunconventional layoutfeature so
suggeststothe readerthat is issue isgoingtobe special anddifferenttoothersof itskindwhichwoulddraw theminand
make themwantto buy the magazine.The sell-line informsthe audience that asthisis‘MoviesBiggestYearEver!’the
magazine isgoingto be the bestit’severbeensotheyHAVEto buy it.The importance of the statementisfurther
emphasisedbythe exclamationmark.Also,the sell line actuallydrawsattentiontoitbeingthe bestyearformovies,rather
than beingthe bestyearforthe Empire brand.ThisreflectsEmpire’sbrandethosinthatitfocusessolelyonprovidingit’s TA
withthe mostexclusive anduptodate informationonmovies.Thisselllinewouldgenerate excitementinthe filmloving
audience andcreate intrigue amongthem,especiallyasthissell-lineinsinuatesthatthisissue will provide apreview.The
words‘BiggestYear’are presentedinayellow font,whilstthe othersare presentedinblack.Thisallows‘BiggestYear’to
standout evenmore as itcontrasts withthe restof the sell-line.Italsoisthenmore likelytograbthe audience’sattention
and informthemthatif thisissue ispromoting‘MoviesBiggestYearEver!’itisan issue notto be missed.
The image clearlyreflectsthe narrative andsettingof Piratesandthe
Caribbean.The Exoticlocationisa furtherclue thatthe filmisan action
adventure,asthese filmsare oftensetintropical islandsthatcreate
obstaclesforthe hero.The audience are presentedwithJohnnyDeppin
character as CaptainJack Sparrowso theywill instantlyrecognise the
filmbeingpromoted.Itisaconventionforfilmmagazinestohave the
model incharactersrather thanas the actor whoplaysthe character.
Thiswill appeal tothe TA,who isfilmobsessed,asitinformsthemthat
the cover storywill focusonlyaroundPiratesof the Caribbeanrather
than JohnnyDepp’sactingsuccess.The narrative of the filmisfurther
reflectedthroughthe background.The backgroundisof a small
Caribbeanislandwhere,inthe film, JackSparrowismarooned.
There isa symbioticlink
betweenthe image onthis
issue of Empire andthe film
posterof Piratesof the
Caribbean4. Onthe film
poster,JackSparrow is
wearingexactlythe same
costume as onthis front
cover.Thiscreatesa
symbioticlinkbetweenthe
twoso the audience will
instantlyrecognisewhichfilm
thisissue ispromoting.Italso
helpstomaintainthe
character Jack Sparrow.Both
thisissue andthe filmposter
alsoonlypresentedJack
Sparrow.Thisinformsthe
readerthat he is the main
character and the filmwill be
focusedaroundhim.Italso
helpsthe readertorecognise
the filmas JackSparrow is
the face of the ‘Piratesof the
Caribbean’franchise.Jack
Sparrow is probablythe most
popularcharacter tooas it is
humorousandplayedby
JohnnyDepp.
The main image isa mediumlongshotof Jack
Sparrow.His facial expressionandbodylanguage
create the ideathat he is inthe middle of a battle
withthe enemyinthe film, oran enemyhasjust
approachedhim.Thiswouldappeal tothe target
audience as theywouldsee the image andassume
that the magazine isgoingto provide suchexclusive
and detailedinformationthatitwill be like they’re in
the film.Italsohelpstocreate a symbioticlink
betweenthe filmandthe frontcoverasit clearly
reflects JackSparrow’spersonalityandthe hurdles
he may face withinthe film.
A puff featuresonthe
lefthandside of the
frame;‘FirstLook!
Pirates4 the on-set
exclusive’.Thiswould
instantlydrawinthe
audience asittellsthem
that theywill be the first
to readthisexclusive
informationabout
Piratesof the Caribbean.
Thiswill furtherentice
the audience to
purchase the magazine
The largestsell-line in
the frame is featuredon
the right handside
above the list-like sell
lines.Thiswill drawin
the audience andmake
themwantto buy the
magazine asit informs
themthat thisissue
includes‘essential
previews’.Thisfurther
enforcesthe exclusive
feel tothe frontcover.