The document provides an analysis of a magazine cover created by the author to promote a horror film. The front cover features an edited photograph of the villain from the film. Additional elements on the cover include the film title and credits, quotes, and information about featured articles. The author describes the design process, including using Photoshop to edit the photograph and add effects. A consistent color scheme of red, brown, white and black is used to match the horror genre and represent blood, death and darkness.

1. Film Magazine Analysis
Shanice.S©

2. To do my magazine cover I had to have a picture of the main
character on the front, I decided to go with the villain simply
because they were the most important character within the
trailer.
I wanted to use a picture of the main character in a forceful
suspicious pose and glorifying the main props of the specific
character. The villain props with this photograph are the bloody
knife, white ski mask and a khaki fur hooded coat.
The first photograph is the original photograph before I edited
it.
I used Photoshop to edit the photograph, I firstly added a thick
black vignette around the outside of the photograph, because I
wanted to make the background of the photograph blacked out
so the villain in the center of the compositional space was the
main focus. I then added a black/white photographic texture
layered on top of the photograph so it gave it a dark/eerie
scratched effect. once I had applied the texture onto of the
photograph; I then used the rubber tool to define the red of
the blood on the knife and filled in the rest of the surrounding
with the black paintbrush tool to make the villains face, hands
and the knife stand out on top of the black background.
I decided to use a photograph of the villain looking straight
forward creating full eye contact, this was because I wanted it
to entice the audience more.

3. The banner at the top length of the magazine shows the other
films within the magazines issue, I have separated each film name
by putting a circle in-between them. (Text/Film Titles: White
Capitals and Circles: Burgundy/Matching the colour scheme).
For the masthead I have decided to use make it as identical as an
original ‘Total Film’ magazine cover, this was because I wanted to
make it look as realistic as the real thing. To match other issues I
did the main word ‘FILM’ in white and the word ‘TOTAL’ in
burgundy matching my set colour scheme. Another symbol I used
to incorporate into the masthead is the date of the issue release
in the lower right corner of the ‘M’ this was so the layout if my
magazine was more compact.
Underneath the masthead I have put the issue number/price of
the magazine in the left hand side of the cover aligned with the ‘F’
and the ‘Total Film’ website on the opposite side.
On the left side below the issue number/price and website I have
added a flash information sticker informing the audience/buyers
what one of the main focus are within them magazine.
On the opposite side of the flash information sticker I have added
a mid brown coloured three-dimensional circular sticker with
directional lighting pointing towards the right corner on the center
right of the magazine with information referring to what this issue
is mainly about. I have used a different colour because most
magazines always use a colour that stands out so it is eye-catching
for the audience/buyers, I have also put what type of edition the
magazine is in bold white capitals and the stand out word in red.

4. On the left center of the front cover I have added some
additional information referring to the some of the main
articles in the magazine. I have also added the word EXCLUSIVE
in bold underlined capital letters to get the audiences
attention.
To separate the two different pieces of content I put a large
plus sign with the same colour scheme as the rest of the film
magazine to make the audience understand the visual language
of the magazine and its content.
On the opposite side I have put a quote from the famous
English journalist Kim Newman, referring to his A-Z of horror. I
have changed the colour of the font to a brighter red to
symbolise what he was trying to say. The rest of the text has
been done in white and burgundy to go with the colour
scheme.
For the main feature of the magazine, which is obviously the
film title I used the design as on my poster with the extensions
lines from the ‘T’ in the, and the ‘W’ in walk. I then used these
lines as breaks for the content I was talking about or referring
to the film. For example: Above the the extension ‘W’ line I
have put ‘Meet the new Jason’ this is related to the film and it
links to the main photograph of the masked villain. Below the
line I have put the creators of the films quote’, this quote links
refers to Alfred Hitchcock’s and John Carpenter’s legendary
horror films made throughout the years. I have done the same
form of colour scheme as the above text. to make the three
dimensional effect of the film title I simply added an outer
bevel on the text and a inner glow. All of the above is part
content referring to the film is part of the main film taglines. I
made the title of the film the same colour as the main featured
information because I wanted to represent the blood red
stereotype of the trailer.

5. On the far left of the bottom banner on my magazine I have
placed a large print of the barcode and not made it hidden, this
is because when I was doing my research on film magazines I
noticed they always had the barcode print in a section on the
front cover; for example: The most famous film magazine
covers all tend to show their barcodes on the front of the
magazine (Empire, Total Film and many more well know film
magazines).
On the right side of the horizontal barcode I have put an
additional information referring to the issue of magazine and
what genre of film it is representing. This form of information
makes the audience want to buy the magazine even more
because they can have a slight glimpse of what is included in
the magazine they are about to buy.
Besides the additional information I have used one of my
edited (Photoshop) eye photographs to represent a
distressed/scared eye related to the information. The colour of
the eye also goes with the colour scheme I have used for the
rest of the magazine. This red eye effect also attracts the
readers because it is like a hidden feature u don’t see until you
read the entire magazine cover or parts of its cover headlines.

6. For my colour scheme I have decided to go with colours that
relate to the genre and sub-genre of film (Horror) that the
magazine is representing.
I chose the two different shades of red because they represent
blood, death, anger and energy.
White to represent purity and simplicity.
The Mid Brown was used to represent the feel of power/force
also the allusion and sadness/isolation.
I decided to use the colour black to fill up the rest of the cover
to represent shadow with the main photograph and the
background/surrounding of the cover because I wanted the
audience to understand the cover photographs by the colours
that were used. Also the colour black is normally linked with
mourning or destruction/death.
These forms of colours all go with the film genre of horror
because they are filled with blood, gore and dramatic pain!
I linked the colour scheme and part of my layout to the two
most famous film magazine ‘Total Film’ and ‘Empire’, this is
because ‘Total Film’ always tend to link their magazines colour
scheme to the main film they are representing on the cover
and Empire does the same also with the layout.
Chosen Colour Scheme
Burgundy
Red
White
Mid Brown
Black