The document describes conventions for film magazine posters and layouts. It analyzes examples from Empire and Total Film magazines, noting similarities and differences in their mastheads, images, color schemes, text placement and overall structures. It then provides an example layout for a fictional film magazine called "My Film Magazine", explaining how it uses, develops and challenges conventions from real magazines like Empire and Total Film.

1. Film Magazine
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or
challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?

2. Basic Conventions for a Film
Magazine Poster
• Main image of a famous actor as the focus point
• Masthead filling the width of the cover and 1/5 of the length. Based at the top of the cover.
• Main cover line usually crosses the main image, slightly smaller text size than the masthead.
• A lot of smaller cover lines placed around the main image and below. Sometimes placed on a
banner.
• Font for text suggests to the audience what the genre is.
• Bold text to make the main cover line and masthead stand out
• Colour scheme determines the genre of the film advertised linking with the main image.
• Price in pounds and euros.
• Date and issue number.

3. EMPIRE Conventions
Date, prices and issue number
Masthead Banner with smaller cover line
Selling line Magazine website
Red, white, blue and Main image overlays masthead
black colour scheme
Image text covers image to
Image text show a relationship
Smaller cover lines
Cover lines
Barcode

4. TOTAL FILM Conventions
Main image overlays masthead
Masthead
Cover lines
Selling line
Film website
Red, grey, blue and
black colour scheme
Smaller Cover lines
Image text
Smaller Cover lines
Barcode
Image text covers image

5. EMPIRE + TOTAL FILM ANALYSIS
Comparisons
• They both include different the basic conventions and placed similarly on the cover
• Their target markets are between the ages of 16- 30
• Have colour schemes to set the tone of the cover in relation to the main image
• The main image obstructs the view of the magazine title
• Barcode is placed in the corner because it is not a focal point
• Price and date is small as it is insignificant
Contrasts
• Empire tends to be more clustered rather than the more sophisticated look which Total Film
has
• Total Film’s title is very bold aiming to grab the audience’s attention, Empire’s is skinner but
sharper
• The structure for Total Film’s magazines are predominately centred
• Empire’s structure is placed in no chronological order
• Empire includes extra images for different stories, however Total Film sticks to one image
(main image)

6. My Film Magazine (Empire
Layout)
Date and price hid away- not so important
Empire masthead takes 1/5 of
Smaller cover lines
the page – conventional
Empire layout
Selling line
Rectangle boxes with shades
of red behind the characters
Image text stands out
Main image takes up
with white and different
¾ of the page as it is
shade of red
the main attraction
Red, white and black
colour scheme gives it a
professional and QR code (barcode) is
sophisticated look small and insignificant
Borrowing the Minimal fonts- Only 3
Empire ‘Plus’ sign fonts used give a
professional look
Banner with smaller Main cover lines overlay
cover lines- extra info main image to stand out
Use of all three colours in a small space is
effective for being aesthetically appealing

7. My Film Magazine Analysis
Using Conventions of real film magazines
• Using colour schemes to show the genre of the main image’s film
• Banner at the bottom of the page overlaying the main image. This is extra information for the audience to
see – less important
• Main image takes up half of the page whilst the title takes up a fifth usually crossing over such as in my
magazine
Developing Conventions of real film magazines
• The use of a QR code which is a recent technology improvement
• Using rectangles behind my main image to help my Lewis, Beau and Scott stand out
• ‘The Con Is On’ is in different sized font
Challenging Conventional Film Magazines
• Main image at an angle with text placed around it
• Mixture of features from Empire and Total film
– The use of the Empire masthead and plus sign
– Using one image is a conventional Total Film style as it wants it’s audience to concentrate on the
main image.
– Empire structure