The document describes conventions for film magazine covers. It provides examples from Empire and Total Film magazines, analyzing similarities and differences in their layouts. These include using prominent images and mastheads, color schemes to indicate genre, and placement of key cover text and promotional lines. It then shows an example cover design for "My Film Magazine" that borrows, develops, and challenges some conventions by combining elements from Empire and Total Film in its layout and design.

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
• 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 Main image overlays
and black colour masthead
scheme
Image text covers image
Image text
to show a relationship
Smaller cover
Cover lines 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
Image text
lines
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
Smaller cover lines 1/5 of the page –
conventional Empire
layout
Selling line Rectangle boxes with
shades of red behind the
Image text stands out characters
with white and Main image takes
different shade of red up ¾ of the page as
it is the main
Red, white and black attraction
colour scheme gives it
a professional and QR code (barcode) is
sophisticated look small and insignificant
Borrowing the
Minimal fonts- Only
Empire ‘Plus’
3 fonts used give a
sign
professional look
Banner with smaller Main cover lines
cover lines- extra overlay main image to
info Use of all three colours in a small space is
effective for being aesthetically appealing stand out

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