The document analyzes several film magazines, including Empire, Total Film, Sight & Sound, Uncut, Little White Lies, and SFX. It finds that the magazines typically feature close-up images of iconic actors or characters on the front covers to draw attention. The mastheads are meant to convey deeper meanings about each magazine's values and focus. The magazines also use different font styles, color schemes, and design elements tailored to the specific films or interviews featured in each issue.

1. Film Magazine Analysis

2. Empire
 Empire is owned and published by the German
company Bauer Media.
 It costs is released monthly at a cost of £3.99
 The target audience for Empire is film critics and
movie enthusiasts.
 Empire reviews both mainstream and art films. As
well as the film news, reviews and previews, Empire
also includes some unique features, unlike any other
film magazines. Each issue features a „Classic
Scene‟, which is a transcript from a notable film
scene.
 The name, „Empire‟ comes with massive
connotations of being „the best‟, popular and world
renowned.
 The sans-serif font used is big, bold and stands out
with an informal edge. This helps allow the audience
to see the magazine easily when its on a stand in a
newsagents for example.
 This magazine seems to typically always feature the
image of the main actor/character that would feature
of that particular issue of the magazine. They also
seem to follow the „Z‟ pattern for the front cover of
the magazines too.

3. Total Film
 Total film is published every 4 weeks by British
company, Future Publishing at a cost of £3.40.
 The main target audience is for film enthusiasts and
film critics; this is where it‟s rivalry with Empire lies.
 It has features from up-and-coming to well
established directors, full length interviews, and also
exclusive photo shoots.
 „Total Film‟ suggests that there is all you could
possibly need to known about film within that
magazine/ within that company. It also makes it
extremely clear for the audience what the magazine
is focused on with the word „Film‟ included.
 The extremely large and bold font may also coincide
with how films like to be represented – the biggest
and best, something that the audience won‟t be able
to forget and will take have a lot if not all of their
focus.
 Each issue contains;
 A section known as the „Total Film Interview‟, whereby
there is an in-depth chat with either a well-established
actor or director, alongside a critique of their work
throughout their career.
 A single page parody of a recent film release and
also,
 „Total Film Loves...‟, which is a celebration of either a
film, a scene from a film or an actors performance.

4. Sight & Sound
 Sight & Sound is another monthly British
magazine published by the British Film Institute
(BFI) at the cost of £4.50.
 The is a proud international magazine, as titled
on each front cover of every Sight & Sound
issue. The immediately tells the audience that
it would be including reviews and features of a
variety of different films, rather than the typical
Hollywood blockbusters and cinema „sell-out‟
releases.
 Another proud feature that Sight & Sound
decide to include on the front cover of each of
their issues is that, „Every new film reviewed‟.
 The target audience is directed much more at
an those who are looking for a more in depth
view to an analysis of films and how they are
made and into the films actors.
 The masthead Sight & Sound, from first seeing/
hearing it, may suggest that it could be to do
with film along with music, however when that it
is stated below that it is a film magazine, it
would then be suggested that it is a magazine
that could look deeper into films, rather than
which famous actors it includes etc.

5. Uncut
 Uncut is a monthly magazine, published
by a company known as IPC Media at
the cost of £5.00
 This magazine doesn‟t base its feature
entirely upon film, unlike the previous
magazine in this PowerPoint.; basing
their main focus upon music (mainly
Britpop), with an involvement of film and
also books.
 This magazine is aimed at an audience
of “25-45 year old males that focuses
on movies and music”, as stated by
editor Allan Jones, former editor of
„Melody Maker‟.
 The masthead „Uncut‟ may suggest that
the opportunity to go „behind the
scenes‟ of their favourite artists and
films and read up on articles that they
wouldn‟t get a chance to read anywhere
else, suggesting a sense of exclusivity
with this magazine.

6. Little White Lies
 Little White Lies is a film magazine
released every two months and is
published by a London-based
creative agency known as The
Church of England (who also
publish Huck magazine) at £4.00
 This magazine is most widely
known due to its individual
magazine style. The layout of the
magazine covers are typically the
same with each release, however
each issue will feature an illustration
of the main character/actor of the
feature film for that issue.
 Depending on the feature film for
that magazine, there may also be
various other changes to the
magazine throughout, such as
custom typefaces and editorial
icons.

7. SFX
 SFX is published ever 4 weeks at a cost of £3.50
by Future Publishing (Total Film).
 This is Sci-Fi, horror and fantasy magazine
based upon film, TV, games and comics.
Although to many, „SFX‟ would mean „Special
Effects‟, however according to the magazine‟s
website, „SF‟, stands for „Science Fiction‟, and the
„X‟ may stand for anything.
 The font for „SFX‟ has s smooth and embossed
edge to it to make it look a lot more as if it has
been electronically generated and as if it would be
made through „special effects‟, to coincide with
the title itself.
 „Each issue of SFX magazine contains these
fantastic features:
 Regular opinion pieces
 A peek at readers‟ toy collections
 Your monthly sci-fi quiz
 Huge behind-the-scenes interviews and features
 Massive reviews section
 PLUS! All your favourite regulars‟
[Source: myfavouritemagazines.co.uk]

8. Summary
 Overall I believe I have found that the image
used upon the front cover of any film magazine
must be iconic, eye catching and relevant to
the main feature for that magazine‟s issue. All
apart from one magazine from that images I
have included on this PowerPoint use a close
up image of a key actor/character. I believe
that this is used as a key convention due to the
actors popularity bringing in the audience‟s
attention and a main purpose.
 Each of the Masthead‟s also seem to have a
deeper meaning and they all certainly connote
some sort of message, usually something to
do with the magazine itself and it‟s values that
it holds.
 With each of the different features of these
films, the magazines include a different colour
scheme/font style to suit and/or relate to that
feature. For example, in the Quentin Tarantino
image shown to the right, the „Inglourious
Basterd‟ text is in the typeface used for the
actual film, therefore creating a sense of
continuity and allows the audience to create
that relationship from the styles.