The document provides information about conventions used in film magazine covers. It discusses common elements like the masthead, main image, buzzwords, anchorage text, and color schemes. Specific examples are analyzed from magazines like Total Film, Empire, and Horror. The masthead is usually the largest text that identifies the magazine. Film magazines typically feature images of main characters as the focal point. Buzzwords and anchorage text are used to attract readers' attention. Color schemes and stylistic elements aim to brand the magazine and tie the cover visually together.

1. Format research-
Film magazines

3. TOTAL FILM’s masthead is commonly
white unless the issue features a
special release of film such as The
Hobbit (Bottom right).
The commonly use metallic or red
typography, depending on the genre of
the film featured, to attract the
audiences attention.
Other common colours used by TOTAL
FILM include red, blue and yellow.
Primary colours are used as they are
complimentary and stand out as bold
against the backdrop of the magazine
cover.

4. EMPIRE magazine always uses a red
masthead which has become the
house style of the magazine. I feel
this may be something I wish to
include on my magazine as the bold
red title stands out and attracts my
attention.
This magazine uses a cool filter on
their main image for each genre of
the film for example, inception (a
thriller) uses a cool blue tone while
The Hobbit (an adventure) uses a
cool tone of sepia.
The coverlines typography is usually
a metallic or white shade, in order to
stand out against the red and cool
toned focal point.

5. CODES AND CONVENTIONS
• MASTHEAD-
The masthead will feature on each magazine front cover and indicates the name of the magazine e.g. EMPIRE or
COSMOPOLITIAN. The masthead should be the largest text on the page and it can also indicate the audience which
the magazine targets.
• MAIN IMAGE-
The main image is usually the focal point of the front cover and should relate to the style of the magazine for
example beauty and fashion magazines will typically use a mid-shot of a female. Its common for main images on
magazines to attract the male or female gaze in order to attract their target audience. In terms of film magazines,
the main image is usually am image of the main character featured in the film.
• ‘BUZZWORDS-
These words are used usually to attract the audiences attention, examples of Buzzwords include ‘FREE’ and
‘Exclusive’ The purpose of the buzzwords are to attract the audiences attention and encourage them to purchase
the magazine.
• ANCHORAGE TEXT
Anchorage text typically compliments the main image to give further information, it could be a quote or extract
from an interview or text created by the magazine to attract attention.

6. CODES AND CONVENTIONS
• BARCODE, DATE, ISSUE NUMBER-
These features are included on every magazine front cover and are essential in order for the magazine to be sold
to the audience.
• COVERLINES-
Give further information about what’s included in the magazine, these use names of celebrities and further
anchorage text.
• COLOUR SCHEME-
Each magazine will usually follow a colour scheme or house style and can vary between each issue. This is usually
indicated on the front cover and continued throughout the magazine spread.
• FOCAL POINT-
The focal point of a magazine front cover is usually the main image but it’s the point of the publication which
attracts the most attention.

7. The masthead ‘HORROR’ uses a
sans serif font and a bright white
typography which has a backlight
affect to it. I feel that this is the
focal point of the magazine as it
attracts my attention
immediately. The crackled effect
of the typography links to the
genre of horror.
The main image presents a
variety of horror characters, the
characters all comply to the
conventions of a horror ‘villain’.
The characters are presented as
the ‘evil’ characters within a
narrative as oppose to the ‘good’
character, which reinforces the
genre of the magazine being a
horror magazine. The main image
is the focal point of the magazine
as it attracts the audiences
attention.
The buzzword ‘FREE GIFTS’ is
situated at the top of the page
above the masthead. this position
should help attract the initial
attention from the audience then
follow the attention to the
masthead. The use of buzzwords
may encourage the audience to
purchase a copy of the magazine.
This may also increase the
perceived value of the magazine,
from the audiences perspective,
as they may believe the magazine
is worth more due to the free
additional gifts offered to them.
The use of red typography links to
the idea of blood and reinforces
the idea of the horror genre. This
theme is continued throughout
and also features as an
accompanying detail to the main
image.

8. The house style features a blue,
red and white colour scheme for
the magazine, using cold and bold
colours to link to the ideas of
horror, thrillers and fear. The
white typography stands bold
against the low key lighting of the
main image and highlights the
important information on the
page.
The coverlines on the page use a
bold white typography, linking to
the masthead and also stand out
against the cold, dark main
image. The coverlines use puns
such as ‘SLEEPLESS FRIGHTS’ a
play on words of ‘Sleepless
nights’.
In my opinion the focal point of
this magazine is the masthead
‘HORROR’ as the font used
overpowers the collage of main
images. The font used brightens
up the page and distracts the
attention from the other
features, the masthead initially
grabs the audiences attention,
then pulls the attention to the
centre third of the magazine, as
typically the audience read
from top to bottom, the
audiences attention is then
drawn to the bottom third of
the magazine.

9. The masthead ‘Empire’ uses a
sans serif bold font, with a
shiny metallic effect, which
clearly links with the main
coverline and puff ‘THE DARK
KNIGT RISES THE VERDICT!’
this indicates that this issue of
the magazine is a special as the
magazine usually features a
bold red masthead and
accompanying coverlines. The
metallic gold font is
complimentary of the main
image, as it uses cool tones.
The anchorage text ‘THE
FINEST MIDDLE-EARTH
COVERAGE CONTINUES
INSIDE…’ encourages the
audience to read on due to the
use of an ellipsis and golden
metallic font linking the style
of the magazine together.
The main image features the
main protagonist Bilbo Bagins
and Gollum, the characters
expressions and use of CGI
suggests the genre of the film
‘The HOBBIT’ as an
adventure/science fiction film.
The cool blue and black tones
compliment the use of metallic
typography as well as linking to
the burgundy tones of Bilbo’s
costume.
The use of the buzzword
‘EXCLUSIVE’ may attract the
attention of the audience and
encourage them to purchase the
magazine, due to the promise of
receiving exclusive information.
The phrase of ‘PRECIOUS
EXCLUSIVE’ shows a sense of
intertextuality as the phrase
‘my precious’ is the famous
catchphrase of the character
Gollum.

10. The use of the barcode, date
and issue number is essential
for any magazine front cover.
In this issue the barcode is
located in the left hand third of
the magazine just above the
main coverline.
While the issue number, date
and price is located above the
‘M’ in the masthead. This may
be a feature I would consider
for my magazine front cover.
The format of these features
compliment the other features
of the magazine as they allow
the audience to focus on the
main focal points by using
space that is otherwise
unuseful.
The coverlines ‘PLUS! DREDD
TAKEN 2’ etc provide more
information for the audience and
generates connotations within the
audiences mind to other
celebrities/films that they may be
fans of. This feature could also be
further anchorage text as it may
encourage the audience to
purchase and further read the
magazine and articles included.
The colour scheme of this magazine
uses a metallic gold typography,
white typography and a blue toned
image. This front cover sets the
house style for the following pages
and suggests that the pages may
include a similar style of image or
typography, this gives the magazine
continuity and retains the
audiences attention as well as
providing a brand image for Empire.

11. The masthead uses a bold, white
sans serif font. The focus of the
masthead is on the term ‘FILM’
with an insert ‘TOTAL’ this
suggests that the magazine is an
established product within the
film magazine market. This may
be a feature I could consider
when producing my magazine, as
the bold masthead presents a
simple feature which clearly links
to the genre of magazine being a
film magazine.
It also gives an indication of the
magazines target audience, being
film fans.
The use of the buzzword
‘EXCLUSIVE’ creates excitement
from the audiences perspective
around the release of this issue
of TOTAL FILM.
The main image is also the focal
point of the magazine, it features
a close up of the main
protagonist from the 2009 Star
Trek film, Chris Pine. Pine uses
direct gaze to engage with the
potential audience and grab their
attention, although due to his
facial expression, you can
conclude that his the good
character in relation to the
theory of good vs evil. the main
image is black and white which
allows the audience to focus fully
upon his facial expression and
the surrounding features of the
magazine through the use of
complimentary white text and
red typography.

12. The anchorage text ‘THE
BOLDEST AND COOLEST FILM OF
2009’ uses superlatives to create
excitement around the feature of
the STAR TREK article. This may
draw the audience into the
article and encourage them to
purchase the magazine, or
further encourage the audience
to purchase tickets to see the
film in cinemas when released.
Other anchorage text includes
the text above the masthead ‘UP
SHERLOCK HOLMES POTTER 6’
the use of the bold red
typography stands out against
the black and white backdrop of
the main image, while this
feature may encourage the
audience to purchase the
magazine due to their interest
being sparked by the articles
featured.
The coverlines use a bold white
font and do not immediately
stand out against the black and
white backdrop, however they
stand clear against the main
image of the protagonist. The
coverlines compliment the
masthead and the main coverline
and links the front cover together.
The puff feature of the magazine
‘4 amazing covers’ encourages the
potential audience to purchase 4
copies of the magazine as a
collector. The 4 covers include a
different main image of the star
trek protagonists and pose as
complimentary products to each
other. Although, the magazines
include the same contents, the
covers act as merchandise from
the perspective of a STAR TREK
fan.