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1. Magazine Cover Analysis
Empire magazine is a well-known filmmagazine published by Bauer Media, this particular cover was published in November 2011 and is featuring the film‘The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ on its front page. The masthead of Empire is placed at the top of the page, using the notorious style which
includes a bold sans serif font with a daring colour to match; red. This masthead is
particularly effective because it catches the audience’s eye and encourages them to
purchase the magazine. In addition to this, the cover includes a tag line above the
masthead in a blue font with white background using capital letters to emphasize the
point, claiming that Empire is the world’s biggest movie magazine, aiming to persuade
the reader to keep reading. The magazine details are also included in the same area
which includes the date it was published and the price, which is vital information for a
magazine cover. The barcode is also vital on a magazine cover and this is placed towards
the bottom of the page which ensures that it does not divert any attention away from
the overall cover.
The main selling point of the cover is situated on the left hand side of the page
overlapping the characters in the main image, using sans serif fonts in very different
ways. The title of the film uses a white font with washed/faded details to give the overall
text a rough and unique look, whereas the following text uses a pink to contrast with the
white. However the style differs, using a hand writing-like text to give the cover a more
casual effect.
Along the right hand side of the page the cover lines are emphasized with the white
background and bold blue sans serif text, featuring the remaining cover lines in black
below the main title. An additional cover line is in the bottom left hand corner and is
included as a ‘plus’ which gives the readers an impression that they are getting
additional information in the magazine. This is done especially to increase magazine
sales and to ensure the Empire stays popular.
The main image on the page includes (presumably) the main two characters of the
featured film, a male and a female. The location in which the two are photographed is
minimalistic and plain, using neutral tones to ensure the attention is kept on the
characters. The characters are both wearing all black clothing and when combined with
the low key lighting (creating shadows) this makes the image look mysterious and
creates curiosity within the audience, increasing the likelihood of a sale. The male
character is standing while the female is kneeling, this could imply that the film is
dominated by the male character or that the female is the lead character as she is closer
to the camera. However, the direct mode of address giving by both character ensures
that the audience feel familiarwith them and they will therefore purchase the magazine.