An overview of film magazines.

1. Magazine Overview.

4. Mastheads;
All six of the mastheads stand out and grab
attention. This is so the audience are drawn to
the particular magazine, compared to all the
others which feature on the shelves. As these
are the two most successful film magazines, the
fonts are sophisticated and neat. This is
important in carrying out for my personal
magazine, as I want to mirror the type of
professionalism both Total Film and Empire
reflect.
Empire has a signature font which is portrayed
across all three magazines. The letters are
sharp and bold. This could reflect how the
magazine are quick to feature new blockbuster
films, highlighting their professionalism.
Furthermore, the sharpness of the letters give a
slick and tidy shape to the magazines. This
reinforces how Empire is an interesting
magazine which features exciting information
about our favourite upcoming movies. The
colour red is commonly used for the masthead.
The colour red connotes richness and passion;
symbolising how the magazine only features
famous blockbuster films and it also connotes
the passion and love their audience members
have for film.
Yet, as Empire uses black and green for the
magazine featuring The Joker from Batman; it
highlights how they are able to change its usual
colour scheme and the audience will still
recognise the font as it keeps its brand identity.
It also highlights how their audience are loyal to
the magazine and will be able to recognise its
conventions such as the layout and fonts used.

5. Mastheads:
Similarly, Total Film’s masthead appears bold
and striking at the top of the frame. This is to
grab the audience's attention into reading the
film magazine. Both of the magazines have a
similar font, the letter ‘M’ is especially alike. The
letters are slicked and pointed, this emphasises
the idea of the films which feature inside the
magazine; they will be to a blockbuster standard
and will have a striking impact on the audience
as they are left excited either for the film's
release or to read more about a recent film. The
boldness of the font also reflects how the
magazine is successful and has a large
audience.
The colour white is commonly used for Total
Film magazine. The colour white is clean and
professional, mirroring the brand identity. As the
colour white is also plain, it highlights how the
magazine does not need fancy and bright
colours to attract their audience as their
audience stay loyal to the magazine regardless.
The word ‘Total’ features inside the word ‘Film’.
This is an original element to the other film
magazines, making this one seem individual and
stand out from the rest. It also makes the word
‘Film’ stand out as this is all the audience want
to read about and this is all the magazine will
focus on.
Both the titles of the magazines appear strong
and powerful. The word ‘Empire’ reminds us of
kingdoms, as if this magazine is the ruler of all
film, making it sound successful and
exciting.Furthermore, Total Film highlights
dedication and passion towards blockbuster
films.

6. Image;
Each of the six images are main characters from
well known films. They feature from various
genres of film, highlighting how the magazines
cover different types of film. They all fill the
frame, to create excitement and to ensure the
front cover appears colourful and interesting.
They each use direct address; this makes the
magazine appear personal to the audience as
the characters look directly to its audience,
encouraging them to buy the magazine. This
also reminds us of the professional aspect of the
magazines as the images are taken
professionally rather than taken from the film
itself.
Furthermore, the characters appear in their full
costumes and character personalities
this adds to the excitement of the magazines as
it continues the world of the film and the world of
the characters. The audience will be able to spot
their favourite characters on the front of the
magazine; luring them to purchase the
magazine.
Shot Type; Various types of shots are used to
display the characters on the front cover. Both
Empire and Total Film use a close up for The
Joker and Spock. They look down at the
camera, this is effective as it creates mystery
and intrigue into the character.

7. Skyline;
None of the six magazine covers feature a coloured box to place the text in front of. This is unusual for a
magazine however, it is just as effective. Two of the magazines, include the idea of a preview to
upcoming films and new superheros. This would be effective for a film magazine as the target audience
would feel special and feel like they are getting the latest gossip about new blockbuster hits. The word
‘preview’ is exciting and alluring. Another similarity is that the skylines all feature film titles. This is to
grab the audience's attention to read about the particular films as it makes the skyline, short and snappy.

8. Left Hand Thirds;
This is the place where most of the information
and text should lay as it is where the audiences
eyes are drawn to first. Empire magazine
featuring The Joker follows this convention
clearly as its main sell line features here. All of
the Total Film magazines follow this convention,
however they scatter there other sell lines to the
other side of the image too. This is so the sell
lines do not block the image, this is something I
will consider when creating my magazine as I do
not want to make my magazine appear
unprofessional and messy.
Both of the magazines use buzz words in their
sell lines to make them seem exciting and eye
catching. Words such as ‘Extra’, ‘Starring’ and
‘Plus’ are used to intrigue the audience into
reading the magazines. The short and snappy
buzz words make the sell lines become more
friendly and giving to the audience too. These
words are usually highlighted, whether it be a
bolder font or simply a different colour to the
main part of the sell line. This again adds to the
bright effect, making the audience want to read
the magazine.

9. Puff:
Four of the six magazines include a puff. A puff
allows more image to fill the magazine front
cover, rather than lots of text; it allows the front
cover to become visually exciting. The language
used sounds interesting and exciting. For
Example, Total Film highlights how it includes
the ‘Worlds Best’ movie reviews. This makes the
magazine sound exclusive to the audience,
adding to the success of the magazine. It is also
common to see the names of famous actors and
actresses inside the puffs, this will grab attention
as audience members can identify their favourite
film stars and buy the magazine to read more.
Or they could even feature famous directors,
such as the Empire magazine featuring
Hollywood director David Lynch.
By featuring such a known director, it creates
excitement and allows for intrigue into the
magazine and what Lynch has to say about any
new upcoming films.
The colours used for the puffs are eye catching,
a commonly used colour is red. This reminds us
of passion; like the passion the magazine has
for film. It also links to the idea that the
magazines information is new and raw, fresh for
its audience. A circle is a commonly used shape
for the puff. It is nothing too exotic or fancy,
highlighting how the excitement is emphasised
through the information inside it. A circle
connotes continuation; like the continuing fun
the magazine will give to its reader.