A short presentation showing the deconstruction and analysis of existing TotalFilm magazines and the overall house style and layout as well as common conventions.
2. In order for our magazine to look professional and
in order for it to be constructed well, we decided to
research and look into real media texts and
conventions that would aid us in our construction
of the magazine front cover. Initially, we started
researching Empire magazine covers as it was a
well-known source however, we noticed that the
other groups also opted to use this source so we
changed our decision and instead researched into
different existing solutions such as Total Film. We
wanted our magazine to look different and unique
so we opted for Total Film as it was another well-
known source that was not being used by others.
Before constructing our own magazine, we noted
the house style of their magazines to aid us in our
construction process and focused on the layout.
3. This was the first magazine we looked at
for inspiration. We noticed that it had a
very basic colour scheme, with only two
colours used. Despite the use limited
colours, it still was eye-catching due to
the direct eye contact the model has
with the readers. The image is in black
and white which personally I believe is
very effective because the red colour of
the cover-lines goes well with the main
image and the rest of the text on the
cover. Also, the fact that the image is
placed in the centre has a great impact
on readers as it is the main focus and
grabs their attention. There are very
minimal graphics used and there are also
a limited amount of cover-lines used.
There are some gaps here and there on
the cover however, the space has been
used effectively and is rather
professional.
4. This was another magazine we
picked out before the
construction our work. Again, a
common convention I noticed
was the use of a very basic and
limited colour scheme. This and
the previous magazine use only
two main colours however, this
magazine has more text on it.
Also, the space has been used
efficiently and the product flows
well as the text is the same size
and thus, looks cohesive. The
masthead has been placed
behind the main image, giving it
less significance and the name of
the movie is quite large,
suggesting its importance and
clearly informing the audience
about which movie the magazine
is for.
5. This was the last magazine that really
caught my eye due to the fact that the
colour scheme was very eye-catching.
Firstly, the colours blue, white and yellow
have been used and the use of yellow is
effective as it is used for specific words that
have significance such as the name of the
movie and special features such as the word
‘exclusive’. However, the name of the movie
isn’t the largest text on the magazine cover
and it advertises the issue more than the
movie yet the image is very powerful and
intriguing. We initially thought of using a film
strip on our magazine too however, we
noticed that it didn’t look eye-catching and
wasn’t a professional feature.
6. Overall, after gaining an insight into the house-style
of TotalFilm magazines, I was able to identify key
conventions that we could use in our own
magazine. The features I noticed were that the
image should be the most intriguing feature as the
readers focus on that first. Also, the use of limited
colours and text are common conventions I noticed
on real media texts which is quite effective as
again, the readers’ attentions goes towards the
image.
