Film Magazine Research & Plan

• Magazine Front Page Research
  I intend to analyse several film magazine front pages, and observe the conventions used by them before planning my own page.
  
  
  The image to the left is the front cover of Empire film magazine; a monthly publication that is the number one film magazine in Britain. I observed the following features which could be regarded as 'conventional' aspects of the Film Magazine genre.
  
• Clear masthead, positioned at the top of the page gives the magazine a clear 'brand identity'.
• Colour scheme of page is mostly red; which reinforces brand identity of magazine.
• Partially-obscured masthead forces reader to recognise the brand identity themselves; which equates to them actively recalling the name of the magazine and thus connecting to it on a higher level than simply seeing and reading it. The main character on the page is also given greater status by being positioned in front of the masthead.
• Protagonist of film mentioned establishes eye contact with reader; which creates a 'relationship' of sorts and keeps reader attention.
• The 'golden line' is used; which places important information on an invisible line running from the top left corner to the bottom right; as this is the area in which a reader is most likely to look. Information such as other articles, as well as the protagonist's face and the 'buttons' are on this line; as a reader will have the greatest chance of being appealed to by the varying content in the magazine.
• Rhetorical question above main feature title provokes thought.
• Usual 'technical' details such as barcode and issue number placed in non-prominent locations so as non to divert reader attention away from more appealing details.
• Red is the most-used colour on page; and as red is a colour often associated with strong emotion it attracts attention more than any other colour this helps attract attention from the shelf.
• The word 'SEX!" is enlarged to grab reader attention and appeal to their baser instincts; in a similar way to the red colour scheme.
• Film title mentioned to give meaning to the picture, and also to the 'flaming' effect applied to the masthead.
• Film title named, in order to give meaning to the image of the character and appeal to fans of that film.
  

Another cover of Empire Magazine; shown to highlight the conventions of a magazine across multiple issues; as opposed to features of individual editions. listed below are more regular features of magazine front covers.

• Main character draws focus, engages reader with eye contact. Character has appeared in 3 previous films, and the famous actor (Hugh Jackman) will create familiarity and gain the reader's trust more effectively than a company name (masthead). He is positioned in front of the masthead to give him greater importance.
• Essential but non-interesting details such as the barcode and issue number are placed in non-prominent locations, to interest the reader in the content of the magazine.
• Self-aggrandising claims made about magazine "The world's biggest movie magazine", "Exclusive" and "Review of the Year" gives reader respect for magazine. EMPIRE as the largest word on the page also gives it importance. When comparing red masthead to other colours (blue & black) the title stands out and gains prominence.
• Other article titles mentioned, so as to appeal to readers not directly interested in X-men.
• Film title is re-inforced by image of main character, and appeals to those wishing to see that film.

This is the front cover of Total Film magazine, the second most popular British Film magazine behind Empire; It is also published monthly. Magazine conventions noted below.

• Clear and distinctive colour scheme (black, white & yellow)
• Magazine given status by self-aggrandising claims; "The Complete Picture".
• Enigma created by figures in sunglasses; encourages reader to buy magazine in order to discover characters' identity.
• Other stories mentioned in order to appeal to those who are not fans of 'The Matrix'
• Barcode, price, issue number and other non-essential details placed in non-prominent location.
• Masthead obscured by characters to give characters extra importance.
• Ellipsis used ("And guns. Lots more guns...") to entice reader to read on; by creating intrigue. Repetition of 'guns' also draws attention. Tagline from original Matrix film anchors meaning to the characters pictured.
• Main character in dark, smart clothing pictured from low angle gives an impression of power; an impression that transfers onto the magazine itself and causes the reader to respect the magazine, in a sense.
• Film title on front cover appeals to fans of 'The Matrix' and justifies presence of characters.

Magazine Front Page Plan

I plan to use the following observed conventions for my magazine front cover;

• Film title 'Europa' will be clearly shown, and images of main characters will be the focal point of the page. The characters and film title will 'support' each other; as the title of the film should go some length to explaining the what the charactgers are in relation to.
• Barcode and other details placed in non-prominent locations, as these are not details which will appeal to the reader.
• Clear magazine masthead, placed at the top of the page to establish 'brand identity.'
• Distinctive colour scheme, to make the magazine visually appealing 'close-up' and far away (from the shelf).
• 'Secondary articles' mentioned, to appeal to those who are not directly interested in the feature film.