FILM MAGAZINE CONVENTIONS

• Masthead- a feature on all magazine covers which is located at the top of the magazine. It indicates which magazine it is, for example Empire or Vogue. The masthead should be the largest text on the page and it usually reflects the audience it caters for.

• Image- the central image of the magazine reflects both the audience of the magazine and the style. It is usually a mid-shot and portrays what the theme of the film is. It usually involves the main actor from the film featured.

• Buzz words- these are offers including words such as ‘free’ and ‘exclusive’ which capture the reader attention to make them want to buy the magazine.

• Anchorage text- anchorage text is the text that often overlaps the image to tell the reader what the story inside will involve. This is usually a quote taken from the interview.

• Banner- the banner gives overall information about the magazine and what will be found inside.

• Barcode, date, issue number- every magazine has a barcode, date and issue number and every magazine needs it.

TYPICAL FEATURES

CAPTURING THE AUDIENCES ATTENTION

The front cover is what draws attention to audiences, so it must be eye catching and capture the buyer’s interest. Many film magazines use contrasting colours and bold graphics to capture the attention of their audience.

The red masthead of ‘EMPIRE’ stands out against the blue background. This helps the audience easily find the brand EMPIRE as it stands out from others.

Buzzwords and the anchorage text is in bright yellow to draw attention to the audience.

Whilst subheadings advertise the main features that can be found inside the magazine, important parts of these heading may be in bold or a different colour to stand out.