FILM MAGAZINE COVER ANALYSIS

Mallory Furness

LITTLE WHITE LIES Publisher- The Church Of London Price- £6.00 Published- 6 times a year (every2 months) Target audience- Film enthusiast predominantly young

professionals with disposable income Typical content- Just their face of the main character of a

close up or extreme close up. Analysis of front cover- It is niche as its not an actual

photograph as they are an artistic representation, reflecting the film. Its simplistic with not much colour.

Key points about layout and design- Name of the magazine is always in the top centre of the magazine in a circle the image is the main feature on the page and the title of that film there is no other texts shown on the page other than this.

EMPIRE Publisher- Bauer Consumer Media. Price- £3.99(or £3.99+ 50p for P&P £4.49). Published- Monthly. Target audience- Mainly males aged 15-34. Typical content- Reviews on current popular mainstream

films and also feature interviews with actors. Analysis of front cover- Its got a lot going on with lots of

information that they are showing off so people know what’s inside before buying it.

Key points about layout and design- It uses a common colour scheme of black red and white then injects a colour or two it is layout in clear columns which makes it easier to read, empire is the largest font on the page most commonly in red which stands out however a lot of the time their is part of the main image covering parts of it the word ‘empire’ suggest power and connotes that it is the best selling film magazine.

TOTAL FILM Publisher- Future plc. Price- £3.99. Published- 13 times a year. (every 4 weeks). Target audience- Mainly males aged15-34. Typical content- Free gift inside, medium close up of the main

character. Analysis of front cover- It always has quite a lot of

information on the front and names several films with images so their is more than just the one main image on the page.

Key points about layout and design- Total film is usually wrote in white with total being part of the word film which makes it clear what the magazine is about. There is a lot of information on the magazine and the tinted blue image is well matched with the blue font. ‘FILM’ is the largest font on the page with is good because the audience know instantly what the magazine will entale.

SIGHT & SOUND Publisher- British Film Institute(BFI). Price- £3.95. Published- Monthly. Target audience- Film enthusiasts with a broad film taste,

this magazine is gender equal. Typical content- Always has a ‘PLUS’ section with names of

actors and ‘every new film reviewed’. Usually on the front there is an image of the male protagonist.

Analysis of front cover- It doesn't have much information of it and seems that the main picture is what they want people to look at, the writing is very small.

Key points about layout and design- It is clear sans serif font which stands out and matches well with the image, as it is blue tinted they have used fonts to suit this nicely. Sight& sound stands out the most due to the yellow background that its over.

SFX Publisher- Future plc. Price- £4.99. Published- Every 4 weeks. Target audience- Typical content- About Sci-Fi and fantasy films and

features exclusive interviews. Analysis of front cover- Usually has the worlds #1 sci-fi

mag on the front and the image of the main character on of the film on the front.

Key points about layout and design- SFX is the largest font on the page usually in white it is quite detailed with not much blank spaces showing that it is jam packed full with lots of information this may attract people into then buying it. The main film it is focusing linking with the image is usually wrote in the second biggest font and outlined this makes it stand out on the page.

SUMMARY- USING EMPIRE AS AN EXAMPLE. The key image is mainly anchoring

the cover line ‘harry potter the perfect farewell' the image is of the three main characters, it shows this is the film they are mostly focusing on in that issue of the magazine.

The main character is used in the key image so that they associate this with the film straight away and then know what the magazine is going to include.

The film has been marketed over the front cover by showing the key image of the main 3 characters, a photo gallery of 36 photos to see inside and a poster.