Initial Research Into Magazine Covers - Jess

FILM MAGAZINE  - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The film that dominates this cover is “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. This film is commonly known as a children’s film and therefore may give this issue a wider range of audience than usual. As film magazines usually target the ages or around 16-30yrs old. The main focus on the front cover is a simple close up shot of Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, this shot is effective because he is looking straight at the camera which draws the viewers’ attention to the image on this magazine. As this film is a remake of a previously successful version, the audience that are going to see this film are expected to be familiar with the characters already therefore the fact that Johnny Depp is in the film is the main highlight, as he is considered a big star.

The masthead overlaps the main image in bold white lettering that stands out and grabs the reader’s attention. Also, many people who buy this magazine may not be that interested in the film they advertise most, so at the bottom of the magazine cover it states which other films that the issues of that magazine contains.

The title of the dominant film in this issue is in small lettering a third of the way down the magazine, this doesn’t stand out as much as it is not seen as important information as the film is already well known - the star appeal of Johnny Depp is clearly more important. There are several other films mentioned on the cover but little information - the name of the film is obviously considered enough to capture interest.

Finally, just underneath the masthead it says ‘the ultimate movie magazine’ this appears to be the tagline of the magazine because of it’s positioning on the page and it also is being used as a persuasive statement to get the reader to purchase the magazine over other magazines.

EMPIRE MAGAZINE – The Dark Knight

This cover is dominated by a full length image of the ‘Joker’ from The Dark Knight. This main image is taken from a scene of the film. This is a powerful shot as it shows the jokers personality and style through his particular cunning pose. Just above this image is the Batman ‘logo’ and the title of the film which implies that this is the main focus of this issue of the magazine.

The dark red title of ‘Empire’ highlights the darkness and the sense of the film and mirrors the ‘Dark Knight’. Also it show-cases or gives clues about the genre of the film. The green and purple text on the left hand side of the magazine may suggest that the magazine is unique, as this is an unusual font style to use, which is a key selling point for the magazine, also the quirky fonts which look as though it’s been vandalized may also link to the theme of the film and joker. This is also been shown with the spray-paint ‘x’ on the right hand side of the magazine.

A lot of the teaser text is on the right side and the cover is almost split across a diagonal in terms of its composition.

Finally the words ‘world exclusive’ on the top right hand corner of the magazine sums up the releases or preview of “The Dark Knight” making the magazine stand out as it has something else the rest of the film magazine don’t, this being important shows that the film is expected to be big and successful, therefore more people will be intrigued.

EMPIRE MAGAZINE – Sherlock Holmes

The headline for this magazine is positioned just below centre of the page over the top of the main image. This is where it is most likely to catch the viewers’ attention. As this is the first in the series, and as the name ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is prominent because it is widely known it is expected to be familiar with the viewer so this tells them what type of film it is. The title of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is capitalised, to again make it more eye catching and prominent.

The actual image of Sherlock shows him in a rather smug pose, this allows the audience to make judgement on how they think the character is going to be portrayed in the film. Another conventional feature of this magazine front cover is the use of information that tells the audience what other articles can be found within the magazine. These snippets will persuade the audience to buy the magazine to find out more about these other articles. These ‘advertisements’ are also laid out conventionally around the edge of the page so they do not obstruct the main photograph. The sub-headings accompanying these have been backed onto a plain white background so that they deliver maximum impact against the darker background.

The magazines tagline "Best Preview Issue Ever!" has been placed just above the magazines masthead. The fact that this sentence is prominent and exaggerative will create excitement amongst the audience and convince them that they should buy this magazine because it is 'the best'. The font of the tagline is also eye-catching as it is in pale silver, making it standout against the dark background. However it also does not draw too much attention away from the bright red masthead situated below. The colours used within the front cover are also iconic of the feature films action genre. The dark blacks and blues create a sense of suspense and mystery, which is what the character ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is known for. The bright red connotes action and blood, whilst the metallic silvers can be linked to weaponry. Therefore this issue will be particularly attractive to audiences who enjoy films of this genre.