Movie Magazine Overview

A part of our task we have to create a film magazine which will feature the movie that we are creating. This is away of promoting our movie trailer and also the movie itself. To make our movie magazine the best that it can be, I have taken the time to analyse six movie magazines which show off the main codes and conventions. Again I have used a graph to neatly set out the movie magazine codes and conventions which will help me identify the repeated patterns throughout the front cover magazines.

These movie magazines vary from different genres, from action, to comedy to horror. "Empire" and "Total Film" are the most common and successful movie magazines, and so to get inspiration and to follow their codes and conventions will make sure that we produce the best movie magazine. "Fangoria" is a horror/Thriller based movie magazine which only delivers horror movies, and gruesome images and information. 

From the graph above, we can clearly see that the most reaccuring pattern is having a character from a movie. This is to make it clear who the magazine would be featuring on and what movie they are from. Puffs is not that common within the movie magazine front cover, this could help me determine if I would use one or not in my font cover. A Magazine title occurs in every magazine which I over viewed, they are generally placed at the top of the front cover and also it means that everyone would be drawn towards it. Big bold font occurs the majority of the front covers. This a way of grabbing attention because movie magazines are generally read by males, it relates to them as for they respond better to visual things.

Each magazine that I analysed has its own way of maintaining its brand identity. The brand identity is usually kept by the font used, the style of layout, and also the masthead. In the Fngoria magazine, it maintains the same brand identity by using the same font, the same style on the masthead of the “fang” look and also the colours used on the front cover. Fangoria usually uses a dark background to show darkness as for it is a horror movie. The colour of the font is generally white and yellow and a bit of red so that it contrasts well with the background.

 

Empire magazine uses the same masthead all the time, the font is always simple san serif font and so the target audience will be familiar with the magazine. Since Empire is rather successful, they put the masthead behind the main image since the target audience will already know what it is since they keep the masthead the same. Usually Empire doesn’t have much sell lines and so they feature the latest movie in that certain month to get the target audiences attention. Empire have cleverly designed the front cover to be used as a poster which could be a perk for the target audience.

Movie Magazines tend to be rather empty and the main image must dominate the page. There is hardly any sell lines and on some magazines, special edition versions have none on the front page. They use bold colours and San Serif font which again is more masculine. The layout of the movie magazines that we generally see are like everyday typical magazines BUT they don't have many sell lines and so they are more visual. They follow the typical codes and conventions of having the masthead at the top, the the main image in the centre, the main sell line on the left middle which is generally enlarged. 

The sell lines which appear tend to follow a certain pattern when they have been used. The main sell line features the main image which is generally the latest movie out and the one which is at the top of the box office. The other sell lines feature other movies from a range of genres, they mention females and gadgets which the male target audience would be interested in. The mode of address which is used is quite sophisticated but not so formal, this is because movie magazines are generally aimed at young male adults and so this will appeal to them since it would be the way they talk to their friends.  

The colours which have been used have been in an effective way to attract the audience. Movie magazines have used the technique of using colour to reflect the mood, the genre and main image to make it clear to the audience of what they are trying to deliver. They do this to promote the movie and the character of the movie for example the Joker – purple, green and white featuring as colours on Empire.

The type of images that have been used is generally from the movie it self. We see the character wearing their outfit which they are wearing in the movie and also holding any props that relates to the movie. The background image differs depending on the genre for example if its a horror its usually misty and dark with a fade into a picture which gives it a sinister look. Empire and Total Film usually feature action or adventure movies and so the background of the image is generally a still from the movie which again has a mist to it which makes it seem mysterious but also makes the character look superior since the lighting of the image will be focused on the character. The shot that is used is generally a close up or a medium long shot to show who the character is and their costume.