Film Magazine Cover 1

Sana Gillani

Masthead:The masthead for this magazine is ‘Empire’. The masthead for Empire magazine is recognisable, because it is used on all their other magazine front covers in the exact same format - Empire in bold, capital letters and in blood red colour. Empire magazines are really well established which is why the masthead i not completely shown, as one of the letters is covered by the main character. This shows that the audience will automatically know that it is an Empire magazine even without one of the letters being covered.

If the reader has never read Empire magazines before, they will still be able to read the masthead without any difficulty because of the sans serif font used. This font will help the reader to automatically know which letter is covered - in this case it is the letter P. The masthead is right at the top, so when it is stacked on shelf with the rest of the magzines it would stand out and be easy to spot.

Main Image:This is a longshot of Leonardo Dicaprio placed in the middle of the cover, allowing the audience to see exactly what he is wearing. The long shot is used to emphasise his importance as the main character and that he is going to be the main focus throughout the film. Leonardo is dressed in an black bold suit which contrasts really well with the colour red. The audience are also able to see that he is holding a gun in his hand which links to the genre and also helps the audience establish the genre (crime/thriller). The image has a 3D effect, because the context of the article in the background is slanted inwards and the masthead is behind his head. The image itself has a dark lighting affect which goes really well with the use of low angle, making Leonardo appear dominant and more stronger. In a low angle shot the camera is always positioned below eye level. The image used in the background has a birds eyeview of the city the film is set in. This shot of the background image makes Leonardo Dicaprio seem disengaged/disconnected with the rest of the world or even confused.

Title:This is the second largest font promoting the release of the new film Inception. This has been placed in the centre of the front cover, so this would be the first thing the reader comes across as soon as they lay their eyes on this cover. This is in front of the main character to show importance to the film name. It is in red and bold so it sticks in the reader’s mind. Also, following the same colour used for the masthead, so they both look as importantInception is in a different font to the masthead following the theme of the movie (bold block letters).

Flash:There is a red box around the white text to make the text pop out from the box. This has been done to catch the reader’s attention. It informs them of other exciting things included in the magazine.

The pull sticker has also used to give the reader extra information of what else they will find inside the magazine. This is a persuasive technique to make them want to buy the magazine. The use of the gold sticker makes that particular advertisement seem special and makes it stand out against the grey and black background.

There are several other films being promoted alongside. The film names are in bold captial letters, and underneath them are a few lines explaining them. There are 7 films altogether being promoted on the front cover.

Cover lines:The cover lines are used to give the audience extra information related to the film being promoted. The name of the director of the flm has been placed above the film title in white and capital letters so it stands out making the reader instantly realise that he has directed the film. This is referred to as anchorage text, because it is the linked to the image and also explains it. It is not in a bigger font size, so it does not distract the audience from the focal points of the front cover. Christopher Nolan is a well known director and is also known for the many successful films he has directed, such as, The Dark Knight. The magazine would sell more copies just by his name being featured on the magazine because it will catch the reader’s attention.

“The Matrix Meets 007 “On Steroids” a cover line which is placed below the film name. This is a snippet from a review on the film making it sound exciting and interesting to the reader. This bit of the review has included other film names which informs the reader if they liked watching The Matrix or James Bond in action then they will definitely enjoy watching this film. It may also be that the full review of the film is inside the magazine which is aother reason for them wanting to by the magazine.

Barcode/date/price:The barcode is placed on the bottom right corner so it doesn’t distract the reader from the focal points of this cover. The barcode informs the company how many copies were sold. The date informs the reader of when it was published and the price informs them of how much the magazine is for and helps them to determine whether they would want to purchase it.

Pull sticker:The pull sticker is used to give the reader extra information of what else they will find inside the magazine. This is not persuasive technique to make them want to buy the magazine.

Genre:The genre of the film this front cover is advertising is crime thriller. The reader becomes aware of this through the use of the colour red which can be linked blood, murder etc. The title also helps the reader convey the genre of this film. The meaning of Inception is an event that is about to begin, this connotes that some kind of crime will take place. The gun in Leonardo Dicaprio's hand also helps the reader understand the genre. The denotations of a gun are danger and murder.

Header: The header “The Dark Knight Returns” is in white and capital letters making it stand out on top of the bright masthead.