Total Film Magazine

The masthead is in a bold white font enabling it to stand out. The colour of the masthead changes with every issue to fit a new colour scheme. Robert Downey Jr.’s head is covering some of the masthead lettering. This adds a sense of mystery and could therefore relate to his film/character.

The anchorage text is positioned in front of the main image allowing the reader to make a direct and instant link between the two. The typography reflects the genre of the film as the plain, traditional font relates to the time period in which the film is set.

The background of the main image

acts as the background of the

magazine. This allows the

magazine to fully promote the main feature. The mise-en-scene reveals a

lot about the film before the reader

even begins to read the feature; the

smoky/out of focus background

connotes mystery as the reader

cannot make out the hidden objects;

The protagonist’s costume highlights

the era/setting of the film and also

fits in with the dark colour scheme; The

way in which the protagonist is

addressing the audience again

adds mystery and also begs the

question of should this man be

trusted?

The secondary cover lines are also included on the front

cover – this is usually conventional in most magazines.

The secondary stories are listed

quickly, giving an idea as to what is

inside but not drawing attention

away from the main feature. The use of

wording for the headings draws the

reader in as they want to know more.

The date, price and website are all in a small typography underneath the masthead. This shows that they are not the most important element on the cover. The website, however, is in a slightly larger font as it is quite important in broadening the fan base.

The smaller images at the top of the page give the reader an insight as to what other films they can expect to read about. Each picture includes a direct address to the audience, drawing the reader in. This contrasts to ‘Empire’ and ‘Glamour’ which don’t include any secondary image on most of its magazines.

Laura Mulvey’s representation theory

of ‘The Female Gaze’ relates to the main image on this

front cover, as well as the cover of Empire, as Robert Downey Jr. has been used as an

‘object of desire’ in order to attract a

female audience.

Empire Magazine

Similarly to ‘Total Film’ and ‘Glamour’ the masthead is in a bold, eye-catching font in order to attract consumers and stand out from other magazines. Usually the magazine has a red masthead throughout each issue, however in a number of circumstances, including this issue, it has been changed to fit the genre and colour scheme of the main feature. This is also a convention of ‘Total Film’ magazine. A further convention of magazines, including ‘Total Film’ is to have the main image covering some of the masthead lettering. This shows the main image to be the most important thing on the cover and immediately attracts a target audience.

The main image consists only of one character from the

film. This shows the reader that he will

be the main character and

therefore attracts this actor’s fans as

the main target audience. Similarly to ‘Total Film,’ the background of the

main image acts as the background of

the magazine allowing the reader

to dissect a lot about the film

before reading about it; the use of the

American flag, along with the repetitive American colours

tells the reader that the film will be very

patriotic and gives a lot away about the setting; the actor’s stance, shield and

facial expression highlights the genre of the film (action).

The date and price is located just above the masthead in a small font. This shows that it is not overly important information yet its location makes it easy for the reader to see if needs be.

The anchorage text is positioned

in front of the main image, as it is on

the cover of ‘Total Film,’ in order to

create a direct link to the main image.

The typography is a similar font the film

artwork making it easily recognisable

to the reader. The sub-heading (“How summer’s biggest superhero went to war”) corroborates

with the colour scheme and also

hints about details of the film and what the article is about.

The selling line promotes the magazine by

making it sound more attractive to

consumers.

The secondary cover lines are placed in a single list as this allows more room for the main feature to be promoted. They are short and catchy to draw the reader in and expand the target audience by advertising multiple films.

The footer bar is included to promote extra features of the magazine. Usually, and in this case, it promotes a free poster in an attempt to attract consumers.

The pug is a vibrant colour to draw the attention of the reader. It relates to the main feature and thereby further promotes it.

Rick Altman’s genre theory relates to this magazine as semantic elements, such as the shield, reveal to the reader that the film being promoted is action.

Propp’s theory of character roles

fits into this magazine as it is clear to see that

Chris Evans (main image) will play the hero in his film and

one can therefore infer that there is

likely to be a villain featured inside.

Similarly to ‘Total Film’ Laura

Mulvey’s representation theory of ‘The Female Gaze’

relates to the main image on this

magazine as Chris Evans has been

placed as something to look

at.

Glamour Magazine

The masthead is in a bold, eye-catching font in order to attract consumers. The masthead colour changes every issue to fit a new colour scheme. Similarly to ‘Total Film’ and ‘Empire’ Beyoncé's head is covering some of the masthead lettering showing her as the main feature and the most important part of the cover.

Unlike ‘Total Film’ and ‘Empire’ the

background of the magazine is

separate to the main image as this makes the celebrity

stand out much more and removes

distractions. The way in which

Beyoncé is posed is a lot more care free than in ‘Empire’ and

‘Total Film’ as this main image is not trying to reflect a

particular mood of a genre. The clothing

of the celebrity is lightly coloured and plain as it is in most

issues of this magazine. Although the main image also

portrays a direct, the celebrity featured

here appears more trustworthy than in

‘Total Film’ magazine. This could

be due to her posture and the bright colours.

The date and website are located underneath the masthead in order to be noticeable without removing emphasis from the rest of the magazine.

The anchorage text on this

magazine is located to the side of the main image and,

unlike in ‘Total Film’, ‘Empire’ and

‘Cahiers du Cinema’ the typography is

much smaller. This goes against

conventions and makes it much

harder to establish an immediate link between the main

feature and image.

The pug also includes the price

of the magazine. This makes it more

appealing to consumers as it

gives the impression of a sale or extremely cheap

price.

The banner includes the selling line of the magazine. Like ‘Empire’, this ensures that it is noticed by the consumer as it helps to promote the magazine.

There are more secondary cover lines on this magazine than on ‘Total Film’ or ‘Empire’. This draws the reader in as they get an insight as to how much they can find in this magazine and also broadens the fan base as it shows a variety of different articles. Two of the cover lines are in a larger typography than the anchorage text suggesting they are of more importance. They are also quite misleading as on first glance, they appear as the main feature.

Similarly to ‘Total Film’ and ‘Empire,’ Laura Mulvey’s representation theory of ‘The Male Gaze’ fits into this magazine. The clothing of the celebrity is minimal revealing her body and her overall posture hints that she has been placed as an ‘object of desire’.

Blulmer and Katz’s ‘Uses and

Gratifications Theory’ relates to

this magazine as people read

‘gossip’ magazines for reasons such as

identity, diversion and education.

Cahiers du Cinema

Unlike in ‘Total Film’, ‘Empire’ and ‘Glamour’ the masthead is layered over the main image and is not in an overly bold or eye-catching typography. This suggests that what’s in the magazine is more important. The masthead typography stays the same throughout each issue of the magazine.

As in ‘Total Film’ and ‘Empire’ the

background of the main image acts

as the background of the magazine.

This allows the magazine to fully

promote the main feature and makes

the cover more aesthetically

pleasing. The main image relates to

Barthes’ representation

theory – the magazine has

specifically chosen an image which

portrays a mythical/fairytale

like representation of people. This

helps to give the audience an

insight into the film without giving

anything away.

The date, website and issue number are all located around the masthead as this makes them easy to spot. The price is placed alongside the barcode showing it to be unimportant.

Unlike ‘Glamour’, ‘Total Film’ and ‘Empire’ this magazine has no secondary cover lines or images on the cover. This shows how important the main feature is by removing any other distractions.

The anchorage text is the largest piece of text on the page and is in a white typography in order to stand out from the image. This makes it eye-catching. The way in which it is positioned covering the main image shows the reader that the two relate.