Magazine Cover
In most film magazines the main title needs to be bold and able to stand out so that the target audience can easily see it and that is why magazine covers use different fonts and colours to gain people's interest. There is a dominant picture on the magazine which is pictured in the centre; it is usually a picture of either a main character within a film or celebrity, these again gets people attraction because it allows people to get an idea of a film and what to expect.
Furthermore there is writing around the actual magazine which engages the target audience because it is giving slight content away which is in the rest of the magazine incase you are not interested in the main feature; however magazines do not give too much away from the main feature, they do not want to drop any spoilers.
Within a magazine there are four types of cover photos you can use:
- The main character
- The main character in costume
- 'Staged' scene from the film
- An actual scene from the film
Here is a few examples of the main character in costume magazine covers:
Furthermore there is writing around the actual magazine which engages the target audience because it is giving slight content away which is in the rest of the magazine incase you are not interested in the main feature; however magazines do not give too much away from the main feature, they do not want to drop any spoilers.
Within a magazine there are four types of cover photos you can use:
- The main character
- The main character in costume
- 'Staged' scene from the film
- An actual scene from the film
Here is a few examples of the main character in costume magazine covers:
This image of Daniel Craig suddenly makes you think about the character of James Bond and you suddenly expect a film which is: tense, thrilling, explosive and very unique storyline from the other James Bond film. Furthermore the 'SKYFALL' title really engages with the audience perspective of what the film can be about. The black and white colour style on the magazine gives it that tense, mysterious feeling to it which keeps the target audience wondering about the film.
|
This image of Ironman is again portraying this action, heart racing film that you would expect from any Ironman film. The fact Ironman is the front cover suggest that he is this dominant, powerful character and it is also creates a sense of excitement because the Ironman suits change every film so its showing off the new costume to get the target audience pumped for another great film and thats why Ironman is so unique they always know they can get the target audience excited which makes them inpatient and want to watch the film now.
|
This magazine front cover from TOTAL FILM shows the assassins creed film and the main character. The use of a Bold Masthead draws the attention to the name of the magazine. This magazine has used contrasting colours and the se of red represents blood that could link to the theme of the film and that people get killed.
|
Other Examples of Magazine Covers
Empire Magazine
Masthead (Title)
The title 'EMPIRE' is the magazine company and all their titles are at the top which makes it stand out because its usually different fonts, colour from other magazines. Again the title would be carefully thought about because it is important that the company can be unique and make sells. Empire defiantly stands out because its huge writing, red colour and has a unique font. The name Empire is very bold, and it also quite powerful because it makes as if they are the best magazine out there and therefore makes the target audience feel as if the information is valuable, and true. The name of the magazine is also known as the Masthead.
Tagline
The Empire's tagline is ' The World's Biggest Movie Magazine' which usually goes underneath the masthead and this tells the reader what the company's aim is.
Central Image
The central image of a magazine catches the readers eye even before they look at the text and information in the magazine. The central image will often to be related to the featured article.
Cover Model
On magazines especially film magazines, Celebrities and well known individuals will often be used that are connected to the genre of the magazine for example Empire a film magazine will use actors such as Peter Parker. This will effect the magazines sale's for example if their is a well known model on a magazine more people will be more likely buying it while if they're was somebody that nobody knew than sales are more likely to decrease.
Anchorage
Anchorage often refers how the images are referred to. For example in magazines images will be captioned often explaining what the picture shows.
Secondary Images
Secondary images are can be used on the front cover to help promote other features of the magazine. They are often used in magazines where readers need to be enticed by the picture rather than the text.
Cover lines
Cover lines are located at various points on the magazine front cover they tell readers about the magazines contents. These cover lines are often used to lure the reader onto different things.
Puff
A puff helps draw attention to certain elements in the magazine and promotes them. They are often set against colourful backgrounds and are shaped eg rounded. They often advertise a "freebie."
Pug
A pug is the "ears" of a magazine and are positioned at the top left or top right corners of the front cover. They usually display a promotion from that magazine.
Barcode Price
The barcode needs to place in a straightforward position, not that it covers/distort any of the cover's features.
Use of Colour
The use of colour on a magazine is vital, Magazines will alter the colour of each edition, they will alter the colour of the masthead, coverline fonts etc. Some other magazines will alter some colours to correspond with the central image.
Font
Fonts on magazines will alter depending on the meaning to the text they are displaying.