Movie Magazine Covers Continued...

 As well as the analysis I did of some movie magazine covers, I also decided to annotate some and answer questions based on them. This is additional research for my posters, the research has really helped me as it's given me a clear idea of what to include on my cover, and how to lay it out.

The conventional elements of the magazine covers are mast head, this is important as it tells the audience/reader what the magazine is called, but also the audience can tell if it’s a good magazine if the title is well known and they recognize the title, font and style. It also relates to the type of content included in the magazine, cover-lines, these are important as they tell the reader what are the main features of the magazine, which celebrities are included, what are the main headlines, they give the reader a reason to buy the magazine, this leads onto unique selling points, these are the features which make the magazine seem unique compared to the other magazines, they’re important as they also give readers a reason to buy the magazine, could be free extras, limited edition covers to collect etc.

Other features include the main images; most covers feature a main image that looks directly at the reader, which is direct mode of address, these then engage with the reader and are important as it backs up the cover-lines, and shows the reader which actor/actress is going to be featured in the magazine, magazine header bars are important as they show the unique selling points, for example on one of the posters ‘DISCOVER SIR SEAN’S BEST FILMS ON DVD!’ Again, gives the reader a reason to buy the magazine, finally puff words are used to make the cover look appealing, and engage with the reader and make them read on, words like ‘EXCLUSIVE!’ and ‘PLUS!’ are used commonly. This emphasis the cover-lines and make the reader want to read these articles in the magazine. 

The magazine cover for Total Film, in my opinion, is the most eye-catching. I say this because the colours used are bright and bold and go well with the background, the look of the mast head is interesting and matches the film mentioned on the cover and looks futuristic, which then links back to the film Inception. Also the films mentioned are quite Sci-Fi, which then links back to the background style. The font used is simple but effective, easy to read, the text is in all caps which suggests that they want to catch the attention of potential readers, also the magazine header bar is very catchy ‘THE MIND-BLOWING ISSUE’ this then suggests to the reader that they have to buy the magazine, and the unique selling points such as ‘TRON – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW’.

I think entertainment weekly has some missing features, for example it’s missing the bar-code, website, price and footer. I think there could be a reason for this, they may have felt that the simple layout is more effective as it draws the readers eye to the main cover lines, and the main feature of the magazine. But I think that there should be a price on the magazine so that readers can see how much it is, also there should be a website so that readers know where to go to find more information and shows convergence like the other magazine covers. I think it also needs cover-lines that show what else is featured in the magazine so that those who don’t have an interest with 50 Shades of Grey will see that they have other things to read. At the moment it’s only appealing to one type of audience, and not to every reader.

Yes, these are shown in the cover-lines. Entertainment Weekly has information on props and costumes from other movies and TV shows, Total Film has information on other film such as comparisons – Shrek 4 vs. Toy Story 3, information on reboots such as Predator, the 27 most mind-blowing movies ever, as information on conventions, actresses from Twilight, first looks at recent films, meet the master of mind flicks and so on, Film Review has information on Lord of the Rings, Empire has information on Titans, Hunger Games, Bourne Legacy, and other films, also promotes the ‘girls of Skyfall’ Additional information is necessary as it allows the cover to appeal to different audiences, it also shows that the magazine as other features and doesn't focus on one topic, shows that they are current and keep up to date with the latest news and information within the film industry. 

I think the Total Film magazine cover can help me design my own cover as it has all the conventional features, the layout it clear, the colour scheme looks effective, and matches the type of films that it’s promoting, the image is effective, and generally looks like the most effective cover. The Empire cover may also help me as they also have most of the conventional features.