Film Magazine Cover Analysis

EMPIRE MAGAZINE 

This issue of Empire Magazine appears to be a James Bond edition, with only the Bond actor, Daniel Craig, the magazine name and a minimal amount of text featuring on the front cover of the magazine. The name of the magazine 'EMPIRE' is capitalised and uses a bold font and is overly enlarged so that it stands out against the background. The blend of the black and white colours that are used for this magazine cover and the gold font used for the magazine name create a sophisticated, classy look. The black and white colours could also be used to represent the good and bad in terms of the film plot narrative.The character is seen wearing a suit which represents wealth and power. Connotations drawn from the colour black suggest that the character is being portrayed a superior, dominant figure, as his body language seems firm and he is holding a gun. The gun could suggest that Daniel Craig's character is dangerous and could also be included on the front cover to foreshadow future events of the film. The leading of the text 'Skyfall' is spaced out and is capitalised for emphasis and dramatic effect. The image of Daniel Craig is enlarged to take up the whole of the front cover to distract the reader from the minimal amount of text, and is also used as an object of desire for female readers.

Cinema Retro Magazine 

This magazine cover uses various styles and colours of font. The word 'Cinema' is presented in a bold, capitalised font although the 'i' is uncaptialised, which was done for an experimental and creative effect.The word 'Retro' appears in capitalised italics to appear more sophisticated. The text used for this magazine cover use sans serif fonts so that the magazine appears more modern, suggesting that this magazine is aiming at younger audiences. The letter 'K' for the word 'Karate' appears to look like it has been almost snapped in half, which is done for creative effect. The use of bright colours for the various fonts allows the text to stand out against the harsh, low lit background. Unlike the previous magazine cover that I analysed the image doesn't take up the whole front cover, so that other feature articles can appear on the cover, to try and attract the magazine's target audience. The image of the woman on the motorbike suggest that she is not a girly character (as motorbikes are stereo typically associated with male characters), and suggests that the magazine is aimed at both male and female readers. The absence of male characters could represent the women's independence and strong personality. There seems to be more focus on the motorbike than the woman as the motorbike seems more enlarger than the woman, and the female character isn't sexualised by wearing any revealing or provocative outfits to try and grab the audiences attention.

TOTAL FILM Magazine 

Like the 'EMPIRE' magazine, TOTAL FILM magazine have chosen to enlarge the magazine name so that it dominates the magazine masthead. With this magazine, they offered the audience a series of the magazine that featured a different character with each issue. This issue focuses on the actor Tom Felton who played the role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise. The magazine also uses the same 'black and white' effect, although unlike Daniel Craig, Tom looks more rugged and slightly shabby,  and doesn't appear to have the same sophisticated look that Daniel Craig has. The ruggedness represents the characters edgy, villainous side, and could also be a reflection of the bad choices that the character has made (in terms of the plot narrative). He is also wearing a suit which suggests that he is a powerful figure and represents the characters wealth. Tom is also standing quite broadly, presenting himself as quite a confident character with his hands in his pockets and looking straight at the audience, almost intimidating them. Tom also appears to have blood on his face which suggests that he is a dangerous character and helps to emphasise his role as the villian. The use of the blood ties in with the text featuring on the magazine front cover 'Potter's bad boy gets nasty'. The font used for the magazine name and the following text 'No school. No rules Potter's bad boy get's nasty' is bold so that it goes unnoticed by the reader. The use of the various font colours (blue,grey and black) also stand out against the white background. The decision to use a white background could be used to foreshadow character's change in character personality by 'going into the light' and representing the hope that the character will turn good. The use of minor sentences and minimal text indicate that most of the focus should be on Tom Felton. By using selected sections of minimal amount of text  will attract the audience to buy the magazine, as they want to read more about the feature articles on the front cover.

Entertainment Magazine 

The background of the magazine cover is black which co notates feelings of mystery and a sense of darkness. The combination of the black background and the red font appears seductive, along with the image below of the two male characters seemingly 'lusting' over the female character. The text 'Love Sucks' is a play on words, linking to the title of the programme 'The Vampire Diaries'. The use of using a red coloured font for the text 'Love Sucks' represents danger and the colour of blood which is a connection to vampires. The red font could also be used to hint at the romance going on between the three characters on the magazine front cover. The image of the three characters shows the two male characters leaning very intimately at the female character, making the female character appear as their object of desire. The programme 'The Vampire Diaries' is a popular teen drama programme which tells us that the magazine is trying to target a teenage audience.The fonts used for this magazine cover are sans serif fonts which also suggests that this magazine is aimed at a more modern audience. The text is more broken up and less clustered together compared to the other magazine front covers that  I have analysed, and this is done for creative effect. The magazine also uses bright coloured fonts that stand out against the black background so it catches the audiences' attention.