Film Magazine Analysis

Empire

Layout –
‘Empire Magazine’ has a simple layout synonymous with many other magazines, the title ‘Empire’ is at the top in clear bold letters with just a picture of the main article covering one of the letters, this does not matter as Empire is one of the most famous film magazines around. This shows an air of confidence from them as they expect the person who is buying the magazine to already know the name of it; this also suggests that they have a concrete and loyal fan-base to satisfy as well.

Creativity –
As film is a very arty, creative part of society the magazine ‘Empire’ use different eye-catching elements to persuade the passing customer that their product is the one to choose over all the other film magazines. The luminous green colour sticks out on the page drawing the audiences’ attention straight to the word “Joker” and the sticker like part of the front cover which shows the two main reasons why someone would want to buy the magazine.

Professionalism –
‘Empire’, along with every other type of magazine will follow their own set of rules on professionalism and continuity that they stick to in every issue, for instance having the date of release (in this case January 2008). They will also put on the cost of the magazine in Pounds and also they put it in U.S Dollars so different copies for the U.K and U.S are not needed. The fact they put the date of each issue can help for anyone who may want to collect the magazine. A barcode is required on the magazine to make it available to be scanned in shops when being bought by a customer.

Use of Stars –
The use of stars in ‘Empire’ is very apparent from the first outlook of the front cover, ‘The Joker’ is one of the most famous comic book heroes to have ever been created, he has now been changed and developed into an extremely popular character in films of ‘Batman’ the original comic he had been created for in the first place. The big green sticker like logo on the right of the cover highlights another use of stars in this magazine, ‘Coens’ refers to a highly respected duo of brothers who write, direct and produce their films together. They have been nominated (and won) many prestigious awards meaning that for the readers who are more interested in the behind-the-scenes workings of the film business are given a great dose of joy in their chosen field.




Total Film

Layout –
‘Total Film Magazine’ has a layout which brings all the main points of attention to the centre of the page so it is easily recognisable. The title is very clear in huge metallic like bold letters and goes well with the central story, that being about X-Men. There is a side line to the left of the page with other news items which may not be important but the potential customer will be able to see, if they are interested in the main story than the side bar may make the decision to buy the magazine easier and make it a lot more desirable.

Creativity –
As mentioned previously, the main title goes in with the X-Men themes; this means that the producers of the magazine have put the ‘Total Film’ logo onto the X-Men logo of the cold looking metal. To keep the magazine simple they have not pushed boundaries with creating crazy and weird ways to attract their consumers, this shows that they have an older or more sensible target audience who do not need bright colours and gimmicks to sell the magazine. The colours that are used are quite dull using whites and cream on the data that is presented and black and metallic blue on the background.

Professionalism –
The professionalism of the ‘Total Film Magazine’ is all apparent for the potential customer to see; everything seems to have its set place to be and is clearly structured very well. They follow rules of continuity with every release having the date, issue number, price and barcode as mentioned with ‘Empire Magazine’. ‘Total Film’ have put their website address on the front cover twice, (underneath the issue number and to the bottom left side bar) this promotes other ways of accessing the magazine and will show up to date news as the magazine only comes out once per month.

Use of Stars –
‘Total Film’ does not necessarily focus on the use of stars but more towards the use of well-known mainstream films; they do not focus on the underground but instead huge multi-million pound blockbusters. An example of this can be seen on the front cover with X-Men, as with ‘Empire Magazine’ they have gone for the classic ‘Marvel’ comic book story that has now developed itself onto the big screen. This means that the film will have a massive following from people who used to read the comics and have grown up with X-Men. Nearer the bottom of the front cover ‘Total Film’ name drop Russell Brand, whose talents and outrageous behaviour leads him to celebrity status, it reads “Russell Brand’s party tips!” this will make a great selling point as he is famed for being over the top so many people will want to read what he has to say on the subject.




SFX Magazine

Layout –
‘SFX Magazine’ is more towards people who have a specific interest in the use of special effects that are put into films and TV. The layout shows there is a lot going on and could be thought of as quite messy and frantic, due to all the writing being in different colours, font sizes and different shapes trying to stand out off the page the most. I believe the reason that they do this is because they have a young target audience, most probably around the teenage years. Contrary to the first two magazines I analysed, ‘SFX’ does not seem to have a set layout where everything has its place.

Creativity –
The magazine is creative in the way it presents the information and tries to encourage a buyer, as previously mentioned the page is quite messy therefore they are not conforming to the conventions that have been set by ‘Empire’ and ‘Total Film’. They have got the main person (Dr Who) on the cover holding onto the title, they have created a film roll like display towards the bottom of the page, this shows that the magazine is more towards the technology in film. The magazine claims to be “The world’s #1 sci-mag” in a little circle in a very prominent position on the front cover, this again can show the target audience of the magazine. The words that are put in orange will be the first seen by the reader so they are the most exciting with words such as “Massive exclusive” and “World first!” used to grab the attention of potential buyers.

Professionalism –
In ‘SFX’ with everything going on they have done well to still keep it professional, using simple and short words to get to the point of what they are trying to promote on their front cover. The main parts are used in a bigger font size to make it clear to their audience what they should look at and read first. ‘Total Film’, ‘Empire’ and now ‘SFX’ all follow the same convention of having the price, issue number, date and also a barcode on the front cover.

Use of Stars –
Dr Who and Captain Jack Sparrow are two of the most famous on screen characters; therefore the use of stars on the front cover of ‘SFX Magazine’ is huge. The programme Dr Who has been around since the 1960’s gaining a massive following along the way, it is clear to see the amount they have developed their own technology through the years so this is a massive coup for the magazine to have the new Dr Who on the front cover as he will reach different target audience ages. Johnny Depp is currently a very popular actor for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean has made him become a pin-up for many people; his celebrity status will guarantee the magazine sales.




Sight & Sound Magazine

Layout –
‘Sight & Sound Magazine’ uses a very simple layout so that it does not create any meaningful problems for the reader; everything is set out and has its own place on the page as seen in ‘Empire’ and ‘Total Film’ magazines which I have previously analysed.. The layout can be seen as having a very calming effect and with the soft pink on the front cover it goes in with this feeling. I believe the target audience going by the layout of the front cover is more elderly as it does not rely on corny features to entice prospective buyers of the magazine.

Creativity –
The creativity in ‘Sight & Sound Magazine’ has been kept to a strict minimum as to not clutter the page and keep everything extremely clean cut so readers of the magazine cannot be confused on what they are supposed to be reading. The main picture (Johnny Depp) of the front cover has been placed towards the back with the writing over the top clearly readable. The colours on the front cover of this magazine are ‘watered down’ from their usual brightness, pink and yellow are normally very vibrant colours so this shows that they do not want the words to necessarily jump out off of the page in the way many other magazines choose to do but instead just highlights the main focus of the front cover and reasons to buy.

Professionalism –
I believe that this magazine is extremely professional about the way it goes around its business. A big factor of this will be that it is run by the ‘British Film Institute’ to show it is an official magazine made by the people who are involved heavily in the film industry, this is noted in the top corner of the front cover where it has the emblem of the institution. This logo will be on each issue of the magazine and will be seen as a seal of approval by many film enthusiasts. The barcode has the issue date and cost of the product as to follow the convention of the other magazines I have analysed. The words used are similar to ‘SFX’ as they are all short and to the point.

Use of Stars –
To prove the mass appeal that popular stars have, Johnny Depp is again used but this time in ‘Sight & Sound’ as before he is seen in ‘SFX’ for promotion of a different film. The fact that this magazine uses him in costume for the remake of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Film’ will help gain interest from the elder generation who would most definitely have watched the original to the new who will be looking forward to seeing the new version for the first time. People will be enticed by the changes that they have made to try and either improve or have their own take on a classic. French cinema is a niche market in the U.K so ‘Sight & Sound’ are not worried about taking chances to sell magazines as it could be seen as quite a risk to take such an irregular option, they use ‘Beatrice Dalle’ and the main star, much like ‘SFX’ will specifically target members of the public who are interested in the special effects and goings on in the film industry.




Filmmaker

Layout –
The way that the editor of ‘Filmmaker’ has chosen to present the front cover of their magazine is again a very simple way, each subject is sectioned off into small parts making it very easy for their audience to read and understand. I think that the target audience for this publication will be early 20’s+ as this magazine is specifically tailored for people who have an interest in making films. There is a decent size paragraph on the front cover therefore this magazine is for someone who is more likely to want to read instead of being swayed by lots of colours and pictures.

Creativity –
‘Filmmaker’ and ‘Sight & Sound’ share very similar creative roles within the front cover of their magazines, the use of dim colours, the turquoise and golden used in ‘Filmmaker’ bring a calm and subtle measure to the magazine. It is given an authentic, handmade feeling as many words are in a font that looks as if someone had drawn it, this can show that the magazine is part of a family with its fan base. As a result of this they have at the top ‘Film jobs in the new economy’ which shows the magazine takes an active role in helping its readers find jobs in this sector.

Professionalism –
As my predicted target audience for ‘Filmmaker’ is an elder, higher classed one, professionalism is more important than if it was a younger audience as they would not be using slang or other type relating words, this means all sentences will be formed properly, this said the main picture (Quentin Tarantino) goes over the top of the title showing that the editor believes that they have a loyal enough fan base who already know the magazine. The front cover as each other one I have analysed has a barcode, date of release, issue number and also the price of the magazine.

Use of Stars –
The use of stars in this issue of ‘Filmmaker’ is vital; Quentin Tarantino is one of the most popular and iconic filmmaker’s in the world. He has directed, produced, written and also acted in many of his films including ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Inglorious Basterds’. He has been awarded for his work many times by receiving an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and also Palme d’Or which are all extremely prestigious in the film industry. As this is a specific filmmaker magazine he is even more influential on the sales of this publication and he will be an inspiration to many up and coming filmmakers. To the right of the front cover more names are spread out to increase the profile of this magazine.