Film Magazine Analysis

In order to have a deeper and more insightful understanding of film magazines and how they work to promote film, I thought it would be best to analyse three very different magazine covers. This task will allow me to identify key features of film magazines that make them so effective, which in effect will make the film a success.

This close analysis has made me aware of the importance of a variety of features in film magazines and how I can manipulate them to make the most effective film magazine cover. For example, I now know that by having the masthead in all capitals and in bold, it will make the magazine seem more important and it will stand out to the audience more. I will be sure to use this feature in my film magazine cover in order for a successful outcome.

I have learnt from this research task that all film magazines obtain the following features:

• The Masthead
• Main Image
• The Strapline
• Anchoridge Text

Here is my analysis of the following film magazines:

Magazine analysis from Louise Richardson

If the slideshare above does not work, the link is below:

http://www.slideshare.net/LouiseRichardson10/magazine-analysis-72124883

I have also included Screenshots of the analysis below:

The Purpose of Film Magazines

Film magazines are an effective way of promoting a film to a variety of audiences. The reason behind this is that are available in a variety of places such as supermarkets, shops and popular retail stores which are accessible to a variety of audiences. This as a result helps to spread the word about the film and increase its popularity. Film magazines are also an example of ‘old media’ which refers to the ways in which the promotion of film occurred before the use of digital media became more prominent. By using a magazine as a form of promotion, the audiences that still use magazines such as the older demographic and very young children, would be drawn into the film which would allow the film to reach out to a much wider demographic.

Within a film magazine there may be features such as interviews, exclusives from the film, posters and sometimes quizzes which could spark interest in audiences for very different reasons. These features all appeal to different audiences which as an effect would target and attract a mass target audience for the film.

Typical codes and conventions of horror film magazines are:

Main Image: This is usually the main focus of the magazine that features a mid or close-up shot of the character/s in the film. The image is usually shot in direct address to the reader to draw the users in to buying the magazine and finding interest in the film.

Masthead (Title): The film title is most commonly found at the very top of the magazine, central to the cover image.

Strapline: The strapline is found at the very top of the magazine, usually above the Masthead. Its purpose it advertise the product and help people to remember what is in the magazine. The Strapline promotes products within the magazine and short and punchy which encourages the readers to buy the magazine and show interest in the film.

Anchorage Text: This is conventionally found underneath the masthead and tells the readers what both the Masthead and Main image are about. This gives them an insight into what the film is about and promotes it further.

Using magazine covers as a way of promotion alongside my film poster and trailer would be very effective as it would allow me to reach another demographic audience such as the older generation. To ensure that it is completely effective I will use all of the above codes and conventions of film magazines. This will make my magazine appear professional looking and will ensure that it is definite to attact a mass target audience.