Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Existing Magazine Cover - Fangoria
(Click on an image to enlarge it, then click the back arrow)
The main image on this cover is a close up on the characters face but he is not looking directly at the audience which is therefore indirect mode of address. Although he is looking away, the audience still feels very involved with the emotions portrayed by the characters expression.
It is clear that some editing and special effects have been used to create the red colouring of the eyes, this colour connotes danger and death. The characters general facial expression with the frown, the gnarling teeth and the glaring eyes shows aggression and unease.
The masthead is coloured red which links to the red eyes in the image, there is also red blood splats to relate to the film genre of horror/thriller. The font used for the masthead is very gothic and is shaped at the edges to resemble fangs, the masthead itself is 'Fangoria' so this links together with the genre of horror to create cohesion to the cover overall. This font is also a larger size than all the other text seen on the page, this is a common convention of magazine covers and draws attention to it immediately, therefore people will recognise and remember the magazine name.
All the coverline text is either white or a light yellow colour. Both these colours are very neutral and so do not draw emphasis away from the main focus of the image and the masthead. The font size of all the coverlines is also considerably smaller, though smaller, some of it is in bold and in capital letters which makes it stand out very slightly more than the white text below it.
The main coverline is centered at the bottom of the page and contains the word 'exclusive'. This makes the audience feel really involved and as if they are getting a preview into something no one else knows about. There is also an exclamation mark which builds excitement within the reader to read on. This coverline is also very mysterious and doesn't give much away about what the story will be about.There is also a play on words where it says 'A Darker Twilight'
The left third holds some coverlines and the bar code, this composition is typical on any magazine cover and therefore this follows the codes and conventions of existing media, this layout adheres to the expectations of the audience.
We believe the target audience of this magazine cover to be teenagers aged between 13 and 19 that are interested in the fantasy genre and who like to use the media as a form of escapism.
The main image on this cover is a close up on the characters face but he is not looking directly at the audience which is therefore indirect mode of address. Although he is looking away, the audience still feels very involved with the emotions portrayed by the characters expression.It is clear that some editing and special effects have been used to create the red colouring of the eyes, this colour connotes danger and death. The characters general facial expression with the frown, the gnarling teeth and the glaring eyes shows aggression and unease.
The masthead is coloured red which links to the red eyes in the image, there is also red blood splats to relate to the film genre of horror/thriller. The font used for the masthead is very gothic and is shaped at the edges to resemble fangs, the masthead itself is 'Fangoria' so this links together with the genre of horror to create cohesion to the cover overall. This font is also a larger size than all the other text seen on the page, this is a common convention of magazine covers and draws attention to it immediately, therefore people will recognise and remember the magazine name.
All the coverline text is either white or a light yellow colour. Both these colours are very neutral and so do not draw emphasis away from the main focus of the image and the masthead. The font size of all the coverlines is also considerably smaller, though smaller, some of it is in bold and in capital letters which makes it stand out very slightly more than the white text below it.
The main coverline is centered at the bottom of the page and contains the word 'exclusive'. This makes the audience feel really involved and as if they are getting a preview into something no one else knows about. There is also an exclamation mark which builds excitement within the reader to read on. This coverline is also very mysterious and doesn't give much away about what the story will be about.There is also a play on words where it says 'A Darker Twilight'
The left third holds some coverlines and the bar code, this composition is typical on any magazine cover and therefore this follows the codes and conventions of existing media, this layout adheres to the expectations of the audience.
We believe the target audience of this magazine cover to be teenagers aged between 13 and 19 that are interested in the fantasy genre and who like to use the media as a form of escapism.
Existing Magazine Cover - Empire
(Click on an image to enlarge it, then click the back arrow)
The main image on the poster is a medium long shot of one of the main characters in the film looking directly at the audience. This direct mode of address makes the audience feel threatened by the character and really feel a part if the image, however this relation with the image allows the audience to gain an incite into his twisted, sinister nature. This is also a low angle shot which gives the character status and power, it also makes him appear menacing to the audience.
We also found the use of artificial lighting in the image very effective, though the character is all in relatively strong lighting, it is slightly stronger to one side of the characters face. This splitting of the light may imply something to do with the character himself, he may have a split personality or lead two separate lives, though a subtle difference on first glance it may have a much deeper meaning. We also noted the strong lighting on his hands which are placed on his knees, this along with his posture suggests that he is powerful and does not appear to be shying away at all, he has much confidence in himself which also reflects on the role which his character may play.
His bright contrasting clothing, resembling a clown's costume, emphasises his playful outlook on death. The eeriness of the picture shows us that this childishness is used in a vicious and vindictive way.
The hypodermic needle model may be applied to this magazine cover, where the 'Batman' logo is seen in the centre at the top of the page it releases a sense of trust and success within the audience, they recognise the logo. Therefore they believe that the film being advertised will be good and that the magazine itself is a trusted product, they are likely not to question or challenge what has to be said about the film because they are easily influenced by the media and the power of trust from something so little as a logo.
The main image on the poster is a medium long shot of one of the main characters in the film looking directly at the audience. This direct mode of address makes the audience feel threatened by the character and really feel a part if the image, however this relation with the image allows the audience to gain an incite into his twisted, sinister nature. This is also a low angle shot which gives the character status and power, it also makes him appear menacing to the audience.We also found the use of artificial lighting in the image very effective, though the character is all in relatively strong lighting, it is slightly stronger to one side of the characters face. This splitting of the light may imply something to do with the character himself, he may have a split personality or lead two separate lives, though a subtle difference on first glance it may have a much deeper meaning. We also noted the strong lighting on his hands which are placed on his knees, this along with his posture suggests that he is powerful and does not appear to be shying away at all, he has much confidence in himself which also reflects on the role which his character may play.
His bright contrasting clothing, resembling a clown's costume, emphasises his playful outlook on death. The eeriness of the picture shows us that this childishness is used in a vicious and vindictive way.
The hypodermic needle model may be applied to this magazine cover, where the 'Batman' logo is seen in the centre at the top of the page it releases a sense of trust and success within the audience, they recognise the logo. Therefore they believe that the film being advertised will be good and that the magazine itself is a trusted product, they are likely not to question or challenge what has to be said about the film because they are easily influenced by the media and the power of trust from something so little as a logo.
Audience Research
We know that our audience is our main priority and so decided that getting their opinions on the creation of our magazine is essential.
We asked 20 people....
Do you prefer a landscape shot or a studio shot on the front of film magazines?
What attracts you to film magazines in terms of the front cover?
We asked 20 people....
Do you prefer a landscape shot or a studio shot on the front of film magazines?
What attracts you to film magazines in terms of the front cover?
Magazine Title Questionnaire
We spent some time trying to think of a name for our magazine and were finding it hard to agree. Here are some of our original ideas:
Preview
Cinema
iFilm
StarLight
Spotlight
Limelight
Star Struck
Movie Mania
Flicks
Action
Review
We then narrowed it down to our favourite 5:
Movie Mania
Spotlight
Flicks
Preview
iFilm
We then asked 25 people which they thought best appropriate for the magazine. Here are our findings:
(Click on an image to enlarge it, then click the back arrow)
Our findings show 'Spotlight' as the clear favourite so we decided to use this as the title for our magazine.
Preview
Cinema
iFilm
StarLight
Spotlight
Limelight
Star Struck
Movie Mania
Flicks
Action
Review
We then narrowed it down to our favourite 5:
Movie Mania
Spotlight
Flicks
Preview
iFilm
We then asked 25 people which they thought best appropriate for the magazine. Here are our findings:
(Click on an image to enlarge it, then click the back arrow)
Our findings show 'Spotlight' as the clear favourite so we decided to use this as the title for our magazine.
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