These are my two main inspirations when looking at the front covers of a film magazine; Empire and Total Film.
Conventions used which i would like to apply to my work:
Main image: - the main image used on both of these magazines is of the main character from each of the films that the magazines are focusing on, (i.e. James Bond from Skyfall and Harry, Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter). This is something i would like to have as the main focus of my music magazine, however rather than choosing the ''good guys'' such as harry and James bond, i may focus on the villain of my film, in order to bend the stereotypes of a film magazine cover. Both main images are partially covering the masthead of the magazine, which shows that they are both very well established and easily recognised, therefore i will do the same when making my product, in order to make it believable by resembling the existing magazines. On the Total Film cover, the photo is edited in black and white, however on Empire, the photo is in full colour. This is something i will need to consider when making my magazine; do i want it to look edgy and mysterious like the skyfall front cover? or do i want it to portray the characters in their true colours like the harry potter image? I will have to make my choice depending on what my main image looks like once i have taken it.
Masthead: As mentioned previously, the masthead of each of these magazines is partially covered, which is something i definitely want to do when making my magazine, however, even though it is covered, both mastheads are still very bold and loud on the page, making them stand out and draw attention significantly. When making my front cover, i will also ensure that i use a very bold, uppercase font in order to attract the reader's eye. The mastheads on these magazines roughly take up the top third of the cover (rule of thirds is applied), therefore i will stick to this trend and also position my masthead in the top third.
Coverlines: Both of these magazines have used coverlines on their front cover (an insight as to what is actually inside the magazine), however they have done them in slightly different ways. For example, on Total Film's front cover, the cover lines are listed down the right and left hand sides of the magazine, whereas the empire front cover have the main cover lines just below the center, stretching across the entire page from left to right in a bold rectangle. I prefer the appearance of Empire's coverlines, and i will consider using this method of displaying the cover lines when creating my own work.
Price: The average price for Empire magazine is £3.99, and the average price for Total Film is also £3.99. When making my own magazine cover, i could stick to this trend and also make mine cost £3.99, however if it were to compete with these magazines in the market, it would be a wise idea to decrease my price, so that it would have the advantage of being the cheaper option, therefore i will most likely make it cheaper than £3.99.
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After researching the previous two film magazines, i have also came across another well known film magazine which i found rather inspirational for when i create my own film magazine. It is called 'Cineworld.'
Something unique about this magazine is the large banner down the left hand side of the cover, with screenshots from the different films that are being aired in the cinema. The other two didn't have this banner, however i think it is really effective and is a good way of displaying the films, rather than just listing them via text.
Unlike the others, this is a free magazine, therefore it doesn't include the essential information that most other magazines have (except for the date at the top). When i look at this magazine, it instantly reminds me of one of the magazines that you find lying around in the cinema, which makes me happy and is something i could consider when thinking about where my magazine could be distributed.
I like the masthead of this magazine because the word 'Cineworld' is glowing slightly, almost as if it is made from neon lights. This is effective because it reminds me of old fashioned vintage cinemas that you see in movies and on TV, therefore it ties in really well with it being a cinema magazine. It covers the main image therefore it is not as well established as the other magazines i have looked at, however the 'Wow!' bubble is partially covering it, which still gives off the really effective overlapping effect.
The main image isn't as powerful as the other magazines I've looked at because it is on the bottom layer of the magazine, with everything else (i.e the main sell line, the cover lines, the masthead) etc all over lapping it. The mode of address is also indirect, therefore it doesn't attract the reader's eye as immediate as the others.
Overall i like this magazine as it is very unique and original compared to other magazines on the market, however it is a free magazine which i have no intention of making, therefore i will probably take more inspiration from the others. I just thought it would be worth looking at and considering.
