Film Magazine Front Cover Analysis #2

To gain extensive knowledge on magazine front covers, I think it is good to analyse a variety of different magazines and so for my second analysis, I have decided to analyse ‘Total Film’.

The main image promotes the movie ‘ Valkyrie’ and has the Hollywood star Tom-cruise posing as his character. The first thing that will catch the reader’s eye is the medium-long shot of the model wearing a military uniform which is indicated through the hat and the badges on his uniform. This will allow the audience to assume that the movie being promoted falls into the war film genre. His costume combined with the stern facial expression and strict body form will show the reader that this movie also belongs in the drama genre as the model is projecting a very serious image. By using such a popular actor on the front cover, the magazine widens its target audience to the fans of war films, the fans of the actor and to the regular readers of the magazine which successfully further promotes the movie. In addition he is also wearing an eye-patch which will reflect that being in the military he has suffered an injury and so now will intrigue the audience about the narrative of the movie. The eye-patch also creates an image of a stern, unemotional character. Due to the costume style, the subtle planes in the background the audience can suspect that the movie‘s narrative is based on WWII and this is anchored by the main sell line ‘Cruise goes to war…’. As there is no shadowing from the model it can be said that artificial lighting is used so that the image can achieve a clear and crisp finish. When looking at the film poster for the movie ‘Valkyrie’ I can instantly see the symbiotic link created between the two media pieces. When looking at the film poster for the movie ‘Valkyrie’ it is clear that there is a symbiotic link created between the poster and this front cover. Even though the colour schemes and lighting differ, the composition, costume and facial expressions of the protagonist remains the same. The front cover uses similar mise-en-scene from the poster so that the audience can recognise the movie in a different form of media.

The masthead is the largest text in the frame and is the title of the magazine. 'Total Film' suggests that the magazine is for hard core film fans. It also tells the reader that not only is it a magazine that deals with no content other than film, it is also a magazine that knows more about movies than any other. The language used are words which the audience are likely to use themselves, for instance 'total' is the colloquial derivative for 'totally' this suggests that the audience are young and cool. The letters are bold, upper-case and in a display font to primarily attract the attention of the audiences but also to perhaps reflect their dominant and bold characteristics. As mentioned earlier the font is in display which is informal and so reflects the laid-back, easy going personalities of the male audience. As you can see the masthead is white and this is something which is kept the same to maintain brand identity; the colour of the masthead will only change is the front cover is a special edition. The colour white is bright and bold, perfect for catching the male reader's attention. Furthermore the colours are masculine and the war theme of the film featured. To obtain individuality the magazine has placed the word 'total' in word 'film'. This creates a cool and memorable look and the readers will look out for this feature when searching for the magazine amongst news stands.  Even though the aesthetics of the masthead may change depending on the movie being promoted, this is a feature which remains the same to maintain brand identity. It is interesting to note how the models head sites above the masthead, this is to indicate to the audience that the image is the most important feature in the frame and it is only because the magazine is so well known that it can afford to use this sort of placement. 

The main sell line is promoting the movie 'Valkyrie', this is a movie which will appeal to the audience because it is based on WWII and will include many action scenes. Also this is a topic of interest for the target audience and so they will the narrative captivating. Following the conventions of film magazines, the main sell line is placed in the center of the page to ensure that it is in full view of the readers. The main sell line reads 'Cruise goes to war, Valkyrie, on-set with the world's biggest movie star', many techniques have been used to lure in the readers; firstly 'the world's biggest movie star' is used to emphasise the fact that there is an interview with Tom Cruise in the magazine. Cruise is an actor who the audience would respect and aspire to be like but also the audience would be a big fan of his previous movies. The main sell line is the only piece of text which is in a serif front; this is done to create a more formal atmosphere to reflect the dramatic narrative of the movie. Also there are only two piece of text which are in the colour blue and one of them is the word 'Valkyrie' in the main sell line. This is because it creates a striking contrast with the background and the colours used on the other sell lines and so successfully draws the audience's attention. 

Other sell lines also promote movies which may interest the readers of the magazine. Many film magazines have very little text on the front cover because men respond more to visuals. Mostly the sell lines on this front cover only state the movies name to inform the readers what else to expect inside the magazine, for example, 'watch men, eagle eye, potter 6...'. Even though these movies differ greatly, for example, 'Potter 6' is sci-fi and 'eagle eye'is action,  they all appeal to the audience as they are fans of these genres. This will incline the readers to buy the magazine. 

The reason the magazine is so successful is because it understands that the readers have several needs and interest and so they include other topics but combine them with films giving the audience the best of both worlds. Here is the sell line 'the baddest bond girl ever'. This article is the perfect example to show how the magazine combines two interests; the 'bond' movies would be considered a classic to the audience and also they would love to see the most attractive females which features in them, because after all they are young males! Furthermore the mode of address in the sell lines uses language the target audience may use themselves for instance 'Baddest' is not an official word but is is the sort of colloquial language the reader will use when describing something cool of exciting to his friends. 

Moving on to the other sell lines, we can see that there is an interview with 'Steve Coogan' and he reveals his 'confessions'. Steve Coogan is an actor/comedian who the audience would enjoy watching on the big screen for his beloved comical appearances and so they would be inclined to reading his interview. Furthermore by using the word 'confessions' makes it seem as if he is revealing personal, interesting secrets and so this will intrigue the reader.

The last two sell lines to look at are 'the go-hour movie you must see' and 'the annual blockbuster report, this summer's biggest movies'. Both of the sell lines are providing some sort of advice to the audience on the latest movies which they 'must see'. This will be useful to the audience as the advice is given by fellow film fanatics. 

The colours used on this front cover create a refreshing finish. The characters costume is a grey colour which reflects the serious undertone of the film but the striking blue and white make the front cover far from boring. All the writing on the front cover is in white and certain sell lines are in a bold typeface to create an aesthetically pleasing contrast. Only two pieces of text are in blue; the main sell line and the top strap line. This is because they are the unique selling points for the front cover and so need to be significantly highlighted.

To make the magazine front cover even more appealing, the magazine has chosen to add two strap lines, these are used to promote something or to inform the audience of what else may feature inside the magazine.

Above is the first strap line which is placed above the masthead-a conventional placement. By using the word ‘Essential’ it makes the reader feels as if this issue is a must have and that they cannot miss out on all of the exciting features within. Also by stating it is a ‘preview’ will make the reader feel important because it is as if they are reading it before anyone else. Below is the second strap line which is placed at the bottom of the front cover-another conventional place for the strap to be placed.

This strap informs the audience of all the actors which will be featuring inside the magazine. All these actors are people that the audience look up to and even may aspire to be like; they also would enjoy their movies and so therefore would be interested in their interviews.

The barcode is a feature on the magazine which is of no interest or use to the readers, however must be placed on the front cover for commercial reasons, and so it is usually placed either in the bottom left or right hand corner. This is an important convention which the magazine has chosen to follow and so allows the main focal point of the magazine to remain as the main image.

Other features such as the date and the title are slightly more significant than the barcode and so are placed higher on the page. The date, price and website name are placed in the 'M' of the masthead, which is similar to where it is placed on 'Empire' magazine front cover. As the masthead is the largest text, it ensures that the reader's eye will go there and so by placing the website name in this position the magazine are ensuring that people are reading it. 

The tagline of the magazine is placed underneath the masthead which is an inverted convention as usually they are placed at the top of the page. 'The modern guide to movies' suggest that this is the magazine to read for the latest information, also the target audience are 'modern' males so this is something that they can relate too, building a bond between the readers and the magazine. 

In conclusion it can be said that this front cover successfully promotes the movie 'Valkyrie' and appeals to their audience's needs and interest. By carefully selecting a specific colour scheme the magazine depicts the genre and the narrative of the movie well to the readers.