Empire MagazineUsing the extensive research which i had obtained on the typical codes and conventions of many magazines, i then took a selection of magazine front covers from the two main competitors to my film magazine which are; Total Film and Empire. I then began to deconstruct the images of their front covers and critically analyse their features.
In the James Bond front cover, it is clear to see that the magazine has chosen to have a main dominating image taking up most of their page. This is typical of not only movie magazines but of most magazines in general. Having the one main picture has the effect of the image standing out and is clearly visible to see. Here by using the well known figure of Pierce Brosnan the audience immediately make the association between the star and James Bond the character he is well-known for playing and the most famous role probably in british film. Also by having pierce Brosnan dressed in the suit, wearing a rolex watch and having the silenced pistol; with all of these elements being key to the James Bond character. Straight away people connect the image on the front cover with the well-known action figure of James Bond. This has the effect of the well-known action figure on the front cover being one of the issues main selling points. As the James Bond films are notably liked by nearly everyone by using this figure the magazine is appealing to a large precentage of people and in doing so is targeting not only 'movie buffs' but is also targeting the wider audience of James Bond fans, this in turn could influence people to purchase the magazine due to their interest in the James Bond films which this issue is drawing attention to.
The image which they have chosen is effective as it engages the audience with the magazine. The gun looks as if it is protruding from out of the magazine and gives the image a 3d perspective which captures the audiences attention and prompts interest and excitement in the reader, encouraging them to look at the magazine for longer to see what the image is about, also the notable figure of James Bond, again would have the same effect as it targets fans of the James Bond films whilst also appeals to film fans who want to know good films that are coming out. The character has adopted a firm stance and has a look of calm determination and concentration as he looks straight down the barrell of his gun, drawing attention to the fact that the character is calm and cool in dramatic and life threatening situations and shows no fear, presenting the character in a heroic light. The character is also dressed smartly in an expensive looking suit and shirt with a rolex watch indictating that the character is cool, he is smart whilst also maintaining the characters macho and rugged persona by the inclusion of the symbolic walther ppk.
The magazine relies on the main figure of James Bond to draw the audiences attention, as the front cover is dominated by lots of headings, sud-headings and text which fails to attract the audiences attention, so by making the decision of placing such an iconic figure on the cover of the magazine, it has the effect of drawing the audiences attention and influences them to look at the magazine and read the rest of the text. In the order of the audiences interest, the next thing which would capture their attention would be the bigger, bolder and brighter of the titles on the front cover as these are the images which catches the audiences eye. In this edition this would be the text 'BEST BOND EVER DIE ANOTHER DAY' This is the boldest and biggest text besides the title on the magazine and links with the image of James Bond on the cover. having this situated close to the left of the magazine makes it easier for the audience to make the connection between the main image of James Bond and the headline of the feature as to what is included in the magazine about the james bond films, the magazine is drawing upon this as the magazines main selling point, and in doing so has centralised the image and the text, also by making the word 'BOND' as being the boldest and biggest text, by the title, on the front cover has the effect of this text being eye-catching by the audience and draws their attention to it, again having the effect of making it easier for the audience to make the connection between the image and the text surrounding the image. Also by using the audiences liking of Bond films the magazine is using this knowledge in order for them to use this image to promote their magazine. The 'Total Access' text underneath is smaller in comparison with the James Bond text due to this being the attraction for the audience, the magazine is relying on their knowledge of their target audience that they will be drawn to the text regarding the Bond films and will inevitably see the text difectly underneath the Bond text so therefore there is no need in making it a brighter and bolder font as it may take the amphasis away from the James Bond headline which the magazine are relying on to catch their audiences attention and draw them in with the hope of it influencing them to purchase the magazine. The Total Access text prompts excitement in the reader again as it indicates that James Bond is going to be a big feature in this magazine and that the reader are going to be given a special total access to the film which could include behind the scenes, interviews, information about the film, photographs taken during filming, all of these appeal to not only a great number of fans of the Bond movie but also film fans in general whose interest and excitement is prompted by the idea of being given total access to a blockbuster movie.
The magazine also uses sub-headings such as 'Arnie Exclusive T3 on set' and '45 Best Rock 'N' Roll moments in movie history.' These are smaller and less visible in comparison with the Bond text as the magazine doesnt want the emphasis to be taken away from the James Bond feature as that is the main selling point of the issue, however these features such as the reference to arnold swarsanagger in terminator 3, where the magazine is using filming jargon such as Arnie and T3 as it is relying on their target audience of film lovers to know what these references mean.
The use of the different colours in the sub-headings has the effect of not only making certain words stand out amongst the others such as in this issue the word 'BOND', it also has the effect of making the front page look more interesting, instead of having all of the text the same colour where it would appear quite plain and bland.
The magazine boasts Empires iconic title which is generally in the same style and font in each issue of the magazine. The title is bold and bright and easy to see and like all magazines is situated towards the top so that if the magazine, once distributed to the stores, is to be sold on a shelf with magazines in front of it, the magazines title can still clearly be seen for audiences looking for that specific title.
As is common with most issues of both Empire and Total Film magazines, this issue has more feature articles highlighted to the audience running along the top of the magazine and also a small column down the right hand side of the page. The sub-headings are again shown in a brighter and bigger font to clearly display that these are the sub-headings of other features in the magazines with the smaller text underneath providing the audience with brief snippets of information as to what these features are about.
Although Empire's ideology is to also promote low budget and lesser known movies, these very rarely make the front cover as it is main blockbuster films such as Terminator and James Bond which attract the audiences attention. the promotional phrase 'The UK's No1 Movie Magazine', is also regularly featured on the front covers of Empire magazine. and highlights to the audience and the prospective audience that Empire is the best movie magazine in the UK, using this slogan to advertise and promote their magazine to new and potential buyers.
The advertisement in the red circle on the front cover of the magazine saying 'HUGE 196 PAGE ISSUE', makes the audience feel they are getting more for their money and has the effect of firstly exciting current readers of the magazine as they are interested to know what is included in the bumper issue and are exicted by the prospect of more stories and reviews, whilst it also has the effect of influencing new and potential buyers by making them feel as though they are paying a low price for the Bumper issue.
The cover also includes some of the typical codes and conventions featured on every magazine; for example the barcode. In Empire front covers he barcode unlike some magazines doesnt have a set place and is constantly moved around to fit in with the issues structure. The magazines price, issue number and date nearly always are displayed in the middle of the M in the title Empire so it is close to the title of the magazine so audiences can view the magazine and find the price easily without having to search for it. This technique has also been carried out by the Total film magazine (as seen above)
This march issue of Empire magazine from 2007 uses a lot of the codes and conventions of magazines which i have discovered from my research.Firstly, the images in the magazines i have analysed recently have contained just the one figure, this one has challenged the conventions of the one main dominating image of a figure by placing an image of three characters. This image is common in the way that it dominates the entire cover with the rest of the elements such as headings, sub-headings and other images are placed around the main image.
The three figures have all adopted dominant male heroic stances straight away suggesting to the audience that they are all action figures, they all appear cool and tough indicating to the audience that they are the stereotypical action hero, highlighting to the audience that this issue is concentrating on the action genre.
The image of Bruce Willis to the left however shows a contrast with the other two characters. His character has cuts and blood on his face suggesting to the audience that he has been injured indicating that he has been involved in some form of violence. The characters clothes also appear dirty and has a rugged look to them sugesting that this character has been involved in a long journey of violence and struggle and he has finally arrived at this point. The character has a weapon holster which indicates again to the audience viewing this image that this character uses weapons and is obviously involved in dangerous situations which could be the cause of his injured and been through the mill image.
The character towards the right of the image shows a figure of a dominant stylish male. Contrasting with the image of Bruce Willis the image of Simon Pegg doesnt appear to be injured and his clothes appear to be clean and smart with his sunglasses suggesting that the character is cool and stylish. The character is wearing a police officers clothing suggesting a possible career which the character has, as he is also holding a pump action shotgun and looking directly towards the audience it suggests that the character possibly goes about his action through his career as there would be no point in showing the character dressed this way if it wasnt relevant to what he does for his career. Both the figures of Bruce Willis and Simon Pegg are shown with weapons indicating the danger the characters must challenge and fight suggesting the action, whereas the character directly in the middle of Matt Damon is shown with no weapon. This could be due to the fact that there has been prequels to the film which the magazine is featuring the article on, therefore people know of this character and know his profession. The magazine is again using the audiences knowledge and relying on the audience to know that Matt Damons character has special training and is an assassin and doesnt need a gun to kill, also there is no need to use these props to indicate to the audience that he is an action figure as people already know due to the previous films what to expect from the film this issue of the magazine is featuring.
Matt Damon's character is again looking directly out towards the audience and has adopted a firm stance, he has a cool and calm composure suggesting that through all of the violence and action fueled journey which he has been through he remains cool and calm. This image appeals to the testosterone of men by showing all of the characters being cool, tough and stylish men. As Matt Damon has been placed directly in the middle between both Pegg and Willis, it suggests that Empire are prioritising Matt Damon's movie 'The Bourne Ultimatum' as being the main feature with the other two still being main features however not as important as The bourne Ultimatum suggesting that the magazine know of the previous films successes and will be interested and excited about reading the feature of the next film in the series.
The image has a background effect of an explosion going off behind the three character creating the effect of the three main characters emerging from the flames and the action. This suggests bombs and explosions with the three figures emerging from the chaotic action. The helicopters in the distance of the explosive background suggests that the help and the authorities are arriving after all of the action has taken place and all of the destruction is over and the three heroic looking figures have defeated the destructive forces and are emerging from the destruction victorious. The brightly coloured background also has the effect of making the magazine cover stand out and be eye-catching towards the audience. By having an eye-catching and interesting image and background the magazine stands out amongst the other magazines and so the audiences attention will inevitably be attracted to the Empire magazine front cover which would influence them to look at the magazine, by drawing the audiences attention to the interesting cover it could encourage them to purchase the magazine.
The main headlines for the issue of the magazine are situated in the centre of the magazine. Again evidence that the magazine has decided to promote the 'Bourne Ultimatum' as the main feature of the magazine by producing this headline in a bright red, big and bold font. This text stands out against all of the other headlines and text indicating that this is what Empire wants their target audience's attention to focus upon. The text again like in other issues of the magazine is placed directly on top of the image of Matt Damon connecting the character of Damon with the text directly on top of him with the name of the film which his character is associated with. Directly underneath this is the magazines other two main headlines. 'DIE HARD 4' and 'HOT FUZZ'. Both of these headings are smaller than the Bourne Ultimatum heading again highlighting that the main emphasis is on the feature for the Bourne Ultimatum and that the other two features are supporting the Bourne Ultimatum as being more popular, eagerly anticipated blockbuster movies. Both of these have been placed side by side to show that these two are as equally important as each other, the magazine has creatively placed the 'Hot Fuzz' headline towards the right to go alongside the image of Pegg who is the star of that film and vice versa with the text of Die hard 4 which has been placed towards the left close to the image of Bruce Willis.
The magazine also has two smaller images in the bottom left hand corner of two film posters which the magazine is giving away with the purchase of this issue. The images display to the audience what the free posters look like and if their are fans of these films they may be encouraged to purchase the magazine, it also has the same effect on general movie fans who are excited at the prospect of free film posters. The word 'FREE' is created in a big and bold, bright white font in order for this word to stand out against the dark colours which dominate the bottom half of this magazine front cover. This makes the word stand out and attracts the audiences attention immediately diverting their attention as to what comes free with the magazine, many audiences are influenced by free gifts and so placing the text 'FREE' in an easily visible font prompts excitement and interest in the audience and can encourage potential buyers to purchase the magazine.
The magazine again features a Plus section giving more features which are included in the magazine, after much research into the conventions contained in Empire magazines i discovered that the 'Plus' section was a common feature im most of their front covers, after further research i also discovered that this is similar with Total Film magazine also. This has the effect of informing the reader of more features which they may be interested in contained in this issue of the magazine, these features are not as important in comparison with the feature films displayed on the front cover, however these small features could still influence people to purchase the magazine if they see a feature which sparks their interest, it also gives fans and readers of the magazine an brief insight where they know they can look to find out what else is contained in this issue other than the three feature films.
Again the iconic Empire title is again situated at the top of the magazine, the font and style of the title of this magazine rarely changes and the title is easily recognisable, making it easy to see on shelves and in stores. However in this issue the effect of bullet holes in the title indicates to the audience that this issue is going to be a special issue as the title is nearly always the same, however the inclusion of special effects in the title indicates to the audience that the title has changed and therefore this issue is obviously a special issue, which in this case, bullet holes conote guns, violence and action, suggesting to the audience that this issue of the magazaine is centred around the action film genre.
This is reinforced to the audience in the phrase situated directly at the top of the magazine above the magazines title where it is clear to see and stands out. 'EXPLOSIVE ACTION ISSUE.' The use of the adjective Explosive and the noun Action indicates to the audience that the magazine is focusing on explosions, shooting guns, bullets and focusing their attention on the Action genre. By placing this text in a black and bold font at the top of the magazine it is clear for the audience to see that the issue is an action special and therefore fans of the genre and general film fans who sway more to the action genre will be encouraged to purchase the magazine.
The magazine cover also uses the common features of most magazines for example the barcode and the magazine price, issue no and date which is situated at the top of the magazine close to the title so that the audience can easily spot the price without having to search for it and possibly lose interest in purchasing the magazine. By making it easily visible the audience know straight away how much it is and whether or not they are interested. Also by placing the price at the top the audience clearly see the price however the interesting and creative cover and the exciting text such as '3 KILLER MOVIES 3 DYNAMITE WORLD EXCLUSIVES'. The use of words such as killer, dynamite, explosive, action suggests a packed action issue which again prompts excitement in the audience and takes their mind away from the price of the magazine, influencing them to purchase the magazine.
More of the codes and conventions of magazines are seen in this August issue of Empire Magazine in 2008.
This is another front cover issue where there is more than the one image on the cover. In this case their are five people presented on the front cover. In the centre of the cover and in the middle of the group of people is Bruce Willis. Here the magazine has chosen to place the image of the biggest named star of Bruce Willis directly in the centre as he is deemed to be the most important and the selling point of the magazine.
The shot is unusually a low-angle shot as typically the for the front cover of the magazines would be either a close up or mid shot head on with the figure looking directly out towards the audience to make a connection between the audience and the magazine. However this convention has been challenged in this issue. The effect of the low-angle shot makes the figures look more dominant and powerful.
Bruce Willis's dominant stance looking down sugests that he is looking down the barrell of his gun towards something off the page. He has a look of conviction on his face asthough he is about to pull the trigger on an enemy lying on the ground. As willis is wearing a suit with the collar turned up gives him an image of a dark and shadowy character lurking in the darkness casting him in an image of an assassin or powerful man, possibly a gangster or police officer. The male figure standing to the left of Willis pointing his gun directly ahead of Willis suggests that there are multiple enemies around indicating to the audience that the scene being presented to them is a situation of danger and violence. The character to the far right of willis too is shown holding a weapon in his hand again indicating the violent and dangerous situations these characters are being placed in. However both of the women characters which are placed in between the men are shown to be not holding weapons suggesting that weapons are for the men suggesting that they know how to use them and they are the ones who get involved in the action and the danger.
The effect of the bouncing rain creates a dramatic and exciting vibe to the scene and shows that the characters are heroic and arnt bothered about the rain. The white lights towards the top of the magazine casts a white glow across the characters faces along with the blue background and the rain portraying them in a heroic and dramatic image.
The magazine also uses the effect of a film reel running directly along the bottom of the magazine is a creative idea. The film reel is associated with films and the film making process and by placing film stills of features covered in the magazine it is a creative way or informing to their audience what other features are contained in the magazine without just listing them. By placing the pictures in the film reel it is a creative and interesting idea which appeals and attracts the audience. This also shows the audience what else is featured in the magazine and in turn uses more images which can influence the audience to purchase the magazine.
The main headline running again over the picture saying 'BRUCE WILLIS' AND 'SIN CITY' are placed in a bright and bold white font so that the two can be connected. This makes it easier for the audience to see that the two are placed closely together in the same size, colour and font seperated only by a small piece of text so that it is easy for the audience to be able to make the connection between the two pieces of text. 'Bruce willis' 'Sin City' Straight away the audience can make the connection between the main star of the film and the name of the blockbuster film that they are starring in. By choosing to have the text 'and the all star cast', in a smaller font and different colour doesnt take the eye-catching effect away from the main text which associates the star and film and attracts the audience, however the smaller still has the effect of attracting the audience by mentioning the films all star cast, here the audience are excited about the fact that the film being featured has lots of big stars as stars are generally associated with good films and this therefore influences the film loving audience who are the target audience of Empire magazine to want to read more.
The magazine, again has chosen to place text running along the very top of the magazine as is usual with most magazines is the text 'THE BEST MOVIE NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS AND DVD.' By using the adjective 'best' the magazine is trying to advertise how good their magazine is in an attempt to advertise and try to encourage more people to keep buying their magazine as it is the 'best' 'uk no1 film magazine'.
Again this issue shares the common codes and conventions in the way of the barcode and the issue no, date and price which are placed in exactly the same place in every issues front cover in order for the audience to be able to spot it.
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