Alex Simpson

Ancillary Task #2 – Analysis of similar text

IntroductionDuring this task I will be looking into different film magazines, I will be looking into the entity of magazine, who owns it and what kind of influence they will have on their audience. I will be also looking into different factors about the audience of the magazine. This will involve seeing what type of people read said magazine, why about the magazine appeals to them and how aspects of the cover page are displayed to the audience. I will be looking into how the typical conventions of a film magazine are represented and how effective I think they appeal to their target audience.

The two film magazines I will be taking a look at are the following:

The Hollywood Reporter

I decided to take a look into the magazine the Hollywood reporter. I decided to look at this magazine as it has a specialisation in film, meaning that it would be a great starting point. The Hollywood Reporter publishes a weekly newspaper. It is owned by Prometheus global media which owns a number of similar publications such as Billboard and back stage. Prometheus global media is fully owned by the Guggenheim Partners which specialise in investment. This tells us that this specific magazine is owned by a large conglomerate company

Around is some information on The Hollywood Reporters Circulation and readership. This taken from their media kit found on their website.

Selling TechniquesThe inclusion of a famous actress on the front cover of the magazine could be the selling factor of that week’s addition. For example, if something happened within pop-culture in regards to a specific celebrity it is more likely to sell more copies. In the example down below, a shot of Jennifer Lawrence has been placed as the key object of the magazine cover, this is emphasised by the black background as it contrasted with the photo very well making it stand out. This could be a smart move in trying to sell copies as Jennifer Lawrence has gained a lot of attention recently as she as starred in popular films as well as being a Oscar winning actress. This coupled with the tag line “The making of an Actress” gives the impression that there is an article dedicated to this actress. The would encourage someone who is a fan of Jennifer Lawrence to purchase the magazine. This use of a female actress on the cover page of a magazine who’s audience is predominantly men could also draw in their attention.

In regards to how the actress below is shown. I feel as if wanted to shown in a more natural light. I think this is because it may resemble her personality. I think this is because it is just a shot of her face, no use of showing a dress on her clothes. It is just her. I think that this could connote to the type of content being withheld in the magazine. In terms of her facial expression, I think it shows Jennifer Lawrence as being a emotional individual as the emotions which come across are sad or vulnerable.

Evaluation I think that this cover page is effective, and this is because of a number of features which make the cover stand out. For starters, I think using a current popular actress to gain the attention of your audience is a great technique for a weekly magazine as it creates a familiarity between the magazine and the audience as it’s something they already may something about. Moving onto the black background, I think this contrasts with everything else on the cover page really well and just brings out the most important information. The main cover line shown on the cover page compliments the main photo of the cover page which helps entice potential audience members who are interested in Jennifer Lawrence to purchase the magazine. Other cover lines include information on film festivals, which would appeal to film fans specifically. All in all I find the house style of this magazine cover very formal which I think appeals to the older target audience which the Hollywood reporter is trying to reach out too. This being said, I don’t think I will directly take many of the techniques from this cover page to use in my own. I think it’s because it is meant for a target audience which isn’t mine. This being said, I do like the use of contrast to help certain aspects of the page stand out. This I do think I will replicate in my own piece.

Empire MagazineEmpire magazine is a monthly British magazine which is a subsidiary of the large conglomerate “Bauer Media Group”. I decided to look at this magazine as it is a British film magazine that appeals to a younger audience. Looking at some of the statistics taken from their media kit, it gives an indication that the majority of people who read empire magazine are between the ages of 17-24. a long with this the socio-economic groups AB and D make up the majority of the reader-base as well as this most of the reader base is employed full-time. Empire has a circulation of 24,030 and a readership of 160,000

Taken from: http://www.bauer-media.com.au/empire.htm

Selling TechniquesThe first thing which grabs my attention when looking at this magazine cover is the image of the actor Robert Downey JR. This is showing him as his famous role iron man. This will encourage a separate fan base to engage with the cover of the magazine immediately, as they may be a fan of the films or the actor himself. Looking into the picture, the use of iron man having his mask off and showing a different character lets the audience know that there are two sides to the main character, which leads for further development which information could be found within the magazine. Next, looking at the cover lines. The cover lines are written in bold red font which is a typical house style of empire magazine. I like this font and colour as it really bold and makes the text stand out, and in this instance it matches iron man’s suit which is aesthetically pleasing. The use of teases is also evident in the cover lines, as the phrase “Downey Jr.’s lethal weapon flies solo” makes the reader want to know why is he flying solo, what is his lethal weapon. This hints to the audience heavily, trying to draw them into the magazine.

Looking at iron man (Robert Downey Jr.) he is being represented as a confident serious individual. This can be seen by the way he is standing, he is shown to have a strong stance. His facial expression suggests that he is a serious character. This could hint to the way the character acts in the film that empire magazine is talking about in their magazine. All in all some good techniques to grab the audience’s attention.

Evaluation I think a number of techniques used in this cover photo are very effective. To start with the use of incorporating the characters of tony stark and iron man into one photo of Robert Downey Jr. standing in costume is very cleaver. I think this creates a interesting photo which gives the reader an idea of what the character is like. I also like the use of bold red text which gives the audience something consistent like a house style which they can use to recognise the magazine. Looking at the language used, none of the language seems to be too sophisticated, meaning that a youth audience can expect to pick up the magazine and be able to understand it without having to struggle through trying to understand any of the jargon. All in all I think this sort of magazine would be a similar to something which I think I would make as my own. This is because the stylisation I think appeals to the target audience, such as the use of bright colours.