Yasmin Watkins

Textual Analysis of Film Magazine Covers

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*I have chosen these three covers because the first two are part of the thriller genre that I aim for my own film trailer to conform to.*The second two both feature a female protagonist,

which I aim to do on my own magazine front cover, thus it can give me ideas on how to pose my own models during the shoot for this

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Main Image

*Conventions of a Film Magazine

Front Cover

Straplines

Masthead

Main Coverline(featuring the film title)

Coverlines

Insert

Strapline

Using the skills learnt during my foundation portfolio coursework, I know the conventions for a typical magazine front cover layout.

However, the differences are that there are a lot more coverlines to inform the audience and that the bottom coverline isn’t always used, in favour of space for more coverlinesBarcode

Coverlines

Coverlines

Coverlines

Main Coverline

the main film title featured

Coverlinesincludes the

names of more film titles

Straplineincludes the names of

more film titles to further attract the

reader

TaglineFurther information for

the reader, to emphasise main title

Publication Company Logogives the magazine

authenticity and trust in the magazine

Barcodeis placed in the

bottom right-hand side of the page

Mastheadlargest text size to highlight the

title of the magazine -branding

Straplineinforms audience

of a non-film titled article for film enthusiasts

*Layout Analysis

Main Imagethis is the most

emphasised part of the front cover

While there are two smaller images included on the front cover, the main emphasis is still placed on the main image, with a transparent background behind any text

There are about 4 different type faces used, which make the page looking attractive, with the different texts used for different articles. Furthermore, the contrast between the emboldened and regular text emphasises the former.

The character in the main image is not making direct contact with the audience looking at the magazine. This is because it looks like he is contemplating something, with a gun in his hand which helps to persuade the reader to buy the magazine to read more about the film.

This air of mystery is emphasised by the setting/ his surroundings in the main image.

Textual Analysis:

Main Coverline

the main film title featured; text size is almost as large as the masthead

Coverlinesincludes the

names of more film titles

TaglineFurther information for

the reader, to emphasise main title

Publication Company Logogives the magazine

authenticity and trust in the magazine

Barcodeis placed in the

bottom right-hand side of the page

Mastheadlargest text size to highlight the

title of the magazine -branding

Straplineacts as a tagline

for the magazine’s title to appeal to its

readers

*Layout AnalysisMain Imagethis is the most

emphasised part of the front cover

Insertto further persuade

the reader

The main female protagonist is dressed in black, giving a sense of authority and purpose in the way she holds the gun.

Her lack of eye contact with the audience suggests a motive that the audience is unaware of until they watch the film

The background’s orange colour suggests the film’s set somewhere exotic, or could connnote explosions because of its action genre

Its lack of revealing backdrop allows the coverlines and ‘Double Depp!’ coverlines to have a black background

Uses the simple white and black colour scheme, aside from the main image

The main character is placed in the middle of the page to allow coverlines overlap onto the image on each side

Textual Analysis:

Main Coverline

the main film title featured; text size is almost as large as the masthead

TaglineFurther information for

the reader, to emphasise main title

Publication Company Logogives the magazine

authenticity and trust in the magazine

Barcodeis placed in the

bottom right-hand side of the page

Mastheadlargest text size to highlight the

title of the magazine -branding

StraplinesAdds further

articles that are in the magazine

*Layout AnalysisMain Imagethis is the most

emphasised part of the front cover

Insertto further persuade

the reader

Extra Imagesthese are to further attract the intended audience because of the interactive issue

Similarly to Salt, the female protagonist wears black to connote power/ importance

This interactive issue uses a white, black, red and yellow colour scheme to attract the reader to this issue

The main coverline ‘The Hunger Games’ is placed in the middle of the page, overlapping the main image because of its high-profile

It uses a quote –likely from a review from an article within the magazine, as a tagline to persuade the target audience

Uses possessive pronouns like ‘your’ to directly address the reader

The fiery background connotes danger and destruction, as described by the three minor alliterated taglines

The ‘Mockingjay’ pin is also seen to the left of the page, which would allow film enthusiasts/ those who’ve read the book to further analyse the film

Textual Analysis:

*Rule of Thirds

*In all 3 magazines, the character on the front is

placed in the middle third*The Hunger Games’ front cover conforms to the rule of the thirds the best, with the ‘interactive issue’ insert in line with the lower thirds

*In all 3, the masthead ‘Total Film’ lays on the top line,

allowing it to take up the top thirds