Film Magazine Research

I have some knowledge about magazine layouts from AS media studies as we focused on the conventions of music magazines therefore I think that many features will be similar, however this year we are looking at film magazines so there may be slight differences. Firstly, there is a masthead at the top of the page which is either red on 'Empire' or white on 'Total Film' both of these fonts are bold and clear also it is the largest text on the page so the audience is drawn to it first which contributes to the visual syntax. This is also very strategic as magazines are often overlapped in shops therefore it is important that the title can be seen so the potential purchaser can identify it quickly. There are cover lines down the sides of the page which give the audience an insight into what is included in that particular issue, these house colours are used so that it looks professional and links together so those colours become associated with the film magazine. Bold, capitalisation and italic fonts are varied so that it adds more definition to the cover and makes certain points of interest stand out from the background which is eye catching. There is a main title which is often placed in the centre towards the bottom of the page which is in bold, large text as it is another main feature so the audience can identify and recognise the genre and name of the film which is extremely important for advertising. There is a huge image which takes up the whole page and is placed behind the text which gives the audience a feel for what the film is about and how the magazine is representing this through this particular media text. The protagonist of the narrative usually features on the front cover because it can become a selling point as the audience may recognise the actor or actress and may be intrigued straight away, this is known as 'star power'. A bar code is normally placed at the side in one of the corners on the front cover which makes it look professional and it will also state the date of issue and price so the audience is aware of this information before deciding whether to purchase it. Sometimes banners are sometimes used to make the cover look more exciting and appealing by featuring smaller images or more information to give more clues about what is inside. Pugs are shapes such as circles or squares which contain more text which needs to stand out because it may be exclusive or of benefit for the reader.