- Magazine name is clearly displayed
- Cover has to be noticeable to the audience
- famous actors / images are usually used as the focal point
- images target a certain audience
- Graphics and colours and used to create a mood and feel to the magazine
- font size, shape and colour are used to show different creative sides
- Price and barcode clearly displayed
- Tag line clearly displayed for the film
I believe that having a good research into Film magazines in the industry will be vital for me to create a good front cover. So therefore i did some initial research into Empire Magazine.
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008. It is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain, consistently outselling its nearest market rival Total Film and is also published in Australia, Turkey and Russia. Empire organises the annual Empire Awards which were sponsored by Sony Ericsson, and from 2009 sponsored by Jameson.The awards are voted for by readers of the magazine. In common with most British film magazines, Empire is populist in both approach and coverage unlike less irreverent and more 'serious' magazines such as Sight & Sound. It reviews both mainstream films and art films, but feature articles concentrate on the former.
As well as film news, previews and reviews, Empire has some unique regular features. Each issue features a Classic Scene, a transcript from a notable film scene. The regular Top 10 feature lists Empire's choice of the top ten examples of something film-related. Readers are encouraged to write in if they disagree with the choices made.
I also wanted to do some research into Sight and Sound magazine.
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today. Sight & Sound was published quarterly for most of its history until the early 1990s, apart from a brief run as a monthly publication in the early 1950s, but in 1991 it merged with another BFI publication, the Monthly Film Bulletin and started to appear monthly. Sight & Sound has a more highbrow reputation than other film magazines.It says it reviews all film releases each month, including those with a narrow art house release, as opposed to the more mainstream focus of its competitors. Sight and Sound also currently features a full cast and crew credit list for each reviewed film.
And I also did some research into Total Film magazine.
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year (every four weeks) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features. Guest editors have included Peter Jackson, Kevin Smith, and Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
Each month, TF provides a range of features, from full-length interviews and photo shoots with established and up-and-coming actors and directors, to major film previews and retrospective pieces. All issues contain the Total Film Interview — an in-depth chat with a celebrated actor or director, along with a critique of their body of work; the Abridged Script - a one-page parody of a recent release and Total Film loves..., a one-page celebration of a film, a scene or a performance. Key sections within the magazine are Dialogue, Buzz, Agenda, Screen, Lounge and the Total Film Quiz.
