Film Magazine Analysis

Empire Empire is owned and published by the German

company Bauer Media. It costs is released monthly at a cost of £3.99 The target audience for Empire is film critics and

movie enthusiasts. Empire reviews both mainstream and art films. As

well as the film news, reviews and previews, Empire also includes some unique features, unlike any other film magazines. Each issue features a ‘Classic Scene’, which is a transcript from a notable film scene.

The name, ‘Empire’ comes with massive connotations of being ‘the best’, popular and world renowned.

The sans-serif font used is big, bold and stands out with an informal edge. This helps allow the audience to see the magazine easily when its on a stand in a newsagents for example.

This magazine seems to typically always feature the image of the main actor/character that would feature of that particular issue of the magazine. They also seem to follow the ‘Z’ pattern for the front cover of the magazines too.

Total Film Total film is published every 4 weeks by British

company, Future Publishing at a cost of £3.40. The main target audience is for film enthusiasts and

film critics; this is where it’s rivalry with Empire lies. It has features from up-and-coming to well

established directors, full length interviews, and also exclusive photo shoots.

‘Total Film’ suggests that there is all you could possibly need to known about film within that magazine/ within that company. It also makes it extremely clear for the audience what the magazine is focused on with the word ‘Film’ included.

The extremely large and bold font may also coincide with how films like to be represented – the biggest and best, something that the audience won’t be able to forget and will take have a lot if not all of their focus.

Each issue contains; A section known as the ‘Total Film Interview’, whereby

there is an in-depth chat with either a well-established actor or director, alongside a critique of their work throughout their career.

A single page parody of a recent film release and also, ‘Total Film Loves...’, which is a celebration of either a

film, a scene from a film or an actors performance.

Sight & Sound Sight & Sound is another monthly British magazine

published by the British Film Institute (BFI) at the cost of £4.50.

The is a proud international magazine, as titled on each front cover of every Sight & Sound issue. The immediately tells the audience that it would be including reviews and features of a variety of different films, rather than the typical Hollywood blockbusters and cinema ‘sell-out’ releases.

Another proud feature that Sight & Sound decide to include on the front cover of each of their issues is that, ‘Every new film reviewed’.

The target audience is directed much more at an those who are looking for a more in depth view to an analysis of films and how they are made and into the films actors.

The masthead Sight & Sound, from first seeing/ hearing it, may suggest that it could be to do with film along with music, however when that it is stated below that it is a film magazine, it would then be suggested that it is a magazine that could look deeper into films, rather than which famous actors it includes etc.

Uncut Uncut is a monthly magazine, published by

a company known as IPC Media at the cost of £5.00

This magazine doesn’t base its feature entirely upon film, unlike the previous magazine in this PowerPoint.; basing their main focus upon music (mainly Britpop), with an involvement of film and also books.

This magazine is aimed at an audience of “25-45 year old males that focuses on movies and music”, as stated by editor Allan Jones, former editor of ‘Melody Maker’.

The masthead ‘Uncut’ may suggest that the opportunity to go ‘behind the scenes’ of their favourite artists and films and read up on articles that they wouldn’t get a chance to read anywhere else, suggesting a sense of exclusivity with this magazine.

Little White Lies Little White Lies is a film magazine

released every two months and is published by a London-based creative agency known as The Church of England (who also publish Huck magazine) at £4.00

This magazine is most widely known due to its individual magazine style. The layout of the magazine covers are typically the same with each release, however each issue will feature an illustration of the main character/actor of the feature film for that issue.

Depending on the feature film for that magazine, there may also be various other changes to the magazine throughout, such as custom typefaces and editorial icons.

SFX SFX is published ever 4 weeks at a cost of £3.50 by

Future Publishing (Total Film). This is Sci-Fi, horror and fantasy magazine based

upon film, TV, games and comics. Although to many, ‘SFX’ would mean ‘Special Effects’, however according to the magazine’s website, ‘SF’, stands for ‘Science Fiction’, and the ‘X’ may stand for anything.

The font for ‘SFX’ has s smooth and embossed edge to it to make it look a lot more as if it has been electronically generated and as if it would be made through ‘special effects’, to coincide with the title itself.

‘Each issue of SFX magazine contains these fantastic features:  Regular opinion pieces  A peek at readers’ toy collections  Your monthly sci-fi quiz  Huge behind-the-scenes interviews and features  Massive reviews section  PLUS! All your favourite regulars’

[Source: myfavouritemagazines.co.uk]

Summary Overall I believe I have found that the image used

upon the front cover of any film magazine must be iconic, eye catching and relevant to the main feature for that magazine’s issue. All apart from one magazine from that images I have included on this PowerPoint use a close up image of a key actor/character. I believe that this is used as a key convention due to the actors popularity bringing in the audience’s attention and a main purpose.

Each of the Masthead’s also seem to have a deeper meaning and they all certainly connote some sort of message, usually something to do with the magazine itself and it’s values that it holds.

With each of the different features of these films, the magazines include a different colour scheme/font style to suit and/or relate to that feature. For example, in the Quentin Tarantino image shown to the right, the ‘Inglourious Basterd’ text is in the typeface used for the actual film, therefore creating a sense of continuity and allows the audience to create that relationship from the styles.