Film Magazine Cover Style Models.

The purpose of Magazine front covers is to both protect the pages inside and also to create attention  and entice readers to get curious and make there own opinion. The more attractive and informative the cover the higher the chance of it being bought. With Magazine front covers theres no verbal explination so what is on the cover needs to speak the words of the producers, discourse structure of the cover and colour schemes can be a great way of determining target audience, i.e. the red flames on the Hellboy cover which appeals to males more so than females. Other ways are showing images which appeal to a certain sex more than the other, this attracts what is called the male gaze, for example showing a female actress in a seductive manner. This supports theorist Laura Mulvey.

Dark Knight cover analysis.

As you can see the iconic image of the joker is in front of the text making the picture seem so much more significant.  The denotation of this image is that the facial expression looks like its aiming its focus on the audience. The picture can also be appreciated for its centre alignment which again cements the focal point.

Instantly the bright vivid colour scheme used on the magazine draws attention, the colours from the clothes the joker is wearing collaborate with the font and other design work. The purple and green are both typically associated with the joker.

The importance of the text is highlighted through it overlapping what appear to be the prominent feature (image of joker), but looking closer the ‘Joker’ text which appears to be stencilled for a unique anti-establishment effect.

Sub text such as ‘World Exclusive’ attracts customers because they realise the content of the magazine is unreachable anywhere else.

The dark red iconography of the ‘EMPIRE’ masthead stands out to future customers and also relates to the film as another colour which represents the Joker and also shows the genre of the film as action.

The invitation of ‘meet the joker’ is used as a way to subtly approaching customers interest and letting them feel they can get an understanding like no other of the villain.

The other feature writing sticks with the same superhero font convention but mentions other films to tame other peoples interest if they do not particularly enjoy Batman movies. Your attention is drawn to this by the use of a green ‘X’ which links back to the Joker.

The barcode, date and price are simply placed on the magazine for authenticity and to follow the genetic conventions of a magazine.

The background of the main image connotes further the darkness and mystery this film.

This front cover issue includes a plug to the right of the Joker in the green colour which is still connoting the Joker but talking about a different subject matter.

Avatar cover analysis .

The blue theme instantly correlates the iconic image and sticks to the theme of the film therefore making it stand out to potential customers. The main image itself overlaps the FILM title masthead therefore emphasising its importance.

The colour scheme used is a very simple yet applicable for the theme of Avatar and its futuristic elements.

The white masthead contrasts with the blue combination and stands out in big bold lettering to attract instant attention.

The headline and sub text are a very powerful part of promoting this magazine. The ‘AVATAR’ is in a times new roman style font and capitalized for focus on the movie name, it’s ironic that the font is denoted as a classic style, considering above the title is ‘intergalactic exclusive’ which connotes that the film genre is a fantasy sci fi film and that it takes place within a futuristic setting, this is also perceptibly seen through the character above.

Another bit of sub text is a ‘decade in the making...’, the denotation of this bit of text tells the reader that the film took ten years to make which even for the latest Hollywood film is a colossal amount of time which in theory can only produce the best results. The ellipsis used implies the reader to read below.

The final bit of sub text on the front cover, says ‘But how long will we feel the force of James Cameron’s sci fi epic?’ the lexical creates link with other sci fi films, Stars Wars and the ‘force’ for example. It also makes it sound like the force is now and the film are already ‘epic’.

The image itself needs credit for its amazing graphics and effects which stands out to all audiences.

The grey and white coloured side bar features are in a detailed sophisticated font style with names like ‘Michael Caine’ and ‘Robert Downey Jr’ which draws attention to their fans.

Following genetic codes and conventions the cover also has a barcode, date and price. 

The overall discourse structure of the magazine is justified for a good looking effect and further influences the magazine to stand out.

Hellboy 2 cover analysis.

The colour scheme for this magazine represents the theme of the film which is red and black, this colour scheme connotes fear, hell and danger. This connotation is supported by the body language of the character clenching his fist signifying combat.

The character appearing as the iconic image is quite clearly a creature of some sort due to its body features like the two horn marks in his forehead and what looks like a stronger arm. It appears to be a typical superhero type character, but the connotation of his image makes it seem more villain like.

The masthead of ‘EMPIRE’ is on fire which denotes a film of intensity and action, the connotation of the masthead however represents the title and hell, the label has been modified for this edition making it unique to regular customers.

The commonly situated date and price is on the cover which follows the genetic codes of magazines.

There is a magazine feature notably used in some special editions of Empire called a plug which contrasts with the black background. The
plug says ‘40 movies that will get you sex’ this instantly attracts the male gaze.
The rosary beads symbolize a Christian faith; it’s ironic when the rest of the magazine is themed towards hell. This creates a question for the audience.

The sub text approaches the cover using a common idiom ‘you and whose golden army.’ This text is in gold for added effect.

The title Hellboy 2 is in capital letters but the H and the 2 are at equal levels to give it centre focus.

The first look bard tells the future customers that they get some exclusivity when purchasing.