Tuesday 31 May 2011

Analysing Film Magazines - Film Review


Layout
The cover of this magazine has a typical layout. The masthead has been placed at the top of the page along with a sell line “every single new movie reviewed & rated inside”. The image takes up the majority of the page, covering some of the masthead. The cover line has then been centred on the image, giving them direct relation to each other apart from the fact the cover line is nearly always about the cover image. There is then also two more sell lines on the left hand side and one placed underneath the cover line. The bar code is positioned in the right hand corner about the list of movies on the bottom strip. There is also a price and a short slogan or description of the magazine above the masthead, which could count as a sell line “your essential guide to movies”.

Sell Lines/Cover Lines
The cover line on this magazine front cover has been centred on the image and fits nicely on top of it, gradually coming in where his body does. This gives a direct relation to the image supporting the idea that the cover line is always about the cover image. This cover line is very direct, the name of the movie is given in in a very bold sans serif type face which in it's self is very striking, but it is also in white which contrasts against his black suit meaning it is very obvious to the audience. There is then a line below which is a play on the film title "You, Audience!" which adds humour to the cover, appealing to the consumer, but also making sure the cover line is directeted clearly at them. Under this is then a short description of the article "Will Smith on turning a 50-year-old novel in to a state-of-the-art Summer Blockbuster". The use of words here works particularly well. Firstly, there is the mention of Will Smith which is going to appeal to a lot of fans as he is a respected actor. The use of hyphens makes it appear that there is less words being used, making it more appealing to read. It also means the "50-year-old" and "state-of-the-art" can be paired together in order to contrast. This is because they look similar through the use of hyphens, so the audience notices them and puts them together, but the words used juxtapose emphasising the idea that the film is a transformation, therefore making the audience want to read about what Will Smith thinks about it. Below this is then a sell line in yellow and the same bold sans serif type face "Plus: Director Alex Proyas and co-Star Bridget Moynahan". The use of "plus" suggest their is even more information crammed in to the magazine, not just the sell lines and cover lines. it is telling the audience they are getting added information, therefore encouraging them to buy the magazine. names have been used which film fans are most likely to recognise, again encouraging them to read what the article is about. There is also two other sell lines and two flashes on this cover. A sell line has been placed at the top of this cover in the gap next to Will Smith's fist. A heading has been used stating a name that would attract the audience "Kiera Knightly" again in the same bold, yellow sans serif type face. A short description has then been given to lure the audience in "Why King Arthur star is a punk!" Because the audience have been told the reason Kiera Knightly thinks this is inside, they want to read it as they care about her opinion and want to know the gossip on other film stars. "King Atrthur" has been printed in yellow which makes it stand out from the rest of the text, drawing the audience's attention towards it. The other sell line has been placed at the bottom of the magazine with an image of Halle Berry as Catwoman. A heading has again been used in the bold type face "Catwoman" which states to the audience the film and explaining the image, immediatley drawing them in. A quote has then been used from Halle Berry, but because the heading says "Catwoman" it is as if it has come from the character, whcih would appeal to film fans as it would be interesting to hear from the character, not just the actor/actress "I'm not even sure if Batman exists in this universe". This is something the film fans would recognise as they are most likely to know about Catwoman and Batman, therefore making them want to read more on what "catwoman" has to say. A flash has been placed on Will Smith's arm in a bold red circle that looks like it is coming out of the page. Again a heading has been used in the same type face "Inside Hollywood" which would immediatley appeal to the target audience and then a small description "latest movie gossip!" Gossip would appeal to most people, and because it is about movie the target audience would definitley be interested in finding out about this inside gossip. There is also another flash at the bottom of the cover which is a red strip running right across. Here upcoming movies have been listed, seperated by a black dot. This would appeal to the audience and make them want to read about the films. It also suggests there is a lot of information in the magazine. A lure has been placed above the masthead "Every single new movie reviewed and rated inside". This is telling the audience everything they need to know about new movies is in this magazine, meaning they think it's the only one they need to buy. The magazine claims it has covered every movie, which seems impressive, therefore making the audience think that the magazine is worht their money.
Masthead
The masthead is in a very bold, bubble type face. The outline has been made to look three dimensional, casting a shadow on the white which makes it look like the letters have been cut out in the middle. There is a shine on the “I” which makes it look metallic and “pop” out of the page. The way the the masthead is in italics and has a metallic shiny effect makes it look quite futuristic, meaning it fits well with the cover image. The “review” part of the masthead has been placed within the “m” which I noticed was also done in the Total Film masthead. I think this masthead works well in that it stands out very well, but I think it could be portrayed as quite childish because of the type face and exaggerated design, meaning the magazine may not be taken seriously.
Colours
A colour scheme has been kept throughout this cover consisting of yellow, red and white. On the sell lines and cover lines, yellow has been used to make certain words or lines stand out. This works well as it stands out against the rest of the text and the image. White has then been used for the rest of the text, but on the cover line it works well as it contrasts against his black suit as I mentioned before. Red has then been used for flashes which fits well with the outline of the masthead. The background of the image is blue which I feel is pushing it to too many colours on the cover. Although the colour scheme of the cover lines, sell lines and masthead all fit together, I dont feel they fit well with the image.

Images
The image is very direct here and again things looking as if they are coming out of the cover has been used, here is it Will Smith's fists. he is punching them out towards the camera, meaning they seem to come out of the cover, not only making the audiecne feel part of the image, but also making it stand out to them. He is also looking straight out towards the audience, telling them it is directed at them and luring them towards it. His expression is serious, but also as if he has a sort of smirk, making him seem likeable. The way he has his fists out makes hims eem heroic, in a sort of superman pose, which is a role Will Smith often plays in films. He is also in his costume from the film which is futuristic/sci-fi. This tells the audience about the film and also attracts them towards the magazine as they want to know why he is dressed in that way. The fists coming out also fits well with the second part of the cover line "You, audience!" as it seems he is pointing out towards us and telling us to pick up the magazine.

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