Magazine Analyses

Empire Front Cover Analysis

‘Empire’ is a very well known blockbuster magazine which has featured many different films and celebrities.  As this is a blockbuster magazine the magazine could include many horror films but what grabbed my attention was the ‘Iron Man 3’ cover because of the many conventions and effects. By using the character of Iron Man this creates a USP (unique selling point) because of the large franchise and marvel fan base.  Iron man (Robert Downey Jr.) is the focal point on the page and is making direct eye contact and the image is at eye-level.  This helps to catch the audience and include them in the magazine.

The pose of the actor is almost heroic and he is holding the famous Iron Man mask, the mask has a scratch down the front which implies something that happens in the movie and the suit itself its very messed up and has scuff marks all over it. Throughout the image you can see pieces of burnt paper which implies a battle which anticipates a great film; this also fits with the colour scheme that was clearly adopted by Iron Man’s suit which explains the use of red, white and gold on the text throughout the cover.  This has been used to emphasise the new film release and to imprint the brand into the readers mind. The bold writing shows the seriousness of the movies and its release.  Also the background of the image is the sky, a variation of clouds and dark blues which implies a storm or smoke – this fits the paper in the air.

 It is clear that the magazine reviews films as the cover lines features key words such as ‘previews’ and ‘episodes’.  Empire is very traditional in the sense they have used red and gold to glorify superheroes.  

Fangoria Front cover analysis

Fangoria’s franchise is quite large and their magazine is specifically horror orientated.  The readership is obviously varied because of the different films featured on the cover from different generations.  The main image is titled ‘The Descent’ which is fairly new and the page also includes The Omen (1976) and Nightmares & Dreamscapes by Stephen King which started in 2006.  Also, because of the variation in audience the magazine can use the newer films as the main cover line and image more often while others may not be able to do this.  When compared to other magazines such as ‘Scream’ this shows a difference in choice as ‘Scream’ mainly features more of the older generations work while Fangoria is the opposite. 

Firstly, the most prominent placement on this magazine is the main image.  This image is of a mutated human/monster that in the movie changes after being stuck in a cave for a long amount of time and almost evolves to survive, hence the name of the movie being ‘The Descent’.  This is probably why they have used low key lighting to capture the movie more, also this creates a creepier atmosphere because the facial features are not prominent.  By using low key lighting this also links into the horror factor of the magazine as it’s a very typical move for one of this genre.  The shot type of this image is a medium shot, but shows enough to get the audience interested.  To the right of this image is a small cover line in orange that’s meant to go with the colouring of the image and to the left is the main cover line which says ‘The Descent’ diagonally, this is in white and is outlined by red to make a contrast and to pronounce the horror origins of the movie. The blood spatters onto the text to create more of an effect, and by making the text glow in red and white it stand out a lot more than it usually would.  

Fangoria magazine has a repetitive layout, with the rule of thirds being diagonal and the main image taking up two thirds.  Because of the layout there is a ‘Z pattern’ on the cover, firstly is the masthead which is large, bold and red and white.  This creates a three dimensional look as the white outlines the thick red text, also the masthead doesn’t follow the conventions as the masthead is placed in the centre of the top of the page and not to the left hand side.  Secondly your eyes travel to the main image, then to the main cover line, then to the film strip to the left side.  The film strip has a blue outline and a lime green inside, this is the holder for images and cover lines.  This is an effective way to keep the page organised and also indicates that the magazine reviews films.  Overall, the magazine is traditional and its origins are clear and the magazine clearly shows its intentions and genre.

Scream Magazine Cover Analysis

‘Scream’ is a large and specifically horror orientated magazine which portrays new and old movies.  This magazine is orientated to horror movie watchers who are most likely unfazed or enjoy the creepiness of the movies/franchises. 

The first thing that is prominent is Michael Myers, the psychopath/protagonist of the hit movie series ‘Halloween’.  This automatically makes the long lasting fan base of the movies purchase/read the magazine.  By using Michael’s iconic mask to hide his eyes it implies direct eye contact, this adding to the creepy factor.  This is the main image and also creates the USP (Unique selling point) as it’s so popular and far into the future.  This is explained when it said ‘We take a look back’, which also implies that the readership is a variety of ages because of the other films featured on the cover such as The Shining (1980) and Saw 3D (2010), this expands the readership and generations who would be interested.  There is no need for a full body shot of Michael as he is known to lurk in the movies, by using such a dark background the image contrast with the main headline ’Halloween’ which is bold and well known to many people.  By using low key lighting they create a mysterious image, this is commonly used in horror films to capture the creepiness and create suspenseful imagery.  

Scream Magazine typically has a set layout, the main image taking up two thirds of the page diagonally and the other third has a film strip with images and cover lines – normally a movie title with a subtitle about the article.  Towards the bottom the page are cover lines and teasers – this makes the audience want it even more as it has small previews.  The masthead is conventional, starting from the left hand side and leaving space for prices/issue/dates next to it.  The masthead is quite large and in a bold font, the font itself has a dripping effect to replicate blood and this also helps to give it a vintage effect because of the unrealistic blood spatter and bright red colouring, this also fits the horror criteria because it’s known to be associated with the genre.  All text is bold; this fits the genre because it needs to stand out against the contrasting images.  The main colour scheme is red, orange, black and white, these are all the typical ‘horror’ colours that are used in general and fit well together to create contrast and a ‘Z pattern’.  Firstly you will look at the masthead, then the main image, the main cover line and then to the film strip in the left hand corner, this effectively creating the ‘Z pattern’.  The movie strip to the left hand side helps to communicate to the audience that the magazine reviews film, it also helps to fit images onto the cover without random placement, this creating a constant and relevant way to put forward other cover lines and images. 

Overall the magazine is traditional to its horror origins and successfully indicates its genre and purpose.