2. The glowing, lightning effect on the Date and price
masthead emphasises the force and
energy of the key protagonist
The masthead “Empire” suggests a
The vibrant blue colour of the sense of control
masthead will make the magazine stand
out amongst the shelves Dark background to bring out the
Other coverlines inform the reader subject of the key image
about other articles in the magazine
Contrasting colour scheme
Key image mid shot of the actor in
character The wide stance and serious facial
expression connotes power
The key coverline draws attention to
the key image and tells the reader
that this will be the main feature of The combination of Serif and San
the magazine Serif font makes the layout more
interesting
The film reel gives the reader The text is in capital letters so it is
an insight into the content of easy to read and stands out on the
the magazine page
Barcode
• The magazine is published monthly by Bauer Media at a price of £3.99
• The target audience is predominantly male with most of the readers in the 15 to 24 age
category (http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/empire)
• The magazine reviews mainstream films and art films but feature articles are primarily
focused towards former films. The typical content of the magazine consists of film news,
previews and reviews.
• Normal red Empire logo on black background has been adapted to suit the cover.

3. Banner
The mechanical design of the The masthead suggests the magazine
masthead suggests that the magazine has a 100% focus on film
could focus primarily on the genres of Interesting layering of the masthead
Sci – fi and fantasy
Official website
Date
The nervous facial expression and The shadows on the actors face create a
closed body language connotes danger sense of evil, mystery
is near
Key image medium long shot of the
The actor is wearing a suit and tie actor in character
which suggests he means business
Key coverline
Capital letters
The glowing colour scheme is typical of
a sci – fi/fantasy film The plus sign suggests that the
magazine will be packed full of
information
Serif and San Serif font
Barcode, company logo
• The magazine is published monthly by Future Publishing Ltd at a price of £1.99
• The target audience is 75% male with most of the readers in the 18 to 35 age category
(http://www.theadindex.com/Advert_Displays/Total_Film_Magazine_and_Website_9292.asp?ServicePage=3)
• The magazine offers film, DVD and Blu – ray news, reviews and features. The typical content of the magazine
consists of full-length interviews and photo shoots with established and up-and-coming actors and directors,
to major film previews and retrospective pieces.
• Total Film magazine logo has been adapted from solid colour to include some panoramic and ariel
photographs.

4. Barcode, date, price
The masthead specifically targets
the two senses we use when
watching a film
Well known establishment. The BFI is
an internationally renowned
Slogan organisation dedicated to film
Key image midshot of actor in
Some coverlines not in capital letters character
Dark background creates an Sunglasses, dark suit and dark tie are
ominous atmosphere a typical image of an action film
featuring dark characters.
Circular strip gives the reader
any extra information about the The serious facial expression connotes
magazine he is very focused on someone or
something
Well known actor and director
Serif and San Serif font Key coverline
The magazine seems to focus more on
directors, producers and actors rather
than the content of a film
• The magazine is published by the British Film Institute, which was founded in 1933. The
magazine is available at a monthly price of £3.75
• The target audience is adults working within the international film industry as well as
consumers who are serious film goers.
• The magazine reviews all film releases, including those with a limited release each month.
• Classic logo is being used

5. The magazine focuses on TV
programmes as well as film Some of the content of the
magazine
The masthead is very large so the Circular strip gives the reader any
magazine stands out from a distance extra information
The serious facial expression and Date, price
hooded figure connotes warrior – like
qualities Key image mid shot of the actor in
character
Crowed page – multitude of
messages Fantasy/sci –fi /horror films
Mystical background
The key coverline “Prince Persia”
suggests that the magazine could Barcode, company logo
primarily review fantasy films
The key coverline is the only Mystical font style
part of text in Serif font
Capital letters
Like Empire magazine, there is a
film reel to give the reader an
insight into the content of the
magazine
• The magazine is published every four weeks by Future Publishing Ltd at the price of £4.50
• The target audience is 71% male with an average age of 33
(http://www.theadindex.com/Advert_Displays/SFX_Magazine_and_Website_9289.asp?ServicePage=3)
• The Magazine covers topics in the genres of popular science fiction, fantasy and horror, within the media of films, television,
videogames, comics and literature. The magazine publishes regular special editions and has hosted an annual conventions.
• Classic logo is being used.

6. The barcode is in an unusual
position. It wouldn’t normally
The masthead is quite plain and
cover the key image, or be at the
uninteresting so the magazine
top of the page
won’t stand out from other
The issue name acts as the key magazines
coverline
Slogan
The majority of the text is in a Close up shot
San Serif font The dark background reflects the
genre of the films it reviews
The slogan doesn’t use capital
letters
The key image is a print
not a photograph
Minimalist coverlines , no
additional word play or loaded The key image is very bright so it
language would stand out from other film
magazines
Art house style
Glamorous image reminiscent
of a 1920’s look
The magazine doesn’t look like a
typical film magazine. There are no
glossy pages – instead a matt finish
is used
• The magazine is published bi – monthly by The Church of London Creative Agency at a price of £5.00
• The target audience is adults who are interested in unusual Cult films
• The magazine features writing, illustration and photography related to cinema
• The layout and design doesn’t follow the usual conventions of a magazine
• Using the standard logo in its usual position

7. The masthead “Uncut” suggests
there is no restrictions with the Menu strip with major music artists
editing of each article so readers
will be able to find out the David Bowie is positioned as if he is
complete story of each subject trying to hide something which creates a
sense of enigma for the reader so they
Emphasises the free CD will want to find out more about him.
Key coverline Unlike the other magazines, not all
the coverlines are in capital letters
Combination of Serif and San Serif Unclear that the
font magazine is supposed
to review films and
Creates a sense of excitement books as well as
for the reader
Free CD entices the reader to buy Key image midshot of an iconic music
the magazine even if they have artist
never read it before Rhetorical question encourages the
The background is very plain which reader to turn the page
brings the main subject forward and
makes the coverlines easier to read
More major music artists
Barcode, date and price
• The magazine is published monthly by IPC Media at a price of £5.12
• The magazine is aimed at a target audience of males aged 25 – 45 with an average age of
37(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncut_(magazine)
• The magazine focuses on music genres of Americana, rock and alternative country but also includes film and
book sections.
• The typical content of the magazine includes lengthy features on old albums, interviews with film directors,
music and film news, and reviews of all major new album, film and DVD releases.
• The logo is not uniform when compared to some of their previous front covers.

8. Summary of research
•The key image is usually of an actor in character from a film.
•Most magazines use capital letters for the coverlines so they are easy to read and stand out on the page. A combination of Serif and San Serif
font is used to create a more interesting visual style. San Serif font is used more prominently as it easier to read.
•The key coverline is normally centred over the main image or slightly below. It is usually the title of the film being promoted on the front cover
of the magazine. However when reviewing Uncut magazine, it featured both contemporary and iconic musical artists from the past.
•In Sight & Sound magazine they have kept their classic logo and the key image is a film still. The key coverline references the actor and the
director of the film which are three separate selling points.
•In Total Film magazine they have amended their logo from solid white and red font to background photographs.