“Empire” is a magazine specifically designed for film lovers. This is shown by a film being featured on every front cover and written about inside of each issue. This magazine is released within the time period of new cinema releases, making the magazine’s purpose to advertise new movies. Any social grade could be considered for this magazine as a whole as what is dependent for the target audience are people who simply want to read about movies. However, the psychographics vary from issue to issue. Examples of this are the front cover and double-page spread I have chosen to analyse compared to other issues they have released before and after. Everybody prefers different genres of film. Some may like horrors or war films whilst others may rather watch or read about comedies or dramas to name a few. The list of genre preference goes on, but the particular issue shown has the fans of crime and thriller movies in mind, or to be more particular: James Bond. The 007 film series appeals to an older generation of any gender, but its fanbase seems to be dominated more by the male population, meaning that the type of people who are the most likely to want this issue are older men who are wanting to see the 26th instalment of the franchise.
The initial thing I noticed when looking at this front cover is the dominant image. It is a medium two shot of the characters James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). Bond is standing slightly in front of Blofeld, this will have been done deliberately to affirm newer readers that he is the main protagonist in the movie. Waltz’s character is behind Bond but the fact he is on the front cover shows he is a character of importance. Choosing a medium shot reveals costumes and body language. The men are both wearing suits. This fact gives the impression that they are both very smart and sophisticated gentlemen of a higher class. Waltz’s costume is darker than Craig’s. This explains personality differences between the characters which they are portraying in the film. The costume which Daniel Craig is wearing is a white shirt with a navy-blue suit and tie, connoting heroism and that he is a wealthy man of authority. His body language also ties into this as he is stood very confidently with his eyes narrowed, indicating that he is a very powerful man who shouldn’t be messed with. Waltz is wearing a white shirt and black suit with a black coat. This connotes mystery and darkness, known as hermeneutic code. Black is a colour associated with villainy and evil, this is what his costume is trying to show. Blofeld is the villain in the 007 series and Bond is the hero, clearly demonstrated here. The body language of Waltz connotes the same as Craig: confidence. I believe that a two shot was chosen to not only show the two main characters of Spectre but to also compare heroism and villainy. This front cover appears to have a dark tint to it, giving a sense of lowkey lighting. However there are no shadows that have been formed making the lighting highkey. The dominant image covers the masthead slightly. The masthead is the name of the magazine and is covered so that the dominant image is the main focus. They have chosen a large font for this, so the name of the magazine is clear and readable. The colour red has been chosen for it, this is so it stands out on the dark background and it ties in with some of the other text on the front cover. Red is a colour that is also associated with villainy, like black. This could link to the villain in the dominant image. The background of this front cover is the theme of the James Bond franchise, the 007 eye. This makes the images and text stand out and will have been done to symbolise the film series. This symbol is incredibly recognisable and a result makes the magazine appeal to the fans of James Bond and gives a straight insight of what the main story is about inside of it. The skyline reads “007 Bespoke Collector’s Edition”. This is written in white to stand out on the background. The words of this imply that there could be more coverage on “Spectre” released previously or that there are specific editions of the magazine that a collector may have. There is a bottom banner that reads “Mendes’ on set pictures” and “American beauty at 16”. These are two different stories but are put together as they are both equally as important articles in the magazine. Sam Mendes is the director of the most recent 007 movies, including Spectre. The first story written on the bottom banner will more than likely be about what happened on set of the 2015 Bond movie whilst the second story references his 1999 film “American Beauty”. The editors of this magazine have added this into the issue to showcase another work which Mendes has created, proving that he is a diverse director and has more genres of film to offer. Red has been chosen for the bottom banner as well as the masthead to tie in with the general colour scheme. Due to this, the barcode has been put in an unusual place as people expect it to be at the bottom of the page instead of the near the masthead. There is a plug to the left of this front cover that reads “guest edited by Sam Mendes”. This is written in black on a white background so that this piece of information stands out from the rest of the magazine. There is a signature inside the plug at the very bottom and is the one of Sam Mendes. This will have been done to authorise that he has helped to edit this issue of “Empire”. Most if this issue is about the latest James Bond film that Mendes directed, so it is only fitting for the magazine to have asked him to help edit this issue. It will have been done to entice the readers and make people want to both read the magazine and watch the film. At the top of the plug the logo for James Bond can be found. This is simply as a little bit of extra information that this issue is mostly about 007. The main sell line is simply the name of the film that the editors are writing about: Spectre. This is written across the dominant image to grab the attention of the reader. The font colour is white so that it stands out on the costumes of the actors and it is written in the same font as the movie poster so that it is recognisable to the fans of James Bond. Readers are more likely to pick up this issue with the main sell line being featured as well as the dominant image because together they make it clear of which movie in the franchise they have chosen to write about. The font of this is almost as big as the masthead, showing the importance of the movie but not taking anything away from the magazine as a whole as there are other issues about other movies. The sub-head has a lot of information to it as it reads all of the contributions from other actors and directors. This is included as there is more movies written about than only James Bond though that particular film is the main feature and is also written in white to match the colour scheme however the word “plus” is written in red which stand out from the rest of the sub-head to show that there is more to the issue. The language and register is written above the main sell line and explains there is some exclusivity in this magazine. This however is in a smaller font than the sell line as though it is important it is only simply stating how much exclusivity there is. Red is an ongoing colour throughout the font of this front cover and is also used here on the language and register, making it noticeable next to the sell line. This front cover gives a feeling of surveillance as there are a lot of exclusives that are said to be in the magazine. Magazines are normally a form of a news outlet and particularly the subhead and language and register prove this as they give the most information on what the contents of the magazine will be.
In this issue of empire magazine that I have chosen for the print analysis, the main feature is the 2015 James Bond film Spectre. This double-page spread covers a festival being in the country which the movie was filmed: Mexico. There is one dominant image on this double page which covers almost both pages and it is of Daniel Craig, security guards and what appears to be fans. Natural lighting looks like it has been used on this double page spread, this is to show the realness of the event taking place. Craig is wearing the same suit that he is wearing on the front cover. This is because he is in character on the front cover and here on the double page spread. James Bond is a character who is usually dressed very smartly and that is shown in this article and throughout the magazine as well as in the movies. The security guards are dressed in their uniforms, so that they are recognisable as people who are there to protect the fans, cast and crew who attended the event. The colour of their uniforms are the same colour as the costume that Daniel Craig is wearing, connoting that Craig’s character does something very similar for a career. Craig and the security guards are standing very straight, this connotes power and that they are very strong gentlemen who should not be messed with. This ties with their facial expressions as well as they all look like they are taking their jobs very seriously with Craig appearing to be in character at the festival possibly before or after filming a scene. The fans are standing behind the security guards, this is so that the guards can do their jobs of protecting them and controlling all the people who went. They are also behind Daniel Craig, this will be because his character is the focus of this issue due to it being about all of the behind the scenes information. The body language and facial expressions of the fans indicate that they are happy to be there, and that they are looking forward to meeting Daniel Craig and seeing what the festival has to offer. They appear to be smiling which shows that they are excited and having a good time. Covering the dominant image across this double page spread is the article headline which reads ”Mexican Rave” This headline connotes the place which the article is written about and that it is about an event or just a large group of people. the font is in two different colours: red and green. These colours stand out from the dark, navy-blue costumes that they are covering but mainly have been chosen because these colours are two out of the four that are on the Mexican flag. This was chosen due to the article being about a festival in Mexico, making a recognisable and understandable colour scheme. It is the largest and brightest text on the pages, giving an initial idea of what it could be about and making it clear to see. There is a strapline below the headline which says ”On set of Spectre Part 1: How to mount the most ambitious pre-credits sequence yet”. These words imply that there is more behind the scenes information on other pages of the magazine and that there could be some insight as to how one of the bigger stunts was filmed. The editors have chosen to yellow and white to be the colours of the font, these are the other two colours of the Mexican flag. The four colours were used on this double page spread for emphasis to the fact the movie was filmed in Mexico. The date of this issue’s release is written in the bottom left corner of the page. Adding the date is done because it is very helpful to the readers as they can know which month and year each magazine is from. Like the rest of the text on the dominant image the date is written in colours which represent the Mexican flag. However it is written in a very small font as it is the least important piece of text on the double page spread. The words ”Mexico, Mexico City” are written above the main text and there is a small map of Mexico with a pinned location of exactly where the movie was shot. This is there to give the reader some information of the exact location. The date of the event is written below it as well to add a bit of extra information and below this there is a byline to show who wrote this double page spread. The article opens with a drop cap, this opens the first paragraph and makes the article look neat and tied together. This drop cap stands out because it is written in green whilst the rest of the article is in black. This will have simply been done to tie in with the Mexican theme. This double page spread falls under the category of surveillance as there is a lot of information about the film and the event shown in the dominant image. Reading about something happening or being made in a different country also gives a sense of diversion from normal life.
This print magazine has a couple of different purposes. The initial purpose is to advertise newly released movies and this is shown throughout the magazine in general as current cinema releases are frequently written about. The purpose of this particular issue is to advertise the new James Bond movie and to entice the audience into watching it. Another purpose for this issue could be to maybe try to find the franchise a new audience as well as advertising to the current 007 fans. The purpose of a print magazine in general is so the readers can have something to read that they can keep forever which is different to a book.
The digital magazine I have chosen to analyse is Total Film. This magazine, like the print one that I have analysed is aimed at a similar audience: film lovers, with the psychographics varying due to genre preference. For this particular issue to be read, based upon the front cover the genre of preference would be action. However in the double page spread that I will be analysing from this digital magazine would be aimed at people who have a preference of romance. Meaning that there is something for everyone inside. The dominant image of this front cover is a medium two shot of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Thor is in front of Hulk, connoting that he is focus as the main feature of the magazine as it is about the movie Thor: Ragnarok. This character is looking away from the camera, giving us an indirect mode of address, which connotes mystery. His body language suggests that he is looking at someone or something with intensity that is off camera. He looks very strong and powerful in the way that he is standing, almost like he is ready to battle. His costume looks like a suit of armour, showing a sense of bravery in his character and the possibility to protect himself from whatever he is looking at. He has a red cape. This colour connotes strength and courage but also danger and blood, meaning that there is a possibility that he could be in danger or that there is some sort of problem. Thor is a hero created my Marvel, therefore his costume will have been chosen to enhance the stereotypical characteristics of that particular thing: bravery, courage, strength, confidence, helpfulness and much more. There is a slight difference between Thor and Hulk on this digital magazine front cover, Hulk is looking straight at the camera, giving a direct mode of address. He is wearing a helmet. This is simply put on the character as the usual use of a helmet: to protect. Hulk as a super hero wears a minimal amount of clothing, making him come across as a safer character than Thor. They both however appear to be carrying hammers, connoting that they may battle their enemies is similar ways. Hulk seems to have an angrier look on his face than Thor. This could mean that there is hypothetically something dangerous nearby or that he is generally an angrier character. There is high key lighting on these characters, showing that they are the main feature of this front cover. Choosing two heroes to be on the front cover instead of a hero and a villain will have been done as a way to showcase that it is what Marvel focuses on. The Marvel movies and comics are always about the heroes so the magazine will have continued to portray this in their issue. The background of this front cover is very bright and colourful. This is so the attention of the readers is centred on the text and on the dominant image. Different colours will have been used to grab the readers attention, making it more likely for them to download a copy of this magazine. The masthead reads “ Total Film” and the editors have chosen white as the colour for the font. White is a colour that stands out the most on a coloured background like the one on the front cover. They will have chosen to do this so that a lot of the attention is directed to the masthead, making people aware of which magazine has all of the content inside that they will be reading. The dominant image of Hulk is slightly covering this masthead. This is because the story of the movie Thor ragnorok is the main feature and doing this makes that fact more noticeable. The masthead is the largest piece of text on this front cover, simply because the title of the magazine is the most important thing. There is a skyline that says: Matt Damon “my darkest role yet”. These words imply that there will be some sort of interview with actor Matt Damon featured in the magazine. The name of the actor is written in yellow whilst the rest of the skyline is written in white. They have chosen white to match the masthead for this but yellow will have been chosen so that the name of that actor stands out. The interview with Matt Damon must be an important part of this issue which is why they will have chosen two different colours. The main sell line simply reads: ”Thor: Ragnorok”, the name of the movie that is their main story. The editor has separated the title of the movie using a different font style for each word. Since this film is about a particular character, they have made the name of that character larger, and the part after that smaller to emphasise that the film is one of a franchise. The word ”Ragnorok” is in a fancier font than the hero’s name. This could just be to add a little bit of difference from the rest of the text on the front cover, or given that ”Thor” is written in a bolder font it could related to the font sizes and show that the name of the character has more importance. ”Thor” is written in white with a yellow outline, matching the colours that are written above. This however is different for the word ”Ragnorok” as that is written in green. This will have been done to match the colour scheme of Hulk as he is also green. But they have made the font a brighter shade of the colour so that it stands out better on the colourful background. There is a plug on the left of the page which advertises another new film: Terminator 2. They have chosen yellow and white again for the background of this, to match the colour scheme that they have gone for. They have also chosen a black font to write about the extra feature that will be inside the magazine, so that it stands out and that it is readable. At the very top of this there is an image of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He looks like he is aiming a gun at the audience, giving a direct mode of address. His image also slightly covers the masthead, showing that this feature also has a level of importance without taking any attention away from the main story. On this front cover Schwarzenegger is wearing sunglasses and a brown jacket. This costume makes him look very mysterious and it is the costume that Schwarzenegger wears throughout the Terminator film series. His facial expression looks very serious, similarly to the expressions of Bond and Blofeld on the print front cover. This can be due to all of these characters having similar personality traits. There is a subhead below the main sell line which explains that the magazine is ”unbeatable on set access to Marvel’s out of this world epic”. This can be taken as Total Film is the best place to go to read about everything that happens backstage on the films that they review. White has been used for this piece of text as well to fit the colour scheme that they editor has decided to go for. There is another sell line just above the main which reads ”Hulk smash Thor?!” They will have decided to use a question for this to entice the audience to get them to read the magazine. This question implies that Hulk could beat Thor in some sort of battle, but it makes the readers think and what to know more. There is another sell line on the other side of the front cover which is simply just a list of names. This could mean that there are more interviews with these people in the magazine. Question marks are written at the end of a couple of the names though however, this adds a sense of mystery as this could make people unsure of what to expect and make them want to find out. More information is also added at the bottom right of the page as there is a list of movies. This shows that more than Thor: Ragnorok have been reviewed. They will have done this so that there is more content in the magazine and it will have been added to the front cover to attract more reader who maybe are not a fan of Marvel movies. There is a piece of essential information on the bottom left corner of this front cover which says that there are 86 film reviews. This will have been done so readers can find movies that they would like to see so that they can read about them first.
This double page spread is about a new movie called Breathe. The dominant image, like the print double page spread, covers both pages. This shows the scenery behind the people in the image and gives a background that the text can stand out on. There are two characters featured on this dominant image. These are characters that are in the new movie that the article is about. The male in this image is dressed very smartly, the character that they are trying to portray is a man of a higher class. This film as about the life of a man named Robin Cavendish, an advocate for disabled people. He was a medical aid developer and the suit that he is wearing in this image can connote wealth and intelligence because of this. Cavendish is walking with his wife Diana in the dominant image. This will have been done as way of advertisement using the moral of the movie’s storyline. Cavendish was diagnosed with polio at the age of 28 and he overcame the disease and wanted to help others. Showing his wife and himself walking happily through a field can show that happiness can be found in and after the darkest situations that life has to offer. The choice of using highkey lighting can also help explain this as a brighter light can also connote happiness whereas using lowkey lighting would connote the opposite. The costumes on both Robin and Diana look more old-fashioned that how they would be dressed in 2018. This is because this story is set in the 1950-60's where fashion was very different. Diana is wearing a dress, connoting femininity, however the movie is based upon a true story so this could be what the real life Diana Cavendish would typically wear. There is what appears to be another plug above the headline which says ”awards contender 1”. This is because it won an award at the Heartland Film Festival for the category ”truly moving picture”, showing cultural code. It was nominated for other awards as well in other festivals. Putting this in the article will make people want to watch the movie as if it has won something people will believe that it will be good. The editor of this magazine has chosen white for the background of this plug so that it is noticeable on the page but also because it matches the colour of the text below it and on the second page. Black has been chosen for the text inside of the plug so that it stands out from the rest of the article as the awards are an important factor on this double page spread. The headline says ”Pioneer Spirit” and is written in white with a blue underline. White has been chosen to match the colour scheme but blue will have been chosen to add a bit of difference and to emphasise the headline above. The editor has chosen the words ”Pioneer Spirit” for the headline because the characters look like they are exploring in the dominant image. They are alone in the image which gives a sense that they could be the first to discover something, giving the exact definition to the word ”pioneer”.
The purpose of this digital magazine is the same as the print on above: to advertise new films. However, the purpose of a digital magazine is different to the purpose of a print. Although they are both portable magazines, digital magazines can be found on a phone or tablet. Most people have a mobile phone that they take everywhere with them, making the purpose of a digital magazine be that they are more convenient in today's society.
The pros and cons of print and digital
Printed copies of magazines can be very handy as there is so subscription because they can be bought in stores, meaning that you can buy the particular issue that you want without having any issues that you’re not really interested in. Unlike digital magazines no internet connection is needed. This means that you can read it whenever you want to without having to wait if there is no connection available. Both magazines are portable, meaning that they can be read whilst travelling or when waiting for an appointment. Printed magazines are more easily accessible as no waiting is required for anything to download. And although a subscription isn’t necessary it can be done, making a magazine come to your door weekly or monthly depending on how often your chosen magazine release new issues. However, a problem with print magazines is that they can easily get lost. Whereas a digital magazine can be downloaded on any device, meaning that they are less likely to be misplaced. Print magazines seem to be more popular than digital due to digital magazines being quite a new thing. However younger readers are more likely to use digital magazines rather than print due to the rise of technology. A problem with digital magazines is that there are fewer jobs available, making it harder for people to find work in the media industry. Whereas with print magazines these jobs are available. But print magazines are becoming more expensive to make, meaning a decline for them due to not being able to make as many as before. A good thing about digital magazines is that they cannot be damaged where a print magazine can rip or tear quite easily. Digital magazines are also economically friendly as no paper is used due to it being online. They also make it easier to start a conversation and easier to share. This is because they can be shown easily on a phone instead of flipping through the pages of a print magazine to find the correct page that is getting talked about. The fact that they can be read on a phone also makes them more convenient as phones are always taken with people people when they go out. A print magazine however may get forgotten about when leaving the house to go somewhere. But going back to subscriptions, a subscription fee is not necessary for print magazines. But for digital magazines there is a fee required for most of them as there are very few free digital magazines.
Print magazines can be distributed in many different ways. One way that they can be distributed is in stores. Print magazines can be found in bookstores, corner shops, stationary shops and supermarkets. This makes them a lot easier to consume as they are in multiple different places. Another way that print magazines are distributed is through subscription. An online subscription can be taken for a specific magazine and a copy of it can arrive at the door of the consumer every time a new issue is released. This is different to digital magazines as they are only distributed online. A new issue will be released of the digital magazine that the consumer has chosen to read, they then must download it to be able to read it. This way to read magazines can become a problem due to broken links which would irritate the reader. Something else can also irritate the reader with a digital magazine is the possibility of having to zoom into every page in order to read it. This isn't the case with print magazines however the bleed lines must be accurate otherwise the text and imaged could end up off the page, making it unreadable.
