Empire Magazine is the leading film magazine that discusses all the latest news in the film business and reviews the latest films. Our magazine front cover will probably be either Empire or Total Film, the other major film magazine, so I will try and analyse front covers of both of them and decide which one to opt for at a later stage. Magazine front covers have to be strong in order to sell both the film and the magazine and so usually use action blockbusters which make the front cover look exciting and explosive. For example, the latest issues of Empire have used the films 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug', 'Wolverine', 'Man of Steel', 'Star Trek' and 'Iron Man 3'. There hasn't been an issue without an action movie on the front since November 2008, when there was a selection of covers, and even then the majority of the covers had action films on. Clearly action films sell magazines much better than other films and it is easy to see why. Action films stand out a lot more on the shelf, and set the magazine apart from all the others. With this in mind I am thinking about making our film an action film, as other genres simply wouldn't work on magazines as they don't sell nearly as well.
This particular front cover seems to jump right off the page as the Perseus' leg is covering the banner at the bottom of the magazine, giving it a strong 3D element. His other leg is behind the banner, supporting this by making him look as if he is physically stepping over that element of the magazine and as if he could climb out of the magazine itself. His head is covering over part of the word 'Empire' at the top, increasing this 3D feel, and although it obscures the title of the magazine, the publishers are working on the assumption that people know what the magazine is anyway. Anyway, the title is easy enough to guess, and if it can't be guessed then 'Empire' is written on the binding of the magazine. Mingling the text on the cover with the picture is a very powerful way to present the magazine. The title in particular is grasping the atmosphere of the film as it appears to be on fire. This shows very strong collaboration between the publishers and the film makers, and enhances the effect of the front cover. This is a difficult effect to achieve, but after having some experience editing fonts last year I feel that our group is up to the challenge of editing the Empire title. Having the banner curve underneath the protagonists' leg is quite an easy effect to achieve, so this may be another effect that we will try out on our poster if it is appropriate. Another effect that makes this magazine stands out, is that the protagonist seems to be looking beyond the magazine and into the eyes of the viewer. The photo is cleverly taken so that the pupils are in the centre of the eye, giving the effect that wherever the viewer stands, the protagonist is looking at them, almost daring them not to buy the magazine. His sword is in the hand facing the viewer, so in a way he seems to be intimidating the viewer.
Also helping to sell the magazine are the other advertisements around the main feature. At the top of the magazine it advertises 'Free! New Moon Posters'. The 'Free!' in this stands out the most as it is enclosed in a box with a different coloured background from the rest of the cover and it has an exclamation mark. This grabs any viewer, as people like to see that they are getting their money's worth and particularly getting something for free. For some people it doesn't even matter what it is, just the fact that it is free is enough for them to consider the offer. Not only does this help to sell the magazine but it also helps to sell the film which the posters are advertising. It would cost Empire no expense, as the film company would pay for the posters and would pay Empire to give them out in their magazines. Empire then are getting money from film companies to give out free posters and are also getting money from the public who are buying the magazine because it has free posters inside it. For Empire it is a double win. The other main advertisement is that inside the magazine are 'All new interviews!' and 'Never-before-seen pics!' of the Alien films. By claiming to have something exclusively and being the first to have the information, the magazine is showing that it is a very important magazine and also seems to claim that only by buying the magazine can the viewer get hold of those interviews and pictures. This time, however Empire would probably have to pay for this exclusive privilege, but it could be worth it to give the magazine greater respect and to sell more copies.