The magazine front cover for Terminator Salvation is another front cover that proves that action films work very well on magazine front covers. What helps make this front cover so successful is the layering of the photos to make it look more 3D. In the foreground is the head of a Terminator machine, then the next layer has Christian Bale and Sam Worthington, and then the background is made up of a blurry terminator on one side and a building on the other. Holding all these layers together are the sparks which occur in all three of the layers. Also helping to glue the cover together is the blurry effect that is used on most of the background and around the various layers. It would look very fake if all the photos were simply put one on top of the other, as they would look obviously layered. However here the blur tool is used to cover the cuts between the layers and blur them together. There is a tool on Photoshop which allows you to do this, as it take the colouring of both the layers and creates a sort of blur that links the sections together. There is a very obvious stylistic blur surrounding Christian Bale and Sam Worthington, but this is done to also give the effect of a post-apocalyptic atmosphere and a wasteland. The blur effect glues the photos together and creates atmosphere, neatly killing two birds with one stone. Towards the top of the picture seems to be dust clouds. These also add to the effect of the post-apocalyptic atmosphere, and having this just confirms that the blur isn't meant to be a blur, but in fact is meant to be part of the atmosphere. Having it at the top of the magazine also makes them look as if they are dark clouds overshadowing the scene, making it look more foreboding and dangerous. This is called pathetic fallacy - using the weather to create a certain mood. But in this instance it isn't strictly speaking the weather, which is a very interesting technique.
As seen in almost every magazine front cover, the characters on the poster are looking directly at the viewer, and one of them is aiming a weapon at them. This is obviously a tried and tested way of making magazine front covers and I agree that it is a very powerful technique. Perhaps this is a technique that we should start thinking about using in our poster, as it would make it look more professional and would appeal conventionally to the viewer. On the other hand, the poster could stand out by going against this convention. For example, if the character on the poster had their back to the viewer it could effect them in an equally, if not more powerful way. On the shelf in a shop, there would be hundreds of magazines with people looking at the viewer and trying to connect with them, as seen in numerous of these magazine front covers. Therefore the viewer would not so much be drawn in by the people looking at them, but by the people who aren't looking at them. Their eyes would be drawn to what is unique and stands out, and perhaps a figure facing away from the camera would do this very well. By analysing these front covers I can see both what is conventional and works, and what could be unconventional and original. This is perhaps something that I can experiment with when making our magazine front cover, as it could be a very good technique. On the other hand it may not work at all, as the audience would feel as if they aren't connecting with the character and they don't want to make the effort as the character isn't. This is an issue which I would have to address before making a final decision on it.
When making my front cover I won't just be looking at how to position the actors in the picture or what fonts to use, but I'll also have to work on the smaller things, such as where to position the bar code, price, issue number etc. The bar code here is hidden away in a corner that is not used so much in the big picture - there is a corner specially darkened to fit the bar code into. This is something we may want to think about before completing editing on the picture, as we don't want a bar code covering up an important part of the picture. But to be honest, I don't see why these magazines don't just put the bar code on the back of the magazine; it would look far better not taking away from the drama of the cover photo. The price and issue number are both inside the dip of the 'M' of 'FILM', which I thin it s a very clever place to put them. In most magazines it is conventional to put the price and issue number next to the title, but this is a far more interesting design as it interacts with the title. This makes it almost melt in with the rest of the cover, and it isn't so obtrusive. Unless there is some sort of bargain the magazine doesn't want to immediately be showing the viewer the price.
Overall I think that this is one of the most powerful magazine front covers that I have seen. The images are very strong and the layering makes it seem genuinely real, rather than just a photo. It makes it more of an active front cover, as if it's a frame taken straight from the film. Through analysing this I have also learnt a few key points as to where to position the various parts that are essential on a magazine front cover, such as bar codes, prices and issue numbers. These have to go on every magazine, so I'll have to be putting it in at some point. Also I have found that maybe it's not best to go with a fully conventional front cover, but do something different so it stands out, rather than just sinks in with all the other magazines on the shelf.