Monday 1 February 2016

Total Film Front Cover Analysis

The first thing I notice when looking at the cover is the main article, in bold block capitals "THE ACTION ISSUE" this shows this particular issue will be based on action films where-as usually Total Film focuses on a wide range of films. This can be good and bad in two ways for marketing, one it could bring in a lot of circulation for action film fans but also people who are not interested in action films may turn away from this issue. The font used looks worn and gritty, reminiscent of an action film. Also 'ACTION' is in yellow making it stand out, enticing the reader. The main image shows actor 'Dwayne Johnson' in his role as the protagonist in San Andreas, a big budget Hollywood action film that was released at the time of this issue. Notice he is making direct address with the audience. He is well known for his acting career and also his role as 'The Rock' in WWE so he is a widely known figure bringing in readers. He's a good actor to have on the cover of a strictly 'Action' issue, for he's well known for his action roles and also his physique. Tall and muscular. But also look at the background, it shows a city which seems to be in ruins, and by putting Dwayne in front of that makes it seem as if he has conquered it and looks rather unscathed, telling us a lot about his character and also the film itself.  The masthead 'TOTAL FILM' is situated top and center like in every other issue, though sometimes the layout of it changes with 'TOTAL' not inside 'FILM'. The bold red block capital writing grabs the readers attention, even with the vibrant and clustered cover. Above that is the sell line, "THE FAST AND FURIOUS: UNDER THE HOOD" The Fast and Furious is a huge international film franchise with over 7 films. 'Under the Hood' is effective for people will want to know what goes on behind the scenes, also this is after the late Paul Walker died so fans and more dedicated fans would want to read up and see what it included about him. And it would also bring in a large fan base (Fast and Furious) to this issue. The cover line "FIRST LOOK, FANTASTIC 4, THE ORIGINAL MARVEL HERO'S" written in yellow and white font is also an important article that will help sell this issue, the Fantastic 4 is a huge superhero franchise from Marvel and the first 2004 film bombed at the box office so the newest film was eagerly awaited. And by saying 'First Look' will bring in readers because this is the first place they will be able to read about it. Specific words and phrases like that are important for you need to entice the reader and grab their attention to sell your product. The main colour scheme is yellow, red and white and this is only because these color's stand out well from the rest of the cover. Like Empire there is not necessarily a set colour scheme, the cover itself is usually based around the main article, in this case, 'San Andreas'. Along the bottom of the cover are sub-images and cover lines, showing "21 EXPLOSIVE ACTION FILMS" as this is an action issue, and the films featured are huge blockbusters like 'Spectre' and 'Mad Max: Fury Road', bringing in fans of those films and also action films in general, after all there are 21 more. This is effective marketing, saying there is '21' more, as if you're getting value for money and also the words picked, 'EXPLOSIVE' an action word, it jumps out at you and grabs your attention. Making the reader want to find out what these explosive films are.

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