Magazine Front Cover Overview

Magazine Front Cover Overview

There are very few magazines on the market that solely promote Horror films, even then, there are no magazines that focus on the Possession sub-genre so that is why I will be discussing three magazines that promote the overall genre of Horror, finding out which Horror conventions they follow, which ones they break and how effective this is for the audience/reader.  By performing this activity, it will allow me to make more informed decisions into what Horror conventions I want to show through my own Horror magazine.

Conventions
Horror Conventions
The three magazines shown feature a number of Horror film conventions.  Blood is signified by the colour red which is used for a number of magazine features like sell lines and the masthead.  Blood is a very typical feature in Horror films because it is often associated with death, one of Horror film's many themes that crops up again and again.  Another convention shown in the third magazine front cover is the isolated, dark and misty setting.  Using these types of locations tells the audience that the characters in these areas cannot escape and they cannot get any outside help to defeat the evil that lurks there.  In the first magazine front cover, we see two very typical Horror conventions that are linked to the Slasher sub-genre.  Masked killers are used in Horror films because we cannot see who the person really is, tying into the fear of the unknown.  Another convention is the weapons that the masked killers uses.  In the magazine front cover we see a chainsaw and a knife.  These weapons are typical of Horror films because they seem like everyday objects but can be turned against you, scaring the reader even more.

Magazine Conventions
We see a number of typical magazine conventions within each of the front covers.  This tells the reader/audience that the magazine is professional and that the ideas expressed inside the magazine are informative and trustworthy.  The typical magazine conventions that all three of the front covers include are: a main image, the masthead being placed at the top of the page, sell lines placed to the left and right of the front cover, one major sell line that is in a larger font than the others and names of other films being placed at the bottom of the page (except for "Fangoria").  These are all typical conventions that allow the audience to easily identify that it is a magazine front cover.  

The main image is the main feature of a magazine and it is there to draw the reader into the magazine.  It will fill the whole frame of the magazine and give readers an insight into what the film is about or who the characters are.  The masthead being placed at the top of the page attracts the reader's attention, drawing them into the magazine front cover.  The masthead is also in the largest font, further helping to draw the reader in.  Sell lines are used to also draw the reader into the magazine, giving enticing but informative information about the features inside the magazine.  These are normally displayed in a different colour to the other text seen on the page such as red, tying into the typical Horror convention of blood.  A major sell line is often tied into the main image and is in a larger font than the other sell lines.  This is so the reader can gain more information about the film and the main image while also being enticed into the rest of the magazine.  Names of other films are placed at the bottom or the very top of the page (in the case of "Fangoria") to entice the audience further.  If they see a film listed that they like, they will be more inclined to buy the magazine to see if there is any additional information about that film.

Main Image
The main images for the three magazines differ very much since they promote different sub-genre's within the main genre of Horror.  However we can identify some key conventions when it comes to the main image.  In both the "Horror" and the "Total Film" magazine we see males who look very intimidating and powerful.  They give direct address and this makes the reader feel like all of the information on the magazine front cover is being directed towards them.  They are given low-angle shots and long shots to show their dominance and power, making the audience feel more scared of them.

Mise-en-Scene
Mise-en-Scene plays a large role in suggesting the genre that the magazine and the film is representing.  For example, in "Total Film"'s front cover promoting the film "Shutter Island", which is a psychological Horror, we the character in a long trench coat, an un-tucked shirt and a messy tie.  This tells us that the character can be some sort of detective or business man that has been through a lot of stress and this idea is also reflected in his angry facial expression, suggesting that the things that happen in the location behind him have made him feel this way. Lighting is used to also signify the Horror genre showing darkness around the main character and around the borders of the magazine front cover, telling us that the darkness and the evil is taking over.

Colours
Colours also play an important role in representing the Horror genre.  Typical colours used are white, black and red and we do not seem to any any other colour apart from blue in the "Total Film" magazine front cover.  These colours are typically used because they give the perfect representation that defines the horror genre.  White represents the purity and the innocence that the characters have and contrasts the black that is used.  Black represents the evil within the film, telling us that there is a battle between light and darkness, black against white and good against evil.  Red is used to signify blood, the ultimate Horror convention.  By seeing the colour red we instantly identify the magazine is promoting a Horror film.  Red is also the colour that the human eye pays the most attention to; that is why fire trucks are painted red and police cars have red flashing lights.  Using red helps to draw the audience into the magazine while also enabling them to identify the genre that the magazine is promoting.

Text
Text is used to give more information about the magazine itself and the film that it is promoting while also enticing the reader to read further into the magazine.  The masthead gives us the name of the magazine.  If the reader sees the masthead and recognizes the name of the magazine, they will be more inclined to purchase it since it is a brand that they recognise. Mastheads are also in the largest font on the front cover, making the reader more attracted to the magazine since it grabs their attention.  Sell lines are placed around the edges of the magazine and this is so the reader can see the main image while also keeping to a professional looking layout.  The western human eye automatically looks to the top left and eventually reaches the bottom right.  Sell lines use this to their advantage by normally being placed to the left of the page.  Sell lines often give a short snappy title for the information that they present just underneath it to attract the readers attention.  Then the short section of information below it entices the audience into reading the whole magazine by using phrase like "Find out inside" and "Keep reading to find out more".  One major sell line is used to tie into the film that the magazine is promoting.  An example of this is the "Total Film" front cover promoting "Shutter Island".  Here we see the name of the film in a much larger font size compared to the other sell lines, attracting the readers attention more, making them remember what the film is called.  This sell line also gives the opportunity to entice the reader into finding out more about the film inside of the magazine.

Layout
The three magazines all keep to the same, consistent layout that not only applies to all Horror magazines, but to all magazines in general.  We see the main image filling the frame of the page, while keeping most of its content to the center of the page.  The masthead is placed at the top of the page to tell the audience what the magazine is called.  Sell lines are placed to the left and the right hand side of the page, allowing the reader to still see the main image clearly while having the major sell line being placed near to the bottom of the page.

Conclusion
In conclusion these magazine front covers use effective methods to entice the audience while also giving them key information about the film that they are promoting.  The Horror genre is suggested and represented very well due to the many features that make up a typical magazine.