Film Magazines Conventions

Film magazine covers follow similar conventions to all magazines in general. I have drawn together some of the ideas of the conventions from looking at several magazine covers and doing online research. The codes and conventions which appear on the majority of products are as follows:

• MASTERHEAD - Features on all magazine covers, it is usually placed at the top center of the page which tells the audience which magazine it is. It is always the largest text which appears on the magazine which makes it eye catching for the audience. Magazine headings are often placed in colours such as red or placed in bold or capitals because this makes them stand out even more.
• IMAGES - Magazines always contain a main image which takes up most of the space on the page, in terms of a film magazine this will usually be a mid-shot and should reveal what the film is about, perhaps the main character in a still which appears to be taken from the movie. If the film contains a big Hollywood star they will most likely appear as the main item on the page as they are used as a selling point for the movie. Sometimes there are smaller images around the page which show other movies or interviews with movie stars. 
• BUZZ WORDS - These are words which catch the audiences attention, and make the magazine seem to stand out from any other magazine. Using words such as "exclusive" when talking about an interview make them seem like they are the only one with fresh, exciting information about a film which appears in no other magazine. 
• ANCHORAGE TEXT - This text often overlaps with images and is normally quite large on the magazine cover, however, far smaller than that of the masterhead. It tells the audience what stories will appear within the magazine. These often contain quotes taken from interviews or short snappy titles which stand out but also reveal what will be inside the magazine. 
• BANNER - This gives overall information about the magazine and what can be found inside of it. 
• BARCODE, DATE, ISSUE NUMBER and PRICE - All magazines contain these. The barcode appears on the front of the magazine as usually the back page is a paid for advertisement, the date and price are normally quite small but still relevant so that the audience can see this information.