We decided that we would produce a magazine cover for Empire Magazine as the logo is bold and out of all the three magazines we researched and analysed, we preferred the way that the Empire covers looked. We took elements from existing covers, including the layout, logo and types of features that are used to advertised the magazine to create an authentic-looking Empire cover.
Our magazine cover was produced in Adobe Photoshop, firstly inserting our chosen image which was of the character of Erin sat in the subway at night. We wanted her to have a serious expression, with her hood up as to not glamourise the theme of our film and keep the image looking quite edgy and gritty.
The scene that this image is chosen from is the last in our trailer, where Erin is crouched against the subway wall and pulls down her hood to reveal her short hair. This, I feel, is a key moment in the trailer and is a strong image to use as a magazine cover which commonly feature only the main character/protagonist of a film to give the audience an idea of who the film is based around, as well as having a key actor/actress or character to sell the film to the audience and get people interested in it. The image we chose is (right) which is quite a confrontational, close-up image of Erin (our actress Laura). Her expression is serious and her eyes look quite sad and lost which will catch the eye of the audience. We also wanted to have a constant theme running through our poster and magazine cover so both images are those taken in the subway, to create a type of brand.Typography/Font/Logos
Firstly, we cropped the image to an A4 size so it would be easier to print. We then added in the magazine logo by cutting it by colour-selecting the red from an existing Empire cover and inserting it onto the top of our image. The other elements
including the price, date of issue, website address, bar code and magazine slogan were also added in to stick to the typical conventions of the magazine and create an authentic-looking outcome.A logo for our film was necessary when creating a brand for 'Raze' so we chose a gritty typeface that we found on dafont.com. The font was a free download called 'Distorted and Scratchy' which we think visually represents the theme of our film well. This logo was then typed onto the top of our image in uppercase letters, underneath the Empire logo to keep to keep the focus on the film and not let the magazine logo overshadow the film title. The typography we have chosen is a graphological feature of the cover that really visually reinforces the gritty, social realist genre of our thriller film.
I really like the logo we have chosen for our film and we have also incorporated this into our trailer and film poster to keep a constant style through our products and create a recognisable brand for our film.Cover Features
By analysing existing Empire covers, we have seen that they commonly list new film releases on the front cover to tell the audience about what features and reviews are inside that particular issue. We then looked up releases which are coming this summer and used names of highly-anticipated blockbusters such as the new Harry Potter film, The Hangover 2 and Transformers films and listed then under a 'New releases!' heading. As our film is the main features of the magazine, all of the information has been typed in a larger and bolder font than the other features to draw the readers eye and keep the focus on 'Raze'.
A tag line of further information has been added underneath our film logo in the same scratched typography, reading 'The new British thriller' which we have used as a bold statement to create intrigue and excitement among the target audience, clearly stating the type of film that 'Raze' is. This also establishes our film as a thriller and immediately targets a particular audience - fans of thrillers or British films. Further information on the main magazine's feature has also been added to the cover, reading 'Exclusive interview with cast and crew of new British thriller'. This feature would then be designed to give the audience further information on the characters, plot line and narrative of our film, further targeting the more specific audience of young adults and teenagers in terms of the content of 'Raze'. The use of the word 'exclusive' is also commonly used on magazine covers and other editorials as a way of selling a product and making the readership or target audience feel excited, priveleged or special to have access to such a new and unique interview.
Another feature we have added to the cover is '100 Best Movies of All Time!' which is the type of article that would be featured in Empire magazine, as well as other film magazines. We have also added a round, red circle that is designed to look like a label or sticker that is commonly featured on Empire covers. This label has 'Laura Gray - Up and coming star of 2011' written in it, giving our actress (who plays Erin) a sense of status and fame and also introducing her to the audience and using this to build interest/hype around her and the film.
Final Evaluation
Overall, I am really pleased with the final outcome of our magazine cover as I feel that it follows common codes and conventions of existing Empire magazine covers as we have taken elements from covers that we have analysed and used and adapted them to our own cover and film. I think our cover looks authentic and striking, with our image being strong and eye-catching to an audience with the use of a close up and face-on photograph of our film's main character. The overall image represents the gritty, urban, inner-city location that our film is supposed to be set in with the use of a dirty-looking, rough and graffiti-covered wall and a hooded teenager which gives connotations of youth crime and anti socialism - a key theme in our film.
Furthermore, I think that the typography that we have chosen as the logo of our film is highly representative of the film, with a scratched and rough texture that gives visually represents the film's name which itself has connotations of sharpness and destruction. The use of this typography running through all three of our media products - trailer, magazine cover and poster - creates a recognizable logo and brand. The only issues that I have with the cover is that the image is slightly blurred and out of focus, and i think that is this image was a little sharper it would be even more striking and bold. Another problem may be the readability of the small text underneath the magazine logo against the textured wall background, as well as the magazine logo being slightly pixelated which was only discovered after we had finished editing our image. Apart from these minor faults in our cover, I am extremely pleased with the final outcome as I feel that it visually represents our film well without giving too much away and it follows common conventions of existing Empire magazine covers which adds to the authenticity of the image. Here is the final edited magazine cover:
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