Potential photos for magazine cover

Ive taken a range of different photos of my central protagonist for my magazine cover. As my magazine is cover is from a mainstream magazine, it is essential to have the main character on the front, hopefully one of them will be used on my magazine cover to promote the film.

Different types of Publications - Little White Lies

This cover is from Little White Lies magazine. Little White Lies is a British Independent film magazine that is released monthly. covers featured on this magazine differ to all other film publications as instead of pictures of stars or directors, it features illustrated drawings of characters and actors. In this edition of Little White Lies, the cover includes vibrant bright colours, this may attract magazine browsers, also similar to previous covers I've looked at the mast head covers the dominant central image. Another thing that is unique about this cover is that there isn't any references to other content, this is very unusual, by not including these references I feel that the illustration is more emphasized.

Different types of Publications - American cinema

This is a cover from the the Film Publication American cinematographer. American cinematographer mainly focuses on the craft of film making. The layout of the cover is much more simple than previous covers I have looked at, and theres much less content then other covers aswell. The magazine cover isn't so bright and similarly to sight and sound has used quite a dull coloured central image. The central image is of actor Javier Bardem, who is a recognisable actor this is likely to attract magazine browsers. Unlike other magazine covers I have looked at, this cover doesn't include alot of references to extra content, however it does have some reference to content at the top.

Different types of Publications - Total Film

This is a cover from Total Film. Total film, like Empire is a mainstream Film magazine and it is easy to see why. Firstly the font is big, bold and contrasts with the other main colour on the page. also the majority of the cover is in bright blue, this is sure to catch peoples attention and stand out from others. Secondly it includes a big dominant central image of a notable character. It's also similar to the Empire cover as the central image covers the masthead which makes it more immersive for the viewer. The cover also includes reference to information on other mainstream Hollywood films at the top, and has extra reference to content running down both sides of the page. aswell as this it includes taglines at the bottom, which is typical of mainstream film magazines.

Different types of Publications - Sight & Sound

This cover is from Sight & Sound, Sight & Sound mainly focuses on Independent and Foreign Language Film. Similarly to Empire, the first thing people will notice when looking at the cover is the main central image, which is of Canadian film maker David Cronenberg. However unlike Empire's magazine central image, David Cronenberg is less recognisable and well known. Another similarity between this and Empires is the layout as they both include reference to content that is running down the side of the magazine. Another difference between this and Empires one is the colour theme, Empires was bright with flamed font, and this uses a dull colour theme and basic themed font. Another notable difference is how the font on this cover overlaps the image, whereas the font on the Empire cover is underlapped by the image.

Different types of Publications - Empire

This cover is from Empire magazine. Empire is a mainstream film publication. In this edition of empire the first thing that stands out is the dominant central image, which is of Hellboy, who is a recognisable character, another thing that stands out is the colour, the bright red and orange must be eye catching while browsing for a magazine, another aspect of the front cover is the font, what's clever about the font is that it matches the theme and character of Hellboy which is the cover story of this edition. The layout is quite simple with the mast head at the top, the image is central and the reference to content running down the side. The masthead is also slightly covered by the central image of Hellboy which makes it seem even more immersive to the viewer, as if Hellboy is coming out the magazine cover. It also includes a banner saying "first look", this suggests that there is something exclusive in this issue of empire, this may make the magazine more desirable for buyers.

Mainstream Magazine Analysis

I have decided that my film will be a Hollywood mainstream picture, as a box office film, my magazine will have to reflect this. By looking at existing mainstream film publications, I hope to better understand what content is expected on these types of magazines, and what I will have to include on my own magazine.

• Recognisable Actor
• Barcode
• Big, Bold Font
• Bright Font
• Reference To Other Content
• Pictures Of Other Content
• Website
• Price
• Tagline
• Cover lines
• Banners

• Recognisable Character
• Bright/Bold Font
• Barcode
• Price
• Edition
• Pictures of Other Content
• Taglines
• Banners
• Movie font
• Reference to other Content

• Recognisable Characters
• Bold/Bright Font
• Barcode
• Issue number
• Price
• Special issue
• Banners
• Taglines
• Reference to other Content
• Pictures of Other Content

Magazine Name Pie Chart

After coming up with potential names for my magazine, I did a survey and asked 50 people their opinion on which name sounded best for a mainstream film magazine, the pie chart above shows the results, and shows that a large proportion of people asked felt "MOVIE" was the best choice for a mainstream magazine name out of the other choices.

10 Potential Magazine Names

Below is a list of 10 potential magazine names for my own publication. By looking at existing Film publications I was able to grasp a better understanding of what kind of words were being used as names for the magazines.

• EPIC FILM
• THE PREMIUM
• COLOSSAL FILM
• PREMIER PRESS
• FILM REEL
• SILVER SCREEN MAGAZINE
• MOVIE 
• FILM GEEK
• FILM BUFF
• SILVER REEL MAGAZIE

EPIC FILM
Epic film would be a suitable name as it creates the impression of a big and great magazine through the use of the word "epic". inspiration for this name came from existing film publication Empire.

THE PREMIUM
As well as Epic film, The Premium also has that kind of "grand" vibe to it, which I am trying to include in my magazine.

COLOSSAL FILM
Colossal Film is another example of a big name, which could attract the publics attention while browsing for  magazine.

PREMIER PRESS
Similar to The Premium, Premier Press has that kind of exclusive, higher class sound to it, which could attract browsers.

FILM REEL
Film Reel is a nice example as it incorporates words relating to the genre of the magazine.

SILVER SCREEN MAGAZINE
This is a potential as it has alliteration and it rhymes which can make it more memorable and desirable for the public.

MOVIE
Movie is a potential as it is clear and simple, and it is only one word, so it may be more memorable than others.

FILM GEEK
Film Geek is a good name as it includes a degree of humour in the word geek, it's also short and memorable because of this.

FILM BUFF
Film Buff would be a suitable name as similarly to Film Geek it's easy to remember and catchy.

SILVER REEL MAGAZINE
Silver reel magazine would also be a good choice as it has an expensive, good quality sound to it , due to the use of the word "Silver".

List of Film Magazine Cover Conventions

Below is a list of typical Conventions I have have discovered whilst observing and analysing different magazine covers. This list represents what most, if not all film magazines include, regardless of what genre of film the magazine belongs to.

• Mast Heads
• Issue number
• Price
• Dominant central images
• Banners
• Cover lines
• Content on giveaways
• Issue date
• Main cover lines

Conventions of Film Magazines

Above is the front cover of an issue of SFX magazine. I have analysed the cover of the magazine and have recorded the conventions I have found. I feel that these findings are helpful to me as they give me an indication of what aspects I am required to have included on my future magazines front cover. 

Conventions of Genre - "Jacob's Ladder"

• Negative muted colour theme
• Red font- symbolises blood
• Blurred central image
• Mise-en-scene- glasses(vulnerability)
• Mise-en-scene- pale complextion

This poster is a good example as it clearly portrays what genre it has intended to show. Mainly through two conventions which are- the negative colour theme, this is a main convention in this poster as most of the poster is in just pitch black. The second convention is the dominant central image, this image is blurred and stands out as it is the only image on the page, viewers of the poster can also see the characters facial expression, which again shows conventions of the Horror genre.

Conventions of Genre - "Texas Chainsaw 3D"

• Negative colour theme
• Red worn font, (red symbolises blood)
• Mise-en-Scene - Sinister costume and body language
• Blurred background and central image

The similarities of this poster compared to the others are clear, it has the typical muted negative colour themes, which most, if not all horror posters have. It also has distorted worn font, like other posters I have analysed in the past. The main convention on the poster is the dominant central image, this clearly shows what kind of film Texas chainsaw 3D is, if you hadn't already guessed by the title of the film. A difference between this poster and the others is that this is an old film, which has been brought back to cinema, to be shown in a 3D format, what this means is that the poster doesn't have to be special, (sell the film), as it already has an audience. It even could have just been a teaser poster and just had the name of the film and 3D next to it due to the existing audience and fans.

Conventions of Genre - "The collection"

• Negative colour theme
• Mise-en-scene- laced mask
• Mise-en-scene- woman drowning in tank

This poster interested me as it didn't have as many conventions as other posters but is clearer on what genre it's trying to display, this is probably due to the fact that certain conventions such as a main central image are more assertive then others, it also made me notice how in a lot of these horror posters the viewers are unable to see the main characters face, which I feel creates some sort of suspense for the viewers.

Conventions of genre - "The Broken"

• Blurred font
• Negative colour themes
• Mise-en-scene i.e broken mirror 
• Serious expressions
• Shadowed central image 

This poster shares most of the same conventions as the last poster analysed, such as the blurred font, negative colour theme and the use of shadow, it also gives off that same kind of horror feel to it, this again is the result of all the above conventions combined.

Conventions of Genre - "Sinister"

• Negative colour theme
• Shadows 
• Innocent characters, i.e children
• Blurred, smudged font
• Mise-en-scene, i.e Blood

All these Conventions on posters by themselves would not portray what genre is attended to be portrayed, but when they are all included on one poster, they give a "horror" like theme to the audience, which shows the viewers what kind of film it is, and in a way a sneak preview of what is going to occur in the film.

Possible Teaser Trailer Conventions

Here is a list of Possible teaser trailer conventions. I wish to try and use all of these conventions when I finally come to create and edit my very own teaser trailer.

• Production company logos (usually at the beginning or end of the trailer)
• Images of the film
• Clips of the film
• Title of the film
• Release dates ( in a teaser trailer, is likel to be "coming soon")
• Indication of genre
• Website (usually at the end)
• Voice overs
• Editing (often flashes, quick fades and dissolves)
• Possible cast, crew director credits
• Possible references to other, similar films that share producers/directors
• References to past awards, won or nominated by the cast and crew
• Music reflecting Genre
• Taglines
• Sound effects
• Eye candy
• References to source material
• A variety of camera movements, shots

Conventions of Teaser Trailers - Brave

• Production company logos
• Voice over 
• Clear indication of genre
• Music - Adventurous
• sound - impacting sound effects
• fast paced editing
• title of film
• Release date - (summer 2012)
• website

Conventions of Teaser Trailers - Hunger Games

• Production company logos
• Different voice overs
• Music/Sound - adventurous music, impacting sound effects 
• Title of film
• Tagline
• Release date (March 23, 2012)
• Social network references - (Facebook), (twitter - #WhatsMyDistrict)

Conventions of Teaser Trailers - John Carter

• Production company logos
• Clear indication of genre
• Music/Sound - majestic, adventurous music
• Lack of narrative
• Release date (2012),(03/09/12)
• Tag line (find your destiny)
• Variety of camera shots and movements
• Title of film
• Website at the end of the trailer

Conventions of Teaser Trailers - Skyfall

• Production company logos
• Rapid paced editing, fades
• Clear indication of genre
• Eye candy
• Music/Sound- Impacting sound, suggests urgency, immediacy
• Variety of camera shots and movements
• A lack of narrative
• Title of film
• Release date (November)
• Social network reference (#SKYFALL)
• Film franchise logo (007)

Conventions of Teaser Trailers - Man Of Steel

• Production company logos open the Teaser Trailer
• Release date (this summer), (2013)
• Voiceover man
• Editing- this trailer includes many fades, wich adds to the dramatical vibe of the trailer
• Music/Sound- dramatical music
• Title of Film
• Film franchise logo (Superman logo)
• Recognisable music, (used in other films), (lord of the rings)

Conventions of Teaser Trailers

Having already compared Theatrical to Teaser trailers, I now must focus specifically on Theatrical trailers, I'm going to analyse five teaser trailers and point out different conventions, which are most commonly used by directors. With the conventions, I will be able to construct my very own Teaser trailer, and hopefully the findings will ensure that the trailer will have great authenticity.

Existing film publications

Below is a list of ten existing film publications. This research will educate me on the conventions of magazine covers and will give me a clear idea of what I will have to include on my own magazine cover. Over the years Film magazines have been developed and grown, this has resulted in many new types of film magazines that cater to every film lovers needs, for example take Total Film. This magazine primarily focuses on big budget Hollywood films and A-list actors, in contrast to "Total Film" is "American Cinematographer" which unlike Total FIlm, focuses on the arts and crafts of cinematography. By looking at all these magazines I hope to get a better idea on the variety of magazines my future film could appear on the cover of, and what conventions I will have to embed on my own magazine cover.

TOTAL FILM

Total Film is a British film magazine which  has been running now for thirteen years, Total Film magazines are released once a month, and focus on big Hollywood productions, Hollywood A- list stars and film reviews. As you can see this edition of Total Film has actor Tom Cruise as its main dominant central image. This magazine would appeal to anyone interested in big budget Hollywood films and top Hollywood actors.

Sight&Sound

Sight and Sound is a British monthly film magazine which is published by the BFI, Sight and Sound was first published in 1932 and has been running ever since. Sight and Sound specialises in content on Independent film and International film, rather than film on general release such as Hollywood blockbusters.

EMPIRE

Empire is a British film magazine published monthly. It is the best selling film magazine in Britain and is also published in other countries such as America, Australia, Turkey, Russia, and Portugal. Empire specialises in big budget Hollywood movies, film reviews and A- List actors similarly to 'Total Film'. Empire was first published in 1989 and today outsells there rivals 'Total Film' by over two-to-one in sales.

Film Review

Film review is a monthly British film magazine which was first published in 1950 and continued until 2008, like many other film magazines, Film Review specialised in features on new films, articles about actors and directors and film reviews, unfortunately the magazine did not last as it was forced off the shelves by other film publications such as Empire and Total Film.

HOTDOG

Hotdog was a British film publication which had upcoming film reviews and interviews with actors as well, however like many other film publications, Hotdog stopped publishing in november 2006 due to competitors in the industry and due to the many owners of the magazine itself.

SHIVERS

Shivers was a UK based magazine which was first published in 1992, this particular publication was dedicated to Horror movies, television shows and literature, the magazine produced eight publications a year and finally stopped publishing in may 2008.

Little White Lies

Little white lies is a monthly British independent film magazine which features writing, illustration and photography related to cinema. The first issue was released in febuary 2005. Little White Lies is known for its unusual yet eye catching front covers.

American 
Cinematographer

American cinematographer is a bi-monthly magazine  first published by the American society of cinematographers on November 1920. The magazine focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, covering demostic and international film productions. The magazine include a wide range of contet, from interviews with directors to historical articles on cinematography.

MOVIE MAKER

MovieMaker is an American magazine focusing on the art and business of making movies, with a special emphasis on independant film. Movie Maker was first published december 1993. Feature article topics include movie making techniques and "how to" collums. content is directed at the audience aswell as the artist through discussion of contempary independant and studio films.

STARBURST

Starbusrst is a British Sci-Fi film and television magazine. This picture on the left is Starburst's first edition, which was published november 1st 1997. Starbusrt as a magazine focus primarily on sci-fi content, such as new upcoming films or television series and interviews with Sci-Fi directors. Starburst like many other film publications is published once a month.

Comparing Teaser trailers to Theatrical trailers - "The Avengers"

Similarities

• Both trailers include the production company logo/s, which in this case is "Marvel" and "Paramount".
• Both include release dates for the film, however the Teaser trailer has the exact date, however the release dates are at different dates.
• They both include short clips and images from the film.
• They both include websites and social media indications.
• Both include the title of film.

Differences

• There is more narrative in the theatrical trailer than the teaser trailer. This is mainly due to the fact that theatrical trailers are longer then teaser trailers.
• Again there is also more development of character/s in the Theatrical trailer, the audience gets to see the characters life prior to the assembled group, this differs to the teaser trailer, as the Teaser trailer only gives a broad view of the characters, and what they do. 
• There's a broader range of sound and music in the Teaser trailer compared to the theatrical trailer
• The teaser trailer is shorter in duration than the theatrical trailer.
• The music and sound on the teaser trailer and the theatrical trailer differ, the music and sound in the teaser trailer is faster and has more impacting sounding music and sounds compared to the theatrical trailer which has less.

Comparing Teaset trailers to Theatrical trailers - "The Adjustment Bureau"

These two trailers are from the 2010 film "The Adjustment Bureau". The second trailer is a teaser trailer, whereas the first is the the standard theatrical trailer, the teaser trailer was released months prior to the actual release of the film, teaser trailers are usually only 30-45 seconds long unlike the theatrical trailer which are usually a few minutes long, they reveal little about the plot and characters of the film, this creates anticipation and desire to go and see the film for the audience.

However there are similarities between the two:

• Production company logos
• Both show film website
• both have some indication of a release period
• There are taglines in both
• The name of the film
• They both indicate genre 

Aswell as similarities there are also differences between the two:

• There is much more narrative in the theatrical trailer compared to the teaser trailer
• There is an actual release date on the theatrical trailer
• The pace of the editing is more frantic in the teaser trailer
• more development of character
• more dialogue in theatrical trailer
• The use of music and sound effects are difference, more impacting sounds and music, wider range of music in theatrical trailer .  

Comparing Teaser trailers to Theatrical trailers - "Limitless"

Having looked at the teaser trailer and the theatrical trailer for limitless, i have found a number of similarities but also a number of differences

Similarities

• Both trailers include the production company logos, but may be shown at different points in the trailers
• Both include taglines, however they're more frequently shown on teaser trailer than on the theatrical trailer
• Both trailers include websites
• Both have different kinds of release dates 
• Both include the title of the film
• Both include short clips/images of the film

Differences 

• There is more narrative content in the theatrical trailer compared to the teaser trailer.
• There is also more development of character in the theatrical trailer, the audience gets a wider view of the character and his predicament.
• There is also a broader range of music in the teaser trailer compared to the theatrical trailer.
• The Teaser trailer is shorter in duration than the theatrical trailer.
• The pace of the editing in the teaser trailer is more frequent and is faster, than it is in the theatrical trailer , this is due to the amount of time in the teaser trailer, meaning that the faster the editing is, the more clips and images can be included in the short clip.
• The sound and music used in the Teaser trailers differs to the sounds used in the theatrical trailer, the sound tends to be more impacting, powerful sounds, this is again due to the fact that the teaser trailer doesn't last long and needs to sell itself with overly dramatic sound and music.

Teaser Trailers

While i'm deciding what genre to do i'll look at the basic conventions of teaser trailers, and i'll also look at the similarities and differences between theatrical and teaser trailers. I will analyse and take down the trailer conventions, which shall be eventually used in my own teaser trailer. I expect to find a number of differences between teaser trailers which are released many months prior to the film reaching the cinema, and theatrical trailers which appear in the immediate run up to a films cinematic release.

List of Conventions found on Posters

Researching and analysing film posters from a range of genres has shown me what different conventions film marketing companies include on their posters regardless of genre. I have compiled a list of these basic poster design and layout conventions and this list will act as a guideline in the future when i'm designing my own poster.

• Images (stars, characters, scenes from the film)
• Quotations from magazines/newspapers reviews (showing target audience)
• Taglines
• Release Date 
• The Title (always the biggest text on poster)
• Logos of companies involved in making the film
• Website/ social networking links, (vital convention to include on a poster)
• Reference to source material
• Names of Actors
• Eye candy (images of male/female stars, explosions)
• Star Ratings
• Certificate
• Merchandise (e.g. soundtrack)
• Awards and nominations
• Reference to other films
• Credits/billing
• Name of the Director
• Mise-en-scene (referencing genre)
• 2D, 3D logos

Poster Conventions - "End of Watch"

The final poster I  have analysed and annotated is "End Of Watch". This movie is a crime/thriller and again displays many typical conventions of a film poster.

Poster Conventions - "Smashed"

The fifth poster I have annotated and analysed is from "Smashed".This movie is a Romantic drama. despite being a completely different genre to the sci-fi action thriller "Dread 3d" and the documentary "Room 237", this poster contains almost identical layout and design conventions . As it is an independent film quotations from reviews and references to awards and festivals are used to help market the film

Poster Conventions - "Dredd 3D"

The 4th poster I  have analysed and annotated is from a movie called "DREDD 3D", this movie is a sci-fi/ action thriller  and again displays many similar poster conventions.

Poster Conventions - "Taken 2"

The third poster I looked at was "Taken 2". This film is an action thriller. By this point In my research I have understood exactly what conventions are used on most posters and why certain conventions are displayed differently to others and so on. Significantly, the general conventions of posters are almost identical on this poster as they are on the posters for "Room 237" and "The Hobbit". 

Poster Conventions - "Room 237"

I decided to analyse and annotate a poster from a different genre, to see if the conventions were the same regardless of the genre. The film is "Room 237", it is a documentary of the film "The Shining". I found that many of the conventions were the same as the last poster, despite the fact that they differ in genre. Typical of independent films which are not star driven, the poster uses quotations from reviews and references to awards to help sell the film to audiences.

Poster Conventions - "The Hobbit"

The first poster I annotated was "The Hobbit". For this task I was trying to identify the different poster conventions rather than the conventions of genre. This will give me an indication of what conventions can be found on posters, and what I eventually will have to base my own poster on.

Conventions of Posters

I'm going to look at a range of posters from different genres to see if there is consistency in terms of the layout and design conventions used.
The posters i'm going to analyse are the following:

"The Hobbit"- From the Fantasy genre
"Room 237"- Documentary
"Taken 2"- Action Thriller
"Dredd"- Sci-Fi/action
"Smashed'- Romance
"End of Watch"- Thriller

A2 Advanced Production-Brief

For my A2 media studies coursework i'm producing elements from a film marketing campaign for an imaginary movie, which will include:

• A teaser trailer (main task)
• The front cover of a film magazine (ancillary task)
• A poster (ancillary task)

I will be recording all my research and planning for each task on this blog, which will include research into existing posters, trailers and magazine front covers, research into audience, shot lists and rough designs of the print tasks.

At this stage I am not 100% certain what genre my film will belong to, though I have begun researching the horror genre, and I will make a decision shortly.

One thing I have noticed from my initial research is that the most successful film marketing campaigns have a unified feel to them enabling audiences to instantly recognise that each element of the marketing campaign is related to the same film. As I conduct my research, I will focus on elements and conventions that will help tie the campaign together.