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Magazine Analysis

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The cover shows the protagonist of the film Captain America. The United States flag used in the background of the cover shows patriotism. The size and colour of Captain America is much bigger than the rest of the typography. The typography ties in with the rest of the theme
This is further reiterated through the colour of clothing Captain America is wearing (Chris Evans). The colour scheme is blue, red and white. This represents the colours of the flag. Yellow is also used as a contrasting colour, so that the text stands out. The masthead Empire is also behind the actor, therefore giving him importance. The actors stance is quite dominant and masculine, implying that the film is part of the action genre. The image is a mid-shot of the actor and he is looking directly into the camera with a serious facial expression. The colour of the masthead also stays within in the colour scheme as it is white, unlike the traditional colour of red.
Title of movie

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Slogan

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Masthead behind the trio The cover for the Watchmen addition of Empire is quite conventional. A variety of colours are used on the cover. This is an alternate cover. The cover features the good heroes in the film. The colour scheme of blue, yellow, white and the traditional red masthead is bold, bright and representative of a comic book. The three actors and actresses remain in character on the cover. The M of Watchmen features an iconic symbol from the comic. This is a good way for fans of the comic to identify with the film, and implies that some traditional aspects of the comic are still intact. The electric blue on the character Doctor Manhattan captures the audiences attention, creating a surreal atmosphere. He is positioned in the front centre quarter of the cover, implying his importance in the film. The characters are all looking directly at the camera and the image is a mid shot of the actors. However the expressions on the characters faces, appear to make them dominant. The masthead is behind the actors, therefore showing hinting at their importance. The stance and body language of the characters further the idea that they are a powerful team.

Colour scheme: yellow, blue and red

Featured articles

Trio looking directly at the camera

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This edition of Empire magazine had alternative covers for the release of the film The Dark Knight and was one of the biggest movies of the summer. The extreme close up of The Joker creates a sense of elusiveness for the character. The actors head is tilted and the eyes are looking directly at the camera, creating the feeling of the Joker looking directly at us as an audience. The cover has taken the theme of a comic book, with the colour scheme being green and black. The actor Heath Ledger is still in costume of his character, highlighting his importance to the movie. Unusually, the masthead is not the typical Red that is normally seen on the cover of Empire magazine. Instead it complies with the colour scheme of black and green. This further emphasises the elusiveness and reputation associated with the film. This was a very popular cover due to the death of Heath Ledger and the black colour scheme creates a sombre atmosphere.

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Alternative cover

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Extreme close up

Colour scheme: green and black

The cover for this issue of Empire magazine featured Megan Fox. It was released for her film Transformers 2. The masthead appears behind the image of the actress. This reinforces her popularity amongst consumers of the magazine. She is looking directly at the camera and has a seductive pose. He topless pose and tussled hair, create sex appeal for the front cover. The white background creates a sense of purity, yet this is contrasting with the image of the actress. The issue is labelled the hot issue emphasising peoples views on Megan Fox. This is further reinforced with the tag line one-on-one with the most wanted woman in Hollywood.

Issue date and price

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Barcode The layout of the cover is in the Z format. Our eyes are drawn directly to her image, with her pose replicating the shape of a Z. As Megan Fox is the cover star of this issue the size and style of typography used is more defined and a different colour and size to the rest of the cover.

The cover uses typical conventions of layout. Including a bold masthead, barcode, price and issue date information. The simplistic colour scheme makes the image appear more dominant. The sell lines provide the customer with three exclusives to popular films that were released that year, Wolverine, Star Trek and Angels & Demons. The cover also has Empires slogan The worlds greatest movie magazine as well as the publications website.

Sell lines

Colour scheme: simplistic colours (red, white, black, brown and blue)

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This cover was used for the greatest movie of all time edition. It subverts the stereotypical conventions of Empire magazine. The cover is simplistic. The only typical convention it contains is the Masthead. There is no date, price or even barcode.

The image is of the late Marlon Brando, in his role as the Godfather. The image is in black and white, which not only emphasises the historical popularity behind the film but also the legacy of it. Marlon Brandos eyes are in shadow, so his eyes are not visually clear to the audience. This highlights the idea that the eyes are the windows to your soul. Further referencing to the reputation of the Godfather. The masthead of Empire is an unconventional gold, subverting the traditional colour scheme of red. An only conventional feature of the cover is the tagline The greatest movie of all time, reiterating the reason behind the cover. The lack of conventional features, highlights the importance behind the cover, and for some fans would be a popular item of memorabilia.
Close-up Tagline