The masthead is a black, bold typeface with strong sharp edges which gives it a masculine look and makes it stand out, it is also against an orange/ yellow background which is part of the border around the masthead this colour scheme really clash and therefore stand out on the magazine. The black and yellow/ orange masthead is iconic to the magazine thus it acts as a logo as everyone will automatically recognise the magazine. The other colours the magazine includes such as black, red and white compliment the masthead as it all adds to the horror genre factor the magazine is trying to portray in this particular issue.
There is one main image on this magazine cover which is a common convention for film magazines. The image is of a world wide famous actress, Penelope Cruise. She is a Latino female with brunette hair and is described as a sex symbol from Hollywood, therefore this image will attract a wide audience of females and males as the females will be attracted as they are probably fans of her acting and her style, for example clothes, make-up and hair, and males will be attracted by her sex appeal. This is a still taken from the film, it is a medium close-up and shows the characters intensity in the scene. The hair and make-up is very effective. She is wearing make-up which shows her femininity however the holding of the knife contrasts with this good looking feminine image because it is very likely for her to be holding a bloody knife. The hair is in a tied up style but is look a bit rough and messy as if the character has been in a fight or something active, therefore this suggests a reason for the knife, it could be that she has killed someone or that she has protected someone from getting killed by taking the knife out of their stab wound or even that someone has just stabbed her. This image is obviously from a still from a horror film because of the use of the prop, a bloody knife is also associated with horror films.
The costume of the character is a red cardigan which goes well with the blood on the knife and the red background, therefore the audience will make links between the character and the blood on the knife instantly. The knife she is holding is being held up vertically and she is staring at it directly with an guilty/ angry face, this also links her to the knife directly and it also creates an uneasy atmosphere as the audience will be in suspense as to what the film is about because this actress usually plays the victim but in this film it looks as if she is the antagonist.The character is clenching onto the knife with a tight grip which makes her look even more tense and guilty of something therefore this will really make the audience want to read about this film if they have not seen it yet. This image is very mysterious though as it does not let the story be told through it therefore the audience will have to watch the film to understand therefore it is promoting the film well. The left side third is where all of the text is included on the magazine therefore this suggests that they are the most important kickers on the magazine however they do not steal any attention away from the image.
It is obviously a horror genre film and this is shown very effectively through the image, colour scheme red, black and white which are typically used in the horror genre and even the typefaces used on the magazine as they are bold and stand out. The main colour that is used on the typefaces of this magazine is white, this colour is a common convention of the horror genre as it stands out against most colours and is a neutral colour with a cold feeling. The other colours for the typefaces are black for the masthead which stands out against the yellow/orange background and pink and green which are bright and vibrant colours. The use of the colour pink is very feminine and could be associated with the cover line and the character on the magazine cover as this shows femininity, this may attract a female audience. The colour pink is not usually associated with the horror genre however it does stand out and grab the audiences attention. There is one main typeface used on this magazine and this magazine always uses the same style of typefaces therefore they follow a particular house style. The masthead uses the same typeface as the kickers and cover lines however they do look different because some are smaller than others and not in bold, etc. This makes it clear what cover lines and kickers are more important than others.
The technical mise en scene such as the lighting is very dark in the background of this image however the image has lighting which is still dark yet shows the facial expressions and important details of the character. The dark lighting in the background has been used to compliment the text on the left side third of the magazine as these are the cover lines and kickers and therefore are important in attracting the target audience. The layout of the magazine is conventional of magazines as the left side third is being used up with lots of text and the right side is left simple with just the image on it, this is because the audience is automatically attracted to the left side third first. The reason for the price being included on the magazine cover is so that the audience will be able to see it clearly as they look at the front cover before buying it.
The bar code and price of the magazine are positioned on the right hand side of the magazine but not in the conventional bottom corner of the page but sort of in the centre, this is so that it is clear enough for the audience to see but not that big or eye catching so that it steals attention away from the main important things such as the kickers and the image. The issue number and the website are directly underneath the masthead so that the audience will be drawn to this information as soon as they have read the masthead. These are important pieces of information to promote the magazines website and to also make sure subscribers and collectors will be able to keep up to date with the magazine.
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