Magazine Research: Conventions

Magazine Research: Conventions

This is a film extract from the popular film magazine ‘Total Film’. It displays many conventions that are very common in most film magazines that are reviewing a film.

1- Headline: This is the title of the film, it is in bold to make it seem urgent, it needs to be seen by the reader as this is the film they are reading about.
2- Image Subheading: This is meant to be related to the picture that its next to, in this particular magazine, the subheadings are comical as it reflects the types of readers.
3- Picture: The picture represents a snapshot from the film itself, it has not been edited. This particular picture focuses on what seems to be the main character and it has been chosen because it is a powerful image and wants to say something about the story as the colours are very mellow.
4- Strapline: This is a feature the magazine uses to try to ‘sum up the film’ or give something the reader to remember, it could also have a hidden meaning. EG: this particular strapline ‘a test of nerve’ may mean that a character in the film is put through their paces or it could mean a test of nerve for the audience sitting through the film.
5- Graphics: These standout icons display the ratings feature done by the film magazine. They are centered next to the headline for quick reference should the reader be flicking through wanting to find high-rated films.
6- Introduction: The introduction quickly informs the reader when the film is out, it is preparing the reader to watch the film if the review appeals to them. The introduction is in bold, it displays importance as it makes a statement.
7- Byline: This displays the author of the review, it is in bold to highlight a name of importance, it always might make the read recognise the author who they have previously read.
8- Breakout boxes: This gives the read a quick summary, a collection of facts about the film for reference, it is ‘broken out’ of the main article to highlight its importance.

Film magazines vary in the design of a page as it depends on readership and content of the review, for example, the image above shows only 2 columns which contains the main text aswell as 2 breakout boxes which contain extra information.
The font and typography of the article varys, the font creates certain character for the magazine, it gives it an identity as it makes it easily recognisable and the font can also suggest if the publication is serious or just for fun. Typography is the way text is laid out onto the page eg: the size, spacing and line length but these will follow a ‘house style’. In the magazine total film all the headlines and graphics are the same, this is the house style.