Textual Analysis: Magazine front covers;
As I am creating a film trailer, I have to create a magazine front cover advertising my film, and I am analysing three different film magazines, and one T.V magazine front cover, and the second magazine cover I am analysing is Total Film.

Conventions are guidelines that different media texts follow, most magazines follow the conventions of magazine front covers for their cover. These include text, masthead, images, dates and issue numbers.

Total Film:
This is a film magazine that offers film and DVD news, releases, and features.
Masthead: The masthead of the magazine front cover is at the top of the cover, and this follows the conventions of most front covers, as if it is at the top it makes it easier for the reader to see the title, and it is also in white writing against the background, so it is very noticeable and you see it straight away, as the font is very thick. The image also partially covers some of the masthead, and this can also be seen in the other front cover I analysed, Entertainment, and this shows how the cover is so recognisable that it can have the title partially covered, and the readers will still recognise it and buy it. The colour of the title is also seen in the cover lines, and white and red are the running colour theme on the cover.

Image: The image represents the genre of the film very well, you can clearly see it is an action film, and it draws your eyes to it straight away because of the colour and the people in the image. Like most front covers the image takes up most of the cover, and this again is a convention of magazine front covers as the image usually takes up the whole cover, as the image is what initially attracts the audience to the magazine. The image is very dynamic and it is very exciting, and this immediately interests the audience as they then want to see it, and there is also robots in the background, and this represents the title of the film, but again it intrigues you as you want to know why they're fighting, and there is also a terminator head at the bottom of the image, and this reflects how the terminators are bad, as the people are fighting them, and also placing it at the bottom, and the people above it, shows the terminator to be vulnerable and powerless against the humans. Christian Bale is also holding a gun pointing it straight to the readers, this immediately focuses your attention, as it is not seen on many covers, and it also represents the genre of the film, also as Christian Bale is shooting at the terminator it shows him to be brave and a hero, and this encourages the audience to read the magazine as everyone likes a hero. Also as the image is very exciting it suggests to the audience that the magazine is going to be exciting, and therefore that makes you want to read the audience. The image is aimed at males, and especially young males as they're the ones who usually watch Action films, and Action films are aimed at them, but it also by putting Christian Bale at the forefront, and showing him to be very brave and a hero it appeals to women, as women like brave men. The image follows the conventions of magazine by being the focus of the cover.

Subheading: There is also a sub-heading on the cover saying Terminator Salvation, and a sub-heading is a convention of most film magazine covers, as it promotes the film on the front of the cover. As it is is bright bold letters, when the reader sees it it sticks in your mind, and as you remember it you may want to watch it. The colour of the sub-heading is in red, again representing the colour theme of the cover of red and white, but also the colour connotes danger, and excitement, and this makes the film seem very exciting and it is subtly promoting the film, as it doesn't say the film is fun and exciting it implies it, and this is better than just saying it because it makes it seem much more believable, the colour also represents the genre of Action as most Action films are exciting and dangerous.

Cover Lines: The cover lines are a convention of front covers, and are seen on most front covers, there is also a main cover line that reflects the image on the cover. The cover line talks about the actor in the film Christian Bale, and it describes it as the interview the world has been waiting for, as the cover line uses a global level it makes the film seem much more important, and suggests that the magazine is lucky to have this interview, and in turn this makes the audience want to buy this exclusive interview, and this also attracts males as the film is aimed at them, but it also appeals to women as they want to read about him. There is also another cover line about the film 'Angels and Demons', this is quite an intellectual film, and it appeals to intellects, but it is also about religion, and it attracts religious people as well, because it is said to go against religion, and they may read it to see what they're saying about the film. There is also a cover line about a new actor Sam Worthington, and he starred in the highest grossing film ever made 'Avatar', and as this is a very popular film it attracts the readers. The cover lines are also in white, representing the colour theme, and this makes them pop against the background and attracts the reader to the cover, as the cover lines are what eventually makes the readers buy it, because if they are interesting they want to read the rest of the magazine.

Extras: On the cover under the masthead they also have the website of the film, and this is seen on many covers nowadays, as they all have online websites, and it is a way of bringing revenue to the company, and by placing it under the masthead it makes it more noticeable, and also if people don't buy the magazine they can go on the website, as they have seen it on the cover. The website is also in white as again like the cover lines, as it stands out and draws the attention to the cover.

Date/issue number: The date and the issue number are on all front covers, as they're a convention of magazine front covers. The date is at the top of the cover, and this is were it is placed on most covers, and this is just a help to the readers and the editors, and the issue number is also on the cover, the issue number allows both the editors and the readers to refer back to past magazines if they need to, especially the editors if they need to refer back to past issues in the magazine when talking about a new film. The barcode is also on the cover, and this is a convention of magazine front covers, and it is in the bottom left corner, were most barcodes are placed, as it is out of the way and doesn't take much of the cover up.