My analysis of the 'Filmstar' magazine cover

[Work done by me]

In terms of fonts, the magazine uses the same clear font throughout so it makes it easier for the readers to understand. However, throughout the cover, different sizes and colours are used to represent importance. An example of this would be the fact that the Masthead (title of the magazine ‘Film Star’) is the biggest element of font on the cover and therefore insinuates it is the most important. This is correct as it will appear on the cover every week. The Main Headline, ‘Cinema Paradise’ is of equal importance as it too shares the same size font as the Masthead but it is presented in capital letters so it would stand out more to the reader. The Main Headline is followed by a caption which gives an indication what the Main Headline is about and therefore is presented in smaller font as it is the Headline’s job to get the readers’ attention. The caption is still in a larger font than the other headlines which shows it goes with the Main headline. The other headlines are in the same sized font to signify they are of similar importance apart from the ‘New!’ part of the cover, situated at the top of the page. This is meant to get the reader’s attention so it needs to be different from the rest of the page in order to do this. It uses a different font and size to indicate it’s importance to the reader.

The colours used on the cover follow a colour scheme of black, orange and white. There are colours used in exception to this such as the ‘New!’ part of cover as this is presented with a blue background in order to get the attention of readers and stand out from the other elements on the cover. The Masthead is presented in black and stand out from the yellow background it has been put on. The Main headline also uses black to link it with the importance of the Mast head but it also uses orange to insinuate it’s own importance. This makes the Main headline stand out by mixing the colours as they contrasting. The colour white is used to make certain things on the cover stand out. For example, the ‘50’ in the sub-heading for the Main headline is presented in white to show it’s importance from the rest of the sub-heading. The audience are supposed to be amazed by this and will therefore turn to the relevant page to read more. Different coloured boxes are also used, not just colourful fonts. This makes the wording inside them stand out even more from the background because it looks as if these elements are jumping out at the reader, telling them to pay more attention. There is also use of a white circle which is the only one on the cover. This insinuates it’s importance to the rest of the elements on the page and stands out from the orange background it has been placed on.


There is only one image situated on the cover of the magazine which is a picture of Brad Pitt during a film role. The facial expression portrayed by him, signifies the kind of role he has taken. He is serious and dressed in clothes from a previous era. This would then imply the kind of film magazine ‘Filmstar’ is and the kind of audience it is trying to approach. The magazine is made for an audience who enjoy perhaps Action films, not comedies, etc so the magazine would be geared more towards Males rather than females who usually like Romantic movie genres. The image is also used to accompany the Main Headline and therefore will represent what ever is said in it. In this case, the Main Headline is about the ’50 most exciting films’ which would then imply to the audience that which ever film Brad Pitt is in, is an exciting film. By using the correct actor, the magazine can gain a bigger audience as the image will attract them to the cover and want to read the rest of the magazine to find out what film it is.

The shot type that is used is a Close-up. This shows the facial expression portrayed by Brad Pitt and parts of the clothes he is wearing and therefore will signify the mood of the magazine. Due to this, Brad Pitt is signifying which type of movie he is starring in e.g. action becuase of his clothing and facial expression which will then draw in the attention of the intended audience. It is also used to bring the attention to his face and make the rest of him seem unimportant. It could be done like this to make the audience wonder what film is being talked about inside and therefore they will want to read further.

The layout of this magazine cover follows the 'Principle of Thirds' closely. The 'route of the eye' is shown to take on a 'z' shape across the page and this shows how the audience are likely to view the page. The Masthead has been placed at the top of the page as this is one of the first things the audience will see and pay attention to. Due to this, they are more likely to remember the name of the magazine due to where it is placed. Next, the main headline has been placed in the centre but to the left of the page. This is where the audience's eyes will follow next and this why it has been placed. This shows the main headline's importance on the page as it doesn't have as much importance as the Masthead but has more importance than all the other elements on the page and therefore has been placed here. The main headline is situated in the 'Primary Optical Area' which means it has been placed in the middle of the page, accompanied by the image of Brad Pitt. The fact that the image is covering the main headline slightly signifies that the image is more imantant than the headline or that it belongs with the particular headline. The important parts of the magazine are shown in the 'hot spots'. These elements are the Masthead, which is shown in the the top two 'hot spot' areas, and the headlines and the images, which are shown in the bottom two 'hot spot' areas. Other headlines are placed to the left of the page, commencing down the page. This also follows the 'route of the eye' as this is where the audience will look after th other two elements mentioned. In the 'terminal area' there is the barcode for the magazine which is typically associated with this particular area to show it is of least importance. Other elements of the cover, such as the 'new' box, have been placed at the top of the page to be looked at with the Masthead but, due to their size, they are not as important.


The mode of address of this magazine implies that it is for all types of genre of film, so it would apply to a large audience. I got this from the language used: '50 most exciting films of the summer and beyond' which implies that there will a wide range of different film genre mentioned within these pages. The audience it is trying to reach could be of both men and women due to the image chosen to be used on the cover. As it is of Brad Pitt, women would want to read the magazine if they have a love for Brad Pitt whereas men would want to read the magazine due to the type of film is appearing in or becuase he is a good actor. The colours used on the cover could be associated with both sexes as woman are stereotypically associated with pink, whereas mean are with blue but none of these colours are used, apart from blue slightly. Overall, this magazine would have a very broad audience but would prpobably be for more adult age groups e.g. 18 and above.

The contents of the magazine cover includes:
a list of the 50 most exciting films
the return of Quentin Tarantino - a Horror film maker
actors names mentioned throughout the magazine
barcode, price and date
title of magazine
one image
interviews with actors/makers

This magazine reaches a mass audience as it aimed at both men and women and talks about varied film genres. I got this from the headlines and the choice of image. For example, the headline talks about the '50 most exciting films' which means it would include different genres of films. The fact that the image os of Brad Pitt would apply to both men and women. Men, due the type of film he is and women, due to the actor. The colours used also indicate it is a unisex magazine. The fact it talks about 'Quentin Tarantino' means this article would be more for an audience interested in the Horror genre, as that is what he speacialises in. this message would be injected into the magazine's audience through these aspects. Cultural context is important to this, especially gender, as the image of Brad Pitt signifies male dominance and therefore would relate the to the audience. Morley believes this would shape the audience's understanding of the magazine depending on the aspects shown on the cover and due to these aspects, the audience would know who the preferred audience is. The purpose of the magazine is to create audience pleasure and this is done through the language used. If the headlines appeal to a certain audience, they will want to read the magazine as they will find it a pleasurable read. This refers to the audience's class and taste. If their taste suits what is written on the cover, they will form a relationship with the magazine and want to read it as they will know it is for them.

Steve Neale said that all things related to a certain media make up a genre. However, this magazine relates to more than one, as said above, as it includes all types of genre to suit a mass audience's needs. However, it may sway slightly to a Horror genre due to one of the headlines being all about a filmmaker who specialises in that particualr genre and therefore, it would apply to people who have an interest in Horror.

Richard Dyer's stereotype theory can be applied to the cover of the magazine. This is becuase Brad Pitt has taken on a certain role and therefore must wear certain clothes. The clothes he is wearing can be associated to a type of genre of film e.g. action and can be applied to the time the film was set. Filmmakers would stereotype the costumes due to the time it was set so that the audience would know clearly. An audience which takes an interest in this particular genre would want to look at the magazine. The fact the only image on the cover is of a man, this would signify that females are subordinate to males.