Magazine Cover Analysis

Above are 2 different areas of film magazines front covers. 'EMPIRE' is a mainstream/Hollywood film magazine whereas 'FILM MAKER' is an independent film magazine.
The difference between the two is very clear and is representative of the films they feature. For example, 'Empire' features many graphic designs which is likely to be similar to the films it features having lots of special effects. Whereas 'FILM MAKER' features more simplistic design elements which is likely to be representative of the films it features having a lower budget and not as much, if any at all special effects.

The way in which the magazines masthead is shown is another good representation of the films and the spectrum of the industry it is in.
For example, the masthead on the cover of 'EMPIRE' is partly covered by the main image. This connotes that the magazine is so well known (like the films it features) that it isn't an issue if the masthead is partly covered. It could also connote that the films featured inside are so big that they are more important than the magazines name itself. Whereas with 'FILM MAKER' the masthead is in front of the main image suggesting that like the films, the magazine may not be well known.

The main image also represents the style of film featured in the magazine. For example, the image of TRON on the cover of 'EMPIRE' features graphic enhancement, CGI and various other graphical edits. This is a good representation of the film as the film its self as the film is likely to feature heavy amounts of CGI and other computer editing techniques.
On the other hand, the main image on the cover of 'FILM MAKER' looks as if it could just be an ordinary photo that they've then used to be on the cover. This makes the magazine look a lot more true to life and 'real' which can represent independent films as their narratives are based much more on reality whereas big mainstream films (Hollywood) feature some extreme narratives (Star Wars, Avatar, John Carter).

The colour scheme used on the cover of 'EMPIRE' is very bright. The cover features a lot of blues, whites and yellows. The brightness on the cover is most likely to draw the audiences attention in as the competition in Hollywood film magazines is high as there are numerous different magazines you could buy. In order for 'EMPIRE' to be successful it needs to stand out from the rest (E.G. why the cover lines feature so many films on the cover) and visually stand out (bright colours).
With 'FILM MAKER' the colour scheme is much plainer. This could be due to the fact that the competition is much less and people who buy independent film magazines will know what magazines to get as there is less to chose from.. Meaning that the producers don't have to make the cover stand out as people will be looking for that particular magazine.