My Genre Front Cover Analysis

Black Swan was realeased in 2010 and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Black Swan received critical praise upon its release, particularly for Portman's performance and Aronofsky's direction, and was a significant box office success, grossing $329 million worldwide. Portman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film, as well as many other Best Actress awards in several guilds and festivals, while Aronofsky was nominated for Best Director. In addition, the film itself received a nomination for Best Picture. And because of all of that I have chosen to anaylse two front magazine covers featuring the film.

The first is W magazine, which is a well known female magazine more particuallary in the States than over here in the UK. The magazine was made in 1971, but was rebought in 1999 and turned into the magazine we know now. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and thirteen inches tall. W magazine has a reader base of nearly half a million, 469,000 of which are annual subscribers. 80 percent of the magazine's readers are female and have an average household income of $135,840.


The second is a magazine I previously mentioned, Little White Lies magazine.Little White Lies is a bi-monthly, British independent movie magazine that features writing, illustration and photography related to cinema.The first issue was released in February 2005, printed in edition of 2500, and distributed only in UK Borders stores. In 2008, Little White Lies won its first major award: Best Designed Consumer Magazine of the Year at the Magazine Design & Journalism Awards.The design of each issue of Little White Lies is inspired by its feature film, represented on the cover by an illustration of its lead actor. The cover film also influences interior aspects, such as editorial icons, chapter headings and custom typefaces. However, the overall template of the magazine remains the same.

Information about the two magazines is courtest of wikipedia.org.uk

The two magazines have two very different target audiences so I thought this would be good to anaylsis as I can see the conventions of magazine covers and witness the different codes which show the two magazines ideologies. The first magazine front cover I will anaylise is W.

W

I think this magazine has done a great job and conveying the films genre as well as keeping the magazines ideology and target audience interested. One way the magazine does this is by the costume Mila Kunis is wearing. The black jacket represents her character "the black swan" in the film by the feathers and the colour black. The colours and feathers also connote darkness and evil which is also portrated in the film. However the magazine has put a pink lacy bra on Mila Kunis as well, this gives the costume a soft side and feminie side which will appeal the the magazines target audience. Her arm over her face creates shadow which represents the darkness about the film and her character. Other than the costume the magazine front cover is very simple.
All other text except the Masthead and Mila Kunis's name is white. This creates a clear contrast against the main image and allows it to stand out on the magazine stand. The Masthead is in its regular position so it is easily found by regular readers it also is still the same colour, a pinkish red. Again this allows a reoccurring reader to quickly find the magazine amongst the others.
The text is all in capitals which allows the reader to quickly scan and read what content is covered, the sans serif fonts do not create confusion and make it very easy and quickly to buy the magazine.

Little White Lies


This magazine has deliberately tried to set itself aside from all other magazines. This magazine's genre is Film so its target audience is different to W. The magazine front cover is black and white. This represents the main theme throughout the film of good vs evil. The two colors are represented with this theme. The main image is a pencil drawing of Natalie Portman who plays the main character in the film. By being a sketch it gives the front colour a eery feeling and the eyes stare into the readers eyes. The black feathers falling down the front cover represent the film.
The front cover is mostly taken up by text, big, think black san serif font of "the black swan issue".  Again this is in capitals to make it bold and clear. It also makes it very clear to their target audience what film is the main theme to this issue. This magazine tends to aim its magazine at its target audience and tries not to expand its fan base by advertising or captivating new customers by having large writing on the front cover talking about the content within the magazine.


In conclusion the magazines have adapted their front covers to their target audience and how they would receive this type of film. When i am creating my own front cover i will need to think about my target audience and keep relaying the front cover back to their needs and wants.