Research & Planning: Magazine Front Cover Analysis

 Sight And Sound: The Exorcist

You can tell that this is a magazine due to the masthead 'Sight And Sound' and the title of the main article 'The Exorcist Returns'. This also shows the genre and shows that it is a horror because of the film included on there as the film The Exorcist is a very well known horror film. There is also the barcode to show that it is a proper magazine with a date and price included. The title of the main article and the masthead are in a different colour t the background, this could be to make them stand out more to its audience.  This magazine seems to be a special edition as it has been kept more simple than then other 'Sight And Sound' films. No slug line is even included on this magazine.

The image is kept fairly simple and shows that the narrative is a horror as the image is of the front cover of The Exorcist film. The title of the main article could show the narrative to its audience as people could think that it is about another Exorcist film or that it could have been remastered as it is an old film or it could be for the fact that it may be viewed on television. 

There is only one character shown on the cover so this could lead the audience to think that he is representing the protagonist. The colours are kept dark apart from the masthead and article title to make them stand out. The image itself is black and white just like the DVD cover of The Exorcist. This shows the genre is a horror as the colours are kept dark and simple. The character could be representing the good character that will help solve the problems that happen in the film.

The target audience for Sight And Sound magazine would be 25-50. It could be other people out of that age range too but that would be if they was a big film fan and had a big interest in film. This magazine is for a more academic audience which is why the age range would go up to around 50 for its target audience. People who are interested in horror films specifically might also take an interest in this specific issue. 

The image is a long shot when it comes to the cinematography element of the magazine. It shows the location of the house which the girl possessed lives and it shows the vicar standing outside her house. The lighting looks low key but it is also in black and white. The lighting will be low key to illustrate the genre of the film and show it is a horror.