Cinema Retro is a film publication that celebrates cult and classic movies from the 1960’s and 70’s. This issue celebrates 50 years of Alfred Hitchcock’s chilling thriller masterpiece ‘Psycho’. I have chosen to analyse an independent film publication as another way of expanding my horizons, allowing myself to wonder outside of the mainstream magazines and learn how they function. I also think that by analysing this particular magazine, I am in keeping with the past-era theme. As part of my ancillary task, I have to create a front cover of a film magazine and at this moment in time, I’d quite like to create a retro film publication.
In this analysis I intend to learn how magazines are constructed in ways that appeal to and lure in their target audiences, how they are used as promotional tools and how they encourage the target audience to want to read the magazine.
Let us begin by discussing the main image. The image is of the actress Janet Leigh, who was the female protagonist of the movie ‘Psycho’. It appears to be a behind-the-scenes shot of the actress onset of the movie. In order to find out how exactly the image lures in the readers we must analyse elements of mise-en-scene, camera and lighting.
The actress is wearing under garments which consist of a black high waist girdle and a lace bra; this outfit creates an hour glass silhouette by emphasising her tiny midriff. This look is extremely representative of the fashion of the 1940’s and onwards. The fact that there is a woman on the front cover wearing clothing that is deemed to be revealing, suggests that this publication is targeted towards a male audience. However, the facial expressions and body language of the actress are ones of confidence and elegance rather than being sexually provocative. This further suggests that the publication is directed to a mature target audience, with sophisticated tastes.
The photograph has been taken in black and white, which further indicates that the magazine is featuring an old film. By looking at the background it is clear to see that she has been located in a domesticated environment, whether that’s at a house or a hotel. We can presume so due to the Quincy wall paper, photo frames, wall lamps and furniture. The medium shot is conventional of a magazine front cover, as it displays enough of the body to still allow facial expressions to be read.
The film poster for ‘Psycho’ displays this character in a similar approach. In both shots she is wearing her underwear, yet there are differences in colour as we see her wearing white undergarments on the poster. Here, her expression is much more poised as she poses for the photograph; the image for the poster sees her acting out the role with a shocked expression. There are similarities and differences between the image used for the magazine and the image used for the poster, which makes them both stand out, but also makes provides them with continuity.
The masthead of the magazine reads ‘Cinema Retro’ and so the name itself is self explanatory as to the genre of the publication; a magazine devoted to retro films. The positioning of the masthead on the front cover is conventional for the layout. The word ‘Cinema’ is in bold grey font whereas ‘retro’ is in black italics. The entire font is in sans serif which gives the impression that this is a more casual and relaxed publication, that doesn’t have a too serious approach, but one that simply relishes in the celebration of cult classics. The main uses of colour consist of black, grey and red; primary colours that are most associated with men which further indicates the target audience as being male.
The content of the sell-lines consists of interviews with Gary Giblin as well as the likes of Lewis Giblet, Sir John Mills, Roger Corman and Fred Williamson. These people are all associated with the film industry and are unlikely to be recognisable to a younger target audience. By including the names of these people on the front cover, the magazine can address and attract the intended audiences.
What I admire the most about independent publications is there uses of minimalism and simplicity. The problem with mainstream film magazines is that they clog up the front cover, making it look too busy which often overwhelms the reader. By analysing the main image, background, masthead, sell-lines and uses of font and colour, I have gathered an understanding of the way in which indie magazines construct the layout of the front cover.
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