Unit 14 Task One

Unit 14 Task 1

Digital and print magazines both have their pros and cons; digital magazines have a wider range as most people have access to the internet in the present day, however for the people that still don’t have access to the internet will not be able be able to use the online magazine. Print magazines are more memorable when reading as they are more interactive for the reader; however, when finished reading they will most likely forget about the magazine and not read it again.

One of the most if not most popular film magazines is Empire. They appeal to most fans as the magazines feature a lot of film content including; movie reviews, star interviews and upcoming movies.

The print magazine of empire is a subscription which costs £24.99. it gets delivered monthly to your home or wherever desired.  The front cover of this magazine is very plain but has a lot of color to make it interesting and attracting for the viewer; the colors used are bright and has a glow to it, the glow makes it look it futuristic linking to the movie featured in the article. The usual empire magazines feature the main codes and conventions like Plugs and Puff, Main sell line and a barcode. I think the main codes and conventions have been removed as it’s a special magazine release for the sequel of Blade Runner 2049.

The contents page for the magazine features clinical information about the magazines features and some of the articles that it’s going to include, we also see the sections of “Preview, On screen, Review”. This gives the reader an insight to what is coming out in cinemas; and also reviews for current films that are out. The color scheme for the contents page is black and white however it has splashes of color in to make it more eye appealing to the reader. The dominant image on the magazine is a mid-shot from the movie Blade Runner 2049; the way the actor is looking at the camera draws the reader’s attention into the magazine as its direct address. The page numbers and straplines are clearly presented in the columns, the text is easy to read also as it is in a formal dialect reaching out to the majority
of the audience.

Above we can see an article that states “Blade Runner 2049 is the best film of 2017 so far” the statement from the headline is pretty biased as it may not be the best film of 2017; however, some readers might be persuaded by this comment and are led on to believe that it is the best film of 2017.  Fans of the blade runner series may also persuade others into believing this comment. In the article we can also see an image for blade runner which will bring more attention to the movie and bring in its target audience.

Digital magazines are becoming the more useful way of reading magazines, they are quick to access, you can access them from your mobile device or computer/tablet from home. However, digital magazines can have a downfall where you have to pay to subscribe but it can be pirated online for the cost of nothing. Most magazine companies are moving from print to digital, to then again move back to print because of the problems they receive from digital magazines.  Another reason why magazines are going back to digital is because fans prefer the retro feeling of having the magazines to hold them in their hands; they feel more connected with the magazine and enjoy the experience more. A source from CNBC explains that “although their digital magazines are successful and productive, there is something about having that physical product… if you are going to own something, it should feel and look beautiful and it should be something to savor.” Some magazines have fully changed over to digital and only print magazines for special editions. Print advertising costs more than digital advertising for it to reach the same amount of readers. More than 38 percent goes into the advertising of digital magazines whereas print only gets 13 percent of the funds towards advertising. I believe that print magazines are more successful because of the hard copy and the fact that you have this magazine being yours. I think the layout of print magazines are more ideal as they feature the typical codes and conventions of a magazine; unlike digital magazines which is usually just an online article unless you are receiving PDFs of the magazine. Also with digital you don’t get that authentic feeling you do when having a print copy of a magazine.