Codes and Conventions
When I looked at both Empire and Total Film magazine covers I realised that they contain a lot of information. This can be through pictures or text. I felt that conforming with both magazines on the amount of information I included was important. If I decided to promote only one movie to attract my target audience it would be risky strategy as not everyone likes the same movie.
I decided also that the main image should be of just one figure from my film. Modern film magazines tend to have one actor on the front cover. When I was desiging the cover I originally decided not to have any other image i.e the background, but upon closer inspection of magazine covers saw that the cover often contains an action scene or a setting from the film. Using the glass from the shelter in my poster makes the magazine look clearer and keeps a continuity with my poster.
Layout
The layout was something else that kept with the codes and conventions of a popular film magazine. I didn't think creating a layout too different from Empire or Total Film would be wise as it's now recognised for how film magazines set out their covers.
My cover contains a strip along the bottom with a couple of images of a girl. I liked this idea of a strip to promote other movies on both Empire and Total Film but encorporated the idea of having it for a D.I.Y film article instead.