Existing Film Publications

In order to make a poster, I felt that it was necessary to do some research into different types of magazines and how different they were from one another. I found 20 different film publications and researched them. I feel that I now have a bigger understanding into which type of magazine I should pick for a specific genre.

Below are the 20 front covers of the magazines I researched and a short paragraph explaining a little bit about each one.

1) Fangoria: Fangoria is an American horror magazine which was first published in 1979. When it first came out, it was a fantasy magazine, but after 7 issues, it adopted its current horror style. Fangoria is internationally distributed and its target audience is teenagers.

2) Shivers: Shivers was a British horror magazine which ran from 1992 till 2008. It produced 8 issues a year focusing on horror films, TV shows and literature.

3) Hotdog: Hotdog was a British film magazine which ran from 2000 until 2006. Hotdog originally started with a cynical view towards the film industry, however when circulation began to decrease, it was led to more mainstream film and Hollywood, Its cover which once displayed images of history and cult were transformed into a glossy format with the latest star of a film.

4) Little White Lies: Little White lies is an internationally distributed, film magazine which is based in London. It was founded in 2005 and it is bi-monthly. It is well known for its illustrations and the fact that each issues layout is dependant on what film is illustrated on the front.

5) Empire: Empire is the biggest selling film magazine in the United Kingdom. It started in 1989 and is issued monthly. Empire is also published in the United States, Australia, Turkey, Russia and Portugal. It reviews mainstream and art films.

6) SFX: SFX is a monthly British magazine which started in 1995. It is based on the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. It focuses on films, TV shows, video games, comics and literature.

7) Cinefex: Cinefex is a quarterly British journal which started in 1980 and covers the visual effects in films. It has a unique 8"x9" configuration which enables for an easy reproduction of film frames in a format similar to their original film aspect ratio.

8) American Cinematographer: American Cinematographer is an American monthly magazine which started in 1920 and is published by the American Society of Cinematographers. It focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, covering domestic and foreign feature productions, TV shows, short films, music videos and adverts. The emphasis is on interviews with cinematographers, but directors and other filmmakers are often featured as well.

9) Entertainment Weekly: Entertainment Weekly is a weekly American magazine which was first published in 1990 by the Time inc. It covers films, TV shows, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture. The magazine features celebrities on the cover and addresses topics such as TV ratings, movie grosses, production costs, concert ticket sales, advert budgets and in-depth articles about scheduling, producers, showrunners, etc.

10) Film Comment: Film Comment is a monthly American magazine which was first published in 1962. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house and avant-garde filmmaking around the world. 

11) Film Journal: Film Journal is a American magazine which was first published in 1934. It covers exhibition, production and distribution reporting both U.S. and international news with features on industry trends, movie theatre design and technology, screen advertising and other topics.

12) Filmmaker: Filmmaker is a quarterly American magazine which was first published in 1992. Filmmaker covers issues relating to independent films. With a circulation larger than 60,000, the magazine includes interviews, case studies, financing and distribution information, festival reports, technical and production updates, legal pointers and filmmakers on filmmaking in their own words.

13) Film Quarterly: Film Quarterly is a quarterly American film journal which was first published in 1945. Film Quarterly is peer-reviewed and publishes scholarly analysis of international cinemas, current blockbusters, hollywood classics, documentaries, animation, independent, avant-garde and experimental film and video.

14) Moviemaker: Moviemaker is an bi-monthly, internationally distributed American magazine which was first published in 1993. It focuses on the art and business of making movies wit a special emphasis on independent film.

15) Premiere: Premiere was a monthly American magazine which ran from 1987 until 2007. It featured letters from readers, behind the scenes action, first look, previews, reviews, etc...

16) Sight & Sound: Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine  by the British Film Institute which was first published in 1932. The magazine reviews all film releases each month, including those with a limited release, as opposed to most film magazines which concentrate on those films with a general release. Sight & Sound features a full cast and crew credit list for each reviewed film.

17) Starburst: Starburst is a monthly British science fiction magazine which was first published in 1977. Starburst contains news, interviews, features and reviews of genre material in various media, including TV, film, soundtracks, multimedia, comics, books, etc. 

18) Studio: Studio is the UK's first film magazine for women, Packed with witty editorial and Hollywood news, plus all the latest movie reviews, Studio stands out from other film magazines with its distinctive pages dedicated to the hottest film inspired fashion. This magazine is only in digital format.

19) The Hollywood Reporter: The Hollywood Reporter is a weekly American magazine which first published in 1930. It's main focus is on Hollywood motion picture, TV and entertainment industries as well as Hollywood's intersection with fashion, finance, law, technology, lifestyle and politics. The weekly print edition includes profiles, original photography, interviews with entertainment figures, articles about major upcoming releases, product launches, film reviews and film festival previews.

20) Total Film: Total Film is a monthly (extra issue published in Summer) British film magazine which was first published in 1997. Each month, Total Film provides a range of features, from spotlight interviews with actors and directors, to making of and on-set pieces for new and future releases. Each issue always includes the Total Film interview, which is a six page in-depth chat with an actor or director, along with a critique of their body of work.