Star Wars, The Official Magazine, No: 15 (1998)

HEARN, Marcus, et al ,1998, Star Wars: The Official Magazine, Edition Number 15, London, Titan Magazines

I found this magazine in Poverty Aid UK. The issue was released just before Star Wars the Phantom Menace, which is rather handy in relation to my essay topic.

There are many enclosed advertisements and reviews for the merchandise available at the time, as well as official articles related to the Phantom Menace.

The magazine also coincided with the first licensing deal between Lego and Lucasfilm:

'The alliance with Lucas Licensing Ltd represents a major step for the Lego group worldwide, bringing together two very powerful brands that will entertain and inspire children around the globe'

- KIRK, Kjeld

The magazine is packed with imagery ripe for manipulation and study, I will certainly photocopy some amount of it for sketchbook investigations.

There is also an interview with Drew Struzan, who had been responsible for painting hundreds of film posters, including Star Wars. 

Struzan describes the compositional process

'First it's a selection of stills, objects, characters, the faces of the actors. Then it's how they're lit and coloured. What kinds of composition do you use? Is it relaxed? Is it nervous? Adventurous? All those things begin to convey the soul of the film the emotion of it, the colouration of it. I believe in truth in advertising, so I paint what's really in the film'

- STRUZEN, Drew

I particularly like the page advertising buying back issues, the 'SOLD OUT' text on the recognisable Star Wars characters is heavy with implicit meanings, and could easily be subverted for illustrative purposes.

The magazine is certainly a valuable resource, and I will make some reference to it during the written part of the module, the imagery is just as useful, and I will use it for reference and potential subversion.