A2 - Analysis - Empire The Dark Knight Front Cover

Target Audience

The main target audience for Empire magazine is males, aged 15-45, who like main stream cinema, so they can watch the films they read about. Due to this being the case everything on the cover is gear to represent them and their needs in order to attract them to the magazine.

Masthead

The masthead for Empire is positioned behind the Joker’s head, which connotes that this villain is bigger than the magazine, and more important than the magazine.

Layout

In the bottom left corner of the page is the barcode, and in the bottom right corner there is a list of teasers for other articles inside the magazine. Several other marks are featured on the front cover, including a green cross and a purple line. These look as though they were done by a spray can, in a graffiti style, which connotes further that the Joker is trying to break the rules.

Colour

A variety of greens and purples are used to highlight the text around the picture. This is significant because in the Marvel comic books, as well as in this image, the colours of green and purple are often associated with the Joker.

Imagery

The main image used is an image of Heath Ledger in costume as the Joker, sat down looking up menacingly. The look on his face is sinister, and connotes that he is going to be dangerous. Also, the make-up visible on his face is that of a smile, which could connote that he is psychopathic, and enjoys being a threat to others.

Typography/Text

The text used on the headline is in a more cartoon and comic-style font than the rest of the text, referring to the Joker’s origins as a character in comic books. The font also resembles the image in films, when a character cuts out letters from a newspaper to make a message. As such, this connotes that the Joker is an anarchist, and likes to mess up the natural order of things.

Conclusion

Overall, I think this is an excellent example of a film magazine’s front cover, with references to the wider origin of the character. It also focuses on the villain rather than the hero, who is not visible on the front cover. This is to be expected from a film with horror elements, as the villain is generally the most memorable character in the film.