ed by Bauer consumer media every month with its first issue being published in 1989 it is still running strong over 20 years later. It is currently the biggest selling film magazine in Britain and has its own awards ceremony. The magazine includes transcripts, reviews, articles, interviews etc.This is an advertisement for the dark knight film on the British movie magazine and has denotations of “The joker” played by Heath Ledger in costume sitting on what looks to be a stool in a prison as the bars indicate this and the image is portrait with lots of bright colours and different styles of fonts used. Some of the letters on the page look like some sort of graffiti which may show what kind of character he is, like he is some sort of vandal and out of control. With the word “Joker” being in different fonts and sizes contrast with his image as there is no sense of normality, as his face is painted like a clown. “Joker” has connotations of humour and lack of seriousness which could be shown in the character, as his make up and clothes look as if this man would not be taken serious if he was seen in public.
The bright colours of the words on the page are similar to the colours of his clothing so this works well as its very eye catching and there are lots of things to look at on the page. The colours also stand out on the low key lighting of the background so it helps the character to stand out more and become more vibrant which can give indications about the character personality and it being very bold. The masthead is in red which is a common feature for the empire magazine and the same font is normally always used as well this is so audiences recognize the magazine and become familiar with it. However the red does work with the other colours as it is a very strong colour so makes an impact behind the joker; it also works as it is the same colour as the joker’s lips so they stand out more. The colour red has connotations of blood and danger which could be an indication to what is in the film or what kind of events may occur.
In the dip of the letter “M” is the date and price of the magazine which is in a smaller font as this information is needed but it is not as important. Which may also be the reason why the rest of the writing on the page is to the sides and around the main image as they want to make sure that the majority of the attention is on this “dark knight film” as the only words that block the image is the words “Joker” which is put there so people know that the picture is of the joker. The bold fonts stand out on the dark page and are very eye catching and create a sense of madness with the mix of colours and fonts. Alongside the different shapes used which are scattered around the page which gives the magazine a ‘fun’ feel rather than it being dull and boring, this way it stands out to audiences and differentiates it from competitors’. The symbol of the bat is the symbol of the film and it is a reminder that this film advertised is out of the batman collection.
The writing underneath the Joker is in a pencil style font “the cold blooded mass murdering clown”, it may have been put there deliberately to make it look as if he is writing it by hand and it also gives readers an insight to what this clown is all about. “The dark knight world exclusive” is a way of persuading the audience that they would be missing out if they didn’t purchase it so it is an informative marketing technique that empire have used. It is also indicating that the film has not yet been released yet so it is creating a buzz around the film. The exclamtive “Plus” is used to show how much this magazine contains which depicts that it is worth the price as it includes lots of different stuff. ‘One on one with batman’s new nemesis’ shows that there is an interview with ‘The Joker’ inside this issue.
The costume that the Joker is dressed in is not a typical clowns costume showing the two sides to him. The joker is looking directly into the camera which creates a feeling that he is looking at the audience (readers) so this makes it look more realistic. This shot is effective as we can see his whole face and makeup which is slightly different to a normal clown as he looks as if his lipstick is smudged and he has a black eye. His left side is not lit up as much as his right side which shows the dark side to his personality whilst creating a mysterious effect. With his head tilted but eyes still looking up at the camera it is as if he is staring at the audience, with an intimidating facial expression upon his face. The costume he is wearing is very “wacky” and the colours of green and purple contrast with the colour of the font on the page. They are also not the typical clothes that a clown would be wearing.
Analysing this front cover has given me inspiration on ideas of how to make mine when the time comes, as I like the idea of one main image and the text surrounding it which is a generic convention of a magazine anyway. I like the use of different colours and shapes as it is more eye catching and would make me want to pick up this magazine in a shop. I think that the character being in costume has worked well as it is going with the theme of the magazine and it is also a good way of promoting the film The cover lines are effective with their positioning and the different fonts contrast with the image and the personality of the character shown.
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