Film Magazine Front Cover

Empire Film Magazine - January 2008 Edition

Empire film magazine is a British film magazine that is published monthly and is currently the biggest selling film magazine in Britain, consistently outselling its nearest market rival Total Film.

This is the front cover for the Empire film magazine from January 2008 and is very effective in enticing the target audience. The main image on the front cover is of the joker from the film “Batman – The Dark Knight” and is prominent on the cover and immediately grabs the attention of the target audience. The jokers head is strategically placed where part of the magazine title is displayed covering the letter “P” which is significant because anything that covers the main title of the magazine must be important so its adds significance to this main image of the joker. The image clearly relates to the main sell line being “Meet the Joker” as it is displayed with the comical font in green that clearly relates with the main image of the joker who also is wearing a green waistcoat which gives a comical element to the mount. The image suggests that the genre of the film has elements of evil with the mysterious joker as well although the film itself is an action/adventure film which is not easily picked out through the interpretation of this front cover. There is a contrasting image of the joker on another film poster for “The Dark Knight” which displays the joker in an evil way holding a gun, striking a serious pose whereas in this poster the joker seems less evil however does display an expression of intent to something which looks dangerous. The use of camera on this cover is very significant as the joker is captured in a medium shot displaying his whole body looking straight directly at him in the centre of the page which adds significance as his whole body is being displayed which allows the target audience to gain an understanding into the jokers character and personality. Top down lighting appears to be used with light being put down on above the joker offering an interesting contrast as half there are elements of light and darkness about the character and it provides a controversial view about the joker. For example with the jokers face, half of it is in darkness and the shade whereas the other half is lightened up which can give the audience the interpretation that the joker has elements of light within as well as darkness which is effective in keeping the target audience thinking.  The elements of mis-en-scene relating to this character are very significant when identifying the characters personality and nature. The joker is displayed like a clown but with evil elements that can be drawn up because of his expression and way in which he is portrayed to the target audience. His costume can be related to as a clown with his green waist coat and bright blue trousers and multi-coloured socks although his facial make up is significant in portraying the evil nature of his character with the jokers facial expression. The black make up around the jokers’ eyes offers a contrast to the white face and gives off elements of evil and danger in which will make the portrayal of the joker seem dangerous.

From the name of the film being “The Dark Knight” you can understand that the magazine itself is one in which likes to advertise films with a dark and mysterious nature as the name of the film suggests. The masthead itself is portrayed very clearly in a red font which is very significant in finding out more about the magazine itself as the colour red gives off the idea of danger and blood which are common relations to the colour. So therefore the evil nature of the joker appears like a common convention for the magazine. The size of the masthead itself is large, which is a common feature with film magazines such as with “Total Film” also implementing the same strategy so that the magazine itself is made clear to the target audience. However there is a significant feature in this particular magazine cover with the main image of the joker taking over part of the title itself with the jokers head going partially over the masthead. For example in the August 2008 edition, Harry Potter is advertised with Harry himself taking up most of the page but not going over the masthead whereas with this magazine the jokers head is over the distinctive masthead which is not common for “Empire.” This therefore gives the target audience the impression that the image is very important and it makes the film seem a lot more significant and adds power to the image which will further entice the target audience to the magazine if it’s good enough to shadow the magazine title itself. The masthead is effective in attracting its target readership being people with a genuine interest in action films as well as horror and more however the red font adds a dangerous element which will predominantly attract members of the target audience with an interest into danger.

There are a few significant sell lines on this magazine front cover that are effective in enticing the target audience with the main one being “Meet the Joker” which is prominent and features just below the masthead in a clear but comical fashion relating to the clown theme presented with the joker. It’s an effective caption because it entices the target audience into wanting to find out more about this joker and what his intentions are. Another significant sell line features at the top of the page above the masthead adding importance which states, “The Dark Knight – World Exclusive” with the iconic Batman symbol which is an effective way in capturing the attention of Batman lovers especially with the symbol being portrayed in the centre at the top of the page with back lighting around the significant symbol. Also the words “World Exclusive” are going to interest the target audience as it means this is a new film in which the target audience are going to be interested in watching. This in particular sell line is very effective in luring in the target audience because the target readership can relate to the Batman symbol and the new film and want to know more. There is a very effective sell line which features right in the middle of the page in a spooky font in white saying, “He’s a cold blooded, mass murdering clown” which is a very good reflection of the character in a brief summary. This single statement is very effective in luring in the target audience because it makes the joker seem extremely dangerous and heartless and will further entice the target readership to want to know how the joker will fare when he comes up against Batman. The phrase relates to the jokers expression where he seems content on evil and committing crime which will give the target audience a clearer interpretation about “Batman’s New Nemesis!”  The phrase describing the joker is effective in reflecting the interests of the target audience being danger and mystery which are accurately portrayed in this particular front cover.

The colours used for the sell lines mainly consist of white as well as pink and green which are significant in different ways. The white is used to add significance to the sell lines whereas the pink and green relating to the clown theme of the joker as they are common colours related to clowns and they are bright colours in which are going to strike out and grab the attention of the target readership. The colours are effective in luring in the target audience because they provide something different which will entice the target audience because clowns often relate to bright colours so the magazine can get away with the strong use of pink and green and the different funky font styles which are used to great effect. The different sell lines lure in the target audience effectively through providing interesting conventions in which are going to grab the attention of the target readership rather than boring them with common uses of the common colours red, white and black.

There is a good balance in relation to the text to image ratio as the main image of the joker is very prominent and immediately grabs the attention of the target readership as the main sell point although the use of text is significant and effective. The fact that the main image of the joker peers over the main title of the prolific magazine shows you just how important the image is in this front cover. The top down lighting used on the image is effective in adding significance to the poster and the positioning of the character in the middle of the page is effective in outlining the jokers importance although the use of strong colours in the sell lines are evident and used for effect to further enhance the importance of the sell lines as well as the main image.