Analysing Magazine Covers

This magazine cover I found particularly interesting, as the colours are extremely different to what is generally used. When looking through other Empire Magazine covers, the conventional colours tend to be red, blue, black and white. In this there are eye-catching colours we'd possibly associate with fun or games. These have been used so that they are associated with the mis en scene of the picture, which is of course of The Joker, played by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. He is playing an iconic role in this movie, a cartoon that has been around for years, and had previously been played by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's film adaptation of Batman. The colours green and purple are generally associated with this character, and this is probably why they adapted the whole magazine's look to associate and blend in with the character; because he's so iconic. There is a dark desaturated background behind Ledger, possibly implying that he is a big impact on a very quiet, dull world. Lines and crosses have also been made to look like they are spray painted onto the magazine. This shows that he is a nuisance, or a menace to society and he's out to cause disruption. For the most part, this cover is about The Dark Knight. It's such a huge film that it needs the full coverage and attention, and the magazine certainly does this.