DVD Cover Inspiration
High School musical 3
This cover is focused on the plot of the film. The characters are graduating from high school and moving on, which is shown by them wearing their graduation caps and gowns. This DVD cover sticks to a clear colour scheme which makes it look clean, professional and pristine. The red stands out against the white, this is effective as it is eye catching and bright. The red is also relevant to the children’s movie as it is the team colour in the film, which shows a clear connection between the two products. The back cover of the DVD features the Walt Disney logo at the bottom. This obvious sign of branding is effective as it promotes the brand and furthermore appeals to children and parents, as Walt Disney is extremely popular for children’s TV. The doodled stars and E on the back cover are effective as it is a sign of a celebration and makes the cover seem more appealing to their young audience. The images relate back to the title of senior year. This is due to the prom pictures and graduation pictures used. Our product has been influenced by this cover, as our DVD will use the main characters and will revolve around a school theme, like this cover does with graduation.
Mean Girls
The first noticeable aspect of the Mean Girls cover is the colour scheme. The colours are pink, purple and white, these are feminine colours. This would attract their target audience, women, as the film is considered a chick flick. Having the main character framed at the front and larger than the others shows an importance to this character and reveals that this is her story. If we incorporated this idea into our own product then this would also pull the attention to them. The positioning of the characters is important as it gives the audience an insight into their characters; they are positioned in stereotypical mean girl poses. The quote from a review on the cover is effective as it acts as a selling point to convince the audience how good the film is. One noticeable feature on the back of the cover is the brand logos. These are a promotion for all the companies involved with the production, distribution and exhibition of the product. Another feature is the special features list, this would be a selling point to fans of the film as they would think they are getting more for their money, this would be a good idea to incorporate for our product. There are screenshots of scenes within the film which introduce some of the characters; this may encourage some people to buy it as it gives more depth to the characters. The back cover also has a doodle-type fonts and images such as pens and lipstick marks. This gives the film a fun, feel-good film and not something to be taken too seriously, which is a selling point for people who enjoy happy films or films that can make them laugh.
Camp rock
The characters on this cover are posed playing instruments and singing, behind the Camp Rock logo. They are all making eye contact with the camera, which gives the impression that they are looking at the audience and making a connection with them. At the top of the cover they use the stars names as a selling point as they are popular with thee brands audience. This is a Disney Channel original movie, so they used Disney channel stars (The Jonas Brothers) who also had their own TV show. This means that the pre-existing fans of their show may also be attracted to this new movie, featuring them, and want to buy it. The cover also has the bran across the front promoting both Disney Channel and Disney as a brand, as well as Disney being a good selling point in terms of children’s TV. Children and parents may be interested in films created under the Disney name. Including nature aspects in the background is effective as it brings relevance to the DVD product; it clearly ties in with the ‘camp’ theme of the movie. Including aspects of the overall theme in our ancillary product would be important as it would tie all three products together into one brand. On the back of the DVD cover there are logos of the brands which were involved in the creation, production and exhibition of the film. The back cover also features some screen shots of the film and a list of special features. These would entice the audience as they know exactly what they’re getting for their money and, for fans, it would provide some type of ‘inside’ knowledge which other people wouldn’t have without buying the DVD. A general plot, that doesn’t give anything away, is also included on the back which is helpful in informing the audience of what the product actually is whilst also enticing them into buying it as they want to find out more. I think we could incorporate this in our product as I believe it would be a good selling point.
The Story of Tracy Beaker
One feature that stands out on this cover is the doodles used because they look as though a child has drawn them. This may be as it is Tracy’s story therefore the doodles may be from her. Apart from some shots and the brand logos, the general look of the cover could be considered to be a child’s diary – possibly the main character’s diary. This is due to the font on the back looking like someone’s hand writing and the childish doodles. The doodles are effective in capturing the attention of the target audience as the audience may connect to this and therefore would find the cover more appealing. The cover also features lots of bright, primary colours which stand out from each other, for example the yellow, red and purple. This makes the cover look more fun and exciting to young children as they would be immediately drawn to these types of colours rather than dull, boring colours. The idea of the doodles looking quite cartoon-like, compared to the image of Tracy who is a real person, gives a type of fantasy-real life contrast. This provides the show with more of an interesting concept and will consequently attract children who are starting to enjoy watching more realistic shows however still enjoy, and are entertained by, certain aspects of animated cartoons, which is something that will influence our own production work.
Waterloo Road
The front cover of this DVD is fairly plain. It features the teachers of that series against a white background. The characters are dressed in suits and smart clothing; this represents their profession as teachers who need to be dressed smartly. They are all clearly facing forwards and looking straight into the camera, this shows confidence and catches the attention of the audience. This is further reinforced due to the series being called the “spring term” therefore making the school theme come across the cover more. Having a theme run throughout that relates back to show coming across in the cover would be important as it creates the brand of the show. At the bottom of the cover is the BBC logo, BBC are the company behind Waterloo Road, therefore this would promote them. The age certificate given is clearly shown on the side of the cover and on the front cover. This is there to guide people on whether they should be watching the programme as it may not be suitable for some audience members. One feature on the cover is a review from TV Times which also relates back to the school theme by rating it through a grade, this sells the DVD and makes it more appealing however since it is only small and short, it doesn’t distract from the main image. The ‘Waterloo Road’ font is bold and stands out against the white background, which makes it very clear what the DVD is. There is also a repeated print of the title on the side of the DVD to make sure it is clearly viewable.
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is a television show on Disney Channel about a teenage girl who leads a double life. The DVD cover makes this noticeable as on the front she is dressed as the ‘Hannah Montana’ character while on the back of the cover she is in the ‘normal Miley’ costume. This represents the TV show and its storyline well, and gives the audience an insight into both sides of this character. The characters are framed so that the main character is at the front, while the others are at the back and smaller, which indicates the importance of the main character. The Hannah Montana logo is bold, bright and clear. It appears to shine and to have a glittery effect. This is effective as it ties in with the ‘glamorous popstar’ theme of the show, giving the products a clear connection. The PG age certificate is clearly shown on both the back and front cover. On the back cover it explains why the television show has been given this rating, therefore guiding parents whether to let their child watch it or not. This is a good selling point as parents sometimes may be unsure as to whether or not the product is suitable for their children, therefore with this product they can be aware of the contents of the DVD and decide for themselves. There are multiple Disney logos across the cover, this promotes the brand and also emphasises that this is their product – Disney itself is a selling point for many children and parents as it is extremely popular for children’s TV. The colour scheme is mainly a light green colour which could be viewed as gender-neutral and therefore targeted towards all young children of any gender.
By researching existing DVD covers aimed at similar audiences, we were able to analyse them in depth and identify key conventions which we would use within our own production work. Although many showed the same conventions, there were a lot of variances in the way they were presented. This allowed for each cover to exhibit itself in a unique manner that held strong brand identity, which we would like to demonstrate within our own production work.
Victorious
'Victorious' is an American sitcom centred around an aspiring singer and teenager who attends a Performing Arts school. The use of yellow and orange colours creates a bright and more fun appearance that would appeal to a younger audience.
In terms of mise en scene, Tori - the main character, takes up the most space on the front cover, with the other characters in a smaller image behind her. This immediately highlights the importance of her character. On the back of the cover, all of the characters are equal in size but Tori is at the front which once again indicates the importance of her role. The title of the show as well as the company 'Nickelodeon' is repeated several times across the cover, as well as symbols such as the Parental Guidance certificate. This would likely make people more inclined to buy the DVD as they know in advance what kind of content the show will include. The 'Nickelodeon' name is also probably quite a large selling point for the DVD, as it is a popular brand that would entice existing fans of the company. The repeated use of the colour orange ties in with this brand which could be another way of advertising this.
The back cover includes a simple summary of the show's plot in an easily readible font and lexis that could easily be understood by somebody of a younger age.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody' is another American sitcom centred around two troublesome teens who live at The Tipton Hotel. The four main characters on the front cover appear to be the same size, but the twins are higher in the frame which could indicate the importance of their roles on the show. Additionally, the fact that the set for the photo on the front cover appears to be a hotel with props such as suitcases immediately indicates to the audience that main set of the show if they didn't already gather from previous episodes and the 'Suite' pun in the title.
Overall, the cover uses quite neutral colours with the odd splash of purple which could either be to fit with the hotel theme or to ensure that the show isn't aimed at one sex only.
The repetition of the Disney logo creates more advertising for the company as well as enticing existing Disney fans and providing the show with some form of recognition.
The back of the cover includes images of the same four main characters which would instantly make the audience familiar with them, as well as screencaps from the episodes and a brief summary.
iCarly
'iCarly' is a teen sitcom centred around a teenaged girl who creates her own webshow with her best friends. Overall this DVD cover is quite simple, with minimal text and clear images which is relevant to the fact that it is aimed at a young audience.
The colour scheme consists mostly of blues and purples, with a splash of pink which could suggest that the show is aimed at both sexes due to the mixed colour scheme. It is also very bright and the swirling patterns and 'pixels' in the background add an unusual element to the cover that also relates to the show's plot in a subtle way.
Like most of the other DVD covers that we have looked at - Carly, the main character is the main focus on the front cover, covering the most space with the other characters in smaller images around her. The characters all appear to have quite fun and dynamic facial expressions and this paired with the use of props and costumes really gives them a sense of character even in a still image.
The 'Nickelodeon' logo is once again used multiple times for advertising and publicity purposes, and the PG certificate gives an idea of the content of the show.
The cover follows a theme of squares, pixels and boxes which gives a consistent and professional appearance that could again relate to the plot of the show.