DVD Cover Research
Thats So Raven
The front cover of this DVD is very colourful yet easy on the eye. This works well to catch the attention of the audience, with the audience being of the ages 8-13 they will be drawn to the graphics that are on the DVD cover. On the cover there is a range of different characters that are featured within the show. Raven, being the main character is in the centre of the cover and is featured twice posing in different positions; this will translate to the audience her mannerisms in a positive way as it shows the audience her humour. The organisation of the characters represent their roles within the hit series, Raven is usully at the forefront whereas the sub-characters are seen in the background. The show is about a young girl that has supernatural powers which is a dream of every young child to have meaning they will aspire to be like her. The designers of this DVD cover have added firm bold text as their title and is located centrally to catch the audiences attention without question. Also they successfully use a subehading the front cover where it says ‘supernaturally stylish’ and as a result have included a pun to add to the humour of the show. The cover is very effective as there is a lot going on in the picture and certainly doesn't lack liveliness. It holds a lot of emphasised brand identity with the inclusion of logos and slogans which are frequently seen in the show and thus means the audience won't be left guessing. It has positive comments which are located at the bottom, where it says 'From the hit Disney Channel series' which is implemented to persuade the reader to buy and watch the DVD. The front cover also contains ratings for the audience so they know whether it is suitable to watch.
Drake & Josh
At first glance this DVD cover looks somewhat cluttered. In a way it is done strategically as it draws attention to itself. The cover looks interesting and this would therefore stand out for a young audience. The colour-way also contributes this, the vibrant green and orange colours are shown ‘splatted’ on the cover, this is done as it is associated with ‘messy kids’, children enjoy playing with paint and being messy and so they have come up with this idea. Drake and Josh (the characters from the show) are shown acting stupid on the cover, this will appeal to a young audience as it is humorous to them. We will consider this technique to draw as much positive attention to our product.
Grange Hill
The front cover of this DVD follows the general colour way that grange hill considers as their own, the blue is used throughout the show, shown on the logo of the school itself and around the halls of the set. This means that they have successfully synergised their product by placing this on all their features and means they are increasingly consistent in their quality designs and is something we will look to maintain. Similarly to the other dvd covers, there are different examples of stereotypical characters that are used in children’s TV shows. The main example of this is the character that is the largest image on the cover and is brought to the forefront to stand out from the background characters. This character is a young boy and is stood with a worried look on his face to represent the school life he may face. His body language is closed to portray that he is scared and vulnerable. However, despite this feeling he also looks like he may cause trouble and could be well known by the other pupils. This is a feature that we will consider when showing character’s personalities on our DVD front cover as we will aim to give each of them a different identity. Although all the students are wearing school uniform they still look quite scruffy with their top buttons undone and loose ties etc. which is a good way to represent the different types of young stereotypical characters.Despite the good use of one colour we found that it isn't particularly interesting in terms of presentation as it looks far too simple with not a lot going on to catch the eye. The text 'Series 1 and 2' is placed centrally to ensure the audience of the type of show it is and is something we will look to achieve.
Hannah Montana
This front cover plays on the stereotypes of girls. They do this by using stereotypically feminine colours such as yellow and purple. Although this the case they still aim the cover of the DVD at an audience of both male and female. This is done through the use of mixed gender characters. ‘Miley Cyrus’ is dressed in bright colours and is shown to be a role model for the children that will watch the show. This show is aimed predominantly at the female gender as it is based around a young teen popstar that hides her identity under a wig. In terms of our own product we will try to even out the audience our show is aimed at in terms of gender.