AS MEDIADVD COVERS

Textual analysisRepresentation

Audience

Textual Analysis• What will I write about?

RepresentationLayout AudienceDesign Colour scheme

TerminologyMarketing StrategiesGenre/Visual Codes

ImagesText

Back Cover

Images

Mode of Address

Main Image

Blurb

Format logo

Certification/Classification

Title , Font, Colour

Institutional Information

Language

Format Logo

MarketingExclusivity

Audio Info Barcode

Spine- contains Blinder/ Class logo/Format logo

Tag lineRunning Time

DVD Covers Terminology

Genre Markers

• n Audience – Middle aged females Indicated by pink and white colour scheme, costume hair and makeup and actresses .

Sans Serif font- is soft, modern and stylish . Lower case has strong connotations of femininity

Tag line indicated a ‘feel good factor’ perhaps ‘ Chick flick’

‘Britishness’ sold via the star names

Perhaps ‘family entertainment’

Mirren’s smile is indicative of content. Her smile reflects the feel good nature of the film

Central Image

MCU - Two- ShotUsed to emphasise the ‘buddy movie’ aspect

Straight angle

Connotes ‘realism’

‘Bright’ Natural Lighting –Feel good film

Mode of addressLooking straight at the spectator establishes intimacy

Foreground – Character based drama indicated

Deep Focus – there are more characters and indicated ‘realistic’ drama

Pose ‘wry’ smile indicates a comical element.

Back Cover

• Discussion PointWhy is there so much information on the back of DVD Covers?

How will we be able to write about it all?

Back Cover

Images

Blurb

Audio InfoBarcode

Running Time

Back Cover

A synopsis of the film that teases the audienceInstitutional

Information

Key personel such as writer, director, producer

Often stills are taken from the film at key plot points to market the film to audiences

Marketing Technique – selling a notion of ‘exclusivity’

Graphics here may be appealing to ‘different’ femininities/audiences

Legal info

Used to identify and price the itemFunctional info is both useful and a

standard requirement

What do we know so far?

Task – Spend 5 minutes jotting down the answers to the following.

• Why is there so much ‘functional’ information on DVD covers?

• Where is most of this found?• How has colour been used in this DVD Cover?• Why do most DVD covers have a tag line?• Who is the target audience for this DVD?• How do we know?

SpineAn important almost miniature version of the entire marketing strategy of the DVD cover as this is reflective of how they are stored in homes or sometimes in stores.

The information on the spine is called the blinder

Conventional to have the same logo, colour scheme and font here.

Has all format logo and carries viewing certification

Recap

• What is the ‘blinder’?• What is a tag-line?• What is contained in the ‘blurb’?• What do we need to discuss in relation to the

central image?

Representation

How are women being represented on this DVD Cover?

Do you think that different types of femininity are being explored?

How is ‘ British-ness’ being represented here?

Which genre(s) are being explored?

Write up your answers in as much detail as you can

AudienceWho is the target audience?

How is the audience being positioned by the text?

Discuss two more possible audiences for this film and explain why?

Discuss in pairs a preferred, negotiated and oppositional reading of this DVD cover

What values and attitudes are evident here?

Write up your answers in as much detail as you can and hand them in

Discuss this DVD cover

How does it compare to the one we have just analysed?

How/why is it different ?

GenreWhat are the genre markers?

Is it a hybrid?

Discuss codes and conventions

RepresentationWho is being represented?

How?

What can we say about the images on the back cover?

Why is the director’s name so prominent?

AudienceWho is the target audience?

How are they being targeted?

Suggest another possible audience for this film

How are we being positioned by this text?

Explore a preferred, negotiated and oppositional reading of this cover.

Discuss this DVD CoverHow is it different from the last one?

What codes and conventions are used?

Why does it make use of other media products?

AudienceWho is the target audience?

How are they being targeted?

Describe their socio-economic status- are they ABC1’s or C2DE’s?

How do we know?

Who else might be attracted to this film?

RepresentationWho is being represented?

How?

What issues around representation does the DVD cover hint at?