DVD cover analysis

PRISON BREAK

The main signifier of this cover is the man in the background as he is a lot bigger than the other character, we then look at the smaller character who is crouched down. There is no representation of women on the cover which is playing on a stereotype that women are weak characters. Similarly there is no representation of race on the cover which is playing on the stereotype that a character of race is rarely the main character.
The camera is a front shot but we are only getting direct mode of address from the dominant character, the other character is looking up maybe away from us. The lighting is very dark from the right side and this makes it very difficult to see the right half of the dominant characters face giving off a sense of mysteriousness. The character who is crouching down has a light shedding on him from where he is looking and very little shadow on him this could relate to the sense of hope.

The facial expressions of the characters are also quite different as the dominant character has a very serious look about him and we get this from the one eye we can see which is very piercing. The other character although he has some seriousness about him, he also has a look of worry, this can be shown in the way that his mouth is slightly open yet no expression is truly formed.

When it comes to dress code the smaller character stands out more as it is clear what he is wearing. He is wearing a grey overall and big black boots which tells us he could be linked to the title. The why he is positioned and the way he is wearing his overall gives of an impression that he is quite chilled and sly. Whereas the other character we can only see something blue which is faded out so the main focus is on his face.

The background also plays a significant part as it is mainly white and is a contrast to the characters. There are faded lines across and down which portrays walls and bars which has connotations of prison. The text is very manly which could portray a manly programme.
The back of the cover starts with the title and summary of what will happen in the series underneath this is some screen shots of parts of episodes and the purpose of all this is to make the audience want to watch it.

REVENGE

The main signifier of this cover is the woman with a black dress on as she is the biggest thing on the cover. She is wearing a black dress that leads down to thorns which has connotations of dangerous, dark and maybe mysterious. We are also getting direct mode of address from this character, and the way her body is positioned has a sense of seriousness about her, and also how she is positioned in front of the other character gives her more power which is unusual as the main protagonist of a text is usually a male.

Then there is the characters that are in a strip across the background. We are also getting direct mode of address from them, and again from their facial expressions they all portray serious determined characters. The strip these characters are in is full of dark clouds which could suggest something about their personalities or even their past life.  The main background is dark red which has connotations of evil and has some text scrolled over it which could relate to the title or story line in the text. The title is quiet feminine but with a sharp edge this could be because the main character on the DVD cover is a woman.  On the side of the case there is the company which produced the show which is an example of brand identity, then the name of the series is repeated so it is clear what it is.

On the back of the cover there is a quote from a newspaper about the series and then a brief about the series to make the audience want to watch it. There is also screen shots of parts of episodes, and a special features box again to intrigue the audience want to watch it. There is then a picture of the same woman from the cover but in a different position, this time she i s not giving the audience direct mode of address and her facial expression is more devious which makes the audience see her in a different perspective and makes them think to what her character is really like.

THE INBETWEENERS

The main signifier's of this cover are the four boys, as they take up the most room, they are all in school uniforms which gives away the target audience of teenagers. They are positioned in dress code as the characters behind have a blue jumper on whereas the two in front don't, this could say that the two characters in front have more power. 

It is a full body shot of the characters and we are getting direct mode of address and although there body positions are similar their facial expressions vary  as the two characters on the right have a more chilled out facial expression as they are laughing but the others have a more serious facial expressions. 

The title and series of the programme is over the characters as most of the attention is drawn to the middle. The font sticks out as it is in contrast to the characters and has a slight dark shadow around it. The font at the top of the front, the DVD logo and also the channel 4 logo is in black as an opposite to the title, and is there to give the programme quality and to make the audience want to watch the programme. The 18 logos are also a brighter colour to make them stand out as this is a legal obligation. 

The spine of the DVD has a darker background, and has the title the series, the DVD logo, the channel logo and the age on it. The darker background makes these stand out more so that it is more eye catching to an audience.

The back of the DVD cover starts with 3 statements from different newspapers to appeal to the audience. Then underneath in a bolder font has 'award wining' written as they want to make this stand out to make the programme look better. Then there is a brief about the series which gives you a little incite on what will happen to draw your attention in and make you want to watch it. Then underneath is a half body shot of the same characters from the front in a similar position .