Focus Group Test for Cover

Most people i asked thought that i should try and show all of the characters on the cover. I intend to do that, by  maybe putting the main two on the front, and a couple more on the back maybe. They also thought, most of them, that i should have text at the top of the back page, and then a couple of pictures in the middle. The majority thought that i should have ratings and reviews somewhere on there so i will try to include those as well.

Supernatural TV poster analysis.

This is the TV poster for the show Supernatural. At the top right hand corner there is a couple of things. There is the Cleveland's logo for Warner Brothers, this will make people want to watch this because it tells you to expect a certain thing just from that. Next to that is the time that it is being aired and what channel- this will also give an indication of the quality of the show.
Then at the bottom of the page there is the name 'Supernatural' that is in the iconic font of the show- fans will recognize it as being so. It is the largest text on the show and the most important so people will see that first and because that is the biggest possible clue to what the show is about then it'll make people watch it. Underneath that is the tagline "Fear is a luxury." This creates an enigma because you don't know why that was significant enough to be included in the poster.
The genre for the show is horror and supernatural. The poster shows us that because of the location. Horrors are often shot in the woods because of the budget of the show and also because it will make it more cutting edge, if the characters are being chased through busy streets, it will have not nearly enough of the same effect of if they are being chased along an abandoned road or through woodland.
Also in the poster we can see the two main protagonists- Sam and Dean Winchester. They are stood next to their car- an iconic symbol of the show. Dean is closer to the audience- signifying that he is the eldest and is protecting his brother Sam who is behind both him and the car. Both of them are looking off into the distance- at something we cannot see worriedly. This creates an enigma because we do not know what they are looking at, and why they are looking shocked and panicked. There is a filter of light from the top right hand corner of the screen but they are not included in such light- this could mean that they are not light, that they are dark.

Smallville TV Poster Analysis

This is the TV poster for the series Smallville. There is a lot going on in this poster. In the bottom right hand corner we can see the Smallville logo and then the night it is on. This will make people want to watch it because it tells you exactly when, so you can make the time to watch it, or if they normally don't watch anything that night. Then it gives the channel network it is being aired on so this will suggest the type and quality of the show- if you are a fan of the other work that they put out then you may be more inclined to watch the new show if it has been advertised.
The poster seems to be almost split in two. One of the halves is a big image of a closeup of the main protagonist  Clark Kent's face. It is a close up to emphasize his facial expressions which is worried. It creates the enigma of what is he looking at, he is giving us the direct mode of address so we cannot see what he is looking at.
Next to Clark we see a silhouette of a girl. Because Smallville is about superman before he gets his abilities  even if people do not know that, this gives us a clue. This is because she is in the air reflecting the 'superman' type pose. Beside her is the tagline "The new girl... friend or foe?" This is confusing for the audience, because she is in the superhero type of persona we wonder why she could possibly be a foe.
Finally, in the top left hand corner we can see the skyline of Metropolis. This is a very important part of the show because it is where Lex Luthur lives. The skyline goes all the way along the poster, behind Clark so it makes us wonder what connections he has to the city.

Merlin TV Poster Analysis

This is the television poster for the show Merlin. Unlike the other there is no logo or time for when it is aired. For the top third of the page the background is white with snow, and a mysterious looking tower on the right.      It provides a major contrast to the bottom two thirds of the page which is black. In front of the snowy landscape is the name of the show in large, old looking gold font. It is the iconic logo for the show, and that is the way it is shown on their merchandise and in the show itself. So when people see it later on they will know where they have seen it previously straight away. Everything is dark on the poster expect from that so it gives the audience a sense of mystery.
The genre for the show is fantasy. And there are lots of things in the poster that are indexical to the fantasy genre, and also the well know Arthurian legends.  This is things like swords, fire, Merlin about to perform magic and Morgana along with the other obvious characters.
Then in the middle of the page we see the main five protagonists. Four are the same size, and then one of them is a lot larger. The top two are Gwen and Morgana. Because they are so iconic to the show, and people would know about their rivalry, how they were friends and then after Morgana turned evil, they became fierce enemies. Gwen is bathed in light and is looking majestic in fancy clothes and fine jewelry, and Morgana is cast in shadows with her hood up wearing dark clothes looking sullen.
The bottom two are Arthur and Gaius. All of the characters in the poster are giving the audience a direct mode of address. Arthur is holding a sword, and looks to be wearing chain mail and armour. This tells the audience that he is the strongest of the characters shown, and that he will be the hero of the text. Gaius is clearly the oldest member in the text, and he looks quite odd next to the other four young people on the poster. He could be the father figure for them.
Then, directly in the middle is Merlin- the main protagonist  He has the biggest space on the poster and this shows his importance. He has a ring of fire around him and has his hand raised in front of him, giving direct mode of address. This creates the enigma of why is he more important than everyone else, what else can he do?

Ghost Whisperer Season 1 DVD Cover Analysis

The front cover of the Ghost Whisperer DVD has quite a lot going on and so it gives a good indication on what the show will be about. The background and main color for both the back and front of the cover is purple. Purple is a very feminine color and this reflects the main protagonist Melinda as she is female. 
On the front cover it says the the actress's name who plays Melinda, and then the name of the show along with a little caption saying it is the first series. All of the text on the cover is white and so contrasts with the purple and black background. There is also a subheading saying "The dead are talking... And she is listening." This will give a big indication on what the show will be about, along with the title. 
The background of the cover is black and purple mostly, quite dark overall. This makes the way Melinda is represented very contrasting. You can see her from the bottom of her shoulder up, and she is wearing pale clothing to show that she is light in contrast to the dark around her. She is stood sideways with her head facing you, this adds a hint of mystery about her.
On the title, the O is a moon and there is a spider on the corner of the text. Both these have connotations towards the horror or supernatural genre. When people see that it will then attract the fans of that genre to want to watch the series. Above that says the main protagonists actors name. Because they are in relatively the same size font this guides us towards the fact that both will make people want to watch it- the title for it's genre conventions and the name because of her status in acting. Also on the front cover is a shadowy figure of a man wearing a hat with his back to us. This creates an enigma because we want to find out who he is and why is he such an important person in the series for him to be on the front cover.
On the back page the layout is quite different to most covers. At the top we have the actors name, the title and text saying which season it is, all in the same font as on the spine and the front cover. Then, underneath that there is a couple of paragraphs of a blurb telling you a little bit about the series. It tells you about how Melinda got her ability and briefly about a couple of her missions, then tells you that there are "22 First Season Episodes" in this season. Then underneath that there is a line of five pictures- screenshots from the series. They are all joined together, this looks neat as there is no line dividing them up. Two of them are of Melinda, one of them is of the shadowy man wearing a hat, one of them is of a woman, and the last of a man. Obviously we have no idea about who the last four people really are, so this is just one big enigma.
Then underneath that is another interesting quote from the show "What happens to these people in their last moments really matters." This is putting together the pieces of the puzzle into telling people what the show is about. Then there is a long list of the bonus features on the DVD, like the blooper reel and 'A tour of Grandview.' But on either side of that is two strange pictures. On the left hand side is a dress with wings, and on the right hand side is a suit with wings. They are both purple, so fit well into the background. The technical details are tiny compared to most, and only really contain the bare minimum.

Sherlock Season 1 DVD Cover Analysis

The DVD cover for the BBC's take on Sherlock Holmes does not necessarily have a lot going on, but is still an effective and eye catching cover. On the first page, the front,    there is a picture of the two main protagonists- Sherlock and John Watson. Both men are giving a direct mode of address and their look almost looks confrontational. They are wearing dark clothing so this suggests they are quite dark themselves and that they walk around unnoticed. Sherlock is stood slightly in front of Watson so this suggests a lot of things, the first being that he is the one in charge of whatever they do, the one with all of the authority.  Another thing it could suggest is that Watson needs protecting, and Sherlock is his protector and looks after him, like a sibling type of relationship. 
In the background of the image they are stood on a bridge and there is the backdrop of London in the background. This gives an indication as to where it is going to be set and what it is going to be like as it shows the London eye and large office type buildings. 
Throughout the cover the same kind of font is used. It is a very masculine one, suggesting that this text could be mostly aimed at males.
The logo for the BBC is both on the spine of the DVD and on the back. The BBC are well known for showing good standard of programmes, so the fact that the logo for that is in plain sight will appeal to people, they will assume that it is a good series and worth watching. 
They have also put a lot of different reviews on the cover, they have ones from heat magazine saying they give it five stars, from The Daily Telegraph saying "Sherlock Holmes, brilliantly reinvented." And from more places such as The Independent and The Mail on Sunday's. They have put in a range of places where they got their ratings and comments from, heat magazine to the mail on Sunday is a massive leap down the class scale. This is purely to keep up the idea of trying to make everyone think it is directed at them, that they are the target audience in order for them to buy it. 
Around the reviews is the outline of Sherlock, the back cover is very simple but effective. Then there is the technical details, such as the rating and whatnot. It also has a few faded out photos, a skull, some old looking buildings and a man sat at a table looking through a microscope. 

Supernatural Season 1 DVD Cover Analysis

The front cover of the Supernatural DVD has a lot going on and instantly catches your gaze, and immediately stands out. The two main protagonists, brothers Sam and Dean Winchester are amongst the many things on it. The character more at the front of the image is Dean; he is fully facing the audience, giving it a direct mode of address, he is also holding a pistol. This, in contrast with his normal clothing- ripped jeans, a collared leather jacket and a t shirt, all dark, gives off the impression that he is dark. This is in contrast to the lighting that is there, you can see the headlights from their car, which is an important part of the television show and an iconic symbol for it because it is so recognizable and a rare car. Because Dean is stood in front of his brother, it shows that he is the older and almost protector of the people, and his brother also, representing him as a strong masculine figure.

The lighting gives them an almost holy look, their job is to find leads of anything odd going on around America, and then go after them, hunting demons and other types of evil. The lighting emphasizes that even though they are clad in black, they are out saving and helping people even if they are indeed killing things. Even if you do not know about the show, the name ‘Supernatural’ is in a large, masculine font- long, slim letters, showing the masculinity of these men. Behind them in the top half of the image is a sky, with dark clouds and lightening, this could be  foreshadowing of the problems they face and the deep emotional problems they have to deal with.

The other man in the image is Sam. He is exhibited to be very different to his brother in this scene.  He is stood slightly behind him holding a knife- again emphasizing that they are dangerous and need weapons, on the flip side it shows a bit about their lives, they need weapons so are obviously in danger a lot of the time. Sam is not giving a direct mode of address as his brother is- he is looking at the camera but his body is facing away. This gives him an air of mystery about him- you wonder what is maybe distracting him and what he has to do with the other things in the image. 

To their left, under the car is a massive bag of rock salt. This is also a very iconic thing to the show, and a very important supernatural symbol.
On the back of the cover, there is eight images from the show and then a chunk of text which is the blurb, and then the technical details. All of the images show important scenes- and so the exciting scenes, this makes it look appealing to the audience and make them want to watch it. On quite a few of them, the background colours are mainly red. This has connotations of danger, blood (which some of the characters are covered in) and this is emphasized by the background colour of the back cover. 

In the blurb, the text is separated into two main parts- the bottom half is plain white writing, all of the text the same size and font. The top paragraph is in yellow font, and certain words are bold and bigger than the rest, such as "Sam, Dean Winchester, Hunted, Spirits, Spooks, Terrorize, Living." This gives an even bigger inclination to appeal to the Syfy/supernatural fans by making the words bigger it shows how important certain things are to the show.

The supernatural genre has been a big influence in making the cover- there is a lot of typical conventions of the genre on the cover. This includes the weapons the main protagonists are holding- the pistol and then curved knife. Then there is the iconic massive bag of rock salt.