CD/DVD Covers Analysis.Range of successful CD/DVD covers to gain an insight to their

conventions and what makes them what they are.

Farzana Begum.

This contrasts greatly compared also with the writing as it also is in Black at the right side of the CD cover, this conveys how people perceive to be beautiful, yet when you start to look beyond this, you realise their true colours and feel the pain of the artist, as she is looking down in the picture. This message is cleverly interpretated from the musical compositions within this album but has managed to influence the cover through this centre image that people can then relate to. Lastly, we have the simple masthead that occupies a small amount of the page yet it still stands out, due to it being the only form of writing upon the cover. We then gain yet another form of simplicity as we are presented with a subtle font that makes this contrast to many CD covers today as they focus on bold, bright colours to appeal to the target audience. However, this undemanding cover appeals to many due to this lack of boldness and imagery, this is the reason why many modern covers are starting to become more and more simple as it seems to be more effective within the music industry.

This CD cover is quite simple, as many modernised covers today but this cover focuses on the main image of ‘Jordin Sparks’ this is mainly because the artist is wearing black and the background is white, therefore the colours contrasts and make the artist stand out more. Her clothing in the cover also contrasts with the background as it has flowers in it and at the corner of the CD cover, which shows the purity of the CD cover.

This CD cover is different to the previous one, when is about image, as the image in this cover has got the full attention as the lighting is bright and bold. This is completely altered as the cover manipulates the lack of light in order to emphasize the face of the artist, as well as the gems upon the side of her face, where the source of light seems to be coming from. This instantly makes the audience assume that Lady Gaga has supreme authority as well as the fact that she seems to be wearing black, a domineering colour that suggests power. This notion of looking is then taken further as we notice the glasses, with this we depict an element of cool as the diamonds edited upon her shades imply wealth and supremacy. This use of mise-en-scene fulfils this strong, independent ideology that has been enhanced within the musical aspect of the album.

Once again we see a main focus upon the centre image and masthead that is distinct. When looking at the actual centre image, we come across luminescent, neon lights that make this CD cover standout when placed against this plain, black background. We then focus upon his stylish, and professional outlook that appeal to teenage girls whom look at this dominant CD cover. This along with the intense look on the artist’s face suggests that he is serious when it comes to his music and the messages that he portrays to his adoring fans. This is illustrated through the city landscape that seems to be within the hands of the artist, suggesting power over a whole nation, as his popularity spreads among his grime target audience. Then, when advancing with the mast head, we notice the edgy font that coincides with the modernised outlook and style presented to the target audience. This has been optimized via the use of editing upon the light orbiting around the artist through electric volts, which add to this power and control presented by the artist.

When evaluating Chris Brown’s album in comparison to the others, i seem to notice a greater attention to overall mise-en-scene as the others focus on two main elements, the background and the centre image. Immediately we gain a sense of dominance through the futuristic elements of machinery exhibited in the general background where the target audience can clearly see volts of metal containing money and valuables. When looking at the centre image of the artist, we feel that he has this essence of cool, once again reflected through the connotation of the hat. Along with this, there is the ‘bling’ such as, the shiny earing and the necklace and overall mise-en-scene that allows viewers to understand which target audience/social group this specific artist is appealing to. This is also manifested through the harsh body language that integrates this masculine dominance that reigns over the target audience of hip hop and RNB lovers as well as rappers that aspire to be in his position someday.