DVD cover analysis

DVD cover analysis

The title of the film The mortal instruments suggests a genre of fantasy, as it uses ideas that are unrealistic and relate to death. The use of the words 'mortal' and 'bones' suggest that the a theme of the film is death. The 'o' in the title is in a shape that is repeated on the DVD cover, showing it is obviously important to the narrative. The central cover image shows the two main characters in a medium shot. The main characters have very serious faces, suggesting that the narrative goes a bit dark and that there could be a negative ending. The lighting in this image is very dark with shadows to show that the characters are mysterious and that we need to watch the film to get more information about them. The characters use direct address by looking directly into the camera, this catches the audiences eye to buy the film.

There is a lot of blue light used on the front and back cover, which links to the theme of fantasy, as it suggests cold, which could suggest that they are cold towards each other. However, they are together in the main image and stills, which could suggest that they are quite close, and the blue lights could signify lightening. In one of the stills there is fire, which could connote that there is adventure and action in the film as well.

Both of the characters are wearing leather jackets, which connotes youth and also makes them look like bad guys. These contradicting connotations create enigma, as we don't know which one could relate to the characters. Tattoos are visible in many of the stills, which could suggest darkness and evil occur in the film. Both of the actors are very well know and are in famous films. This could create star appeal, as a wider audience may be reached through these actors being in the film. The settings in the images are all dark with blue lights, supporting the fantasy genre.

The tagline is 'two worlds will collide'. This shows us that the genre includes action, adventure and fantasy, as it suggests there could be a war of sorts. This also creates enigma about the narrative, as it doesn't give anything away. The age rating is 12, showing that there will be a bit of violence. This shows that the film wont be too gory or violent, but it will have some in it to make the story line more interesting. The synopsis includes actors names, and also another film they have been in. It also includes just enough of the narrative to intrigue the audience but not to much so they give the story away. They have done this to show the actors are famous and in case people don't recognise them, it shows they are good actors reflecting on the film. The stills show people casting spells, which could suggest part of the narrative, and that the actors will have to fight against the bad guys. The spells could suggest a dark theme and also suggests fear.

Special features are also included with the DVD, such as a music video and deleted scenes. This gives the audience extra information that they can't get anywhere else. This makes the audience want to buy the DVD, not just watch the film on Netflix.

The distributor is e one, which is a well known distributor, this is a sign of quality, as it shows that the film has been professionally made.

There are ratings with starts on the back of the DVD cover, this shows expert criticism. The ratings are all four stars and say good things about the film, making others want to buy it.