Images

With the top image of my own DVD cover I used my uncle to play the villain. Try and find someone the age of the character you are trying to portray and it will make the overall effect look more realistic. If possible, good lighting is key to a clear photo, so keep that in mind.  

You can always remove the background behind a person and impose another behind it which can make it look more professional. I went outside and took a photo of the clouds and edited both the images to black and white to give it a sinister feel. Don't be afraid to mess around with photo editing software. Even if you don't have Photoshop there are many websites that can do similar effects. Adjust the exposure and shadowing to achieve the look you want. Word even gives you options to change colours and also remove backgrounds so go for it!

Planning

I found the easiest way to start planning out my project was to sketch them on paper. You might think it is easier to do it on the computer if you don't feel confident drawing, but it is much easier in the long run. It is much quicker and you can adjust parts of it with ease. It doesn't matter if it looks bad as long as you have the general idea to give you a good starting point. From this you can start thinking about what images you would like to use and move on to the next stage.

Generic Conventions

So, firstly I began researching crime drama DVD covers such as Sherlock, NCIS and The Chicago Code to get some inspiration for my own work. Even if you don't know much about the genre, the generic conventions used are usually the same and you can pick up on them quite easily. I noticed in the crime genre the colour schemes were typically blues and silvers which often have recognizable connotations with the police and mystery, as you can see in the examples below. 

The hero characters are often the main feature of the cover, with a hierarchy of the cast. The 'boss' will usually be in front or larger than the rest of the characters to show they are in charge. Also, you never see the characters in casual clothing on the front of a DVD cover, they are always in uniform or smartly dressed, to show it is a serious programme. 

The typography is a key factor in any production. If you don't have a font that fits in with the genre or colour scheme, you will never create a professional looking outcome. One of the main issues with producing your own text is being let down by generic fonts. Make sure you go out and download a suitable font and not just settle with the typical ones found on Word! Glows and shadow are common within the titles as well as textured overlays giving an effective finish. 

Take a look at my annotated research for some ideas on more generic conventions of the genre:

MS2 Final Crime Drama DVD Cover- A Grade

For my AS level media coursework we were given the brief to create a DVD cover for a television crime drama. This is my final outcome which received an A grade.