When ID4 was first introduced to the public by advertisements, lots of people took interest. It was the biggest build up to a blockbuster that America had ever seen. The film was eventually released as Independence Day, hence the name ID4 because the real Independence Day is on the 4th of July. Obviously the video release was not going to be as big, but from the video sleeve, it needed to show how good the film was.
The front cover shows the words ID4 with ‘ Independence Day’ written below. The picture behind is of a massive alien spacecraft with a giant blue light beam shining down on ‘ The White House’. In the bottom left hand side of the cover there is a logo for ‘ THX, Digitally Mastered’, and at the bottom right, there is the symbol created by the British Board of Film Classification, showing that the film is only suitable for persons of 12 years old or over. The picture of the alien spacecraft shows that the film is about aliens and so anyone who likes films about aliens will be instantly drawn by their first impressions of the front cover.
Also, the light beam shining down onto the White House, and blowing it up, shows that the film contains a lot of action. The flames coming out of the building show that during the film, there are lots of especially good special effects. Also, the cover is especially drawing because of the contrast between the blue alien spacecraft and the White House. The connotations of blowing up the white house are numerous. As the President is classed as the most powerful man in the world, this is a threat to the world.
Also, the American President stands for democracy and freedom, which has just been blown up by these aliens. The letters of ID4 are put in a font that elongates the letters and number, so that it gives a smooth and space age look to the lettering. Also, the letters are coloured in a metallic blue colour, giving them even more of a space age look. The words below of ‘ Independence Day’ are put in white to show that the day is pure, but have a glowing blue shadow around the letters, showing that the aliens overshadow the whole film.
The font for these words is also very much associated with space and aliens. The ‘ a’ is not conventional but has a hieroglyphic look to it. This links it to ancient Egypt, creating mysticism to the writing, and the film. The two symbols placed in the opposite bottom corners also attract your eye towards them because they are both different colours to the picture. The ’12’ symbol stands out to show that if you are not 12 years old or over, you shouldn’t be buying this film. This, on the other hand can be used towards the sale of the film, because if a child knows he or she can’t have it, then they will just want it even more.
The ’12’ symbol also shows that the film should be suitable for a wide audience. The ‘ THX Digitally Mastered’ symbol shows that the film has been digitally mastered. To most people, this means nothing, but if people like this saw the symbol, they would immediately think that this film has been changed so that the viewer can have a better quality viewing. Both these symbols add prestige to the front cover.
The spine of the sleeve is also very important, because if the video has been slid in by its side, then to see the film, one has to look at the spine. This spine has a THX symbol at the top, and a 12 certificate at the bottom. Down the side, the words ‘ Independence Day’ are written. All this is on top of a picture of the same alien craft sending a light beam down onto the 20th Century Fox logo.
This is a mirror image of the front cover. The writing is still written in the same white, alien style writing. Also, the THX symbol and the 12 certificate are the same and so are doing exactly the same job as on the cover. The alien craft is still showing the action and the space theme of the film, but because it is shining down onto the 20th Century Fox logo, your eyes are drawn to it and by seeing this logo you recognise the film as one made by 20th Century Fox.
This gives you the impression that the film is made by a top class company and therefore should be very good. The back cover of the sleeve is a lot more packed with information than the other two sections, mainly because it is needed to be said, but is put here because the back cover is not what you see first. This makes the other sections simpler and more drawing to the eyes. Again, there is a THX logo, but this time it is blue and is stretched across the width of the back cover. This is even more drawing to the eye and so gives a much larger impression. There is also another 12 certificate.
This time, it is set in a white box and explains what the symbol means, next to it. Next to the white box, there are two 20th Century Fox logos. One is just the usual 20th Century Fox logo and the other is the home entertainment branch of the company. By the video having two of these logos it shows the people who look at the back that there are two branches of this very successful company and therefore gives the impression that the film should be good. Next to these two logos is the barcode.
The presence of the barcode proves that this is a commercial item, made for the general public to buy. This doesn’t draw the eye, but it gives you a subconscious message to buy the video, by using the barcode. As well as the THX symbol enticing you to buy he film by showing special qualities, there are two others. There is a familiar Dolby Surround Sound symbol showing that it uses this surround sound technology, and there is also a Hi-Fi Stereo sign showing that the sound quality is really good and making you think that it is far superior to anything else before.
Just above these two signs is the service mark of the National Captioning Institute Incorporated. This shows that if you are deaf and own a special video player, you can get subtitles on the screen. When a deaf person looks at films, this would be the first thing they look for and so it is right next to the colourful 20th Century Fox logo. By having this feature it opens up the range of audience, because deaf people can now watch this film. In this section with all these signs on, there are two places where there is writing. The first is just above the age certificate, and it describes the Copyright and things related to that.
This is put in a very small font, because this will not do anything to make the viewer want to buy the film. The second place is at the top of the section, where it shows the running time, and even more copyright information. This is in a little bigger font, because it is a little more relevant, but still won’t do anything to make the viewer want to buy the film. To make the film legal, this needs to be present. On the rest of the back cover there is a picture with writing on it and two inset pictures.
The background picture shows a giant city made of large buildings and skyscrapers protruding from the Earth. The horizon is curved to give the impression that the city is vast and also that it is the whole world involved in this film, not just the one city. A picture of an armed forces officer is shown on the top and it gives the impression he is looking down at the earth in triumph. Also, he is smoking a cigar, which normally symbolizes victory, and this is what it suggests.
This figure is linked to the sun set on the horizon, which shows the end of the day, and put together it shows that they were victorious in the end. At the top of the picture there is the same alien spacecraft which features at the top of the other two sides. This shows that the aliens dominate the film and that the film is full of action and special effects. Also, it shows the destruction of an alien fighter craft while the victorious fighter jets fly past. The two inset pictures are of the other two main actors. The President of the United States of America and a Jewish man who ends up saving the day.
The Jewish man is looking away in a very thoughtful frame of mind, showing he is the clever person. This is a stereotypical Intelligent person, because of his glasses, fashion and the background he is in front of. He has the intelligence, but doesn’t have the brawn or courage to overpower the aliens single-handedly. In the film he joins up with the black person, Steve Hiller, and they conquer the aliens together, showing the alliance between races and cultures. Steve Hiller is the Brawns of the operation. The President is looking up at the sky with a very stern face, showing victory and commitment to the cause.
By the president joining the others, it shows unity between classes. This makes the reader want to know what he is victorious about. It also shows that there is an instant patriotism in the film with all ethnic groups coming together, especially with the black person inset nearby. The gold writing in the centre of the page is the basic credits. They mention the main actors and actresses, the presenting company, the different directors, the producer and the main director. By quickly scanning your eyes over this section, because the names are in a bigger font, the names that are recognisable stick in your mind and so make you think that the film is better because of the famous people.
Finally, the main ‘ blurb’, the film description, is written especially well. Straight away there is alliteration in ‘ Biggest Box’, but this alliteration is different, and more drawing because the ‘ b’ sounds is plosive and shoots from your mouth. It includes lots of words that conjure up images in your head, like for instance the word ‘ destructive beams’ and ‘ determined survivors’. These two examples are particularly gripping and descriptive words that get you reading intently. The use of superlatives gives an impression of greatness. These superlative words are also mainly size related.
The whole paragraph is written very simply, and you only need to lightly read it to understand. This makes it more appealing to the public because it shows that the plot of the film is easy to understand yet is full of action and fun. It is written in white writing, which stands out quite well against the colourful background. This also creates more interest because the colour gives the impression of a futuristic theme, which this is.
Overall, I think the whole sleeve gives the viewer a reason to see the film, and it also grabs your interest as soon as you see the box. From just seeing this box, a vivid image about the film is conjured up in the mind, enticing you to buy it.
