Friday 6 May 2016

Mad Max Marketing- UK & US

Differences between the released UK trailer of Mad Max: Fury Road and the US Version

UK:
  • The trailer begins with slow paced editing; this appeals to a wide range of audiences because it doesn't immediately devote the trailer to an action movie. The trailer shows different characters in slow movement which makes it seem more personal and connotes more emotion that just total action and fighting.
  • A UK audience will be more drawn to the movie due to the use of cast names, it feature the stars in big bold writing taking up a whole shot. UK audiences will find this celebrity endorsement appealing.
  • The use of music is very different in the UK trailer, it features classical music playing over the action scenes this connotes a more intelligent story line as classical music reflects a higher class. By using this music the trailer appeals to British people as they will be interested in a more intellectually appropriate movie.
  • The trailer features prominent references to the previous Mad Max movies, the intro is a key reference and therefore links this movie to the previous ones.
USA:
  • From the beginning of the trailer, the editing is fast paced, this emphasises the action scenes and makes them seem more intense and exciting. It has voice overs on top of the action and explosions to make thicken the plot of the movie and avoid it looking over packed with action. The plot is shown more in order to give the audience a familiar feel which will therefore make them want to watch the movie.
  • There is intense music throughout the trailer and unlike the UK trailer it does not gloss over the action scenes with classical or asynchronous music but powerful and intense sound. This produces a trailer that emphasises the exciting action within the movie.
  • This trailer uses fast action scenes from the start, it opens with the main character running which pitches the idea of a full packed and entertaining blockbuster movie to the audience. The scenes shown do not defy the conventions of a blockbuster; includes explosions and stunts in order to attract its target market.

Film Posters


UK
  • The UK film poster includes the iconic car therefore references the previous movies which were successful in the UK. This makes the poster more appealing to a UK audience and incorporates what was successful about previous Mad Max movies in order to make the new movie more appealing
  • The quote on this poster uses the quote 'What a lovely day', this is ironic and makes the movie more appealing to the audience of a UK target market.
  • The image used is still, this doesn't fully promote the action in the film because the iconography on the poster does this already. The mise en scene connotes the way the film mirrors previous sequels therefore the audience can trust that they will enjoy this film like they did the last ones.


USA
  • The stars are the key focus of this poster, unlike the UK poster that uses iconography. Celebrity endorsement makes the poster more appealing to the USA target market and established actors like Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are a contributing factor to the success of the poster.
  • The quote used, 'The Future Belongs To The Mad', this connotes that the film is perhaps about a revolution and that the 'future' is changing. The use of 'future' separates the movie from its sequels and doesn't reference the existing Mad Max  movies which weren't so successful in the USA.

Friday 22 April 2016

To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the area of media you have studied?

To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the area of media you have studied?

Digital distribution is having increasingly significant effects on the marketing and consumption of media products in the film industry as it is evident that more people tend to watch films at home; whether through online streaming (i.e. Netflix) or on DVD. In recent years the technologies of digital distribution have developed and improvements have effected marketing of media products. Distributors market films using the latest software for designing high-concept film posters and trailers. I believe that digital distribution has a substantial influence on the marketing and consumption of media products and will continue to develop in years to come. I consider methods of marketing to reflect the choice and extent of digital distribution used in the process of getting a film to an audience.

In order to fully evaluate the extent to which digital distribution effects the marketing and consumption of media products, I am looking into 2 films that I have studied. 'Mad Max: Fury Road', an American film directed by George Miller and 'Ex Machina' a British film produced by DNA Films and Film 4 producers and directed by Alex Garland. Both films made healthy profits and succeeded in reaching their specific target audience. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' presents the story of a female warrior 'Furiosa' and her alliances on a pursuit of escape, it features successful and well-known actors; Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. 'Ex Machina' tells the story of a computer coder played by Domhall Gleeson and his experience with a bio-engineered robot, 'Ava', played by Alicia Vikander.

The marketing of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' relied hugely on its market research. The distributors found that a current area of the industry receiving great interest is online streaming. Digital distribution saves cost of marketing in taking advantage of VOD, by selling to Amazon Instant Video the distributors of 'Mad Max' saved some money on promoting the movie as Amazon does a lot of this for them in order to benefit themselves. This example of digital distribution reflects the affect it has on marketing as instead of spending extra time and money on advertising the movie, Amazon does this instead. The effect using this type of digital distribution meant the promoters of the movie focused on advertising the name of their movie in order to make their target market look for it and recognise it. Although, there was some additional advertising received in selling to Amazon, the distributors still used a massive amount of TV advertisement, a sum of $7 million was spent on television advertising of 'Mad Max: Fury Road'. Digital distribution like television trailers relieves the pressure off film posters because more people are likely to take notice of television advertisement. This effects marketing because parts of the film are released unlike posters where a capturing and enticing photo attracts audiences.

Digital film is a modern and cheaper route into film producing. Steve McQueen believes that the reason it is so successful is due to the  money being made out of it which

Consumption of media products also acts in response to digital distribution as the way the film is experienced through distribution gives an immediate impression of the movie. With the use of VOD, consumers will see the movie advertised as a product of Amazon Instant Video therefore will register the idea that the movie must be worth watching and a popular movie due to the positive and widely held reputation of Amazons online service. 'Mad Max' is an example of this as this film would not successfully appeal to all audiences but due to its support from a popular service it would encourage people to watch it. Also, digital distribution allows television to play a huge part of the films marketing methods. The distributors are able to directly target their target market through television interviews, this exposure to the movie allows fans of the actors to receive a more personal promotion of the movie which will entice them to see the movie. For example, Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander did an interview on 'Ex Machina' on MTV. This would have pushed the movie into the consumption of a younger audience (between ages 15 to 25) and made it more appealing than perhaps a movie trailer as it is more friendly and light hearted.

A modernised element of digital distribution is the filming on digital, the first film to be fully shot on digital was in 2002, George Lucas' Star Wars Episode II- Attack of the Clones. It cost the producers of the Star Wars movie $16,000, a substantially smaller number than films shot on film. The impending argument presents the fact that movies are less of a risk, producers and directors don't work as hard on set because the fear of creating a bad movie is no longer a strong factor. However, a positive to this smaller expense gives independent films a better chance of success, if an aspiring film maker has a worthy film idea they can film it without too high a cost.

In terms of consumption, there are an increasing amount of websites that enable the public to stream and download movies for free, this means less money is being put back into the film industry. Piracy is a very easy activity which is difficult to defeat because digital distribution provides ways in which the content can be copied quickly. This is especially a negative for smaller budget movies like 'Ex Machina' with a small budget of £10 million. The profit made back from the movie will be smaller due to illegal streaming. This has an impact and lasting effect on marketing and consumption as film companies need to ensure that it is easy and accessible for movies to be bought and viewed at home in order to maximize prevention of piracy.

'Ex Machina' had an localized viral marking campaign and effectively advertised through social media, an example of digital distribution. This allowed both 'Mad Max' and 'Ex Machina' to take advantage of free or cheap advertising. It also ensured that consumption of the movie would be very modern, interactive, immediate and 'cool'. Therefore, appealing to a wide range of people. 'Ex Machina' launched a variety of social media acounts; the most successful were its instagram account and tinder account. The unsual marketing of the film created a huge amount of 'buzz', this 'buzz' ensured the consumption of the movie was mysterious and unique from other movies. 'Ex Machina' used digital initiative creating modern accounts on popular applications. This enabled the crew of 'Ex Machina' to exploit social media to promote the film with either very small costs or for free to its target market.

Digital cinema projection has increased over the last decade. 'Mad Max' and 'Ex Machina' were both filmed with a digital camera. The digital release of these films meant distributing films to cinemas was of lower costs, therefore digital distribution would have saved the distributors of these movies a large amount of money. Digital Screen Network has effected the consumption of media products as it has anabled a wider choice of films for audiences, offering them to see smaller budget movies like ;Ex Machina'. 'Ex Machina' opened on just 4 screens then piggy backed the 'Avengers' sequel by increasing the number of screens it was shown on as 'Avengers' decreased. It gradually built to over 2,000 screens by its sixth week on 'the big screen'. Distribution plays a key role in the success of a film. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' used a wide release on many IMAX screens. On the 14th May 2015 'Mad Max: Fury Road' opened on 12,000 screens in 48 countries. In the United States and Canada the movie opened on 3,702 screens and earned $16.77 million on its opening day. This is similar to other blockbusters like 'Transformers age of Extinction' and 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'.


Evidently, digital distribution certainly affects the marketing and consumption of media products as it develops the process of promotion and the remaining needs of the target market.Marketing adapts to the outcome and restrictions or opportunities of digital distribution. Consumption is more controlled and specific to the way the movie wants to be portrayed to different areas of its target market.

Thursday 7 January 2016

Star Wars


1. How much did Disney pay to acquire the rights to Star Wars from Lucas Film?
$4.05 billion (£2.5 billion)

2. Which other major studios/franchises did Disney acquire in 2006 and 2009 respectively
Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006
Marvel comics for $4.2 billion in 2009

3. Why did Josh Dickey believe Disney was a good fit for Star Wars?
"They're so good at branding and brands. They're so good at working with existing intellectual property and making it resonate with fans and marketing it very well," he told BBC World Service radio.

4. When did the UK introduce generous tax relief for the film industry?
2007

5. How much has Disney earned in tax rebates since 2007?
£170 m

6. How many people were employed at Pinewood studios when working on Star Wars The Force Awakens?
Recruited 130 people.
7. What is Matthew Vaughan's criticism of the UK's tax arrangement (include the full quotation)?
“I think it’s crazy that we subsidise British movies with tax breaks but we don’t get any of that money back. We’re subsidising Hollywood. We’re service providers. We’re not an industry.”

8. How much was Harrison Ford paid to reprise his role as Han Solo?
$20 million

9. How much money must the film make before its stars earn 'back end bonuses'? (A back end bonus is when an actor agrees to take a lower fee for staring in a film in return for a share of any profit a film makes over an agreed figure.)
$1 billion world wide

10. How much did The Force Awakens take globally on its opening weekend?
$247 million in the US and $529 million globally

11. Which 5 major companies have signed tie in deals with the film?
Pepsi, Burger King, M&MS/Mars, Hasbro and Kellogg's.

12. How was the White House linked with the film?
White house news conferences have been attended by imperial stormtroopers, and the president also got a special White house screening.

13. The article states "only finite resources for a movie like The Force Awakens are screens and seats: you cannot force four buttocks into one movie seat." What solution have cinemas dreamt up to cope with this problem?
They increased the screenings, and also did screening times such as 3am and 5am. The film is played throughout the day and has very late screenings.

14. How many screens are being used for saturation play (placing a film on virtually every screen in a cinema)?
2,500 screens in UK and Ireland and at 670 cinemas.

15. What is the % rise in box office takings thanks to Star Wars?
512% rise.

16. How is the box office split between 2D, 3D and IMAX?
2D-54%
3D-36% 
IMAX-10%

17. How many mentions has the film had on Weibo?
700,000 mentions since the start of December.

18. When does the film open in China?
9th January

19. How was the film promoted to China in October 2015?
They flew in 500 stormtroopers who stood against the Great Wall of China, holding signs saying "The Force Awakens".

20. What other marketing strategy has been used?
The studio hired pop star Lu Han to introduce trailers, with the singers band EXO contributing the single Lightsaber.
TV Drama Representation of Ethnicity

Different ethnic groups are a large part of British and American TV Dramas. Familiar stereotypes of ethnicity are heavily conformed to but commonly challenged amongst many TV dramas. The issues and situations surrounding ethnicity is often built upon to create exciting and touching story-lines. In a clip from 'Hotel Babylon' that I analysed shows the event of a immigration raid. The characters all of different ethnic backgrounds and are represented in different ways.

The clip opens with a mid-shot of a white man, he is dressed in a suit therefore immediately can be depicted as respectable and well educated; this initially conforms to stereotypes of white British men. The camera pans right to show him turning a corner to come face to face with white police men. The two-shot combined with non-diegetic sound of fast-paced music creates the understanding that something bigger is about to happen. The fact that the police men are both white reflects the stereotype that white men hold respectable jobs. The diegetic sound of the police men telling the man that nobody can leave is politely accepted, the white man is represented as polite and well mannered; his reaction is predictable for a white man.

An establishing shot follows, a lobby is revealed and a white blonde girl stands behind the reception desk. As the camera zooms in on the blonde girl, she is attractive and clearly takes care of her appearance with curled hair and neat make up. The mise en scene shows that this white women is represented as narcissistic and conforms to stereotypes of white females.  The use of the camera zoom connotes that she likes attention her ethnicity is represented as self-centred. The shot cuts to an over the shoulder/long shot of police entering into the lobby. The entrance of the characters is far from discreet, in relation to ethnicity this could infer that white people are arrogant and egotistical or it could show them to be proud of their profession and seek the approval and aid of those around them. As the police walk through a mid shot focuses on a black man holding a newspaper, this familiar position of hiding behind a newspaper suggests he is guilty and has something to hide, the representation of the black character is that he could be a criminal therefore supporting stereotypes. Analysing the shots mise en scene, the back man is sitting down as the men walk past, the shot only shows the middle part of their body consequently making the white men appear higher that the black man. This creates the representation of a divide in ethnicity and suggests the negative idea of inequality. An over the shoulder shot shows the police man in charge speaking to the receptionist, he introduces himself which highlights the good manners associated with white people. As the women alerts Ben and the other staff through a code about the police being there a close up shot of the police man reflects his suspicions and connotes his intelligence and good education.

Fast paced editing and cuts are used when the men are running to inform 'Jackie' of the presence of the police. The white man says 'Jackie' followed by the black man saying 'immigration', this simple diegetic sound reflects the representations of the men. The white man is shown to be more of a polite and intelligent man whereas the black man is straight to the point, less hesitation. 'Jackie', an Asian character is first shown in a mid-shot. She looks very well put together and her red lipstick gives her an element of glamour whilst holding a professional look. Additionally, diegetic sounds show that she is in heels, she is represented as very feminine. There is a lot of shouting and chaos as she enters the kitchen, mise en scene reflect the ethnic groups as being hard working.

A shot of the Asian women and immigrants is shot from being some bars, this connotes being trapped. The characters are being targeted in the clip and being trapped and scared by white people therefore the clip creates a representation of white people that conforms to the stereotype that they are racist. In association with this is the diegetic sound of the jingling keys which is repeated through out the scene which implies that the Asian lady has control of the situation.

The mid-shot of a black man hoovering with his earphones associates black people with music which supports stereotypes that all black people are very involved with and get enjoyment out of music. As this man is taken by the police, a tilt down angle is used as the white man walks away making the audience lose respect for the white man and creating a negative representation.

Once the black man saves the diabetic lady he says, "I wasn't always a cleaner", this diegetic sound creates the representation that black people are not given a fair chance and they are just as respectable and intelligent as white people. In the background of this is the diegetic sound of shuffling feel which reflects the nerves of the immigrants and the power and control white people have over them in this situation.The Asian lady is thankful to the cleaner and is stroking the head of the lady with care. The camera shot zooms in on her face as she reacts to the diegetic sound of knocking on the door. A hand held camera follows her as she walks to the door and unlocks it with mild hesitation. Her character is represented as brave and intelligent, a very positive representation of her ethnicity.

In the clip the Asian lady pleads to the white police man to let her employee go but he declines her with no pity. His representation builds as arrogant and selfish. The camera zooms in on her face as she begs to connote her as an honest and caring character. Once the police leave the lobby, the camera pans left from the blonde receptionist to a waiter and the shot reveals only white people that look quite shocked and uncomfortable with the situation therefore continuing the negative representation of white people being snobs.

As 'Jackie' clears the locker of the man that was taken away by the police the non-diegetic music slows down and creates a sombre atmosphere therefore making the audience feel sympathy for the black man and emphasise the negative representation of the white man. The clip ends with a left pan of the immigrants sitting eating their dinner. The shot rests on two black characters praying at the table before eating their meal. This creates a very religious representation of black people. As the black lady picks up her fork to begin she is stopped by the man as he finished praying, this implies his dominance and perpetuates the representation of their comintment to religion.

The clip alone shows a negative representation of white people, the situation provokes arrogance and selfishness and reflects commitment the police had to their profession. The clip created a very positive representation of the Asian character as she came across as very caring and selfless.



Representation of Gender in TV Dramas

Representation of Gender in TV Dramas

Within British and American TV Drama gender representations vary widely to create a range of diverse interesting characters. Although, there are plenty of stereotypes associated with gender they are equally conformed to as challenged in modern TV drama. In the British TV drama Luther there are many gender representations, in a clip I analysed I can see that gender representations are strongly built upon the way others react to each other and how they are portrayed within the situation.

The opening shot is a close up of a man named Ian, he looks sad; with red eyes and pale skin which challenges the stereotype that men hide their feeling and don't show emotion. The shot soon cuts to a close up/point of view shot to show Luther who looks confident and calm. He says, "that's not going to work Ian" this diegetic sound contributes to Luther's representation being rational and open as he doesn't hide the fact he sees through Ian's attempts. The characters are both dressed smartly in clothes that fit into the office environment, this mise en scene creates a representation that both are respectable men with respectable professions. A shot reverse shot is used to show the tension between Ian and Luther, it suggests they unlikely to give in to the other portraying the pride a man feels and the importance of protecting his dignity. Luther raises his voice and is mildly aggressive as he pokes Ian with a gun. There is non-diegetic sound in the background, it creates an ambiguous atmosphere and doesn't give clues to the forthcoming situation. The relaxed background sound doesn't allow the fast paced editing of fast shot cuts to create a fast  moving scene it maintains the scene to remain calm and reflects the men as remaining relatively calm.

An over the shoulder shot shows Luther's reaction to Ian's comments, he raises a gun against Ian's head; this creates a representation that this man is very dangerous and unpredictable. As this happens the non-diegetic background music builds up but doesn't increase its tempo. A mid-shot shows Luther throwing his gun behind him and aggressively grabs Ian by the neck and begins to strangle him. This sudden change makes this man appear ruthless and scary. His actions represent anger and violence in his personality. An abrupt cut shows Luther holding Ian over a bar railing, this cut isn't noticeable because the shots are fluent but it adds to the sudden increase of pace in the scene and connotes the stereotypical bad temper men have and how they can suddenly flip.

 A close up shot of Ian makes him look helpless which challenges the stereotypes of men which are normally that a man always fights back and has lots of self confidence to win a fight. The camera pans down from Luther to Ian to emphasise that Luther is very strong and a dangerous man to mess with. This TV drama creates a very violent representation of men. A low angle shot shows Luther looking down on Ian, this highlights the way men see themselves as better than others and intend to dominate others. As Luther says he will arrest Ian a close up of Ian's hand shows his pulling out a knife and stabbing Luther with it, at this point the non-diegetic sound cuts off and the groans and heavy breathing of the men takes its place. The groans of pain from Luther show that he is in pain but connotes his inner strength to not give in. A mid shot shows Ian kicking Luther while shouting that its Luther's fault that he's doing it, his blame in Luther creates a representation that he is a very weak minded man and he is in denial and incapable of taking responsibility, this creates a negative representation of men.

The use of an over the shoulder shot shows the entrance of the female character Alice holding a gun. She immediately desires the attention of the dangerous male character Ian which connotes she doesn't fear him like a stereotypical female would, she doesn't conform to stereotypes that women are weak, easily scared and helpless. Before Ian can finish his question Alice answers with confidence creating the positive representation of an empowered female therefore challenging the stereotype of oppressed women and the common idea that women are insecure and lack self confidence. By taking the attention from Luther she is however conforming to the stereotype that women are less selfish than men as she is endangering herself for a man.

A mid-shot of Alice portrays a representation that she takes pride in her appearance. A close up shot shows Ian is intimidated by Alice which challenges the stereotypical binaries between men and women. Luther tells Alice to not shoot but she follows her own decision and isn't influenced by a man, which is a positive representation of an independent woman. However, Alice shoots Ian which makes her seem selfish and lack rational thinking. A shallow focus shot is on Luther while the other characters are out of focus, this connotes his mental stability and allows the audience to question that of the other characters.