I watched Kezia Williams head of theatrical distribution at Pathe talk about how distributors work can create a successful marketing campaign for each film. I investigated the different aspects of a marketing campaign for a specific recent film such as:
- Film website
- Film posters
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Twitter
- Cross promotion/ product tie-ins (Like Heineken and James Bond in Skyfall and Spectre, Toyota and Star Wars
- News articles, interviews, award ceremonies
Kezia Williams explains that, in a congested marketplace, a distributors aim was to position a film in a way that it stood out for it target audience. Chris Resseling offered me a series of insight in to how distributors market a film's USP (unique selling point) such as its star cast, its Provence (such as its literary adaption or biopic credentials), its awards and good reviews.
Matt Smith of the FDA tells us that spend on digital has increased enormously. For instance, trailers are not cut for portrait viewing on smartphones. Digital includes all social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc) that work as a synergetic whole in promoting a product. Matt Smith also refers to paid-for marketing as distinct from free publicity. Social media can generate viral marketing- free publicity.
For this research I have decided to research the film 'Get out', this is a thriller and involves a man going to meet his girlfriends parents, he is nervous as they don't know he's black but still goes with her. When he arrives things start to become eerie, he notices that both the maid and the gardener are black. After finding out that a range of black people have gone missing from the area he wants to leave, as he tries to leave with rose (his girlfriend) he's hypnotised.
Poster
For this movie they have used a range of marketing techniques such as posters, trailers, online and social (instagram, facebook, twitter, website home page). The poster for this movie is used to create a sense of mystery and disorientation. It uses the look of a shattered piece of glass, with different parts of the story presented in each fragment. At the bottom of the movie there is a quote from the movie which says "Just because you're invited in, doesn't mean you're welcome" which gives the reader hints about the movie.
Trailer
Before the movie trailer was released there was no notice about the movie coming out, when it appeared it took everyone by surprise. At the beginning of the trailer it starts with rose and Chris getting ready for their journey to their weekend away. Once they arrive things already take a turn as the entire scene appears to be creepy and dangerous as Chris seems to be exposed to extreme psychological torture throughout the stay. This makes the trailer effective as it gives the viewers hints of what Chris was put through. Rose's parents (Whitford and Keener) give a broad minded vibes that have educational conversations about race but are still able to attack people of their own.
Social media
The front page of the official website features clips from the trailer. The first content section in the top menu bar is "about" and is where you'll be bale to read a paragraph about the movie, fundamentally and spoiler. on the next content section there is a 'get tickets' link, the first section is the trailer which encourages people to watch the trailer making them want to buy tickets to watch the movie. The next section is the 'art gallery' this has a range of original art pieces that were inspired by the movie. They also have an instagram, twitter and facebook which consist of quotes from the movie, when the movie was out and scenes from the movie.
THE JOKER: Another aspect of The Joker's website that struck me was the huge push to sell the film, with so many platforms available. The website prioritises the trailers which are very dramatic. The Bronx steps image gave rise to many memes on social media. You note the links to social media, the emphasis on the trailers and the reach of the Warner Bros production company.
ReplyDeleteA SIMPLE FAVOR: You have noted the different genre conventions of the film website such as the trailers, posters, synopsis, platforms, production company. What can you say about the 'look' of the website? how does its layout, colour palette and emphasis on the two female protagonists signal its genre?
ReplyDeleteSORRY WE MISSED YOU: You note one distinctive feature of this film website which is its left-leaning political stance with its page offering supporters the opportunity to join the Impact Campaign. You have missed the page offering the paintings of Aidan Doyle for sale. The director Ken Loach's socialist ideals are evident in this website which reflects his film treatment of social issues such as poverty and unemployment.
ReplyDeleteSophisticated and technically competent. All genre conventions are convincingly observed.
ReplyDeleteYOUR FILM WEBSITE page offers substantial evidence of excellent quality work. Your website hosts all our your promo pack in a convincing and cohesively designed whole that engages your target audience from the home page forwards. The landing page presents your Production Company, Moonlight Productions with its crescent moon logo. The central splash is the looped video of the protagonist running in terror through the Basement, which features prominently in the trailers, creating brand cohesion. The sombre monochrome of the whole design fits the horror / thriller genre well. The navigation bar houses the numerous convergent links to other pages and they all work smoothly, with all social media on one side. Particularly engaging is your Gallery page with the TikTok that you made to appeal to your target age group. Very inventive merchandise are (digitally) created for the Shop page and all are carefully considered for the target market and contribute to the film’s branding. The website hosts all components of an ambitious independent film, such as festival screenings, reviews, trailers, posters, and the full range of social media links. The website is a really convincing.