Refer to specific examples from one media area chosen from:
• film • music • radio • video games. How far is marketing important in the media area you have studied? Media area selected: Film Perhaps more than any other form of media, producing a film is an investment. This is especially the case with blockbuster movies, which usually cost tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars to make, so the production companies behind these tentpole films bank on a sizable box office return to remain financially stable. To ensure a film will be a hit with audiences and make a profit at the box office, studios launch massive marketing campaigns for them, which sometimes go as far as spending the equivalent of one dollar on marketing for every two dollars that was spent making the movie. While this may seem ridiculous, box office disasters of the past like Disney’s John Carter show that an ineffective marketing campaign destroys a movie’s chances of being financially successful, so the potential payoff of these costly marketing strategies outweighs their risks. Simply put, marketing is extremely important for a film, because one that is not marketed effectively or correctly usually results in massive financial loss. To begin, films are marketed to the public in a wide variety of ways, often incorporating other mediums to do so. For example, the most well known form of movie advertising is the trailer, a several minute long teaser of a movie that gives audiences an idea of what to expect, and hopefully gets them excited for it. These trailers are often released on websites like Youtube, and shown on cable television or in movie theaters, in the hopes that people will watch them and be interested enough to go see the actual film when it releases. Other marketing strategies include putting up posters in cities, or billboards along roads, and even placing ads in other media areas like magazines or on the radio. Televised interviews with cast members or the director are also common strategies, as enlisting the help of these celebrities brings the film into the radar of those celebrities’ fans. Not to mention that influential film critics are often allowed to see a film early, in the hopes that their potentially positive reviews will convince audiences to see it. The ways a film can be marketed are virtually limitless depending on how creative the marketing team is, and this is even more the case nowadays with the increased prominence of social media. It is common practice today for a large film to have a social media account dedicated to it, with an entire team running it in the hopes of attracting users of these social media platforms to the film. During any major marketing campaign for a movie, all of the aforementioned tactics work together to engrain the hype and anticipation for a film into the minds of potential audience members, so a movie without an effective marketing strategy is doomed to fail from the start. These marketing campaigns usually begin in the months leading up to a film’s theatrical release, and every moment movie studios have to market their film counts because of the costly nature of these campaigns. To make best use of both their time and money, film studios employ the help of a wide variety of marketing professionals to assemble a marketing team. The marketing team behind a film usually starts with determining the target audience by conducting test screenings. Once the target audience is determined, the marketing team can begin figuring out how to market the film to appeal to that target audience/demographic. This is integral, because marketing campaigns that aim to appeal to everyone often come across as bland and vague instead, and result in the opposite of the intended effect. A common strategy done by marketing teams is to arrange for the film’s trailer to be played before films similar to it, since its target demographic will likely see it. Also, these marketing teams aim to figure out what makes their film unique, so they can advertise around that, and make the movie stick out from the many other movies being advertised simultaneously. For lack of a better term, a movie’s “shtick” is integral to its marketing campaign, which the marketing team helps figure out. In summation, marketing is incredibly important for a film, because an effective marketing campaign attracts audiences and ensures film studios can capitalize on their costly investments. Marketing campaigns for large movies usually cost about half as much as the movie itself, and while this may seem overkill, past box office disasters have proven the importance of an effective marketing strategy for a movie. Films are marketed by a wide variety of individuals who make up a larger marketing team. This team is also tasked with determining the target audience of a film, and marketing the film to appeal to that target audience. Marketing for a film can stretch across virtually all mediums simultaneously, and the marketing team makes sure this is the case to make best use of their several month long campaign. All of this works in harmony to ensure, or at least increase the chances, of a film making a profit at the box office when it releases, which is why marketing is so important for films.
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Notes
Camerawork -Close-up on Rami Malek on the subway. Eye line match reveals he is looking back at some businessmen who are talking about him. -Tracking shots as he walks the city and through crowds -Another tracking shot as he walks quickly down a sidewalk as he eats. -There is kind of a fairly short establishing shot when Rami Malek walks into the office, because it reveals the setting and characters without really cutting. -Use of two shots and mid-shots when the characters are talking- they are shown from the waste up. -Elliot and his therapist are framed away from each other on opposite sides of the frame, representing the distance between them. Sound -There is a direct address through voice over/narration. -This narration is also non-diegetic sound -Rami Malek is treating the audience more like his therapist than his actual therapist, revealing personal thoughts he wouldn’t even say to her. -sound bridge- loud and echoey “Elliot” snaps him out of his thoughts. -background theme is slow and methodical, representing his state of mind. -Incidental music in the nightclub. -Loud ambient noise to show his frustration when he starts talking about why he hates society Mise-en-scene -It is grey and rainy outside. -color design- bleak and desaturated, full of grey. -The office is grey, boring, and cold with symmetrical cubicles, possibly representing the monotony of his life and hatred of his job. -Angela is dressed in warmer colors and a little, perhaps representing his affection for her. -Gideon makes him take off his jacket, removing any sense of individual expression he has, as he is now wearing a plain grey button shirt just like everybody else. -Krista is shown wearing an “I Voted” sticker, meaning she is an active participant in the society that Elliot hates so much. Editing -There is a non-continuity system of editing. -For example, it cuts to him watching Angela in a nightclub in the unspecified past. (cut away- adds context that he probably has feelings for her, as he looks at her with a longing gaze) Based on their earlier conversation about him not being able to make it, this probably means he showed up to hang out with her, but bailed out of fear. -Shots of him scrolling through his psychologist’s social media immediately cut back to him deep in thought, showing that’s what he was thinking about. -Cut-away used to provide context to what he is talking about when he describes why he is so disappointed in society. -After his rant it cuts to a close up of Rami Malek where he is deep in thought, revealing everything he said was just in his head. Write-Up Camerawork This video opens with a close-up shot of Elliot’s face while he’s on the subway, which then transitions to an eye line match that shows him looking back at some businessmen who are staring at and whispering about him, possibly because they know he hacks and ruins people like them. Next, a tracking shot follows Elliot as he walks down the street dodging crowds, which then cuts to him walking through his workplace’s doors. This transitions into somewhat of an establishing shot as he walks through the office, as it reveals the environment and characters without really cutting. After this he is called to his boss Gideon’s office, as an over-the-shoulder shot from Elliot’s perspective reveals Angela and Gideon. During Elliot’s meeting with them, and the subsequent shot of Angela and him talking about why he didn’t show up last night, a mix of mid-level two/three shots are used that depict the characters from the waste up. This mimics the eyelines of someone who’d be standing right where the camera is, and also allows the audience to feel like they’re watching the conversation, while also keeping the camera at an objective angle. After this a tracking shot once again follows Elliot, this time as he walks hastily down the sidewalk while eating, presumably on the way to his therapy appointment. This then cuts to Elliot and his therapist Krista, who are mostly positioned on opposite sides of the frame, possibly representing their distance as Elliot is not comfortable actually confiding in her. Sound The most relevant and noticeable element of sound in this clip is the use of narration/voice over as a mode of direct address to the audience through Elliot. This is an example of non-diegetic sound. Incidentally, Elliot appears to treat the audience more like his therapist than he does his actual therapist. Also, the background theme/score associated with his character is quiet and methodical, but swells at moments where he is frustrated or angry, for example when he starts talking about why he is so disappointed in society. In that regard, the music throughout this clip is representative of Elliot’s state of mind. Other use of sound includes the presence of incidental music, in the form of the music playing in the nightclub cut-away. This music is warm and inviting which contradicts with the music associated with Elliot, which might be why he shied away from that social event. Also, a sound bridge is used once in this clip, when Krista says “Elliot” in a loud and echoey way that snaps him out of his deep thought, and connects the scene in his mind with the one in reality. Mise-en-Scene The aesthetic of this entire clip, and presumably of this entire show, is very grey and depressing. The color design is bleak and desaturated, which may reflect Elliot’s pessimistic view of the world. This is further reflected in the set design, as the office he works at is cold and grey, and made up of boringly symmetrical cubicles. This may have been done in an attempt to amplify Elliot’s feelings of unhappiness and monotony regarding his job. Also, this tone/aesthetic is reflected in the costumes of the characters too. For example, Gideon makes Elliot abide by the company dress code and take off his jacket to reveal his plain grey dress shirt. This strips Elliot of the little individual outward expression he had, as he now looks just like everyone else in the office. Interestingly though, Angela is dressed in warmer colors than most of the other characters, possibly reflecting Elliot’s affection towards her. Furthermore, later on in the scene Elliot’s therapist Krista is shown wearing an “I voted” sticker. This small costume choice is significant because in Elliot’s monologue about why he’s disappointed in society, he says that the people voted for this sedated lifestyle, and the camera immediately cuts to a close-up of Krista’s sticker. This shows that from Elliot’s point of view, Krista is a willing participant in the society he despises. Editing Throughout this clip, a non-continuity system of editing is employed to distort the audience’s perception of imagination and reality, and cut-aways are used as well to provide context to the viewer. For example, in the middle of Elliot and Angela’s conversation on why Elliot didn’t show up the night prior, the scene cuts to reveal Elliot did actually show up, but decided to bail, as the camera shows him gazing longingly at Angela. Later in the clip, a series of short takes are used to show Elliot’s perspective while he was looking through Krista’s social media, and the camera then immediately cuts back to him deep in thought, implying that’s what he was thinking about. Also, the aforementioned non-continuity system keeps the viewer guessing on if what they’re seeing is reality or imagined. For example, when Elliot is giving his monologue it cuts back to reality, revealing that what the viewer just witnessed was merely his internal thoughts. 1. In many ways my table of contents sticks to regular conventions of other tables of contents. It features the masthead and issue name (November 2020) at the top of the page, and it is a primarily white page with black text, all of which appears to be common features of tables of contents. However, I like to think I challenged conventions by splitting the image I used in half, and I also think the layout of my TOC is fairly unique. Since the concept of my magazine just revolves around fashion, I wouldn’t say it speaks to any social issues, but hopefully it speaks to the social group of older teenagers.
2. My magazine concept appeals to my target audience of older teenagers by centering around fashion, something teenagers care about more than any other age group. It also appeals to older teenagers by using the appropriate terminology, and writing about topics that might interest them. My magazine would probably be distributed on paper, but available online as well. Recently I have decided to change the theme of my magazine from movies, to fashion. This is because Cambridge wants us to use our own photos, and it is much easier/more realistic to take photos of my friends and I than it would be to take the photos I would need to complete a movie magazine. Below is my first attempt at making a fashion themed magazine cover, using a photo I took of my friend.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
April 2021
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