The marketing campaign plays a vital role in informing potential audiences about a film with the purpose of encouraging people to see the film at the cinema. Film marketing has many different elements and it's a multi platform business, enabling promotion using many different technologies.
Some of the major elements of a film marketing campaign are all the different types of advertisments. The trailer is one of the most important marketing elements and will give the potential audience an idea of what the film is about, hopefully making them want to see it and attracting the intened audience. Focusing in on a particular film regarding this research will help me emphasise my work. Here is the trailer for the film 'Avatar;
The trailer is full of action and there is always something excting happening. A lot of the story is revealed and explained, there is a character intentionally describing the purpose of the film but not as an intentional narrative, which is cleverly done. It is clear to see from the trailer that the film has a massive budget, and it is very much geared towards the writer and director, James Cameron.
Posters are also of great importance as they can be placed practically anywhere. If the poster is made well it can stir interest and make the film a talking point which is ultimately what film makers want. This poster is eye-catching and also aesthetically pleasing. The colour palette of blue is used and appears to be quite calming. The facial expression the person/creature is using is that of serenity and doesn't really show too much emotion. I wouldnt say that this poster gave too much away about the film and would probably make you want to go and see it even more. It is very simple and the only text is talking again about the director. As he has produced some extremely popular films, the marketing company are priding the film on having such a good director, hoping that that will draw the audience in.
Another popular marketing element is a website. If a person takes interest in the film by seeing it being advertised (the trailer or the poster) they can then visit the website and find out more information. As you can see there are so many platforms that the campaign can be reached on, the elements seem to link and work with each other. A website needs other marketing campaigns such as the trailer, likewise, the trailer needs somewhere to be based, eg. a website. One cannot be without the other. The avatar website, like the poster and trailer uses the same colour palette, blues and blacks. This seems a successful strategy as the colour stick in your mind and you immeadiately link them together. The website is very interactive and there are lots of things you can do such as watch the trailer, enter competitions, buy the DVD online and view interviews with the actors and people involved in making the film.
2. Where might you expect to see each of the different parts of the marketing campaign?
A films marketing campaign can include many things. Advertising can be used on so many different platforms, the most common being TV, Radio and Magazines/Newspapers. On television, adverts can be shown, such as trailers between programming. They can be placed between particular programmes that are similar to that of the film, speaking about genre. For example, it is likely that the 'Avatar' film will be featured on the adverts between doccumentaries or dramas that involve lots of action or maybe shown between film channels to target the 'movie buff' audience. Another thing that can be shown on television or online is interviews with the actors in the film. This video shows an interview with James Cameron which was shown on 'Discovery News' about 'Avatar';
On the radio, adverts are also available, obviously without visuals. Small snippets of sound such as quotes or memorable music can be taken from the film and used in the radio advert. Another popular element of the radio advert is to obtain members of the public to give short reviews of the film and what their viewing experience was like.
As well as this, advertising can be used in newspapers and magazines, pages can be bought from magazine companies and used to promote the film with the official poster. Films can also gain interest by having reviews in newspapers and usually have a 5 star rating, reviewing the film.
Marketing can also be used online. Not only as a virtual website but also as adverts on the side of popular social networking websites such as facebook or myspace. Spam email can also be used to target a particular audience or get attention from potential viewers of the film. This is a DPS review taken from 'Ultimate' magazine;
It is clear that the film is a big budget blockbuster as it recieves a whole 2 pages, whereas normally it is most common for a film review to receive a small space on a printed page.
3. What factors make you want to go and see a film? How do you decide which films to see?
The factors that make me want to go and see a film are how exciting the trailer looks and whether it is of a particular genre. I am interested in horror movies and know that trailers for this genre tend to be fast paced with an interesting storyline. If a particular trailer has these aspects then I will most probably go and see the film. If something prides itself on being 'particularly scary' and I have heard people talking about it then I will probably want to experience the film for myself. Word of mouth plays a big part for teenagers like me when deciding to see a film. If my peers have been talking about it then I will most likely be interested and go and see the film with them.
This is a perfect example of seeing a trailer and immeadiately being interested in the film and wanting to see it. Even in the trailer they have taken clips of the general public talking about how scary the film is. They have also included action shots of the reactions of people watching it. This type of trailer would make me want to experience that 'tenseness' for myself, therefore it is more than likely that I would go and see it in the cinema.
