As part of your research and revision for the WJEC AS Film Studies exam, you will need to
look at the important aspect of marketing. As this happens before an audience has potentially seen the film, the production company (or companies) need to maximise as much exposure for
their product as possible.
Often an effective marketing campaign can 'make' a film - building up the exposure, dropping regular hints to the audience, and creating a 'buzz', turning it into an 'event'. Some marketing campaigns, it could be said, have been better than the product being released.
Your task is to become aware of various marketing elements which producers use to entice the audience. This will take the form of researching at least three films – one being British and ideally from different genres, (or compare how two genre films were marketed…same or different strategies?) and released in past few years.
You will need to highlight the marketing strategies and see if they were successful or not? Why?
Examples (although you can choose different films, but ensure there is enough marketing material to research and analyse):
Avengers Assemble (Superhero/Comic Book)
Breaking Dawn: Part 2 (Fantasy/Horror)
Dear John (Romantic Drama)
Django Unchained (Western)
Dredd (Science Fiction)
The Amazing Spiderman (Superhero/Comic Book)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (Family/Animation)
Insidious (Horror)
Les Miserables (Musical/Drama)
Madagascar 3 (Animation/Family)
Magic Mike (Comedy Drama)
Paranormal Activity 4 (Horror)
Prometheus (Science Fiction)
Taken 2 (Thriller)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 3D (Horror)
The Dark Knight Rises (Superhero/Comic Book)
The Bourne Legacy (Thriller)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Fantasy)
The Hunger Games (Science Fiction)
BRITISH
Anna Karenina (Literary Adaptation/Historical Drama)
Skyfall (Action)
Ill Manors (Crime/Social Drama)
My Week With Marilyn (Drama)
The King's Speech (Historical Drama)
The Iron Lady (Historical Drama)
The Sweeney (Crime)
The Woman in Black (Horror)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Literary Adaptation/Drama)
Tasks
Identify the production company responsible for the film
What catches your eye regarding certain marketing products associated with your chosen films? This could be:
A striking poster campaign – images and written text used, colours, different versions for different countries?
Particular toys, games, clothing or a competition released to help sell the film
An official web site – are there any links to other films associated with your chosen one, or produced by the company?
A memorable tag line or slogan
Press reviews used by the production company to sell the film (these are often found on posters
A soundtrack which may have been released – look at who the music company might be – how might they be related to the film production company?
How social media may have been used – official Facebook and/or Twitter page, You Tube for official trailers.
How much the marketing budget may have been for the film and how much in comparison to the cost of making the film? (This information may not be available for all these films, but try to find out as much as you can). Was it money well spent?
How might certain members of the cast or the director be used to ‘sell’ the film?
Other forms of marketing which helped to sell the film?
Key word to refer to is SYNERGY - where two or more products, elements or companies come together in order to maximise potential profits; i.e. soundtrack, games, clothing, fast food companies, toy manufacturers etc.
You may do the research individually, pairs or small groups.
Some of this research may find its way into one of the BTEC Level 3 Film Studies Unit assignments.
However - ALL of it may be useful for the 'Producers and Audiences' section of the WJEC Film Sudies exam in May
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