Week 7 - Essay Question

Cross Media Convergence and Synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of a media product to audiences. To what extent do you agree in relation to you case studies?

We rely heavily on technology for many areas of our lives, including the marketing and distribution of media products. I believe that technology makes it possible to market a film with ease and to wider audiences. However, I think it is more difficult for smaller budget films to use synergy or cross media convergence due to a lack of finances and not being well known to worldwide audiences.

‘The big six’ global institutions (Universal, paramount, 21st century Fox, Warner Bro’s, Sony and Disney) all find producing films a lot easier and will continue to be successful as they have the money to distribute and advertise their creations to worldwide audiences.

A movie produced by Disney titled “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a good example of a movie that successfully used synergy. A ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Animated Series is planned to be shown on Disney XD. Disney is always looking for multiple platforms to increase brand recognition and to introduce a wider audience. Disney looks to the small screen for new opportunities as well as huge cinematic releases. An animated series will no doubt appeal to younger fans (i.e. children) that don’t necessarily fall into the film’s PG-13 demographic. Attracting a younger audience will not only lead to increased ticket sales, but also a higher level of interest in the merchandise (especially toys) that will showcase Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and space action.

Cross media convergence was also a vital part of the film and its ongoing success. When director James Gunn began assembling the soundtrack for his Marvel superhero movie, he wanted familiar hits but not music that is overplayed on the radio.

As he worked, the director compiled a playlist of tunes, most from the Seventies, that he thought the character would have liked. David Bowie, the Runaways and the Jackson 5 all make appearances.  A week after its release, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 topped the album charts, becoming the first soundtrack ever to do so without having a single original song.

It is clear that these processes added to the success of the film but it would have been successful even without synergy or cross media convergence due to the brand recognition by the audience and the large budgets that large media conglomerates have.

On the other hand, small budget, independent films would benefit a lot more from synergy and cross media convergence but it is a lot more difficult for them to get involved in these processes. 

An example of an independent film that was successful with synergy and cross media convergence is “Honey Trap”.

The director of the film, Rebecca Johnson, collaborated with a number of people to create her movie. She collaborated with Sarah Sulick, to produce the film – David Raedeker who directed the photography – Tracy Granger who edited the film. They all contributed in the production of the film. She also collaborated with Julie Fawcett who is the Community Liaison and it was her permission that was needed to film in the Community Trust Neighbourhood Centre and she was able to gather enough youths for the production.

An example of synergy is the music used in the film that was compiled and produced by Bucks Music Group. Artists on board include critically acclaimed grime artist MC Killa P.

The cross media convergence of the film also helped its distribution and marketing. The film is linked in to other film festivals but does not have any major conventions. However it is going to be made as a co-production between Bright Pictures and Fierce Productions.

To conclude, I believe synergy and cross media convergence has a different importance for smaller budget films than it does for huge media producers and conglomerates. I think large media conglomerates use these processes to create as much money as possible and keep large successful films successful for as long as possible. On the other hand, smaller budget films use it to gain the recognition they may desperately need to reach as wide an audience as possible; therefore, it is a lot more meaningful for smaller film producers. 

Compare ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘HONEYTRAP, in terms of PDME (the film chain)

Compare ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘HONEYTRAP, in terms of PDME (the film chain)

Jessica Taylor

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is a film, produced by Marvel studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is based on the Marvel comics of the same name, about a group of ‘space criminals’ who gang together to defeat the evil Ronan the Accuser. By converting an already famous comic strip series into a film, Guardians of the Galaxy already has an audience, of avid fans of the series and others that may be curious as to how they have converted the art into real life. Marvel’s target audience is often teen to young adults, and mostly males. Although the female interest in comic books has increased rapidly over the past decade. This is due to a steady stream of other comic books that have been converted to films (e.g. Captain America and the Spiderman trilogy) and television shows such a Gotham and Arrow.

The cast also bring in an even wider audience. Zoe Saldana, who plays Gamora, and eventually the lead’s romantic interest, has appeared in many high budget sci-fi films such as Star Trek and Avatar. Because of this, audiences already know of her talents. She and her other female cast-mate Karen Gillan are conventionally attractive, which may be another reason that people may be attracted to the film. Chris Pratt, before Guardians of the Galaxy, was well known for his comedic role on ‘Parks and Recreation’. As this role revolved around jokes about his weight and ‘laziness’, people became intrigued as to how he would play the lead, Peter Quill. Quill is a very confident man, and also knows how to fight. Other famous people included in the cast are Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Lee Pace. By having such a famous cast, people are almost already convinced that the film will be of a high standard.

The production budget of this film was $170 million. This came from the production companies, who are among some of the richest in the world. After massive success, the domestic total as of November 2^nd 2014 was $329, 390. 224. Added with other countries it was shown in, altogether the worldwide box office total was $765, 090, 224. It was shown in over 4,000 cinemas for over 15 weeks.

To promote the film, the cast went on a ‘worldwide press tour’. This involved appearing on as many chat shows as possible, in as many countries as they could. This would allow the cast to generate fans as well as the film. They could answer any questions about the film, which ranged from how Chris Pratt lost weight for the role to how Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel found voice acting. All of the interviews were very light-hearted, which fit the film’s target audience – pre-teens towards young adults. The film was rated as a PG-13, as it contained swearing and violence.

‘HONEYTRAP’ is based on a young girl, who has recently moved to London, who is stuck in a love triangle. Caught up in a fantasy world of popularity and fame, she makes a tragic decision that changes hers and everyone else’s life drastically.  It was produced by Sarah Sulick (well known for her work on ‘The Waiting Room’). It was also written and directed by Rebecca Johnson, who has directed many popular short films, such as ‘Top Girl’ and ‘Electric’.

The director of HONEYTRAP is well known for her use of young, local people in her work. This is because of her extensive work in many youth charities, hoping to get the best out of today’s youth, and keeping them out of trouble. The cast of HONEYTRAP aren’t known globally, unlike the Guardians of the Galaxy cast, and are home-grown. The main character, Layla, is played by Jessica Sula, mostly known for her role of Violet in Skins – a gritty teenage drama. Because of this and her young age of 20, teenagers can relate to her. She is also half Trinidadian, which adds authenticity to her character, who has just arrived from Trinidad to England. Another major cast member is Lucien Laviscount. He is best known for his role in Waterloo Road – another gritty teenage drama. Because of this, he is recognised by fans, who will be encouraged to watch the film. However, the majority of the cast are new to filming and acting. This is one of Johnson’s priorities, as she believes that they can build from the chances they get from her.

Are you aged 17-25 and living in Lambeth and interested in being trainees on HONEYTRAP? Fierce Productions are recruiting 15 trainees for the film shoot this summer. To be clear: these are not paid roles. This is an opportunity for you to learn and be trained and mentored by film industry professionals'

- Advertising for Honeytrap crew - June 2013 (found on http://markgordonpalmer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/honeytrap-2014-london-film-festival.html )

The British Film Institute donated Johnson money to write the script, and gain a wider outlook into the life of young people, living in South London. The ‘Walcot Foundation’ also donated money. They are an ‘independent grant-making foundation’ and their goal is to ‘break cycles of financial deprivation for people living in Lambeth.’ This allowed Johnson’s choice to give 30 young people a chance to be involved in something that could change their lives around. Money was also crowd funded – donated by avid fans. This allowed the film to be able to be shown in cinemas, and is due to be released in early 2015. This can be compared to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, as, in regards to finance, they are so different.

The director did most promotion around the London area. She promoted the film over local radio stations, allowing the film to only be advertised to people in London. Also, at the BFI London Film Festival, one of the screenings was in Brixton, where the film was based and filmed in. However, the film was also shown in locations internationally such as film festivals in Rotterdam and Los Angeles, which shows an attempt to gain viewers worldwide, which is what Guardians of the Galaxy set out to do.

 

Compare Guardians of the Galaxy and Honey Trap, in terms of PDME (The film chain)

^{“The Guardians of the Galaxy” film is directed by James Gunn and produced by Kevin Feige. The movie release was July 31, 2014. The cast includes Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Vin Diesel. A lot of what went into production was technology based especially when bringing the character of Rocket the raccoon to life. The movie was successfully marketed. James Gunn delivered a winning final product, and so Disney screened it early and let it drop right before Comic-Con.}

^{“Honey Trap” is a film directed by Rebecca Johnson and produced by Victoria Lorkin-Lange and Sarah Sulick. It is to be released in October 2014 at the London Film Festival. The film was made in a community centre in Southwest London in Brixton on Stockwell Park Estate. The distributor of the film is an International Film Festival where the film will then be sold onto independent distributors around the world.}

^{A movie produced by large media conglomerates such as “The Guardians of the Galaxy” differ in many ways to independent films produced with a smaller budget such as “Honey Trap”.}

^{One of the ways in which they differ is the technology they used. “Honey Trap” used Camera, Photography camera, editing tools (editing can relate to music and cutting of shots which will be done on a computer). “The Guardians of the Galaxy” used technology that was a lot more advanced. James Gunn used a live raccoon on set in order to help animators accurately capture the motion and behaviours of a raccoon for their CGI model.}

^{The main difference is the budget as it has a direct effect on how much money can be spent on marketing, distribution and production.  “Honey Trap” had a budget of under a million and relied on the British film festival (BFI) to promote the film.  In contrast, “The Guardians of the Galaxy” had a budget of $170 million and within 10 days of being released, the film made a massive $300 million.}

^{Another difference between the two films is the synergy used. Disney is always looking for multiple platforms to increase brand recognition and to introduce a wider audience and make money. An animated series of “The Guardians of the Galaxy” will be introduced to Disney XD; this further boosts profits. On the other hand, “Honey Trap” received finding and made money by employing young people from Brixton. In 2010, Rebecca was awarded development funding from the UK Film Council (now British Film Institute) to write the script for Honey Trap.}

^{Another difference is the format in which the movies will be available. “The Guardians of the Galaxy” movie is available in an IMAX format with a high quality sound system in worldwide cinemas. The movie will also be available on DVD and Blu-Ray. However, “Honey Trap” will be screened in national cinemas. The film is made by local people and is aimed at local people. This can also be seen from the casting of both films. The actors cast in “Honey Trap” are national tabloid celebrities. For example, Jessica Sula who has also played in “Skins”. On the other hand, the cast of “The Guardians of the Galaxy” are Hollywood famous superstars, an example being, Vin Diesel who has played in “The Fast and the Furious” film series.}

^{Another difference between the two films is the storyline and the plot. “Honey Trap” is based on a true tragic story of love and death, whereas, “The Guardians of the Galaxy” is complete fiction. The different storylines attract different audiences.}

^{Despite the major differences, the films also share some similarities. Both films rely on the Internet for marketing and distribution. Trailers give insight into the film and can leave on a cliffhanger, persuading the viewer to watch the full film.}

^{Also, the casting for both movies were used as marketing tools. Rebecca Johnson used local young people and created opportunities for disadvantaged youths. This caught the attention of the press and meant she got more publicity. Similarly, James Gunn cast well-known Hollywood actors, which caught the attention of the press as well as fans of the actors and was also a marketing tool.}

Exam Information;

www.Hollywood.com


 'GotG could have survived in today's film market is if it's a part of a Marvel's cinematic universe'

'big sci-fi blockbusters don't do well unless they're a part of some larger franchise'

'no use in trying to produce blockbusters that aren't already a part of  recognizable franchises or universes'

www.liferebrand.wordpress.com

'Disney, the owner of marvel studios, saved 40% of its marketing efforts for the final week before the films debut'

'The fact that Marvel is the producer and is a dominating institution contributes to why the movie has been able to produce $95million'

' the phenomenal success previous marvels films such as iron man, the avengers and captain america'

“The final week before a film’s release is often when marketing activities are heightened. Disney, the owner of Marvel Studios, saved 40% of its marketing efforts for the final week before the film’s debut. This allowed Guardians to generate maximum awareness at a critical time”

“The movie was marketed largely on the Marvel brand. It’s a great strategy considering the phenomenal success of previous Marvel films such as Iron Man”

“What allowed Guardians to be different than any other Marvel movie was its comedic focus”

“The final touch for Guardians’ marketing strategy was announcing its sequel at Comic-Con, which was attended by thousands of the film’s core audience”

www.guardthegalxy.com

'Guardians of the Galaxy was seen to be a big risk and likely flop for Marvel'

www.kitternmarketing.com

“Little recognition of the characters actually made them more relatable. It positioned the film as an outlier in the superhero genre”

“Marvel had ads running on television and radio. But they also were targeting audiences through social ads and channels like Spotify”

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Info

• According to a Forbes article, the film is set to overtake Captain America: The Winter Soldier to become the highest grossing domestic film of the year so far.
• "Guardians" is the least well-known Marvel property to date.
  
• Writers Nicole Perlman and James Gunn are using ignorance to their advantage, playing fast and loose with Origin Stories and relationship dynamics.
  
• Guardians of the Galaxy is a major part of the 2nd phase of Marvel Studios lineup of feature-length films.
• The Film’s Guardians Includes Members From the 2008 Team
• The Film’s Plot Revolves Around a Very Important Object That Could Affect the Well-Being of the Galaxy
• Chris Pratt Had to Lose Several Pounds in Order to Play the Film’s Lead Role
• Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are Voicing Two of the Film’s More Popular Heroes

Links:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-milestone-guardians-galaxy-727213

http://screenrant.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-story-themes-james-gunn-interview-2014/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11067364/Why-the-Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-couldnt-save-the-box-office.html

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/guardians-of-the-galaxy-marvel-analysis-1201274603/

http://heavy.com/entertainment/2014/07/guardians-of-the-galaxy-2014-film-movie-plot-cast-soundtrack-thanos-phase-2/

Week 6 - Case Study Film 2 - Honey Trap - Short Writing Task

Week 6 – Case Study Film 2 – Honey Trap

Digital technologies have a huge impact on the film industry. There has been an expansion of technology used in the film industry in recent years. We are now able to use more technology efficiently than ever before. The technologies used to promote the film ‘Honey Trap” helped it to be viewed by a larger audience.

Mainstream conglomerates have been able to harness the new digital technologies to allow them to reach a wider audience and consequently gain more profit. However, lower budget films can now gain more recognition too due to movie streaming and by promoting their films on social media. 

An improvement of digital cameras has improved the overall quality of film making films more desirable to watch.

Improvements in technology means larger conglomerates can contact smaller production companies and support them in terms of funding.

Fierce Productions "Honey Trap" Answered Question

                    

            

                                 Questions on Honeytrap: Low budget

1. Who directed the film?

Rebecca Johnson

2. Why did the director choose to tell this story? Where did it come from and why is it topical?

The director tells this story as she feels it represents the tragic nature of some locations in South London. It is topical because it represents some of the troubles that young people in those areas are presented with in their daily lifes.

3. Who produced the film?

Victoria Lorkin-Lange and Sarah Sulick

4. How did the director find a producer for the film?

Through companies such as the UK Film Council and Bright Ideas.

5. What was the budget?

Under a million

6.  How did they raise funds for the film?

By contacting the UK Film Council and requesting funds

7.  How did they find the films cast?

Through the company Candid Casting who offer untrained actors within that area who wish to make their debut in Honeytrap.

8. Who did the director collaborate with to make the film and why was it so important?

She collaborated with Sarah Sulick, to produce the film – David Raedeker who directed the photography – Tracy Granger who edited the film. All contributed in the production of the film. She also collaborated with Julie Fawcett who is the Community Laison and it was her permission that was needed to film in the Community Trust Neighbourhood Centre and she was able to gather enough youths for the production.

9. What technology is used to make the film?

Film Camera, Photography camera, editing tools (editing can relate to music and cutting of shots which will be done on a computer).

10. What examples of cross media convergence can you find?

The film is linked in to other film festivals but does not have any major conventions. However it is going to made as a co-production between Bright Pictures and Fierce Productions.

11. Where was the film made? Why was this important to the director?

The film was made in a community centre in Southwest London in Brixton on Stockwell Park Estate. This was important because she was interviewing youths from their area in the area showing their comfort zone and showing how comfortable they are as a whole allowing them to represent their themselves and what their community stands for.

12. Who is the distributor of the film?

The distributor of the film is an International Film Festival where the film will then be sold onto independent distributors around the world.

13. What other films have they distributed?

They have also distributed Top Girl, Electric, Home Turf and Balling for Brixton.

14. Who is the target audience(s)?

The target audience is Urban adults (25+), who seek out critically well-reviewed films. Also Urban young people (15-25), both sexes, who relate to story and cast and listen to soundtrack artists.

15. List the different marketing tools that have been used to promote the film to different audiences?

The marketing tools are Fundraising (create a profile and start to develop a fan base), Production (dedicated film pages on Facebook, twitter and Tumblr) and lastly Festivals/run up to release (recent unit publicists/PR company).

16. How has the social inclusion aspect of the film helped to promote and market it to audiences?

Social inclusion enables all people feel valued, their differences respected, and their basic needs are met so they can live in dignity. This helped to promote and market the film, as whole communities from similar backgrounds may be a lot more supportive of a film that reflects their lifestyle.

17. Why would this film appeal to National audiences?

This film may appeal to a national audience because it is relatable and therefore it made me it more appealing.

18. Are there any examples of synergy with other products/ merchandise?

An example of synergy is the music used in the film that was compiled and produced by Bucks Music Group. Artists on board include critically acclaimed grime artist MC Killa P.

19.What is the role of the BFI London Film Festival in promoting the film and the filmmaker?

Honey Trap has been selected for the 58^th BFI London Film Festival, which runs from 8 to 19 October 2014. Rebecca Johnson has also gained recognition by being nominated in the Best British Newcomer category.

20. What examples of technological convergence can you find relating to the film’s production, distribution or exhibition?

The technological convergence adds to the look and feel of the film. Screens will be a key element of the visual world of Honey Trap. Her inner world becomes a hyper real dream space where images collide and degrade until they lose their meaning.