Audience and Institution practice essay

1. Assess the importance of marketing in the media area you have studied.

Marketing is one of the most important parts in producing a good film. Marketing is the action or business of promoting and selling products or services. The top films use some type of marketing strategy, and that explains why they are so popular and have so much success.

The movie Black Panther made around $361 million dollars in its first week alone. Marketing played a huge role throughout the course of creating this film. There are many different ways to get your film out there, the movie Black Panther is a great example they used many different marketing strategies which explains why they had so much success. Marvel Studios hosted a New York Fashion Week event, where pieces inspired by the movie were presented and showcased. This is an example of the movie’s marketers trying to appeal to a different form of art. Marvel also created a website in which they sold tickets as well as other merchandise. Cross promotion was huge with this film, the debut of the trailer was made during an NBA Finals game, which was a good marketing tactic because there were many viewers of all ages. I remember watching the NBA finals with my father on the couch and we saw the preview and agreed we would see it together, and we did.  Also, rapper Kendrick Lamar who is extremely popular and was a main feature in the soundtrack of this movie performed at the College Football Playoff National Championship. He finished his set with the song “All the Stars” ft. SZA from the movie’s soundtrack. These are just a few of the tactics used to promote this film. Like the NBA finals example, I was also on the couch with my father watching the National Championship. They mentioned how these songs would be heard on the soundtrack. The marketing with this movie was incredible and played a huge role in why it was so successful, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing something about Black Panther. The movie would not be as popular without the marketing.

Another example of an extremely popular movie using different marketing strategies is Spider-man Homecoming. Spider-man Homecoming’s market team used toys and other products as a way to get kids to want to watch the movie. They also used the new Spider-man game for the PS4 to create hype for the movie. By doing this they reached to many different age groups and is a big reason why they were so successful. Like Spider-man Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 another Marvel studios movie used a different tactic in promoting their film. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 took a different approach in marketing, the marketers used food products as a way to raise awareness for the film. Characters from the film could be seen on bags of Doritos and M&Ms. Dairy queen made a new blizzard flavor and characters were on the cup being sold. This is another way marketing can be used and another example of a movie that saw a ton of success due to all the promotions. Like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Jurassic World used marketing to its advantage and got help from Dairy Queen. Unlike my past three examples, Jurassic World is not a marvel film. Yet this does not mean they don’t use marketing to their advantage. The merchandise sold varied many Lego sets were created as well as video games and an app. Using their parent company Universal Studios, marketers got Comcast’s television companies to get a run of earlier Jurassic Park movies and have marathons and sneak previews with Spielberg and Chris Pratt on NBC. By playing older films, audiences of many ages could watch and remember how much they enjoyed it, or they could have got new viewers prior to the release of the new film. Theses are many examples of how marketing plays a huge role in the success of movies.

Furthermore, marketing plays a crucial role in how successful a movie can be. I have witnessed it myself and have fallen for their trap. Although it could be expensive, the profit made off of it makes up for it. As seen above all the most popular movies used some type of marketing strategy and they saw extreme success. Marketing is very important and a necessity in having success with a film.

Extract Essay

This small clip from the film Game of Thrones, is very interesting. The director creates a very intense tone to start. He is trying to convey the audience that something serious is going on. By doing this the audience now has a feeling of curiosity and wants to know why everyone is so serious. The genre that is being conveyed is a fantasy, medieval times type film, a thriller. Just by watching this small part you can tell a lot of stuff has built up to this moment and more is to come. The setting gives the idea that it is a fantasy. The director is trying to convey the message that this is an action-packed show that is very intense and exciting. The author’s vision is to create an intense powerful tone. He does this too hook the audience and to get them attached. Overall the show is very well put together and the director did a great job.

In the opening scene of the film the author starts with an aerial shot of a boat floating into a town on an island. This creates a suspenseful feeling and questions begin to be asked in your head. There is non-diegetic sound, birds are chirping to give it an island type feeling. In the background you can also hear fearful music which leads to the build up of the next scene.Still in the first scene there is a medium shot of two men on the boat. The two men look pretty serious which adds even more suspense. Their costumes and props go along with the fantasy genre. As they get closer you now have a better look at the town and see it from a high angle. There is then a jump cut to the next scene.

In the second scene there is now some dialogue. To begin there is a tracking shot of two people, there is diegetic sound and they talk. The setting seems to be in a castle or palace. There are props like fancy lamps and a table with a king’s chair. This gives you thought that it is a fantasy type genre as well. Their costumes also resemble that. The lighting is darker and creates a mysterious tone. Doors open and more men appear. They begin to talk, and their tone is very serious. Although you may not know exactly what’s happening, you know it is important.

Overall the director follows through with his vision from start to finish with this extract. He begins and gets the audience thinking right away. The use of the non-diegetic sound conveys the audience something serios is going on. As it continues you now observe the setting which is an island with a town. The lighting is dark which create a gloomy tone. The second scene follows the first by being extremely intense. In doing so he gets his message out that the show is intense and exciting. The director’s vision was to hook the audience from the start even without doing anything major.