The marketing campaign I will be researching is for the film 'The Woman In Black'. The woman in black is a horror film and I will research the marketing campaign that is used to advertise this film and the techniques that the advertising companies have used.
On the 10th of April 2011 the first official teaser trailer was released at Comic Con in London. Also the trailer for The Woman In Black was attached to some showings of the last Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in July 2011. The main reason in my opinion this was used because Daniel Radcliffe who is the star of both these films is the main character in them. And Harry Potter fans would pay to go see him in another film. For this reason Daniel Radcliffe could sell this film all on his own. A brand new worldwide teaser trailer was then released in August the 17th 2011, 4 months after the release of the first teaser trailer. The first official teaser poster for The Woman In Black had been released on the 24th of August 2011, a week later than the first worldwide teaser trailer. This poster was only marketed in the UK. October 14th was The Woman In Black's first full UK trailer appearance, this showed a full 2 minute trailer of the film with more and more footage to wet the audience's appetite for the film. 8 months later Momentum Pictures released The Woman In Black's first official theatrical trailer on 11th of January. Shortly before The Woman In Black was released on the 12th of March 2012 a book had been released with Daniel Radcliffe the main star of the film on the front of it. This was to enhance the marketing and synergy on their part.
In the media Richard Dyer has a star theory that the media create all the 'stars' of the modern day. The media help to influence by getting a person's name and image out there and get them well and truly know to the audience. In some cases this can be critical to some people's careers so that they can become well known stars.
Richard Dyer's Star Theory involves two things:
Paradox: A paradox is an idea that two things go together but they shouldn't really go together.
Incoherence: An incoherence is when the audience buy a certain artist's products, for instance, CDs,
posters, clothes, magazines etc.
The film trailer that I will be creating is a horror film trailer. This is my synopsis of my trailer.
A group of maintainance workers go into Deyes High School to do maintainance work at night time. Little did they know one pupil never leaves, haunting the school with his ghostly presence the group are left without a word of warning. Things seem fine until current events take a dramatic twist as each worker disappears one by one.
Synergy is the sale and promotion of a product and all the products versions. The way synergy has been used it reaches out to all different audiences. Weather it be a video game, merchandise, poster, magazine, trailer or film, by getting the audience involved consumers can be prosumers. A classic example of were synergy has been used recently was the awaiting release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on the 15th of July 2011. Teaser and official posters were produced, video games for various consoles, teaser and official trailers, magazine articles and merchandise.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is such a good example because of the amount of synergy that has been used surrounding the film. Here is a few examples of synergy used to help enhance the film before it has even be released. The examples used are: the official trailer, two magazine covers, two video games for platforms Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 and finally the official teaser poster. These are all good examples because they help to build up the excitement of the film for the audience.
The release date for the first preview of the film was in March 2011, four months before the release date of the actual film. So even four months before the film was ment to be released the audience's appetite started to build from one a preview months before opening night. The first poster was also released in March 2011 and the first poster contained no actaul information about the film only a tagline saying, "IT ALL ENDS 7.15" giving the audience the release date of the film. The 27th of April 2011 was release date of the first theatrical trailer, this gave the audience so much more information about the film and aloud the audience to see the codes and conventions of the film from just the theatrical trailer. A month after the release of the first theatrical trailer was released multiple posters were released with one or two characters on them with the tagline once again "IT ALL ENDS 7.15" with a background as though there was a battle going on. The publishers of the posters kept all the posters very consistant because they all had the same connventions as each other.
One of the most vitial things about synergy being used is that it is kept consistant throughout, like with the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, synergy has been in this case been exceptionally consistant, for example the usage of the tagline "IT ALL ENDS 7.15". This film has been marketed through all different types of media, trailers, video games, posters, magazine covers and merchandising. Harry Potter was already a world wide pheonemon from when the first film in the series was released but all these different types of synergy used has helped to enhance that for the film companies and the audience. Also in my opinion I feel that this much synergy has been used because this is to be the last film in the Harry Potter series and they want the audience to make the most of these extras that have been put out there for them.
I am going to be analyzing two film trailers. The film trailers I have chosen are "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" and a trailer from the same genre my trailer is going to be "The Woman In Black"
The first trailer that I am analysing is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. From day one from the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has incorporated a soundtrack that is recognised around the globe. This is because the Harry Potter franchise is recognised all over the world, so in this trailer without seeing much or any footage and hearing the soundtrack the audience will automatically know what film the trailer is for. This is the last film in the Harry Potter series so the trailer companies want the trailer to be even more spectacular than any other they have made for this franchise and want the audience to remember it.
The trailer begins with the classic Hogwarts soundtrack but has been slowed down and recorded differently from the first time it was heard. It is more high pitched, more sinister and less upbeat and creates more suspense and tension as with the original soundtrack it doesn't. The start of the trailer starts off slowly as you would expect with a trailer and the first snipit from the film we see is Professor Snape walking through a tunnel away from the camera towards a house and this cuts to the next scene after about half a second to create mystery so the audience wonder were he is. From that each scene changes in time with the chime of the music and creates a good effect but also reveals more clues from the film because after watching the film those snipits play a significant part in the film. The sinister music stops when we see half of Voldermort's face as he opens his eyes and a heavy cold sinister breath is the sound over, this is as though he is in control and now the trailer is about to change, his breath has is a connotation of changed events and now he has set the tone for the rest of the trailer. A Warner Bros. logo appears and from this we can see that this logo had nothing to do with Harry Potter before it was first released 10 years ago have really incorporated the Harry Potter house style in their logo which they don't do for very many other film titles.
Next we see more snipits from the film and now the soundtrack has changed, this then changes the tone of it and is not as upbeat but is much deeper than the beginning soundtrack which suggest events are changing and creates even more suspense and mystery. But in the background the soundtrack has been dubbed down and Voldermort speaks, this is so the audience hear clearly what he is saying. He says, "Harry Potter, you have fought valiantly, but you have aloud your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself" he says this in a very sinister way and has he does so about six snipits from the film are shown in about three seconds which builds up the hype of the trailer even more revealing even more to the audience. As this happens the soundtrack pace in the background gets faster. The music becomes more upbeat and goes into more detail about the plot of the film and gets the audience even more excited than they already are. As the trailer goes on revealing more and more the trailer is dominated by text for about four seconds when it firstly says, "ON JULY 15", "ONLY ONE", "CAN LIVE" with quick snipits from the film inbetween the text appearing on screen. The trailer continues with about 10 clips that last around 1 second each and try to piece a story together without giving to much away to the audience so that it keeps them guessing. As the trailer comes to a climax the clips from the film become more and more action packed that will excite the audience. This is shown by explosions and fight scenes. There are strong quotes from the film in the trailer, one used is, "We can end this." This gives a clue to the audience that the 'good guys' have the upper hand and also adds to the excitement, which this trailer has already built up. Another strong quote used is when Harry says, "I never wanted any of you to die for me." This gives us a clue that lives are lost in this film, and from the good side aswell. This creates mystery because the audience's favorite character's lives could be lost. Another is when Harry is stood at the top of Hogwarts and says to Voldermort, "C'mon Tom, lets finish this the way we started it. Together." This provides a clue to the audience that the battle is coming to a conclusion and the two main enemies are about to have their final battle. This again creates added excitement to the film.
The pace of the trailer then again steps up and the soundtrack has gotten louder showing clips from the film in succession one after another lasting around 1 second each as the trailer builds to the conclusion, they add to the hype of the film, using clips with explosions and fire. The end of the trailer is again dominated by text such as, "The epic conclusion", "Of the worldwide phenomenon", the trailer companies are trying once again adding to the excitement because it is the last film and they want it to be spectacular and remembered. The trailer then comes to a steady close and slows down to a slow motion fight scene between Harry and Voldermort, with Voldermort saying, "Only I can live forever." This trailer has connotations of horror, drama, romance and comedy and is aimed at at an audience of all ages.
The second trailer I will be analyzing is "The Woman In Black"
The Woman In Black is a film about a young lawyer who travels to a house with the hope he can finally sell it. Based in a remote area, Arthur Kipps discovers a terrifying truth, that a scorned woman terrorises the locals. The Woman In Black is a horror film with a 12a certificate. The Woman In Black is a new film that was released in the year 2012 and is the first film of it's kind, this means that the audience will not recognise the film like when the Harry Potter trailers were released and the films had their own recognisable and consistant soundtrack. Daniel Radcliffe is the main character of the film and he is known world wide for starring in the Harry Potter Series so he has great marketability for this film.
The trailer starts of with a green screen rating card as this is an MPAA trailer. From this the trailer continues with a train pulling out of a train station to reveal in an extreme long shot, Arthur Kipps looking downwards which suggests he is depressed. From this the soundtrack kicks in into the background as soon as the scene jump cuts from the train station to the idents by, CBS Films, Crosscreek Pictures and HAMMER all at the same time. The trailer starts off at a slow pace as you would expect with this kind of film. It is like Todorov's Equilibrium theory were events seem normal and then there is a disruption in events. From this slow paced start there is dialog from a woman talking to Arthur Kipps saying, "Please don't go to Eel Marsh House" with a facial expression of some sadness and a tone of voice that is as though she is whispering to him, this is being used as a warning to Aurthur that danger or something awaits. The trailer continues and the audience still see short and dark snippits from the film including Arthur approaching something and then the scene cuts to reveal that it is the house which the woman told him not to go. These snippits create mystery so it gets the audience thinking what is in that house. Why is it of any importance to Aurthur? From this the audience have more dialog from a man sat in a chair saying, "If we opened the door to superstition, were does that lead?" as this is happening more short and quick snippits are being shown from the film. The soundtrack of the trailer matches with each of the scenes cutting from one to the next this is good use of sound matching. When cutting from one scene to the next an example of how this is done is a loud bass beat, camera shutters as though a picture is being taken and loud bangs. These sounds are getting more and more sinister as the loud banging noise gets louder and louder but now with the sound of a creaking rocking chair makes the soundtrack alot more sinister, tension builing and frighting for the watching audience. In one scene Arthur is sitting down looking scared or confused, as this happens there is dialog again over the soundtrack but from Arthur saying, "I feel shes there, trying to reach me" and during this scene a cold wind sound effect is dubbed over the scene and as this happens a white ghostly mist floats across the background suggesting a disruption in events. This matched up when a normal photograph of a man, woman and child Arthur was examining moments earlier has now had the eyes of the three people scratched out. The mise en scene of all these scenes all comply with the codes and conventions of the horror genre as it is dark and black throughout which have a connotation of death.
Next we see more snippits from the film trailer but now the pace has increased and alos the tone of the soundtrack with louder sound effects and the sound of the rocking chair still in the background dubbed over more scenes. The soundtrack is not upbeat in the sense it's been speeded up but has become more sinister and the tension is building even further leading the audience into thinking what could be coming next. There is again even more diaglog dubbed over the shots and soundtrack when a same man who talks about 'opening the door to supersititon' says, "Even the most rashional minds can play tricks in the dark". This being said over more short snippits of the film trying to build the hype. A ghostly fiqure of a woman's face is the brighest thing in the shot and in an extreme long shot you can only see the luminous glow of her face. This disappears and the lights go off and match with the beat of the soundtrack creating a frightening image and building suspense to what might happen next.
As the trailer is coming to a climax, the audience know this because the soundtrack begins to change and text appears on screen saying, "The doorway has opened" suggesting to the audience that something terrible has happened now and it is now a reality. From this there is more dialog saying, "They pray on those most in need" with more quick snippits of the woman being shown more frequently towards the end of the trailer and she is involved with Arthur in these scenes as though she is now terrorising him.
Because this is a horror trailer and has many codes and conventions of horror this trailer is designed to frighten the audience as well as entertain them. This is a film with a target market of aged 12 upwards with a 12a certificate rating.
This is another magazine front cover from the magazine Empire. But on this magazine front cover the main feature is the new feature film, "The Dark Knight Rises". The main image that dominates the front cover is the photograph of 'Batman/Dark Knight' holding a gadget of some sort that looks as though he uses it within the film itself. This colours that are used on the magazine go well with the film. For instance the black background with the beam of light coming from the centre of the page gives the audience an implication that the Batman/Dark Knight is rising from the darkness once again. Again in this magazine cover like the last the masthead is covered by the main image, but because Empire is a well known magazine we do not need to see the famous red masthead. If the main image wasn't a clear indication that this magazine featured The Dark Knight Rises there is a bright white main headline saying, "The Dark Knight Rises". The way it is in white has a positive connotation so that the reader thinks there is light at the end of the tunnel. This photograph is not an image out of the actual film, but has been taken on a proper photo-shoot were Christian Bale (Batman) has to pose as The Dark Knight. There is also some anchorage text on a yellow banner on the left hand side which is used as a lure to the audience to lure them into buying this magazine. And just underneath that is more anchorage text about the Dark Knight Rises and they have been put there to make the audience buy their magazine. A strapline is used across the top of the magazine front cover and this text is also used as a selling point as the Batman Sign has been used in bright white with a small glow around the edges and text saying, "The Ultimate Exclusive!"
This magazine cover from Empire Magazine is advertising Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. This magazine cover contains a masthead and it is covered by the people in the photograph, (Harry, Ron and Hermione) which implies the audience will know what magazine it is because of the repetitive red font they instantly recognise it as Empire Magazine. The main photograph is taken in a medium long shot which shows the character's full bodies. In this magazine there is no background image which implies that the audience already know who the characters are and what film they are from. Another possible reason for not having a background image is that the magazine editor does not want to give away the setting of the film. The fact that they are holding wands show they are about to fight but the clothing they are wearing is casual which implies that they are not prepared for a battle. Also the fact they are dressed like this in this magazine cover also builds up to the hype of the actual film because in this photograph they are ready for a fight and it is building up to the battle ahead. This magazine's main focus is all about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. There is alot of incentives and anchorage text on this cover which try to lure the audience in to buying their magazine. An example of this is the strap-line at the top and bottom of the magazine cover with lexis saying, "FREE SPECTACULAR POTTER PHOTO SPECIAL" This is one of the incentives used on this magazine front cover to lure the audience in. Another lure used is the gold banner in the centre of the page just below the main headline of the magazine giving away the main focus of the magazine. This banner includes desirable elements that the audience will want if they buy this magazine. These are things like the "Free 36 page photo special", "Free collectors' portfolio", "Limited edition cover" and "The complete cast come together for our biggest ever exclusive". These techniques have been used perfectly as a lure for the audience as they are the second most recognisable element aside from the photograph featuring Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.
In this trailer there is no actual footage from the film only single cells of Walt Disney showing us these cells. Also in this trailer to introduce the audience to the characters Walt Disney describes who all the characters are and their personalities. This is one of the very first movie trailers to come out and the first of its kind for a cartoon based film. Without the technology we have today it would of been to demanding in 1937 to create a trailer with actual clips from this film.
In this trailer the whole trailer was in black and white. Casablanca is heavily texted whereas film trailers in the modern day are not as heavily texted as trailers from the past. This is because now film trailer companies want to sell the film and by showing more footage and less text the audience will get a better in site into the film.
This trailer is on for 6 minutes and 36 seconds. Whereas most every other trailer is under 2 minutes long. Only one trailer per year from a certain production company is aloud to exceed the 2 minute mark. In this trailer we see Alfred Hitchcock giving us an in site into the film by giving the audience a tour of the set of were Psycho was filmed. We see no footage from this film and there is no text either. He takes the audience on the tour to tell them about certain significant events in the film and describes what happened, making the audience want to go the cinema and see what actually happens.
This trailer has come on alot in terms of the technology it has used. There is alot of CGI used but it is not of the great quality we have today, they have used this format when you see lightning, characters morphing and explosions taking place. In the trailer there is also a very loud voice over giving the audience a better insite to the film. But in my opinion this trailer is in danger of showing all the best scenes from the film in the trailer because of the amount of detail it goes in to.
Inception is a trailer that shows modern technology at its very best. CGI is more enhanced so that it looks more realistic for the audience. When you compare this trailer to Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs from 1937 you can see a drastic change in technology and see how technology has advanced in this space of time. For example at the start of the Inception trailer we see three logos from different production companies and in Snow White we don't. This trailer consists of footage from the film itself and has quick cuts from one scene to the next. Whereas in Snow White there is no footage from the film. Text that is used in this film trailer shows the director's name Christopher Nolan, the main actor's name Leonardo DiCaprio and other text saying "your mind", "the scene of the crime" and finally the title of the film "Inception".
After studying these five trailers from 1937 - 2010 we can see how technology has drastically changed. Where technolgy has become more advanced and more and more CGI Technology has been used, less text on the trailers and more footage from the film included within the trailer.
The codes and conventions of a film trailer consists of themes that are reflective of that film's genre. For example in an action high adrenaline film in the trailer the audience would see scenes like explosions, guns and car chases. In horror films there would be scenes such as people screaming and blood and gore etc..
Another convention of a film trailer is that a film trailer includes graphic captions such as the release date of that film, the directors name, the actors' names starring in the film and any other text that is related to that film.
Another convention of a film trailer is the use of non-diegetic sound. This is used to help reflect the type of genre a film is. Non-diegetic sound is a sound who's source that is not visible on-screen. An example of non-diegetic is the narrator's commentary above the original footage and sound effects such as soundtracks to help create different effects.
Also included within a film trailer is the production company's logo who have made the film/trailer, a couple of examples of companies are 20th Century Fox, Paramount or Warner Bros. The production company's logos are usually show at the beginning or ending of a film trailer.
Narrative Enigma is also another code and convention of a film trailer. A narrative enigma is a question that underpins a story and will or won't be answered in the conclusion of the trailer. To explain the trailer will start and end without the audience coming to a clear conclusion about the conclusion of the film.
Editing is probably one of the most important codes and conventions of a film trailer. A film trailer depends on the edits to make the trailer as entertaining as possible, as you can put any scene in any order as long as it fits together to make the film trailer as entertaining as possible. In an action film trailer the cuts will be quick only showing very short snippets from the film itself and not revealing to much information from the film to keep the audience guessing.
The last code and convention of a film trailer is the camera shots used within the trailer. Any camera shot can be used but when in a trailer they are showing the actors who star in the film a close up shot is used to clearly show who they are.
A three-act structure is in most trailers and they are similar to a feature-length film. Trailers start with Act 1 which is the beginning and this lays out the premise of the story line. Act 2 known as the middle is the act in the trailer that drives the trailer forward and Act 2 usually ends on a dramatic climax. Lastly Act 3 usually has a strong piece of "signature music". The music used is either a recognizable song or a powerful orchestral piece. And finally the ending of the trailer known as Act 3 is were the trailer often includes a visual montage emotional and powerful moments in the film and footage of actors who are in the film which are used as a selling point to help sell the film.
Voice Over
A voice over is a narration that is used to very briefly set up the premise of the film and gives the audience a brief explanation when necessary. Trailer's in the modern day are of a highy condensed format, so a voice over is a useful technique to use so that the audience get a better understanding of the plot.
Music
Music in film trailers help to set the tone and mood of a film trailer. Usually the music that is used within a film trailer may not be from the film itself. Music in film trailers may be:
Music from other films
Popular and well known music, the reason this can be chosen is because of the music's tone
A type of music known as "Libary" music. This is music that is composed previously so that it is specifically used in advertising by an independent composer
Music that is specifically composed for that film
And finally songs that may include 'knock-offs' of songs that are recognisable to the audience, these are very expensive to be licenced
Cast, Crew and Studio Information
A list of the stars in the film is also known as the 'Cast Run'. Other important people involved in the film who also want a mention aswell are people like the director and producer if they are well known to the audience before the film is released. A 'Billing Block' is what most trailers conclude in. A 'Billing Block' is a list of the principal cast and crew memebers. They tend to appear on screen at the beginning or ending of the film.
The logos of studio productions are usually featured near to th beginning of the trailer. Until the late 1970s these logos were moved so they were at the end of film trailers. The logos are usually from the production company and the film's distributor.
Technical Elements
Sound Mix: Film trailers are mainly presented in Dolby Digital or any other form of multichannel sound mix. Sound effects and music are included within scenes so that they are enhanced by the stereophonic sound and the main focus of trailers in the modern day.
Video Resolution: When film trailers are preceding feature films they are generally presented to the audience in the same format as the film. In general terms a 35mm film or digital format. The High Bandwidth internet connections allow for trailers to be distributed at any resolution on the internet of up to 1080p. Examples of this are on websites such as Youtube and iTunes Trailers.
Trailers have developed since the 1930's drastically, technology has improved so therefore trailers have become more advanced, with a faster pace, with a louder and clearer soundtrack and with minimum voice overs. An example of how trailers have developed is Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The trailer for this film was first aired in 1937 and was one of the first film trailers that had ever come out. This trailer showed part of a review from 'Time Magazine' and Walt Disney showing figures of the Seven Dwarfs and describing who the characters are, explaining that their characters names are based on their personalities. There is no actual clips from the film only single still cells. Film trailers have developed because of the technology available to these film companies. As time as passed since the 1930's to the 21st Century technology has become more advanced and film trailer companies can include more special effects which can be used as a lure, luring the audience to see their top budget film. With the technology available to film trailer companies they can create a film trailer which in the opinion of some viewers is better than the actual film. With the technology we have today we only have to watch a trailer from the 21st Century to see how drastic the change in technology is. The two examples of film trailers are 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' from 1937 and 'The Dark Knight Rises' from 2012.
As we can see there is a massive change in the way trailers were made in the 1930's and the 21st Century. Compared to Snow White the Dark Knight has one voice over were a women who we cannot see says "Theres a storm coming." The Dark Knight Rises trailer has short snipits from the film were they have jump cuts from one scene to another very quickly so they are not revealing to much information about the film in the trailer. They use special effects such as explosions and a plain breaking apart and with the technology available to film trailer companies they have the technology to create these effects and draw the audience in to watch the film.
