Promoting Media Revision Wk5

Promoting Media Revision Wk 5

What are the genre conventions are shown in the main Lego Movie film poster?

From the movie poster, you can tell it is an action film because of the explosions in the background. You can also tell that it is a children's movie based on the bright colours.  You can also tell it's a family film that appeals to adults because of the famous characters being shown such as Batman and Benny.


Explain how the following elements on the poster appeal to the target audience.

• Title: the young target audience will like the title because it explains to them that this will be a movie about Lego, which has never been done before so they will be interested by it and want to watch it. It will appeal to the young cinema goers because for the same reasons, as they will want to watch an innovative movie built of Lego. The title will appeal to parents because they too would not have seen a full length film made entirely of Lego.
• Tagline: the tagline "The story of a nobody who saved everybody" would interest children into watching the film because they would be interested about who the 'nobody' is and how they are a saviour. The tagline would appeal to young cinema goers because they would be familiar with a storyline of a 'nobody' saving the other characters, but this movie is made of Lego so they will also be interested in how a Lego character can do this. The tagline will appeal to adults and parents because they might be familiar with the feeling of being a nobody, and would want to see the movie to see how the 'nobody' saves 'everybody', which links to the Blumler and Katz theory of personal identity.
• Main image - characters: the characters on the cover may appeal to children because there are a lot of different varieties of people on there that they might be interested in, for example, a builder, superheroes, a villain, and a female character. They may appeal to young cinema goers because they will be able to identify the different character types in a normal movie compared to this movie made of Lego, and will be interested to see if they are right and what these characters do. The characters will appeal to adults and parents because they can see different characters that they may recognise and want to see their involvement in the film, for example, Batman, Superwoman and Benny.
• Main image - setting: the setting may appeal to kids because they may like to make different things with Lego, and this setting of a city is made of Lego so they may want to be able to make their own Lego city and will watch the film to gain inspiration for new things to build. It may appeal to young cinema goers because they may relate the setting to real life films but be interested in how the Lego city will be different and what role it plays in the whole film. The setting might appeal to parents and adults because they may be working people and familiar with a city and the skyscrapers, and would want to see a city made of Lego being destructed by the events in the film.

Analyse how they use stereotypes to create representations that appeal to the target audience:

The LEGO Movie posters create stereotypes by using what the characters are wearing and what they are doing. This creates the stereotype in the audience's head about what the characters are like before even watching the film.

In the main movie poster, Emmet is represented as a working class male as he is dressed in a builders uniform. He could also be seen as the main character because he is positioned at the front of the group. His facial expression in both posters create the stereotype that he is quite weak because he looks afraid. His overall stereotype is that he is a working class male, that unlike most of the others, is scared about what is happening around him.

From the movie posters, Wyldstyle has is made to look as if she is the strong female character. She is made to look like quite a stereotypically 'edgy' girl that is not the same as many female movie characters, this can be seen by the way she is dressed and the way she is fiercely running in the main poster. Wyldstyle's overall stereotype is that she is the brave, emo-looking female character, and different to most female characters in other movies.

Lord Business is made to look like the stereotypical 'bad guy' of the film. This can be shown in the main poster where he is looming over the other characters as they are running from him. In his individual character poster, Lord Business looks even more like the villain of the film because of his evil facial expression, and what he is wearing may also make him look like the antagonist. He has the stereotype of the evil villain that the other characters need to fight against.

Vitruvius can be seen as the wise old man of the film, this stereotype is created by his long white hair and facial expression. The way his eyes are glowing suggests that he is not the normal old man and may have magic powers. His facial expression in the main poster makes him look brave even though there is chaos around him. 

Batman is represented as his normal brave character in the movie posters. His facial expressions in both his poster and the main poster makes him look like the stereotypical hero that is helping the others fight the villain. What he is wearing also helps bring across this stereotype as most people are familiar with Batman, and will understand that he is represented as the hero.

Promoting Media Revision Wk4

Promoting Media Revision Wk4 

Four Uses and Gratifications of the Blulmer and Katz give for accessing media:

• Entertainment - offers distraction from the world.
• Personal identity - helps us consider who we are; what ideas and values we identify with.
• Relationships - we find things we can share and discuss with others.
• Information - new information we want to know or take pleasure in knowing.

Analyse how the Uses and Gratifications of The Lego Movie Video Game are reflected in the cover:

The LEGO Movie Video Game cover has the title in bold writing at the top so that it can be seen easily. This links to the 'Entertainment' uses and gratification theory because it can be easily seen as a video game and will offer a distraction from the world.
The video game cover includes the male characters and female characters to attract people of both genders. This relates to the 'Personal identity' uses and gratifications theory because it helps people relate to the characters in the film and video game based on who they are and what they identify with.
The LEGO Movie Video Game also links to the 'Relationships' theory. This is because all the different characters appear on the cover so people can therefore talk about the different characters in the game and what they do.
The 'Information' uses an gratification theory is also reflected in the video game cover as people may find new information from the game that they did not learn from the film, especially if they have not yet seen the film. An example of this could be what Emmet is holding, as they may be curious as to what it is and take pleasure in finding out.

Promoting Media Revision Wk3

Promoting Media Revision Wk3

• Explain why the TV advertising campaign for The Lego Movie was so successful:

One way that The Lego Movie TV advert was successful is because it was first aired on peak time TV on the ITV channel. This helped it become successful because people of all ages were watching the TV, so the movie could show the advert to all people of their target audience. The advert was shown 5 days before release, during Dancing on Ice at 7:27PM on Sunday 9th February 2014, where many people were watching and the movie could be advertised to all types of people.

Another way the movie's TV advert was successful was because it was a world first advert - it was entirely made of Lego. The advert was introduced with an announcement saying "We've assembled a very special ad break" - the word 'assembled' relates to the movie, as Lego is assembled to make things. The advert then started with remakes of old adverts such as the British Heart Foundation, Confused.com, BT and Premier Inn but made out of Lego. Between each remake, a 2 second sting of each character and title appeared. It then finished by playing the actual Lego Movie advert, which was a short preview of the film. This made it successful because it was a world first advert, it had never been done before and all aspects of the film's target audience would like it for different reasons; adults because they will recognise the old adverts that are now in Lego form, and children and young cinema goers because they will be interested in the new Lego Movie.

The Lego Movie was successful because of its TV advert and how 'mad' the media went for it after it was shown. The advert reached 6 million people on ITV, and was then uploaded to YouTube after its first airing, and reached 1.1 million people in 1 week. The advert was so successful, that it was written about by over 60 publications, and #TheLegoMovie tweets increased by 5x after the advert was shown. The film's advert reached Number 1 in the UK box office charts, so it was the best performing film of not only kids movies, but of any movie of any kind.

• Explain what 'synergy' is in marketing:

In marketing, synergy is the simultaneous release of different products to promote both.

• Explain how The Lego Movie used synergy to promote the movie:

The Lego Movie used synergy to promote both The Lego Movie and The Lego Movie Video Game. The Lego Movie also released clothing, bags, 16 collectible mini figures, 17 Lego world sets, sticker and activity books, school supplies and its own Happy Meal at McDonalds, however the Lego Movie Video Game is the main example. All of these help to promote the movie because it can be seen by more people who may have not seen the film yet, and when they see the products they might want to watch the film.

• Explain why a film company would want to release a video game to tie in with a film:

The release of a video game allows for the extended marketing of the film, which helps strengthen the brand image so that more people are aware of both the film and the video game. Releasing a video game along with a film offers opportunities for fans to extend their enjoyment of the film by playing the game - this also helps the hype of the film stay around for longer. Releasing a video game with a film helps to exploit the success of the film, and allows it to become a more diversified media conglomerate. 

Promoting Media Revision Wk2

Promoting Media Revision Wk2

The Lego Movie target audience: 

• kids who like Lego
• parents of kids who used to play with Lego themselves
• young cinema goers

Explain how The Lego Movie appeals to each of them using the following areas:

• Characters
• Narrative
• Settings
• Themes

Characters:

The characters of The Lego Movie appeal to kids who play with Lego because they are made of Lego so kids who like Lego will be drawn to watching the film. The characters also wear quite bright colours so children will also be drawn to that. Kids may also find characters such as Batman to be interesting, so they will want to watch the film to see him in Lego form.

The characters will appeal to parents because there are classic Lego figures that they may have played with when they were young, for example Benny. The adults may also be interested in the actors who are playing the characters, for example Morgan Freeman as they may like these actors.

The characters will appeal to young cinema goers because they will understand the references to characters from other films, for example Batman and Superman. The age of the characters in the film may also be the same age as the cinema goers, so the characters will appeal to the because they will relate to them.

Narrative:

The narrative will appeal to kids because they will enjoy the silly, childish humour that is obviously aimed at them. The children will also understand the basic narrative and will be able to follow along with that without getting confused.

Adults will be attracted to the narrative because they will find the subtle adult jokes funny. Adults will also like the references to other films and may pick up that The Lego Movie is similar to The Matrix. There is also a more complex story line that adults may pick up on about expressing yourself and your own inner creativity.

The narrative of the film may also appeal to young cinema goers because they will get the references to other films. They will also understand both the childish and adult humour, and like the story line of Emmet and Wyldstyle being in love.

Settings:

Children will enjoy the different settings of The Lego Movie because they are all different and each one will appeal to the child's certain tastes, for example if they like unicorns they will be interested in Cloud Cuckoo Land. The vivid colours and different things that happen in each realm will also appeal to young children.

The different worlds will appeal to the parents because all worlds appeal to any age and gender and the adults may find this interesting. When these adults used to play with Lego, they may have used or created worlds like in the film, so will be interested in watching when these different worlds are shown.

Young cinema goers will like the different settings because they may be interested in the different worlds and the different things that happen there. Jokes such as 'Middle Zealand' may amuse the young cinema goers and they will continue watching to see what happens there.

Themes:

The themes of The Lego Movie will appeal to children because they can follow the basic ones such as fighting evil and the love story as they will find it exciting and thrilling to follow along with.

Adults and parents may enjoy the themes because they will follow along with the more complex and moral theme of letting your own creativity show.

Young cinema goers may also like the themes of the film because they can understand both the adult and child themes such as fighting evil with good, but also the importance of creativity.

What methods did they use to PROMOTE the Lego Movie and how did it target the different parts of the target audience? You should talk about the following methods: 

• Poster Campaign
• TV Advertising
• Film Trailers
• Social Media
• Merchandise

Poster Campaign

The poster campaign of the different characters helps people looking at the poster get an understanding of what type of character they are before even watching the movie. 
They appeal to kids because they will be interested in how each character is different and the bright colours and facial expressions will interest them.
The poster campaign appeals to the adults because they include the names of the actors/actresses that these adults may be interested in, so will watch the film based on that. The adults may also recognise characters such as Benny that they used to play with when they were young.
It will appeal to young cinema goers because they may still have an interest in Lego but will also be interested in the characters and the actors/actresses that are voicing them.

TV Advertising

The TV advert was a remake of adverts such as confused.com, The British Heart Foundation, BT, and Premier Inn and finished with a preview of the actual film.
The advert was aimed at all areas of the target audience as it was shown on prime time TV and therefore, kids, young adults and adults were watching. The remakes of previous adverts would have interested adults and young people because they would have recognised the actual advert. It would have interested children because they may have an interest in Lego and want to see the film because of that and from what they've seen in the advert.

Film Trailers

The film trailers and short movies previewed what the film was going to be about.
They would have appealed to everyone because the people making it would have wanted to create a trailer that would draw all of the target audience in. The kids and young cinema goers may have an interest in lego and therefore want to go and see a new movie made of Lego. Adults would have been interested in them as they may recognise the voices of each character.

Social Media

Social media campaigns, adverts and accounts were set up to create and share posts about the film.
This would have appealed to the adults and young cinema goers because they would have seen these posts and may be interested enough by them to go and see the film. This would not have appealed to children as they most of them won't use social media so therefore won't see the posts.

Merchandise

Merchandise such as clothing, 16 Collectible Mini Figures, bags, The Lego Movie Video Game, sticker and activity books, school supplies (lunch boxes, stationary, etc), 17 Lego World Sets and a Happy Meals at McDonalds were released to help promote the film.
These would have appealed to children because they can take their merchandise to school and show their friends and use. It would also appeal to young people and adults because they might be fans of the film and would want their own pieces of merchandise to support it.

Promoting Media Revision

Promoting Media Revision Homework

The organisations that regulate the following media forms:

• Film - British Board of Film Classification

• TV and Radio - Ofcom

• Advertising - Advertising Standards Authority

• Newspapers and Magazines - Video Standards Council

• Video Games - Games Rating Authority and Video Standards Council

What is a postmodernist film? What features does it include?

A postmodernist film a late 20th century style and concept that is characterised by a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.

Postmodernism involves breaking down barriers, for example taking little bits of everything and putting it all together.

Postmodernist films are known to challenge mainstream conventions of narrative structures, while also destroying the audience's disbelief. This creates a film that has conventional elements, but the storyline and narrative are not mainstream.

Features:

• Pastiche - work that imitates that of another work or artist.

• Hyperreality - an image or stimulation that distorts reality, or depicts something that is not real, but then forms a reality.

• Time-bending - using time travel to shape reality

• Irony - when something is meant to be cynically mocked and not taken seriously.

• Intertextuality - linking the work to a different film, text or book.

How is The Lego Movie a postmodernist film?

The first way that The Lego Movie is a postmodernist film is because it has the pastiche and intertextuality features. The Lego Movie is has a very similar plot to 'The Matrix' film, which is an action/adventure sci-fi film with an age rating of 15 by the BBFC. Both of the plots are about a plain, unexpected hero that is then 'destined' to be "The One". He teams up with someone that should have been "The One" but was overlooked due to the protagonist (Emmet) of the story. It ends up that the prophecy was false and it takes the shattering of the hero's reality to realize that they can fulfill the prophecy, and they return to their world to become it. This is pastiche and intertextuality because the work of The Lego Movie's may be imitating The Matrix's as they are very similar.

Another way The Lego Movie is a postmodernist film is that it contains hyperreality elements. The majority of The Lego Movie is made of LEGO in different LEGO worlds. Throughout the film, the audience experiences these worlds, however at the end of the film, the audience is brought back to a human reality that concludes the film. This makes The Lego Movie a postmodernist film because the majority of the film depicts something that is not real (the LEGO worlds), and then forms a reality.

DIRT - On Test

Thursday 5th July 2018

DIRT On Test

L.O. to review and reflect on the Year 10 mock exam and set personal targets.


Media Language = 

• camerawork
• editing
• mise-en-scene
• narrative style

Camerawork - In Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy" music video, the camerawork differs from Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' music video for "Uptown Funk". In "If I Were A Boy", the camerawork is smooth and and is always on a straight angle. It looks very clean and the natural movements reflect the calm feeling of the song. "Uptown Funk" is different to this because it uses more manic movements such as quicker cuts and slanted angles to represent the more upbeat vibe of the song.

Question 4 - Representation = 

• language used in cover lines
• restrained use of colour matches conventions of rock
• authentically monochrome photograph connotes with the spiritual quest
• black and white background connotes with seriousness
• white male musician = stereotypical for rock artists
• anti-stereotypical = older musicians are celebrated
• old photograph of Ray Davis that the older target audience would recognise

The rock musicians on the cover lines are represented in a positive way. These artists are perhaps in the older generation, however this is celebrated. This is anti-stereotypical as older artists are often neglected and ignored, however in this cover older artists are praised by even including them in the magazine cover.

Genre Conventions = 

The elements you would expect to see in any product for that particular genre. E.g. what are the elements that all pop magazines have in common.

• Font
• Layout
• Colour palette
• Shot type
• What the image is

ANALYSE the similarities and differences between the two magazines, then  EVALUATE.

10 marks for analysis, 5 marks for evaluation = 15 marks.

Similarities:

• both feature a range of musicians
• both use language to create and inclusive mode of address
• range of fonts
• mastheads are all at the top
• Same genre (music)

Differences:

• colour differences
• cluttered layout of We Love Pop vs Mojo's calmer layout
• Masthead goes across the page, We Love Pop masthead goes in the corner only
• Different target audience and sub genre (rock vs pop)

Regulation =

• Radio = OFCOM
• Video Games - 'Games Rating Authority' and 'Video Standards Council'

Video Games linked to films

• extended marketing of the film
• strengthen the brand image
• offer opportunities for fans to extend their enjoyment of the film by playing the game
• exploit the success of the product
• become a more diversified media conglomerate

Uses and Gratifications

• entertainment - as an escape from the real world
• identification - players may identify with characters and their values
• personal relationships - players may play with a world wide community
• information - to gain information about the film that they didn't collect from the movie

Question 9

• setting of the main poster with an implied threat is recognised by families 
• subverts genre codes by having an unknown protagonist in the centre
• tagline creates intrigued and enigma, with the theme of an underdog overcoming the odds
• actions signified on the main poster, e.g. explosions, oversized villainous characters, flying cars, helicopters and superheroes
• character posters show a range of characters types that appeal to different types of people.
• actor/actress names appeals to different ages of people as they may be fans of these actors/actresses

For the music industry unit, I need to make more comparisons between the similarities and differences of the two contrasting sub genres of magazines. I also need to revise the different regulators.

For the promoting media (LEGO) unit, I need to again revise the different regulators of media in the UK, and learn and revise more about the different theories.

The Lego Movie: Put It All Together

Monday 16th April 2018

L.O. explore exam style questions and answer them effectively.

Regulatory Bodies in the UK.

Film - British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)

TV - Ofcom

Advertising - Advertising Standards Authority

Magazines and Newspapers - Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and IMPRESS

Video Games - Video Standards Council (VSC)



Question Format

• Likely to be asked FOUR questions in this section of the exam: two short answer and two long answer questions (The LEGO Movie section).
• The first TWO are likely to be general questions based on promotion techniques.
• The longer questions will ask you to discuss The LEGO Movie as an example.
• First question will be a simple fact based answer.
• Second question is a 4 mark question and likely to be a 'give reasons why'. State TWO reasons and explain fully for full marks.
• 10 mark questions - TWO long answer questions and you will be expected to support your ideas using The LEGO Movie as an example. Use accurate terminology, write clearly and consistently and support answers with examples.

Example Question: How have Propp's spheres of action been used to represent the characters in The LEGO Movie poster campaign.

Question: Analyse how The LEGO Movie posters use stereotypes to create representations that are easily understood.

The LEGO Movie posters create stereotypes by using what the characters are wearing and what they are doing. This creates the stereotype in the audience's head about what the characters are like before even watching the film.

In the main movie poster, Emmet is represented as a working class male as he is dressed in a builders uniform. He could also be seen as the main character because he is positioned at the front of the group. His facial expression in both posters create the stereotype that he is quite weak because he looks afraid. His overall stereotype is that he is a working class male, that unlike most of the others, is scared about what is happening around him.

From the movie posters, Wyldstyle has is made to look as if she is the strong female character. She is made to look like quite a stereotypically 'edgy' girl that is not the same as many female movie characters, this can be seen by the way she is dressed and the way she is fiercely running in the main poster. Wyldstyle's overall stereotype is that she is the brave, emo-looking female character, and different to most female characters in other movies.

Lord Business is made to look like the stereotypical 'bad guy' of the film. This can be shown in the main poster where he is looming over the other characters as they are running from him. In his individual character poster, Lord Business looks even more like the villain of the film because of his evil facial expression, and what he is wearing may also make him look like the antagonist. He has the stereotype of the evil villain that the other characters need to fight against.

Vitruvius can be seen as the wise old man of the film, this stereotype is created by his long white hair and facial expression. The way his eyes are glowing suggests that he is not the normal old man and may have magic powers. His facial expression in the main poster makes him look brave even though there is chaos around him. 

Batman is represented as his normal brave character in the movie posters. His facial expressions in both his poster and the main poster makes him look like the stereotypical hero that is helping the others fight the villain. What he is wearing also helps bring across this stereotype as most people are familiar with Batman, and will understand that he is represented as the hero.