Audience and Institution Essay

Audience and Institution Essay

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

                In the film industry, the production, distribution, and exhibition of a film are all the main components of the film-making process. However, during the distribution component, there is one important factor to keep a keen eye on, and that is marketing. Marketing is one of the most crucial deciding factors to determine a film’s success or not. I feel that marketing is extremely important in the film media area, and if done wrongly, it may very well just make the rest of the main components a waste of effort and time.

                First off, marketing plays an important role in helping the film and film industry interact with the audience. For example, for the movie Black Panther, the first appearance of the trailer was during an NBA Finals game. This tactic helped raise lots of awareness because there were many viewers watching the NBA game live, as long with the trailer. This cross promotion helped gain awareness for the movie because of the cross promotion marketing they enacted at the NBA game, where people, and a future audience, already had their eyes peeled and then seen the trailer. Even the singer Kendrick Lamar performed “All the Stars” ft. SZA, which was one of the movie’s soundtrack songs, at a college football national championship match. This is an example of cross promotion and it also helped boost the awareness of the movie. When I heard the ending to Black Panther, I was realizing that I know this song and I thought that that was amazing. Marketing helps the film and film industry interact with the audience.

Next up, to understand how important marketing is, I shall prove it with statistics. For example, Spider-Man: Homecoming had a massive amount of money made shown through box office numbers of $880,166,350 USD made worldwide. This was partly thanks to marketing, which was used through the production of toys and action figures related to the characters in the movie. One key move from the marketing team was that they started the production and distribution of them before the movie came out to create intense hype for the movie even before it came out. They even had synergy with Cinnamon Toast Crunch to advertise the movie through toys that came inside the cereal boxes.

Additionally, Jurassic World is one of the most prominent movies of all time. The movie dominated the box office by become the third largest grossing movie of all time. The movie had a ton of marketing especially through merchandising. They had cross promotion with many companies such as Lego to make toys, Mike and Ike to make Jurassic World themed candy, even Dairy Queen had a blizzard created after the movie, Jurassic World. Even video games and apps were produced for it. When the movie was out and selling in high amounts, I witnessed the large amounts of cross promotion in forms of toys in most stores I went to. Another notable marketing strategy was to make limited edition DVD sets that came with figurines along with posters to make people more invested in purchasing them, then watching the movie. Another interesting and ingenious marketing strategy was creating an Easter Egg Hunt given out on Easter holiday, and was completely online, allowing people an easier chance to try the Easter Egg Hunt out. With this much effort put into marketing, and the results of when the movie came out and made its way into being the third largest grossing movie of all time, there starts to be a connection between two, marketing and success.

Alternatively, an example of how marketing did not save a movie from disaster is the movie Ugly Dolls. With more than 100 promotional products and partners for the movie and STX Entertainment, and the studio launching the movie, claiming all merchandising/licensing rights for toys and other products relating to the movie, the movie was everywhere. However, even with all that marketing, the movie produced an estimated $8.5 million dollars, which was around $2,330 per screen across 3,652 screens on launching day. It was a flop, and it was partly thanks to its release date, which was around Avengers: Endgame, and the movie Pokémon Detective Pikachu releasing 5 days after the release of Ugly Dolls. Marketing is important to a film’s success; however, it cannot be saved only through that, it must have strategic release dates and the movie of course must be good itself. Done differently, the movie Fantastic Beasts had excellent marketing, but was released and produced properly so that it was an enormous hit. It had lots of synergy and cross promotion with other companies such as AT&T, and Google. Plus, it was strategically marketed to be in close relations with the enormous franchise of Harry Potter. Then, Harry Potter fans were attracted to this movie, which is quite a big fanbase, so that boosted views by an enormous number. I realized some similarity since I thought of Harry Potter when I saw the movie trailer and movie. This connection in strategic marketing helped Fantastic Beasts thrive exponentially. Two different movies, both with excellent marketing, but it also depends on the movie, its release date, and how strategically smart the studios behind it was to market their films/movies to determine a movie’s success.

Concluding, marketing is crucially important to a film’s success and just in general how the film is looked at and treated. Marketing in large amounts and strategically correct will almost guarantee a chance at the movie being a hit. However, if done wrong, as proven through an example, can almost completely waste what was used up to make the movie and any other plans made. Marketing, in my opinion, is one of the most important parts of the film media area and it must be done correctly to be used effectively.

Practice Extract Essay 24

Practice Extract Essay 24

            When watching the 24 extract, I first had the thought that the author’s/director’s vision on this extract was that it was important and serious. As I kept watching it, I understood more and more of what was going on in the extract, which the theme kept telling me that it was urgent and of great importance. The director’s vision when creating this extract is that it must be straight to the point, highlight the key scenes, and make it scream serious. The director’s vision was to make the extract serious, show urgency, and importance in my opinion after watching it several times.

            First off, the very first scene involves the main male actor coming into the dull, dimly lit interrogation room and closing the door behind him. As he does this, he stares directly at the main female actor going to be interrogated with a serious intent. This highlights my opinion of what the director’s vision is, which is to make this extract seem important and urgent. Just them exchanging serious stares at each other show that this must be important and what is going to happen after this is also important. Using close ups, them staring at each other, and the incidental music playing all show the importance of the situation as the suspension builds up.

            Next up, the next scene covers the two main actors talking to each other, the main male actor interrogating the main female actor. The serious dialogue they are having along with the small diegetic sounds like footsteps and them moving make the viewers lean on into the importance of their dialogue. This dialogue answers what the extract is about, and the matter at hand is also very urgent since it relates to the president, bombs, and traitors. The repeating close-ups, shot-reverse-shots and the serious dialogue make a finite loop of urgency and importance in the viewer’s minds which is what I imagine the author’s/director’s vision was supposed to be like. As the setting briefly cuts into the camera room, as two people watch them carefully in a dimly lit room makes it more apparent that whatever is happening on in the interrogation room even more important. This scene is the highlight of the author’s/director’s vision before the explosive next scene comes in.

            Finally, the last scene shows the main male actor getting angry at the female main actor and begins to ram her chair into the wall behind her and creates dialogue in an urgent serious manner. As he screams and rams her chair into the wall behind her, a split-screen occurs showing the two people from the camera room rushing on over to the interrogation room. This urgent response to this serious incident makes it all more apparent that the author’s/director’s vision was to create a feeling of urgency and importance. Now as the two people come along with security guards and officers to hastily get the main male actor out of the room, the main female actor is left gasping to breathe as she was being choked out of anger. The actor’s vision in my opinion gets confirmed here with the most apparent and vivid things are happening out of urgency and importance of the matter.

            In conclusion, I feel that I am right on what the director’s vision is, which is to create a theme of urgency and importance. From the beginning scene, until the end scene, there have been many serious and suspenseful moments that added to the meaning of urgency and importance. The matter at hand that is being discussed (the dialogue), the dim lighting, the close-up shots, the camera angles, the sudden and captivating editing techniques are highlight and help what I think the director’s vision is and what it is trying to produce for the viewers. The right and correct director’s vision in my opinion is that the director was trying to make a theme and feeling of urgency and importance.

Final Task CCR Blog

Final Task CCR Blog

   After a long time of producing the movie, part of the final task, me and my partner, Taylor finally finished the CCR for it. We had the idea to highlight what is going on in the current world, which is the coronavirus epidemic, so we filmed it a little bit differently than what I assume the usual CCR would be. Since we are in a state of quarantine, which is held by most people here, is that we both stayed home and filmed the CCR. We filmed the CCR separately, but together. We held a Skype call together and we both answered questions and asked questions to each other. I filmed me asking her questions on my part of the film, and then she filmed asking me question on her part of the film.
She used a camera to film her part on the left of her. I used a phone to film my part with my brother helping to hold it on the right of me. I filmed two questions. Taylor filmed the other two questions.

   Then, I answered questions #1 and #3. She answered questions #2 and #4. I felt that the order of the clips for the four questions should be put into order of the questions, which is #1, #2, #3, and #4. Then, I had the feeling that if we are doing each question by swapping the role of who asks the question and answers the question, we should put the order according to roles. Now, it looks like the CCR was edited to be put in order of #1, #3, #2, and #4. Her clips were put first, then mine were. Also the way we actually answered and asked the questions in real time also follows this new order.
This CCR answers questions about our movie opening and I feel that we did an excellent job on this. The quality may not be the best, but I feel the way we honestly answered the questions was great and awesome. I feel like this CCR was answered, questioned, and completed the way it was intended to match our movie opening.

Final Task Blog

Final Task Blog

   Below is a Google Slides presentation of my Final Task. The Final Task is a movie opening that me and my partner Taylor have been working on for a few months, since January. I am super glad and happy that it is finally completed, and everything for the most part looks amazing! Due to the decreased amounts of proper communication and socializing between my and Taylor recently, some of my ideas from the storyboard/myself did not come across to her when she was editing the video, but I feel that it definitely is legendary and what we both wanted! Our movie opening features a story of a man, Bruno Bucciaratti, who has supernatural powers to summon his spirit, so then he gets robbed one night. His spirit was out during that time, but was not known to him until the next morning. He got robbed the night before and was supposedly hit by a car. However, due to his spirit being out, instead of him, he was perfectly fine, for the most part. He wakes up to his house robbed and the debt collector coming to his door. The debt collector asks for money that he does not have anymore since he was robbed. 

   Then Bruno pulls out his spirit and fights the debt collector until he is dead, and pulls him into the house. The sudden cliffhanger there is supported by the flyer originally showcased first after the establishing shot talking about the debt collector and his eviction notice to leave the house. Now with a murder case on his hands, what will happen next? Sadly, there was no more time to put anything other than the featured video and the titles. The titles are the most important thing to put in the movie opening, since it showcases and features important people that were working and were a part of the movie. I felt that Taylor could have edited in some voice overs and included some other clips, but there was not enough time or resources to do so. Regardless, I feel that this movie opening fits well within the crime genre. This is our Final Task and me and Taylor are happy to present it finished and done! I hope that all the effort, time, and motivation we had to put and muster for this project payed off! I am deeply satisfied that I learned a lot of new skills and topics from my time with the AICE Media class and this is our fruit of all of our, mine and Taylor's, hard work!

Music Video Blog

Music Video Blog

   Earlier in the school year, I was tasked to make a music video. This Google Slides presentation below contains the music video. The music video features the song, "Hey There Delilah", by Plain White T's. I had the group of Elijah and Zeke with me. I ended up having to record the video. Elijah and Zeke were the actors, and they brought a long a few more friends to help out in the video. The girl in the video was a girl from our old elementary and middle school. We all knew each other, so it was easier to moving. We were filming at Young Circle at night to get the correct setting and time together according to the storyboard. I recorded some parts of the video before I had to go.

   This video highlights some of my earlier works in the AICE Media class, and I feel like my filming editing skills definitely improved during the course of making the film. Maybe even my directional guiding skills such as getting people into place to get ready to film and to film. Also being in a group of 3 may be a little bit more challenging to organize. I feel that now, compared to me and Taylor's final movie, this shows the progress I made in this class. I was in a state of rush when filming and editing this music video. When I was filming, I had to finish whatever I could fast since my mother was waiting for me since we had to go somewhere. Then, when I was editing, we had to edit during Study Hall in my Media class, which was not my normal class period and time. There was a chance that no computers were working or were available, so I brought my own. Then the obstacles of transferring the files to my computer, editing, and getting feedback from my group were also there. My music video highlights the improvements, skills, and topic I have learned, gained, and better deeply understood back when me and my group made it, and up until now, with my movie opening.

Commercial Blog

Commercial Blog

   Below is a Google Slides presentation highlighting and showing the clips from my commercial. My commercial was the Gatorade commercial. Unfortunately, school has been closed temporarily for the coronavirus epidemic. My completed and finished Gatorade Commercial is on a school laptop and my teacher's school laptop. There is no way of accessing my finished commercial product now. However, I do have some of the clips of my commercial before it was edited, and I hope and pray that this is satisfactory enough to show that I did complete this assignment. Our very first project in AICE Media was to create a commercial for a brand out of a certain few examples of them given. I chose Gatorade since I felt that it was more appealing and attracting to me. I already had ideas of how to create the commercial. However, as time passed, I realized the limitations of my creativity since I had to film at school.

   I was working as a solo group for this project. However, this did not limit me to not include other people helping me and being in the commercial according to my teacher. I took advantage of that and asked another group of friends if they could assist/help me. They agreed to this and my friend Zeke was going to be the second actor in my commercial. My storyboard that I created for it only featured two people, so that's how I went with it. We filmed the commercial outside of the school on the track field. I had numerous issues with filming and editing, but I got through with it. Even now, I still have issues with filming and editing my Final Task movie opening video, but they are far more complex than the ones before. As I got my projects and work done throughout the year in AICE Media, I learned and acknowledged my progress. I started off clueless, then worked my way to deciding how to plot a movie, film the opening, and work together better since the time I finished my Gatorade commercial.

Editing Blog: Editing the CCR

Editing Blog: Editing the CCR

   Yesterday was the day me and Taylor filmed the CCR. We filmed it separately from our different own houses. We had many scenes we filmed since we messed up on a few of them. Taylor filmed the majority of the Skype call. She also filmed other scenes not on the Skype call. In the end, we had to edit all the good and usable filmed scenes together. Specifically, Taylor was going to edit, which was what I assumed. Earlier today, I asked her about editing the CCR. She said she would edit the CCR later tonight. The CCR could be edited into one big file and video, or into smaller 4 parts.

   I think Taylor wanted to go with the 4 smaller parts. She said it would fit better into the blog. Also for the other blogs due tomorrow, she said we should put them in Google Slides is what I remember. Google Slides works to keep the file uploading into the blog and then get ready to get published. I assume Taylor will also use the same video editing software as she used to edit the movie. I wanted Taylor to edit the movie according to the simple guidelines offered by Mrs. Catz. She said there was no more space or room left in the video to include it. I offered to edit the movie, but she really didn't mention it, but said she will put in the establishing shot. I hope she edits the CCR to my liking, though she doesn't have to, since all I care about is getting high marks when working on this. I am glad Taylor is my partner and I wish to succeed along with her on this journey of which we know as the AICE Media class.