Cross Media Study Slide 1 - TDKR

Film Media in Context:

How does the industry promote the film to audiences using:

• Print media?
• Broadcast media (TV/Radio/DVD)?
• E-Media?

TDKR uses billboards, bus-stops and the like to promote through print. They also use interviews and articles to promote the actors/actresses and film. All of this creates awareness and starts the whole synergy process. Promotion through broadcast is done with trailers and teaser clips on youtube and was also shown on t.v. and before movies in the cinema. The audience is also able to purchase the DVD on amazon etc and the official website (http://www.thedarkknightrises.com/dvd/home.php). The DVD contains behind the scenes footage which may also be seen on youtube. TDKR also uses –media to promote the film. The film has official pages on both Facebook and Twitter. This is all so the audience can feel even more involved with the film raising popularity.

Now look at each platform individually:

• What are they key issues and changes taking place in each platform?

-       Print Media is not instant and free like E-Media

Print media in recent years has declined in popularity as it is not instant and is mostly not free compared to the more popular option of e-media. I think this is due to the increase in technology. Although this is the case, the public can read these articles and interviews online, such as on tablets and smart-phones. One disadvantage is information found through print which may be out of date.
Christian Bale Interview EMPIRE MAG
Anne Hathaway Interview EMPIRE MAG

• TV is becoming less dictated by scheduling (Sky+), more and more specialist channels, competition from the likes of YouTube

The increase of ‘On Demand’ and ‘Plus’ services means that audiences don’t have to dedicate a certain period of time to watch the scheduled program. Instead they can record the program and watch it later at the click of a button. This means that audiences are able to skip over advertisements by forwarding them. This means that the audience may not see the advertisement for the film and therefore the film can’t be promoted to this segment of the audience. This also integrates with online features as the on demand features can be used online or on-the-go.

• E-Media is hard to police (piracy); people are bombarded with information; social networking and increasing audience participation (user generated content)

E-media has had a great advantage to the industry as it allows audiences to access information and participate on a much greater scale. This makes the audience feel more involved with the film causing them to go watch it. However, with the increase in e-media, there is shown to be an increase in piracy. Because of this, it is becoming increasingly hard to police this piracy.
Trailer 1
Trailer 2

How is each platform responding and adapting to these issues and changes?

• Focus on how they are adapting to:
• CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES

Through the change in technology, films have become more wildly available through on demand streaming services (Netflix, iPlayer, etc). However, this can cause people to illegally download said films. Print has also adapted with changing technologies by making articles and interviews available on demand online. This means viewers can read on-the-go aswell.

• CHANGING AUDIENCE BEHAVIOURS (all audiences, not just the young!)

A change in audience behaviours has shown that views now access social media to find out about films, but, this is a free means of advertising the film.

GTA V Mock

1. What codes and conventions does the trailer use to establish the text’s genre?

Many different codes and conventions are used in the trailer to establish the text's genre. Some are the use of guns and violence, as well as police chases and physical fighting. We see most of this towards the end of the trailer as Rockstar want us to see the most action in the climax of the trailer.Another convention is the introduction of the 'Rockstar' brand in the first 10 seconds. This allows the audience to make themselves comfortable with the trailer if they are familiar with the brand. The next code seen is the use of dialogue from the game as narration for the trailer. This is a very common convention of game trailers which is often overlooked. The final code/convention I'm going to talk about is sound. The diagetic sound heard is mainly dialogue, gunshots, car/police sounds and explosions. All of this adds a sense of realism as all of these sounds interact in a lifelike manner.

2. How is war represented in the trailer?

War and Crime in general is represented in many different ways throughout the trailer. A dominant representation the audience would see is that, essentially, crime leads to bad consequences. This can be taken with a 'pinch of salt', however, as not many bad repercussions are seen in trailer itself. An alternative representation seen by the audience would be the view of the whole humour side of the game, and that nothing is taken seriously. The characters are shown as pleased with the life they lead which isn't something you would associate with crime and violence. The trailer shows only one woman throughout. This supports the theory of Berger: "Men act, women appear". This could tell us that men are more suited to a life of crime than women.

3. In what ways is the trailer typical of the video game industry?

The trailer is in many ways typical of the video game industry. One way is the use much violence and chaos. This makes the user feel part of this world and that they belong. The trailer also features many action and enigma codes (Barthes), which are represented by such things as the guns, explosions and the cliffhanger at the end. The action codes tell the audience what is about to happen which helps the audience to understand the narrative. The enigma codes create a sense of wanting more, which in turn, causes the watcher to buy the game.

4. Who does this text appeal to and what pleasures does it offer?

I believe the text targets many different audience profiles. A demographic of C1, C2, D and even E have been targeted. This is because the violent nature of the trailer/game may appeal to this demographic. Also, a demographic of A or B may be offended. A psychographic of mainly mainstreamer's would have been targeted as this group always follows trends as this game may become a massive trend. Also, a group of aspirer's may have also been targeted as this group 'aspire's' to better things. This group wants quality, rather than quantity, which the game provides.

Frozen Planet Learner Response

Institution:

I think that by including behind the scenes footage of the documentary, the BBC hope to get across the recognition they want for the producers and cameramen/women of the show, as this is rarely seen in wildlife documentaries where only the animals and presenter are shown. Also, the BBC is seen as a traditional and old fashioned. Showing the behind the scenes footage show that they are trying to innovate through technological change. This shows the BBC is moving with the times so they can meet their consumers needs.

Furthermore, the BBC may have wanted this series to stand out from other successful documentary series. This can be seen as the Frozen Planet series brought in an audience of 7 million strong. Also, The BBC are emphasising the difficulty of filming this series, by including the extra footage, as it took 4 year to film using a vast amount of finance. This all could help improve the image of the public service broadcaster.

Forms:

Pace of editing varies throughout the clip. This is done to achieve many things. Such as when the penguins are shown in slow motion. The change in fluidity provides a change from the norm/faster paced editing style. Also, the narrative provides us with the characters, which links back to Propp's theory. The slow motion shots were only shown when the problem with the camera was resolved. The sound in parts like this helps the audience to know what to feel. When the problem was presented, non-diagetic sound helped the audience feel remorse for the cameraman. When the problem was resolved, the reward was given (the slow motion shots) and a non-diagetic sound was played to make the audience feel happy. There provide action codes from Barthes theory. Also, The diagetic sound of the penguins landing on the cameraman allows the audience to feel like they are part of the scene.

Representations:

I think, through a behind the scenes section, the camera crew come across as people who know what they are doing and are professionals. However, they are seen to be a bit experimental. This can be seen when one cameraman scuba-dives underwater and films under the ice to see thing from the penguins perspective. The theory of Berger can come into play here. Berger says "Men act and women see". This can be seen in the clip as there were only white males operating cameras and no females to be seen. This can support the Levi-Strauss theory of dominant ideology driving stereotyping as this emphasises the 'white, male, middle class nature of the BBC'.

Audience:

The BBC's motto is "to enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain". Evidence proving that have achieved this is seen when reading that the program brought in at least 7 million viewers. And that this is the most viewed natural history series in the UK. The have also proven that they can inform and educate alongside entertaining. This can be seen when a penguin belly flops in slow motion. This comical element is only shown after has been educated. Also, Medhurt's theory as stereotypes being used as a type of shorthand is seen as this gives the audience a lot of information in a short space of time.

Extra paragraph practising case study essay

There are many similarities and differences between the codes and conventions of the media products in this case study. One similarity is how Plan B is represented throughout all platforms. In each platform, such as broadcast (Jonathan Ross show); print (Guardian interview article); e-media (Facebook/Twitter/YouTube page), he is seen as the same 'character', answering questions in the same manner with the same 'rehearsed' answers. He is also seen talking about the same topics and simplistic ideals on each platform. This creates a persona about Plan B. This also allows the audience to familiarise themselves with this specific part of the iLL Manors brand. This may coincide with Medhurst's theory of stereotypes being used as a type of shorthand. Plan B may not be a stereotype, but he may be seen as a type of shorthand for the Ill Manors brand.

iLL Manors e-media research

Facebook:

The iLL Manors Facebook page has over 30 thousand likes. The top of the page is directly promoting the film and DVD. These posts appeal to the audience of iLL Manors as it allows them to immerse themselves in opportunities that they may not get on other websites. There is much synergy across the different platforms. Such as the competition to win a copy of iLL Manors through Revolver Entertainment's website. This promotes the film as it is being given away for free and it also promotes the distributor as its their 15th anniversary.

Twitter:

Similarly, The twitter page has 3,930 followers. This shows that the audience for this film may not be vast, but they are dedicated. Hash tags such as "#iLLMANORS" and "#MoreLoveLessHate" are being used to create a campaign to tag London. This creates another part of synergy to promote the iLL Manors brand. This also helps target the youth audience for the film as this audience is most likely to be on twitter too.

Instagram:

 Plan B has used the Instagram platform effectively as he has promoted aspects of his advertising campaign and therefore promoted the film through synergy. Plan B has posted up the front cover of a magazine (Q) in which there is an article about him, this informs the audience about the Plan B brand and therefore the iLL Manors brand.

YouTube:

The PlanBUK YouTube channel promotes the iLL Manors brand by showing the music videos of the films soundtrack. The channel also shows videos relating to the Tag London campaign. In the top right of the homepage there are links to the other social networking sites. This creates synergy as it allows audience members to easily jump between sites.

iLL Manors Print Platform: Advertising

1. What are the key conventions that help you identify the print text?
2. What design features help identify the Ill Manors brand?
3. What examples of synergy can you find with the broadcast platform or other print examples?

1. This is the DVD cover for iLL Manors. It uses the typical prints conventions of having the title as the largest piece of text with the name of the director (Ben Drew) right underneath. The use of quotes from reviews and the such is also typical. Also, The certificate for the film is shown in he bottom left corner. In the bottom right corner, The main production company's (Revolver) symbol is seen. A pose is seen by the main protagonist of the film. Even if it was not know that this is the main protagonist, the use of only his picture tells the audience that he is important and a main character of the film. The use of tag-line "A Ben Drew film" may cause some of the audience to go an research about him as they may only know of Drew as Plan B.

2. The design feature which mainly helps identify the iLL Manors brand is Plan B himself. This is because he is mainly celebrated as an artist, not a director. This allows him to prove that he is of a high level of directing to the audience. Another feature is the way Ill Manors is spelt (iLL Manors). This allows the audience to easily distinguish with the brand. The setting of London helps identify the iLL Manors brand as it is familiar to most of the audience already.

3. The main synergy that can be seen is the use of the same main character(s) on the posters. Also, the use of the same text-type. This allows the audience to become familiar with the brand and to be able distinguish it from other popular brands.

February Mock Learner Response

16/48 E-
WWW: Some reference to media theories.

Learner Response:
Many different original and positive approaches are taken to road safety advertising in the film. One way this is done is by not using shock tactics. This causes the audience to re-evaluate their opinion about the film and is a much more different and original way in which a road safety advertisement can be shown. Another original idea was not using an actual car. This at first causes the audience to think about what they are watching, however, the slow motion zoom's allows the audience time to make their decision on weather they think this text is effective or not. The family are portrayed as saving the father. The daughter and mother are wrapped around the father representing the seatbelt. This goes against Berger's theory of "men act, women appear" because the women are doing the acting and therefore the saving. This also supports parts of Propp's theory of the father being the princess needing to be saved and the mother and daughter are the hero acting as the seatbelt. This all supports the promotion of family values through togetherness. The use of non-diegeitic classical/orchestral music helps to further the fell of the text as it matches the use of physical theatre.