INSTITUTIONS AND AUDIENCES

FILM INDUSTRY

TODAYTODAY

• Understand the role of cross media convergence in contemporary film marketing.

• Understand the role new media technology plays in film marketing.

• Understand the different ways in which Film 4 and Hollywood use NMT in film marketing.

WHERE CAN WE SEE THIS WHERE CAN WE SEE THIS TRAILER?TRAILER?

Hunger (Dir. Steve McQueen, 2008)

-TV (Film 4, Channel 4)

-Cinema (would usually only be attached to other independent films)

-Film 4 productions website

-Official film website (www.hungerthemovie.co.uk)

- www.youtube.com and other content sharing sites

-Countless fan or review sites

Which of these are examples of Which of these are examples of new media technology being used new media technology being used to market a film?to market a film?

Which of these are an example of Which of these are an example of cross-media convergence?cross-media convergence?

FILM 4 AND NEW MEDIA FILM 4 AND NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGY?TECHNOLOGY?

•You have 10 minutes to log onto two Film 4 films’ websites.

You must:•Make a list of all the marketing features on the website•Which site do you think is most effective and why?•How could the website be used more effectively to engage the audience and generate word of mouth?

www.hungerthemovie.co.uk

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/

www.hungerthemovie.co.uk

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/

ADVANTAGES FOR FILM 4 OF ADVANTAGES FOR FILM 4 OF NMTNMT

• Can target a wider audience (basically the whole world) through their website

• Allows the audience to access more information about the film than a simple trailer or poster would

• Brings together whole marketing campaign in one location• Is far cheaper than traditional print or video based advertising• Can link off of other Channel 4 owned outlets e.g. the official Film 4 site

DIFFICULTIES FOR FILM 4 OF DIFFICULTIES FOR FILM 4 OF NMTNMT

• Audience need to go looking for official website therefore must already have some awareness of the film.

• Pop-up advertising or advertising hosted on another site is easily ignored and can be as expensive as some print/video advertising

• Requires audience to have internet• Difficult for indie films to stand out against sophisticated Hollywood

marketing campaign.

HOLLYWOD AND NMT – HOLLYWOD AND NMT – VIRAL MARKETINGVIRAL MARKETING

•Viral marketing is a marketing strategy that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily through new media technology.•Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, software, images, or even text messages. http://www.launchingfilms.tv/marketing.php?http://www.launchingfilms.tv/marketing.php?video=5&autostart=1&contentarea=planning video=5&autostart=1&contentarea=planning Why would using these techniques help a film-Why would using these techniques help a film-maker generate fantastic word-of-mouth?maker generate fantastic word-of-mouth?

ALTERNATIVE REALITY GAME ALTERNATIVE REALITY GAME WHY SO SERIOUS?WHY SO SERIOUS?

The most advanced type of viral marketing is the Alternative Reality Game. An ARG is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions.

In Spring 2007 Warner Bros launched an ARG Why So Serious to help promote the release of The Dark Knight the following summer. Players had to follow a scavenger hunt, interacting with a variety of purpose built websites and finding clues to gain more information about the film. Those that succesfully completed the scavenger hunt won free tickets to a preview screening of The Dark Knight.

• ARGs are sometimes described as the first narrative art form native to the internet, because their storytelling relies on the two main activities conducted there: searching for information, and sharing information.

• Storytelling as archaeology. Instead of presenting a chronologically unified, coherent narrative, the designers scatter pieces of the story across the Internet and other media, allowing players to reassemble it, supply connective tissue and determine what it meant.

• Platformless narrative. The story was not bound to a single medium, but existed independently and used whatever media were available to make itself heard.

• Designing for a hive mind. While it might be possible to follow the game individually, the design was directed at a collective of players that shared information and solutions almost instantly, and incorporated individuals possessing almost every conceivable area of expertise. While the game might initially attract a small group of participants, as they came across new challenges, they would reach out and draw in others with the knowledge they needed to overcome the obstacles.

• A whisper is sometimes louder than a shout. Rather than openly promoting the game and trying to attract participation by "pushing" it toward potential players, the designers attempted to "pull" players to the story by engaging in over-the-top secrecy (e.g. Microsoft did not acknowledge any connection between the company or the movie and the game, the game did not acknowledge any connection to Microsoft or A.I., the identities of the designers were a closely-guarded secret even from other Microsoft employees, etc.), having elements of the game "warn" players away from them, and eschewing traditional marketing channels. Designers did not communicate about the game with players or press while it was in play.

• The "this is not a game" (TINAG) aesthetic. The game itself did not acknowledge that it was a game. It did not have an acknowledged ruleset for players; as in real-life, they determined the "rules" either through trial and error or by setting their own boundaries. The narrative presented a fully-realized world: any phone number or email address that was mentioned actually worked, and any website acknowledged actually existed. The game took place in real-time and was not replayable. Characters functioned like real people, not game pieces, responded authentically, and were controlled by real people, not by computer AI. Some events involved meetings or live phone calls between players and actors.

• Real life as a medium. The game used players' lives as a platform. Players were not required to build a character or role-play being someone other than themselves. They might unexpectedly overcome a challenge for the community simply because of the real-life knowledge and background they possessed. Participants were constantly on the lookout for clues embedded in everyday life.

MARKETING DURING MARKETING DURING PRODUCTION USING NMT?PRODUCTION USING NMT?

Nowadays many films market during production, sometimes even before actual shooting has begun.

This could take the form of video-diaries from the production company or teaser trailers, attached to other films or accessible on sites like youtube.

How could this type of marketing allow the audience unparrelled influence How could this type of marketing allow the audience unparrelled influence over the content of the film?over the content of the film?

http://www.spidermanmovieblog.com/archives/2007/05/michael_moore_assistant_direct.php

AUDIENCE IMPACTAUDIENCE IMPACT

• Generate far more word of mouth in the audience without the use of expensive advertising

• Audience may not actually see any footage from film during a viral campaign, or may have to work hard to access it.

• Allows audience to interact with marketing campaign, creating even greater interest in the film

• Allows campaign to build slowly, carefully increasing awareness and audience anticipation of a new film

• Allows all advertising material for a film to be accessed in one place – at the audience’s convenience

• Gives audience a previously unheard of opportunity to influence the content of a film production.