PR6: The Hollywood Blockbuster.

In

the third and final assignment for my Unit 26: Film Studies, I will be completing and studying

a task named ‘The Hollywood Blockbuster’. During the course of this essay, I will be

explaining how and why different audiences are targeted by film producers. There are many

different ways in which an audience can be targeted, from the appearance of posters to the

content of the film. Various codes and conventions will usually be put in place, almost as a

guarantee of a certain quality of content. Producers and advertisers will also use various

marketing techniques to further promote the film, such as anchorage on posters and the

promotion of stars within the film.

Cinderella was originally a myth/ folk tale which originated in Europe. The story was made

into a well-known fairy-tale, which was made into an animated Disney film in 1950. This

brought the fairy-tale into the mainstream consciousness and elevated the story and its

eponymous princess to iconic status.

The original fairy-tale and well known adaptations of the story follow Cinderella who is

practically being used as a servant in her own home by her stepmother. She had previously

had a happy life, but this was destroyed once her mother died and her father remarried. She

is commonly forced to do extra chores, is clothed with rags and is relentlessly bullied by her

stepsisters. Meanwhile, the Prince of the land is trying to find a suitable woman to marry

and so organizes a ball for all of the maidens of the land to attend. Cinderella asks her

stepmother if she can go and is told that she can on the condition that she does extra

chores. Following this, she creates a dress with the help of some mice. However, her

stepsisters later tear up the dress.

With all hope seemingly lost, Cinderella is visited by her fairy godmother, who gives her a

new dress, glass slippers and a pumpkin carriage. However, the godmother tells her that the

spell will wear off at the strokes of midnight, which will make the clothes disappear. Once at

the ball she catches the eye of the Prince, with whom she dances for the rest of the night.

Just before midnight she suddenly leaves, though her glass slipper is left behind at the

palace. The next morning, the Prince visits every home in the land to see whose foot fits the

slipper. After some problems with Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters, the Prince finds

Cinderella and finds that the slipper perfectly fits her foot. They then live happily ever after.

The 2015 film adaptation of Cinderella follows the same story, though there are some minor

plot and character differences. The genre of the film is fantasy-romance and the year of

production was between 2014 and 2015. The director of the film is Kenneth Branagh, with

Simon Kinberg, David Barron and Allison Shearmur as producers and Chris Weitz as the

screenwriter. The distributor of the film is Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and has a UK

release date of the 27th of March. The budget for the film was $95 million. Some of the stars

of the film include: Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter.

The target audience for this film is children and the majority of them will be young girls. This

is not to say boys will not want to go and see it, but the genre and themes of the film

(princesses, fairy-tales, and magic) are things which generally attract young females. I think

that the target audience for the film will most likely fall into the 3-12 year old bracket. There

are several enticements which will likely draw in a young target audience. The first is that

the film is made by Disney. The logo is displayed prominently on the poster for the movie

and is featured in the trailer. Disney has had a long history of making films and has a

fantastic reputation for quality. Disney originally pushed Cinderella into its iconic status by

creating an animated film of the fairy-tale in 1950. This put the story into the mainstream

consciousness, made the eponymous character a symbol of a princess and all while

becoming a classic film in its own right. Over the past 80 years Disney has made many films

which have been critically and commercially successful and many of the children wanting to

view Cinderella will have seen them. Therefore having seen other enjoyable Disney films,

they may want to see this. Others may simply want to view a remake/ live-action adaptation

of the original film/ fairy-tale. Even if a child does not know of the story of Cinderella yet,

they may even be attracted based on the look of the film and the things it features such as

magic, princesses etc.

Another reason the film will, almost inevitably, attract young audiences is because of a

preceding short film featuring characters from the animated film ‘Frozen’. The short is an

added extra and is to be played immediately before the start of Cinderella. This will be a

huge enticement for young children as Frozen has become an enormous hit since its release

and has an overwhelming fan-base. The film is arguably one of the biggest children’s film of

the past 10 years and its synergies have seen huge merchandise sales. Therefore, anything

related to the film will almost certainly make money. Many fans of the film will want to go

and see Cinderella simply for the Frozen segment. This is an excellent and intelligent

marketing strategy for the film.

Adults may be encouraged to see the film (most likely with children but possibly by

themselves) due to the cast. Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden and Helena Bonham Carter

are just three of the actors within the film and are all established and well-respected in their

profession. They have appeared in mainly older, drama films, though they do have some

more child-friendly films and TV shows to their name. They can all be an example of star

theory. This is the theory that if a big, popular and established star appears in a film, it is

almost a guarantee of quality to the audience and of commercial success to the makers of

the film. Even though they have appeared in films and TV series targeted at adults, their

fans may go and see Cinderella primarily to see them. Richard Madden has become a

popular and prominent star since his turn in ‘Game of Thrones’, while Cate Blanchett and

Helena Bonham Carter have been appearing in blockbuster films for 20 years.

There are many ways in which a movie

can be marketed to many people, which will in turn increase interest and awareness for the

film. A primary outlet for marketing of the film will be via TV. By launching an advertisement

campaign with trailers for the film, many people will be reached easily and efficiently. The

audience can also be targeted very easily through television trailers, as they can be shown

on channels and at times in which younger children will be watching. As they are the

primary target audience, the adverts will most likely be shown on stations such as CITV,

Nickelodeon and on commercial channels when children’s TV shows are on. One channel

that will likely run the trailer thoroughly is The Disney Channel. The production company of

the film is Walt Disney and the film will appeal to an overwhelming amount of the channel’s

viewership. The Web is one of the fastest growing media platforms of this current

generation and hundreds of millions use it on a daily basis. Therefore, file sharing site such

as facebook, twitter and youtube can help the trailer reach millions of people. The sites can

provide updates to fans, news from the film, new trailers, interviews and much more.

Trailers will also be shown in cinemas. They will be shown directly before films in which the

target audience will most likely be watching, so that they will get to see it as well as

experience it on a smaller basis in a cinema environment. The movie may also be shown on

billboards in positions which can be easily viewed by children For example, this may include

high streets and main roads. Posters will be in many places as well, though they will

primarily be in places where younger children will be able to see them. For example, they

may put them in the cinema, shops, on bus-stops and on buses. These are locations in which

many people encounter every day. Other methods of advertisement are via the print-media.

The film may run advertising campaigns in newspapers and magazines. These can include

full-page posters, interviews and reviews. The adverts will run in magazine aimed at children

in order to reach that same target audience. Interviews may help the audience connect with

the actors and also reveal exclusives about the film.

The internet will also provide cinema listings and reviews which will make it convenient for

consumers to see when the film is on and to find out if it is good or not. Reviews will also

feature heavily in film magazines primarily, though they may also appear in younger

audience’s magazines. Reviews in themselves act as a motivator and promotion, as adults

may read them and decide to take their children, or the children may read it and ask their

parents to take them.

Official websites increase the marketing arsenal for the films, as they can provide

information about the films, sell merchandise and offer the opportunity to play games. This

way, they can attract to both adults and children. Word of mouth may also help the

promotion of a film via causing awareness. As mentioned above, reviews can feature on

many websites, such as Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb and others:

The producers for Cinderella have targeted

the audience for the film by heavily using iconic and recognizable things in their marketing

campaign. They have used the easily identifiable Disney logo in each other their various

advertisements, to ensure audiences know that is they who made it. Disney is closely

associated with quality and has made many good films over the past 60 years. Many of the

children will have seen some of them and will therefore want to go and see the new Disney

film. The producers have also used the frozen short film to entice the target audience, as it

is something that they would most likely want to see. Anchorage is something that hooks

the audience and makes them want to go and see the film. As mentioned above, the Disney

logo and Frozen short will act as an enticement and will anchor the target audience. The fact

Cinderella is now live-action- having only previously being animated and in print-form- will

undoubtedly act as an anchor for some people. They may want to go and see how the film

has been updated and to see it in such a grand manner. The stars may also act as an anchor.

As previously mentioned there are many stars featuring within this film who are big

bankable stars: Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden and Helena Bonham Carter. The star theory

is that by having big names in a film, the film will benefit financially.

There are many ways in which producers can conduct research for their target audience.

Surveys can be used, in order to find out what people do and don’t like about a certain

genre or perhaps a certain film. The survey may also ask questions directly relating to the

film in production, possibly asking questions relating to the story, casting etc. and whether

or not they think they are good ideas. They may use secondary research to find out what

past opinions people have had of certain films and genres, though they will most likely use

primary research which is specific to their film. Secondary sources may include sites such as

IMDb, to see how much the film made and how popular it was, as well as to read in-depth

reviews. Qualitative research is where the research for the film goes into depth and involves

surveys, questionnaires and other methods. This form of research will gain more detailed

answers. Quantitative Research is generally numerically driven and will feature more

answers though not in as much detail.

Chappie

Chappie is a 2015 American Science Fiction Film. The following is a plot summary provided

by Sony Pictures Entertainment: In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive

mechanized police force. But now, the people are fighting back. When one police droid,

Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability

to think and feel for himself. As powerful, destructive forces start to see Chappie as a

danger to mankind and order, they will stop at nothing to maintain the status quo and

ensure that Chappie is the last of his kind.

Chappie has a UK release date of the 6th of March 2015 and has a budget of $49 million. The

years of production were 2014 and 2015 and the director is Neill Blomkamp. The film is

produced by Simon Kinberg while the screenplay is by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell. The film

is distributed by Columbia Pictures. Among the stars of the film are Sharlto Copley, Dev

Patel, Yolandi Visser, Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman.

The target audience for Chappie will generally be 15-40 year olds and fans of action and

science-fiction films. The film will appeal to younger people who have grown up with

science fiction films and their fantastic news effects, as well as to older people, who may

enjoy the subliminal political story (oppressive police force, ethics over a robot with a

personality). The director of this film was also the director of District 9, which also featured

political undertones as well as being a commercial and critical success.

There are many ways in which

a film can be marketed and the ones used for Chappie will not greatly differ from those used

for Cinderella. Social media and file-sharing websites are key components of marketing

which are commonly used in the present age. Sites such as twitter, facebook and youtube

allow people to view the latest interviews, trailers and movie clips for the film. They can also

provide updates on the film and news of its box office takings, award wins, possible sequels

etc.

Trailers will be shown on TV to attract the attention of millions of people. The trailers will

likely be shown on channels and at times in which the target audience is watching. This may

include mainstream TV shows, though it will probably be more exclusive to periods in which

science-fiction related films are being shown. Thus, trailers may be shown on channels such

as Discovery, National Geographic and The History Channel. By putting the adverts

before/after sci-fi related shows, the producers are very much so targeting their audience.

Trailers will also be shown in cinemas. They will be shown directly before films in which the

target audience will most likely be watching, so that they will get to see it as well as

experience it on a smaller basis in a cinema environment. The movie may also be shown on

billboards in positions which can be easily viewed by the target audience. For example, this

may include high streets and main roads. Posters will be in many places as well, though they

will primarily be in places where a general age group will be able to see them. For example,

they may put them in the cinema, shops, on bus-stops and on buses. These are locations in

which many people encounter every day. Other methods of advertisement are via the print-

media. The film may run advertising campaigns in newspapers and magazines. These can

include full-page posters, interviews and reviews. A film fan may enjoy reading about the

technological advancements of the film, or simply to read about the opinions of one of the

movie’s stars. Reviews can also feature heavily in magazines and online and can be used by

a consumer to decide whether or not they want to go and see the film. The reviews also act

as advertisements, as they make people aware of the film as well as providing detailed

information about it. Some of the review sites that can be easily found on google include

Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb. Reviews can aslo be found in print-form, in

magazines such as Empire and newspapers which have entertainment review sections.

The audience for Chappie has been targeted in a unique way via the marketing campaign.

They have made the film to look intelligent and not a generic sci-fi movie. They seem to

want to explore issues that are affecting the current generation of humans, such as ethics

involving robots and other artificial intelligence. Some posters have alluded to the fact the

film is directed by the same director of District 9. This shows that they are also targeting the

audience of that film to encourage them to read more into Chappie. They are trying to show

that this is the new District 9, the new unique sci-fi movie around and something that is

worth watching. I think that having made Chappie and District 9, two films with elements of

the action, science-fiction and thriller genres, as well as the similar look to the two films, the

director, Neill Blomkamp.

Anchorage is something that hooks the audience and makes them want to go and see the

film. There are several things that act as anchor points for this movie. As mentioned above,

the fact that the film is directed by the same director as District 9 is noted in some posters

and trailers, which will be used as an enticement to fans of that particular film. Others who

have not seen District 9 may be encouraged to see Chappie due to the success of the

former. They then in turn may see the older film which would generate even more revenue

for the production companies. Another anchor point are the stars of the film. This can fall

into the star theory category. The star theory is that by having a big, established and

bankable star in a movie, then the film will benefit financially. There are several stars in the

film who can be considered ‘big’: Hugh Jackman, who has appeared in many blockbusters

and is a huge actor. Sigourney Weaver, who has become a sci-fi icon since her appearances

in the Alien franchise. Dev Patel, an up and coming star from various comedy films and

Yolandi Visser, the lead singer of South African band Die Antwoord. The band has become

popular over the last couple of years and could lead to people gaining interest in seeing her

in an acting role. All of the actors have different pasts and therefore different fans, so their

appearance may generate money from many different demographics.

There are many ways in which producers can conduct research for their target audience.

Surveys can be used, in order to find out what people do and don’t like about a certain

genre or perhaps a certain film. The survey may also ask questions directly relating to the

film in production, possibly asking questions relating to the story, casting etc. and whether

or not they think they are good ideas. They may use secondary research to find out what

past opinions people have had of certain films and genres, though they will most likely use

primary research which is specific to their film. Secondary sources may include sites such as

IMDb, to see how much the film made and how popular it was, as well as to read in-depth

reviews. Qualitative research is where the research for the film goes into depth and involves

surveys, questionnaires and other methods. This form of research will gain more detailed

answers. Quantitative Research is generally numerically driven and will feature more

answers though not in as much detail. The director may have looked at his previous science

fiction film, District 9, and pulled elements from that to use in Chappie. The former was very

successful, both critically and commercially, and the director will have wanted to recreate

this success.

Exit Poll Results

On the 30th March 2015, our group had the opportunity of viewing one of the latest film

releases in order to study people’s views on the film and things related to its marketing -

such as how people found out about it and whether or not it lived up to their expectations.

We had the choice of watching Insurgent, Get Hard or Cinderella. I opted to watch Get Hard,

a comedy film featuring Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell. Kevin Hart plays a man who is teaching

Will Ferrell’s character the rules to prison survival, with some comedic results.

On my exit poll, I asked seven questions. Of the five individuals who I gave an exit poll to,

three were male and two were female. Four were aged between 16 and 20 and one was

aged between 41 and 45. For my third question I asked how people found out about the

film. Four people answered Trailer (Internet) and one answered Word of Mouth. This shows

that the internet is a primary source of advertisement for many people.

The fourth question I asked was: Did the movie match or exceed your expectations? All of

the respondents to this question replied ‘No’ from a three-choice answer of ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or

‘Unsure’. This shows that all of the respondents were disappointed in the film and did not

enjoy it. Their views match those of critical reviewers, who also gave the film low scores and

rankings. I think the fact that the movie did not match their expectations shows that the

trailer was much better than the final product (four of the respondents found out about the

film via a trailer). Their disappointment can also be realised in the collective answers to my

next two questions.

For the fifth question, I asked what people rated the movie out of 10. Three responded 5,

one 4 and one 2. These are very low scores for the film and generally shows that people did

not enjoy it. It also ties into my last question about it clearly not meeting the respondent’s

expectations.

What is your age?

16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51 and over

However, people generally rated the performances of Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell’s slightly

better, with this making up my sixth questions. Two people gave a 7, one a 6, one a 5 and

the final respondent a 3. This clearly demonstrates star theory and the fact people can enjoy

the actors but not necessarily the film. The final question I asked was: would you watch this

film again? All of the respondents selected ‘no’ which I think sums up the disappointment

for the film.

What would you rate the movie out of 10?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10