By Liam Belch

PRODUCER AND AUDIENCE TASK: ANALYSING THE MARKETING CAMPAIGN

FOR IRON MAN 3

INTRODUCTIONAudience is an important part of every film and it helps to know who the producers are making the film for. When a film is in production it is always Crucial for producers to Do the appropriate Research into the audience. When the makers of a film know the audience that they will be displaying to they know exactly what the audience needs and then everything starts to fall into place in the production side of things. Meeting the audiences needs and expectations is always a very important part of a mainstream multi-million film in order to get the highly desired Revenue.

STATISTICSDirected by: Shane BlackProduced by: Kevin FiegeDistributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesBudget:$200,000,000Genre: Action AdventureDemographic: marvel fans, mainstream audiences aged 13 – mid 30’sYear of Production: 2012 UK Release Date: 18 April 2013Box office Takings: $1,182,023,292Synopsis: When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

SYNOPSISMarvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

DISTRIBUTORBecause Walt Disney Pictures are the Distributor of the film this helps the film to get a lot more popularity and views because The film will be more child friendly allowing for an age range from young children to adults because it can be appreciated from both ends of the age spectrum. This will also allow Disney to aim the synergies and merchandising at children as well as adults which will mean even more revenue from a broader audience rather than specific social groups.

FILM MARKETINGFor the marketing of iron man a lot of different ways were used from physical advertisement with things like large billboards and in printed media and then digital advertisement like web banners and YouTube trailers. The adverts for this film are everywhere and it was hard to avoid. A lot of money went into the advertising campaign and this shows in multiple ways. One way that a lot of film companies advertise is by having their own Website for people to visit, this is true for iron man but it is a section of the official marvel website, probably to save money (http://uk.marvel.com/iron-man-3/). The website itself offers a very Vague and brief outlook at the film, The site features Trailers, Brief description of characters and a synopsis of the story. This briefness is intentional as to not give away too much of the film to give you a little taste to draw you in. The website also features sections like: Cast and Crew and partners which is rather unusual but is also another form advertising for other companies. There is also a special interactive website called iron man tech (http://marvel.com/ironmantech) where you can ‘’take a tour’’ of the iron man suits. This is a good way of creating active spectatorship with the audience and also helps to explains a bit in between the story of 2 and 3 because iron mans suits make a large jump in advancement from 2 to 3 so this helps to explain why and shows how.

FILM MARKETINGUsing massive billboards can be very expensive but can be very effective in exposing the general public to the films. A lot of large budget films are expected to rake in absolutely millions and so they really shove the advertising down your throat. A lot of billboards and advertisements around public are an effective way to do this because when you see the image everywhere It will stick in your mind. The same thing goes for television advertising and printed media, Multiple showings of a trailer can often pique interest in the viewer. Just like the website little to no detail is given away to draw in the viewer because they wish to know more. Large full page advertisements in magazines and papers are mostly unavoidable making them very effective for exposure. When you turn the page onto a full page advertisement you cant not notice it, and even if you turn page instantly and don’t take much notice you will have already seen the advertisement anyway.

ANCHORAGEThe Term anchorage means basically Giving meaning to an image or media product. In advertising when an image is used it can be open to interpretation and many people will discuss and deride their own meanings from what they think they saw. Anchorage basically means that the meaning is given, when an image is accompanied by text the image is the hook and the text ‘’anchors’’ the meaning to it. This accompanying text is often called a tag line and can often a brief Description about the product or can be detailed. The Tag line ‘’Tony stark Returns with energy’’ is in reference to the fact that the iron man suits are more advanced and how the film is so much more Adrenaline pumping than the other instalments. This small Text Anchors the audience in a way that it creates an air of mystery and wonder. It leaves you wondering what it means but can also open up the film for discussion and can create active spectatorship in the way that you can discuss with your friends what you think it means or what you think will happen.

FINDING INFORMATION ON THE TARGET AUDIENCEWhen searching for information on target audiences and demographics there is a world of difference for a new film entirely and a sequel or prequel. Sequels will be aimed at the exact same people as all the others as they are not really looking for a new audience as such. First time films will have to look to branch out as much as possible to capture their audience. They will have to do primary Research into other films similar to the one being made and will have to find out such specifics as:

AgeGenderReligionRaceSexualityEducationOccupationAnnual incomeDisposable incomeCurrent and Desired lifestyleMedia interestsBuying habitsbrand loyalty

All of these areas matter because this helps to build the demographic, This is very similar to reception theory in the way that the film will be targeted at specific people because of their social backgrounds, where they are on the Hierarchical Class system (lower class, upper class etc.) amongst other things as well