Marketing Campaign Of The Blair Witch Project (1999)

 I have chosen to research the marketing campaign for The Blair Witch Project as it is in the same horror genre as my own film Hansel And Gretel.

The marketing campaign for The Blair Witch Project was extremely effective. Not only was it made on a shoe-string budget of around $20,000, it was made long before the days of Facebook, Myspace and YouTube, which are all now major institutions in which film advertising is done today. This resulted in the film having to utilise its own effective,and in some areas unique, marketing campaign. This included in the film makers advertising that the film was actual "found-footage" and creating a website that backed this claim. This involved creating film posters which said things like "In October of 1994, three student film makers disappeared in the woods near Burkittesville, Maryland... one year later, their footage was found". This helped circulate the rumours that the footage was real, and helped
to terrify audiences, as when they were sitting in the cinema watching the film, in the back of their minds they thought that it might actually be real.

History Of Film Trailers

History Of Film Trailers

The Jungle Book Trailer (1967) Batman Trailer (1989) Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen Trailer (2009)

As you can see there is a huge difference between the three trailers between the years 1967-2009. In terms of effects and sound the comparison in terms of quality has considerably increased. For examples, If you even look from the years 1989-2009 with the Batman and Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen (hereby reffered to Transformers ROTF)  trailer there is considerable improvement, for example the explosions look a lot better and more realistic in the Transformers ROTF. Also, the sound used is a lot clearer and does not use a voiceover like in the Batman and The Jungle Book trailers. These features reflect the significant improvement in film technology over the 40 years. However, the differences in quality of trailer between 1967 and 1989 for Jungle Book and Batman are not as extreme as from 1989 to 2009 with Batman and Transformers ROTF. This suggests that the increase in new technology in film was not as significant between the years 1967 and 1989 as they did not have the resources to do so. Another major reason for the continued development in the quality of film trailers over the years is increase in budget. For example, if you look at the budget of Batman (1989) which was $35million, it is relatively small in comparison to Transformers ROTF which had a budget of $200million. This is partly down to the fact that Transformers ROTF was a sequel to the very successful Transformers (2007) which was a huge success on the box office grossing over $700million but also down to fact that films in general do have a considerably bigger budgets these days, especially ones such as Transformers which require special effects and are filmed in IMAX. Another example of the increase in budget in film, is when you compare The Jungle Book (1967) to Up (2009), both of which are animated. The Jungle Books budget would have been around $10 million, this in comparison to the $175million budget given to the film Up, which would lead to much more special effects and 3D effects used. This highlights a very important factor why films and therefore film trailers, are progressing all the time, as they have a much more resources at their disposal which would not have been possible in the past.

Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Richard Dyer has written extensivley about the role of stas within film, TV and music. Dyer states that irrespective of the medium, stars have some key features in common:

• A star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials e.g. advertising, magazines as well as films
• Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings

Stars depened on a range of subsidory media - magazines, TV, radio, the internet - in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed to their target audiences. The star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to the target audience. Fundamentally, the star image is incoherent, that is incomplete and 'open'. Dyer says that this is because it is based on two key paradoxes...

Paradox 1
The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer - somebody people can aspire to be like

Paradox 2
The star must be simultaneously present and absent from the consumer - leading us to want to know more about them

The Star Image
The incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or 'to make sense of' the image. This is achieved by continued consumption of the star through his or her products.

In the music industry, performance seems to promise the completion of the image, but it is always ultimately unsatisfying. This means that fans will fo away determined to continue consuming the star in order to carry on attempting to complete their image.

Roland Barthes Theory

Barthes is famous in media for suggesting that narratives work with five codes:

• Action or proairetic
• Enigma or Hermeneutic
• Semic
• Symbolic
• Cultural or referential

The enigma code is the most famous as we use this to make guesses as to how the narrative of a film will finish, therefire providing pleasure for the audience.

Hermeneutic Code
This is when parts of the story are not fully explained. They exist as enigmas or questions that the audience wishes to be resolved. Detective stories (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) have narratives that complies with this code - a criminal act is shown and the remainder of the narrative is devoted to answering questions raised by the initial event.

In order to maintain interest, the final truth is not revealled until the end and some devices are used to conceal it:

• The snare - deliberate avoidence of the truth. A tease or implication that sends the audience down the wrong path e.g. Snape from the Harry Potter films - is he really a villain or are we just being mislead?
• Partial answers - revealling some final truths - this is used to increase suspense
• Equivocation - mixture of truth and snare - usually makes the story even more mysterious and confusing
• Jamming - suggests that a problem may be unsolvable - further incerases suspense

Proairetic Code
The proarietic code is a series of actions that imply further action/reaction. For example, a character may have an argument and the audience wonders what the resolution or outcome of this argument will be. This creates suspense and tension as the audience wonders what the outcome will be and begin to make their own guesses.

Claude-Levis-Strauss Theory

Strauss argues that meaning in narratives is based upon binary opposites (conflicts). He was less interested in the arrangement (or syntagmatic)  of the narrative (or order) and more in the deeper meaning (or paradigmatic) of the themes.

Examples of Binary Opposition
man vs. woman
science vs. nature
good vs. evil
earth vs. space

Vladimir Propp Theory

In Propp's theory, he examined hundreds of folk tales and concluded that a formula was commonplace, including:

• 8 character roles or spheres of action (character and action being inseperable)
• 31 functions, always highly predictable such as villain being punished at end of story

Character Roles

1. The villain - represents evil and struggles against the hero (e.g. the Joker in The Dark Knight)
2. The dispatcher - character who makes the problem in the narrative known and sends the hero on his way (e.g. Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight)  
3. The helper - helps the hero in his quest (e.g. Alfred in The Dark Knight)
4. The princess/heroine - the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain (e.g. Rachel in The Dark Knight) 
5. Her father - often rewards the hero with the princess/heroine (e.g. The Sultan in Aladdin) 
6. The donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object to help him in his quest (e.g. Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight) 
7. The hero - the centrail protagonist who leads the way in the narrative (e.g. Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight)  
8. False hero - takes credit for the hero’s actions, is usually good looking and is often actually a coward (e.g. Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight)

Judith Butler's Queer Theory

The queer theory is a field of gender studies that emerged in the early 1990's out of the gay/lesbian studies and femminist studies. Although many believe that the queer theory is only about homosexual representations in literature, it also explores categories of gender as well as sexual orientation. It is not only concerned with sexuality but also with identity.

It sees gender as constructed socially to some extent through out association with the media. For example, gender stereotypes are conveyed clearly through the cartoon programme Scooby Doo:





Dpahne wears make-up and feminime colours like purple, and all these features represent a strongly feminime girly-woman

 

On  the other hand, Velma's square glasses, feckles, unstyled haircut and oversized/unfashionable orange jumper make her appear less feminime and attractive than Daphne. Could Velma be a stereotype of a cartoon lesbian? 

 

Fred is tall, well-muscled and well-dressed. He is typically handsome with a groomed haircut and clean-looking haircut. Fred is the typically attractive man that the typically attractive woman (like Daphne) would be paired with

Uses and Gratification theory by Blumler and Katz

5 reasons why people may engage with the media

1) Escape from reality (film)2) Relate to others/characters (soap)3) Entertainment (drama/comedy)4) Informed and educated (news/documentary)5) Socialise with others (Facebook/popular series)

Blumler and Katz

Uses and Gratifications Theory is a popular approach to understanding mass communication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959) . It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use the media to fulfill specific gratifications. This theory would then imply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers' gratification.

The theorists say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfils the needs of the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need. Blumler seems to envision a marriage between cultural studies and the Uses and Gratifications approach, but he is not clear on what terms. Instead of asking "What are your reasons for watching this programme?." Blumler would ask "What about it do you find true to life?" or "What picture of the world does it seem to convey?" (Blumler, 1979)

Codes And Conventions of Film Trailers

The codes and conventions of trailers are about pulling in the audience to inform them on what a film is about. They will consist of selected short clips that will give away parts of what the film is about, this is meant to entice as the audience will want to see more. The shorter the clips, the more the film is desired to be seen and the audience will want to see more of what is happening. Unexpected twists in the movie will not be shown as you don't want to give too much away and what the audience to keep guessing. The limit for trailers are normally 2:30 minutes that was issued by the MPAA, sometimes trailers may run over this but this is very rare. On most trailers, music will play in the background to set the tone and ensure that it matches with the plot of the story.

Several points that trailers should achieve are:

Generate interest in the film

Show off the stars of the film

Show the film to its best advantage

Create excitement

Tell people what the film is about, e.g. the genre

Not give too much of the plot away

Tease the audience by setting up narrative enigmas

Showcase some of the best bits of the film

Give details about the production team.

Since my group will be doing a thriller/horror film, I will focus on the codes and conventions of that genre's trailer. Generally they will set up a premise or situation which leave the audience intrigued and wanting to know more. You want the audience to be asking questions about the characters like what happened to them and invoke the audiences worst fears to make it an interesting plot. There are several different fears that would captivate the audience in a film like fear of death, nightmares, vulnerability, alienation, revulsions, terror of the unknown and loss of identity.

Pitch Script

Danny: We have decided to base our film on the classic fairy-tale Hansel and Gretel

Becky: However our take on the story will be slightly different with a modern thriller twist. This gives a new take on the story which will appeal to many demographics.

(show poster)

Joe: We have chosen to keep the name of the film the same as the original story as we did not want to detract from the classic title which is known throughout the world.

Alex: The plot for our film does not remove itself from the tale however we have introduced more modern problems to the story a troubled marriage for example between the parents. Also the Witch has been altered to a more realistic character without the gingerbread house etc.

Danny: It starts with the children running away from home due to the step mother who has just moved in with the father after their mother’s death. They come across a house quite different to their own. Intrigued they decide to have a closer look which leads to chilling consequences.

(Take through storyboards)

Becky:  The part of Hansel and Gretel will be played by John Appleby and Lucy Cashman. Two very well-known and professional leads.

Joe: The parts of the step-mother and the Father will be played by Eleanor Loftus and Danny McDonald who have both recently been in big Hollywood films such as “The secret”.

Alex: Ashley Gallagher will play the part of the “Witch” This is her first role in a film as she has been working in the theatre for the past few years.

Danny: This film is a great chance to bring back a classic childrens story into the lime light and get it into the public once again.

Trailer Terminology

Plot Summary
Most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a feature-length film. They start with a beginning (Act 1) that lays out the premise of the story. The middle (Act 2) drives the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a strong piece of 'signature music' (either a recognizable song or a powerful, sweeping orchestral piece). The last act often consists of a visual montage of powerful and emotional moments of the film and may also contain a cast run if there are noteworthy stars that could help sell the film.

Voice-over
Voice-over narration is used to briefly set up the premise of the movie and provide explanation when necessary ('In a world...'). Since the trailer is a highly condensed format, voice-over is a useful tool to enhance the audience's understanding of the plot.

Music
Music helps set the tone and the mood of the trailer. Usually the music used in the trailer is not from the film itself (the film score may not have been composed yet). The music used in the trailer may be:

• Music from the score of other films
• Popular or well known music, often chosen for its tone, appropriateness of a lyric or lack-there-of, or recognisability
• 'Library' music previously composed specifically to be used in advertising by an independent composer
• Specially composed music
• Songs, which may include knock-offs of recognizable (but expensive to license) songs

Cast, Crew, and Studio Information
A cast run is a list of the stars that appear in the movie. If the director or producer is well-known or has made other popular movies, they often warrant a mention as well. Most trailers conclude with a 'billing book', which is a list of the principal cast and crew. It is the same list that appears on posters and print publicity materials, and also usually appears on-screen at the beginning (or end) of the movie.

• Studio production logos are usually featured near the beginning of the trailer. Until the late 1970s, they were put only at the end of the trailer. Often there will be logos for both the production company and the distributor of the film.

Technical Elements

• Sound Mix: many movie trailers are presented in Dolby Digital or any other multichannel sound mix. Scenes including sound effects and music that are enhanced by stereophonic sound are therefore the focus point of many modern trailers
• Video Resolution: movie trailers, preceding feature films are generally presented in the same format as the feature, being in the general terms 35mm film or a digital format. High bandwidth internet connections allow for trailers to be distributed at any resolution up to 180p