Guardian of the Galaxy Research

http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/57232130/would-people-see-guardians-of-the-galaxy-if-not-marvel-film?page=all

• '$94 million intake'
• 'Marvel is King of superhero mountain top.'
• 'If the film were was just an original script with no ties to comic books, it would have a hard enough time just getting made, let alone becoming the biggest August opening of all time.'
• 'The studio has turned its films into a mosaic, a puzzle of films to be sorted out and put together by fans'
• 'Even though Guardians is the weirdest piece yet, it still has necessary connections to other movies'
• 'It's a spectacular marketing plan, one helped by the fact that Marvel's films are generally pretty good, but one that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for other blockbusters without recognisable source material or connections to larger franchises.'
• 'The sad truth is that big sci-fi blockbusters don't do well unless they're a part of some larger franchise or well established universe of films.'

http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2014/06/17/guardians-of-the-galaxy-u-k-trailer-goes-conventional/

• If the first two trailers were about distinguishing the Guardians of the galaxy from other comic book superhero movies, then this trailer is basically about putting it back in the cliche comic book movie genre.
• The new Guardians of the galaxy trailer is similar to many other comic book movies. We get an insight of the main protagonist and super hero (Chris Pratt) who makes constant references to being the Worlds saviour and the person who will prevent the world from perishing in this time of need. With that being said, the movie is one of the weirdest pieces to be made by Marvel, yet the foundational roots are similar to almost every other Marvel movie - The hero saving the world from the villain.
•  That was the unique selling point of the movie - To sell something that is unconventional (Alien superheroes) as something that is conventional and normal (Hero vs. Villain battles)

http://liferebrand.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/the-genius-marketing-behind-guardians-of-the-galaxy/

• The final week before a film’s release is often when marketing activities are heightened. Disney, the owner of Marvel Studios, saved 40% of its marketing efforts for the final week before the film’s debut. This allowed Guardians to generate maximum awareness at a critical time

• Some critics question whether Guardians would have been as successful if it wasn’t a Marvel film. Marvel probably had the same concern; thus, the movie was marketed largely on the Marvel brand. It’s a great strategy considering the phenomenal success of previous Marvel films such as Iron Man, The Avengers, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

http://variety.com/2014/voices/news/guardians-of-the-galaxys-success-raises-a-new-danger-for-marvel-1201282200/

• Even before the release, “Guardians” looked like a double-edged sword — a title that threatened to disappoint at the box office, or perhaps worse, embolden Marvel to plunge ahead with more relatively obscure titles,
• Notably, the many favorable reviews for “Guardians” exhibited notes of critical resignation. The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis, for example, praised the movie while citing its “confusing and generic” story, and the need to “shake off the bonds of narrative coherency
•  Marvel has earned a degree of smugness, having set upon an audacious scheme that appeared fraught with peril
• “Guardians” joins a power-packed stable of sequel-worthy properties highlighted by next year’s “Avengers” followup, which, coupled with a new “Star Wars,” should send Disney CEO Robert Iger triumphantly cruising into the sunset looking like a world-conquering hero.

Evaluate the role of digital technology in the marketing and consumption of products in the media area you have studied

Evaluate the role of digital technology in the marketing and consumption of products in the media area you have studied

The use of digital technologies was integral in the distribution of the film 'Honey Trap'. The film was on a low budget, hence the use of social media played an important role in attracting publicity for the film.

The film largely targeted young people between the age of 15 - 25 based in England and particularly London. This was particularly effective as it meant that these young people were able to relate to what was happening in the film. Rebecca Johnson also targeted urban adults over the age of 25 who seek out critically well-reviewed films.

They looked at possible promotions with WhatsApp, Blackberry Messenger and other free message and networking services used heavily by young people. By doing this they ensured that they could easily target young people through applications that they are constantly using. This meant that young people would have seen the advert for the film, propelling them to want to watch it. They also targeted film and urban music blogs and magazines such as Grime Daily and RWD. RWD is one of the biggest urban UK magazines and Grime Daily is a music channel for urban youth. Using RWD and Grime Daily had a parallel effect to using the applications as it also meant that the film could be advertised to young people in large masses. 

Rebecca Johnson used film festivals to her advantage. She used film festivals in Berlin, Rotterdam and Los Angeles to sell her film to independent distributors around the world. This meant that she could get a huge amount of publicity and attention on her film.

She also used tradition marketing methods that have been in the media industry for various years. This included things such as posters, trailers and print ads. This was so important for the distribution of the film, as the film was on a low budget and these methods were cost effective which meant that they helped to limit expenditure on the movie.

Johnson used fund raising to make an additional £8,000 to add to the budget of the film. This meant that they had additional funds to use for the production and distribution of the film. Once again, the fact that it was a low budget movie meant that fundraising was important so that the film could use the additional funds if necessary. 

Honey Trap - Research

1. Rebecca Johnson directed the film
2. The director chose to tell this particular story becauase she was touched by the case of Samantha Josph and she wanted to stop young people commiting acts of sensless violence
3. Sarah Sulick Produced the film
4. 
5.  The film budget was under 1 Million
6. They financed through donation via crowd funding
7. They got young untrained actors from Brixton. Same casting process as Top Girl
8.
9. Screens will be a key element of the visual world of HONEYTRAP; vortices to be sucked inside, places to transform yourself and where identity fragments. Layla’s screen self - her bit part in Troy’s music video or the sexy photos she posts
- take on a parallel life. Her inner world becomes a hyperreal dream space where images collide and degrade until they lose their meaning.
10. Cross media convergence between Fierce Productions and Bright Pictures
11. She made the film in Brixton so she can relate to the young people that live there
12. 
13. Honey Trap and Top Girl
14. Urban adults (25+), who seek out critically well-reviewed films, Urban young people (15-25), both sexes, who relate to story and cast and listen to
soundtrack artists
15.They looked at possible promotions with WhatsApp, Blackberry Messenger and other free message and networking services used heavily by young people. Target film and urban music blogs and magazines e.g. Grime Daily and RWD
16. 
17. Because people can relate to it. 'Its on their home turf' Its about national issues and also it was a big news story
18. They synergize with RWD the biggests UK Urban Magazine
19. It will be sold to independan disributors around the world
20. 
21. The film is being released Nationwide
22. The film is being released nationwide in early 2014
23.
24. 10 Cinemas so it is restricted
25. It is going to be faily sucsessful becasue the film got good reviews from the film festivals

Film chain of Honey Trap

Production

This is a feature film, it’s a low budget film as she used the locals in Brixton’s who are non professionals to be the cast and to record it. The production budget of Honey Trap is under £1 million, which is funded through donations, and they have secure an initial £20k grant from the Walcott Foundation. They has Dave Raedeker as director of photography who won the best cinematography award at the Sundance Film Festival 2012. And the editor, Tracy Granger is best known for her work on Kimberly Pierces Oscar winning debut. Music is integral to the world of Honey Trap. The Honey Trap soundtrack album will be complied and produced with a company like Bucks Music Group. They used easy sound track artists and networks of young people post content from rehearsal or set etc.

Distribution

The audience was targeted at urban adults of 25+ who seek out critical well-reviewed films and also urban young people 16-25 of both sexes, who can relate to the story and cast and that listen to soundtrack artists.  It was at a prestigious international film festival where it was sold to independent distributors around the world.

Marketing

They created a profile and started to develop a fan base.  Engage with networks focused on young people and looked at possible promotions with Whatsapp, Blackberry Messenger and other free messaging and networking audience used heavily by young people target and urban music blogs and magazines e.g. Grime Daily and RWD. Dedicated film pages on Facebook, twitter and tumblr.