Paranormal Activity Marketing Campaign

One of the biggest reasons behind a films success is its marketing campaign. If a film is hoping to become a worldwide success, it must have an effective marketing campaign that builds a buzz/hype around it to target potential viewers. I have chosen to analyse the marketing campaign behind the Paranormal Activity film as i believe this is one of the best examples of a successful marketing campaign, and it is also of the same genre as my film - horror.

It was a very low budget film made for just $15,000 so it was massively important for the creators to advertise it as good as they could. As you can guess from the title, it tells the story of a haunted house featuring a number of different paranormal incidents that would leave viewers shocked.

The movie was given a limited release with a number of midnight screenings in small towns across America. The company then turned their attention to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to create a buzz about the film. They encouraged the lucky people who had got the chance to see the film during its limited release to write about it with short reviews and with the majority of them being positive and recommending others to see it, this lead to a larger limited release, mainly focusing on college towns as this was where the majority of their target audience of teenagers would be.When Paramount had become aware of the success of the film in these few towns, they knew they had to get the film out on a larger scale. The website for the film which was promoted all over the internet on the likes of Twitter and its trailer allowed for users to demand the film to be screened in their town with the click of a button. This is very effective as it involves users by giving them the power and making them feel like they are a part of the film and its distribution. Paramount said that if it gained 1 million demands, they would release it nationally. Which it did.

Social networking sites such as Twitter allowed for the film to generate even more publicity and awareness as it was featured in the worldwide trending topics for weeks on end meaning that any of the millions of users on Twitter where aware of its presence. With the trailer for the film, they wanted to create something different - to stand out from the crowd. Rather than having a number of clips and scenes from the film edited nicely in a montage that had the potential to spoil it for viewers, they only included a small number of clips from it whilst showing the reaction of a live viewing audience. By focusing on the reactions of the live audience, this would entice viewers to want to see the film themselves and flood cinemas instantly to gain the same experience. Watch the trailer below:

A poster promoting the film was also put up on billboards and walls across the world. It features a very eerie looking photo from the film that attracts viewers attention as well as a quote saying that it is one of the scariest movies of all time. This was sure to appeal to horror movie fans or people who enjoy being frightened in general as this is exactly what they will want. It features a rhetorical question as well as the message "don't see it alone" in order to involve viewers and make them feel apart of the film. It also directs viewers to the films website where they can demand for it to be screened in their area.

Overall, I feel that the marketing campaign for Paranormal Activity was very successful in advertising the film effectively and generating a huge buzz to entice people to go and see it. The campaign itself is the main reason behind why it gained a significant box office taking of over $193,355,800 from just $15,000.

Synergy in marketing

When companies join together in order to come up with a product that involves advantages for all parties included, this is known as synergy. Synergy plays a big part in the marketing campaign of a film as several different products are created in order to stand a better chance of gaining the film more publicity and attracting potential viewers. These products can include relatable items to the film that promote and advertise it such as magazine and poster covers, video games and even merchandise.

One of the best examples of synergy being used in a films marketing campaign was with The Dark Knight Rises. A number synergy techniques were used to enhance the film both before and after its release with products such as a video game, posters, magazine covers and a number of trailers being released. Each targeted a different section of the media - video game lovers, film fanatics and magazine readers. These were very effective in gaining the film tons of publicity from different media types which suggests that they were the main reason behind the films success.

The first sign of marketing by the film was when the official website was released over a year before the films actual release date. The site streamed an encrypted audio file in which users could decrypt it by using the hashtag "#TheFireRises" on Twitter. Each time this was done, the creators Warner Bros would remove a pixel from the webpage before the first official image of the villain Bane was revealed. A number of different trailers were released on YouTube which each received millions of views and spread rapidly. Different posters and magazine covers were also released having included either the hero Batman or the villain Bane on the front. This way, viewers could choose which side they were on - good or bad. This also built a lot of hype for the film and got people talking - again gaining a lot of publicity for the film. Synergy had been maintained throughout these products as the tagline "The Legend Ends" was included on each one. This was done so that viewers would remember the phrase in the hope that it would entice them to go and see the film. Another way in which features of the products were similar and synergy had been maintained was with the general layout of the likes of magazine covers, posters and images. They each had a very dark and similar look about them in order to add effect and show that it is of the action genre and can be quite dark/moody at times.

The Arkham City video game was another way in which the film was marketed as this would have gotten people talking about Batman in general and with a new film just around the corner, they are bound to go and see it if they enjoyed playing a game relating to it. Synergy had continued to be maintained throughout the marketing campaign as Warner Bros signed a deal with Formula One team Lotus F1 to have the films logos appear on several cars driven in the British Grand Prix. This would have been watched by millions of people around the world and with the Batman logo being displayed not only on this, but every other product, it would have made people want to go and see the film.

Overall, i believe that synergy in the marketing campaign for the film had been maintained effectively and was certainly the main reason behind the films worldwide success.

Dark Skies Poster Analysis

Above is the analysis that I have done for the Dark Skies movie that was released at the start of 2013. Overall, I believe that it is a very effective movie poster and achieves its aim of advertising the film very successfully.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Poster Analysis

Above is the poster analysis that I have done for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I believe that this is a very effective poster for the film and it does the films marketing campaign justice. What I found most effective about the poster, apart from the powerful main image that brings the poster to life is the colour scheme used. The colours compliment each other and make it easy to read the text and view the main image of the man holding the chainsaw which is what every poster looks to do, but doesn't do quite as effectively. I like how the main image covers the entire poster with the clouds and sky varying in colour. I will be looking to produce my movie poster of a similar quality to this as I believe it looks very professional and effective in advertising the film.

Total Film Magazine Front Cover Analysis

For my second movie magazine front cover analysis, I wanted to choose a different company than Empire in order to see how similar or different they are so that I can pick up any ideas when it comes to creating my own. I chose another huge film magazine company - Total Film and came across the cover that they produced for their "ultimate Batman issue" promoting the new film The Dark Knight Rises. My favourite feature on this cover is the colour scheme as I feel it compliments the film and layout effectively. Not only does the gradient colour of black and blue look very professional on its own, it also links in with the film as a lot of the scenes in Batman take place during night where the sky is black/blue. I will certainly be using this cover as inspiration in order to gain ideas when creating my own movie magazine front cover.

Empire Magazine Front Cover Analysis

Above is the front cover of an Empire magazine that I have analysed. Empire is one of, if not the largest film magazine company in the world and I believe this is one of the best front covers to have been produced by any movie magazine. Everything about it looks very effective as it follows the codes and conventions of a successful front cover. Because the main image alone is so good, the magazine as a whole will also be, due to it being anchored by the likes of the masthead, sub stories and sub images. I will be looking to create my magazine front cover in a similar way by using parts from this such as its colour scheme and layout as inspiration.

Sinister Movie Trailer Analysis

The trailer opens with the non-digetic sound of a radio broadcast which informs listeners about a family that have been murdered. From this, we are straight away able to identify the genre as being horror. There are various clips being showed whilst the broadcast is playing with the most dominant being an establishing shot of a house at night - this suggests that this was where the family lived before they were murdered. There are fast cuts of a symbol and pictures including a family with a little girl circled and a crime scene. These give the trailer a very eerie atmosphere and make some viewers jump as a static sound is included which is something we will be looking to include in our trailer. The little girl in one of the cuts is circled in red which connotes danger and blood further supporting the trailer of being in the horror genre. Because she is the only one circled, this gives her the feeling of being vulnerable and that someone or something is watching/stalking her.

When the news report stops, we get the text "9 Months later" appear on the screen before having a zoom in establishing shot of the same house earlier on in the trailer - this time in the day with a van and boxes outside suggesting that people are moving in. The little girl saying "I didn't want to move here" further supports this and we get our first introduction of the family with a variety of shots of them such as them having a family meal. The contrast of the house from when the family were murdered and the new family moving in suggests that they are going to follow in their footsteps and also get murdered. The sound effects and music are typical of a horror trailer as they create suspense to make viewers on edge throughout which is very effective.

As the clips of the family are being played, we get a high angle shot of the little girl who said she didn't want to move there which makes her appear as being vulnerable. From this, we are able to identify that she will play a big role in the film due to vulnerable children being a typical horror victim. The shots of the family around the table and the parents in bed connote a happy, innocent family and that nothing can go wrong - which is never the case in horror films. Low key lighting is used throughout the start of the trailer in order to put an emphasis on the isolation of things such as the location of the house and the attic where the man stumbles across a box of tapes. This adds a sense of mystery to the trailer and gives it an eerie feel which is essential in most horror trailers.

As soon as the man stumbles upon the box in the attic, we get the text "From the producer of Paranormal Activity and Insidious" appear on the screen. If the viewer hadn't guessed it already, this gives away the genre of the film as being horror as these two films are two of the most known horror films in the world. We get an over the shoulder shot of the man looking at the tapes in the box in order to give the effect of actually being there with him. It acts as a kind of point of view shot in order for us to see what he sees. The first tape he watches shows a family having fun together before suddenly jumping with a static sound effect to the family being hung from a tree which is very graphic. The man immediately jumps up out of his seat as I'm sure most viewers did too. By now we can tell that the man of the family is the main protagonist in the film as he has been the main source of attention in the majority of clips so far.

The trailer then cuts to the protagonist discussing what he had found with a police officer whilst another video tape is played which shows a car being set on fire with a family trapped inside. Again, another gruesome clip as this conforms to the codes and conventions of a horror film. The sound effect of a scream is synchronised with the car being set on fire in order to add to the shock of the clip. An extreme close up of the protagonist is then used to show the emotion in his face whilst the flames in the video reflect on his glasses. Extreme close ups are used often in horror films as they show what is going on - mainly emotions such as fear and anger to add effect.

By now, we understand that an investigation has started surrounding the tapes and it is pointed out by an expert that the common link in each of the clips is a special symbol relating to a demon known as 'Bagul'. The expert, who is perhaps some sort of psychologist says that the demon consumes the souls of children and this now gives us a clear storyline. The background music gradually starts to build up whilst showing a clip of a young boy climb into a pool. The music comes to a sudden stop and a high pitched sound effect is used once again to make the viewer jump. Inside the pool is a mysterious looking character turning its head almost directly towards the camera suggesting that this is the demon Bagul who has somehow been transformed from the young boy. The text screen of 'Once you see him' then appears which again, tells us the story and puts pieces of the puzzle together. The protagonist identifies something standing in the background of a still image from one of the clips and we get his narration of "I've never been onto anything this big before". He realises that the image looks a lot like his back garden and that it is the demon Bagul standing in the bushes. He then holds the image up to the window and as he takes it away the demon appears to be stood in the exact same position in his garden for a split second. This is a very effective clip and adds to the eerie feel of the trailer as the garden is pitch black meaning the only thing we see is the demon lit up and the music once again suddenly jumps in an attempt to scare the audience.

By this stage, the demon is clearly identified as the killer and the little girl of the family is at danger from him. As the protagonist is trying to find information from the clips, he has a photo of Bagul on his computer screen with the words “Bagul lives in the images themselves, and they are gateways into our world” playing over it. As he looks away from the screen and closes his eyes which suggests he is stressed and scared, the demon turns its head towards him with a drum beat and another high pitched sound effect to build suspense and continue to make viewers on edge when watching.

The trailer then goes on to show clips of the children acting very strange such as the girl walking around at night time and the boy crawling out of a box screaming as if to suggest they have been possessed and targeted by the demon. These are edited with smooth cuts to make the trailer flow efficiently. A clip of the man setting fire to the box of tapes is then shown before having a close up of them burning to show what it was. It then shows the family fleeing the house with the voice over "Get the kids, pack the car, we have to leave here now". 

A close up of the projector tape rolling is then shown and the trailer is edited to make it look as if it is one of the tapes itself. We have the digetic sound of the tape rolling and clicking with different, short, sharp clips being shown in-between each click. The process of this gradually speeds up and the clicking becomes louder and faster in order to build suspense again. This would be classed as the 'action-part' of the trailer as this is where it gets interesting. As the fast clips come to an end and the music stops suddenly, we are shown a point of view shot of the protagonist as he looks into the attic where he finds a group of what look to be dead children telling him to be quiet. There is a projector screen behind them with an image of Bagul on and he slowly moves off of the screen and appears right in front of the camera with a loud sound effect which again - makes the viewer jump. The title of the film is then shown and the 'Coming soon' screen starts to burn through as the sound effect of the projector tape stops - this suggests the tape has been burnt and is very effective and original.

The trailer conforms to the codes and conventions of a horror film as it continuously builds up suspense with a very eerie and unnerving atmosphere. Extreme close ups are used a number of times in order to highlight things that viewers wouldn't be able to pick up on otherwise such as certain emotions. Establishing shots were used to show the isolation of the location of the house - very large and quiet. The point of view shot, especially at the end of the trailer when Bagul jumps out at the camera is used very effectively as this allows viewers to feel what it is like to be in the characters position. Overall, I believe it is one of the best horror film trailers made and was very successful in its aim of enticing people to go and see the film.