The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug - Tracking of Marketing - Week 2

Example 1:

This is an audience voting opportunity which is below the line marketing. The source is the Empire online magazine. This reaches immersive film fans and it a successful form of marketing because it creates a sense of involvement through the contributable capacity of voting. This can use audience opinion to persuade the readers to go and see the film.

Example 2:

I came across this advert while I was watching a youtube web series. This is an effective above the line method to reach audiences as the first 5 seconds of the advert couldn't have been skipped. After the advert finished, there is a promotion for the film beside the video. This reaches the technology native audience.

Kill Your Darlings - Tracking of Marketing - Week 2

Example 1:

Source twitter. This is an above the line promotion for the film.It acts as a teaser for the audience so they become more interested in the film. This is one of many tweets that include a picture with a quotation from the film. This gives the audience a feel of the film and reaches twitter users who have followed @KYDFilmUK. This is also useful as it attracts attention of the audience who are scrolling down their timeline and notice the big image.
 
 Sometimes it’s hard to see how deep you’ve fallen until it’s too late. – ever been there? #KILLYOURDARLINGS pic.twitter.com/ESGqxyu4rW

— Kill Your Darlings (@KYDFilmUK) November 30, 2013

Example2:

Source: Official Kill Your Darlings Facebook Page updated at 18:05 on Monday 25th November 2013. This is a competition to win a poster signed by Daniel Radcliffe.
Above the line marketing. Encouraged to be made viral. Reaches audience thorough interaction. It also reaches Radcliffe and Potter fans. 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug - Tracking of Marketing - Week 1

Example 1

Source: In the Foyer of the Wood Green Cineworld. This is above the lie marketing as these adverts are financed by the distributor and placed in the cinema chain to target the mass cinema audience.

Kill Your Darlings - Using the Internet to promote a movie release in the UK

Example 1:
This is an interview with Michael C. Hall who plays David Kamerer. It is sourced from the Dexter weekly news website which is run as an unofficial fansite to support the television series. It is attempting to reach fans of Michael C. Hall. It reaches fans of the thriller genre and murder theme which is also a value of Kill Your Darlings. The audience reached here seem to be 16-25 year olds who are regular cinema goers and are those from the Harry Potter generation which makes it more likely to appeal to them. This is a valuable marketing opportunity because it attracts fans of the actor, raises awareness of the film, educates the audience and provides a brief insight into the tone of the film.

Example 2:

This is an event promotion for a UK art exhibition associated with the Kill Your Darlings film. The source is twitter which is managed by the distributor. This is an example of above the line marketing in the sense that the exhibition is paid for. This is valuable as a unique marketing opportunity because it is innovative and engages audience. The people visiting the exhibition feel a sense of belonging to a community that it built through the use of twitter. The change to win preview tickets is also appealing to the audience, encouraging them to virally market the film using the #KYDcutUp hashtag. This marketing attempts to reach the fans of the Beat Generation and middle class adults through the appeal of an exhibition event.

Our #KYDcutUp art exhibition launches tomorrow. Check out Facebook for more info > http://t.co/84Hin5Vns7 pic.twitter.com/QShhvXPlhQ
— Kill Your Darlings (@KYDFilmUK) November 20, 2013

If u see the #KYDcutUp exhibition in London in the next 3 days, tweet the name of the location with #KYDcutUP 4 a chance to win preview tix!
— Kill Your Darlings (@KYDFilmUK) November 21, 2013

 Example 3:

This is a review available on the Digital Spy website that discusses and reports news on entertainment and the media. This is a below the line example of marketing. It reaches mainly 16-25 year olds who are technology natives and are interested in the website. The 4 star rated review convinces the audience that the film will be worth watching. This will have an impact on the audience as it informs them and asserts their trust of the website.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Using the Internet to promote a movie release in the UK

Example 1:

This is a production diary video linked from the verified "The Hobbit" page. The source is the distributor, Warner Brothers Pictures. This is a below the line example of marketing as it can be marketed virally. It is attempting to reach immersive fans of the fantasy adventure genre and the technology-native generation such as the core cinema audience, ages 16-25. It also has a personalised appeal and direct reach to audience by being available through facebook through shortform content.

Example 2:

There was a competition to win tickets to The Hobbit fan event in London. This was displayed on the Empire website which seems to be an above the line platform as it will have required a lot of financing.It attempts to reach fans of the trilogy from worldwide as it states "global fan event". It is a valuable marketing opportunity because it involves the audience and therefore will build a greater interest about the film within them. This would cause them to like the film and go to see it at the cinema.

Example 3:

There is a post on the fan-website, Middle-Earth News that is below the line as it promotes content that was from the distributor. The source is the Warner Brother Pictures YouTube channel. This way, it is valuable to reach the hard-core fans of J.R.R. Tolkein and it reaches a core audience of 20 to 30 years.

Kill Your Darlings - Tracking of marketing - Week 1

Example 1:

Source: On ITV at 18:15 and ITV+1 at 19:15- ITV News London
It is below the line marketing because it is filmed and aired on ITV as part of its News programme.
The event is above the line.
The airing of it on television is below the line.
Targets: Family audience as it was on the 6 o'clock news.

 

Example 2: 

Source BBC IPlayer on 18th November 2013. This is below the line marketing as it is mutually beneficial for the one show and Kill Your Darlings film.

Targets: Adults aged 40+. 

Example 3:

Source: twitter from another contributer. This is a photo of a projection of the exhibition. This reaches passers by and raises awareness of the film.

Sian Storey Art in #Camden right now as part of the #KYDcutUP exhibition @KYDFilmUK pic.twitter.com/Je2fMLFcME
— Sian Storey Art (@SianStoreyArt) November 23, 2013

The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug - Tracking of Marketing - Before official tracking

Example 1:

This is an article from the BBC. It details the specifics of a New Zealand city, Wellington, being officially renamed as "Middle Earth". This is the city where The Hobbit premiere will take place.

The new name will be reflected on postmarks on letters and the main local newspaper as the city "has been integral in bringing the fantasy world of JRR Tolkien to life on the big screen".

This will cause wide media attention which will result in reporting for the film. It would especially attract attention in New Zealand as it is more relevant to the area.

Kill Your Darlings - Tracking of Marketing - Before official tracking

Example 1:

This is a news feature on Kill Your Darlings that is heavily centred on Daniel Radcliffe and the film. The source is BBC news. It reaches media geeks and people who are interested in entertainment and arts.

Kill Your Darlings - Quick Answers

1. It is releasing in cinemas in the UK on 6th December 2013.


2. The institutions behind the films production and distribution include Killer Films, Benaroya Pictures and Outpost Studios (productions companies) and Works UK distribution (distribution). 


3. I'm not sure of what the production budget of this film was.


4. The film is of American nationality.


5. It is an independant film production.


6. It is connected to I'm not there (2007) because the lead character of Kill Your Darlings, Allen Ginsberg is also featured in this film. There are both biographical dramas.


7. The director is John Krokidas who also wrote and produced this film. This is his debut feature film.


8. Star names in the class include Daniel Radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg, (best known for Harry Potter) and other characters: Dane DeHaan as Lucien Carr; Jack Huston as Jack Kerouac; Ben Foster as William S. Burroughs; and Michael C. Hall as David Kammerer.


9. Set in 1944, the film is based on a true story about the murder of David Kammerer and the editors of the "Beat Generation".


10. This film would appeal to class A, B and C of ages 40+ years because this film features the biography of some historic people. Younger audiences may not have had context to understand the film.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Quick Answers

1. It releases in the UK on 13th December 2013.


2. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), New Line Cinema and WingNut Films. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.


3. The production budget for this film is $200,000,000 which is $20million more than the production budget for the previous film.


4. The film has three nationalities, the countries involved were New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States.


5. This is a high budget studio production.


6. It is connected to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and it is a sequel to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This film will also be continued with The Hobbit: There and Back Again.


7. It is directed by Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong(2005).


8. Star names of the cast include: Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins; Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey; Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug and the Necromancer , the antagonist.


9. The film is about some dwarves who are on a quest to reclaim their homeland from the antagonist, Smaug. The protagonist Bilbo Baggins possesses a mysterious ring.


10. This film will appeal to the fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and also appeal to a family audience.

Short Summary of the Q&A with Markus Markou of Papadopoulus and Sons

Since my previous work  was really long I decided to upload a simpler post.
These are the top five things that I learnt in our session with the director of Papadopoulos and Sons.

• Pre-production- He had a line producer, Sarah Butler who wrote out the budgets into each department by realising the script. He told us that this film was modern fairy-tale thus the story being relatable to most people in the world who have families. 

• Production- There are around 100 people in the crew of the sets. Jobs include director, assistant directors, cast, producers, runners, electricians and other professions. The technical crew have fixed pay rates whether they are working for a big studio production or an independant low budget production while the rates for actors and locations tend to be negotiated.

• Industry- Since Markus Markou self distributed the film, he financed it using his other company. He lent a company loan from his internet business to his Double M Film distribution company. He used the facility of festivals to find a suitable deal for his film.

• Marketing- He tried to target the possible audiences by finding places that their culture is associated with e.g. Greek Churches. This was free and was a personal approach. The personal approach can also be seen in the facebook and twitter campaign and it is tailored marketing.

• Exhibition- His film wasn't expected to gross high numbers at the box office so he was originally given a 100 seat screen at Shaftesbury avenue. As bookings increased this was upgraded to the 500 seat screen. It also released in Greece and did really well in Germany.

I gathered a lot of knowledge from the director's visit and found it really useful for the case study.

Things I learnt from the session of Papadopoulos & Sons

We talked to Markus Markou about the production, marketing, distribution and exhibition of Papadopoulos and sons. We learnt a few things about the Film Industry.

We found how Independant film making was very different to Studio made films. Since he self-distributed the film, he gave more importance and care to the film as he had to make sure he earnt back the profit. He made a commercial loan from his business to his distribution company, Double M films.

Festivals can be used to market films. Papadopoulos and Sons has been to Toronto, Sundance, Dinard and Cannes film festivals. Papadopoulos and Sons was bought by an air line distributer, a German and French TV network and also by the BBC so it could be aired next year. Markus Markou told us that it was difficult to distribute the film because people were reluctant to make good deals.

When he first approached the actors, Markou showed the script to them before discussing money so the actors would agree to the film for the interesting role. The whole film was shot under 30 days with 1 week of rehearsal. Stephen Dillane was approached for Harry Papadopoulos and Sons however he had a clash with Game of Thrones however when his son agreed to play James Papadopoulos, he asked Game of Thrones to change their shooting dates. This added the family dimension to the set while shooting and the chemistry can be seen when watching the film.

The tone and atmosphere of the scenes can be set stylistically. The beginning of the film is set in the house which has little of the personal aspects of the home. It has a wide space and a cold colour scheme which is seen in the kitchen. It is quieter and has a lack of soundtrack. Near the end, it is set in a Fish and Chips shop. There are more people, there is more colour to the shop and there is the joyous soundtrack of Papadopoulos and Sons.

They shot mainly from the script. Markus Markou and James Friend (director of photography) worked together to piece the shots together. He said that sometimes the actors would decide on stage directions or they way they come into a shot so the actors felt more comfortable. They shot in digital format as it is cheaper than using film. The line producer, Sara Butler made a line-by-line budget that split the budget for each department.

Actors and locations are the most varying salaries in the media industry.
Other jobs usually have a standard rate like technical jobs: e.g. boom operators and stylistic jobs: e.g. make up artists.

Digital film is useful because it is cheap and easy to use however it can also have the drawback of shooting too much footage, making the editing process much longer and difficult.

Being an Indie film with a small marketing budget, he wasn't able to air T.V. spots or put up posters. He kept most of the campaign online and it was a free platform. This includes facebook, twitter, youtube and the website. He thought of targeting some of his marketing at the Greek community in Britain so he called up Greek churches. He also gave out flyers in front of cinemas.

Without the internet, marketing would be tougher for Independant film makers as they don't have finance for traditional marketing such as posters and airtime for trailers.

Markus Markou was allowed to chose 12 screens in the UK which weren't main destinations. Papadopoulos and Sons did extremely well at the Shaftesbury Avenue Cineworld. Initially is was given a 100 seat screen which was promoted to a 200 seat screen and then reached 500 seat screen. It achieved the 2nd highest screen average from the films that aired at that time in cineworld. The film had a "21st Century Fairytale" concept that allowed it to have a universal appeal. This is one of reasons why is was popular in Germany gaining 23850 screenings from 70 screens in the opening weekend.

Description of Papadopoulos & Sons (2012)

In an interview Markus Markou says that the story involves wrestling the identity of being Greek. He says that similarities can be drawn from the history of Harry as Markou's own father was the song of a Greek Immigrant who worked to rise through the class system. Markou was privately educated.

I found the use of stereotypes such as Georgia Groome's spoilt daughter character, Katie. This was comical as she aspired to be a "pop star" although her rap that she demonstrates to her boyfriend is short.


Cast:

• Stephen Dillane - Harry Papadopoulos, a high class man, who has lost his wealth through a financial crisis. 
• Georges Corraface - Spiros Papadopoulos, Harry's brother who raised him but was irresponsible with his money.
• Ed Stoppard - Rob, an employee of Papadopoulos & Sons.
• Georgia Groome - Katie Papadopoulos, the slightly spoilt daughter of the family who enjoys wearing her designer wardrobe.
• Selina Cadell - Mrs. Parrington, the caring nanny who is strict about the use of language in front of the children.
• Cosima Shaw - Sophie, the colleague from the USA who cares about Harry and believes that happiness is not only achieved by money.
• Frank Dillane - James Papadopoulos, the budding herbologist who wants to quit his final year of a law degree.
• Thomas Underhill - Theo Papadopoulos, the youngest and most intelligent of the family who enjoys being a stock broker.

Crew:

• Marcus Markou - Writer / director. This is his debut feature film.
• Sara Butler - Producer. She is experienced in TV drama including working for the BBC on sets like Eastenders then she moved into freelance roles, working for companies like Shed Productions.
• Andrew Markou - Executive Producer.
• James Friend - Director of Photography 
• Sebastian Morrison - Editor. He worked on Holby City Series 10, which won the 2008 BAFTA for Best Continuing Drama.
• Anji Carroll - Casting. She has casted for a variety of genres and products such as comercials, documentaries, video games and films.
• Julian Fullalove - Production Designer. He has also designed for a variety of purposed. Some to name: Robot Wars, Teletubbies, music videos and live events.
• Stephen Warbeck - Composer. He won an Oscar Award for Best Original Score for Shakespeare in Love (Miramax) and has also written for Theatre.

Researching Papadopoulos & Sons (2012)

Directed and written by Marcus Markou, Papadopoulos & Sons is a comedy drama film that was a success in the box office.
Logline from their official website: Following his ruin in the latest banking crisis, a self-made millionaire reluctantly re-unites with his estranged freewheeling brother to re-open the abandoned fish and chip shop they shared in their youth.

Production:

Shot in and around London, the sets include two shops, a factory and a mansion.
Its rated 15 and has a runtime of 105 minutes.


Marketting:

The marketting platforms include poster, trailer, teaser videos, interviews, website, a youtube channel and facebook page.
The production also has an official twitter account, the cast and crew promote marketting content such as links to reviews and stills from the film.
The videos apart from the man film are available on their YouTube Channel.




Distribution:

This film has been self-distributed by the director's own company, Double M films. It was first screened at the Dinard Festival of British Cinema in France. Then it screened at a festival in Greece. One month later, December 2012, it was released in Greece. Four months later, in April it was released in Ireland and United Kingdom. Finally on 27th June 2013, it released in 70 cinemas in Germany and achieved approximately 24,000 admissions in the first weekend.

Reception:

The film received 82% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 6.2 out of 10 on IMDb.
Initially in Britain, the exhibitor, Cineworld agreed to screen the film on limited screens in the UK however the audience demand fueled an expanded run of the film.