World's End task

NOT part of the franchise, but similar personnel; typical WT?

Today's task will be split over 2 lessons: 1 to research and piece together a blog post (featuring an embedded PowerPoint or Prezi if you wish) and 1 to present/discuss these.

This is primarily intended to aid exam preparation, but has a definite link to coursework; your post title will be: World's End: Why Accurate Audience Research is Vital!

Spend at least 40mins on RESEARCH and discussion of findings, not presentation - if some additional time is needed to put together a post that's fine.
Use any and all resources you've seen/used this year to help with the following - you'll speed the process up if you think carefully about this.
This is a group task so you can share files via dropbox, the Mac's share function, or by copy/pasting each other's draft posts (or USB!).

In doing this task you will be touching on the five core 'key concept' areas that the Media A-Level is focussed on (and one of the A2 exam Qs is specifically focussed on applying theory on these to your own work):

Media Language - you must utilise any relevant terminology, including clear + specific denotation but also narrative, semiotics...
Audience - the British Cinema Q is headed 'Audience and Institutions', and you need to analyse the interplay between the two, as you will here
Narrative - posters and trailers selectively present the narrative; character types can be vital for audience appeal, as can narrative elements (eg the classic feelgood Hollywood closed ending; the American dream - Billy Elliot...)
Genre - even low budget flicks can have a chance if they tap into popular genres; Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead were spectacularly successful given their budgets; Warp has produced several slasher movies alongside its less commercial social realist productions
Representation - the ideology or cultural impact of representations is a key issue, but this also applies to marketing and, for British films especially, the crossover potential for mainstream success and/or foreign sales/distribution
You can remember these as 'MANGeR', or even MIGRAINe if you include institution and ideology!

POINTS TO COVER:

GATHER:

• as many posters (UK, US, RoW [rest of the world]) as you can find, saving the files and putting into a post
• DON'T ignore fan art; 'web 2.0', digitisation and the blurring of the divide between audience and producers is a key point for studying not just cinema but all contemporary media
• any different versions of the trailer
• any information on or analysis of the marketing campaign - use of trailers, product placements or tie-ins, teasers, exclusives for conventions etc [remember to always include links]
• look for evidence of web presence - Facebook page/s (more than one language? multiple fansites?), official webpage/s (WT often their own as well as the traditional distributor's effort); UGC/fan-made videos on YouTube ... etc [use smartphones for blocked sites and/or other resources...]
  
• basic institutional info: director/cast/genre(s)/franchise?/IP?/soundtrack; budget and box office, including range of distribution



What genre/s are signified? Who might this appeal to?

• the film itself!!! you can skim, perhaps the opening few mins...

ANALYSE:

• is this a typical or countertypical WT production? [HINT: a bit of both!]
• was this film a success?
• was it successful compared to the preceding two films in the franchise?
• with specific reference to the marketing, and the target audience/s you think this reflects or (un)successfully targets, did the producers and/or distributors understand the likely audience for this film?
• consider Stuart Hall's theory for this; if you can't follow the preferred reading or don't recognise the music used, can you deduce anything from this?
• what would you do differently if you were producing and/or distributing this film?
• what lessons could you apply to the fate of your own production if it was a fully realised 90min film?

Illustrate your answers, using specific media terminology as you go!