During my time researching Horror movies and distribution, I have increased my knowledge of the history of horror. This includes how the genre has evolved and changed to suit the growing market. I also found it interesting with how women shown in horror has changed to support the changing views on womens rights. But also how people have responded to these changing ideals and the ever changing horror genre. I have also expanded my knowledge on subjects such as the comedic horror and classic horror conventions, along with the overall film conventions and theories such as Todorovs theories. This has also introduced some new theories to me, such as the final girl theory and male gaze theory, which I had a small idea of prior, but had no idea as to the extent that it goes throughout the horror genre films and how important it is to some films. I found it surprising as to how many ways both theories can fit into a film and just how often they are used in the horror genre.
I have also expanded my knowledge of horror trailers from the previous year, with new information such as the overall structure of these trailers including many quick cuts, with most being a second or 2 max, and that after the equilibrium has been show, the event is shown and small parts of the resolution will be shown in a disordered and quick selection of scenes. They are generally designed to do nothing more but suggest the overall genre and any possible sub-genre along with using a few tricks to cause possible consumers to become interested and possibly watch the film when they may have not otherwise.
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Woman In Black Audiences and Institutions.
The Woman in Black is a horror film with super-natural overtones produced by British Horror company Hammer Horror. Released in 2012, it starred a massively successful actor Daniel Radcliffe, starring in the first film since the massively popular Harry Potter franchise.
Before mentioning way the film was marketed, it is important to mention the target audience. I think that it is clear that the Woman in Black was marketed strongly towards teens and young adults as a primary audience, this is because they will be the most likely to recognise Daniel Radcliffe and respond positively to this casting choice. This most likely ranges from the ages of 12 - 30, who obviously have an interest in the horror genre. Secondly, I believe that the film pushed heavily for the fans of Daniel Radcliffe, mostly teenage and young adult girls aged around 12 to 20. This is because these fans are probably willing to see any movie that Daniel Radcliffe is associated with and will almost guarantee a large audience for the film, regardless of the films final quality.
The Woman in Black had a fairly long marketing campaign. Earlier on in the campaign, a teaser trailer was showed off at a comic-con convention. This was a smart move as many Harry Potter fans would be attending this event. A short while after, a single teaser poster was released to gather up hype for the upcoming trailer. The trailer was then released 2 months later. A short time after, the TV channel MTV, showed a minute clip of footage from the film gathering more hype. Towards the end of the advertisement campaign, the theatrical trailers were released to a wide range of cinemas and advanced screen events. The total advertisement campaign took approximately 11 months overall.
To maximise the possible audience, the film cut many scenes to take down the age rating from a 15 to a 12A, this helps get the Harry Potter fans into the cinema. I believe that, even against Daniel Radcliffes request, Hammer Horror used his Harry Potter fame to get as many people into the cinema as possible. This is because every part of the advertisement featured him heavily and the book even had a re-release with him on the front cover.
While the marketing materials were technically appropriate for the age rating, I think that Hammer Horror should have taken into account Daniel Radcliffles request of minimising his Harry Potter influence - at the same time I cannot fault the company for using their full actors potential and influence. Aside from this, the use of a single teaser trailer and few promotional materials helped keep the film in a shroud of mystery that draws consumers in and can keep interest until after a film has been released.
Before mentioning way the film was marketed, it is important to mention the target audience. I think that it is clear that the Woman in Black was marketed strongly towards teens and young adults as a primary audience, this is because they will be the most likely to recognise Daniel Radcliffe and respond positively to this casting choice. This most likely ranges from the ages of 12 - 30, who obviously have an interest in the horror genre. Secondly, I believe that the film pushed heavily for the fans of Daniel Radcliffe, mostly teenage and young adult girls aged around 12 to 20. This is because these fans are probably willing to see any movie that Daniel Radcliffe is associated with and will almost guarantee a large audience for the film, regardless of the films final quality.
The Woman in Black had a fairly long marketing campaign. Earlier on in the campaign, a teaser trailer was showed off at a comic-con convention. This was a smart move as many Harry Potter fans would be attending this event. A short while after, a single teaser poster was released to gather up hype for the upcoming trailer. The trailer was then released 2 months later. A short time after, the TV channel MTV, showed a minute clip of footage from the film gathering more hype. Towards the end of the advertisement campaign, the theatrical trailers were released to a wide range of cinemas and advanced screen events. The total advertisement campaign took approximately 11 months overall.
To maximise the possible audience, the film cut many scenes to take down the age rating from a 15 to a 12A, this helps get the Harry Potter fans into the cinema. I believe that, even against Daniel Radcliffes request, Hammer Horror used his Harry Potter fame to get as many people into the cinema as possible. This is because every part of the advertisement featured him heavily and the book even had a re-release with him on the front cover.
While the marketing materials were technically appropriate for the age rating, I think that Hammer Horror should have taken into account Daniel Radcliffles request of minimising his Harry Potter influence - at the same time I cannot fault the company for using their full actors potential and influence. Aside from this, the use of a single teaser trailer and few promotional materials helped keep the film in a shroud of mystery that draws consumers in and can keep interest until after a film has been released.
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