Film Institutions Essay

Evaluate how different media institutions market and distribute products in the media area you have studied.

In film, major movie studios and independent productions market and distribute their products in many different ways. One example of an institution that has done this is Disney’s major studio production of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. It is evident that Disney have used various marketing strategies such as the technological convergence engagement of their very own multimedia interactive app. This was extremely effective because it engaged an audience and it was convenient due to it being mobile, which is a clear demonstration of Disney taking advantage of convergent devices. Furthermore, the app also had features including a camera setting, enabling the user to take a ‘selfie’, which encouraged sharing and spreading branded content onto platforms such as Facebook or Instagram.

In contrast to this, Ben Wheatley’s Film 4 Production of the independent film ‘A Field In England’, decided to created a website for a digital master class rather than an app, due to the limited budget AFIE had. The website enforced engagement with the audience and Web2.0, which is a new form of interaction. To add to that, the website appealed to the film’s ‘cinephile’ target audience and the site included videos, which took advantage of digital technology because it showed behind the scenes content, giving more insight into the making of the film.

Going back to Disney, they also used the synergistic strategy of premiering the trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ on ESPN, this was an intelligent use of synergy because Disney owns ESPN, therefore reaching out to an audience watching a Monday night football game allowed for a larger audience. The use of a ‘premiere’ also creates more of an event for the user. There are also various audience reactions uploaded onto Youtube where people are getting emotional because of the excitement of the release.

However, Film 4 Productions also used social media to take advantage of the director’s small but committed fan base. It created niche cult audience for the film. The use of the day of release allowed A Field In England to be a trending topic. The BFI also said “Wheatley and the whole cast supported the plan and mobilised their active fan base” which is helping to promote the film and makes the reviews more positive. To add to that, Mark Kermode, Virgin and Film4 also tweeted about the film trying to show the audience that the film is worth watching, as Mark Kermode is a film critic.

The distribution strategies used by Disney in order to promote Star Wars: The Force Awakens included the day and date worldwide release which was effective because it created an event and the saturation release capitalised the demand and desire from a vocal hard core fan base. The traditional release windows such as cinema, video on demand, DVD and streaming on television allowed fans to choose format and encouraged repeated viewings in a different format. Whereas the strategies used by Film4Productions mainly involved the simultaneous release which maximised a dedicated but small audience. They used all platforms possible with no release windows, which allowed all fans to see it regardless of geography.  They add value to cinema with Q&A screenings, which took advantage of convergent devices, meaning the viewer could watch the film anywhere, which created an event.

From this, it is clear that there is a difference between both institutions because A Field In England was more dependent on social media, whereas Disney used synergistic marketing and multimedia apps.  This is because Independent films need more social media in order to create an audience for the film and allows there to be a wider audience. I think the most effective release was A Field In England because of the simultaneous release, this is due to it being a technique that isn’t often done, but Wheatley was able to make this successful because he managed to incorporate social media into this process as well.