Transcript How is the image of the star used to create meaning for the film?

Marketing and Star Images
In pairs, list five films you have liked that
has at least one very famous actor in it
Now list five films you have enjoyed that
have actors you had not recognised in
advance
Which list was easier to write?
Is there a pattern of genres appearing?
The importance of Star Images
• Why do you think stars are important
1.To audiences?
2.To producers?
Is the star of a film more important
…than the genre?
… than a franchise?
…than awards?
…than critical praise?
The benefits of a star
Recognition factor
• A star as a ‘mark of quality’
• A star as a generic signifier
The promotional benefits
• Interviews
• Press interest
• Pre-existing fan base
Appeal
• Appeal outside of film roles – we feel we ‘know’ stars through their life outside
of films
• Perception of a star persona – a quality that makes them ‘different’ from the
ordinary
• Image and values– representing ideas about sexuality, gender, race, etc
PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Entertainment = Social: fans are
attracted by the entertainment value
of celebs and because they serve a
social function e.g. chatting with
friends
•How does the public perception
of the star relate to the film?
Are they reinforced or
contradicted?
•How is the image of the star
used to create meaning for the
film?
•What part does the star play
in creating the poster’s
meaning?
• How does the public
perception of the star
relate to the film? Are
they reinforced or
contradicted?
• How is the image of the
star used to create
meaning for the film?
• What part does the star
play in creating the
poster’s meaning?
Never Let Me Go was a British
box-office failure, though had
fairly good reviews.
What went wrong with the
marketing?
Genre?
A case study in marketing
Original 2004 Cinema release poster
Initial cinema
and DVD
release profits
were very
modest
2004 DVD cover
An earlier film
success – note
the deliberate
subliminal
similarities
2007 DVD re-release covers – UK & US editions
The re-release was more successful. Why?
• How does the public perception
of the star relate to the film?
Are they reinforced or
contradicted?
• How is the image of the star
used to create meaning for the
film?
• What part does the star play in
creating the poster’s meaning?
• How does the public
perception of the star
relate to the film? Are they
reinforced or contradicted?
• How is the image of the
star used to create meaning
for the film?
• What part does the star
play in creating the poster’s
meaning?
Stars – Case Studies
• What is consistent about the star image
across the following marketing
campaigns?
Tasks
• Make a list of the qualities that are consistent across Johnny Depp
performances in different films
• What are the ways in which the star persona of Depp attracts
audiences?
• How does the internet work to amplify audience connections with
Depp’s star image?
• Why, in your opinion, was Mortdecai a box-office failure despite its star?
‘Positioning’ a star on the market
• What image
does Emily
Blunt live up
to?
• To what
extent is her
public
persona a
‘construct’?
Serious actress or Eye-Candy?
Is this just the tried & tested way of
promoting young actresses?
Stars questions
• How important are stars to the film industry?
• To what extent are stars ‘constructed’ by the
industry?
• To what extent are stars ‘constructed’ by fans?
• How ‘powerful’ are stars?
• Is it important to British audiences to see British
stars on screen?