Super 8 Cross Media Study
How Is Super 8 Promoted Through PRINT MEDIA?
Super 8 is promoted through print media by certain very successful newspapers and magazines writing positive reviews about the film. One example of this is by the Empire Magazine. This very famous magazine has a very positive review about the film rewarding it with 4/5 stars. Reviewer Ian Nathan called this film, 'something to cherish: a beautifully made homage to better times, and better movies.'
Another print media platform that gave 'Super 8' a great review was The Guardian Newspaper. Even though Peter Bradshaw gave the film a lower rating than Empire. He still gave it a 3/5 stars. This form of promotion is good for the film because it will encourage a wider range of audience members because stereotypically they are the ones who usally read newspapers.
So overall, 'Super 8' is getting positive promotion through print media. The Empire Magazine is attracting the younger readers to watch the film because they are Empires main target audience.
The film poster of Super 8 is also a good use of promotion by the marketing directors of Super 8. They have made sure that Steven Spielbergs name is in bold writing. This is done because Spielberg is known for being one of the greatest film directors of all time and by putting his name on the poster it is likely to attract a huge amount of audiences.
The film poster is also advertised on buses. This is a good form of promotion because people will notice the poster and be interested straight away.
How Is Super 8 Promoted Through Broadcasting?
One way 'Super 8' is promoted through broadcasting is when cast members from the film go on TV interviews to talk about the film. This was the case when Kyle Chandler (who played Jackson Lamb in the film) went on the David Letterman Show to talk about the film. In the interview he sounds very enthusiastic about the film by saying, "Your gonna like this movie!" This is likely to attract wider audiences because of the star appeal they will be interested in when they herre a famous person having a good opinion on the film.
How Is Super 8 Promoted Through E-Mail?
The main source of promotion Super 8 uses through E-mail is through their official website. Their website includes things like downloads, galleries, cast members, videos, news. etc. This is a good opportunity to let Super 8 fans to get to know the cast because of the videos. The website also has links to social networking sites such as Twitter. This gives the audience members the chance to interact with the film, cast and also to receive news on releases, signings and much more. Super 8 fans can also buy the Super 8 DVD from the website.
Link to the website: http://www.super8-movie.com/
Also through E-media Super 8 audiences can have access to online blogs by well known sources. The Sky website has a blog dedicated to Super 8 film. The blog gives credit to J J Abrams film making skills by saying, "Abrams is a master of suspense, drip-feeding us added layers to the mystery." This a good form of promotion because this would attract audiences becasuse they would know that he's good at what he does. The website also mentions that the film will be on Sky Movies soon. This good because it would get audience members excited about the film.
Link to the website: http://skymovies.sky.com/super-8/review
Audiences Members Each Platform Attracts
With print media the platform mainly attracts a older target audiences who are in the D to C demographic. This because stereotypically they are the sort of people who are interested in reading blogs and newspapers. Older audience members will get Super 8 more money because they are the ones who are willing to pay over the odds to experience the film to the fullest.
With E-media Super 8 are mainly attracting a younger audience because they are the one who are stereotypically ineterested in using social networking sites, so the sites are mainly used to reach out to those younger fans. This is also for young audience members because teens don't usually make their own income so the E-media is used as a free form of advertising for those people and it's also easy to access and buy things.
Broadcasting is mainly used to reach out to a much wider audience because it is mainly used by everyone. This tool of promotion is very effective because Tv trailers for examples comes on in between shows so people will be able to see it while they are waiting for their shows to begin. Broadcasting is also a good way of promoting because there are shows made specifically to promote movies. An example of this is the BBC TV show, Film 2011. This show was created to attract film lovers to watch certain films.
Representations Constructed Through The 3 Platforms
Usually the three different platforms construct different representations in order to reach out to the specific target market they are willing to attract. For print media, bad representations are usually constructed in magazines and tabloids in order to try and keep the audiences entertained and make them carry on buying their products. The tabloids normally create bad stories about actors/actresses to engage the buyers.
Broadcasting often construct very glamorous representations because they believe that it is what people are interested in watching. They also make the stars seem as if they are more important than ordinary people by the way they represent them in a very stylish and glamorous way making it conote them being special. This attracts audiences because it will make people idolise those artists.
With E-media celebrities are usually represented in different ways because anyone can write a blog on anyone and give their opinions on them. Twitter is an example of this because for Super 8 twitter page anyone can post an opinion on the film and they can also communicate with the stars of the film.
Technology and Institutions
Super 8 has to react to changes in audience needs because people are interested in different things nowadays. One thing Super 8 has to be wary of is the rise of the internet. The internet has become so massive now that everyone has access to it. Super 8 has to start using promotional methods that include technology because that is what they are interested in now.
The institution that was involved in the creation of Super 8 is Amblin. Amblin is a film institution that is owned by Steven Spielberg. This can have a positive impact on the film success because audiences will notice that Spielberg owns it and will therefore be interested to watch it because of the success of Steven Spielberg.
