Introduction to my project

What is the task?

My task this year for the A2 Media Studies course is to create a promotional package for a new film which is going to be released within the horror genre. I must successfully compose together; a teaser trailer, a film magazine front cover which features the film, and a film poster. In order to successfully complete my task I will be using new media technology and a variety of media platforms in order to appeal to my target audience. Gathering this data will be carried out through using primary and secondary data.
I have decided to choose to create my promotional package in the horror genre for many reasons. Firstly, just like many of the film industries and institutions have a budget to work with and try to release a good promotional package for an upcoming film by spending the least amount of money possible, the majority of their research and data gathered is through secondary data. This is data which has already been collected and analysed for another purpose. This means that because many of the horror films today have identical target audiences, most of the research such as what attracts them to watch their particular horror movie rather than others, has already been collected. This will not only save money for an institution, but for myself it will save a lot of time as I will not have to waste money and resources on collecting data. This is just one of my reasons for choosing horror as the genre which I will release my promotional package for my upcoming film. Another reason as to why I have chosen the horror genre is due to the fact that the codes and conventions are very similar. By deciding to do a horror promotional package, appealing to my target audience is crucial therefore by choosing a horror genre this should not be a problem as the many horror films today have identical audiences as they all contain the codes and conventions associated with the horror genre such as;blood,violence,thrill,suspense,red,protagonist and antagonist etc. 
I believe that I will need to think about what the audience and consumers would typically expect to see from a horror promotional package in order to make my promotional package highly successful. I believe that I will achieve this by conducting market research and analysing both data collected from primary and secondary research which will then allow me to successfully meet the consumers needs. In addition, I believe that by applying a few media theories such as the hypodermic needle theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this will also allow me to appeal to a wider target audience which ultimately creates a successful media promotional package as I will be satisfying the audiences needs and demands from a horror promotional package.

 

What is a marketing campaign and why is it needed?

The film making industry is very expensive and a competitive market, therefore many films will need a sustainable amount of box office revenue in order to cover the cost of production, pay the investors and shareholders etc. The marketing campaign plays an important role as it informs the target audience of an upcoming film's purpose which should encourage them to go and see the film once it has been released. If a marketing campaign is successful, which therefore means people are paying to see the film, it will mean that the distributors (these are companies who distribute the film around the country through loaning it to many different cinema's.) will have the best chance of the film making a huge return on investment as awareness about the film is being made along with interest from many people at the same time. This in the long run will guarantee huge profits for investors and stakeholders which ultimately makes a successful marketing campaign.

 

Why is the trailer important?

Successfully campaigning and promoting a film can be achieved through using a variety of media platforms such as posters, newspapers, billboards etc. Some media platforms are more powerful than others in order to interact and gain an audience's interest. For example, posters are important in order capture an audience's interest immediately and is a good use of push media which means that the audience have no choice but to consume the media being advertised and promoted, and if this is a successful film poster for example, will attract them to watch the film. However in comparison to a film trailer, a poster does not portray the excitement and atmosphere of a film which a film trailer does through the uses of moving images, sound, and stunning mis-en-scene.