Independent Film

 

(Apology for the lack of english subs)

So first off I will look at a lesser known film before i get onto looking at a 'blockbuster'. I enjoyed this manga series called 'My girlfriends a Geek', and so was thrilled to find out that it had a live action film. Stumbling across it by accident when researching another Japanese series. So the film in question is called 'How to date an Otaku girl', alternatively it goes by'My geeky girlfriend'. It was released in 2009 and directed by Atsushi Kaneshige. It is ranked 247 of out 1769 on Dramacrazy.net.

The film is centered around a college student who falls in love with a girl from his part-time job. It isn't until he asks her out that he finds out that she is a Otaku. The film is just the story of him trying to adjust to life dating an Otaku, with all of its wackiness and drama. 


From the looks of the trailer, you can tell that this is very much a romance film. You could also say that this film is also a girly film, and because of the content would be perfectly suited for the 'Otaku' market. Otaku is a Japanese word basically meaning 'Obsessive fan', normally associated with Anime. 


At the time the film was released the stars in the film were more well known for roles in TV shows, Shunsuke Daito starring in the popular 'Hanazakari no Kimitachi e', a show adapted from a popular Manga. Wakana Matsumoto made a few appearances in TV shows before the movie. The use of relatively unknown actors makes the movie seem a little more real, despite its obviously over the top subject matter. 

As the film is based of a manga and light novel series it already had in a built in fanbase that way. So one way that the film was marketed by the trailer, another way is that it is mentioned on Daito's blog 'Secret Base', so those who follow his blog will have heard about the film that way. I would also assume that the film would have advertised on television stations that air anime such as Nippon TV.

As somebody living in England I only happened across the film because I knew about the series. The film itself is a very entertaining one and the characters are very likeable. However, I did find that this film was only really advertised in Japan, understandable considering it is a Japanese film. 

How to date an otaku poster

 

Blockbuster Film

The blockbuster film which I will be looking at is 'Sucker Punch', which is an action-fantasy thriller. Released 25th March 2011 in the US and 1st April in the UK, it is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Written and Directed by Zach Snyder, you would imagine it to be similar visually as to 300 and Watchmen.  

The film itself is sort of like a cross between 'Inception' and 'Alice in Wonderland', this whole idea that you can use dreams to gain something, whether it be courage or knowledge. I would imagine that this would catch many people's eye, along with the obvious action scenes that go along with it in this film. 


The use of colour is one thing that stands out from the trailer. The way the colour is used makes the film seem like a comic book, which gives it that 'not of this world' feel to it. I would say that this would attract a certain type of audience, those who are interested in comic books or even computer games would be inclined to go and see the film. 


Another thing that stands out is the music, which sounds like Rock which gives it a sense that this film is going to be action based more than romance or humour based. When you watch the visuals and hear the music along with it, the film seems very fast paced. This will appeal to those who like those sorts of films that are just basically fast paced action and not much else. On the contrary, the film has a deeper plot which isn't shown on the trailer, but for the sake of pulling in an audience it gives just enough away to interest people. 


The characters in the film are perfect for the roles they fill. Emily Browning plays the lead role as 'Baby-doll', she has that innocent look about her which makes you sympathise more for her, while still managing to look fierce in battle. Emily Browning is already well known, one of her more recognisable roles being that of Violet Baudelaire in 'A series of Unfortunate Events', released in 2004. She was also a main part in 'The Uninvited', 2009, playing the role of Anna Ivers. Other actresses in the film include Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung, who have all played roles that are notable.

The way the film was marketed would suggest that the producers were aiming at young adults who enjoy the comic book style. It was first announced at Comic-Con 2010 when a first trailer was shown. Comic-Con is generally known for its Comic book and Anime  The second trailer was then released and attached to the start of Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part 1 and Black Swan. Both of these films have darker undertones to them, so showed off Sucker Punch to be a slightly darker film. 

The way the film was marketed beyond the trailers were the posters. The original posters were six separate posters, each with a different lead girl (Babydoll, Sweet Pea, Rocket, Amber, Blondie, Madame Gorski), which were first released at Comicon 2010. They didn't reveal the actresses name, instead just had the name of the film and the name of the corresponding character. This would have interested the audience, and as a result make them look up the story of who these characters are. These posters also made there rounds on the internet, making appearances on various websites. For more information on the marketing click here.

The trailers and posters appear to be targeted at a male audience, with very attractive women, and lets be honest,wearing barely anything and holding lots of weapons, being the main focus. Despite this it could also appeal to the female market, as it's all about how these women are trying to escape from their male captors. This could relate to real life as they might be in an abusive relationship or something along those lines and this film teaches you how you can create your own world to escape all of that. All be it with epic fantasy-world fight scenes that are on par with many of the fight scenes you may find in comic books, anime or even computer/console games. 


In conclusion I think that the way that Sucker Punch is marketed by producers is very effective. This is because it was advertised to those people who would be interested in the sort of film that is not like a conventional blockbuster film.

Suckerpunch Original Character posters

Producers and Audiences

When a new film is released, there is a lot more thought behind distributing it than you would think. There are many people in this world, and everyone has different tastes. Some people like romance while others like gore, no two people are the same. 

There are many factors which producers will take into account when planning the marketing of a film, such as where the target audience live, which gender the film appeals to more and also social class, as well as many other factors. 

One way that producers gather information on audiences is by gathering feedback. This way they know in what areas a certain type of film may do better than others. For instance a historical drama may do better in an 'upper class' are than maybe, say, a horror/slasher film. 

The two films I have selected to look at to see how producers make and market films for audiences are the blockbuster film 'Sucker Punch' and the Japanese film 'How to date an Otaku'.