1. The Gutenberg Design Principle
The star’s name and the name of the
character they are playing are featured
here in the primary optical area, which is
the first place we look according to the
Gutenberg Principle
Point of address from the stars to
give the audience a sense of
knowing the characters, however
the two male leads are looking at
the main star, in order to draw more
attention to her
Strong fallowarea. Shows the
word ‘BABY’ which is perhaps the
second mostdrawing factor of
the film other thanBridget Jones
herself.
Weak fallow area. Nothing
featuredhere.
2. The Gutenberg Design Principle
When analysing a poster, you should consider the following:
What are the main colours used in the poster? What do they connote?
The posters main colours are yellow and black and it is done in a sepia tone. This
connotes optimism and a brighter path.
What symbols are used in the poster?
There is a clover under the the main title logo, which can both signify luck or that the
characters have an Irish heritage.
What are the main figures/objects/background of the poster?
The main figures of the poster are the 2 starts, Matt Damon and Robin Williams,
both smiling and looking at each other. This establishes the mentor type relationship
the two have in the film and gives the audience an indication of what the film is
about. In the background is a forest of trees which gives a peaceful setting and can
indicate that the story is a coming of age story.
Are the messages in the poster primarily visual, verbal, or both?
The messages shown through the poster are both visual and verbal, as the two stars
give away the coming of age/mentorship story and there is also a short paragraph in-
between the stars which gives the audience more detail into what the film is about.
The title is also a dead giveaway of the type of film, as ‘Good Will Hunting’ says that
the characters are hunting good will and it is also the name of the main character.
3. The Gutenberg Design Principle
Who do you think is the intended audience for the poster? Why?
The audience of the poster is people who enjoy coming-of-age tales or stories that
involve people finding their meaning in the world.
Given that the aim of a filmposter is to get audiences to go and see the film - what
persuasive techniques are used?
Which genre conventions are referred to? The characters seemto be looking on in to
the distance or at each other to show solidarity and friendship, both are common
factors and commonly used plot points in the genre of coming-of-age dramas. The
colours used are also very widely used in this genre, it makes use of a gradient going
from black at the bottom and fading into gold. This is often used to connote inner
peace.
Is a star used as a USP? Both the stars are USP’s as (at the time) Matt Damon was an
up and coming star in Hollywood with a very large fan base of young people and
teenagers, it was similar to the following of Leonardo Dicaprio at the time of the late
nineties. The same goes for Robin Williams, who is an acclaimed comedian who built
a very large fanbase and a cult like following over the years and at the time of
release of ‘GOOD WILL HUNTING’ he was perhaps at the prime of his career.
Are there quotes? Whose quotes? There are no quotes featured on the poster,
however there is a synopsis and gratifications featured.
What pleasures (gratifications) are promised by the poster? The gratifications on the
poster promises a ‘wildly charismatic’ lead character in Will Hunting who has
‘unmatched intelligence and potential’. This isn’t a conventional gratification as
typically it would say something along the lines of ‘intense action’, however in this
genre it is seen as more important to learn information on the characters rather than
the plot and action of the film.
How is attention gained (humour, shock, surprise familiar face of a star)? The leads
both have a happy and friendly face which guarantees some sort of feel good factor,
which is key to making these films what they are.
How does the tagline work? (humour, pun, alliteration etc?) There is no tagline,
however there are gratifications and a synopsis which is seemingly more appropriate
for the genre.
PRI: Research approaches in Film
Mainstream - the ideas,attitudes,or activitiesthat are shared by most people and
regardedas normal or conventional.
- Marvel’sThe Avengersis a good example ofa mainstream filmas it featuresfast pace
and explosive actionand it is a team up of pre-establishedsuperherocharacters.It
appealsto all demographics as it is an ensemble ofvery differentcharactersand
worlds. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOrNdBpGMv8
- 21 Jump Streethttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLoKtb4c4W0
- Transformers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxQxgAfNzyE
- Fast & Furioushttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5pXAGmWYbk
4. The Gutenberg Design Principle
Alternative - Available as anotherpossibilityor choice.
- Mad Max https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caHnaRq8Qlg
- Lost In Translation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYAS92XPvIM
- Frank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-catC4tBVyY
- Evil Dead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtsK7skqk9U
Niche - Denotingor relating to products, services,or intereststhat appeal to a small,
specializedsectionofthe population.
- Goonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfOZaquIhG8
- Fast Food Nation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5hA3PN0uic
- Spinal Tap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N63XSUpe-0o
- Metallica:Into The Neverhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4IhWJ8r7_4
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA
Quantitative – Data in terms of numbers.This data can be measuredand is not
subjective.Quantitative data that can be recordedare thingssuch as length,height,
volume,temperature.The type of quantitative date recordedby mediaoutletsare
typicallyincome and ages.
Qualitative- Data interms of descriptionand use ofwords. This data is solely
observationand cannot be measured like Quantitative.Deals withthings such as
colours, taste,observation and opinion.The type of qualitative data the media outlets
research wouldbe the type of aestheticaudiencesenjoy,general plot/outcome and
music
5. The Gutenberg Design Principle
NRS DemographicScale
This is the NRS demographicscale,it is usedto categorize audiencesintodifferent
sectors. Each letterrepresentsa differentsectionof society,withA representingthe
upper-middle class,people whohave jobs such as Higher Managerial and professional
jobs. B is the middle class,and is associated withsuch jobs as intermediate managerial
roles.C is splitinto the 2 classesin itself,C1and C2, they each representthe lower-
middle class withjobs such as office work and supervisoryjobs and C2 is the skilled
working class such as skilledand specialistmanual workers.D is semi-skilledor
unskilledmanual workers, such as demolitionworkersand brick layers,and E is the
lowestof the classes,whichpensioners,OAP,widows,studentsand part-time and
casual workers all fall under the category of.This scale is usedparticularly by
marketers trying to sell a product, be it a film,foodor deodorant. It is usedto
describe,measure and classifypeople interms of social grading and income,for
market research, social commentary, lifestyle statistics,andstatistical research and
analysis.
Audience Profiling
Gender– Some products are aimedat eithera male or female crowd, films such as
Bridget Jonesand Sex and the Cityare clearly aimedat a female crown as theygo over
subjectssuch as love and relationships,whichis typicallymore popular amongst
females.Onthe other endof the spectrumfilmssuch as GreenStreetand Rambo are
more orientatedtowards malesas they feature a lot of violence andfighting,which is
associatedwith hyper-masculinity.
Age – Age is a broad profile,as some filmssuch as FindingDory and Toy Story 3 can be
sold solelybasedof nostalgia,whilstsimultaneouslyappealingtothe new generation
of childrenand the adults that bring their children.Childrenandfamilyorientated
filmsare typicallymassivelysuccessful,as they will have the audience of childrenand
parents who are surelygoing to see the film.Filmssuch as The Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel are marketedtowards olderaudiencesas theyfeature an old cast of former
stars from back in theirday.
Geo-demographic–Geo-demographicclassifypeople bytheirneighbourhoodand
surroundingsaccording to the characteristics ofthose areas.
6. The Gutenberg Design Principle
Psychographic group – Psychographics determine what type of personyou are and
what would appeal to you as that type of person. An example ofthis wouldbe with
the televisionshowMr.Robot, this is a showthat is gearedto appeal to the reformer
band of psychographics as it featuresself-proclaimedrevolutionistswhouse hacking
to bring down oppressive regimes,reformersseekenlightenmentandthistype of
critical thinkingis sure to appeal to thisaudience.
Sexual Orientation– Some filmsare aimed at a certain sexual orientation,such as
filmsbased around gay or lesbiancouples.These filmsmay still appeal towards people
who are straight, howeverthe main audience are still that community.
Regional identity– Location can have an effectonthe marketing ofa film,as films
such as Spike Islandare more likelyto appeal to people fromManchesteras the Stone
Roses are a Mancunian band.
psychographics
sʌɪkə(ʊ)ˈɡrafɪks/
noun
1. the study and classification of people according to their attitudes, aspirations, and
other psychological criteria, especially in market research.
Exit Poll
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9R JVGPL
Blair Witch Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=girSv9UH_V8
Analysis
7. The Gutenberg Design Principle
- Whendo we find out the title of the film?The trailer in2:02 minuteslong and we
finallysee the title ofthe filmat 1:46 after tense and dramatic buildup. The logo fades
in to add to the horror effect.
- Whenare we toldwho is starring in the film?We don’t,as it is a horror filmthe actors
are small time actors.
- What type of Action do we see?We see quiet,intense actionwhich presentsthe
overall concept of the film.
- Are there cluesin the musicas to what type of filmthey are advertising?The musicis
very slowand intense anddone in instrumental to highlightthe tensenessofthe film.
- Voiceover?None,justdialogue and music.
- Whyis this voice chosen?The voicesare possiblyjustdialogue selectedtoadd to the
authenticityand to not break immersion.
- What informationis givenin the last frame? The release date and a Hashtag
- What is more effective posteror trailer?Possiblythe traileras the posteris very vague
and conceptual.
- Where wouldyou expectto see this trailer?Perhaps during primetime hoursof
television(6pm-11pm) and Before an filmrated about a 12a.
- We created a survey of our own and collected responses off people
who had justbeen to watch the new Blair Witch project, to
determine whatkind of audiences went to watch the show.
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- The results of the survey showed that75% of the viewers weremale,
and only 25% female.
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- The ages of the audience werevaried but the majority of the
audience was 17 or younger. Perhaps dueto it being a college trip.
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- Over 60% of the viewers heard about the film through TV.
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8. The Gutenberg Design Principle
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- There were many different opinions about the film, mostof which
are positive.
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- 50% of the audience said they favour comedy films, 35% said horror
films and only 15% preferred drama. This could be the reason the
film did not get more positive feedback from the audience.
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- Despite the opinions being fairly positive, the results showed that it
was unlikely that they would recommend the film to a friend.
9. The Gutenberg Design Principle
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- The results from this survey give us an idea of what kind of target
audience this film appeals to the most, which is quite clearly the
younger male students audience. However, despitethe film being a
horror it is surprising thatmost of the viewers preferred comedy
films, this could be due to effective marketing becausethe audience
found an appeal to this film even though they prefer other genres. It
could also mean that this type of audiences find amusement in
horrors, justas they would with comedy, as they prefer to be
simulated and interacted with by a film rather than be told a story.
- Was the marketing successful?
- I believe that the marketing was very successful basedoff my
analysis, as it drawn inthe younger audience that go to the cinemas
to get an interactive experiencerather thanacognitive experience
and those who set out to‘aspire’ and be engagedina new
experiencerather thanbe tolda story. We can tell it was successful
as the trailers were basedpurely off reactionandjump scares and
the demographic who went to this filmenjoy comedies the most, a
genre whichisn’t toodissimilar tohorror in the fact that it interacts
withthe audience and sets out toget a reaction.
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