2. INTRO
The film I have chosen to investigate into its marketing campaign is the 2011 Psychological Horror film, Insidious. I
decided to use this film as it was released two years ago so it is quite recent for the genre it occupies and
because the genre matches the one I am aiming to produce.
3. Overview
On the film's Wikipedia page, (see here), it states the small amount of marketing that was done for the film. On the earlier September, a
promotional clip was released to generate a starting interest into the film before releasing any official trailers.
An image/poster was released by that December by a production company called IM Global so that any interested individuals would be able
to see more information about the film such as the release date, director, cast etc.
By late January, a teaser trailer was released by FilmDistrict, (see here).
Around a month later, the official trailer was released online for viewing. By releasing a teaser trailer before the full-length theatrical release
trailer, it enables more 'hype' to be built up in the audience the film is targetted at (see here) which is mainly teenagers under 18 for
both genders quite equally. The fact that it is mainly teenagers who are more engaged in the film is that teenagers generally have more
time to go to the cinema and see the film as well as the film being a certificate 15 which would appeal to people 15 years old and up.
What can be found online now is multiple clips (see here) as well as trailers. The film has also grown increasingly popular since it's release
which brought in over $90 million as there is a sequel which has seen teaser trailers being released (see here).
For the film's promotion, a free screening of the film was held at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles followed by an interactive Q&A with
director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell the day before the film was released on DVD and BluRay. Also, the film was
shown at two film festivals, Toronto International Film Festival and South by Southwest within six months of each other.
4. TRAILERS
The trailers released online of the film vary between teaser trailers around 45 seconds and full-length trailers around 1.30 to 2.30 minutes.
For example, the main teaser trailer that was released is 52 seconds long and contains mainly three things; the most likely scariest
parts of the film where the 'paranormal' activity is at its most intense, the eerie non-diegetic sound to increase the creepy vibe and
intertitles to tell the audience of who is involved with the film, a vague narration for what occurs in the film as well as the last intertitle
showing the date in which the film is released in cinemas for viewing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfxpvRRpyzE&feature=player_embedded
In comparison, the official full-length trailer is 1.51 minutes and contains intertitles, similar non-diegetic sound to the teaser trailer but
involves more introduction to the lead characters in the film as well as following along a linear narrative structure throughout. Instead of
the teaser trailer's apparent "throw-in" to the short second length clips of what happens, the theatrical trailer allows the audience to be
involved in the steady build-up to the paranormal activity which occurs. This therefore allows more information to be included with the
theatrical trailer so the audience can be more satisfied than watching a teaser trailer that was released earlier on in the lead up to the
film's release.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E1YbOMDI59k
Included with the film's IMDb page (see here), several other trailers that appear to be in different language which shows that the film has
reached a global market either before, during or after the film was fully released in the U.S.
5. POSTERS
The posters released for the film began with this poster which is a portrait view of the character the
film surrounds, the family's son Dalton, in front of the new house they have just moved into.
This official poster includes credits of the makers of the film which is also included in both the
teaser and official theatrical trailer, creating a noticeable house style. This theatrical release
poster also includes credit information, typically located at the bottom of the poster with the
name of the film, 'Insidious', located sideways in the centre of the poster showing that this
information is the most important. However, other posters show this poster in similar formats
with the title font/size changed or in a different position. The character himself appears to be
completely shadowed in children's pyjamas and there also seems to be something odd with
his left eye.
Completely different posters can also be seen on the film's poster page (see here) that could either
be official versions of skilled fan-made versions of people who enjoyed the film.
Another poster of the film that is circulated online is this one which is a landscape view instead of
the previous portrait, with the same boy featured in the centre at a MCU shot instead of a
MS. In comparison to the previous poster, the introduction to the makers of the film is located
at the top in bigger font so it essentially is the first thing the viewers will see/read as the
human eye reads from top left to bottom right going from left to right. The house in the
background seems more forefront in the poster, possibly symbolising it's importance more.
The name of the film is also in different format, size and typography, still remaining centred
however. The credit information has also remained on this poster, still located at the bottom
like the previous. However, on this poster, the boy appears to have his eyes completely
'scratched out' creating a more sinister effect and we can see it better as the image is much
more zoomed in than on the previous poster. The slogan still remains too although it has
been enlarged and centred in a different format on this poster alongside quoted rating
information, allowing the audience to see some feedback for the film from credible
people/companies. Also, comparing between the two, the first includes the date for the film's
release whereas the second one doesn't however a theatrical release poster always includes
this feature.
By using different shapes, i.e. portrait and landscape view, it allows the posters to be featured in
multiple places. For example, portrait posters are more likely to featured on walls and inside
bus stops etc whereas landscape posters can be featured in public billboards on motorways,
on buses etc.
6. WEBSITE/SOCIAL MEDIA
There is no longer an official website for the original Insidious film which was released two years ago. However, it has been renewed to be
the website for the second film with new online interactivity available to audiences for the sequel to the film, Insidious: Chapter 2 which
is set to be released September 13th
, 2013. Therefore, we can guess that the sites etc they used for this new film is similar to the
content they used for its predecessor.
The website for the second chapter (see here) contains social networking site information along with a gallery, multiple YouTube videos from
the film, cast information plus many more features. This allows the audience to possibly find content on this site that they may not
possibly get from other sites before the film is actually released.
Possibly similar to the first film, alongside the basic official website, free social networking sites Facebook (
https://www.facebook.com/InsidiousMovie) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/InsidiousMovie) were also used to spread the word though
the internet. The use of using free sites likes these may be due to the fact that the first Insidious film was made on a small budget of
$1.5 million so alternative and cheaper methods of promotion were most likely sought out, therefore showing that this might be the
case continuing onto the sequel or that the film’s creators are carrying on with the theme that worked so well for Insidious causing it to
be the most profitable film of 2011, (as said here).
The official Facebook profile for the sequel features a photos section which holds a variety of film stills, original photos of promotion for the
new film as well as images with captions quoted from the film. This allows the audience to view this content they wouldn’t see
anywhere else. The profile also includes videos of trailers, teasers, clips and behind the scene videos as well as personal interviews
with the two lead actors, Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson. There is also a special featurette for the film’s following on Facebook who can
watch a question and answer segment with the director of the first film and the sequel, James Wan. The centre of the profile, however,
is so that individuals can comment/post on the page for the film, allowing a high level of interactivity between stimulus and audience.
This is similar to the film’s Twitter page. It is apparent that content is tweeted alongside the link for the official Facebook page, the release
date of the film and a small summary of the sequel in the profile’s bio. There is also the hashtag for the film so that altogether people
can follow the account (same as the Facebook account), tweet to the profile as well as tweet with the hashtag so it will still be shown
along with the profile when searched for on Twitter.
By using multiple social networking sites, the film can therefore reach a wider audience across the world for maximum viewers for the film
upon release.
7. EXTRAS
The sequel to Insidious was also advertised within an episode of the American teen
drama ‘Pretty Little Liars’ (see here) which saw two characters watching the
promotional clip for Insidious; Chapter 2 and saw then give a praising
comment about it. This therefore saw the audience of this show having seen a
form of advertisement for this film which they may not have heard about
otherwise. This is another technique to broaden the film’s possible audience
and raise its numbers.
An Australian news website and a British production company created a
competition for five sets of Insidious merchandise to be won, (see here). The
different countries involved in this competition allow the competition to
possibly reach a different audience to the typical American people who will
see the film and know of it.
The Horror genre is kept within most of the visual elements of the film’s promotional
package as the colour scheme is kept dark and either reflects the first film or
the sequel. For example, on the official film website, the colour scheme used
for the film which is mainly red and black is used for the buttons, font, images
etc. A house style in more than one sense is then created.
Overall, the first and second film both focus on the two main unique selling points;
one being the director, James Wan (see image right) who is always pointed
out for his connection for the successful films Paranormal Activity and Saw so
therefore Horror fans can assume that this may be a successful franchise too
and may like his work and wish to see the films at the cinema with the other
being the use of a pre-release trailer which again allows more time for Horror
fans to hear about the film(s) too.
