Professional Documents
Culture Documents
As Media - Institutions and Audiences
As Media - Institutions and Audiences
Unit Outline
1. History of News Corporation (20th century fox)
2. Media ownership in contemporary media practice
3. Cross media convergence/synergy in production,
distribution and marketing
4. Technology used in production, distribution and
marketing
5. Targeting national and local 'British' audiences by News
Corp’s global network of media operations
6. Audiences own experiences of media consumption of
Warner’s products
7. Mock examination
The BBC are also nervous of Murdoch having more media power
BSkyB is the biggest broadcaster in the UK. It’s revenue in the UK was
$5.9 billion in 12 months compared with BBC’s global revenues of $4.8
billion
British Sky Broadcasting was formed in 1990 by the News Corp’s Sky
Television and rival British Satellite Broadcasting
3. Cross media convergence/synergy in production,
distribution and marketing
A series of toys representing six different characters from the film were also
distributed in McDonald's Happy Meals in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China,
Colombia, the United States and Venezuela.
Convergence/synergy in production, distribution and
marketing: Books
James Cameron announced at the Comic-Con Avatar Panel that August 21 will be 'Avatar Day'. On
this day the trailer for the film was released in all theatrical formats. The official game trailer and toy
line of the film were also unveiled on this day.
The 129-second trailer was released online on August 20, 2009.
The new 210-second trailer was premiered in theatres on October 23, 2009, then soon after
premiered online on Yahoo! on October 29, 2009, to positive reviews. An extended version in
IMAX 3D received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
.
Trailers – Fox exclusive
The Hollywood Reporter said that audience
expectations were coloured by "the [same]
establishment skepticism that preceded
Titanic" and suggested the showing
reflected the desire for original storytelling.
The teaser has been among the most
viewed trailers in the history of film
marketing, reaching the first place of all
trailers viewed on Apple.com with 4 million
views.
The three-and-a-half-minute trailer of the
film premiered live on November 1, 2009,
during a Dallas Cowboys football game at
Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on the
Diamond Vision screen, the world's largest
video display, and to TV audiences viewing
the game on Fox. It is said to be the largest
live motion picture trailer viewing in history.
Marketing and Promotion
The Coca-Cola Company collaborated
with Twentieth Century Fox to launch a
worldwide marketing campaign to
promote the film. The highlight of the
campaign was the website AVTR.com.
Specially marked bottles and cans of
Coca-Cola Zero, when held in front of a
webcam, enabled users to interact with
the website's 3-D features using
augmented reality (AR) technology.
The film was heavily promoted in an
episode of the Fox Network series
Bones in the episode "The Gamer In
The Grease" (Season 5, Episode 9).
Avatar star Joel David Moore has a
recurring role on the program, and is
seen in the episode anxiously awaiting
the release of the film.
Coco-cola zero promo
Company links
From your notes list the companies
associated with the marketing and
promotion of ‘Avatar’ thus far?
4. TECHNOLOGY USED IN PRODUCTION,
DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING
(Production)
Avatar – 3D
Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million.
Other estimates put the cost between
$280 million and $310 million for production and
at $150 million for promotion. The film was
released for traditional 2-D viewing, 3-D viewing
(using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D, and
IMAX 3D formats), and "4-D" viewing. The
stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a
breakthrough in cinematic technology.
Box office success
Avatar earned $3,537,000 from midnight screenings
domestically (United States and Canada), with the
initial 3-D release limited to 2,200 screens.
The film earned $27 million on its opening day, and
$77 million over its opening weekend, making it the
second largest December opening ever behind
I Am Legend, and the 25th largest national United
States weekend opening, despite a blizzard which
blanketed the East Coast of the United States and
reportedly hurt its opening weekend results.
The IMAX opening also broke box office records,
with 178 theatres generating approximately
$9.5 million.
3-D Blu-ray
Cameron initially stated that
Avatar would be released in 3-D
around November 2010, but the
studio issued a correction: "3-D
is in the conceptual stage and
Avatar will not be out on 3D Blu-
ray in November.“ In May 2010,
Fox stated that the 3-D version
would be released some time in
2011.
It was later revealed that Fox
had given Panasonic an
exclusive license for the 3-D Blu-
ray version and only with the
purchase of a Panasonic 3DTV
and 3D Blu-ray player. The
length of Panasonic's exclusivity
period is unknown and said to be
"unusually long"
What is 3D Film?
Cameron first devised the concept for Avatar in the mid-
90s, but decided to hold off on the actual filming until
the technology caught up with his vision. When the
technology appeared to be lagging, he stepped in to
lend a helping hand. The director worked alongside
cinematographer Vince Pace to pioneer and patent a
"fusion digital 3D camera system" that he first employed
on his 2003 documentary, Ghosts of the Abyss, and has
subsequently refined and adapted. He shot large
portions of Avatar on a "virtual camera", a handheld
monitor that allowed him to move through a 3D terrain,
in effect editing this existing, computer-generated
universe. The result, he boasts, turns cinema into "the
ultimate immersive media
4. TECHNOLOGY USED IN PRODUCTION,
DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/
20/james-cameron-avatar-3d-film
“Is James Cameron's 3D movie Avatar the shape of cinema
to come?” The Guardian (20/08/09)
Traditional Marketing:
Glitzy ‘Tent pole’ Movie premiere – Odeon London (images of celebrities showcased in
Women magazines) – Hello, OK, Heat etc – wider demographic appeal and
Newspapers – Sun, The Times, NOTW)
PR junkets (interviews in a rota in hotel, guest appearances on chat shows)
International news conferences (Brazil, France etc)
Advertising – Billboards, bus stops,
Tv spots, Cinema trailers (various lengths – shorter then bigger)
Radio adverts – Commercial Radio/ Review shows
Newspaper adverts (Sun, NOTW, Times – synergy)
Magazines – Film and other genre magazines: Empire (exclusive)
Commercial/business TIE-INS - (McDonalds/Coco-cola/Mattel/Panasonic/Yahoo)
Merchandising – Unique Products that stem from Film (see powerpoint)
Viral Marketing:
Online trailers (various) Exhibition
I-Tags
Pop-ups
Online reviews
Technology - Exhibition
This is all about how ‘Avatar’ the film can and has been
exhibited and accessed
1) Teaser trailers (x3?) various lengths
2) World Premiere – London Odeon
3) International cinema release on 2D & 3D (all around
the world)
4) Special editions on IMAX 3D & extra 8 min’s version
on Cinema prior to Oscars (March 2010)
5) 6 months later – DVD release (rental-blockbuster)
6) DVD & Blu-ray home release (Spring 10)
7) Internet downloading on mobile and VOD
8) Xmas special edition DVD & Blu-ray release Nov 10
9) Future 3D- Blu-ray release sometime in 2011
6. Audiences own experiences of media
consumption of News Corp products
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2. EXHIBITION 3.
2. MEDIA PRODUCT/ AUDIENCES:
ARTEFACT: UK audiences
3. FANDOM reception of News
Avatar (2009) Corp products