Media Essays

Text: Slumdog Millionaire 
Question: Marketing and promotion 
Essay: There were many ways in which Slumdog Millionaire was promoted. However before promotion there were problems in terms of exhibition. For example, Slumdog was distributed by a company called Pathe in Europe and in America was won by Warner Independent Pictures(WIP). There are many reasons why it was sold to an indie company, the film itself comes from Film 4 which is known for making independent films and not particularly blockbusters. The entire film is set and filmed in India which generates the question of how broad is the audience base for the film? Is it potentially a niche audience? It is at a lower risk if the film is of a low budget. The director himself, Danny Boyle, is not somebody that can be associated with a mainstream audience. The general lack of stars was also a problem to be overcome because a mainstream audience are not likely to go and see a film with a ack of stars. During the time that the film was set to be released the 2008 global recession had begun , meaning all industries made cuts and WIP ended up folding, leading the decision that Slumdog should go straight to DVD. Many problems would have occurred if Slumdog Millionaire was to go straight to DVD. Because of it being in India for it to go to cinema would mean that India would gain cultural consciousness ,that would not happen if it had went straight to DVD. Because of its overall appearance the film does look like a typical Bollywood film, meaning that many may get the wrong impression and not want to watch it and they may also think that it is just an alternative arthouse film.After the money spent on the production, cast and crew, hardly any profit would be gained from it going straight to DVD. The film itself would not have won as many awards as it did. In terms of posters and trailers , the marketing was altered in order to relate to the country the were promoting in. For example, in the UK film poster, here doesn’t seem to be any sort of conflict or struggle and suggests there is a happily ever after which is common in a mainstream film. The tone of the poster is lighter and brighter, vibrant colours with a hint of a Bollywood theme. The poster only includes the characters , the title and a single review from one of the biggest selling red top newspapers 'News of the world'. The layout is simplistic and altogether suggests that the audience for the film will be mainstream. The North American poster however is quite different. The layout of the poster suggests that the film is chaotic and fast paced. The reason for this sis because it features the two main characters Jamal and Latika. Latika is running away from Jamal whilst the background is covered in what could be interpreted as either police lights or car/street lights. The facial expressions of the two characters, who are a heterosexual couple, look pained and helpless which hints at the film following the structure of the two character trying to overcome something to be together.This is a conventional plot line of a romantic drama. The lighting and framing traps the male character and signifies the dramatic tone of the film. The poster implies a conventional narrative structure with cause and effect and action and enigma codes such as ' What does it take to fine a lost love?', connoting linearity. The juxtaposition on the poster between the dark and light colours signifies that there will be darkness in the film but they will eventually meet a positive end. The typography on the poster is cracked and fractured which questions whether or not this film will challenge our expectation of a narrative closure, Is there a happily ever after?. The film itself has not stars in it and is solely director led, which suggests that Slumdog Millionaire is an artistic film. Implying that this is a film for film experts not casual mainstream audiences. The film festival mention on the poster also adds to this point as it indicates a slightly more alternative audience.n The target audience for this poster would be the explorer. The trailer for the film introduces the characters and also includes a wide range of close up shots , which indicates the genre of the film but also forces identification with the characters. This identification with the characters means that the audience feel connected and invested in the film particularly because ether is a lack of stars. Their names are repeated at least three times which causes the audience to become much more familiar with the characters. The start of the trailer provide the audience with the information that this is set India using iconography of the Taj Mahal. Music from The Ting Tings and Sigur Ros signify that the film is going to be energetic and positive but also dramatic and intense. The trailer leaves plenty of enigma codes such as Did he cheat? Does he end up finding Latika? but does not give away too much of the plot. 
Completed: YES Word Count: (Highlight essay, look bottom left corner) 861 Grade: