Documentary Analysis - 'Marketing Movies'

The next documentary that I analysed was Marketing Movies. The documentary was part of series focusing on how movies were marketed, using popular examples to help lead the narrative. Marketing Movies discussed many things related to the production of a movie in relation to the promotion of it, using the 1997 film 'Mouse Hunt' as it's main example - the narrative followed 'Mouse Hunt' through to it's release, showing how it was marketed in more ways than just on the screen.

1997 family movie 'Mouse Hunt' was used as the main example in Marketing Movies - this made it suitable for all ages as, for example, if a more explicit film was used as an example it may be unsuitable for younger viewers - 'Mouse Hunt' is rated PG, making it suitable for younger viewers as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

Type Of Documentary
Marketing Movies is a mixed documentary. Like nearly all documentaries of this type, it includes codes and conventions such as the use of archive material, interviews, exposition, observations and footage on location.

Themes
Themes within Marketing Movies included the marketing of films and other media, advertisement and promotion, success and what people within the industry have to do to gain it, and appealing to different audiences. 'Mouse Hunt' could also be considered a theme of this documentary, as it is the main example used throughout the documentary and is frequently referred to when almost anything is being discussed.

A theatrical release poster for 'Mouse Hunt'. While the film was discussed during Marketing Movies, most of the focus was on the promotion of the film, with a mention on how a number of different posters similar to this one were produced to keep promotion of the movie varied.

Narrative Structure

As with nearly all mixed documentaries, Marketing Movies has a linear narrative with a clear beginning, middle and end. The narrative followed 'Mouse Hunt' through each of the stages of it's promotion, whilst also making reference to other films to keep the experience varied and more exciting for the viewer. The beginning of the documentary discusses the various ways in which a movie can be marketed, discussing promotional material such as posters and toys, for example. The middle of the documentary looked at successful films in terms of marketing, and how they had been marketed to make them successful: examples include 'The Little Mermaid' (1989) and 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' (1997), showing things such as merchandise and teaser trailers; just two examples of how movies can be marketed to an audience. Throughout the discussion of promoting movies, the viewer was presented with the efforts to promote 'Mouse Hunt'. The documentary ends by concluding the promotion of 'Mouse Hunt' without ever giving an outcome; leaving it open for the interpretation of the viewer to decide whether 'Mouse Hunt' would be a success or not.

Different ways in which movies could be marketed to audiences were shown, including this 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' action figure, made to appeal to a younger audience.

Camera Work

As they often are used, close ups were used to draw emphasis to things; in particular important people in the film industry to make them appear to be more important an powerful to the audience. Zoom shots were also used on these people, to draw the viewer's attention towards what they were saying. Extreme close ups were used on people's hands holding money and cinema tickets, to show the viewer that these were important features in the documentary - the money and tickets representing the financial side of marketing movies and movies in general, respectively. Pan shots were used in shops like the Disney shops to show a vast array of merchandise, to put emphasis on how big an impact this kind of marketing can have on the overall success of the film. Pan shots were also used of film premières, to give the viewer an idea of how big the release of a well marketed movie can potentially be. Low angles were used of important people such as actors at premières to make them appear to be more important and powerful to the viewer.

The presentation of how movies are marketed in Marketing Movies owed a lot to the camera work - pan shots, close ups, and zoom shots were used to draw attention to various ways in which movies can be marketed; for example, the documentary included pan shots and close ups from within the Disney shops to display different merchandise when discussing the commercial success of various films such as 'The Little Mermaid'

Mise-en-Scené

Relevant backgrounds were provided at all times in Marketing Movies. A blue screen was used to create both still images and clips from movies as well as promotional material such as posters and trailers behind interviewees. Location footage from interviews shot on location was also present, including film premières in places such as Leicester square. Shops were also used as a backdrop for interviews, the Disney shop being a prime example. Some interviews and shots were also shot in editing studios, where people could be seen editing footage and trailers.

  Movie premières were used in the background of shots and interviews to remind the viewer of the themes of movies and the successful marketing of movies, with the outcome: things like large premières at places like Leicester square.

  

  Sound

Diegetic sound was used in Marketing Movies; this includes the sound from interviews with ambient sound from on location from where the interview was being shot. A voice-over also led the narrative, in a relevant, official and educational voice. Sound from movies and movie trailers was also present, often as background sound in cutaways. There was also non diegetic music at the start of the documentary, which created a calm and peaceful feel to set up the mood and atmosphere of the documentary. 

Editing

Marketing Movies had slow paced editing, as it was an educational documentary. It also included cutaway shots in between each interview to keep the viewing experience as varied and exciting as possible for the viewer, constantly switching between interviews and archive footage and never staying on the same thing for too long.

Archive Material

Archive material in Marketing Movies mainly revolved around promotional articles from films; these include teaser trailers; such as the teaser trailer for 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park'; actual film footage such as footage from 'Mouse Hunt', interviews with the cast of movies such as the cast of 'Mouse Hunt', footage of movie premières and television advertisements.

                              

The teaser trailer for 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' was featured in Marketing Movies as an example of archive footage in the documentary. It acted as an example to an aspect of the marketing of movies to viewer; just once instance of an example of something - usually in the form of archive footage - was used to help explain something.

Graphics

As is the case with most documentaries, white graphics were used on a dark background to make them stand out without being too distracting to the viewer - they were used to introduce different people and their roles to the viewer. A graphic was used to introduce each new section to make it clear to the viewer when a new section was starting. A three part structure of social marketing was also included in graphic form.