ASSIGNMENT TWO: PROMOTION OF FILM – CROSS MEDIA PROMOTION

The Other Woman is a 2014 romantic comedy/chick flick released by the major film studio 20th Century Fox. They had a budget of $40 million for, so could afford to truly invest in major promotion of the film. The target audience is females aged 22-34, however the PG rating allows for a more diverse audience meaning that it would also attract teenage girls and older women. Well known movie stars, Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher, My Sister’s Keeper), Leslie Mann (Knocked Up, 17 Again) and Kate Upton (Tower Heist), would attract audiences because of their reputations as comedic female leads. They are also all stereotypically blonde, slim and beautiful, which would encourage male audience to watch the film, perhaps with girlfriends. The actresses did several print and broadcast interviews in the lead up to the film to raise its profile. The director, Nick Cassavetes, is known for making other popular romantic/chick flick films such as The Notebook and My Sister’s Keeper. This reputation would help the promotion of the film as audiences would trust that he could deliver again.

The major promotional materials that I will be exploring are the movie poster and trailer. They are both very important in promoting the film and encouraging audiences to visit the cinema and see the film. The poster can be found at cinemas as well as on billboards, buses, bus stops and stations in towns across the country. The trailer would be seen during adverts on TV as well as at the cinema; it would be scheduled for programmes and films that attract a similar audience to target them.

It is clear that the star appeal of the actresses has been utilised this by showing all three female leads as the main image. They are all in an exaggerated embrace, with Cameron Diaz at the centre with a funny smile on her face; this connotes that she is the main lead in this comedic film. Although Diaz is represented as the lead, he full shot of all three women gives them status as the main characters in the film. The group hug also supports the film’s premise; three women making friends as they get revenge on a man who has cheated on them. All three women are represented as stereotypically attractive (blonde/slim) and well groomed/dressed which signifies that the film will have glamour and style thus appealing to aspirational female audiences who enjoy fashion. The tagline is closely linked to the image as it states ‘The oddest friends are about to get even.’ The pun is humorous and catchy, giving audiences a clue about the plot and genre. The colour scheme uses red and black, which aren’t colours usually associated with typical romantic comedies – usually pink or pastel colours are used. The red could be an indication of the female aspect in the film and the word ‘other’ in The Other Woman being in red might also connote the revenge element. The white background keeps the overall tone light hearted and enhances the comedic aspect of the main image.

Cast credits – top left corner = attracts audience/fans.

Main image –3 glamorous blondes – Diaz (centre) in lead role.

Tagline – Pun, teases audiences about genre/plot.

Title – ‘Other’ emphasised in red – given a new meaning?

Release date – important information for audiences.

Naturally, the form of trailer means that there is a lot more to explore. It features various scenes from the film to show the development of the, often hilarious, friendship of the women and their plots to get revenge on the man. The representation of the women as beautiful and glamorous continues, with various scenes of them in different outfits with flawless makeup. One scene in particular, where the third woman (Kate Upton) is introduced on the beach, stands out. She is shown in a white bikini with several close ups on her breasts and backside as she runs. She is presented as ‘Miss Perfect’ but is only ever shown in the trailer as eye candy, with the other two actresses delivering the most dialogue. This is quite a backward representation which supports the view that beautiful women should be admired but not given a voice. The general premise of the film actually supports the view that women’s lives revolve around men as they are all brought together because of one, so even though it is an all-female cast, stereotypical views about women are still upheld in many ways.

Other conventions used in the trailer are the soundtrack, which consists of various upbeat pop songs again representing the fun, female nature of the film. The scenes shown are both humorous and sometimes heart-warming which links with the poster tagline ‘The oddest friends are about to get even.’ Female friendships are a major motif and the term The Other Woman, usually connoting an enemy, is given a new meaning. The tagline is not actually shown in the trailer, but the film name and logo is shown at the end revealing some synergy between the two promotional methods. Other synergy is in the representation of the beautiful actresses and the theme of (humorous) revenge.

I believe that the promotion of the film is successful in meeting the expectations of target audiences. The powerful nature of 20th Century Fox as a major film company ensured that the promotional material created anticipation for the film due to the star power, representation of genre and appeal to the audience. The two methods of promotion complement each other as people may see the trailer and be interested in the film and the poster could serve as a reminder to watch it next time they visit the cinema. It is important for them to get it right as they need to make money and maintain their reputation as a leading Film Studio. There is clear synergy between the poster and the trailer which, along with the other promotional methods such as TV chat show interviews, helped the film make $25 million (over half of the budget) in its first weekend at the USA Box Office alone.

Trusted film studio = big budget and quality.

Humorous scene = glamour, friendship.

Representation of women - sex objects.

Cameron Diaz shown 1st & often = main star.

The Other Woman Film title/logo = synergy with poster.

Three lead characters – Diaz always in the centre of the frame = lead. They are together = connoting friendship and film genre (chick flick)Various stylish costumes and settings = connotes glamour, chic, style