Black Panther Flashcards
1
Q
Reception Theory (Stuart Hall)
A
- media texts are encoded by the producer and are loaded with values and messages
- the text is then decoded by the audience who interpret the text in different ways, perhaps not the intended way
Dominant reading:
- intended meaning/ preferred reading is understood and accepted
Oppositional reading:
- the message is understood by the decoder + they disagree with it/ read it in a contrary or oppositional way
Negotiated reading:
- encoder’s message is acknowledged, although the message is adapted, questioned or negotiated to fit the decoder’s own individual experience and context.
2
Q
Marvel facts
A
- work in a huge number of marvel comic films (started out as a comic book company but then diversified as a subsidiary of disney)
- large presold audience
- they own the rights to certain characters so can sell the intellectual property to other companies to give them the right to develop it and create media about it
- their films are formulaic with prequels sequels and the multiverse, this retains audience (profitable)
- BP is the the 17th film in this franchise of superhero movies
- subsidiary of Disney Studios, one of the world’s largest conglomerates
- much facilities and money
- able to use Disney to distribute the film so they are taking advantage of vertical integration
- Disney is global so widest possible audience
3
Q
360 degree marketing
A
- the marketing should be all around everyone, everywhere
- posters, merch, clips on social media, actors on talk shows, many high brow companies incorporated in the marketing too
4
Q
What were the different companies they worked with to advertise/different ways?
A
- Hasbro: toys and merch are a great way to engage young children and family audiences as well as marvel nerds who like collectibles
- Lexus: BP cars so when the cars were marketed, the film was too- this engages an adult male audience who is interested in technology and status
- Trailers: presold marvel fans engage with this because it is clearly presented as being part of the marvel universe
- Superbowl: worldwide sports event, shows the film is high cost and quality, reaches a mainstream global audience
5
Q
the realease of the film
A
- during Black History Month, which makes its message tied to black pride and heritage + customs
- marketed as a cultural celebration
- some peole set up crowd funds to ensure that young black people could see this film
- this gained a lot of publicity and gave unofficial marketing for the film because it was mentioned widely in news
- a fashion show was created at New York fashion week, this might engage a creative and female audience who are often ignored by superhero films
6
Q
use of social media and new technologies?
A
- youtube was used as a free global marketing technique, which allows audiences to market the film through sharing
- they used twitter hashtags and posted about it (it has become the most tweeted about film ever)
- this has low risk and high profit!!
- livestreams on twitter were also used for the actors to do a Q+A which builds anticipation that the film is going to be incredible and has a relationship between the actors and viewers (role models for black children especially)
- TV shows were also used, actors made an appearance to talk about the film, this attracts an older audience as it is a traditional TV product
- the actors appeared at ComicCon, this allows the BIGGEST fans to interact and has lots of publicity around the nerds
- a snapchat filter was created, which engages a young audience
7
Q
what are some ways that BP could be considered low risk?
A
- shared universe/ existing granchise so existing fans
- pre-sold audiences for this reason
- global conglomerate involvement, biggest companies in the world
- famous actors
- popular genre- superhero movies so is mainstream
- detailed and widespread marketing campaign
8
Q
how does it take some risks?
A
- Black panther is one of the lesser known marvel characters
- mainly black cast so they may not be as well known or relatable to widest possible audience
- heavy cost to make
- is the aggressive marketing making up for these risks?
- is this so that it will appeal to younger modern audiences who are growing up in an inccreasingly multicultural society?
9
Q
BP and diversity- ethnicity
A
- could be seen as ‘cashing in’ on token black characters and stories
- as well as cultural context of people wanting more representation in the media
- historically, black casts have only been featured in social realist films based around crime and poverty or comedic roles that contain racial stereotypes
- this reflects the progress of society + makes the film seem new and exciting because it is different to the roles that would have been offered to black people before
- the roles they portray are very positive, even the antagonist can be seen as an anti-hero which comments on black issues rather than creating negative representation
- this appeals to audiences looking for positive rep of black ppl
10
Q
BP and diversity- gender
A
- women’s roles in superhero films have been centred around damsel in distress and victim roles
- recently, stronger and dominant female roles have been opened up in the genre through wonder woman and captain marvel
- BP reflects this through the female characters who can be quite aggressive and dominant leaders
- they are sometimes seen as superior to the male characters (like T’Challa’s sister who is very intelligent and bosses him around)
- this appeals to a modern female audience
11
Q
how has diversity in BP had a positive impact?
A
- tackling issues of race and discrimination
- making positive change through its power as a maintstream media outlet
- Disney have been trying to change the way that the world sees ethnic minorities recently, due to their previous animated fairytales conveying quite old fashioned views
12
Q
regulation in BP
A
- awarded a 12A, which some people said was too relaxed because there was a lot of violence
- the BBFC argued however that audiences should expect a certain level of violence in marvel films
- lots of stunt work and fantasy violence
- lots of the violence we see is constructed as morally wrong
- this also allows black children to identify and be educated
- marvel want a global audience which means they have to tread carefully to meet the regulation standards of countries that may be more strict- so they may change the film slightly for each country
13
Q
BP posters
A
- the range of different character posters appeals to a very diverse audience, all targeting different people
- the chinese poster covers the actors faces with the masks, suggesting that it is less marketable to feature black characters in asian coutnries
