An Example of Movie Promotion - The Dark Knight (2008)

The promotion of the film ‘The Dark Knight’ was quite ingenious. The marketing campaign for the film was very different to other films and as a result helped it to become one of the most successful films ever made.

Posters…..

were cleverly designed to create suspense about the film, each one giving slightly more information on the film as the launch date approached. The initial posters were known as ‘teasers’ and contained very little information - the title, the Batman logo and a strapline. The strapline that was used a lot in the first couple of teasers came from The Joker, “Why So Serious?” The Joker appeared to be a serious threat to Batman.

The final poster contained all the essential film information - its title, the strapline, members of the cast, Batman logo, release date, website, director and producers.  Famous actors in the cast draw the audience in to see the film. The strapline is never bigger than the title, however the size of the text is quite large and the words “Welcome to a World without Rules” imply it will be an exciting film. The sponsors and websites are shown to gain publicity and for those interested to find further information about the film. The Warner Bros. name also appears, this will help to boost interest as it is one of the most well known Hollywood production companies.

The image on the final poster is extremely memorable because it resembles the scenes from 9/11. The image is a tall building where Batman has crashed into the side, leaving an inferno in the bat outline – a very powerful image. The fireball in the outline draws the eyes of the audience to the poster. Batman is clearly seen in the foreground of the poster, he’s looking out, he’s got clenched fists, this is a strong image showing how powerful Batman is. The poster is dark and menacing tells that the film is serious or something bad is going to happen. The title of the film is large and clear, and directly behind it is the Batman logo.

The teasers and posters were displayed on the side of buses, at bus stops, underground stations, billboards, cinemas, shopping malls – anywhere where lots of people would see them. They would also be advertised in magazines and newspapers. Later, when the film had received reviews, good review extracts would be included on the posters, for example; Empire says – “guaranteed Oscar winner”.  

Over twenty teasers and posters were designed for the film, here are four of the best:

 

 

The BBFC rating is very important to the success of the film. Initially the BBFC couldn’t decide what certificate to give The Dark Knight, either a 12A or 15; and despite some violent scenes it was finally given a 12A which allowed anyone to see it, even young children.  A lot of people disagreed with this rating. Had it been given a 15, it would really restrict the films audience. In my opinion the film should have been given a 15 because of the violence, particularly one scene where The Joker impales a Bodyguard’s head onto a pencil.

Controversy also surrounded the death of Heath Ledger (The Joker) shortly after the film was made. He died accidently from a drugs overdose in January 2008. Sadly, The Dark Knight was to be his last complete film. In January 2009 Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

Trailers…..

are a very important way of publicising a film. A series of trailer’s were made for The Dark Knight. At first they created a ‘teaser trailer’ giving very little information away, so the audience would have an initial interest in the film. When it got closer to the release date, the ‘full information’ trailer was used.

The trailer tells the audience what type of film it will be. In the case of The Dark Knight, a very suspenseful, action/adventure movie. Some of the best stunts and special effects were included in the trailer. The trailer introduces the audience to all the main characters in the film. It shows off Batman’s vehicles and the Batman suit. It shows that The Joker is a serious threat to Batman.  It makes you want to see the film, to find out if Batman will beat The Joker and survive.

Finally, at the end of the trailer, the audience sees the release date.  The web address is also given, here you can find further information about the film. You see the name of the production companies behind the film, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Legendary Pictures are behind a number of successful superhero films.

All tie-ins and publicity help to promote a film. Kids like to play the games that come out before a film is released. The actors involved with the film have to promote it by giving interviews on radio and television programmes around the world; this is probably written into their contracts.  A range of merchandising products, toys, mugs, T-shirts, posters, playing cards, board games and video games, was also made for the film.

The impact of the promotional material on the target audience was huge. Both the poster and trailer campaign really made 13-25 yr olds want to go and see the film – and they did! The promotional campaign for The Dark Knight was thought to be extremely successful.

The Dark Knight also used ‘viral’ marketing. This generated interest and expectation about the film through an online game which had clues tied into it. Fans that played the game were able to view the first ever released trailer for the film. Therefore, those that played the game became involved with the experience and interested in seeing the film.

When the film was finally released a massive amount of people went to see it. The Dark Knight is the fifth highest grossing film of all time.  To date, it’s made around $1 billion.