Media Language: means the way in which a text is constructed to create meaning for a reader or viewer of the text. All media texts are constructed; someone has made decisions about how they should be constructed so that the form matches the content and with a particular audience in mind.
4 Aspects of theoretical frame work:
Media
Language
Industry
Audience
Representation
1967 VS 2016
The 2016 version uses CGI which makes the poster much more realistic, making the characters look real. The font has also changed, in the 2016 version it is a serif front, making it look more sophisticated. 2016 one also uses a green screen.
The
whole poster campaign is really meant to sell the lush visuals of the movie in
addition to
the all-star cast that voices the various animal characters. So
there’s a very nice visual
consistency across the whole campaign. New
technologies such as Photo-shop and graphic
programs have enabled Disney to
produce these eye-catching posters.
John
Jungle Book (1967)
Created
by Walt Disney and based
on Rudyard Kipling’s book The Jungle Book(1894)
Kipling’s
narrative contained “darker themes” and content which were judged to be
unsuitable for a Disney film.
Walt
wanted a film
that was “light,
fun, and entertaining with happy song - good stuff, fun
stuff.”
The
story was modified by Larry Clemmons, who was given, a
copy of
Rudyard Kipling’s
novel but told him that ‘The first thing I want you to do is not to read it’. To turn the
book into
a successful
film many
of the original characters and situations were cut out, creating a
clear storyline.
At a
superficial level the cartoon should not be offensive to anyone.
Character Representation:
Baloo
Band
leader & Comedian-singer
Phil Harris was cast for the role
Baloo – ‘Harris put the lines of dialogue into
his own vernacular
(way of speaking) and brought the role to life’, said Ollie
Johnston, one of Disney’s main animators.
The director,
Wolfgang Reitherman,
said that, ‘In The Jungle
Book we tried to incorporate the personalities of
the actors
that do the voices into the cartoon characters, and we came
up with
something totally different.
Shere Khan
Shere Khan
was designed to resemble his voice actor, George
Sanders, renowned in Hollywood
for playing elegant villains,
but his movements were based on live action big cats: the
animator Milt Kahl
based the movements on animals
Disney
and many American filmakers have
a tract record of using
the English accent to represent villainy. George
Sander was an
English film and television actor, singer-songwriter, music
composer, and author. His career as an actor spanned over forty
years. His upper class English accent and bass voice often led him
to be cast as sophisticated but villainous characters. Actors who use clean English appear
less trust worthy as they appear upperclass.
English film and television actor, singer-songwriter, music
composer, and author. His career as an actor spanned over forty
years. His upper class English accent and bass voice often led him
to be cast as sophisticated but villainous characters. Actors who use clean English appear
less trust worthy as they appear upperclass.
King Louie (played by Italian American
Louie band leader Prima)
Disney’s own politics were rather conservative,
right-wing and undoubtedly
this affected the
representations constructed within the
film. (An interesting article on how Disney’s personal,
political views shaped the characterisation and
narrative is
found in the
character King
Louie, who seems to some viewers to offer a racialised
portrait of jazz culture that conflates
“swingers” (presumably African American
jazz musicians) with monkeys.
Louie, the
Monkey-People’s,
orangutan
ruler. wants
to
learn how to make fire so that he can
be like a man. This could
easily be interpreted through a racial lens; the monkeys could be
depictions of
Africans wanting to learn how to be “civilized” equals of the white man.
The
character King Louie, who seems to some viewers to offer a racialized
portrait of jazz
culture that conflates (compares)“swingers” (presumably African American
jazz musicians)
with monkeys.Louie, the
Monkey-People’s,
orangutan
ruler. Wants
to
learn how to make fire
so that he can be like a man. This could easily be interpreted through a racial lens; the
monkeys could be depictions of Africans wanting to learn how to be “civilised” equals of the
white man.
so that he can be like a man. This could easily be interpreted through a racial lens; the
monkeys could be depictions of Africans wanting to learn how to be “civilised” equals of the
white man.
The
representation is further reinforced through the use of African American
accents
(however) the role was played by an Italian American
Social
context: America was a segregated society during the 1960’s where Black people
were actively fighting for Civil rights (equality)
King Louis isn't an original character from the book, Disney created him.
An intertextual link is a text which refers to another text. In the classic film, during Brando's
iconic horror speech, the actor enters a dimly lit room, shrouded mostly in darkness.In the
classic film, during Brando's iconic horror speech, the actor enters a dimly lit room,
shrouded mostly in darkness. In the 2016 version he has a New York accent to appear as a
gangster and create fear. Avoids association with black identity as his voice is changed, he
is no longer African American.
Female Representation
There
appears to be no representation of female characters in the 1967 version of the
Jungle Book
The
Director Jon Favreau in
the 2016 version chose to caste Scarlett Johannson as Kaa
providing a more Seductive/beguiling
voice compared to the comedic representation of the
1967 film.
Marketing:
How the 2016 version was marketed:
Sponsored Content
Posters
Trailer
Snapchat filter
How the 2016 version was marketed:
Sponsored Content
Posters
Trailer
Snapchat filter
Celebrity Endorsement
World Premiere
Game
What Does Film Marketing Involve?
•Marketing
involves
all of the deals done to get the films shown and promoted.
Above
the
line (ATL) advertising is where mass media is used to promote brands and
reach out to the target consumers.
These
include conventional media as we know it, television and radio advertising,
print as
well as internet.
This
is communication that is targeted to a wider spread of audience, and is not
specific to
individual consumers. ATL advertising tries to reach out to the
mass as consumer audience.
For example, posters and trailers for the films
Below
the
line (BTL) advertising is more one to one, and involves the distribution
of
pamphlets, handbills, stickers, promotions, brochures placed at point of
sale, on the roads
through banners and placards.
It could
also involve product demos and samplings at busy places like malls and market
places or residential complexes
For certain
markets, like rural markets where the reach of mass media like print or
television
is limited, BTL marketing with direct consumer outreach programmes do
make the most
sense.
Jungle Book Marketing 1967
• Disney
thought the first version of the script was too dark for family audiences, that
the
audience wouldn’t be able to identify with the boy, Mowgli, and that the
villain, the tiger
Shere
Khan, would be a cliché; so Disney himself took control and changed the
production
team.
•Theatrical
run:
The Jungle Book was released in October 1967, just 10 months after Walt's
death. Some copies were in a double feature with Charlie, the Lonesome
Cougar.
Produced on a budget of $4 million, the film was a massive
success, finishing 1967 as the
fourth highest-grossing movie of the year. The
Jungle Book was re-released theatrically in
North America three times, 1978,
1984, and 1990, and also in Europe throughout the 1980s.
The total gross is
$141 million in the United States and $205 million worldwide. The North
American total, after adjustments for inflation, is estimated to be the 29th
highest-grossing
film of all time in the United States. An estimated $108
million alone came from Germany
making it the third highest-grossing film of
all time there only behind Avatar ($137 million)
and Titanic ($125 million).
However, it is Germany's highest-grossing film of all time in terms
of
admissions with 27.3 million tickets sold, nearly 10 million more than
Titanic's 18.8 million
tickets sold.
• Walt
Disney Home Entertainment released it on VHS in 1991 (and the UK in 1993) and
on
DVD in 2007. It was re-released several times on DVD and on BluRay –
with extras or
different packaging in order to pick up new buyers (e.g. the
Limited Edition DVD released by
Buena Vista Home Entertainment in 1999 or the
Diamond line combination of Blu Ray and
DVD in 2014). Occasionally
Disney films are ‘vaulted’ meaning they are not available for
purchase, which
pushes up the demand – the Diamond edition of JB disappeared to the
vault in
January 2017, for example. However, the classic edition of the DVD and
merchandise relating to JB are still available in Disney Stores and on the
Disney website,
which is marking the 50th anniversary. The original vinyl
soundtrack for JB was also the first
record to achieve gold status in the USA
from an animated feature film. JB has also been
released by Disney as digital
downloads via iTunes, Disney Movies Anywhere, Disney Life,
Amazon Video, Movies
Anywhere, Google Play etc.
•Disney
produced
a live-action version in 1994 and an animated sequel, The Jungle Book 2,
in
2003, which Disney had intended to release direct to video (under Michael
Eisner a
number of straight to video sequels were produced, which in turn
promoted the original
films).
Jungle Book Marketing 2016
All the animals and landscapes etc
were created on computers, mostly by the British digital
effects house MPC
•Disney
made
several smart marketing choices during the lead-in to the release of The Jungle
Book that helped build hype and buzz for the movie. They combined typical
marketing
approaches, special opportunities available only to Disney, and a few
unique techniques and
messaging particular to this film
• Mention
any
special promos, stunts, law of the jungle, theme parks, sand sculptures etc
Toss Red Meat to the Base:
•
In
August, Mr. Favreau
bounded onto a 7,800-seat arena at a Disney fan convention in
Anaheim, Calif and
showed sneak-peek footage from his film. He hobnobbed with three
“Jungle Book”
stars on stage, including Neel Sethi, who plays the man-cub Mowgli.
Thousands
of movie posters were handed out. This was the first marketing stunt for “The
Jungle Book,” which cost roughly $175 million to make. By going to happy, peppy
Disneyphiles
first, Disney ensured that the movie’s initial blast on social media would be a
positive one.
Theme Park
Armies, Activate
•Various corners of the Disney empire pitched in to promote “The Jungle Book.” A
New
Year’s Day stunt on the Disney Channel, for instance, was used to portray
the film as one of
the year’s first blockbuster offerings for families and
children.
• But the synergistic heavy lifting was done by Disney theme parks. During the
jam-packed
spring break weeks, park theatres in Florida and California offered
sneak-peek footage of the
movie, with Mr. Favreau providing introductions.
More
Marketing Strategies:
•Bloggers
•How did
they keep the film from looking too childish
•Social
media
was also used with a large Facebook, Instagram and Twitter campaign along
with You Tube
and viral marketing campaigns
Essay:
Part (a)
Comparing the 1967 and 2016 versions of Walt Disney`s Jungle book (posters and film
trailers), using media language discuss how the representations of the characters have
changed. You will need to explore the changes in social and cultural contexts and impact of
technology.
Part (a)
Comparing the 1967 and 2016 versions of Walt Disney`s Jungle book (posters and film
trailers), using media language discuss how the representations of the characters have
changed. You will need to explore the changes in social and cultural contexts and impact of
technology.
The 1967 Jungle Book and the 2016 one vary in multiple ways. Due to massive changes
in technology, representations and cast the two films are very different.
The 1967 version was a cartoon, which was based on Rudyard Kipling’s book The Jungle
Book(1894)however, Walt Disney wanted to get rid of all 'scary' aspects from the book so he
had it rewritten to be fun and cheery so that it qualified as a U rating, meaning anyone could
watch it. However, the 2016 version contains more of the scary aspects from the original
book, which then makes it PG, suggesting that there can potentially be parts which would
scare younger aged children. Overall, the target audience also changed as the 1967 one
would be more aimed at children from around the age of 3 upwards, yet the 2016 is
probably aimed at children from aged 10 and above or even adults which previously
watched the cartoon as a child. This then makes the scarier aspects, such as the dark
lighting and the loud animal roars, of the film more appropriate as adults would be more
drawn to it.
The 1967 Jungle Book poster is all drawing based with vibrant, cheerful colours,
this makes it more child friendly, whereas the 2016 version contains large amounts of CGI
and photoshop. There is a poster made individually for every main character as well as the
film as a whole. The character posters look very intense and realistic, some of the posters
may even appear scary to younger aged children, like the tiger (Shere Khan) one as he is
shown mid roar and surrounded by fire, this is done to show the danger and power of that
specific character.The main film poster is much more cheerful as it is brighter, Mowgli, the
main character, takes the centre, this is where the image is the brightest however, it still gets
dark towards the corners. This is where the antagonists sit, giving a direct reference to their
dark personalities. Both posters use a serif font, which is a yellow/golden colour, however
the 2016 version slightly changed the font, which makes it look a little bit more
sophisticated. The serif font shows the age of the original Jungle Book written in 1894 as it
looks very old and fairy tale like.
The 1967 trailer of The Jungle Book contains a mixture of both diegetic and non-diegetic
sounds. All throughout the trailer there is a narrator (which is non-diegetic) who explains the
main storyline and introduces all the characters individually, giving the audience an insight
of the story. The narrators voice is quite happy. There are then diegetic aspects where the
characters talk or sing. The trailer is all round cheerful as it shows funny scenes and some
songs, there is only one scary part in the whole trailer and that is when Shere Khan jumps
and roars at Mowgli in a grey and foggy setting, creating a creepy atmosphere. This is then
mimicked in the 2016 trailer, however this one is much more terrifying due to the use of
special effects such as the fire and the loudness of Shere Khan's roar. It also looks more
realistic. The 2016 trailer begins with a narration (which is non-diegetic sound) from Kaa,
who is played by Scarlett Johansson, this opens up the trailer with an eerie atmosphere as
Kaa's voice echoes and has a ghoulish note to it, this keeps the audience alert and on edge.
The trailer is also action filled as it shows the more fast paste and dramatic parts of the film,
for example Mowgli jumping off a cliff, this engages the audience and makes them want to
see the film in order to see what happens next. The music used is also very dramatic and
used to make the audiences hearts race. This is hugely in contrast to the 1967 version as
that one is very cheerful and the 2016 is scarier, however the 2016 trailer ends with the
classic "Bear Necessities" tune, which brings back the happiness from the original cartoon
and shows how there are also happy aspects in in.
Within the films, trailers and posters of both versions there are different representations
shown. In the 1967 trailer there is a small representation for females, during the trailer there
is only a small clip containing a female character where she doesn't even speak. This may
make some girls feel unimportant as they aren't represented enough. During the cartoon
she is in a few scenes yet isn't seen as a main character. On the other hand in the 2016
version the directors made sure to include more of a female presence. They changed the
character of Kaa from a male to a female by casting Scarlett Johansson, they did this as
they thought she would make Kaa sound more alluring as a character, to attract men and to
incorporate more female representation within the film. It also suggests that women are as
equally powerful as men now as Kaa is a main character of the film and is shown as
powerful and deceiving.
The representations of the characters in both versions also vary. In the 1967 version Shere
Khan was voiced by George Sanders, who was an English actor. His upper-class English
accent and bass voice often led to him being casted as sophisticated but villainous
characters. This is used due to the fact that clean English appeared less trust worthy as
they seemed underclass. He is also seen as a child friendly villain as he is presented in a
less powerful way due to all the scary aspects being taken out of the film. In the 2016
version Shere Khan is also played by an English actor, called Idris Elba. However, he uses a
,but due to Idris Elba's low and bellowing voice the character of Shere Khan is presented as
much more powerful and scary character. This was done to give the film back its original
scary atmosphere.
Another key representation of the film is King Louie. In the original book written in 1894 he
didn't exist as a character. Disney then brought King Louie to life in the 1967 cartoon to
create and add a funny character, King Louie acts in a very foolish manner. He was played
by Italian American Louie band leader Prima, with black American sounding accent, which
then looks like a racial attack towards the jazz culture at the time, especially due to King
Louie singing "I'm the King of the swingers" in a jazz like way and dancing in their style. His
actions are very silly and he is presented as very stupid which then can be seen as an
offensive representation of black people at the time, as they were mainly part of the jazz
culture and due to King Louie accent it can be inferred that the character's aim is to portray
the black culture in a negative way. Disney also wanted to cast Louis Armstrong as the
original voice of Louie, yet he declined, this then makes a larger indication that their
intentions were in fact negative. In contrast to this, the 2016 version gets rid of any negative
representations that could be seen in King Louie previous character, so that it doesn't offend
anyone. Christopher Walken, is an American actor who plays King Louie in the 2016
version, his accent sounds like a New York gangster, which then makes his character sound
much more intimidating rather than stupid.
by Italian American Louie band leader Prima, with black American sounding accent, which
then looks like a racial attack towards the jazz culture at the time, especially due to King
Louie singing "I'm the King of the swingers" in a jazz like way and dancing in their style. His
actions are very silly and he is presented as very stupid which then can be seen as an
offensive representation of black people at the time, as they were mainly part of the jazz
culture and due to King Louie accent it can be inferred that the character's aim is to portray
the black culture in a negative way. Disney also wanted to cast Louis Armstrong as the
original voice of Louie, yet he declined, this then makes a larger indication that their
intentions were in fact negative. In contrast to this, the 2016 version gets rid of any negative
representations that could be seen in King Louie previous character, so that it doesn't offend
anyone. Christopher Walken, is an American actor who plays King Louie in the 2016
version, his accent sounds like a New York gangster, which then makes his character sound
much more intimidating rather than stupid.
Part
(b)
Discuss how these films were marketed and
the value earned by the company. Using
media language discuss the effects of technology on targeting an older audience
in the
2016 version
The 2016 movie became a huge success earning $966.6 million, against a budget of $175
million. It's large success is partly thanks to the marketing team, as marketing is very
important in the film industry. Disney used a number of different things to advertise the film.
They used above the line advertisement, such as trailers, which would be seen on TV and
online, in places like Youtube, to attract large amounts of people, posters as they're
cheaper to produce and can be put in multiple public places, meaning more people would
see them and celebrity endorsement would be used on the radio and in interviews which
would be available online and on TV. This would attract a large audience as not only would
it be shown in multiple places, it would also attract people who know or like the celebrities
involved in the film, Disney also used sponsored content, which means they payed bloggers
or Youtubers with a large following to talk about the film and attract people to go and watch
it, which then once again targets a wide audience. They also use below the line
advertisement with smaller things such as mobile games, Happy meal boxes, figurines and
other toys, which would attract children to ask their parents to go watch the film in cinema or
buy the DVD. Also if anyone is in a Disney park at the time, Disney will self-promote their
film. This means they will hand out leaflets to people passing by and may hold in park
parades and shows for the film characters, which will also encourage people to go and
watch The Jungle Book. Mr. Favreau, the directer of the Jungle Book bounded onto a 7,800
seat arena at a Disney fan convention in Anaheim, Calif and showed sneak-peek footage
from his film. He hobnobbed with three “Jungle Book” stars on stage, including Neel Sethi,
who plays the man-cub Mowgli. This was the first marketing stunt for The Jungle Book.
However, this hasn't yet beaten the 1967 version which was produced on a budget of $4
million and managed to make $11.5 million by 1968, although there were less
technological advances and way of marketing, it still managed to become one of the most
popular Disney films till this day.
Due to many technological advances since the 1967 cartoon, the 2016 remake was
named one of the most technologically advanced movies ever made. Disney used British
digital effects house MPC to create all of the animals and landscape for the movie. The
animals were created digitally post-production and the one actor in the film (playing Mowgli)
acted against a blue screen. Typically, a green screen would be used, however in this case
they needed to used a blue screen because if they used a green screen it would be hard to
edit in the leaves, grass and trees as they're also green, meaning it would all blend, so they
chose blue as the green items would stand out against it, making it easier to generate. All
the scenes for The Jungle Book were first filmed using motion capture. Then using the
footage they made the effects team build the film’s set virtually, meaning everything was
already mapped out and previsiualised , allowing the director to help the actor make the
most of his role. They used facial mapping for all the animals to obtain real facial
expressions and make them seem more real. They also included fur movement simulation,
allowing the animal's fur to move along with them. The special effects team also did a lot of
research on the animals to obtain a realistic view of how they would act out in the wild,
allowing them to then map out the animals positioning and foot work and body language to
make the most realistic image possible.
The use of technology for the 2016 remake would've attracted more of an adult audience,
as opposed to a young one. It would've attracted an older audience due to looking like more
of an adults film rather than a kids cartoon. This is due to it's use of CGI, which makes it
look extremely real, as if it was a live action movie in a real jungle, instead of looking like an
animation. It also adds more of a scary tone to the film as the darker parts look much more
genuine, this could then scare a younger audience. A lot of the movie contains action which
is usually fast paced, loud and dangerous looking and there are also fight scenes included,
due to looking so real a younger child may actually think it's happening and get scared or
even upset at the sight of animals fighting or Mowgli getting hurt, which then discourages
them from watching. Therefore, the remake is specifically targeted at a slightly older
audience than the 1967 version due to its realistic look and dark toned scenes which not
every child would enjoy.
The 2016 movie became a huge success earning $966.6 million, against a budget of $175
million. It's large success is partly thanks to the marketing team, as marketing is very
important in the film industry. Disney used a number of different things to advertise the film.
They used above the line advertisement, such as trailers, which would be seen on TV and
online, in places like Youtube, to attract large amounts of people, posters as they're
cheaper to produce and can be put in multiple public places, meaning more people would
see them and celebrity endorsement would be used on the radio and in interviews which
would be available online and on TV. This would attract a large audience as not only would
it be shown in multiple places, it would also attract people who know or like the celebrities
involved in the film, Disney also used sponsored content, which means they payed bloggers
or Youtubers with a large following to talk about the film and attract people to go and watch
it, which then once again targets a wide audience. They also use below the line
advertisement with smaller things such as mobile games, Happy meal boxes, figurines and
other toys, which would attract children to ask their parents to go watch the film in cinema or
buy the DVD. Also if anyone is in a Disney park at the time, Disney will self-promote their
film. This means they will hand out leaflets to people passing by and may hold in park
parades and shows for the film characters, which will also encourage people to go and
watch The Jungle Book. Mr. Favreau, the directer of the Jungle Book bounded onto a 7,800
seat arena at a Disney fan convention in Anaheim, Calif and showed sneak-peek footage
from his film. He hobnobbed with three “Jungle Book” stars on stage, including Neel Sethi,
who plays the man-cub Mowgli. This was the first marketing stunt for The Jungle Book.
However, this hasn't yet beaten the 1967 version which was produced on a budget of $4
million and managed to make $11.5 million by 1968, although there were less
technological advances and way of marketing, it still managed to become one of the most
popular Disney films till this day.
Due to many technological advances since the 1967 cartoon, the 2016 remake was
named one of the most technologically advanced movies ever made. Disney used British
digital effects house MPC to create all of the animals and landscape for the movie. The
animals were created digitally post-production and the one actor in the film (playing Mowgli)
acted against a blue screen. Typically, a green screen would be used, however in this case
they needed to used a blue screen because if they used a green screen it would be hard to
edit in the leaves, grass and trees as they're also green, meaning it would all blend, so they
chose blue as the green items would stand out against it, making it easier to generate. All
the scenes for The Jungle Book were first filmed using motion capture. Then using the
footage they made the effects team build the film’s set virtually, meaning everything was
already mapped out and previsiualised , allowing the director to help the actor make the
most of his role. They used facial mapping for all the animals to obtain real facial
expressions and make them seem more real. They also included fur movement simulation,
allowing the animal's fur to move along with them. The special effects team also did a lot of
research on the animals to obtain a realistic view of how they would act out in the wild,
allowing them to then map out the animals positioning and foot work and body language to
make the most realistic image possible.
The use of technology for the 2016 remake would've attracted more of an adult audience,
as opposed to a young one. It would've attracted an older audience due to looking like more
of an adults film rather than a kids cartoon. This is due to it's use of CGI, which makes it
look extremely real, as if it was a live action movie in a real jungle, instead of looking like an
animation. It also adds more of a scary tone to the film as the darker parts look much more
genuine, this could then scare a younger audience. A lot of the movie contains action which
is usually fast paced, loud and dangerous looking and there are also fight scenes included,
due to looking so real a younger child may actually think it's happening and get scared or
even upset at the sight of animals fighting or Mowgli getting hurt, which then discourages
them from watching. Therefore, the remake is specifically targeted at a slightly older
audience than the 1967 version due to its realistic look and dark toned scenes which not
every child would enjoy.
