Evaluation - Marketing Campaign for 'When Duty Calls'

Here is the evaluation for the marketing campaign I have created for the imaginary action-comedy film ‘When Duty Calls’, which includes two trailers, a poster and a social media page.

In the evaluation I answer the following four questions: 

How do your products represent social groups or issues?

In terms of the representation of social groups in my marketing campaign for the action-comedy film ‘When Duty Calls’, I have focused on the representation of both gender and age, which I felt was most appropriate considering the broad genre I have chosen to work within, action, and the sub-genre or hybrid my film belongs to, action comedy. 

Conventionally, films from the action genre feature male protagonists who are physically strong, highly intelligent and often embark on missions which highlight their physical prowess, combat skills and traits such as bravery, courage and resourcefulness. Conversely, female characters in traditional action films are frequently sidekicks or love interests whose main purpose is to support or motivate the hero rather than drive the plot. 

There have been occasional exceptions to this such as roles taken by Angelina Jolie in ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘Salt’, or some of the female characters in the MCU such as Captain Marvel or Black Widow, but these stereotypical gender roles are still very common in the genre. 

In my work, I have chosen to challenge and subvert these conventions, for example by initially presenting a protagonist who isn’t as capable as a typical lead character in action films to create a sense of relatability for audiences (especially because he is older than typical action protagonists). Initially, it is the male character who appears domesticated (in one of my trailers we witness him doing domestic chores such as ironing) and lacking in the skills expected from action heroes (he struggles with his workout, he is in pain when he gets out of bed, he burns the toast and overfills the coffee at breakfast).

However, as the trailer(s) develops it becomes clear that the protagonist has had a previous life of working in the Secret Service and may therefore be more skilled than he initially seems. 

Additionally, the female protagonist is portrayed equally, rather than subservient; she is as, if not more, capable and resourceful as the male protagonist, reflecting modern action films, and particularly action comedies, that trend towards more relatable characters and more empowered, less stereotypical roles for women.

Once I researched the action-comedy genre, however, these kinds of representations became more complex, and more fitting to my film, ‘When Duty Calls’, as I found that protagonists are often presented as a mix of traditional action-hero traits and comedic vulnerability. For instance, the male protagonists in ‘True Lies’, ‘Back in Action’ and ‘The Fall Guy’, all movies which could be described as action comedies (or, at least, action films with moments of comedy within them) are physically capable and heroic, yet also flawed, awkward or naive in their personal lives, which creates humour through contrast. 

Action comedies, like ‘The Naked Gun’, ‘Tropic Thunder’ or ‘MacGruber’ push this to the extreme and litter their films with jokes, often focusing on the stupidity and incompetence of their male leads, and whilst I haven’t gone this far with ‘When Duty Calls’ (where the comedy is more situational, like that found in ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’), I wanted to incorporate some of the challenges found to gender stereotypes that were common in action-comedy hybrids. 

Female characters also have more of a significant, less stereotypical, role in these films (certainly in ‘Back in Action’ or Mr and Mrs Smith’, rather than ‘The Naked Gun’) as they are often more active and capable, which challenges their traditional roles in action films. Because of my chosen genre, I incorporate a protagonist who is both skilled in action scenarios and imperfect in everyday situations, which gives the film a slight comedic feel. 

This representation is atypical for protagonists in action films, but typical of the action-comedy sub-genre, as is incorporating a female protagonist who has an active role and is actually almost portrayed as the ‘villain’ in the film who the protagonist has to battle and ‘eliminate’. 

Frequent shots in my trailers, alongside the representation of the female protagonist in the poster, emphasise her ability rather than conform to stereotypes.

I wanted to move away from the conventional trope of the flawless action hero that I had seen in many traditional action films and instead I create the expectation that the male protagonist in my film is out of his depth as he is a retired Secret Service agent, too old and out-of-shape for active duty. Therefore, in my trailers, I portray the protagonist as domesticated initially to highlight how ‘ordinary’ his life is, before focusing on the mission he must undertake after being called back to duty, which creates intrigue for the audience as they witness the contrast of his current and past lives and wait to see whether the protagonist still has it in him after being ‘retired’ for so long. 

In both of my trailers, I have presented my male ‘hero’ character as relatable and unconventional, as he is initially shown carrying out basic domestic tasks and stating that he “tries to keep things simple now.” For example, in one trailer he is seen ironing and going on a light jog, where he struggles, suggesting to the audience that he is out of shape and has adopted a more relaxed lifestyle after retiring from the Secret Service, and in the other trailer he struggles to wake up and has a sore back. 

However, as both trailers develop the audience witnesses the protagonist return to his former capabilities, as he is shown hacking, running and jumping over walls, and spying on his wife in order to complete his mission of ‘eliminating’ her. 

This shift creates both excitement and tension, as the audience observes the back-and-forth dynamic between the male protagonist and the female protagonist, who are both attempting to succeed in their independent missions – a convention which is more common in action-comedies. 

This is particularly engaging for the audience as the protagonists are initially presented as a loving couple, making the conflict more interesting as it unravels. In addition, I have subverted the conventional representation of the female character, presenting her as equally capable as the male protagonist and even more deceptive and dangerous. She is shown attempting to escape from her husband and keep her past identity safe, which reinforces her independence and skill. 

This creates further excitement and tension for the audience, as both characters are portrayed as equally able. This is influenced by action-comedy films such as ‘Back in Action’ and ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’, where both protagonists are similarly skilled. I have adopted this idea in my own trailers, which both end with a standoff between the two characters as they point guns at each other while professing their love. This moment, initially inspired by the famous ‘Reservoir Dogs’ shot of Mr White and Mr Pink pointing guns at each other in a Mexican stand-off, combines tension with humour and reinforces the conventions of the action-comedy genre.

How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of 'branding'?

My research into film marketing campaigns, like the opening post I created on the marketing for ‘Fast X’, highlighted that film distributors tasked with promoting a film, have to make sure they create consistency across the various elements of the advertising for their movie, so that audiences are aware of exactly which film is being promoted, and will therefore make links between the trailers, posters and social media pages that they see. 

Marketing Post on 'Fast X'

In an incredibly crowded marketplace, consistency across branding is crucial to attract an audience, especially at a time when consumers are attending cinemas less frequently due to the rise of streaming platforms and home cinema technologies developing at a rapid pace. It is therefore important that the different elements of a film marketing campaign build up on each other and reinforce the film’s genre and exciting narrative, which is a way of encouraging audiences to experience the film on the big screen, where action sequences can have the maximum impact.

For my action production, the theatrical trailers, poster and social media pages all work together to create a cohesive sense of branding, for example, by using the same font across each media product. I chose a bold, sans-serif font called Bebas Neue, which is associated with iconic action films such as ‘John Wick’ and ‘The Dark Knight’, and therefore immediately signals the genre and tone of the film to the audience. 

Using it consistently in uppercase throughout all copy – from my titles and billing in the trailers, to poster text and Instagram page content – ensures that all media products are tied together visually, creating a strong and recognisable brand for ‘When Duty Calls’.

This sense of branding is reinforced by a unified colour scheme across my products; black and white for the copy on my poster (with a little pink/purple as an intertextual reference to the  recent action-comedy, the re-boot of ‘The Naked Gun’) to make the poster a little more eye-catching but also to signify that the film will be an action-comedy hybrid. Additionally, there are numerous elements which tie my products together, from the use of images of the protagonists which features heavily in all of my products, dominating the poster and many of the social media tiles, and central in both of my trailers, to the use of the same tagline – ‘Some Missions Hit Too Close to Home’ – in my trailers, on my poster and as a hashtag on my Instagram page.

The names of the cast and crew are consistent across the billing block on my poster and the credits in my trailers, as are the production companies (idents in my trailers and logos on my poster) and the release date for the film: August 28. 

The music is also consistent across my trailers, and my trailers and poster both feature some of the same reviews and references to other films the director has made within the genre – a successful marketing strategy I had noticed during my research to get more audiences to the cinema if they have enjoyed the director’s previous work.

How do your products engage with the audience?

It is important when marketing films that each element of the campaign resonates with the target demographic. Of course, I wanted the audience to feel aligned with the male protagonist as he is portrayed as ‘ordinary’ and relatable early on, but my main aim for the trailers was to create enigma by introducing the conflict or ‘problem’ between the two protagonists, highlighted in the trailers through crosscutting back and forth between them as they attempt to eliminate each other. 

I have left both trailers on a cliffhanger, to encourage spectators to watch the film and see the conflict between the protagonists unfold. I tried to make this even more intriguing for the audience by first presenting the protagonists as a happy married couple, so as to intensify the shock when it's later revealed that they have kept secrets about their pasts from each other. 

The representation of both characters contributes to the mystery of the trailers, as initially the male protagonist subverts typical action film stereotypes. Rather than being highly skilled and physically capable, he is portrayed as out of shape and seemingly incapable of leading an undercover mission. However, after being called back into duty, the trailers follow his transformation as he regains his strength and confidence, ultimately suggesting he is ready to take on his final mission. I hoped the female protagonist would be popular with a female audience (not necessarily the demographic targeted by producers of action films) because of my portrayal of her as capable, dynamic and almost sinister throughout, which also subverts the typical representation of female roles in action films where female characters are often shown as needing to be rescued or positioned as a sidekick. Instead, she is presented as equally powerful as the male lead, which adds excitement and unpredictability to the trailers and therefore creates more intrigue for the audience to want to watch the film. The trailers reinforce this by continuously cutting back and forth between the two characters, which builds tension until they finally meet together in the trailer’s climactic standoff, where they point guns at each other whilst professing their love. This moment is left unresolved in the trailers, which creates further enigma and excitement for the audience to want to see what happens next.

In terms of making each of my products engaging, I worked hard at ensuring they would appeal to as wide a demographic as possible, as action-comedies are films that are enjoyed by all ages and both genders (in a way that straight action films are often not), therefore when it came to writing my protagonist I knew I had to make sure he was relatable so that all audiences, no matter what age or gender they were, felt a connection with him early on and were rooting for him by the end of the trailers. For instance, he is slightly older, is out of shape and struggles to do easy tasks, suggesting that he has been out of the Secret Service for a while. 

My trailers use lots of conventional trailer techniques to engage audiences, from the production company logos (idents) at the beginning which indicate that this is big-budget, mainstream action-comedy movie from companies with a proven track record in making successful films from the sub-genre (which, in itself, creates specific audience expectations), to the upbeat and intense non-diegetic music that is recognisable from the action-comedy genre that builds up to create excitement before reaching the final climactic scene. The tagline (‘Some Missions Hit Too Close to Home’) creates enigma but also emphasises the domesticity of the film (and the male character), the couple’s relationship and reinforces the fact that the protagonists have kept secrets from each other about their past. 

Each trailer contains some of the same footage (which was a convention I found during my analysis of existing trailers and TV spots), but each also includes some new/different footage, not previously scene in other trailers, to tease the audience with more information about the plot and characters in the film just before they go and see it. 

My poster also makes reference to popular and successful action films, which have a similar aesthetic and are made by the same director and/or production company. This will encourage audiences familiar with these movies to see the film, almost giving ‘When Duty Calls’ gravitas and a seal of approval. The social media page for the film engages with audiences by including images from the film, both of my theatrical trailers (alongside reels of both), alongside some of the positive reviews the film has received, drip-feeding information about the film’s release. Social media platforms, like Instagram, encourage audience interaction and I would hope that followers would share this information - using the hashtags with like-minded people.

How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?

Throughout the planning stage of my project, I logged all of my research onto a blog so that I could quickly and easily refer to my findings when creating my trailers, film poster and social media page.

Research into Social Media

Research into Posters

Research into Trailers

Much of the research I did was related to conventions (of the different media formats, but also of my chosen sub-genre, action-comedy) and I was able to look back at my findings when creating my products so that I could incorporate these conventions into all of my marketing materials. This was incredibly helpful in enabling me to create authentic media products from my sub-genre, incorporating as many of the conventions I had found as I could. 

Research into the Action Genre

For the trailer research, I found that a common convention (which I have incorporated into my trailers) was the inclusion of production company logos/idents at the beginning of trailers (often accompanied with upbeat and intense non-diegetic music that is appropriate for the genre). I have included idents for Paramount Pictures and Millennium Media which both have a proven track record of making action films and, in particular, films from the action-comedy sub-genre. I also included these production company logos in the billing block of my film poster, as well as the logo for Skydance Media, a company who were recently bought by Paramount.

The font which I used for my trailers, film poster and social media page, was typical of the fonts used in marketing materials for films from the action-comedy sub-genre, a sans serif font which is bold and emphasises the type of film clearly to the audience. In terms of my storyline and the use of film language, such as fades in the trailers, intense non-diegetic music that builds to a climactic ending, close ups to emphasise the characters’ emotions and focus on tasks to eliminate their partner, and mise-en-scene typical of the genre, I do not challenge conventions of action-comedy films at all in my marketing materials, instead embracing and utilising them.

Both my trailers incorporate reviews, a common convention I found (in ‘The Fall Guy’ trailer, for instance) and both trailers make reference to other films made by the director which is a clever strategy to get audiences to watch the film, especially if they like the director’s previous work. 

My poster contains the majority of conventions I found during my research – such as reviews, a tagline, a billing block, production company and sound logos, and the title being the largest copy on the poster. I feel that I have incorporated not only the conventions of each medium that I discovered during my research, but also many of the narrative and aesthetic conventions of the action-comedy sub-genre.