Lego Movie

Monday 22nd January 2024 

NOVEMBER PPE

Question 1

TT Fusion 

Question 2 

Build up hype 

Profit 

Question 3 

Learn more about the characters 

Release video game first - different audience interested and know the characters 

Question 4 

Intro to characters 

Provides more 

 Wednesday 14th September 2022

To understand the narrative and characters in the lego movie.

1. The LEGO Movie is a 3D animated film which  follows lead character, Emmet a completely ordinary lego mini-figure who is identified as the most 'extraordinary person' and the key to saving the lego universe. Emmet and his friends go on an epic journey to stop the evil tyrant, Lord Business. Emmet always follows rules, is mistakenly identified as the special. He finds himself drafted into a fellowship of strangers who are on a a mission to stop Lord business plans to conquer the world. 

2. The main theme  is capitalism, copyright laws and the power of government and the media are just a few of the themes that theorists have interpreted since the movie was released in 2014. However, while those external themes a present, The Lego Movie also boasts ideas connected to us as individuals living in communities. 

3. 

4. Batman 

Superman

Wonder woman 

Gandalf

Green Lantern 

Dumbledore 

Robin Hood 

Chewbaca 

Wednesday 21st September 2022

Industry Research 

To research the process, companies and regulators behind the film industry 

1. In the film industry, what is meant by production, distribution and exhibition ?  Distribution: refers to the process of distributing a movie to the public, typically to theatres. This is part of the filmmaking process where the movie can work towards generating revenue. Exhibition: refers to the process of showing the movies to the public. 

2. What is a media conglomerate ? A media conglomerate, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as music, television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, theme parks, or the Internet.

3. Who regulates films in the UK ? The film industry in the UK is regulated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC is responsible for classifying films that have a cinema and DVD release.

4. Age Rating ? U rating 

5. Who regulates video games in the UK ? The Video Standards Council 

6. Rating for Lego Movie Game ? Pegi 7

7. 2 companies produced The Lego Movie game ? Warner Bros and Lin Pictures 

8. Who directed the Lego Movie ? Phil Lord and Chris Miller 

9. Which company produced the Lego Movie game ? TT Fusion, owned by Warner Bros. 

10. Who Distributed the Lego Movie ? Warner Bros 

11. Who Regulates advertising content in the UK ? The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) 

Wednesday 28th September 2022

Regulation 

 - Classify products (normally by age rating) 

- Ensures content of products meets acceptable standards 

U rating is universal which means anyone of any age. 

2. People might be against regulation because it might be the wrong age rating for their liking and because they might not be able to watch it and think you should be allowed to watch whatever you want. 

5. I think Warner bros would have been keen for the film to be a U rating certificate because they would get more views and money 

Vertical Integration 

Vertical Integration is the process whereby a single company controls both the production and distribution stages of a product. This means all profit go back to the parent company rather than being shared out. 

Having vertical integration increases profits because you do not have to pay for different companies to have films, games and merch so if you have a vertical integration you do not have to share profit. It makes the production process more efficient because you do not have to wait for other companies and deliveries because you already have them. 

Wednesday 12th October 2022

Target Audience 

To identify the target audience using demographics and psychographics 

The movie is aimed at young kids because its made from lego, has kid humour and characters like Unikitty and Batman. It is also aimed at parents because they might've played with lego when they were younger and older character voices like Morgan Freeman and Will Ferrell. It is aimed at teenagers too because they have characters like Wildstyle that would've been the same style in 2014 and other things like younger character voices like Elizabeth Banks and Chris Pratt. It is for both genders because the main characters are both male and female and both have a powerful role. 

Guardian 

1. The building blocks of success are content marketing, a good example is a brand will create useful or entertaining at consumers that will soon be in a position to pay for the companies services/products. As a product, lego is mainly for kids so they make it appealing for children but is great fun for adults too.

2. Lego made it right by making 'nonsense' for kids and adding Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for the adults to create a genuinely funny and clever movie. 

3. It has laid the foundations for future success by as a child grows up they will want to re-watch the movie and get it as a DVD to watch when they are older to let their kids watch. 

Zesty 

1. It has a heart by having an emotive story line that explores the meaning of love, partnership and humanity. 

2. It is all about "you" by forcing us to ask questions about not only the characters or the story line but ourselves too. 

3. It shows it knows its audience by film critics laud this movie’s ability to offer ‘something for everyone’, with a healthy dose of slapstick for the kids, cultural savvy for the teens, and scathing yet hilarious social commentary for the grown-ups. In other words, it’s nailed its content pillars.

Tent-Pole production 

In broadcast programming and motion pictures, a tent-pole or tentpole is a program or film that supports the financial performance of a film studio or television network. It is an analogy for the way a strong central pole provides a stable structure to a tent.

The lego movie was a tent-pole production because it made a massive profit because it had a wide audience. 

1. The Lego batman movie (2017) 

2. The lego Ninjago movie (2017) 

3. The lego movie 2 (2019) 

Wednesday 19th October 2022

Marketing

To explore marketing and promotion of The Lego Movie; to link the methods used to the target audience 

Promote movies: 

- Posters 

- Adverts 

- Social Media 

- Billboard 

- Magazines 

- Trailers 

- Movie Premiers 

 Synergy 

The promotion of linked products across different areas of the media 

Lego Movie Synergy: 

- Lego Movie Game 

- Building sets (17)

- mini figures (16) 

- School supplies 

- Sticker and activity books 

How did they promote The Lego Movie 1?

It was recently revealed that the next McDonald's Happy Meal campaign in the US would be focused around The Lego Movie 2. It's been confirmed by McDonald's UK Press Team that the promotion will be heading to the UK as well. - 3rd Jan 2019 - mini figures in happy meals 

Each week in January 2014, a new character poster was realised 

Lego Stores scheduled linked events 

Free accessory packs were available in stores after building creative models in-store 

Video Game on 4th February 

On 7th February, McDonalds released collectible 3D cups with happy meals 

A website enabled fans to male versions of themselves 

In Dancing on Ice at 7.27pm on Sunday 9th February 2014 - five days before the movie launched - ITV broadcast a worlds first an ad break made entirely out of lego 

British Heart Foundation, Confused.com,  BT and Premier Inn all paid for production costs of their adverts themselves. 

How did the lego movie campaign break boundaries with the TV ad and linked social media campaign?

Lego made a full advert break on adverts made in lego using adverts all ready known because then people would know where the adverts are from. It would make people want to watch the movie because it made the adverts funny and make people want to watch.They put it on Youtube at the same time because whoever missed it on live TV, could search it up and watch. It was successful because 6 million people watched it and 1.1 million searched it up and was putting it all over social media.

Wednesday 2nd November 2022

The Lego Movie Trailer 

To evaluate the methods used to market The Lego Movie; to link the methods to the target audience 

Warner Bros chose to have their logos made from lego because of the Lego Movie and help represent it. They wanted their logos shown before the trailer so you would pay more attention to it if the logo had a good reputation for films.   

Lego Movie Trailer

Equilibrium -  Emit watching Tv , work , President Business , Following Instructions 

Disruption - Threat of being put to sleep if not following instructions ,  Release something dangerous     

Recognition of Disruption - Emit realises he says put to sleep 

Attempt to solve problem - All action / Fighting , Second half of trailer 

1. In the trailer, the equilibrium and disruption are shown quickly because then they have more time to show the action so it can get them excited to see the film and interested 

2. It makes sense to very quickly establish the disruption if the target audience is younger people because they have shorter attention span and want them to want to watch it 

Camera Work 

1. To show they are the main characters and show facial expressions 

2. It shows all the different locations 

3. To show they are the good guys are at the top and bad at the bottom , strength , power 

Sound 

1. Tells the story 

2. Make the scenes exciting and shows its an action film  

3. Gets more louder and intense throughout trailer

Editing

1. As the trailer goes on the length between cuts shortens to create tension 

2. Appeals to parents

3. Emphasises action / shows everything is made from lego 

Mise - en - scene 

1. Location shows action / train exploding 

2. Bright colours attracts younger kids 

3. Shows characters jobs and who they are 

Wednesday 9th November 2022

Explain how The Lego Movie trailer uses two elements of media language to target different audiences?

One element of media language used in The Lego Movie trailer is sound. For example sounds such as gunshots and explosions throughout the trailer. This would appeal to teenagers because it makes scenes exciting and creates tension in the trailer making them want to watch it because its an action film. 

Another element of media language in The Lego Movie trailer is mise-en-scene. For example it uses a bright colour palette making kids want to pay attention to it because its colourful instead of dull because they wouldn't want to to watch. They have a short attention span so if its bright colours they would want to keep watching. 

Video Game 

To explain how vertical integration benefits companies; to analyse using Use & Gratification theory 

1. game developer - TT fusion 

2. Game publisher - Warner Bros 

3. Released - 7th February 2014 

4. Game genre - Action / adventure 

5.  Platfroms - Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation®3, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®Vita, Wii U™, 3DS™ and PC.

6. Game model - single player and multiplayer 

Simultaneous Releases 

- Sonic 

- Iron Man 

-Uncharted 

Benefits 

- Profit maximised 

-Familiarity 

- Extends pleasure of film 

- Cross promotion 

Uses and gratifications

1. The video game offers personal identity because you can play who ever you want 

2. It offers information about the actual movie making you want to watch it 

3. It offers entertainment because it is made to be fun, keeps you from being bored 

4. It also offers social interaction because you can play with your friends or talk about it 

Explain what two uses and gratification audiences might get from video game according to the trailer?

Entertainment is one use and gratification audiences might get because you have fun and you wont get bored because it has lots of different things in the trailer which look exciting and has lots of different genres (fantasy, adventure, action) appealing to all types of audiences.

Social interaction is another use and gratification audiences might get because you can play with your friends and talk about it with friends creating a bigger audience and influence playing both the game and watch the film. 

Wednesday 16th November 2022

Poster Campaign 

To explain the effectiveness of the campaign; to analyse the representations on the poster campaign 

Denotation - what you see 

Connotation - what it suggests 

Denotation - Batman, building, low camera angle, bat shaped fire in the building, dark suit / mask, bold capital letters, dark colour palette, city building, 'knight' 

Connotations - low camera angle suggests he is quite powerful and strong , the bat shaped fire shows he has something related to bats and is an action film and danger, the dark suit suggests he could either be a villain or a strong mysterious character. The dark colour palette suggests destruction or something bad about to happen and the buildings shows its set in a city. The word 'knight' shows he is a person who saves people and a warrior and also might be the good guy

The Lego Movie game is to appeal to the target audience (7+ age rating) by choosing the colour palette to be quite saturated and has a range of different colours to appeal to younger children because it looks more fun and exciting. It also shows it could be an action adventure and fantasy and the big red lego logo is made for them to recognise it and be more fascinated in the game. The font is big and bright to be noticed and the 'lego' logo is made from lego. In the images it has a lot of different characters and some you may already know making it appeal to all different target audiences, creating a bigger audience.

It also has a range of characters shown with different ways they are presented. Emit and Wyldstyle are bigger than the rest with a low camera angle which has the connotations of them being more powerful and could possibly be the good guys however the characters in the background (Lord business and Bad Cop) look smaller and have a more evil look with a dark colour palette. They have angry facial expressions and having weapons could show they could be the villains creating tense throughout the film and the video game. The robot is also holding a character suggesting it could be evil too and it also has a dark colour palette. 

It was released a week before the movie because as a game it would attract the younger audience so more people can watch it because if they liked the game they would want to watch the movie and it would have social interaction because people would talk about it and a lot more people would know about it and want to watch it. This makes more money for the film also because it sells quicker and a bigger audience would buy it making it more popular. 

Wednesday 23rd November 2022

In the Lego Movie poster, there is an image of Batman in the foreground of the poster holding a batarang. Specific Props are used to convey ideas about the narrative. The batarang has connotations of action. This would appeal to adults as well as kids and teenagers. Batman was first released in 1939 appealing to the older part of the target audience. This would create nostalgia for them and make them more interested in the movie. This would also appeal to them because it would show there is action and possibly fight scenes throughout the movie. 

In the Lego Movie poster, Unikitty is also in the foreground. This would appeal more to the younger part of the target audience (kids). This is because of the saturated colour palette making the movie look more fun and exciting to catch the attention creating the idea of make - belief. It looks like a cat and unicorn appealing to their imaginations to create fantasy. 

Also in the Lego Movie poster, there is an image of one of the main characters, Wyldstyle, running in the foreground creating the idea of action adventure. This appeals more to teenagers because in 2014 they were more likely to be influenced and like the way she dresses , her hair style and the colours she wears. They would be interested in her character  so they are more likely to watch for that character and her part in the story.

Wednesday 30th November 2022

DIRT

1. Use accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar. 

2. Explain why certain elements of media language appeal to the target audience.

3. Use the PEEL chain to structure your analysis.

4. Use connotations to explain the appeal.

YOUNGER CHILDREN - Bright colours -  saturated - Catch attention - fun, interesting, exciting.

P - Identify the media language used 

E - Describe element in detail

E - Explain why its used - the effect of message given 

L - Link to the appeal to the target audience 

Representation 

To analyse the representations throughout The Lego Movie promotional campaign 

Poster stereotypes:

1.  WyldStyle has long hair, long eyelashes, make up, freckles, dyed hair, feminine clothes which supports stereotypes. 

2. Wyldstyle looks determined /  not scared and is dressed in black which is anti - stereotypical 

Trailer and video game trailer 

Wednesday 7th December 2022

Representation 

To analyse the representations throughout The Lego Movie promotional campaign 

5 Characters (stereotypical) 

 

Oakleigh - girl, straight, mixed, popular, cheerleader captain, mean, dating Lucas 

Lucas - boy, straight, black, popular, captain of football, mean, dating Oakleigh 

Everleigh - girl, straight, asian, popular, cheerleader, nice, dating Noah

Noah - boy, straight, white, popular, footballer, nice, Lucas best friend, dating Everleigh

Astrid - girl, lesbian, gets bullied, white, glasses, nice, nerd

How is age represented in the poster campaign? 

In the poster Vitruvious is shown as an old character because of his older features such as white, long hair and beard and wrinkles. This supports stereotypes because it shows all old people have white hair and wrinkles and he is a wizard so this shows how he is "wiser" 

In the poster Lord Business is shown as an older middle - aged character because of he has wrinkles but not as old as Vitruvious because he does not have white long hair however he is older than Emmet, Benny and Wyldstyle because they do not have either of those things. This supports stereotypes because it suggests as everyone gets older they get wrinkles.

In the poster Emmet, Wyldstyle and Benny is shown as the younger teenage characters because they have no white hairs or wrinkles and have more simple features making them look younger. This supports stereotypes because it shows when you are young you have more a baby face and should only have plain features. 

Wednesday 4th January 2023

Put it all together 

To explore exam style questions and how to answer them effectively 

Type of media:     UK regulator 

Film -  British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

Tv and Radio - OfCom 

Advertising - The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) 

Magazines and Newspapers - IPSO

Video Games - The Games Rating Authority (GRA) / Video Standards Council (VSC) 

Wednesday 18th January 2023

DIRT 

To review and reflect on the unity assessment and set personal targets 

For Q6 I need to revise what kind of one mark questions it could ask - terminology, factual information and definitions.

For Q7 I need to revise what Vertical integration (Film, Production, Distribution and Exhibition - same production) and the benefits. I also need to revise what horizontal integration is (Film company, Music company, Game company-different productions). 

Vertical - Not having to share profits with other companies, Make process more efficient as they don't have to wait for other companies timescales and teams can collaborate easily, Increase exposure of one brand or franchise because there will be the one only logo everywhere instead of loads of different ones. 

Tent pole production - In broadcast programming and motion pictures, a tent-pole or tentpole is a program or film that supports the financial performance of a film studio or television network. It is an analogy for the way a strong central pole provides a stable structure to a tent.

Promotional Campaign - A promotional campaign is part of a business's overall marketing campaign aimed at alerting a target market to a product launch (A product launch refers to a business's planned and coordinated effort to debut a new product to the market and make that product generally available for purchase. A product launch serves many purposes for an organisation— giving customers the chance to buy the new product is only one of them), service expansion ( This means either extending their service portfolios to include upstream and/or downstream solutions or expanding their existing services across more geographies, industries or modes of transport) or brand initiative (A branding initiative touches all levels of the organisation and, if successful, becomes an integral part of corporate life. It is essential that everyone in the organisation understands and, more important, believes in the brand, its values, and its messages). It also often includes incentives with which the audience can engage.

For Q8 I need to revise what a promotional campaign is - posters, adverts, trailers and online, merchandise, video game

For Q9 I need to revise to write about all four posters instead of two to get high marks and focus on representations and explain two or more posters with detailed and relevant points. Lord business - Evil antagonist - patriarchal society as seen by male protagonist. Vitruvius - Wise old man, Wisdom. 

Rewriting Q8 - In the Lego Movie promotional campaign it targets a range of audiences such as kids, teenagers and adults. In the video game it mostly targets the teenagers because they are more likely to play and want to watch the movie. The game also has Uses & Gratification because it entertains by letting them have fun and social interaction by talking to their friends or family about it. It also targets teenagers because of the characters such as Batman because they would recognise him and stereotypically boys would be more interested. In the Posters I think it would appeal more to the adults as it gives them the voice actors such as Morgan Freeman and Will Ferrell which they would be more likely to know about. Benny the Spaceman is also in the background of one of the posters, this could bring back nostalgia for them because they could've played with him when they were younger. I think the trailer would've been more appealing to the kids because they are more likely to watch a video than look at a poster or picture as they have a short attention span and in the trailer there is a lot going on so they would be more likely to watch. The trailer also has fighting scenes and characters such as Superman and Batman which the kids might like (stereotypically boys) and be more interested in. In conclusion The promotional campaign targets a range of audiences creating a bigger audience and profit. 

Monday 4th December 2023 

REVISION 

family 

- play with lego

- used to play with lego

- cinema (15- 25 ) 

uses and gratification: audience 

P - personal identity 

I - information 

E - entertainment 

S - social interaction 

intertextuality - references another media text - batman 

stereotypes 

emmet - construction worker, male, hair, jacket

wyldstyle - hair, make - up, freckles, lashes

video game

ad break - british heart foundation, confused.com, BT, premier inn

new characters inbetween adverts