More Social Media Researchin'

 I couldn't fit everything last blog post, so I wanted to cut off at a good place. I figured I could just dedicate this blog post to finding and analyzing some good case studies. 

Side note: my casting list is pretty much set in stone, and hopefully I'll have some actual footage for y'all(or a potential rough draft of the poster - my lead's face and all). 

Now, let's get to the case studies!

Case Study #1: Last Night in Soho

The lighting scheme is evident from the get-go. That neon coloring is really attractive and pleasing to the eye, and it is emphasized by the darkness. It also hints at the psychological thriller genre through it being dark, but also that red lighting. It does signify danger, even with that neon glow. Color theory is done nicely here, as evidenced by that pairing of red and green (two extremely comparable colors on the color wheel). The green also hints at something not being right just by being associated with the red. I also like the inclusion of the close-up of the two leads. There is great color theory there, too, as the red and blue are contrasting on the sides of Thomasin Mckenzie's character's face. The red is also disturbing, again hinting at that psychological thriller genre. The pink illuminating Anya Taylor-Joy's character is a nice touch. It distinguishes her as a mystical and mysterious character. Almost etherial and also hints at her femininity. I want to include photos like this (teasers with a lot of hidden symbolism and meaning) to market my film. I want my genre to come across in my posts.

I also like that they put the trailer as one of the story highlights. I could also hypothetically do this, so I can have yet another way for you Cambridge graders to access my trailers (if something goes wrong or the links stop working). It can work as a failsafe as well as a useful tool in the Instagram page. I also like the profile photo. The title card itself hints a lot at the theme and carries that neon sign motif. 

While there are a lot of interesting and eye-catching posts (a lot of close-ups of characters and expressions seem to be key in conveying terror and mystery aspect), this was the one I found the most interesting. Though this page doesn't have as much behind-the-scenes footage as I would like to include in my film's Instagram, this is a nice bonus for those on the page. It's interesting to hear from Edgar Wright on the making of this film and how it was to work with the actresses. There are also more posts where he gets more analytical, and this is the stuff that I find really cool.

And again, it keeps up with that visual motif. It never strays from it, which is one of the reasons I find this Instagram page so pleasing: it is visually cohesive. Even with all the neon, I don't have to strain my eyes. I have to make sure that I make mine visually cohesive so that it can be pleasant to look at as well as eye-catching. 

I also found this post really cool. I want to try to include more "random" ones that also act as secret behind-the-scenes stuff. This one shows off one of the filming locations in a cool way and refers back to the trailer. This is a level of meta that I want to reach (but know that I never will).

Case Study #2: Us

I like the color theory again being put to use. That red is very eye-catching as well as symbolic of danger and blood. I like that Lupita Nyong'o's character (who could be considered the main character) is being emphasized here. There are also teaser clips shown here, as well as the boastful posts about winning awards (which this movie rightly deserves, I agree 100%, I really liked this movie if you couldn't tell). Again, there is that visual cohesion that makes all of these posts eye-catching and visually pleasing. I'm getting the sense that visual cohesion is very important for an Instagram page. I'll make sure to jot this down in all caps somewhere. I like that the behind-the-scenes looks at the premieres are highlighted here in the story highlights. They're easy to view and make me feel more connected to this movie. I don't know if I'll have behind-the-scenes videos (I might - just for guerrilla marketing), but it's the kind of stuff that really has me hooked. And again, that profile photo has the unique font of the title that captures the essence of the film (I'm guessing that I could just use the title part of the poster for my profile and that would work out great, rather than the entire poster). 

What I don't like is that the credits of the actresses/actors (as well as the creators of the film) are not listed in the description. I think it would be a quick and easy way to include the credits for the film.

Now this is the stuff that I really like. I'm a sucker for anything behind-the-scenes, and it's a cool look behind the curtain and the process that goes into screenings and distribution. I want to refer back to the story highlights, where it shows the movie's process from screening at film festivals like SXSW to getting played in theaters. As a member of the target audience, it just makes me more interested in the movie and gets me to develop more of an emotional connection with it (forming a sort-of bond with it - as well as the actress). 

The Us Instagram page is definitely more playful. It includes some memes and dark humor (appropriate for a psychological horror/thriller). It also includes impactful stills and joyfully scary teaser clips. I really like these posts. I could not think of a better way to interact with a movie, as well as its creators. I also like the inclusion of more of these analyses and behind-the-scenes looks from Jordan Peele himself. It's always great to hear the making of the movie from the director or any crew member. 

Hope you enjoyed my research, this might be it for a while. But, I'm moving on to the production process and hopefully that'll be even more fun and interesting. Peace out.