The Finished Product

Wide-eyed and open-mouthed I stared up at the screen; legitimately worried I was in the wrong place. I rummaged around in my pocket, pulling out the scrunched up ticket stub, re-reading it in disbelief: “Clash of the Titans 3D”. Shaking my head I reluctantly shifted my eyes back to the screen. What I saw was not a movie; it was the latest product to be churned out of the Hollywood production line. From the unimaginative and predictable storyline, to the shallow wooden characters, I’d seen it all before. Only it wasn’t good the first time, so why would it be good now?

Unlike “Avatar” and “Alice and Wonderland”, “Clash of the Titans” wasn’t intended to be 3D. It was written and shot as a 2D film, but after the record breaking success of “Avatar” the decision was made to add another dimension in post-production. In all my technological curiosity I was dying to see how this film would stack up visually. The ability to successfully transform a film into 3D is an exciting concept, one that will theoretically result in the 3D re-mastering of many old, classic movies. After seeing “Clash of the Titans” however, I am far less optimistic. I’m not going to delve into all of the films shortcomings. That would require me to relive it, and frankly once was more enough. What I will say is that the third dimension in this film (or product) was necessary, it provided the film with the depth that its storyline could not. And above all it made it marketable.

This, it appears, is where the industry is headed. The big studios continue to churn out films whose merits lie not on their complex storylines and cinematic originality, bit in their marketability. And 3D has emerged as the perfect platform for these films to launch.

Disney’s recent hiring of MT Carney, as their new marketing chief, highlights the extent to which this trend is gripping Hollywood. It goes against the entrenched belief that movie marketing is a specialist skill possessed by only a select few within the industry. Carney has no movie background. She made her name as the co-founder and owner of naked communications, a marketing firm that specializes in the new global marketing landscape. Her background is in the consumer-marketing world, a world where she worked with companies like Coca-Cola and Nokia. This illustrates how the big studios are beginning to view and market their movies. A big box office movie now has potential to be so much more than just a film. Merchandise, video games, spin off cartoons are just some of the by-products of a well-marketed film. They are transforming these movies into brands.

The consensus industry reaction seems to suggest that Carney will not last long in this new and unfamiliar role. I for one feel that this is where we are heading, and that in this consumer driven market she has a chance to revolutionize how these films are perceived by the public. Time will tell.