Huntley, M., Week 2

Hello Everyone, Welcome Back!


This week we learned about movies. Movies are a product, and just like any other product, movies need to be marketed. Marketing of a movie can focus on its genre, the actors in it, and now it can even be based on how that movie is shot. In the documentary Side By Side, Keanu Reeves interviews film gurus on the differences in film movies and digital movies. 

These differences may not be apparent to the untrained eye, however the directors and actors that were interviewed throughout the
documentary had distinct opinions on the mediums. It was amazing to see some of Hollywood's most important cinematographers talk about their work, and also to discover how some of my favorite movies were made. For example, I had no clue that the Hunger Games series used film, I just assumed that due to the graphics that the movies would have had to be made with a digital camera. Though many great movies have been made on film throughout history, film is a dying medium. It costs much less and is more efficient to use digital technology in this day and age. The possibilities are endless when it comes to what one can do with a digital camera, however the film camera is at the peak of its development. 

As we learned in the book Blockbusters by Anita Elberse, production companies use the "blockbuster" strategy when planning the movies that they will produce for the year. This strategy focuses on four high budget movies that will appeal to all types of consumers, which I believe will be a lot more successful with the use of digital technology. Digital technology will allow for more high-action, high technology movies, which will appeal to a greater number of consumers. I do believe that film will allow for a new marketing strategy to come about in the future. Producers and theaters will be able to appeal to film watchers by promoting that their movie is a film movie, which will be a rarity, which will therefore allow film to be a new marketing strategy.

As a class we also got the great experience of attending the Public Relations x Northeast conference. We got to attend multiple sessions led by influential members in different areas of public relations throughout the northeast.

 I attended lectures on Modern Media Training Insights, a Virtual Reality demonstration, Visual Imagery in PR for Global & Multicultural Audiences, and Creating an Inclusive Workplace by Handing Microaggressions. My favorite speech that I attended was on how visual imagery and symbols can affect how a product is received in the market. This conference allowed for learning from many different influential positions throughout the PR world, and provided me with a wealth of knowledge. I believe that everything I learned from this conference will better me in the future.

My favorite experience of the week was the experiential learning trip to the New York Wine and Culinary Center. This company is a not-for-profit center that focuses on educating people on the products that New York State has to offer, and it also educates visitors on cooking and baking. 

The center uses a majority of wines and ingredients from New York throughout the center, from their learning kitchen to their restaurant, however there are some ingredients that are not available in New York. One of the most interesting aspects of the center to me was the restaurant. The restaurant boasts food prepared from New York ingredients, and wants its customers to know exactly where their food is coming from. They have a large board hanging that changes daily, which has all of the ingredients used in the meals that night on it, and where the ingredient came from that night.

I loved the experience that we got at the center, for everyone that spoke with our group was so passionate about that they do at the center. They were all experienced individuals who educate others on their passions, and what our state has to offer. Their marketers have to have a specific plan to draw people to the center for events, which can be difficult for them, however they are doing a fantastic job. We got to have lunch in the learning classroom, where the chef showed us how they make pasta using ingredients found in New York. 

This trip was a great learning experience, and we also got a great lunch of salad, and pasta with chicken, with everything sourced from our state! I highly suggest that anyone visiting the Finger Lakes region visit this center, even if is just to walk around! 

Photo Credits: Film Reel Photo