Unit 8: Task 2

Task 2

Any performance including 'Stuff' has more elements to it than what the audience see when they come to the play. The acting on stage is the final part of a long process that includes so many elements.  There are so many things that make a performance come to life, not just the performance skills. We were given a task; to pick one side of the production work from lighting to set design to marketing. So, I decided to choose marketing. I thought this would be a good way of developing my skills set and it would be an interesting thing to look into, as it was something I have never looked at before and it is such a crucial part of any performance. I researched ways to advertise performances and found that there are many forms of marketing. This can include printed materials such as posters, leaflets, programmes and even adverts in newspapers or magazines. There are also many ways to advertise using online platforms and social media, this seems to be the most popular way to advertise today and certainly one of the most effective. The ways that a performance is advertised are often linked to the target audience. As our target audience is people our own age most likely this will effect how we market it. The most popular marketing material is of course a poster (this is already in progress by another member of the team). Most theatre  companies today have a social media presence, I decided this would be the best route for our production. I talked about this idea with another member of the production team, my friend Daniel. He said he would concentrate on the Instagram page, which we both helped think of ideas for. I found a blog written by a member of Stone Crabs Theatre, that talked about making a theatre trailer. I drew inspiration from this and  thought  we could have a trailer to be on the Instagram page. This would be a more interesting way of reaching our target audience and would have more appeal than printed material.

Find a link to Stone Crabs Theatre Here 

 

 

 

 

This video is a quick sketch of an idea, not the final version.

I made this video to show what a trailer could be like and how good in the future it could look after some editing. I'm quite proud of this trailer and the work that was put into it. This isn't my usual remit and whilst I've obviously have some editing skills to work on as a first draft I'm quite happy. This could be put on Instagram, as well as on anyone’s story’s if it is shortened and could be easily shared once it’s done. A Trailer is a very important side to marketing because it may not be a movie but it still allows the performance to get out there. Maybe some people will become interested to watch the performance. For example it is said that “Trailers are ultimately the fundamental tool to entice the public to watch a film. They can become a viral sensation (the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens garnered 112 million views in only twenty-four hours)”. Now I am not saying we will get 112 million views, but it may mean some pertinent people become interested or even just shows people what we are doing at college. As well as how exited we are to be a part of the course. After all this is what we want to do in the future, so we should be exited to show people what we are doing 

Marketing was a little different this year. We couldn't have as many people as we wanted in our audience because of Covid-19 restrictions. So, even though we are advertising, not many actual people from the public can come. Only really those we have specially invited can come. Such as family members and key contacts. Nevertheless, this still allows the performance to get attention. In addition to everyone knowing what we do, maybe even inspiring the next generation of students to the course. Allowing us to be involved in the production side of our performance helps us to see that we need to know more than just the acting. We need to know everything else that makes a successful performance, all the tricks of the trade that allow you to be successful in this industry.