How to Comics and Superheroes in the Cinematography? In this day and age, the superhero genre has never been more popular. Even though its popularity has ensured its longevity over time. Its films set new standards for creativity and innovation in the genre. As a result, it’s important to give credit to the unsung heroes who not only made epic movie shots. But also successfully brought comic book illustrations into the finished film.
Here are the articles to explain, Comics and Superheroes in the Cinematography
Who says comic book filma can’t be true artistic achievements? The fact that the protagonist wears a cape does not make it any less of a “movie” than the winner of that year’s Best Picture award. The cinematography of comic book films is perhaps the aspect of these films. That is most often overlooked by movie buffs as mindless entertainment.
The cinematography of a comic book movie, like that of any other movie, can be anything from average to groundbreaking. Here are some of the comics and superheroes that our team at MerrJep.al is suggesting for you.
Wonder Woman
Diana Prince’s Wonder Woman charges into No Man’s Land in the Wonder Woman movie. In many ways, Wonder Woman is still one of DC Entertainment’s best films to date. The film follows Diana as she leaves Themyscira to try to stop the war. Which takes place during World War I. Diana’s journey into No Man’s Land to seize the enemy trench and free a nearby village is the most stunning scene at the halfway point. Not only is this scene the most visually striking one in the movie. But it is also the most significant for Diana’s character and demonstrates. How well a scene can work when all of the elements of filmmaking work together.
Thor: Ragnarok
With a lighter tone and a strong vision from Taika Waititi, the third Thor movie redirected the franchise. This requires expanding the visual palette to new heights and taking Norse mythology to new creative heights. Ragnarok’s environments, from Surtur’s flare-infused hideout to Sakaar’s colorful garbage, are bursting with color. Additionally, Waititi relied on DP Javier Aguirresarobe for epic sequences like Valkyrie’s flashback, Thor and Hulk’s gladiator showdown, and Grandmaster’s spaceship’s fireworks. However, nothing comes close to Thor’s supercharged plunge into Hela’s men as epic as it is.
Spider-Man
The animated films of Into The Spider-Verse also have their cinematography moments. Since live-action cinematographers have also worked on animated films, like Roger Deakins, there is
no exact equivalent for animation. However, a group of animators and effects supervisors collaborate to create breathtaking scenes in animated environments.
In this instance, the Spider-Man movie Into the Spider-Verse has the most epic cinematography moment in animation. The shot in which Miles Morales leaps from a building and dives down with the New York City skyline in the background is a fantastic representation of both the core of Spider-Man and modern filmmaking.
Sin City
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller. Robert Rodriguez, the film’s editor, and cinematographer, and Miller also serve as co-directors. This film showcases Rodriguez’s distinctive style and distinctive sense of direction. Making him one of the most well-known and well-respected working filmmakers of the present day.
Sin City is a comic showing sign of life in the most ideal way conceivable. It has the most comic book-like visuals of any film. Even more so, Rodriguez stated that he thought the movie was “less of an adaptation than a translation.” One of the most visually stunning and original films of recent memory turned out to be what could have been considered tacky. Robert Rodriguez shot the film.
Batman
Even though this may appear to be a bit of an exaggeration, all three versions of Batman are deserving of recognition. Batman has always looked great in the film and created some of cinema’s most iconic moments. Whether it was in the gothic style of the Tim Burton films, Christopher Nolan’s highly stylized version, or Matt Reeve’s gritty, realistic take.
Each of the three has been nominated for an Academy Award as a cinematographer. They each contributed to the creation of a distinctive take on the character that fans can tell apart by a single frame. However, each is iconic in its own right. It is impossible to choose just one that wins out over the others. Roger Pratt (1989), Greig Fraser, and Wally Pfister (2008) serve as the film’s cinematographers.
Comics and superheroes are presently partaking in a gigantic flood of fame on both the big screen and the little screen. With additional shiko filma and television series highlighting spandex-clad legends than at any other time. The increasing degree to which the DC Extended Universe and Marvel Cinematic Universe are interconnected has played a significant role in this. However, there have also been periods of the strong interest in live-action superheroes, such as the 1980s Christopher Reeve Superman films, the 1980s and 1990s Batman films (which featured a variety of actors playing Batman), the numerous films in the X-Men film franchise, the 1970s Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman television series, and the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s Superboy, The Adventures of Lois & Clark.
Comics and Superheroes in the Cinematography; Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash.
Analysis of the difference between film and television performances and theatrical performances. With the development of the times, people have begun to pursue spiritual needs based on meeting basic material needs. At present, our country’s performing arts industry is showing a situation of “blooming flowers”. And both theatrical performances and film and television performances have developed rapidly. Theatrical performances have attracted a large number of enthusiasts of traditional culture. Film and television performances have attracted more young audiences.
Here are the articles to explain, Difference between film, television, and theatrical performances
From the point of view of fundamental attributes. Whether it is a film & television performance or a theatrical performance. Both are expressions of art, and the forms of artistic expression of the two are relatively similar. But as different performing arts, there will inevitably be differences between the two. To better promote the development of performing arts in our country. It is necessary to analyze the difference between the two and avoid the development trend of homogenization.
Characteristics of film, television, and theatrical performances
Whether it is a film and television performance or a theatrical performance. The processes of the two have the same characteristics in the process of shaping characters.
First, analyze the background and times of the situation;
second, analyze the author’s ideological background and analyze under what conditions he created;
third, analyze the development and intention of the script;
fourth, briefly introduce each character;
fifth, shape the character of different characters;
sixth, sort out the performance process;
seventh, conduct an in-depth understanding of the complete character image.
The creation process of each character has the same characteristics. This shows that film and television performances and theatrical performances essentially belong to the same system. Every actor must recognize that there is a big difference between film & television performances and theatrical performances.
(1) Characteristics of film and television performances
The basic characteristics of film and television performances determine by the shaping of the characters by each actor in different scenes. Before performing, the actors need to have a general understanding of the development of the plot and the characteristics of the characters performed.
Actors must not only recite the text script in detail, but also study the director’s sub-shots, understand the director’s intentions, prepare for each shot before shooting, adjust their emotions, and avoid bringing personal emotions into the shot. The performance of the actors should be based on the content specified in the script. Each performance environment synthesizes according to the requirements of the script or the filming personnel in the later stage. It must carry out under the restrictions of the script and the restrictions of the camera.
Before entering the shooting venue, the viewfinder of the camera and the area of the performance are already stipulated. Different scenes will put forward different requirements for the actors. Each actor must grasp the scale of the performance, according to his role positioning, conceive the content of the script, and have a picture in his heart, no matter how the shooting situation changes, he must maintain a good level of performance, so that there is coherence between each shot.
(2) Characteristics of theatrical performances
The artistic characteristics of theatrical performance are determined by the different character images created by each actor on the stage. Theater actors create twice according to each script. After completing the analysis of the script and the preliminary preparations, rehearse and rehearse. Under the guidance of the stage director, repeated rehearsals and rehearsals carry out. And then each different repertoire and scene synthesize and train in the stage theater, and finally, the performance perform.
The theater actor himself can be both the creator of a script and the material and tool for creation. And the performer’s performance process of the character image is a true reflection of the work of art. In the process of theatrical performance, the performance of the actors has the characteristics of coherence. Because the theatrical performance will not limit by the camera, and the actors will more intuitively reveal their true emotions.
This kind of real performance form also makes it easier for the audience to attract by the stage and brought into the situation. Theatrical performances have higher requirements for actors. Actors need to test by the audience. The audience’s reaction will directly affect the actors’ emotions and even interfere with theatrical performances.
The connection between film, television, and theatrical performances
From the essence of performance studies, whether it is film and television performance or theatrical performance, the shaping and expression of character images by both are the creation of distinctive character images through artistic expression techniques. As an important branch of art, performance has gradually become an important way for human beings to express their feelings and an important way of artistic expression with the emergence and continuous development of human consciousness. The art of theatrical performance has a long history.
For example, Thespis was the earliest actor recorded in ancient Greek history. There were also many well-documented performing artists in ancient China. From theatrical art to theatrical performance, to the birth and development of film art and film and television works in the past hundred years, stage performance has become an important carrier of performing arts, constantly promoting the development of art, so that film and television performances and theatrical performances continue to develop and progress. As a rising star, film & television have many links with theatrical performances, which are the inheritance and promotion of theatrical works.
The shadow of the artistic expression form of film & television performance can stand found in theatrical performances. In the process of maintaining the characteristics of performing art forms, with the progress and development of modern science and technology and the digital application of camera technology, the scenes of film and television works are no longer limited by traditional specific scenes, and film and television performances have also begun to innovate their forms of artistic expression. Judging from the development of video performance and theatrical performance. There are many similar performing art forms between the two. But they are also very different in many ways, and each has different characteristics.
The difference between film, television, and theatrical performances
(1) The essence of performing arts, the difference between the two
Art itself has the characteristics of exaggerated expression. We often say that art comes from life, but art is also higher than life. Theatrical performances have many different forms of expression, and they are more exaggerated representations of the image of life. In the process of discussing the art of stage performance, the dramatist David Velasco mentioned that stage performance is an excellent form of artistic expression, which is unnatural for the creation of the stage environment.
Both the language structure and the language characteristics are very different from people’s usual communication. There are many differences. In most cases, the theatrical stage needs to pave and arrange the background, and shape the performance environment according to different screens, and the other side also needs to show to the audience and accept the audience’s suggestions.
Therefore, for theater performers, this puts forward high requirements for their voices, not only to meet the effect of sound transmission in relatively large theaters but also to meet the audiovisual feelings of each audience. It can see that every performer on the stage needs to make some appropriate exaggerated expressions. And his voice needs to be louder. It is not only necessary for the audience in the distance to feel the changes in the actors’ voices. But also to feel the changes in the actors’ facial expressions.
On the other hand
In film and television performances, actors face different cameras, and the performance environment is closer to the real living environment. Some film and television works will also fictionalize part of the environment through special effects. But the overall performance environment is relatively real, which is a reflection of objective life. At the same time, the lens of the camera uses to capture the changes in the expressions of each performer, breaking the limitations of traditional stage art. It can capture different scenes such as panoramic views, close-ups, and close-ups.
Any perspective can synthesize to show the character image from subtle changes in facial expressions and extended changes. Which more truly reflects the true emotions that a film and television performer wants to express. Therefore, for film and television actors, subtle changes in expression are more demanding, and even a subtle movement will affect the shooting effect. Therefore, the filming of film and television performances will require subtle changes in emotions, and performers require to express their truest feelings in their hearts so that the performance can be closer to life.
(2) The differences in the visual order of performing arts
Judging from the presentation of the visual sequence of performing arts, theatrical performances are more orderly performances around a single plot. They are all performances that are inherited and completed in one go, focusing on the development of different characters and events. In the process of theatrical performance, the advancement of actors and plots should be unified, which is the actual embodiment of life.
The performance program thus formed, on the one hand, theatrical actors must truly exist in the plot. But also experience the emotions of the characters in the plot, with the help of some auxiliary means. So that the actors can enter the role faster and grasp the characteristics of the characters. Film and television performances need to break the scene restrictions of theatrical performances. Especially with the support of the modern film and television editing and editing technology. The plot development of film and television works can break the restrictions of the script and realize the convergence of different plots.
The clips of some film and television works are reversed in the performance order. Which requires film and television actors to flexibly experience and respond flexibly according to different scenes of their own lives. The development of some plots will take a long time. Depending on the scene, film and television actors must interpret the role. Through the shaping of the character image and a good grasp of emotions. This requires higher performance skills for actors and requires actors to continuously improve their acting skills.
(3) Distinguish from the “feedback” of the performance
What we call the “feedback” of the performance includes two aspects. The first is the interactive feedback with other actors during the performance. And the second is the feedback from the audience after the work is presented to the audience. Since the content covered by performing arts is multifaceted, artistic expressions need to grow in feedback. This requires theater actors to interact with the actors on the same stage based on self-role behavior adjustment and to adapt to the changes of the actors on the same stage.
Theater actors will also receive the attention of the audience during the performance, especially in scenes that require strong emotions to erupt, and they need to interact with the audience to complete. For example, anger, joy, silence, etc. all need to get feedback from the audience. However, unlike theatrical actors, film and television actors film without feedback during the performance process.
They will interact and communicate with other actors in the plot, but they do not interact with the audience. In film and television performances, the audience will not directly participate. Due to the lack of stimulating effect of audience feedback. All film and television works are based on the actors’ emotional changes to realize the role. Therefore, the performances of film and television actors need to shape their self-image to ensure the integrity and coherence of the filming plot.
Concluding remarks
All in all, whether it is film and television performance or theatrical performance. It is an important way of artistic expression. Only by correctly understanding the difference between the two can we better promote the development of art and make our country’s film, television, and theatrical works more perfect.
Difference between film, television, and theatrical performances; Photo by Amal George on Unsplash.
Learn and Analysis, Discuss Case Study for BMW “The Hire” Ad Film Campaign!
BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft) is one of the world’s leading luxury carmakers. Founded and based in Germany, BMW group employed over 100,000 people, making and distributing a series of successful, premium-priced passenger cars and motorcycles. In addition to its manufacturing operations, BMW also provides financial services to support its worldwide sales and distribution of cars and motorcycles. The Case Study Reference by Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns. -Thomas Riggs. Also Learned, What is the Concept of Corporate Planning? Discuss Case Study for BMW’s “The Hire” Ad Film Campaign!
Image: #BMW Logo.
BMW was initially established to build aero engines during the First World War. By 1945, the company was still country’s leading aero engine manufacturer. But by 1928, BMW has also started making cars, when it got the license. It was later when BMW became one of the biggest automobiles makers in Germany. But after the Second World War, the company was laid into ruins. The demand for aero engines subsequently disappeared. Its factories and other capital equipment, which were located in the area now controlled by Soviets, were under serious threat. At this point of time company was not sure about its future and started concentrating on automobiles production. But in 1959, the company went into financial turmoil, when it faced bankruptcy. In this hard time, the company found a savior in the face of Herbert Quandt, who emerged as a powerful shareholder by taking over the 50% share of the company. In BMW group’s history, the turning point was in 1961, when it launched BMW 1500, which soon got BMW brand, the reputation of an excellent engineering company. Now a day, BMW enjoys the ownership of three quality brands, BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce motor cars.
In 2000 BMW posted total sales of $33 billion, a slight decrease from its 1999 earnings of $34 billion. Afraid of further backsliding, the Bavarian automaker decided to reshape its advertising to better target the Internet-savvy BMW customer. Before 2001 the company’s advertisements had typically consisted of product-driven campaigns with immaculate BMWs clinging to mountain roads. BMW asked its longtime advertising partner, Fallon Worldwide, to create something different. In 2001 five action-packed short films emerged under the campaign title ‘‘The Hire,’’ which became one of the most acclaimed campaigns in advertising history.
Three different BMW/Fallon campaigns preceding ‘‘The Hire’’ had mostly consisted of ‘‘hard-driving, product-focused efforts designed to show what it’s like behind the wheel of a BMW,’’ Jim McDowell, vice president of marketing at BMW North America, told Advertising Age. BMW and Fallon felt their campaigns’ flavor had been so overused by competitors that the original uniqueness had washed out. Wanting to launch a more unprecedented campaign, BMW asked Fallon for something new, but Fallon’s creatives felt confined within the restraints of traditional television spots. They wanted to show BMWs for longer periods of time and to truly push BMW’s performance to the point of damaging the car, which was something unheard of for a car commercial.
‘‘In response to our plea,’’ Bildsten said in an interview with Shoot, ‘‘[BMW] sent us this letter that was just amazing. They were telling us, ‘Take off the gloves. Do whatever you want. We want you to really stretch.’ ’’ After finishing a Timex campaign that included the use of video clips in Internet advertising, David Carter and Joe Sweet, two of Fallon’s art directors, were eager to try different filming techniques. ‘‘One night I challenged [Carter and Sweet] to come up with something cinematic,’’ Bildsten told Brandweek. ‘‘They came back the next morning with the whole idea almost completely worked out.’’ When they took it to BMW, ‘‘it took us about 30 minutes to present and 10 seconds for them to give us a green light.’’
After working with BMW to develop the idea of a James Bond-type hero who drove various BMWs, Fallon enlisted David Fincher’s film-production company, Anonymous Content. Fincher then successfully wrangled some of Hollywood’s biggest guns to create the five short films. Three more films were created in 2002 to promote BMW’s new Z4 roadster. All eight starred Clive Owen as the ‘‘hired’’ driver who found himself driving a BMW in every spot. ‘‘The Hire’’ was promoted much like a feature film would have been, with movie trailers, print ads, and Web ads.
Short subplots, which loosely linked the campaign’s first five storylines, were filmed quickly, and with a digital video camera, by Ben Younger and Director of Photography William Rexer. The filming of one scene, which looked like a real-life occurrence to most onlookers, involved a ‘‘car thief’’ slamming a ‘‘hit man’’ onto a car hood in New York. ‘‘Some of the reactions I got from people who weren’t real extras were so good that we had to hunt people down [to get permission to include them in the films],’’ Younger said in an interview with Shoot magazine. ‘‘I loved the reaction of one armored-car guy, so we paused the frame, took down the name on the side of the truck, and called the company to get a waiver from him.’’
Image: #BMW Ad Films Poster.
Since its launch “The Hire” has been singled out as the first high profile, big-budget, celebrity-laden Internet marriage of advertising and entertainment. It has been reviewed, scrutinized, deconstructed and cited as evidence of the perilous future for traditional advertising. New York Times film critic (Elvis Mitchell) called the series “a marriage of commerce and creativity, straddling the ever-dwindling line between arts and merchandising.” BMWFilms is simply the latest and possibly the hippest Web site to make use of streaming video in order to lure prospective customers. Fast cars, mysterious passengers, Buddhist monks, rock superstars, and sinister enemies are all part of the film series, which are presented in installments by some of Hollywood’s top directors. These films are being advertised on television the same way that movie trailers are advertised; the difference is that instead of the catchphrase “coming soon to a theater near you,” this catchphrase reads “see it only on BMWFilms.com.”
The five initial films cost an estimated $15 million, and the three made in 2002 cost about $10 million. ‘‘The Hire’’ catapulted BMW’s exposure into film festivals, awards shows, and even an exclusive BMW DirecTV channel. By 2002 BMW sales were up 17 percent, while some of its competitors, such as Volkswagen and General Motors, floundered. By June 2003 more than 45 million people had viewed the films, overshooting the original goal of reaching 2 million viewers. ‘‘The Hire’’ garnered numerous ad industry awards. The campaign’s final spot, ‘‘Beat the Devil,’’ aired November 21, 2002.
#Advertising Strategy:
Initially, Fallon and BMW had decided to film one serialized 45-to-60-minute film featuring a suave hero who saved, kidnapped, and escorted people using different BMW models. Fallon approached production company Anonymous Content, headed by David Fincher (director of Se7en and Fight Club), to produce the film. Fincher recommended that the spots be broken into five different films in order to facilitate file downloading and allow more flexibility in attracting talent to work on the project.
Following Fincher’s advice, Fallon developed scripts for five short films. In producing ‘‘The Hire,’’ Fincher and Fallon went so far as to create a dossier, complete with FBI and CIA files, just to flesh out the films’ hero. Fincher then solicited some of Hollywood’s top directors. The final list included Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate), Wong Kar-Wai (Chungking Express), Guy Ritchie (Snatch), and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros). The scripts, ranging from dark to hilarious, were distributed according to each director’s style. Anonymous Content chairman Steve Golin told Shoot, ‘‘The good news is that these weren’t commercials. We had very few restrictions. The budgets were equivalent to [those of] high-end commercials.’’
Fallon flipped the advertising equation upside down by spending 90 percent of its budget on production and only 10 percent on media. The reduced media expenditure was initially seen as a huge risk. According to Advertising Age’s Creativity, a BMW rep warned Fallon, ‘‘Either nobody will notice, or this will be a smashing success.’’
For each of the six-to-seven-minute films, subplots were also created in an attempt to weave the film storylines together. British actor Clive Owen, whose character became the common thread for the entire campaign, always played the skillful hired driver. Frankenheimer’s ‘‘Ambush,’’ the campaign’s debut film, first became available for download on BMWfilms on April 26, 2001. It featured the hired driver saving a diamond smuggler from machine-gun toting assailants in a cargo van. Fallon released each of the following four spots every two weeks. Typical Hollywood methods, including broadcast spots, billboards, and free posters, were used to promote the films. Print ads ran in Hollywood trade magazines Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone.
The trailers for ‘‘The Hire,’’ resembling regular movie trailers, aired on VH1, Bravo, and the Independent Film Channel. One of Fallon’s biggest challenges was to pitch the films as entertainment but to still disclose BMW’s involvement. ‘‘We wanted to avoid the ‘microbrew syndrome,’’’ Bildsten explained to Brandweek, ‘‘like where you look down and see that [your beer] was actually made by Anheuser-Busch.’’ ‘‘The Hire’’ was also uniquely filmed to fit computer screens. ‘‘No one had ever done an internet project of this magnitude, and we had a lot to learn,’’ Fallon producer Robyn Boardman told Advertising Age’s Creativity. ‘‘There are different things to keep in mind when shooting for the web. File size, for starters, and the fact that wide shots don’t play well.’’
Due to overwhelming Web traffic, ad-industry praise, and BMW’s bottom-line success in 2002, a ‘‘second season’’ consisting of three films began airing October 24, 2002. The second crop involved an equally renowned roster of names. Instead of Anonymous Content, all spots were produced by Ridley Scott (director of Blade Runner and Gladiator), who recruited directors Tony Scott (Top Gun), John Woo (Face/Off ), and Joe Carnahan (Narc). The actors included Gary Oldman, James Brown, Don Cheadle, Ray Liotta, and of course, Clive Owen, returning to star in the final three films. The last of the films was released at the end of 2002.
#Target Audience:
‘‘The Hire’’ largely arose from Fallon and BMW’s growing concern that past campaigns had been missing the company’s target audience: well-to-do, high-achieving males who usually researched purchases using the Internet and lacked the time to watch network television. Research showed that consumers inclined to purchase BMWs were also broadband-connected, tech-savvy males and that 85 percent of this population studied BMW’s cars online before even stepping into a showroom. As far as whom the campaign would appeal to, McDowell explained to Advertising Age, ‘‘We would have guessed that our central tendency would have been 25-year-olds, but actually, from our early measurements we got people older and more affluent than that.’’
Knowing that the mature target audience was keener on the viewing experience than on the interactive experience, Fallon purposely avoided using gaming software on the campaign’s website. To study the effectiveness of ‘‘The Hire,’’ BMW and Fallon devised units of measurement called ‘‘BMW minutes,’’ which calculated how much time viewers spent with the new Internet campaign compared to previous television campaigns. ‘‘We were astonished to discover that a major fraction of the total BMW minutes were Internet minutes,’’ McDowell told Advertising Age. Males made up 68 percent of the viewers, 42 percent of whom came from households with incomes greater than $75,000. The second suite of ‘‘The Hire’’ films featured BMW’s new Z4 roadster, which aimed at a demographic that could hopefully afford them. In late 2002 BMW began running its eight films on an exclusive BMW channel for DirecTV. The channel, which was available for a limited time, interspersed the films with behind-the-scenes footage and special ‘‘subplot’’ spots.
#Competition:
Mercedes-Benz, the German luxury arm of Daimler Chrysler, was the top-selling luxury brand in the United States in 1999, a position it maintained until losing ground to BMW and to Toyota’s Lexus in 2002. For the same year’s first 10 months Mercedes units sold dropped by 1,500, losing out to BMW’s incredible 17 percent sales growth that year. ‘‘Mercedes has been improving its quality but it hasn’t been keeping pace with the rest of the U.S. industry,’’ Brian Walters, director of quality research at J.D. Power and Associates, explained to Bloomberg News. In an attempt to reproduce BMW’s campaign success, Mercedes’s London-based ad agency, Campbell Doyle Dye, faked a movie trailer for a supposed upcoming film called Lucky Star. Never admit to being just an advertisement, the movie ‘‘trailer’’ broke in U.K. movie theaters July 4, 2002. Lucky Star pretended to be the next release from producer Michael Mann (The Aviator, Collateral) and portrayed Benicio Del Toro as a man acting independently to clean up Chicago’s commodities exchange. The spot periodically showed Del Toro masterfully speeding through Chicago in a $90,000 Mercedes 500 SL.
Toyota Motor Corp’s Lexus luxury division rose up to be the luxury-car industry leader, selling more units than BMW or Mercedes in 2001. Besides the sales success, Lexus dominated as the most reliable in its industry; according to J.D. Power and Associates, Lexus cars had fewer than half of the problems, after four and five years, that the average cars and trucks had. In 2001 Lexus decreased its ad spending. By 2002 the carmaker’s ad agency, California-based Team One Advertising, had focused its efforts on the remodeled ES300 sedan.
#The outcome of Ad Campaign:
‘‘The Hire’’ raked in a plethora of advertising awards, including two Grand Clio Awards and a Grand Prix Cyber Lion at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France, along with Best of Show at the One Show Interactive competition. The campaign was praised not just by the ad industry; it earned kudos within the entertainment arena as well. ‘‘Hostage,’’ from the second series of films, earned the award for Best Action Short during the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival in 2002. Entertainment magazines began reviewing the films.
Even the New York Times gave the films a favorable review. Their entertainment value garnered media coverage not accessible to the typical advertisement. ‘‘We’d hoped for a good response, but we never thought it would be as strong as it was,’’ Bildsten told Shoot in 2001. ‘‘BMW recorded over eleven million film-views. And according to their research, it really worked. [The films] got people to not just pay attention, but to buy cars.’’ By June 2003 the films had been viewed more than 45 million times. BMW’s sales rose 17.2 percent between 2001 and 2002, helping the automaker to outsell Mercedes and placing it second only to Lexus in the luxury-car market. From an ad industry perspective, the greatest pinnacle of ‘‘The Hire’’ may have been winning the first-ever Titanium Lion, the highest honor at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. The award recognized a campaign that caused ‘‘the industry to stop in its tracks and reconsider the way forward.’’
