Sherlock Holmes Website Analysis

Consider carefully the repetition of the words ‘legendary’ (used twice) and ‘new’ (used three times) in the synopsis. What do you think might be the filmmakers’ intention in putting together these two seemingly opposing ideas?
The intention of film makers in putting together these two phrases may be to reinforce that the film will take a new portrayal of Holmes and other leading characters in the famous series and emphasize to readers that this ‘new’ representation is the unique selling point of the film. As well as creating audience anticipation for fans of the series by showing that the film will still include the “legendary” character, the ‘new’ take on the character may also encourage younger generations, who are a large part of film audiences, to see the film. The film makers have achieved this by adding elements of ‘action’ into the film, as it is clear that action should maintain the interest of many younger audiences, where the film largely moves away from a mystery genre story, in order to take account of more modern audiences-this decision has also clearly influenced choices of actors in the film, along with other stylistic elements in the film and its distribution (the website itself has primarily been used to target younger, interactive audiences). Most young audiences or people who were not fond of the original depiction of Holmes may now be enticed to see the film as well as fans of Holmes.

Can you think of any new film portrayals of legendary figures?
James Bond-Daniel Craig’s more serious, dark character
Batman/Bruce Wayne-A more contemporary, dark figure rather than a ‘pure’ hero
King Kong-The modern portrayal represents Kong as a more human, passionate character that the audience can connect with, but may have been portrayed more as a horrific beast in the original film
Robin Hood-In the new film, Russel Crowe’s representation of the character appears as a more brutal criminal, rather than a legendary hero.
Star Trek-Kirk as a rogue rather than an honourable captain.

Look back at your ideas on genre from your work on the trailer. Does the synopsis confirm some of your ideas about the genre of the film? How?
I believe that the synopsis confirms many of my first interpretations of the film. The word ‘new’ used repetitively throughout the synopsis is reflected in the faster pace of the trailer, where fast cuts, explosive scenes (including gunfire) and tense, high tempo music reflect the nature of the film and its movement away from being simply a ‘mystery’ genre story and into the action-adventure genre. This is reinforced by a comical element in the trailer, again used to stimulate audience interest. The new representation of Holmes as the protagonist of the film is also evident in the trailer, where his use of intellect and fighting skills are shown, with martial arts and use of sophisticated language. The element of romance mentioned in the synopsis has also been used with both Holmes and Watson, in order to maintain interest so that audiences can relate to the characters, where female characters are also prominent throughout the trailer.

Notice the order in which the actors are listed in the synopsis. How do you think this order is decided upon?
The order in which actors are listed in the synopsis follows from the main character, Holmes, who is played by Robert Downey Jr., to Kelly Rielly who plays Watson’s love interest. For this reason, I believe that the order of actors is listed in order of the dominance of the characters in the film, where more important, main characters are listed first (who are also played by more famous actors), with less dominant characters noted at the end of the list-it is also evident that more information is given about characters listed first, as the audience is likely to be more interested in these characters and their actors, rather than the less important characters.

Who do you think might usually read a film synopsis? Where else in the media could you find a synopsis of a film? Have you ever read this section of a film website before?
I believe that those most likely to read a film synopsis are devoted fans of the series, who may be interested in the film before its release and would want to know more information about it. I believe that most other audiences would tend to use other media to find out about the film, and may simply wait until the release of trailers to find out about it. Film critics may also depend on a film synopsis to help them in coming to conclusions about the film. Other areas of the media where you may find a synopsis of the film include television. Interviews and chat shows on TV often include a summary of the film, as well as adverts for the film. Also, magazines, especially film magazines include detailed summaries of large-scale films like Sherlock Holmes, as well as critic’s opinions in newspapers. Also, many audiences may find summaries of the film on the internet, in blogs, social networking sites and forums. Personally, I often read the synopsis of films that I am a fan of or of films that have not yet been released, but are stimulating large audience interest or are featured in other areas of the media, such as on the news.

Would you use a synopsis like this to decide whether or not to see a film? Explain your reasons.
A film synopsis can often give me more information on a film, but rarely entices me to go to see the film on its own. I would usually use trailers, opinions of others, scale of production and distribution of the film and the level of my own interest in the film (e.g: from prequels) to decide whether to see it or not. This is mainly because the synopsis is simply a summary of the film, and an official synopsis is usually biased to make the film sound more appealing to the audience. For this reason, I would not usually trust the information given from the production company about the film, and would rather make my own opinion about it through other areas of the media. Furthermore, if there are more interactive elements on the website to use, such as games and trailers, I would usually use these rather than reading information, as it is more entertaining. The synopsis often gives little information about the storyline and states facts, such as actors and characters, which is less useful for me in making decisions to see a film.

What do you think is the purpose of this content on the website?
The purpose of most of the content on the website is simply to stimulate audience interest by using various techniques that entertain the audience, and in doing so, advertise the film to them-this is usually used because modern audiences are much more aware of marketing strategies, where they have become cynical towards these strategies, and so new ways to advertise the film have to be used. The use of the content on the website also reaches more particular audiences-younger generations that are more interactive, and most likely to be influenced to see the film. The use of games and downloads has been used to entertain the audience, building interest, especially for young males who may be most interested in action/adventure genre films. Viral marketing strategies are also evident on the website, with links to ‘Facebook’, in order to further advertise the film to their friends with the use of modern technologies.

Where else have you heard the word GALLERY? In what ways are the images in this gallery similar or different from images you may have seen in other types of galleries?
The word gallery also describes an exhibition, and also an area of seating in a theatre. The images in the ‘photos’ section of the website display mainly photos taken during filming, that give further insight into the production of the film, again helping to stimulate audience interest in the film. The pictures show certain scenes from the film and can tease the audience, influencing them to see the film. The pictures are very similar to those one may find in an art exhibition, often giving ‘portraits’ of actors. A slideshow format is used on the website, so that the audience can view each picture individually, as in an exhibition; however the photos featured on the website mainly feature only the two main characters in the film, Holmes and Watson. This is most likely because the audience will be most interested in these characters.

Why do you think there is more than one POSTER to promote this film?
I think there is more than one poster to promote the film, because of the large scale of the film and the large audience interest, particularly in the ‘legendary’ Sherlock Holmes series. For this reason, both teaser trailers and main posters have been used to stimulate as much interest as possible in the audience, and make the film a more exciting experience. Character posters have also been designed for the same reason, but also to reinforce the feature of many A-list actors in the film, again to boost interest-some people may be interested in the posters simply because they contain a particular actor, which may influence them to see the film.

Which type of people do you think the DOWNLOAD section is aimed at? Think about the age, gender and interests of the people most likely to use this function, keeping the content of the DOWNLOAD section in mind.
I believe that the download section is primarily aimed towards younger audiences who are more interactive and most likely to use the internet for entertainment purposes. Also, most of the people using this function are likely to be males, who are inclined to have more knowledge about technology, and are often using computers for gaming and socialising-the film will also probably appeal to this demographic more than females. Most of the content here is most likely to appeal to young males, as these are the people who are most likely going to enjoy the film, and who will use icons, wallpapers, screensavers and posters, as they will iconize the characters after seeing it.

Do you think these three sections are all aimed at the same type of people? Explain your answer.
I do not believe that each of these three sections are all aimed at the same type of people because different types of media will appeal to different people more. Those who may be older and more devoted to the series of Sherlock Holmes are most likely to want to use the gallery to get ‘behind the scenes’ and get more information about the film itself and how characters and scenes will appear in the film. Posters and downloads, however, may appeal more to a younger age group, who will iconize the characters in the film and may want to use character icons, for example, to show their interest to others on social networking sites. Younger audiences are also more likely to print posters, as the film may become a large influence on their life. I do, however, believe that most content on the website will be aimed towards males, as the film is of action/adventure genre, which will usually appeal to males more than females, and interactive websites are most likely to be used by males, who are often very technology-orientated, whereas females may access information about the film through other areas of the media.