Lucy's view: Ben Affleck as Batman? Just think of it as a rebrand

The logo for the Batman and Superman
film to be released in 2015.

There seems to be a lot of negativity around the decision to cast Ben Affleck as the new Batman, and I can see people's concerns. But let's face it, this is not the first time this has happened and it will not be the last, I am sure people remember the media hype around Daniel Craig being cast as James Bond, and look how that turned out. For the record, I am aware James Bond is not a superhero, but his character is treated in a very similar way. Everyone has a favourite 'Bond' just like everyone has a favourite Superman, Spiderman, and obviously Batman, and I think it's pretty obvious that every actor brings something different to the role.

We oppose change

We humans are creatures of habit, and tend to resist change, and this is true across every aspect of our lives. And shaking up the casting of our favourite superheroes is always going to cause a stir. But superheroes are not the people in the suits, they are the characters with compelling stories, from comics dating back to the 30's (DC was founded in 1934, Marvel in 1939). Having a brother who is majorly into his comic books, I am learning that there are so many different story lines and variations in characters, that there is no way that the films can even keep up!

Also, these superheroes do not seem to age much. Kirk Alyn was the first actor to play Superman, way back in the 40s, there is no way he could still be playing the role now! And I am sure there was some upset when he was replaced, just like what's going on with Batman now.

Another factor to consider is that different comic book writers have brought their own spin to the characters, take the Tobey Maguire "Spiderman", and Andrew Garfield "The Amazing Spiderman", both actors are portraying a different Spiderman, created by two different sets of writers. Both required different actors, as both are essentially different characters, just they have the same name. It's a lot more complicated than it seems on the surface, which is why I trust the people casting for these roles, they know what they are doing! Ultimately, times change, roles and actors change, and thus people are replaced.

Tobey Maguire as Spiderman (left). Andrew Garfield as "The Amazing Spiderman" (right).
You can tell the character / icon is still Spiderman, effectively the character has just been rebranded.

"It's simple we kill [rebrand], the Batman" - The Joker

Whilst thinking about the news of Ben Affleck's casting, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between this situation and rebranding, as essentially, that is what's happening. Batman is still Batman, there is just a different guy behind the mask. He still has the same name, he just looks and acts a bit different, within the constraints of the character. Sound like a rebrand to you?

Batman is technically a brand, his suit and logo are icons of his brand, and it is a brand's icons that stick with you as a consumer. But, as Interbrand so succinctly put it:

"Icons are tremendous assets with incredible value, however they require regular updating to infuse them with new and relevant meaning."

As much as we like things to stay the same, we sometimes have to admit to ourselves that things have got a bit tired, or, if we're savvy, we may decide to freshen things up whilst we're still onto a good thing. And this is when we decide to rebrand. It's probably a good job Christian Bale got out now, soon we'd be complaining things had become too 'samey'. At some point, you, or in Batman's case Warner Bros., have to take a leap and change things, and wait for both the positive, confused, and negative reactions. Nobody is ever going to please everybody!

We feel strongly towards our favourite characters because we have empathy with them. When a different comic book writer writes about a well known character, or a new actor is cast for our favourite superhero, they are going to bring their interpretation to the table, it is still the same character, but just slightly different. Superficially our feelings may change towards the character, maybe because we don't like the new writer or actor as much, but remember, it's the writer or actor you're not keen on, not the character itself. The same rules apply to rebranding, people may initially not warm to a new look, but it's what's underneath that retain customers and keeps people interested. Like a brand, the suit and, the character's name, are just the first of many layers that people experience when interacting with a brand.

Change is good, but remember your story

The itv rebrand caused quite a stir when it was launched, now it is
accepted as "the norm".

In a rebrand, you may change your logo, colour palette and strap lines, you may even change your name! But underneath you are the same company, probably with the same mission and values. You are essentially the same, you just look a bit different, you may even act a bit differently. During a rebrand you might strengthen your policies, tighten your internal operations, and become bigger, bolder, and better. One of the most important things to remember in business is that your brand will mean different things to different people. Individuals will interpret your brand in different ways, and this is how a unique business to customer relationship is formed. If you change things peoples feelings may change, but you are likely to attract more people to your business if you are brave, change things, and throw yourself out there. What makes you shine more than any of this is your story, both as a company, and as an individual, this is your continuity, what carries through your old and new brands, this is what people buy into.

As previously mentioned, the decision to cast Ben Affleck has caused controversy, but the experts have selected him for the role, and I am sure they have considered Batman's characteristics when making this decision. In the same vane, when undertaking a rebrand, it is important to consult experts. You know your brand better than anyone, but it's the expert that will help you to unearth the true potential of your brand. An expert will help you to reinvent, reinvigorate and rejuvenate, whilst making sure that there is a clear continuity between old and new. 

Let's not write Ben off just yet, let's embrace change and give it some time to become the norm, then we can start complaining all over again when Warner Bros. decide it's time for another recast, sorry, rebrand!

We'd love to hear your opinions, tweet us @ubd_studio

Lucy's View: Dolby Atmos- bringing sound in the cinema to life!

I love the cinema. For ages I just didn't go but recently I can't get enough! Maybe it's because production companies are bringing out films that I simply can't wait to see, Despicable Me 2 being the next on my list. Or maybe it's the atmosphere, and sharing the hype that goes with being one of the first to see a new release. When Iron Man 3 came out I was there for the 00:01 showing, because that's how excited I was, call me sad / nerdy, but we all have things we 'geek out' on!


That being said, you can probably imagine how excited I was when, flipping through E&T magazine, I read about the latest advances in cinema sound. What with 3D now common place, sound needed to catch up with the visual feast that goes on when you go and see that latest blockbuster on the big screen, and that's where Dolby Atmos comes in.

What is Dolby Atmos?

So far, in the UK, there is only one cinema that has this new technology installed, and of course you will find it in London: Empire's Leicester Square complex. This 3D sound system will integrate up to 64 speakers, all of which can be individually isolated to pin-point sound to a certain location in the cinema. Not only that, but because of the isolation of the speakers, the sound can move, dragging you further in to the cinema experience and immersing you deep into the movie atmosphere.

Diagrams comparing the three Dolby sound systems available at present. (From the Dolby website)

A few films have already been released supporting this new sound format, including Star Trek Into Darkness, in which people have claimed they found themselves ducking to avoid overhead space craft! This is the first time speakers will be placed in the ceiling, leading to a depth of sound never experienced before in the cinema. However it seems that the home cinema craze have already adopted this trend, Bang and Olufson, Bose, and Harmon Kardon have developed speakers specially designed to be installed into the ceiling.

Not only is the new technology exciting news for the average cinema buff, but film developers will no longer have to mix their sound to suit the number of speakers in the cinema, Dolby Atmos will do this for them, making the most of the speakers available, whether it be in a huge cinema, or a smaller independent establishment.

Rollout of this new sound technology may take some time. Cinemas will have to close in order to have their systems upgraded, and I doubt that it will be cheap. But I for one am looking forward to my cinema experience being all the more exciting!

Source of Information:
http://techland.time.com/2013/06/06/dolby-atmos/
http://www.dolby.com/gb/en/professional/technology/cinema/dolby-atmos.html
http://www.dolby.com/gb/en/consumer/technology/movie/dolby-atmos-details.html
E&T Magazine Vol. 8 Issue. 6 July 2013

Owen's View: Looking to extend brand reach – at the cinema

Robert Downy Jnr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man 3.

Having just watched Iron Man 3, which I really enjoyed, I found myself particularly drawn to those brands and their products both obviously (Audi and Oracle) and subtly (ABB and FIOS products) injected into the movie. I even missed some, which others have since highlighted.

It is almost laughable now how brand product placement is something we come to expect as part of our movie experience. Not since Minority Report have I been blown away how cinema can exploit the captive audience of the cinema. 

Do you know what this little icon means?
 

The 'PP' icon used in the UK for programmes
containing product placement.

Product placement has been common on UK television since February 2011, when the 'PP' symbol was introduced. The EU define product placement as "any form of audiovisual commercial communication consisting of the inclusion of or reference to a product, a service or the trade mark thereof so that it is featured within a programme".

This form of advertising is popular due to its ability to show products in context, for example how people interact with products, and how a product interacts with its environment. This facilitates an emotional connection between the product and the audience. Product placement on commercial television has been common practice in the US for a lot longer than in the UK.

However, long before television entered our homes, product placement was already taking place in the cinema, with the earliest instances taking place around 1895! More recent, and much more well-known, instances of product placement include a Capital One credit card in 127 Hours, Domino's Pizzas in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nike trainers in The Terminator, and Heineken lager in Skyfall.

Is product placement effective?

One of the sarcastically obvious product placements in
'Wayne's World'.

Quite simply, yes it is. There are several ways to measure the effectiveness of product placement, one being implicit memory. A study used the film 'Home Alone' to test the product placement of Pepsi. One group of children watched a clip of the film featuring Pepsi, and when asked to pick between Pepsi and Coke, 67% of the children chose Pepsi. Out of a group of children who watched clip of 'Home Alone' which did not feature the soft drink, only 42% chose Pepsi.

Studies have also shown that a number of factors can affect the success of a product placement, including the attractiveness of the characters, and the degree of subtlety used when placing the product. The 1992 film 'Wayne's World' did a great job of highlighting how to do product placement badly in their parody. In the scene both Wayne and Garth decry product placement while at the same time blatantly promoting many products by looking directly at the camera, holding up the product, smiling widely, and sometimes giving a thumbs-up. 

And as for Iron Man 3...

The main product that I was drawn towards through the excitement, action, thrill and MARVEL madness was the Audi R8. This is more than likely why I really like the super car and Audi as a brand but one thing I did not notice was the fact that Audi appear to have category exclusivity in the film. It has been pointed out that one of the cars in the film is a Mustang, however does not carry the Mustang logo.

Audi take centre stage in the Iron Man movies.

I was also intrigued by some of the sunglasses Tony Stark was wearing. Several eyewear brands were represented throughout the film but the one that caught my eye was the luxury brand Matsuda, who have a very cool website! You can also check them out on Twitter.

And of course MARVEL did not forget to advertise the Avengers franchise with their trademark bonus clip after the credits!

However, it has been questioned whether product placement was taken too far in Iron Man 3, especially in the chinese version. Chinese audiences we treated to an extra 4 minutes of footage, but from the reviews it seems that most of this footage was used to promote a cheap chinese milk brand!

What about the future?

Product placement occurs everywhere; in our streets, on our screens, in our books, everywhere. Are we as creatives going to be asked to persue further avenues to promote and advertise a brand's products and services? Red Bull have already gone to the heady heights of space to push the boundaries, we're pretty sure that if practicality hadn't have gotten in the way Felix would have been enjoying a can just before he jumped to earth...

Notice how his suit is Red Bull branded.

We'd love to hear what you thought of Iron Man 3, and what you think about product placement in general. Leave us a comment or tweet us @ubd_studio.

Sources of Information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_placement#Product_Placement_in_Historical_Cinema
http://brandsandfilms.com/2013/05/product-placement-slideshow-iron-man-3/
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=78666
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/20/ofcom-product-placement-uk-tv
http://www.slashfilm.com/5-things-that-bothered-me-about-iron-man-3/

UbD must see: Fast & Furious 6

Friday saw the release of Fast and Furious 6, the latest offering from the Fast and the Furious series, and it's got most of us here in the studio pretty excited, especially since we found out Vin Diesel does a lot of the stunts himself!

Most of us were still in school when the first film, 'The Fast and The Furious', was released in 2001. Since then the series has provided us with over a decade of action, consisting of 6 full length movies, a couple of spin off short films, AND the promise of Fast & Furious 7 to be released next year! We're already looking forward to it, and we haven't even seen number 6 yet! 

One of the customised cars featured in the Fast and the Furious series.

Just as we have grown up, the Fast and the Furious films have somewhat switched their focus to move with the times. The earlier films touched on the culture of street racing which, although illegal, was a way of life that racers could not live without. Car customisation also played a large part, and was portrayed as an art-form, highlighting that to earn credibility in this culture, it is important to produce something beautiful, as well as engineer something high performance. This is something that applies in our industry as well! Now, from the later films, we expect fast-paced crime-packed action thrillers, and by the looks of the trailer, Fast & Furious 6 is not going to disappoint. We're organising a cinema trip ASAP!

Have you managed to see Fast & Furious 6 yet? Or are you heading out to see it soon? Let us know what you think.