This post is really late, but hello all! Now that Civil War is out, I think it is time for me to talk about the Avengers. As fangirls, we see these people differently. This means they are more than just random superheroes in comic books. They're our family, helpless children that need protection,perhaps even our whole world (that would be really sad, if that were the case). Anyway, I decided to talk about what would the Avengers be like if they were a full-blooded family. Because they seem like family members, and if they have the potential to be part of a special season of Fuller House. Oh wait...
Basically, I just assign who gets to be the mom and who gets to be the baby that throws the tantrums? Let us find out.
So I think this is everyone, I just think. But I am fully aware there are a lot of members in the Avengers, but most are not recognized as much. I also know Spiderman isn't part of the Avenger, I guess that explains why he's called Underoo by Ironman. Anyway, I apologize in advance if your favorite Avenger is not mentioned in this blog post at all. I will probably mention more that are not in this picture, so let's get started.
The more characters stand, the more divided the movies get. Quality will fall.
f********* haikus.
I don't have anything really special planned today, but at the end of this post I will discuss an idea for my blog. It is something that's hopefully going to add a little spice to this page so stay tuned for that. For now, I'd like to discuss something that means a lot to me. Of course, they are superhero films. Here's the thing. I enjoy Disney. I enjoy Barbie movies. But they're not my first love. My first love is Batman and Spiderman. When I was young, Batman and Spiderman has been one of my regular shows to watch especially when I'm bored. And I'm not gonna tell you which Batman and Spiderman shows they were because that's just gonna reveal how immortal I really am. Anyway, I love Superheroes. I may not read comics as much as others, but I really love Superheroes. I think they're cool, they have great stories to tell and I am a sucker for great stories. We get a lot of it, and I think this is the perfect time to talk about it, now that Captain America: Civil War is going to show in my country this week (I am so excited!).
Having all these phases for Marvel & DC, but there's something wrong with Superhero films nowadays. For the longest time, I've been trying to pinpoint what that was. Now I have. Without further adieu, let me talk about the problem I have with superhero films today.
2016 is the year of superhero films. We got Deadpool down, and a dozen more to go. But I guess it doesn't matter because we all love them, anyway. But if you follow trending news about Superhero films and TV series like me (wait you don't?), you would be able to notice that there are issues. And no, I am not talking about the casting choices. We got to see this issue before Deadpool came out. That's right, it is the rating issue. This does not end with Deadpool. Heck it didn't even begin with Deadpool. Suicide Squad intended to push through with their PG rating for a very long time. That certainly did not make a lot of fans happy. Now, Wolverine is going for an R-rating, and there are news that Batman V Superman should also have the same rating. Suicide Squad is still going for their PG-rating, making fans a bit more disappointed.
Recently we have so many trailers coming all at once.I can smell the marketing competition
alongside my Christmas candles.
The major mistake of many is to immediately judge the movie
because of the two T’s: teasers and trailers. Just because the marketing
strategy of the film was not that good, it does not necessarily mean that the
movie is going to be awful. Sometimes there is a good marketing and a bad
movie; other times there is bad marketing and good movies. The challenge most
of the time is to have the marketing part and the delivery of the product match
each other. If you can’t market your product well, no one is going to care about
it or worse, they’re going release negative word-of-mouth. I’ve been studying
marketing for quite some time and I think now is the time to put those
learnings to good use by analyzing the marketing strategies of the following
movies; Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Captain America: Civil War.
Here we shall see what went right and what went wrong, and what has caused us
to think this way.
Warning: DC and Marvel comparisons are present in this post,
but only for the sake to point out their marketing strategies. Please do not
assume that I am saying that the other entity is better than the other. Both
fandoms are great. Now let’s leave it at that.
Ok let’s be honest, not everyone was thrilled with the brand
new trailer of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Comments say it was
overstuffed. It gave away the entire plot and it was just plain disappointing.
Now the people who say this are mostly DC fans. Mostly. First thing you need to
know about marketing is that once you have a product in mind—in this case, a
movie that’s soon-to-be-a-franchise—you need to know your niche.
Side note: Marvel has the upper hand on this part now
because they’ve been doing so much movies already, and they know their audience
fairly well by now. As for DC…well, not so much. The only DCU films movie-goers
ever gave a shit about, were the Dark Knight Trilogy and The Man of Steel.
That’s just it. And these films were presumed to be independent of one another.
Basically, the DCU still doesn’t have a clue who their target market was until
the first official trailer, which was shown during Comic Con. If you think I’m
saying that they’re starting from scratch, then that’s I’m trying to point out.
Again, let us be reminded they’re not following the Marvel Studio formula where
you need three or five independent movies for each iconic Justice League
character. Compared to MCU, DCU still needs a lot of work at this point if they
intend to make it big as well in the Box Office.
Now they managed to succeed in the first trailer release,
because I don’t think it was not that bad. It shows everything you need to be
excited about. But since it is released just for Comic Con—and eventually the
World Wide Web, then my best assumption for this is that this very first
trailer was obviously meant to target the hardcore comic book and DC fans. The
second trailer was definitely not for the fans. That’s right fans who were so
disappointed in the second trailer; this wasn’t for you at all. It is meant for
a much more general audiences who aren’t that knowledgeable about the DC
universe. Like seriously, re-watch the trailer with a Twihard and ask if he or
she knows who Doomsday is, I effin’ dare you. He or she might assume Doomsday is like
the Justice League’s version of the Incredible Hulk. Back to my point, they want more people to watch this. They
probably want to recreate the miracle that occurred in Marvel Studios where people
were oblivious to the world of comics and came out of the theaters as converted
fans (Haha, don’t deny it. You’re one of those people too.). Simple as that.
But hey, what’s the point of making a good trailer for the
general audience if they show all the good parts?
Now that’s where they got confused.
When you market something, it’s like saying a promise. When
you buy this shampoo, I promise you that your hair will no longer have ticks.
When you buy this car, I promise you that the gas consumption of it will be
cheaper. The title of the movie alone delivers not one, but two promises. The
first promise of BvS is well…BvS. It promises a good fight scene between
Superman and Batman. The second promise lies on the Dawn of Justice part, which
simply means that this will be where the journey of the Justice League begins.
Now here is where the marketing team of BvS struggled. After knowing what
promise you want to tell your target market, that’s where you show your best
features. In this case, they have two major promises for the audiences and they
need to feature each somehow. This unfortunately caused the trailer to be
overstuffed. Basically, they weren’t sure what message to tell to the
audiences. They were simply torn if they should only talk about the Batman V
Superman fights or the emergence of the Justice League, because these are very
exciting concepts. So they probably panicked and showed both. Shoehorning
Doomsday because that’s their best feature for the Justice League promise. Now
I agree, the trailer shouldn’t reveal everything. But in this case, their goal
is a very general trailer. Now I can’t help but notice that most of the
comments and critics for the second trailer came out like this:
“I just want Batman V Superman. I don’t care about the
Justice League. Just give me Batman and Superman fighting.”
At this point, they should’ve listened to their niche and
stick to just Batman vs. Superman snips. Or maybe just released their 50-second
teaser. But again, I understand why they released this trailer, because it is
for an audience who know not much about Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman. And
to make this work, they could’ve just stuck to at least until the roar of
Doomsday and then cut the tape. That is, if they want to execute two of their
promises in one three-marketing material. I guess at this point the DCU is
pretty much desperate to look cool in the superhero trends. They want everyone
to know they can have a cool team-up just like the Avengers.
But let me tell you guys that this does not define DC
altogether. I think the best marketing for DC so far occurs in the TV Universe,
and that is DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The TV Universe has more ground, thanks
to Arrow and The Flash and they are fully aware that the side characters
featured in this spin-off series are well-loved by the audience, so to keep
them hooked a crossover/team-up series with no filler arcs is the best way to
go to keep up their numbers. And they need to get through to Arrow first if
they want to see it. Good move, CW. But please work on your teasers.
Now for the Civil War trailer. Yes, I can smell the Marvel
fans expecting me to praise this trailer.Ok, personally I thought the trailer was good, and it already showed
what I needed to know about. It already spoke of its promise, which is, “Expect
Captain America to fight Ironman and the entire world for Bucky. Because...Bucky. Bucky.” Then they
execute the scenes that make it look like a Civil War.
I like how they give a reason for their fight, which is
Bucky. The reason why it’s been given so much praises is simply because Marvel
does have the upper hand. They’ve been making one movie after the other, and
they know their fans will still watch because they are fully aware that
everything in Marvel is connected somehow. It is a tiring yet effective plan.
Because of this non-stop movie-making, they’ve become aware of their target
market, and they were also able to research them, which is something the WB
marketing team can’t do at the moment due to their scarce source materials
(like I said, DCU is just starting, chill guys and have faith). Marvel Studios
knows what makes us tick. And after Avengers and the Winter Soldier, they know
perfectly well that anything that has to do with the friendship of Tony and
Steve, and a bit off Bucky will make us shut up and allow them to take our
money. Because…Bucky. Bucky.
Just looking at the scenes makes you wonder what is going to
happen and how in the world will this conflict end. For the hardcore Marvel
fans out there, you probably already know.
The best features of their promise are three things. First
is the tension between Ironman and Captain America. The next is Bucky. And the
last how this simple conflict is going to cause Civil War.That’s all the trailer shows. That’s their
marketing strategy. Let us make Bucky the source of this conflict, because
everyone seems to care about Bucky. Because as implied in the trailer, Captain
America won’t let anyone hurt Bucky, who is perceived as this man that must be
killed. And it is going to cause a lot of problems. So hurrah, Marvel fans.
Your marketing team is not so bad. Because…Bucky.
That is how you market a movie, my friends. Tell us the
promise and only show portions of your best features. Whether it is the
characters or the conflict itself, just showcase it somehow. But don’t expose
all the parts of your best features/ And also, it is best if you can come up
with a target market, especially when you are starting franchise like DC. If
you want a general audience, then give them an education of the characters who
they probably know about and let them know what these characters are getting
into. If you want to target an audience is very knowledgeable about fandoms,
then tug at their hearts and research on your freakin’ audience. Know what
makes them tick and use it against them. Isn’t marketing just plain beautiful?
And that concludes my long post about marketing approaches
and how it must be done. As I mentioned on my Facebook page, December is the
most convenient month for me to watch some Anime. And yes, I will be posting a
brand new Anime review pretty soon. Just give me a couple of more days to
finish the show until I can construct my thoughts on it. It will probably not
be the last since I have time to review some Anime movies and series. So expect
more Anime in this post. If you’re on the holidays, then congratulations and I
wish you the best time of your life. If you’re still on a Holidaze due to your
upcoming exams and workload, then I still wish you all the best. Till the next
post~
DISCLAIMER: This post is strictly satirical and not meant to be taken seriously.
For some reason, being a vigilante is so much cooler than being an actual superhero. Technically, you are still a superhero, but with an air of mystery enveloped around you. In short, it kinda sounds badass. The downside is that you can be considered a threat to not just the bad guys, but to also the good guys. To the public, you are creep in a mask with a hidden agenda. But being a vigilante still looks cool. So here are five ways to become one.
1.) Wear a costume with dark colors. We've seen Batman, Green Arrow, Daredevil, and the Punisher. Now what do they all have in common? Dark hues. Their costumes do not involve rainbow patterns; they involve camouflage emo colors. It's quite understandable why, since they are also viewed as the masters of deception. They know how to blend well with their surroundings, since vigilantes mostly work at the night time. Don't go for the bright ones like Spiderman. Just look where it led him; now he has to save Mary Jane all the time.
2.) Ignore the need to sleep. If you think vigilantes are nocturnal, then you're wrong. Vigilantes need to be active during the day too because sleeping in every single day would be too suspicious. Either they will be seen as hardcore party-goers or masked vigilantes. Kinda makes sense right? As much as we need sleep, remember...sleep is for the weak. Vigilantes also lead double lives, which they need to cater to equally. Kinda explains why Oliver Queen demands too much coffee from Felicity, right?
3.) Get a depressing backstory.
As told by Batman. Depressing backstories always have a tinge of the injustice element and this triggers the vigilante's need to put on an awesome suit and save the world...or city. Basically, it's your motive. The reason you need to act crazy and beat up random robbers who are obviously living their own vigilante escapade.
4.) Sneer at the idea of a social life.
Because delivering justice is so much more important than going to your friends' average party. However you still do need to attend social events, but you need to hate it because you seriously have other more important things to do. Or at least pretend to hate it. Also, no love life. That would take a turn for the worst. Isn't that right, Spiderman?
5.) Never EVER kill
It's the vigilante code to never kill. It completely messes up one's psyche. So it would be the best idea to avoid killing. However, this code is still debatable since a lot of vigilantes broke this code. Unfortunately.
And that is it! Sorry if it's real short. Consider this as an appetizer for an even better and bigger post that will be up in the nearby future. For now, till the next post~
I noticed that I've been into List-related posts lately. However, this is something that I wanted to share for a very long time. If being an obsessed fan of *insert an incredibly long list of fandoms here* is hard, then being a Filipino fan is harder. Believe it or not, Doctor Who and Star Trek fans are also common around the Philippines. Although I haven't met much "Fandom" (I have an explanation as to why I came up with such a label) fans, the struggles we share are similar and very real. And I can assure you that having the "feels" trip is not the only problem we have.
1.) The Long-Distance Relationship Problem- I'm sure the Filipino Comic book (particularly Marvel and DC) fans can definitely relate to this post, especially since a great number of us were not able to attend the Comic Con at San Diego this year. To us, attending a Comic Con, witnessing a Q&A Panel, getting an autograph from an awesome author or graphic artist.... that's a dream for us. If not a dream, it is a rare opportunity. Most of the fandoms we love are admittedly from other countries and traveling is a luxury for most of us. I'm sure Filipinos who love One Direction or any band or singer can feel this too. But hey, at least concert tours never forget to pass my country. Yes, we do have conventions, but according to my friend a few months back, the experience is not the same. And its understandable if this is the best we can get since the Philippines is really far from most countries, particularly the countries that have the Harry Potter Universal Studios, the cast of Game of Thrones, J.K. Rowling, and DC/Marvel Stars in them.
2.) The Accessibility Problem- This is somehow similar to the first problem, but this time I want to talk about the merchandise. Have you ever had this desire to buy something that is related to your fandoms? Like, you wanted your very own Lootcrate or your very own wand (and I am not just talking about any wand, I am talking about a Harry Potter wand)? I don't know how many times I have encountered this feeling and in spite of my parents' advice of being less materialistic, you can't easily shake the feeling of wanting even some Batman Merchandise. I got the same feeling when I realized that Zoella's book might not be sold here in the Philippines (which I would like to read, thank you very much). People buy these stuff to express how much support and love they give to their fandoms. As long as you have the money then you have the right to buy whatever you want. However, getting the right geek stuff is not that easy for us. Based on my experience of buying fandom merch, there are three ways. The first option is for Anime fans. You can buy your cosplay or Anime stuff in Comic Alley, which is a store mainly for Anime or the "kawaii" Stuff. Another way is to go to the conventions where they sell a whole lot of stuff that you can't easily find in stores. The final alternative is to search every inch of every mall in the metropolitan area. But chances of getting something very authentic is--and I quote Tony Stark on this one-- twelve percent. That's kind of reasonable, simply because Geek things are not that popular in the Filipino Market. And even if they were, they won't come in cheap. Believe me, there are not much nearby Geek stores within my vicinity. The place where they sell actual comic books are miles and miles away from my place and you have to be a dedicated fan with a lot of cash to be able to get through such obstacles. Trust me, I got my Camp Half-Blood Shirt (which is something related to the Percy Jackson fandom) from someplace very far and I was extremely lucky to get my hands on it.
3.) The Colonial Mentality Problem- I think this is a deep and touchy problem. We Filipinos are highly encouraged to be nationalistic, at least that's one of the many important lessons I had to learn during my elementary days. In other words, having the "Pinoy Pride" is a big deal for us. There are many abstract reasons why and I am sure that this is also the same case for other countries. We always had this issue that if you like something that is not of Filipino origin, then you are officially westernized. The Philippines is doomed in a sense that there are people who do not even notice what our country has to offer because we are so focused on many foreign things, tangible or intangible. As a Filipino, I actually feel bad that I am more knowledgeable about The Mortal Instruments series than Noli Me Tangere (don't get me wrong, though. I actually enjoyed reading the novels of Jose Rizal). And I am sure that I am not the only one who is feeling this way. Although the idea of Colonial Mentality sounds embarrassing and depressing, loving something foreign does not automatically mean that I love my country less. When I read Harry Potter, it does not mean that I abhor anything that is local. When I fangirl about the cast of Arrow, it does not mean that I completely forgot about where I come from. I love the Philippines very much and that is that. I admit, our country has gotten a truckload of foreign influences, but it's not entirely a bad thing.
4.) The Anti-"Masa" Problem- Growing up, I encountered two kinds of people in my nation; the first group would be the geeks and fandom peeps that I grew up with, and the second group are people who are not so familiar with the geek interests and are more into the local pop culture, or commonly known as, "pang-masa". In the Philippines, the most common terms for these two respective groups are "Conyo" and "Jologs", however I honestly think these words are sort of vague for me, since I do not really consider myself as a Conyo. Back in high school, my circle of friends and I are not that familiar with the pang-masa culture. We were very content with our interests. Now that I am in college, I slowly became exposed to it, and my friends are very alienated by my interests. My high school friends, on the other hand, find anything in Filipino mass media extremely odd. I know some people who do not really want to dwell in that void because it is filled with romance, Wattpad love stories, and movies of infidelity that are sometimes sickening and honestly overrated. A close friend of mine claimed that she didn't really trust Filipino Media as much, simply because it's cheesy and not so interesting to her. Perhaps this is the reason why I am not so open to our pop culture. I am not really into the whole, "kilig" factor, dramas, and young love teams that they always come up with. Chemical Zeon, a very dear friend of mine and an all-around Geek blogger, shares his testimony about this matter:
"Whenever you talk to your friends, there is nothing you can hear other than the sound of sweet romantic coupley cutesy stuff that just makes you want to barf. Seriously, in all of my years as a student, nothing is more infuriating than having a poster outside a theater relate to you more than your friends ever could. It’s hard to live a geek’s life here in the Philippine’s when the only Batman these people know is Daniel Padilla, that DJ who everyone seems to like because of aesthetic. You can argue that Batman is a universally well known character, and I can argue that the only thing people know about him is he talks like he swallowed a 7-inch vibrator."
You can say that there is slight discrimination between the people who are into and not into the local pop culture. I have a friend who thought that Tumblr was a site for only rich and luxurious lot. Yes, I am serious. The Filipino Geeks are usually perceived as "intellectual aliens" who refuse to open up to something that is of the masses. While these so-called intellectual aliens would sometimes see the people who are into Anne Curtis or Kris Aquino as Jejemons (you may google the terms, if you are not familiar) with lowly tastes. Although it is not a major problem, the blurred lines are still there.
5.) The Isolated Geek Problem- Again, this is somehow related to the previous problems mentioned. Geeks are also considered freaks or weirdos. Yes, such a problem is quite evident in the Philippines. Aside from appearing ignorant to mass media, Chemical Zeon once again shares:
"You tell your friends you’re a geek. You talk about the things you like. They try to change who you are, because the things you like aren’t normal. I don’t know if I’m the only one who experiences it, but I’ve been panned in-school a lot for opening books and reading them for fun. This is the Filipino Attitude that I would never understand, it’s as if social climbing is ingrained in our social system, that if we don’t climb it their way then we’re losers. What happened to liking something because you find it beautiful? Whatever happened to wearing something comfortable like my Superman Tee or Iron Man Backpack as opposed to wearing stuff that makes you look good according to the people around you?"
I am not so sure a majority of Filipino geeks are experiencing the same issue, but in high school, good friends of mine were bullied for just liking anime. Apparently in our little community, Anime was deemed as something weird (which is true, but who cares right?). But yes, it happens and I am sure anyone can relate to this.
And those are the five struggles we Pinoy Geeks have to face. Just so you know, these struggles are based on my experiences and observations. So I understand if you did not fully agree on this post. I would like to thank Chemical Zeon for sharing his thoughts. You may pay a visit to his website, where he talks about his fandoms and writes reviews for very interesting films. Hopefully this is enlightening and see you till the next post!
I just fixed my brand new blog on Wordpress.com and I realized...I can't just blog about beauty (and possibly fashion), lifestyle, anime, DC (or other comics), books (which I barely started with), games, movies, and many other stuff all at the same time. It might be all too much and it can get pretty confusing.
So I decided to handle another blog which will handle my beauty reviews, fashion (if possible), my random lifestyle, travels or adventures (if any), and random thoughts. This blog will still be up and running, and it will mostly focus on Anime/Manga, DC or Marvel, Games, Books, and Movies. You know... fandom-related stuff.
My brand new lifestyle blog is tamaaachan.wordpress.com. A link will also be available at the sidebar along my list of other social networking sites. It remains blank for now, but expect a brand new entry next week! So that is it, and I will post again very soon!
