Director Zack Snyder and cinematographer Fabian Wagner shared a pair of cool new photos from behind the scenes of Justice League. The ensemble actioner from DC and Warner Bros. is less than two months away from its wide release, and with the new trailer that released over the weekend, anticipation has reached fever pitch.
Snyder went right back behind the cameras to continue DC’s curiously unnamed cinematic universe after 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, while Wagner is making a major leap to work on his first big-budget feature film.
That doesn’t mean Wagner totally lacks experience as a cinematographer for big productions. He is coming off his acclaimed work on Game of Thrones, earning an Emmy nomination for his cinematography on the pivotal season 5 episode “Hardhome”. He proved his ability to create sprawling visuals with that episode, which locations like Iceland provided in abundance for he and Snyder to make Justice League. Wagner gave fans a taste of how epic some of the shots in the new film will be in his latest photo from the set.
Check out the behind-the-scenes glimpse at Justice League below, via Wagner’s official Instagram account.
It reveals a shot of what is presumably Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne surrounded by mountains, staring off into a large body of water. The location in question is the Westfjords, a large peninsula in Iceland that was confirmed as a filming location over a year ago. In addition to Affleck, several Aquaman cast members were involved in the Iceland-shot scenes. As Wagner mentioned, filming wrapped in the location almost a year ago.
Snyder also shared a photo of himself on the set via the social network Vero (h/t Batman-News). You’ll notice that Snyder is using a camera that’s painted pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which he first used on the set of Batman V Superman. You can also see that a chilly Snyder was prepared to get wet if he had to, in order to get the best possible shots.
Wagner described Justice League as the “biggest and most fun job” of his career, and it would be hard to argue otherwise. Regardless of how fun the film was compared to Game of Thrones, Justice League was almost certainly the most expensive production yet for him. The official budget is unknown, but it likely falls between Aquaman’s $160 million and Batman V Superman’s $250 million. It’s known that Wagner employed a similar visual style to Batman V Superman, which original cinematographer Larry Fong (unsurprisingly) described as “incredible”. This newest photo from the Iceland set shows that those scenes will surely boast some amazing views.
Don’t miss out on aligning your brand alongside this MEGA blockbuster – guaranteed to usher in large audiences.
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities.
Sources: SCREENRANT and YouTube
Commissioned by Motivate Val Morgan – market leader in cinema advertising across the Middle East, Ipsos – global market and opinion research specialist, recently conducted a study to decipher movie-going audiences and measure the effectiveness of cinema advertising in the UAE.
The report, Cinema 360: Audience, Advertising and Movies, examines the following:
1. Cinemagoers: habits and preferences
2. Cinema vs TV and Digital Mediums
3. Movie genre insights for specific audience targeting
The study validates the distinctive power of cinema as a medium for entertainment and advertising: premium first-run content, delivered to a captive and engaged audience, in an impactful environment, can deliver significant uplift and value to advertising budgets.
Access the reports below:
Executive Summary, Methodology and Overview
Key Findings and Takeaways for Advertisers
The Art of Shaving – a sought-after brand in the UAE, booked 2 Cinema Activities at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, for a period of 1 month through Motivate Val Morgan.
The activities are as follows:
The Art of Shaving is also one of the global sponsors of the movie Kingsman: The Golden Circle – which released in cinemas on September 21. International Markets Leader of the brand Asad Raza Khan said, “The Art of Shaving is proud to be associated with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. This association symbolizes the coming together of two concepts which completely believe in the perfect gentlemen and what is needed to become one.”
The Art of Shaving was established in 1996 in New York and was acquired by P&G in 2009. The brand is the top complete male grooming solution, offering products in Skin, Shave, Hair, Body, Face and Beard Care. The brand also introduced a top quality Fragrance line earlier this year.
Dedicated to providing the best overall grooming experience for men, The Art of Shaving arrived in UAE earlier this year, with its first two shops at City Walk: Phase 2 and Dubai Festival City. The brand is also present in select Paris Gallery outlets – including The Dubai Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall.
Check out their website for more information on products and services.
In Screentalk #112, we indicated that June 2017 saw a 20% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to June 2016 (based on the first two and a half weeks of the month). However, with admission figures in hand for the whole month, June 2017 has in fact seen a 47.4% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to June 2016.
Three movies that contributed to the increase in admission figures in June 2017 include:
The three movies are presently sitting at 9th (Wonder Woman), 12th (The Mummy) and 17th (Transformers: The Last Knight) spot in UAE’s Top 20 Movie List for 2017.
Additionally, July 2017 has seen a 79.4% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to July 2016.
Three movies that contributed to the increase in admission figures in July 2017 include:
Please Note: all three movies are presently screening across cinemas in the UAE and sitting at 4th (Spider-Man: Homecoming), 10th (War for the Planet of the Apes) and 19th (Dunkirk) spot in UAE’s Top 20 Movie List for 2017.
With GREAT lineup of movies slated for release over the months ahead, there’s no better time than now to advertise in cinema. Don’t miss out on reaching a diversified target audience.
Contact a member of our Sales Team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities over the months ahead.
Source: MVM Analysis
Over the last 38 years, Motivate Media Group has built an unrivaled reputation as a provider of premium content and media solutions.
Building upon this, Motivate Connect – the Group’s in-house content marketing service provider, exists to help partner brands communicate and interact with their customers and stakeholders through the delivery of tailored multi-platform content.
With 75 percent of all internet traffic in 2017 predicted to be video, content marketing has become the group’s most popular and fastest-growing service.
The team at Motivate Connect – comprising of videographers, writers, editors and producers, create social-friendly and sharable YouTube, Facebook and Instagram videos, corporate videos, branded content, as well as animations.
The service includes everything from idea conception and story generation, scriptwriting and storyboarding, to production and post-production.
But don’t just take our word for it!
Check out their showreel below:
And here are some cool videos they have recently produced:
Contact Chris Capstick from Motivate Connect (Tel: 04 427 3412) for more information.
GroupM-owned interactive TV, the largest player in theatre advertising of cinemas in India, commissioned a study, to better understand the moviegoing audience. The study’s findings , in a report, ‘At a Theater Near You’, suggest that cinemas provide an ideal environment for relevant storytelling to the most captive audience that is young, premium and affluent.
Be it Manyavar, the men’s clothing brand, or Vicco Vajradanti paste, chances are that consumers will recall the brand names and jingles from one of the ad films played in cinema theatres and not from TV ads, says a study. Even if cinema, as an advertising medium, is small and hardly gets 1 per cent of the total annual advertising expenditure, brands are realising the power of this medium as third-party monitoring systems get launched.
GroupM-owned Interactive TV, the largest player in theatre advertising of cinemas in the country, has for the first time carried out a study across top eight metros to understand and decipher the movie-going audience. And the findings of the report, ‘At a Theater Near You’, suggest that cinema halls provide the most captive audience that is young, premium and affluent.
“We have tried to figure out who this audience is, why they watch the movies and what are their other habits,” said Ajay Mehta, managing director at Interactive TV. “This is arguably the first ever such study and makes for a fascinating read, it will help to answer any questions that advertisers have had but not been able to get answers to, regarding the audience profile, their behaviour and their consumption habits. We think advertisers will find this very useful in planning their campaigns,” he said.
“Being the leaders of cinema advertising in India, we are trying to make cinema more transparent and accountable,” Mehta said. According to the report, almost 57 per cent of the total population are cinema-goers who watch movies in theatre at least once in six months.
More importantly, 71 per cent of these cinemagoers are in the age group of 15-24 years. Also, 61 per cent of the total moviegoers come from the affluent class, NCCS A. Interestingly, it’s not the popularity of movie or stars anymore (39 per cent) that attracts moviegoers to the screens. Movie-going has become a habit for many families and 61 per cent people go to screens out of habit or to spend time with their families.
The most important point from an advertiser point of view is that 50 per cent of this audience is open and willing to consume advertisements before the start of the movie and during the intermission. Over half of the respondents (50-60 per cent) have said that they pay more attention to theatre ads and find them more interesting than TV ads. Moreover, average consumers reach the movie hall 15 minutes before the show time, which allows enough and more branding opportunities for the advertisers to engage with consumers who are also digital savvy.
“In today’s world, it is not about the 30-second-TVC anymore. It’s about relevant storytelling across diverse channels,” said Siddharth Banerjee, EVP — marketing at Vodafone India. “Depending upon the objective, we now have a plethora of channels to tell a story with more relevance and contextuality than ever before,” he said. According to Banerjee, in cinema, advertisers have the ability to deliver a targeted marketing campaign with speed, shown in pre-selected geographic areas, targeting specific weeks and movies to suit their target audience and marketing campaign calendar.
“This medium helps us to reach out to a core audience which could be hard to engage with meaningfully, otherwise. The younger audiences are heavy users of Internet and cinema. Cinemagoers in the age between 15 and 34 years are heavy users of Internet, therefore, combining cinema with digital can help to target this younger demographic in very interesting ways,” he said.
Banerjee said his company seeks learnings from this research to plan our cinema campaigns even more sharply to help deliver on brand and business objectives. Saujanya Shrivastava, Group CMO at GoMMT (Goibibo and MakeMyTrip), said, “cinema is an important communication medium for consumer brands like us.”
Sources – SAWA and The Economic Times (India)
Double Delights – a product of Al Seer Group (FMCG distributor), recently booked a 7 sec animated on-screen commercial at VOX Cinemas – City Centre Deira (UAE), City Centre Mirdif (UAE) and City Centre Muscat (Oman), following the Bollywood blockbuster Jab Harry Met Sejal.
On the weekend the movie released (3rd – 5th August, 2017), the brand conducted a 3-day sampling activity at the three respective VOX locations – selecting which shows they wanted to sample the product at, by placing Double Delight Original Dutch Caramel Waffles on the seats of the auditoriums.
2 versions of the commercial were screened during the week Jab Harry Met Sejal released:
One which stated: “It’s on your seat!!! Don’t forget to retain your leaflet for double the fun” – which played on the screens of the auditoriums at which the sampling activity took place.
And the other which stated: “Available at all leading hypermarkets & supermarkets” – which played on the screens of the auditoriums which didn’t run the sampling activity.
Please Note: This commercial is presently screening on all screens playing Jab Harry Met Sejal at VOX Cinemas City Centre Deira and City Centre Mirdif.
Promoters were hired by the brand to oversee the 3-day sampling activity at the cinemas and to distribute Double Delights flyers to cinemagoers walking into the respective auditoriums where the sampling activities were being carried out.
The Double Delights campaign was booked through Percept Gulf.
Interested in launching a product through an in-cinema sampling activity? Contact us for more information.
‘Back to School’ – a phrase welcomed more by parents than their children, often prompts competition amongst advertisers as they look to tap into the annual back to school spending spree.
It’s the perfect time for brands to leverage this popular time of year to support their overall business objectives and effectively connect them with their target audiences.
Through the evolving landscape of traditional media (television, radio, cinema, print and outdoor), social media, video content, and even design, ‘Back to School’ season present brands with the opportunity to take their creativity to the next level – in an effort to reach their end users.
Cinema’s unique ability to deliver impact and engagement to a captive audience of parents and children makes it one of the perfect platforms to roll out a ‘Back to School’ campaign.
It’s also important for advertisers to be make the most of the cinema medium – being creative and innovative with their advertisements. Additionally, cinema when combined with other mediums could also help extend a campaign in new ways – creating efficiencies and addressing gaps in channel strategy. With this in mind, here are some example ‘Back to School’ campaigns from around the world – launched in cinema and across other mediums, and a list of entertaining movies slated for release over August and September 2017 (to advertise alongside):
Clarks
Leading footwear brand, Clarks Australia launched its 2017 ‘Back to School’ campaign ‘Clarks Feet First’, where the multi-channel national campaign focused on the enthusiasm kids bring to every day; growing, learning and chasing their dreams. The tagline ‘kids jump into life feet first, so Clarks does too’ brings to life the natural connection between school.
The campaign included a TVC, cinema advertising, out of home, in-centre advertising, digital marketing and in store point of sale.
Steadtler UK
To ensure that their brand stays fresh in consumers’ minds Steadtler launched a series of TV advertisements aimed to capture the ‘Back to School’ market.
The TV advertisements were available in both a short form 10 second version and a 30 second standard formats. The main character is a young school age girl who has been blessed with ninja/matrix like skills.
Walmart
Walmart’s ‘Back to School’ advertisement features the DCEU’s heroic trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
The advertisement spotlights Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman ahead of Justice League as they arrive in time for school with confidence overtop Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again On My Own”.
Sainsbury
Centrepoint Middle East
This year’s Centrepoint ‘Back to School’ commercial will screen across cinemas in the UAE from 24th August 2017 (for a period of 2 weeks).
MOVIES TARGETING CHILDREN:
Richard the Stork (3D)
Releasing: August 17
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (3D)
Releasing: August 24
Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (3D)
Releasing: August 31
The LEGO Ninjago Movie (3D)
Releasing: September 21
MOVIES TARGETING PARENTS:
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Releasing: August 24
Home Again
Releasing: August 31
American Made
Releasing: August 31
Victoria & Abdul
Releasing: September 14
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Releasing: September 21
Don’t miss out on influencing parents’ purchasing decisions through the cinema medium. Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities.
Sources: L&T, YouTube, Campaign Brief and The Office Supplies Supermarket
Summer brings many opportunities for relaxation. Hotel rates get a bit cheaper, restaurateurs entice folks out with a bargain, and the cost of spending a day lazing by the pool and beach becomes much more attractive.
While Dubai has plenty of offers of its own this summer, further afield, residents can find absolutely diamond deals – if fancying getting away from the bustling city life. Take Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) for example, the northernmost emirate in the UAE. With over 7,000 years of fascinating history and culture, RAK is the perfect getaway from everyday life. Offering magnificent landscapes, breathtaking coastlines and rich, terracotta desert planes, the emirate has firmly established itself as the UAE’s most authentic destination in the Middle East.
This summer, RAK’s got a mountain of offers for residents of UAE to explore, and in some cases, literal mountains to explore. From a round of golf, to a drive up UAE’s highest mountain (Jebel Jais), a chilled-out day by the pool or beach, or adrenaline-fuelled watersports – there’s something for everyone and a dream of a holiday in RAK.
Let’s not forget the kids, for they too are special guests in RAK this summer. A majority of hotels in RAK are equipped with Kids Clubs, games, storytelling time and other entertainment activities for kids to enjoy throughout the summer.
RAS Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAK TDA) Summer Campaign 2017:
RAK TDA launched a summer campaign this year with the intent to promote the Emirate of RAK – targeting families and inviting them to enjoy the summer break by booking relaxing staycations in RAK.
To execute the campaign, RAK TDA tied up with partner hotels and entertainment destinations in RAK to offer kids (below the age of 12) free hotel accommodation, F&B and entertainment, making it cost effective for families to enjoy their summer break.
The summer campaign was launched in a family environment – CINEMA, where both parents and kids were targeted in an environment that captures family bonding and quality family time – thus amplifying audience engagement and making the campaign’s message resonate among the intended audience.
RAK TDA booked a special family movie screening of Despicable Me 3 – which launched at the onset of the summer vacation for kids in the UAE, and a cinema activation through Motivate Val Morgan at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates (Thursday – June 29), City Centre Mirdif (Friday – June 30) and City Centre Deira (Saturday – July 1). The cinemas were selected based on audience profiles – Mall of the Emirates targeting Westerners, City Centre Mirdif targeting Arab nationals and City Centre Deira targeting Asian audiences.
Promotion of the Special Family Movie Screening:
Radio was linked with cinema to create hype around the special family movie screenings. RAK TDA tied up with 3 leading radio stations from ARN to target intended cinema audiences. RJ’s Kris Fade (Virgin FM), Sid (City FM) and Heba (Al Arabia FM) hosted contests (tailor made around the theme ‘family bonding’), during the week of June 18 – 22 to give out tickets to the special family movie screening at the cinemas.
Execution of the Special Family Movie Screening and Activation:
Audiences were welcomed with popcorn and a drink at the cinema and ushered into the respective screens. Prior to the special family movie screenings of Despicable Me 3, Rj’s from the three respective radio stations unveiled RAK TDA’s summer campaign and announced lucky seat winners – where the winning families won a staycation in RAK.
Check out the video of the activation prior to the screening below:
It’s time to pack your bags and head to RAK for a family holiday. Discover the Ras Al Khaimah website for more information on things to do in RAK over the summer break, special offers and to book accommodation. There is truly something in RAK for all energy levels – both onshore and offshore.
Motivate Val Morgan offers a range of cinema activation opportunities for brands wanting to launch a new product/service or personally interact/engage with a specific target audience. Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema activations and how to move your brand closer towards its target audience.
Source: Ras Al Khaimah Tourism and Development Authority
Indie films are more than just a fad in the UAE.
Independent cinema platforms are multiplying in the UAE — but each has something different to offer.
With Cinema Akil reopening in Warehouse 68 last week, and Diff365@VOX launching at Mall of the Emirates in April, UAE moviegoers have more say than ever when it comes to what films they can watch on the big screen. Butheina Kazim, co-founder of Cinema Akil, says these spaces complement each other.
“They all serve different purposes and they’re all going to have their specialization. If you go to Diff365, it’s great, because you’re getting the VOX, multiplex experience still intact,” said Kazim.
While Diff365@Vox screens indie films at a dedicated theatre, cinema nine, in Mall of the Emirates, Cinema Akil is more nomadic, using a ‘pop-up’ module so that every season of programming is held in a different location. Their focus extends beyond films to the creation of alternative spaces for viewers to connect with one another.
“We consciously decided not to put Wi-Fi in the space, so that people can talk to each other and talk about the film or what they’ve seen or experienced together,” said Kazim.
“We’ve never had an HQ, we’ve never had a home base, therefore, every time you come to a Cinema Akil programme, it’s a different thing… People in Dubai and the community in the UAE are craving something different — a different type of cinema and conversation.”
Their latest programme, for example, NowPlaying presented by Cinema Akil and Alserkal Avenue, has attracted a crowd interested in “the experiential idea of a cinema inside a warehouse and the impermanence of that. People want to see what that looks like,” said Kazim.
Something for Everyone:
The phrase ‘independent cinema’ has long run the risk of scaring off the average moviegoer. It’s associated with highbrow, exclusive crowds, like art museums or posh exhibits. But Kazim is working to combat that ‘intimidating aspect’ attached to it.
“Something we’re trying to change, or reduce, is the elitism and inaccessibility of it. It shouldn’t be that way,” she said.
“Independent cinema is everything from repertory cinema, like Audrey Hepburn’s Funny Face, to a more intellectual conversations and essay films. There’s a huge range of what falls under alternative or art house cinema,” she added.
And though big-budget Hollywood flicks remain a box office success in the UAE, from Beauty and the Beast to The Fate of the Furious, anyone interested in a different experience can venture outside of their comfort zone with just the click of a button.
The Scene Club, which launched ten years ago by Emirati filmmaker Nayla Al Khaja, dropped its paid membership fee this year in favour of showing one independent film twice a month for free at Roxy Cinemas, and viewers can RSVP online to save their seat. Cinema Space in Abu Dhabi also provides free viewings via online RSVP. Diff365@VOX uses a standard cinema ticketing system and Cinema Akil ask for monetary contributions at the door.
“It’s never going to be something that is targeted to the masses. It’s never going to be droves and huge numbers. And that’s perfectly fine. That’s the beauty of it. It’s a niche type of cinema, and it will always be a niche audience — that niche is just growing now,” said Kazim.
Here’s where you can watch Independent cinema in the UAE:
DIFF365@VOX
Dubai International Film Festival launched Diff365@VOX to support independent cinema all year long.
Cinema nine at Mall of the Emirates shows films that are not likely to appear in standard UAE theatres. Each title screens for two weeks before being replaced by another. Previous films include I, Daniel Blake, A Man Called Ove and Ali the Goat and Ibrahim.
Tickets are priced the same as standard tickets, and can be bought online or through the box office.
Now Screening:
Synopsis – After being freed from the kidnappers he thought were his parents, a man sets out to make a movie of the only TV show he has ever known.
Cinema – VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirate, Screen 9
Screening – July 27 to August 9th
Visit dubaifilmfest.com movie schedules.
The Scene Club
The Scene Club, which launched in 2007, screens one independent film twice per month as part of their programming.
In previous years, the Scene Club was a paid members-only service, but founder and Emirati filmmaker Nayla Al Khaja announced a partnership with Roxy Cinemas this year, which changed the club’s format.
The Scene Club screenings have included Oscar-winning Moonlight, Paterson and Land of Mine.
To attend upcoming screenings, viewers must RSVP by registering online.
Next Screening:
Synopsis – Life for a shy young Indian student slowly falls to pieces during a family road trip.
Cinema – Roxy Cinemas, The Beach, Screen TBC
Screening – August 16th
Visit thesceneclub.com for movie schedules.
Cinema Akil
Cinema Akil (located at Warehouse 68, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai) was cofounded in 2014 by Butheina Kazim. It aims to bring awareness to cinematic art forms from around the world. It shows films created throughout the decades, ranging from art house and independent titles to documentaries and locally created content. Monetary contributions are made at the door.
Screening Schedule:
Synopsis – Lina is a Lebanese Student that just arrived to Paris to continue her studies in a French University in 1993, only to find that the Chaos that was home was no different than what she will witness in the French capital. But Paris will offer her the opportunity to find herself and acquire a new self confidence that she didn’t know she had in herself.
Screening –August 1st to 3rd
Synopsis – Gloria is an out-of-work party girl forced to leave her life in New York City, and move back home. When reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, she gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this phenomenon.
Screening – August 1st and 3rd
Synopsis – A man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary.
Screening – August 2nd
Synopsis – An FBI agent teams with a town’s veteran game tracker to investigate a murder that occurred on a Native American reservation.
Screening – August 4th to 10th
Synopsis – Dhanak is an enchanting fable that reinforces the belief that life is beautiful. The story revolves around an eight-year old blind boy, Shah Rukh Khan-obsessed Chotu, his ten-year old sister Pari, and the road trip of a lifetime they take across the dunes of Rajasthan to get his eyesight back. Dhanak won the Crystal Bear and the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury at the 2015 Berlinale.
Screening – August 4th to 8th and 10th
Visit cinemaakil.com for movie schedules.
Cinema Space
Cinema Space in Abu Dhabi is a voluntary, independent platform that screens restored classics and contemporary world cinema, as well as family-friendly titles. Film showings are free, but similar to The Scene Club, an online RSVP is mandatory for each screening.
Synopsis – In Africa during World War I, a gin-swilling riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship.
Screening – August 5th
Visit cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com for movie schedules.
Source: Gulf News (Tabloid), DIFF, The Scene Club, Cinema Akil, and Cinema Space
