The LEGO Movie was a huge success and when it aired on ITV as Warner Bros. used the ad break to their advantage. When the film stopped for an ad break, the advertisements that would have originally played seemed altered from usual. The ads took on a LEGOfied form where rather than real life with real actors, LEGO characters took their place. This was an extremely clever move by Warner Bros. because they did something that hadn't been seen before and they generated 5% more revenue onto the opening weekend revenue.
The target audience was primarily a younger demographic (12 years old and below) but it certainly stirred a sense of nostalgia within the older audiences who may have grown up with it. This nostalgic feeling couples with the sense of humour in the original adverts convey so, therefore, people may chuckle along, enjoying the entertainment as much as the film.
Emmet's representation as the hero of the story whilst also being portrayed as weak and scared is a break from the stereotype of heroes being cool and calm in the face of adversity. This promotes a good image of self as the tagline on many of the posters is: 'The story of a nobody that saved everybody'. This makes it seem as though anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it - which is a beautiful message (and it's true)!
Similarly, with the character Wyldstyle, the stereotype of being the damsel in distress is broken and she in-fact saves the main protagonist multiple times. This is a growing trend as women's rights and strength are getting more and more recognised in society so the showing of strong women to impressionable children boosts the image of women and helps young girls feel empowered.
Mark 7 out of 10
ReplyDelete1. The principal target audience is adults who recognise the well-known brands of adult products and enjoy the humour of the parodies, although children would also enjoy and relate to the Lego figures.
2. You notice Emmet as the anti-stereotype wimpish male and Wyldstyle as the strong woman. I would not use the word 'broken' for a stereotype but 'anti-stereotype' or 'counter-stereotype'.
3. You can write " flouting stereotypes" or " presenting anti-stereotypes"
4. Mention the other representations, too, such as Vinny Jones and Lenny Henry.
Responses should analyse representations found in the UK television ad break such as:
A broad range of representations are found in The Lego Movie ad break to appeal to an older audience that one would expect for The Lego Movie. BT, Premier Inn, CPR, and Confused.com are all shown during the ad break and are trusted brands that represent reliability and quality.
Real life is represented as the norm through the content of the ad break which includes holidays, domestic home life, health and insurance.
Humour is represented through the advertisement of well-known brands using famous actors, including Vinny Jones and Lenny Henry. These are copies of real television adverts and would appeal to a wider audience. The use of the Lego figure is humorous and would appeal to a wide audience.
The advert for the movie itself represents Emmet as the hero, conforming to traditional dominant male stereotypes.
This is challenged however when Emmet says the line ‘I want to go home’ which reveals his feelings of inadequacy and fear, challenging traditional male stereotypes of strength and fearlessness.
Wyldstyle is represented as a strong dominant female which could be considered as challenging expected representations of women.