Website Analysis 1 - La La Land

Websites for a film are important as they are essentially a hub of all the relevant information for a film which an audience member can access. Some of the common features on a film website would be- the trailer, release dates, social media links and other exclusive features, such as behind the scenes photos or additional clips. The first film website I am going to analyse is the “La La Land” website.

The colours used on the website are mostly neutral greys, white and some blue for the release date and sound options. There is then the more bright and pastel colours used within the video. The uses of the neutral and bright colours contrast well and it all ties in with the theme of the movie and gives it a sophisticated, calming look. The continuity of the colours is appealing to the eye so it doesn’t draw people away from the site, in addition, it communicates the overall feel of the movie.

The website has the majority of its features on the top two thirds of the homepage. At the top of the page there is a list of the cast and directors. But rather than mentioning the director’s name, they stated that he was the director of ‘Whiplash’ – a successful film that he had previously directed. By putting this in place of his name, the viewers will realise that he is a talented director due to his earlier success with that critically acclaimed film and they will then expect this film to be just as stunning or even better. By mentioning the cast, the viewers will also be familiar with them and would have seen them in at least one film prior to this. Similarly to the effects of the director’s credit, they will have great expectations for the film due to the actors in it.

The title of the movie is placed just below the cast list. This is the largest piece of text on the homepage, however it does not stand out over the video. The title itself is slightly transparent and it has a slightly static look to it as it is somewhat fuzzy in the font, similarly to how a television would go static. The colour of the text is overall grey, but, as it has a transparent aspect to it, the colours from the video behind are also seen through the text. The letters of the font are extremely large and spread out, which is ideal as the film’s name is the key thing that needs to be remembered. The font itself looks like a font for a theatre or the Broadway, which could give a larger hint on there being dancing and singing in the film, it also is clear and has a sophisticated, classic look to it.

The release date and navigation bar are alongside each other. The release date is rather large in comparison to the other pieces of text on the navigation menu and it is in blue which makes it stand out the most as all of the other texts are a grey colour, which would make people notice it most above all else. The ‘trailers’ tab is in bold which may draw more attention to it, which would help people who are going on the website to specifically see the trailer. The other two tabs are the synopsis and the gallery. This allows viewers to find out a basic plot outline for the film and they can also look at the different posters or any other images that they have available.

Beneath the synopsis and gallery tabs there are the social media links so then, if the viewer wanted to know more about the film they can look at what is available on their other forms of social media. There is also an option for the viewer to share the website with other people if they would be interested in the film. Social media is a massive in marketing in the modern day and it is also inexpensive for film companies as other people will be sharing it online. This then helps them to reach a wider audience than what they would if they released posters on billboards or in cinemas. People are also more likely to react to tweets and other social media posts so it is a good promotional tactic and it would provide more traffic to their site, producing a higher profit for them. This interaction for the website would also makes visitors feel more involved by sharing it with other people, potentially making the site and the film more memorable to them.

The awards have their own line in the bottom section of the homepage. This would then draw people to look at those and see the film’s and actor’s successes already. The viewers will then look at these and realise that critics have made it known that it is worth watching by giving the film this acclaim- so it will most likely make them want to see this movie to find out what makes it so popular and successful. It also shows that it has been shown at different, well known festivals, such as the Toronto International Film Festival, which is where some of the best films of the year would be shown.

In the background there is footage of the film playing on a loop, this gives the viewers a glimpse of what the film is going to look like and it also supports that the genre of the film is going to be romantic due to the content. It also involves a lot of dancing so this may draw in another type of audience, most likely those who enjoy musicals. This extra footage would also make people want to watch the trailer to see what else would be included in the film, so the video clip is going to boost the views of the trailer. This then makes more people interested in the film and will most likely want to see it when it is released. It also gives the viewer a closer look at the actors, Emma Stone; an extremely popular and versatile actor, and Ryan Gosling; an actor who is known for romances and dramas. If the audiences are fans of these actors, they would most likely be interested in seeing these extra videos before the film is released. The colours over the text are neutral to the video, so it does not make it difficult to view.

There is a song from the film which is playing on a loop which matches to the video playing in the background. The sound helps for the viewer to notice the genre: a romantic musical and it would get stuck in the viewer’s head, possibly making them want to see the film and they would definitely remember the film. There is also an ad to purchase one of the popular songs from the film- this is a different song to the one that plays on the website. The language used is also an imperative verb as it tells the visitor to “get it now”, the demanding language is a persuasive technique to get people interested in the overall product. Once again if they like this other song then they will be more interested to see the film. It also generates more profit for the film is people are also purchasing songs from the film’s soundtrack, creating synergy with the production company and the sound producers who composed the soundtrack as they are both getting a profit.

In the corner there is a ‘legal’ tab where it features the production company information and other links to sites and documents, such as the terms of use. It is all hidden unless the visitor moves their cursor over the word. It is hidden so that it doesn’t distract from the overall look of the website, especially the video playing in the background. It is only an applicable tab for those interested in the legalities of the film production.

This website is effective in drawing in a variety of audiences over different platforms and it provides all of the necessary information and features to attain the interests of the audiences, making them want to watch the film when it is released. It also has a pleasant look to the site and it is easy to use. When I am making my own site I will definitely consider having my font placement in a similar way to this and I would contemplate having additional features, such as bonus footage or sound.