The importance of synergy has never been overlooked. I think it not only helps in the promotion of the material or person, but it also gives the product more units to sell. Prince had not only a movie but an album to double his profits. Sure it cost a lot more but in the long run I think it truly makes a difference.
Movies like Purple Rain hold a special place in history. I do not think that they can fully be appreciated without first realizing the culture where it came from e.g. it's hard to enjoy the Michael Jackson video game not knowing anything about Michael Jackson. This is why Purple Rain was different for me, and probably a lot of other students.
I do not know much about Prince. I know maybe one or two singles and I saw him perform at the Super Bowl. Ok... big deal he changed his name to a symbol, pretty awesome move, his songs are kinda catchy... I guess. Prince, as a person, doesn't resonate with me much. Maybe because his style has become outdated or overused by now and he has become more of an icon rather than a current artist. His impact on the music industry, and the media industry in fact is something that I feel thrives more than his fame.
Synergy and the marketing in Big Picture Hollywood is something that is happening in extreme proportions right now. Just last night I saw The Lego Movie, fantastic movie to say the least, but if you look at that as a current model of synergy, then it is doing way more than releasing a single and album and then making a movie. Legos were a building block toy, they now have video games, comics, mobile games, TV shows, music, and now a movie in Hollywood. They are a brand that has permeated almost every medium that is possible to release media on.
I think a brand like Lego is fairly easy to market though, it is a fairly simple idea. Bands on the other hand may have a hard time finding success in movie, let alone video games and anything else. KISS attempted to do it with a fairly successful comic book run and a less successful TV show. Another one that comes to mind is Rock n Roll High School which featured many artists including The Ramones.
I think that because music and performing music is such an abstract form of artistic expression it limits the accessibility of the movie to the general public. Sure everyone could have loved Prince when he was big, but would they love taking an hour and a half vacation into his mind... probably not. This is where Purple Rain lacks not only in the 80's, but now, because we are so far from the culture of Prince, this movie fails to resonate with me.
P.S. Wanna see a music movie by a band that surprisingly holds up? Tommy by The Who is excellent.
I agree with you that it is difficult for people to appreciate films such as Purple Rain when they are unfamiliar with the culture/era that these films came from. Us being college students in 2014, we may have a completely different view on the film compared to those who grew up during the time of Prince's fame. Personally, I enjoyed the film, but I am a crazy fan of the eighties in general. I also find it interesting how new marketing strategies are constantly being introduced in order to promote music, film, toys, etc. You mentioned Legos, which was a perfect example. Who would have thought a toy would eventually be promoted via a movie, video games, comics, and even music. It really is incredible what these industries are capable of. I thought the movie was a good demonstration for us as students to see how the synergy initially began.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point about music and preforming being an abstract artistic expression and I agree with you. I do think that it does limit the accessibility of the movie to the general public but I think the time of that Purple Rain was released it did serve its purpose. But I did not resonate with me either and I agree its because we're very removed from that culture. Creating this type of synergy is difficult and I agree that cross-promotion with other types of brands, such as the Lego movie, is an easier concept to do.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. I also really like the idea you're angling at about a thing that maybe happens when somebody becomes an icon rather than a performer--it somehow becomes difficult to appreciate them. Though I'm not sure that's entirely true with Prince. He stayed pretty fresh all through the 90s, and there's always something really alive in his music. But your comment makes me want to compare him to Elvis, who I think is almost impossible to appreciate for the phenomenon he was, because he comes encrusted with half a century of fat white suits and impersonators. Not sure I agree with you about Tommy though. It was cheesy then, and cheesy now--though Tina Turner is always awesome. Definitely though music video movies were a thing then, and they do seem to be almost interchangeable, or stand in for something other than what they are in some interesting way I'd have liked to see you tinker with more.
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