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A CONTENT ANALYSIS of the PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL of FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMS in the UNITED STATES Ilich Mejía

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A CONTENT ANALYSIS of the PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL of FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMS in the UNITED STATES Ilich Mejía LOST IN TRANSLATION: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL OF FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMS IN THE UNITED STATES Ilich Mejía A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Strategic Communication in the Media and Communication Master of Arts Program in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Chapel Hill 2020 Approved by: Joseph Czabovsky Lucinda Austin Rick Warner © 2020 Ilich Mejía ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Ilich Mejía: Lost in Translation: A Content Analysis of the Promotional Material of Foreign-Language Films in the United States (Under the direction of Joseph Czabovsky) This paper studied the traditional marketing, namely film posters and film trailers, of foreign-language films as they are distributed in the United States. Specifically, this research answered how the marketing of foreign films differs between what’s done in their home countries and what strategies are adopted in America and how are cultural elements handled by American distributors when they’re tasked with selling a product that portrays a culture different from where it is to be offered. The study found that marketing material of foreign-language films in the United States reduced dimensions of culture presented, required additional sources to account for its merits, and prioritized violent imagery while glamorizing other darker themes. These findings matter because successfully considering them as future promotional material for this category of films is created, film distributors will avoid promoting xenophobic ideals or inaccurate representations of foreign cultures. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to Dr. Joseph Czabovsky for his invaluable guidance throughout the completion of this project. A very big thanks also to both Dr. Lucinda Austin and Dr. Rick Warner for their mentorship and expert advice. Finally, thank you to Dr. Lois Boynton for being great help with citations. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ viii INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................ 4 Cross-cultural marketing ..................................................................................................................... 4 Influencing purchasing decisions ................................................................................................................... 4 Comparing cultures in marketing................................................................................................................... 5 Representation at the movies ......................................................................................................................... 7 The Americanization of the global film market .............................................................................................. 8 The state of the foreign-language film industry in the United States ..................................................... 9 The Academy Awards as a platform .............................................................................................................. 9 Threats to the industry..................................................................................................................................13 Film trade and consumer acceptance ............................................................................................................16 Basic elements of film promotion ...................................................................................................... 19 Elements and efficacy of film posters ...........................................................................................................19 Elements and efficacy of film trailers ...........................................................................................................22 METHODS ............................................................................................................................... 25 Research Questions ........................................................................................................................... 25 v Sample .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Variables ........................................................................................................................................... 27 Procedure and data analysis ............................................................................................................... 28 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................. 32 Deceiving cultural erasure ................................................................................................................. 32 The addition of geographic ambiguity ..........................................................................................................33 The obscuring of faces of non-Americans .....................................................................................................36 The reduction of cultural artifacts .................................................................................................................40 The minimization of spoken language ..........................................................................................................45 Elevating the prestige factor .............................................................................................................. 49 The addition of generic blurbs ......................................................................................................................50 The prominence of laurels ............................................................................................................................53 The résumés of international auteurs ............................................................................................................55 The muting of the colors ..............................................................................................................................58 Prioritizing different themes .............................................................................................................. 59 The glamorization of dark themes ................................................................................................................60 The exception of violence ............................................................................................................................62 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................... 65 Complementing Current Literature .................................................................................................... 65 Impact on the future of the foreign-language film industry in the United States .................................. 68 Shaping the perceptions of the public ................................................................................................. 70 The importance of representation ....................................................................................................... 71 A Guide for Industry Professionals .................................................................................................... 73 vi LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH .......................................................................... 74 APPENDIX .............................................................................................................................. 76 WORKS CITED ....................................................................................................................... 83 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Posters for In Darkness .............................................................................................. 34 Figure 2. Posters for Shoplifters ................................................................................................ 35 Figure 3. Posters for Burning .................................................................................................... 37 Figure 4. Posters for Birds of Passage ....................................................................................... 38 Figure 5. Posters for Monsieur Lazhar....................................................................................... 39 Figure 6. Posters for Never Look Away .................................................................................... 40 Figure 7. Posters for Departures ................................................................................................ 41 Figure 8. Trailers for Omar ....................................................................................................... 42 Figure 9. Posters for The Salesman ..........................................................................................
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