Ben Affleck Archives - Media Guy Struggles

HOLY MEDIA CONGLOMERATE!

The Media Guy — Wed, 14 May 2014 21:04:00 +0000

From gloomy beginnings in a six-page comic to the transmedia anchor of Time Warner, he has cast his shadow across many forms. Moody, innovative and mysterious…what’s NOT to love about the king of all superheroes: the Dark Knight?

Ben Affleck in the upcoming Superman vs. Batman Flick

This year Batman, i.e. the Dark Knight, celebrates his 75th birthday and truly rules the media. Using Google Analytics, YouTube says he’s the most popular superhero in the world, registering a mere three billion plus views from over 70,000 available hours of video. “Big deal” you say? How about this?: He’s a billion views ahead Mr. Second Place, Thor (are you kidding me? Thor!) By the way, Superman is third with about 1.7 billion views and counting. (Iron Man, the Avengers, and Wolverine round out the top six.)

Plus he has the best sidekick ever! Holy Billion Views Batman!

But let’s take a deeper look into the stranglehold the Caped Crusader has on all things media…

PRINT

When Superman lifted a carload of criminals above his head on the cover of Action Comics #1 in 1938, the nascent American comic book industry found its defining genre. Young artist Bob Kane hoped to create the next soaring star – with the red unitard and domino mask-wearing Bird-Man. Once his color scheme shifted to black and his domino mask morphed into a cowl with pointed ears in 1939, he never looked back.

But consistent publication does not mean consistent quality. To compete with new comic book genres following the second world war, Batman comics became an increasingly surreal mix of sensational covers, sci-fi cliché and imaginary tales. There were lurid storylines, such as The Rainbow Batman (Detective Comics #241, March 1953), in which the once Dark Knight donned a series of multi-color costumes.

Nonetheless, Batman enjoyed more creative peaks than other long-standing comic characters, with some of the best standalone stories reflecting on the character’s rich legacy.

In The Batman Nobody Knows! (Batman #250, July 1973) Bruce Wayne takes some “ghetto hardened kids” on a camping trip. While swapping campfire stories each child offers their own interpretation of the “real” Batman, ranging from a ten-foot monster to a “down to Earth hip-dude”. Despite its dated dialogue, The Batman Nobody Knows! is one of the first stories to recognize that this mythic hero defies any fixed identity, and is always open to reinterpretation.

The term “graphic novel” emerged in the late 1970s to describe comics with complete stories, quality printing, and high-minded intentions. Although these books sought to distinguish themselves from serialized power fantasies, mainstream publishers soon gravitated to this bookstore friendly format.

While other heroes enjoyed a smattering of graphic novel success, Batman flourished, with early hits including writer/artist Frank Miller’s dystrophic Dark Knight Returns, in which a middle-aged Batman slips back on the cowl. Miller also revisited the hero’s origin in Batman: Year One, establishing the template for future interpretations, including Batman Begins.

TELEVISION

With high production values, committed leads and A-list villains, Batman, the television series, was a sensation when it premiered in 1966.

Although the series brought the hero unprecedented popularity, comic fans were quick to dismiss it as Technicolor prevision of the Dark Knight. Strident fans often fail to recognise that without Adam West’s deadpan delivery, Burt Ward’s spirited puns, and the show’s mantra-like theme song, Batman would not be the potent pop culture force he is today.

For cultural impact it is hard to dispute the legacy of West’s Batman, but as perhaps the purest distillation of the Dark Knight in any form, Batman: The Animated Series remains a towering achievement. First airing in 1992, the series’ complex storylines, Art Deco style, and reverence for the source material set a new standard for television animation and Batman’s screen adventures.

This year will see the launch of Gotham, a new television series in which Bruce Wayne is a recently orphaned teen. It remains to be seen if Gotham can match the success of similar young superhero series Smallville and Arrow, but should it survive the competitive primetime TV schedule it will still be measured against the two most successful Dark Knight series: the camp classic starring Adam West, and the noir-fuelled triumph of Batman: The Animated Series.

CINEMA

In the 1960s, pop art aficionados began hosting ironic screenings of this early adaptation, inspiring the development of the Batman television series. While the show enjoyed a spin-off feature, Batman was curiously absent from cinema screens until 1989, when Beetlejuice director Tim Burton brought his gothic sensibility to Batman and its superior sequel Batman Returns.

These blockbusters ushered in a wave of Batmania, and a darker knight managed to banish memories of Adam West’s Technicolor pratfalls. But this work was undone with director Joel Schumacher’s follow-ups. In particular the pun-laden dialogue and day-glo aesthetic of Batman & Robin (1997) was seen by many as a return to the camp crusader, and fans, recently empowered by the web, vilified the film and its director.

It took director Christopher Nolan’s realist approach to wake Batman from a eight-year cinematic hibernation. Batman Begins (2005) inaugurated a blockbusting trilogy that closed with the satisfying The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. But the crowning achievement of this series and Batman’s cinematic career is undoubtedly The Dark Knight. Brimming with post-9/11 anxiety the film reintroduces the Joker as a scarred anarchist played to baroque perfection by Heath Ledger in his last major role. More restrained, but no less impressive, is Christian Bale’s compromised Batman who frequently questions the morality of his actions. Filled with now iconic moments, the film raised the bar for the entire comic-book movie genre.

MERCHANDISE

With their recognizable imagery and built-in fan base, superheroes have long been used to distinguish consumer products, and Batman, with his logo/brand emblazoned across his chest, is no exception. Not long

after his first appearance, the caped crusader joined Superman at the New York World’s Fair where action figures were given away as carnival prizes. Today, the iconic bat-logo is liberally applied to an endless array of merchandise, yet the most successful tie-ins are often those that provide the experience of being Batman.

Most agree that Batman’s appeal stems from his mortal status. He has no alien ancestry, magic rings, or radioactive gifts, he is an ordinary man committed to a single goal. Thus, the gap between fan and hero seems more surmountable. Accordingly, many tie-in products play on this wish fulfilment, whether it is navigating the Dark Knight through the immersive world of the best-selling Arkham videogames, or a Lego Batman scaling the heights of a miniature Gotham.

Nonetheless, the most potent piece of Bat-merchandise is the costume. As early as 1943 the Philadelphia Record gave away a flimsy Batman mask – and today fans can get detailed costumes that would not look out of place on a Hollywood soundstage.

Happy 75th Batman!

The post HOLY MEDIA CONGLOMERATE! appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Backstage at the Oscars: 2013

The Media Guy — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:00:00 +0000

The critics love to hate the Academy Award telecast, but nothing moves the needle like the Super Bowl and the Oscars. This year advertisers on the ABC telecast paid the highest commercial prices since 2008. ABC, which is part of the Walt Disney Company media conglomerate, charged somewhere between $1.65 million and $1.8 million for each 30 second spot. Five years ago the cost was $1.7 million.

Okay, enough about the numbers (you can read them all at the bottom). I was lucky enough to gain red carpet access and a backstage pass, rubbing elbows with the media folk and the superstars of screen. The gowns were gorgeous and the guys made you feel like nothing short of the Hobbit. Poor me.

credit: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Before we go backstage, it was Ben Affleck who stole the show for me. After getting kicked around post-JLO era, he’s come roaring back with Our Town and Argo. His acceptance speech for best picture was far and away the most extraordinary moment of the night. After he thanked wife Jennifer Garner and their kids, he shared some profound advice:

“I want to thank my wife, who I don’t normally associate with Iran. I want to thank you for working on our marriage. It is work, but it is the best kind of work,” he says. “I was here 15 years ago or something and you know I had no idea what I was doing. I stood out here in front of you all, really just a kid. I went out and I never thought I’d be back here and I am because of so many of you who are here tonight … I want to thank them for what they taught me, which is that you have to work harder than you think you possibly can, you can’t hold grudges. It’s hard, but you can’t hold grudges. And it doesn’t matter how you get knocked down in life because that’s going to happen. All that matters is that you got to get up.”

BACKSTAGE WITH Daniel Day-Lewis, winner – lead actor
FILM: “LINCOLN”

Q. What was the most annoying part about wearing that beard throughout the whole filming? Was it uncomfortable for you?

LEWIS. What do you mean “wearing it”?

Q. Was it real?

LEWIS. Do you wear your own hair? No, it was just a beard. It was a little bit scratchy now and then, but no, it was just a beard. It was mine. It was my very own beard.

Q. You have an Irish passport, you have a British passport. In which way will you celebrate, the Irish way or the British way?

LEWIS. Just give me a brief synopsis of what the difference is.

Q. I’ve had some piss ups in Ireland.

LEWIS. I’ll bet you’ve had a few in England, as well.

Q. Give us an idea of how you will celebrate.

LEWIS. I’m happy with either one personally. I guess I’ll do it L.A. style.

BACKSTAGE WITH Jennifer Lawrence, winner – lead actress
FILM: “SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK”

LAWRENCE. This isn’t like an auction, right? You guys aren’t going to take it away?

Q. What do you think this means to people who are suffering from brain disease that’s like bipolar?

LAWRENCE. I don’t think that we’re going to stop until we get rid of the stigma for mental illness. I know David won’t, and I hope that this helps. It’s just so it’s so bizarre how in this world you have to if you have asthma, you take asthma medicine; if you have diabetes, you take diabetes medicine. If you have to take medication for your mind, there’s such a stigma behind it.

Q. How many people helped you? What was the process today to get to the big moment?

LAWRENCE. The process today was so stressful. I felt like Steve Martin in FATHER OF THE BRIDE watching my house just be torn apart, and my whole family was getting ready. And it was I mean, my friends stopped by. It was kind of fun, but it was mostly chaotic, yeah. Oh, what was the process? I don’t know. I just woke up and tried on a dress, and it fit, thank God, and then I took a shower and… I don’t know what I was that’s what I did. And then I got my hair and makeup done, and then I came to the Oscars. I’m sorry. I did a shot before I…sorry. Jesus.

Q. What was going through your mind when you first fell?

LAWRENCE. What went through my mind when I fell down? A bad word that I can’t say that starts with “F.”

Q. At 22 years old, you’ve got your first Oscar, and you’ve already had two nominations. It’s awfully young to have so much success so far. Do you feel that it’s a good thing that it’s coming so early in the career?

LAWRENCE. I hope so. Yeah. I mean, I who knows. I guess we’ll see.

BACKSTAGE WITH Anne Hathaway, winner – supporting actress
FILM: “LES MISÉRABLES”

Q.I have to admit, watching the clip, I was I’ve seen the film and somewhat taken aback again seeing your clip. When you watch it, when you revisit the film and see that scene, your song, are you ever sort of kind of impressed by yourself like, “Oh, my God, I was really good”?

HATHAWAY. I’m impressed by the work around me. I’m impressed by my makeup. I’m impressed by my costume. I’m impressed by the haircut and the set and the score and the song, but no, all I can hear is all of the notes that I didn’t quite hit. But maybe I’ll get over it some day.

Q. What I really wanted to know is how your role in LES MISÉRABLES, and just being a part that movie, how did that change you as an actress and also just as a person?

HATHAWAY. I’ve done films before where I’ve played real people. And I’m thinking real people, but a character, you know what I mean, a character based on a real situation. And I’m thinking specifically of RACHEL GETTING MARRIED where I played a recovering addict who was in the ascent of her life of her recovery. And though it was difficult, it was painful, she was in a better place than she had been. Playing Fantine, having to connect with the darkness of life, and I think maybe more to the point, the unnecessary suffering that human beings can inflict on each other, I would have loved to have gone home and forgotten about that everyday, but you just can’t because it exists. And it exists for millions of men and women throughout the world. I think this film changed me because it made me more compassionate and more aware.

Q. You said, “It came true,” when you started your speech. What is “it”? Did you have a special wish or what?

HATHAWAY. I had a dream, and it came true. And that can happen. And that’s wonderful. And so, that was all I was saying was that it can and it did. Excuse me. That’s not articulate.

BACKSTAGE WITH Christoph Waltz, winner – supporting actor
FILM: “Django Unchained”

Q. Two Oscars out of the last three years, how does that make you feel?

WALTZ. Guess. It was, I think, like five minutes ago, I got this, or seven. I was on a list with greatest actors around, with Robert De Niro, with Alan Arkin, with Tommy Lee Jones with Philip Seymour Hoffman. How do you think someone feels when all of a sudden his name is called in that context? I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.

Q. One Oscar could be a coincidence. A second, not. What does it mean for you personally now, this award?

WALTZ. This well, it really has so much to do with the other actors who were nominated with me, or rather, and I insist on that difference, the fact that I was nominated with them. It means actually, I don’t know what it can mean more, but if it can, then that’s what it does.

Q. I’m 41. But you are an incredible actor. In light of the subject matter of your film, are you excited about the possibility of a black pope? That’s an actual thing. He’s from Ghana.

WALTZ. Yeah, well, I have to tell you one thing. It would be an exciting thing. I am a very adamant non racist. I don’t care whether the pope is black or white or whatever color. If we are non racist, then we have to stay non racist all the way.

Q. Hi, back here. During the filming of DJANGO UNCHAINED, when did you realize, or did you realize, that there was something special about this film?

WALTZ. When I read the script for the first time, I realized that there was something special about this film. I know Quentin, and I read the pages more or less as they came out of the printer. Page by page I realized that something special is in the making.

THE NUMBERS

Debbie Richman, ABC senior vice president of prime-time sales says “Demand was the strongest in over a decade with commercial time for all intents and purposes, sold out.”

Take a look at these headlines and numbers:

The broadcast of the Oscars drew an average audience of 40.3 million Total Viewers and delivered a 13.0 rating among Adults 18-49, based on Nielsen’s “Fast National” ratings. The 2013 Oscars is TV’s most-watched entertainment telecast in 3 years – since 3/7/10.

TV’s biggest awards show, ABC’s “The Oscars” towered over other awards shows this year, outdrawing the 2013 “Golden Globe Awards” by 20.6 million viewers and 103% in Adults 18-49 (19.7 million/6.4 rating in AD18-49) and the 2013 “Grammy Awards” by 11.9 million viewers and 29% in Adults 18-49 (28.4 million/10.1 rating in AD18-49).

With the “Oscars Red Carpet Live” pre-show, “The Oscars’” telecast and “Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars,” ABC’s “Oscar” programming on Sunday reached 80.748 million unique television viewers across the U.S. – unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6-minutes or more during the broadcast.

According to the Social Guide there were 6.4 million tweets with 1.6 million unique users, as overall “Oscar” activity outpaced last year by 68% (6.4 million vs. 3.8 million).

The post Backstage at the Oscars: 2013 appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.