Actors Act as Themselves : This Is the End

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg. (Directors). (2013). This Is the End [Motion Picture].

 This Is the End is a movie about Seth Rogen's and Jay Baruchel's struggling friendship as they attend a party at James Franco's house. Everyone at the party is a huge celebrity. The plot starts to thicken when the biblical rapture starts to occur, leaving all those that are not worthy to live in heaven in a disintegrating Earth. All the celebrities play themselves.

"Dear God, it's me, Jonah Hill... from Moneyball."

"I'm straight-up lovable, son."

"James Franco didn't suck any d*ck last night? Now I know y'all are trippin'."

 Most of the jokes made in the movie are meant to be derogatory to actors. Since none of the celebrity characters were sucked up into heaven by the rapture; this would make all of them not worthy for heaven. Not only that, but all the celebrities are depicted as narcissistic and having their only motive be fueled by self-interest. Even Jonah Hill, the one character who seems to be extremely compassionate and the moral compass of the group, is later possessed by a demon. However, some celebrity characters later find selfishness in themselves and are sent into heaven, but ultimately, this movie allows us to infer that celebrities are narcissistic and greedy.

Celebrities in Advertising

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGs4CjeJiJQ

Chanel. (2012, October 14). There You Are - CHANEL N°5 Part 1. Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGs4CjeJiJQ

Brad Pitt is used to advertise a Chanel cologne in an advertisement, where he describes what 

some criticized to be nonsense, in a black and white tint. 

"It's not a journey. Every journey ends, bu we go on."

"But wherever I go, there you are. My luck. My fate. My fortune."

Brad Pitt is one of the most famous celebrities and is frequently used in advertising. He is easily 

recognizable as an icon for masculinity and mysteriousness. He was once rated "Sexiest Man of the 

Year". His distinguishability makes it easier for companies to utilize him as a spokesperson for their

 product. It adds the mysterious and masculine trait of Brad Pitt to the product. This type of 

advertisement, where a celebrity is used to attract audiences while their product still remains the same

 focus, gives each type a celebrity a distinguishable and unique trait they can associate themselves 

with; in this case, Brad Pitt is associated with masculinity.   

Media on Celebrities, through the Perspective of a Celebrity

http://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a26460/katy-perry-elle-cover-2015/

Perry, K. (2015, February 3). Katy Perry Talks the Super Bowl, Beyonce, and being a Boss. (Elle, Interviewer)

  As one of the Super Bowl halftime show's stars, Katy Perry appears on the cover of Elle. She discusses how her famous associates are posed as archetypes by the media to create a gossip that appeals to a larger audience. She recalls Kanye West's notorious incident at the 2009 VMA's, that credited as an outlandish monster, and left Taylor Swift as a victim. Perry discusses the drawbacks of being a celebrity. She compares the relationship between the media and celebrities to a narrative; where celebrities are characters and the media can decide how to manipulate certain elements onto selected celebrities.

"There always have to be characters. As pop figures, we're all characters. And the media uses that. Who is the sweetheart, who is the villain? You know. There's the sweetheart. There's the villain. That's the narrative."

"It is a hundred times harder a dream than the dream that I dreamt when I was nine...You think you signed up for one thing, but you automatically sign up for a hundred others. And that is why you see people shaving their f*cking heads."

  The media uses celebrities to their advantage. News reporters can take certain faults in a celebrity, that are already respective to their previous incidents, and stress it to make an appealing story. They take incidents that can be examined into analytic investigations, like Kanye West's VMA incident, and present it in a simpler unquestionable way, where audiences will blindly agree to. Audiences would rather undoubtedly agree to a painless judgement, than expose themselves to an in-depth analysis of the situation.

Marvel Builds Up Excitement with Announcements

http://marvel.com/news/movies/23547/marvel_studios_announces_full_phase_3_slate_at_special_event

At a special event, Marvel decided to announce what movies they plan to release for their phase 3 of their Marvel Cinematic Universe. They announce crossovers between fan-favorite franchises and movies that introduce entirely new cinematic characters.

Strom, M. (2014, October 28). Marvel Studios Announces Full Phase 3 Slate At Special Event . Retrieved January 13, 2015, from Marvel: http://marvel.com/news/movies/23547/marvel_studios_announces_full_phase_3_slate_at_special_event

"Learn the title & release date for every Marvel movie from now until May 2019!"

"The Marvel Cinematic Universe will grow even bigger than ever before with Phase 3!"

By releasing movie titles and release dates, Marvel successfully created excitement and anticipation 

for their fans. Most film industries don't have this marketing strategy. But since Marvel movies are 

already based on characters and plots that exist and have a strong fan-base, by just releasing titles of 

upcoming movies, regardless of the details, fans are surely to get excited. These announcements 

build up suspense and anticipation in their core fans, who then help the momentum of "Marvel 

Madness", by talking to other people. This enthusiasm spreads beyond the community of comic book

enthusiasts, and opens up Marvel's audience. 

Foil Characters in Iron Man 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcygKAvZ37I

Favreau, J. (Director). (2010). Iron Man 2 [Motion Picture].

The specific scenes opens up with James Rhodes in an Iron Man suit attempting to get everyone out of Tony Stark's house and shut down his party. The intoxicated Tony Stark struggles to stay standing, while Rhodes continues to threaten him. After Stark calls out for the DJ to play music, they begin to fight. Throughout the fight they both exchange remarks to each other and creatively use their environment to hurt each other.The scene comes to a close with countershots between them and a wide two shot of them shooting a beam at each other.

"Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy's ass to."

"You don't deserve to wear one of these. Shut it down."

This scene is used to establish Tony Stark and James Rhodes as foil characters. Both of their characters develop, exposing Stark's detrimental drinking problems and Rhodes' serious attitude. The scene ends with a two shot of both of them shooting a beam at each other to demonstrate their equality in strength.

Captain America : The Winter Soldier Post Credits *spoilers*

Outlaw, K. (2014, November 3). 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' End Credits Scenes Explained: Future Marvel Movie Revelations. Retrieved December 16, 2014, from Screenrant: http://screenrant.com/captain-america-2-mid-post-credits-button-scenes-spoilers/

"Captain America : The Winter Soldier" has showcased two short clips after its credits to premiere 

several new characters, that will branch out into new movies. 

"Casual viewers may have been left wondering who the two crazy young people in the Silence of the 

Lambs-style holding cells were, but Marvel Comic fans surely recognized twin characters 

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. "

  Marvel is famous for marketing its own movies after credits. With "Captain America : The Winter 

Soldier", Marvel has shown two clips, instead of its usual one clip. The first clip, shown in the 

middle of the credits is targeted towards its comic book fans, since it reveals two iconic characters 

that die hard comic book fans have been waiting for. Marvel never reveals the name of the 

characters, but implies who they are by showcasing their powers and traits. 

  The second clip, is targeted towards a different audience, since it shows a character that was just 

introduced in that movie. Marvel has always showcased its upcoming projects after credits, but with 

this new Captain America sequel they took a more careful approach and tried to get the attention of 

more than just one audience. 

Ownership of The Amazing Spider-Man Franchise

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/10/marvel-sony-had-spider-man-crossover-talks

Collura, S. (2014, December 9). Marvel, Sony had Spider-Man Crossover Talks. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from IGN: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/10/marvel-sony-had-spider-man-crossover-talks

With Sony's Amazing Spider-Man franchise in need of saving and Marvel Film trying to create a 

movie that would benefit from having Spider-Man, Sony and Marvel are in the talks for a Spider-

Man crossover. 

"The character is of course an integral part of the comic-book version of that story."

"In an Oct. 30 e-mail, Sony Pictures president Doug Belgrad tells about a potential scenario that would see Marvel produce a new trilogy of Spider-Man movies while Sony retains 'creative control, marketing, and distribution."

In the Marvel Civil War story line, Spider-Man plays an essential role, because of his disputes with 

other Marvel characters, like Tony Stark. Sony's last hope to save the Spider-Man franchise is 

the Amazing Spider-Man spin-off series. Therefore, it would benefit both studios to come to an 

agreement over a Spider-Man crossover. The ownership of The Amazing Spider-Man franchise is a 

good example for showcasing how important ownership really is, especially with films like these, 

with intricate story lines that require cross-overs. Companies will have to learn how to settle these 

disputes and come to an agreement that can benefit them, and their audiences.