Stardust Analysis Draft

Entertainment in one form or another takes up a large part of our free time. Whether we go with friends, on a date, or alone, the movie theater is a popular attraction for us. From romance to action, thought-provoking to thoughtless, comedy to drama, there are movies for everyone. Stardust falls under a variety of genres as demonstrated by the movie-based website of the same name. While dominantly visual and audio-based, word text is also incorporated in the form of excerpts of reviews from various critics which fade from one to the next on the main screen. By using entertaining and insightful elements and giving a description of the characters and places in Stardust, the creators of the website convince the audience that Stardust the movie is appealing and worth the time to watch and even worth the money to buy.

In creating the website, Paramount Pictures created an opportunity for fans and people who haven't seen the movie alike to find out about most aspects of the movie with mini character biographies, cast list, synopsis, soundtrack list, videos, photo gallery, etc.

The site is aimed at movie-goers who like fantasy, a good romance, even adventure. One selected quote from critics is intended to draw young single adults with the claim, "One of the best date movies of the year." The interactive games entice an even younger crowd to become part of the movie itself. Once the intended audience is swept in, they will find desktop backgrounds for the computer to continually remind them of the fun they had in watching Stardust. You can move around the site and "visit" the different locations found in the movie and learn about the characters. For those like myself who enjoy music they have a part that lists the soundtrack. Overall this site has been made to be fun and enjoyable to view.

Upon entering the Stardust movie site, you hear a voice clip of actor Ian McKellan speaking of a philosopher's words about people and stars: "Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we're human?" He then says, "Pointless, really. Do the stars gaze back? Now that's a question!" When the dialogue finishes, you then hear selections from the movie soundtrack throughout the duration of exploring the site. The website is very interactive and maneuvering through the different pages is a lot of fun.

Overall, the Stardust movie website is designed to convince those who view it that Stardust is a fun and enjoyable movie that applies to many appeals. It is also designed to give an idea of who the characters are, the places in the movie, and what the premise is. Once the audience is convinced, the next step is for them to watch or ultimately buy the movie.

With a slightly juvenile tone created by the interactive games, the site loses some effectiveness for at least part of the adult audience. However, the juvenile aspect does not deter completely, and may even be an attraction for some because they have children or perhaps enjoy that sort of interactivity themselves.

The creators of the site show an awareness of the audience and the time frame in which the audience lives mostly through the fact the text is a website. The audience is part of the digital and technological age when practically anything can be found on the internet.