DISCUSSION

First, watch the following videos about product placement. The first one is a bit goofy, but it does a good job of providing examples and explaining how and why product placement is used in films and television. The examples in the second video only go through 2011, so that leaves you plenty of other films to analyze for this assignment.  Make sure you watch these videos because you should not analyze any of the films that are mentioned in the videos for this assignment.

Video 1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqf-WVgoq9E

Video 2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wACBAu9coUU

Now watch one film of your choice, but do so with a notebook in hand. Make a list of every example of product placement that you can find in your film. This isn't always easy, so pay attention. Write down any brand-name products that you recognize such as specific brands of cars, soft drinks, cell phones, etc. It's okay to watch a film you have already seen, but you'll need to watch it again to make sure you can find all of the products. DO NOT DO THIS ASSIGNMENT FROM MEMORY. The point is to watch the film with fresh eyes and see how many products you can find.

IMPORTANT: Do not watch "The Internship" or a film about product placement such as Wayne's World. Also, as previously mentioned, avoid analyzing ANY OF THE FILMS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEOS for this assignment since those were already discussed. 

Now address the following in a post of at least 300 words:

1. What film did you watch and what products were you able to identify? List every product that you noticed.

2. In which of these cases do you believe the film’s content was altered to accommodate the placement, however minimally?

3. Do you think most movie-goers would even notice these products, or have we been conditioned to overlook these indirect forms of advertising?

4. How effective do you think the product placements in your film might be? Use specific examples from your film or from others you can recall seeing.

5. What is your general opinion of companies "buying visibility" in movies like this?