When I have a free moment that I can take away from my Ph.D. studies and class work :), one thing that I have always liked to do is watch movies. I have always enjoyed watching movies– from comedies to action to science fiction– some of my most treasured childhood memories is spending time with my family and watching a fun movie together.
Of course, the summer time is when most of the blockbuster movies come out for the year. So far this year, we have had Iron Man (very cool!) and Indiana Jones. However, there is one movie that will be opening up next weekend that has been generating a ton of buzz over the past couple of months– and that is the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight.”
There are several reasons for this– one, the Batman movies have been very successful (okay, except the one with George Clooney– even though it did have Arnold in it! :)) and second– Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. Ledger died of an accidental drug overdose back in January, and this movie role is his last one. The media coverage that is going on right now is pretty intense– and PR professionals have a challenge because they have to balance many different elements.
So, as the PR person that is in charge of promoting this movie– what do you do? Do you focus on the movie itself, or do you acknowledge the fact that one of the main stars of the movie is no longer with us? It seems that the PR professionals working on the movie are doing a little bit of both. They are focusing in on the Batman movie and what it is about– but also noting Heath Ledger and his performance. Even though Ledger’s passing was a negative event, it has brought a lot of attention to the movie in ways that people may not have expected it to.
It is a delicate situation for everyone, and I am sure that the movie will do very well. I will definitely go and see the movie– I’m a big Christian Bale fan, what can I say? 🙂 Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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