The first thing that came to my attention when viewing the website was the direct correlation between the theme/colour scheme of the website and movie itself. In the movie Will Smith uses what appears to be astonishing technology and futuristic software to achieve his life-long endeavours, I believe this is strongly mirrored in the website, perhaps so the user feels part of the film as he or she navigates through the website. Empathy of the protagonist continues with a special feature of the website, a hexagon on the bottom left hand corner allows the user to change the background by selecting a particular segment. Its clearly aiming to make the viewer feel like they are in the environment of abandoned New York City, and understand the concept that the world is deserted no matter where you look. The final example of how the website incorporates its viewers is through the 'I am legend survival game'. It is likely it has been included to attract a younger audience, as well as those interested in gaming, the intended outcome for those that choose to play it is that they become more excited about the plot of the movie, and again they feel empathy towards the protagonist as they actually get to play as that character. The emotional elements in the film rely on the audience to empathise because it gives it deeper meaning. If one were to imagine a random person that manages to survive what kills everything else on the planet, the immediate reaction wouldn't be to feel that persons pain, but when that character is personified and the audience empathises with their situation, they become more intrigued with the plot. I think this is why elements of empathy have been used so strongly. Another obvious function of the website towards the film's overall success is to try and sell the movie, as well as any ancillary products they have to offer. There is a direct link to the Warner bros website where the DVD or Blue-ray disk can be purchased, and also a range of downloads which merely add to the marketing through wallpapers, pictures etc.
Link to website:
http://iamlegend.warnerbros.com/_main_site/
Stephen
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