I recently had the privilege to meet and begin a professional relationship with Anna Johannes, a U.S. Paralympian swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Following her successful professional swimming career, Anna (who was born without her left hand and forearm) has turned her lifelong mission for championing disability rights and social justice into a career as a sought-after marketing consultant and a leading voice for people with disabilities. Through Anna’s leadership I now have increased awareness in the ways in which our society continues to treat those with disabilities differently.
Anna suggested I watch the Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix which tells the history of the Paralympic Games and features legendary global Paralympians. Netflix’s documentary trailer (which is marketed as a “music video” using the film’s official title track) is a masterful example of how powerful marketing can be when combining multiple forms of communication to hook the viewer in and create demand to watch the full-length documentary.
When watching the Rising Phoenix trailer below, how many different forms of communication can you identify? Did you catch the ones I mention below? Are there any you see that I’ve missed?
Rising Phoenix | Official Title Track for the Netflix Documentary | Paralympic Games
STATIC VISUAL IMAGERY
- The Paralympic Games logo stays onscreen at the bottom right corner throughout the video
DYNAMIC VISUAL IMAGERY
- The cinematic use of prominent Paralympic athletes performing in their sport
- The continuous use of text overlaying the sports footage
MUSIC
- In the first half of the trailer:
- The music is intense and hard charging
- The beat of the lyrics are done hip-hop style
- In the second half of the trailer:
- The music softens and becomes more melodic allowing the viewer to decompress from the earlier intensity
STATIC TEXT
- At the close of the trailer, 11 seconds are dedicated to two static images:
- Names of the writers/performers
- Logos for Rising Phoenix and Netflix along with the date of the documentary’s release
DYNAMIC TEXT
- The entirety of the trailer prominently features the text of the lyrics while they’re being sung
- The text overlays the athletes in action and contributes to the trailer’s visual flow by building upon its use of text in various ways:
- The use of a single word flashing onscreen
- The building of different text sizes vertically
- The building of text horizontally
SPEAKING
- The message is conveyed via spoken word (poetry) sung in hip-hop style
- Approximately halfway through the video the hip-hop style of the spoken word transforms into a melodic style and closes with the singer repeating a key phrase over and over
NOTHING/ABSENCE/SILENCE
- Netflix uses moments solid black background to create tension behind the visual text and spoken word.
- These quick flashes of empty space are interspersed throughout the video, in-between athlete footage. These black backgrounds add drama, especially when combined with the pounding music behind it.
In only four minutes of storytelling, Netflix has not only successfully combined multiple communication formats in a way that effectively shared their intended message, but did so in a concise and efficient manner for the viewer.
Click here to view Anna Johannes’ 2022 Tedx Talk at TEDxBoston.
Does your organization struggle with miscommunication?
Click here to learn about the Intention-Based Communication Model