We live in a visual world. Social media interactions are more and more characterized by quick images and videos rather than lengthy and complex posts, and instant accessibility is one of the key features of any advertisement strategy.
Movies and TV series are the pinnacles of visual expression, shaping our ideas, imagery, and habits. With COVID restrictions, streaming services such as Netflix multiply their viewer base daily, especially in times of social distancing.
However, audiovisual products often reflect the culture of their country of origin. How can these products work in a global market?
The Power of Cinema
Movies are a very powerful medium to convey ideas, for better or worse. In fact, during the second World War countries on both sides used the film industry to spread propaganda.
Today, movies and tv series still have a huge impact on the way we live. Historic movies such as The Gladiator educate us and shape our imagery about the past, foreign movies can either reinforce or destroy cultural prejudice, and high-budget productions are filled with subtle product placements to redirect our buying habits.
Movies and TV series let us live more lives by following the adventures and emotions of their protagonists, and this means of expression is here to stay. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the way we consume audiovisual product is quickly changing. Users are moving away from single tickets and movie theaters, preferring online streaming services.
Internationally Targeted
For the most part of the 20th century, internationally acclaimed movies and cultural products only showcased the dominant culture (notably Hollywood and the American way of life). Now things are changing, as even US-based Netflix is heavily investing in foreign productions that can also work on multiple markets.
The 2019 TV series Dark, for example, was entirely produced and shot in Germany. However, around 90% of its viewers are based outside the European country.
On the other hand, the US-Colombian production Narcos is one of the all-time favorites of Indian Netflix users.
The combination of local productions, voice dubbing, and subtitling gives the audience the possibility to choose their preferred option, and the ever-growing number of Netflix subscribers shows how this strategy is spot-on.
The Power of Top-quality Localization
As we have seen with Netflix, high-quality localization can become the best strategy for international success.
In the TV and movie industry, localization goes far beyond the adaptation of dialogues for subtitles and dubbing. In fact, producers may choose to extend or remove certain scenes in order to adapt to the target culture.
For example, in the Chinese release of Iron Man 3, the producers decided to add 4 minutes of extra footage displaying various locations in China and featuring beauty queen Fan Bingbing and film star Want Xueqi. These inclusions made the movie more relatable for the Chinese audience and guaranteed its success in the country.
Top-quality localization can also be a powerful ally for organizations and businesses promoting their services online with multimedia content.
Businesses choose Langpros for the localization, subtitling, and dubbing of their videos to get culturally aware, creative, and customer-centric content in over 100 languages.
Our approach to your project is tailor-made, and our project managers are always available to implement your requests.
Do you prefer international blockbusters or local productions?
