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WHIH Newsfront

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WHIH Newsfront
Genre
Presented by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No.of episodes10
Production
Production companyMarvel Studios
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseJuly 2, 2015(2015-07-02)–
May 3, 2016(2016-05-03)

WHIH Newsfrontis afauxAmericancurrent affairsdigital seriesserving as the center of severalviral marketingcampaigns forMarvel Studios.Based on thefictionaltelevision network WHIH World News that appears throughout theMarvel Cinematic Universe(MCU), theYouTubevideos began as marketing for the filmAnt-Man,and deal with major events depicted in the MCU'sfilmsandtelevision series.The videos were created by Marvel Studios in partnership withGoogle.

Thenews programfeaturesLeslie BibbasChristine Everhart,reprising her role from the MCU films, withAl Madrigalportraying political correspondent Will Adams. Several other actors reprise their roles from the films, while archival footage of others is also used. The initial videos were released during July 2015, focusing on the immediate aftermath ofAvengers: Age of Ultron,while leading up to the events ofAnt-Man.More were released beginning in April 2016, as aWHIH Newsfront Special Report,focusing on theAvengersand the political issues surrounding them, as part of a similar viral marketing campaign for the filmCaptain America: Civil War.

The videos are accompanied by additional marketing materials, such as in-universe web articles and social media posts. The series has been received positively, seen as better than average viral marketing campaigns, and as a fun and insightful expansion of the MCU for fans of the franchise.

Videos

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Ant-Mancampaign (2015)

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See also:Ant-Man (film)
No.
overall		No.in
campaign		TitleGuest(s)Original air dateRuntime
11"WHIH NewsfrontPromo "NoneJuly 2, 2015(2015-07-02)0:28
Christine Everhartruns down the upcoming week's main stories.
22"WHIH NewsfrontTop Stories "NoneJuly 7, 2015(2015-07-07)1:20
Christine Everhart discusses the ongoing relief efforts inSokovia,[a]and the upcoming release of corporate criminalScott Lang.[b]
33"WHIH EXCLUSIVE: 2012 VistaCorp break-in security footage involving cyber-criminal Scott Lang"NoneJuly 11, 2015(2015-07-11)1:48
Security footage featuring Lang's VistaCorp break in, for which he was arrested and imprisoned.
44"WIRED Insider Interviews Darren Cross, CEO of Pym Technologies"Corey StollasDarren CrossJuly 13, 2015(2015-07-13)2:36
An interview with Pym Technologies CEODarren Cross,concerning the future of his company.
55"WHIH EXCLUSIVE: Scott Lang Interview"Paul Ruddas Scott LangJuly 16, 2015(2015-07-16)3:23
Christine Everhart interviews Scott Lang via video fromSan Quentin Prisonahead of his release.

Captain America: Civil Warcampaign (2016)

[edit]
See also:Captain America: Civil War
No.
overall		No.in
campaign		TitleGuest(s)Original air dateRuntime
61"AVENGERS IMPACT: AWHIH NewsfrontSpecial Report "NoneApril 22, 2016(2016-04-22)2:22
Christine Everhart and political correspondent Will Adams discuss theAvengersand whether they require governmental oversight to prevent further collateral damage.
72"WHIH Newsfront:The Cost of Saving the World "NoneApril 26, 2016(2016-04-26)1:41
Christine Everhart and Will Adams discuss whether the Avengers or taxpayers should pay for damages caused by the Avengers' saving the world, an issue upon which public response is divided.
83"WHIH Newsfront:The Avengers and The White House "NoneApril 28, 2016(2016-04-28)3:12
Christine Everhart and Will Adams discussPresidentMatthew Ellis's stance on the Avengers, and the increasing political activity ofThaddeus Rossfollowing his retirement from the military.
94"WHIH NewsfrontExclusive: President Ellis Discusses the Avengers "William Sadleras Matthew EllisMay 3, 2016(2016-05-03)3:14
Christine Everhart and Will Adams interview President Matthew Ellis about his decision to nominate Thaddeus Ross for the position ofUnited States Secretary of State,and about his stance on the Avengers.
105"WHIH Breaking News: Attack in Lagos"William Sadler as Matthew EllisMay 3, 2016(2016-05-03)3:06
Christine Everhart and Will Adams go live with breaking news of an attack inLagos,[c]and cross to the President's live statement on the situation.

Cast and characters

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Also reprising his role from the films isWilliam Sadleras President of the United States,Matthew Ellis,[4]whilePaul RuddandCorey StollasScott LangandDarren Cross,respectively, appear before their appearances inAnt-Man.[5]Additionally,WIREDInsiderpresenter James Rondell appears as himself,[5]and a WHIH reporter based on the characterJackson Norrisbriefly appears;[6][7]the latter is a separate character from the similarly named Jackson Norriss, who appears in theMarvel One-Shotshort filmAll Hail the Kingportrayed byScoot McNairy.[8]

Production

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In June 2015,Leslie Bibbrevealed that she was involved in a new project forMarvel Studios,reprising her role ofChristine EverhartfromIron ManandIron Man 2.[2]The next week, the project was revealed to be part of aviral marketingcampaign for the Marvel filmAnt-Manwith the reveal of a faux news program,WHIH Newsfront with Christine Everhart,[1]an extension of the fictional television network WHIH World News which is depicted reporting on major events in many MCU films and television series.[9]

Bibb returned as Everhart, and was joined byAl Madrigalas WHIH political correspondent Will Adams, for aWHIH Newsfront Special Reportas part of a similar campaign in April 2016 in the lead up to the filmCaptain America: Civil War.[10]The report focuses on the opposing sides ofCivil War's central conflict, with Everhart supporting governmental oversight and accountability for superheroes, and Adams willing to let the Avengers do what is necessary to save the world. The opinion of the MCU public is also depicted as divided between the two sides.[10][11]

Marvel partnered withGoogleto produce the videos,[12]which deal with the aftermath ofAvengers: Age of Ultron,and the buildup toAnt-ManandCaptain America: Civil War,while featuring numerouseaster eggsto the MCU, including anews tickerthat mentions MCU characters and events such asJane Foster,the death ofWolfgang von Strucker,[5]and Dr.Stephen Strange.[4]In addition to archive footage from the films, the videos also use original material and "footage showing what these fights and their aftermaths look [like] from the civilian perspective".[13]

Release

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The videos were made available on the WHIH World News'YouTubechannel, with some of them debuting in publications such as Mashable,BuzzFeed,andWIREDInsider.[12]TheAnt-Mancampaign videos also appear as bonus features on that film'sBlu-rayrelease.[14]

Supplementary material

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Other content released for the viral marketing campaigns include ongoing posts on social media sites such asTwitterandGoogle+,[3][12]as well as a full length piece onMashable,attributed to Everhart, that serves as a companion to the videos.[15]More focus was placed on social media for the 2016 return, with tweets released to celebrateEarth Day,with reference toStark IndustriesandPepper Potts,[3]and to mark the end of the clean up ofWashington, D.C.following the events ofCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,with quotes from MCU politicians such as President Ellis used.[16][17]

Reception

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Oliver Lyttelton ofIndieWirecalled the campaign, "one of the cannier bits of marketing that Marvel have come up with", saying that "it's not particularly funny, but fans will definitely enjoy it."[18]CinemaBlend's Adam Holmes noted how the videos were able to give insight to the rest of the MCU and its population's perception of the films' events.[13]Matthew Mueller at ComicBook.com said, "As far as viral marketing goes, this is definitely one of the more well-produced campaigns," and noted, "In our 24-hour news cycle, the smallest abnormal occurrence can spawn countless hours of coverage....so it stands to reason that multiple superhero related catastrophes would also warrant that kind of coverage."[10]

Alanna Smith, writing for Geek Chic Elite, stated, "When I found out about this channel I couldn't help but laugh out of disbelief and awe towards the Marvel team. I mean come on, real online broadcasts of the news channel that it turns out has been there from the start, and it's hosted by the same side character (whom we probably didn't even think would be back) from the startup MCU film made 7 years ago? When Marvel says" It's All Connected "they don't mess around; they really meaneverything."[9]Sean K. Cureton of Screen Rant found the videos to be "in keeping with the willingness on the part of Marvel Studios to poke fun at some of the more vocal complaints frequently raised against the action-centric nature of the MCU, and the entire superhero film genre by default. At the same time, in incorporating the real world dialogue regarding the ridiculous levels of structural damage inflicted on various metropolitan settings, [the franchise] sets itself apart through a coy flirtation in engaging the discussion."[11]

Notes

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  1. ^As depicted inAvengers: Age of Ultron(2015).
  2. ^As depicted inAnt-Man(2015).
  3. ^As depicted inCaptain America: Civil War(2016).

References

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  1. ^abCollinson, Gary (July 2, 2015)."Leslie Bibb's Christine Everhart returns in Ant-Man viral video, plus new featurette".Flickering Myth.Archivedfrom the original on May 13, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  2. ^abGarcia, James (June 25, 2015)."Iron Man actress Leslie Bibb teases return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe".Flickering Myth.Archivedfrom the original on May 13, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  3. ^abcLesnick, Silas (April 22, 2016)."WHIH News Returns for Civil War Viral Video!".ComingSoon.net.Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  4. ^abLesnick, Silas (May 3, 2016)."WHIH Sits Down With Marvel Cinematic Universe President Ellis".SuperHeroHype.Archivedfrom the original on May 4, 2016.RetrievedMay 4,2016.
  5. ^abcFischer, Ross; Sciretta, Peter (July 16, 2015)."'Ant-Man' Viral: Interviews With Scott Lang and Pym Technologies CEO Darren Cross "./Film.Archivedfrom the original on April 23, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  6. ^WHIH World News (May 3, 2016).WHIH Breaking News: Attack in Lagos.RetrievedMay 4,2016– viaYouTube.
  7. ^"Watch: Captain America: Civil War" Attack In Lagos "Viral Clip".Cosmic Book News. May 3, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on May 6, 2016.RetrievedMay 3,2016.
  8. ^Gallagher, Brian (February 25, 2014)."Marvel Previews 'Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King'".MovieWeb.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2014.RetrievedApril 19,2014.
  9. ^abSmith, Alanna (July 19, 2015)."WHiH Newsfront is a Real Marvel Cinematic Universe News Channel".Geek Chic Elite.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  10. ^abcMueller, Matthew (April 22, 2016)."Marvel Releases WHIH Report On Avengers Impact".ComicBook.com.Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  11. ^abCureton, Sean K. (April 26, 2016)."Captain America 3 Viral Video: The Cost of Saving the World".Screen Rant.Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2016.RetrievedApril 27,2016.
  12. ^abcStrom, Marc (July 31, 2015)."Marvel & Google Take You Deeper Into the World of 'Ant-Man'".Marvel.com.Archived fromthe originalon February 14, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  13. ^abHolmes, Adam (April 22, 2016)."New Fictional News Report Sets Up The World Of Captain America: Civil War".CinemaBlend.com.Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  14. ^Cavanaugh, Patrick (October 16, 2015)."Marvel's 'Ant-Man' Comes to Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD".Marvel.com.Archivedfrom the original on February 11, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  15. ^"Confessions of a whistleblower".Mashable.July 16, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on April 13, 2016.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  16. ^WHiH Newsfront [@@WHIHOfficial] (April 29, 2016)."Cleanup of Washington D.C. post-destruction of Triskelion complete. #WHIH"(Tweet).Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2016.RetrievedApril 29,2016– viaTwitter.
  17. ^WHiH Newsfront [@@WHIHOfficial] (April 29, 2016)."PRES. ELLIS:" Today is a day that demonstrates the true colors of the people of Washington D.C. ""(Tweet).Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2016.RetrievedApril 29,2016– viaTwitter.
  18. ^Lyttelton, Oliver (July 17, 2015)."Viral Video Prequel To 'Ant-Man' Sees An Old MCU Character Return, Peyton Reed Hints At Sequel Plot".IndieWire.Archivedfrom the original on October 31, 2015.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
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