~~Part 6~~

.Did Millions go to see PotC2 in the first week of release because it is such a great film, or because it is such a great film, or because it is so well marketed? or Both?

Millions worldwide went to see the film partially because of a huge amunt of advertising and the film was, not the best film of all-time, but action-packed and full of laughs. The first film had been very successful because it managed to tap into all audiences, with jokes and action that really entertained all age-ranges. I think that people also went to see it because of the massive budget and special effects, as well as a cast of highly talented and of course highly attractive cast, Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom etc. I think the previous film in the trilogy was one of the main reasons people came to see the second.

.Why are UIP virtually guaranteed to be successful? Find some recent releases by UIP to use as examples. Think about the kind of companies backing them?

They are joint owned by two of the biggest international cinema companies worldwide, Paramount and Universal Pictures, this allows them to have a large funding for distribution and advertising for that distribution. They also thus get the distribution rights to the biggest blockbusters with the biggest stars, they are the distributors of Green Zone and Shutter Island with Matt Damon and Leonardo diCaprio, out now, with the budget and casts of these movies, the company only really need to make people aware of the movie and it will 'sell like hot cakes'.

.What are your opinions on the debate surrounding film classification in this country? Use Spiderman and The Dark Knight as a starting point. Write about two paragraphs and try to think of some examples of your own.

I think that personally I think that just trying to get the largest audience should not be the priority, but due to the quantity of investment it has become almost necessary. Whilst 'Watchmen' 'Sin City' and '300' were large successes, if they had been 12-a certificates they would certainly have made more money, but the message of the movie would have been distinctly compromised and thus we would have a worse film. I believe that Spider-man was not a great film and there was no balance, it was a little too childish. On the other hand, Dark Knight was rather violent and kept it's message, this film probably should have had a 15 rating and the only reason it didn't is that in America, it got PG-13 which means that under 13s require parents to be with them but in America this applies to R-rated films as well, America tends to be more liberal on film ratings than the UK and what we did was trust their opinion. I also think that the Dark Knight contains a moralistic message, the movie's focus is often on gritty dialogue and conflicted ideologies, the violence in the movie is not glamourised to show it to be in any way right. It is not a beat'em up movie, and this means that the children if they go, probably won't enjoy it as much, I believe that essentially they should have gone the full way and made it a 15, like the classic Michael Keaton/Tim Burton movies. However there are Christian bloggers on the internet who do think that this movie teaches you moral lessons whatever age you may be, I think this is the sign that essentially people are not seeing this rating as bad, many people of different faiths believe that this movie should be available, and I also believe that if you don't want yor child going to a 12A, then don't take your child to a 12A. http://catholicinformation.aquinasandmore.com/2008/07/24/the-dark-knight/

.Why do you think that Cloverfield was such a successful movie? In your opinion what was particularly attractive about its marketing campaign. Go to the websites listed in the case study to see if they're still live.

The slusho.jp is still online, but the 1-01-08.com has been taken down, I think that the viral marketing of the film, such as the ARG of creating websites for the companies as well as creating mystery by putting up clips. As well as this, the odd format of the film, the handheld camera is an appealing concept. The idea of a revolution in cinematic and atmospheric effects also appealed to the audience. The other thing that appeale to many people is the involvement of LOST writer J.J. Abrams, who is notorious for confusing plots and is exceptionally popular at the moment with the success of Star Trek: Movie and of course LOST. The intriguing mystery that Cloverfield created in its advertising is probably what got it so much money, I know I went to see it after reading a review saying that the atmosphere and way of shooting were revolutionary.

.To what extent do you agree with the statement that the audience of tomorrow is online? What examples from your own consumption of films and media lead you towards the internet?

The prime example of internet consumption is the use of youtube for film trailers, where now instead of going to the television or cinema to see trailers. As well as this, there are reviewers like spill.com or rottentomatoes.com who provide a rating for new movies, the Empire magazine now have online reviews, so now people can know how good a movie. You can download movie, both legally and illegally off the internet, you can order movies cheaply from amazon.com. All of these examples show that the internet is replacing all parts of the industry, personally I am actively a part of this, I have my favourite online reviewers and I often order movies from amazon.

Part 5 Production Qs

.Choose an actress from the list above. What would they bring to a role in a film?

Kate Winslet- Winslet brings a certain character-type to the film, Winslet tends to play certain types of people. She nearly always plays upper class British characters, her characters are often quirky and strange, but at the same time either the main character or the love interest. She appears in romantic movies like Titanic, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind and Revolutionary Road as well as Comedy/Rom-Coms like The Holiday. She has a definitive voice and look that are difficult to replicate.

.Think about the films you have seen recently at the cinema. Which ones were recommended by word of mouth? -Why did you go and see other films?

I tend to go to the cinema to see films that I have read a review of, and recently I went to see District 9 and Avatar based on the advice of friends so essentially I am swayed by the views that other people who have seen the film say about it.

.Find out the budget ofthe following three films, Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and Avatar. Which of them made the biggest profit?

Paranormal Activity was made for only $15,000 and made $192mil
The Blair Witch Project was made for $60,000 and has made $248mil
Avatar on the other hand has made $2.6bil but cost in excess of $500mil
This means that Paranormal Activity based on budget would have made the most money. But if you take in to mind the fact that Paranormal Activity spent huge amounts on Advertising as did Avatar, so the Blair Witch probably made the most because it was released before Youtube and many internet sites which limits the quantity they could spend

.Find out the producers of the following British films; Harry Brown, Scouting Book for Boys and Heartless. How has film production changed in the UK since the 90s?

Harry Brown -
* Marv Films
* UK Film Council
* HanWay Films
* Prescience Film Fund
* Framestore
Scouting Book for Boys - produced by Celador Films
Heartless -
* May 13
* Cinema Two (in association with)
* CinemaNX
* Matador Pictures
* Regent Capital (in association with)
* Richard Raymond Films
What is clear from this list is that the films are now funded by smaller companies in Britain and the London Film Council, thus creating our own British Market separate from Hollywood. The responsibility of production is now shared.

Can you think of any recent film soundtracks that have proved popular with Audiences? Why?

One of the most successful soundtracks has been the Twilight soundtrack, I believe that this is probably due to the fact that it has a track on it, performed by Robert Pattinson, the movie's star who is very popular as a result of starring in this movie. As well as this, it has tracks selected by the author, by her favourite bands, who are of course popular artists like Muse, Linkin Park and Paramore.

Evaluation - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? + 2 other qs

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

We chose to really try and get Working Title on board and thankfully it paid off. The Company seem to specialise in the sort of movie that we have made. Working Title have, in the past, made movies that are transatlantic with British-American crew and casts, much like our movie. Working Title also tend to provide money for more independent and low-budget features, again similar to the conceptual style that we are going for. A Working Title feature often also portrays the ideas of British culture to American viewers and our film is shot in London, the capital of England and one of the World's most intriguing and multicultural cities, we intend to make a thriller that has something that reflects Britain.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Well, that is probably one of the reasons that we think the movie we have created is appealing to a wide audience. The horror market has become one of the most successful and it is a genre that many of the greatest film-makers of all-time have tapped into; Hitchcock, Kubrick, Spielberg and Coppola, and many other great film-makers have used techniques from horror to make their films great. The horror film allows the film-maker to appeal to a main audience of 'thrill-seeking' under 30s and at the same time, show their talents for directing, the horror film is a film that allows the writer and director to truly be creative. I think as well as the younger audience who come to be scared, older audiences will come for the intriguing plot and what we hope to be an interesting film, as well as this, we intend to appeal to other audiences by having an emotionally complex '3-dimensional' heroine. Pre-release, we showed the opening scene to several people in order to determine whether our target audience would be enthralled by the film, the entire audience really enjoyed it.

Looking back at your Preliminary Task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I think I have learnt several things when directing this film since the filming of the preliminary task and our group piece 'the Arrival'. What we have done in Deadfall has been to divert from the comedic route that the other two pieces and really focus in on the Thriller genre. We have created an altogether more balanced film as a result. I think what we did really well was really convey what we had planned onto screen. We made mistakes like in the previous tasks, however we have learned that we have the skills to correct our mistakes, the first mirror shot is actually shot without sound but using editing skills we recreated the sound and it is unnoticeable, this is a sign of our ability to overcome adversity. The fact that we managed to do all our shooting in one extra-long session allowed us no space for mistakes. Other difficulties included the fact that the set contained 9 people including directors and actor, this meant we had to move people as well as equipment and at the same time retain continuity, the control we maintained over the set was strong.

Rough Cut 1!

Q1. In the UK film market, an increase in the number of screens available to show films has not led to an increase in the number of films being shown. Why?

Because they show the same films on multiple screens, and there are 'holdovers' of films, films continue to be shown long after release

Q2. In your opinion what might account for the fact that cinema attendances are down over 7 million in between 2004 compared to 2008? Think about the ‘blockbuster’ films that have been released over the last few years. Could it be that the multiplexes have reached ‘blockbuster saturation’?

The price of cinema, the easy access to piracy and the recession are all parts of the . the budgets and takings of the blockbusters are just so much higher than those of other minor movies that the market has become over-populated with massive films coming out every summer and Christmas.

Q3. In 2004, UK film distributors invested £158.5 million in advertising their new releases and £124m was spent on 35mm film prints and trailers (In future years, digital distribution will reduce this cost significantly) If around 450 new films receive a theatrical release in the UK every year. How much, on average, do distributors spend distributing a film in the UK?

£627,777

Q4. This spending stirred up enormous demand - 167.3 million cinema tickets were bought UK in 2004, an average of 14 million per month. This is great news for cinemas – what’s the downside of all this excitement generated and consumer demand for film releases in the UK?

The more successful movies become, the more piracy they encourage. The maths also does not add up, if the public are buying 14 million tickets, that does not cover the cost, so essentially the companies do not always make money

Q5. In the US, the MPAA reported in 2004 that the average cost of releasing a US film domestically had risen to $39m, in addition to the average production cost of $63.8m, making an overall average production/distribution cost per film of $102.8m. What effect might this have on Hollywood production and distribution if these increases continue?

It will be harder for amateurs to enter the business and the money will stay in one place, in the pockets of the same individuals, it will potentially also increase the price of DVDs and cinema tickets.

Q6. Who, in your opinion, are the current most bankable leading actors for the ‘youth’ market in the UK?

Male Actors: Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Denzel Washington and upcoming actors like Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Pattinson
Female Actors: Pretty much all younger actresses in 20s like Keira Knightley, Megan Fox etc

Q7. Go to the site: and find out the top 10 films in the US last year. Then click on each film to find out the total budget. How many made two-and-a-half times their budget? They’re the only ones who made the studios a profit…

Avatar, Transformers 2, Harry Potter, New Moon, Up!, The Hangover, Star Trek, Blind Side, Alvin + Chipmunks 2 and Sherlock Holmes, the Entire top 10 of 2009 made over 2.5 times their budget

Q8. Find some more recent ‘Indiewood’ type films - ones associated with a certain ‘Art house’ feel yet connected to a big Hollywood studio – look up the companies Fox Searchlight, Paramount Vantage, Sony Pictures Classics, and Focus Features. What connects the output of these specialised companies?

They are involved in discovering new talent and with a low budget making a film that will make the company a massive profit. They are trying to discover a new star that their company will be able to sign