~~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.