KEY REVISION NOTES

Attack the Block

Director: Joe Cornish
Starring: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega
Studio: Big talk productions, film 4, studio canal, UK film council
Distributed by: Optimum releasing
Budget: £8M
Box office: £4M
Production: Shot in london, night shoots over six weeks, only 100 FX shots were used
Other Info: Play.com sells a BluRay glow in the dark sleeve edition. Distributors were worried about the American audience not understanding the British slang/accent
Soundtrack: Basement Jaxx

Kick Ass


Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicholas Cage
Studio: Plan B entertainment, Marv entertainment 
Distributed by: Lionsgate, Universal
Budget: $30M
Box office: $90M
Production: Shot in Canada and various UK locations, adapted from the comic book that was written parallel to the films production
Other Info: Screened at the San Diego comic-con, controversy over young actors and explicit language, Rated 15 by BBFC, won awards for best actors etc
Soundtrack: The prodigy, Ellie Goulding etc

The Hunger Games


Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson
Studio: Lionsgate, Color force
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Budget: $88M only $78M was used 
Box office: $690M
Production: Shot in USA, film not digital, used less CGI to make it more realistic, propane blasts etc
Other Info: Racist comments, sold over 3.8 million DVD/BluRay copies in the first weekend of sales, DVD contains bonus features making it more appealing to buyer
Soundtrack: Score by James Newton Howard, Soundtrack has artists on such as Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift

St Trinians


Director: Oliver Parker
Starring: Rupert Everett, Gemma Arterton, Colin Firth
Studio: Ealing studios, UK film council, Fragile films
Distributed by: Entertainment film distributors
Budget: £7M
Box office: $30M
Production: VooDooDog made the cartoon pieces in the film (synergy), Filmed around the UK and London, Girls Aloud feature in the film as the school's band.
Other Info: Sequel didn't do as well, third film is scheduled to come out next year, Third most successful independent British film at the time
Soundtrack: Girls aloud, Lady Sovereign, Lily Allen etc

Prometheus


Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Repace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba
Studio: Scott free productions
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Budget: $130M
Box office: $400M
Production: Shot in Allacante, prequel to the Alien series, filmed in 3D with the help of 3ality technica (synergy)
Other Info: people wanted less 3D in the cinema's though and more 2D showings, number one in the DVD sales charts in the first week of sale
Soundtrack: Score was played backwards and then digitally flipped to create an eerie atmosphere, written by Marc Steitenfeld

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UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/ PRODUCTIONS

• Universal Studios (also known as Universal Pictures), is an American motion picture studio, owned by Comcast, and one of the six major movie studios. It is one of the longest-lived motion picture studios to be located outside of Hollywood. 

• Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, and Jules Brulatour, it is the oldest movie studio in the United States of America.

• The company also owns and distributes the libraries of: Five Alfred Hitchcock features originally released by Paramount, Walter Lantz Productions, Smallfilms, Focus Features' ancestors USA Films, October Films, and the 1996–1999 films by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. 

• Through subsidiary NBCUniversal Television Distribution, it owns almost all TV shows and miniseries Universal and MCA made, Almost all the pre-1950 sound features originally made by Paramount Pictures,Much of the post-1973 library of NBC's shows and made-for-TV movies. 

• Via its 50% stake in StudioCanal, Universal part owns its library which consists of films (and TV Series) made by: Carolco Pictures (apart from films distributed by MGM, Warner Brothers and Universal itself), De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, Embassy Pictures (apart from films made with Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, ITC and Nepenthe Productions, along with all its television library), Alexander Salkind Productions (except films that are part of the Superman Film Series), Ealing Studios (incorporating the film library of Associated Talking Pictures), EMI Films (incorporating the film libraries of Associated British Picture Corporation, British International Pictures and British National Studios), Associated British Corporation (ABC) (including ABC shows made for Thames Television), British Lion Films (1919-1976 films only) and Anglo-Amalgamated.However Universal only owns rights to distribute the StudioCanal library in Australia, New Zealand and other areas outside North America, with StudioCanal itself distributing it in UK, Ireland, France and Germany. 

Theatrical and Television Distribution: 

• CBS Television Studios and Paramount Pictures (Carolco Pictures and De Laurentiis Entertainment Group) 
• MGM (Embassy Pictures) 
• Lionsgate (Alexander Salkind Productions, Ealing Studios, EMI Films, ABC, British Lion Films and Anglo-Amalgamated)

Internet Distribution: 

• Lionsgate (Embassy Pictures, Carolco Pictures, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, Alexander Salkind Productions, Ealing Studios, EMI Films, ABC, British Lion Films and Anglo-Amalgamated) 

Home Entertainment Distribution: 

• MGM (Embassy Pictures) 
• Lionsgate (Carolco Pictures, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, Alexander Salkind Productions, Ealing Studios, EMI Films, ABC, British Lion Films and Anglo-Amalgamate.

• Some of their most recent film distributions include Snow White and the Huntsman, Ted, The Bourne Legacy and Pitch Perfect. 

• Website: http://www.universalpictures.com/ 
• Website: http://www.universalstudios.com/

• Albert Dorskind had envisioned a theme park and film studio in Hollywood, California. He convinced Lew Wasserman, the Chairman of the MCA, to invest $4-million in developing this particular theme that focused on Universal Motion Pictures. After numerous improvements, a branch of Universal Studios opened in Los Angeles County, California in 1964. The entertainment value it brought to the city gave an up rise to its slogan "The Entertainment Capital of LA." Since it embodies a film studio theme park, there are a lot of motion picture themes incorporated. Some films include Shrek in 4-D and Terminator 2 in 3-D. Themes from movies and television shows are integrated into the rides like The Simpsons Ride, Jurassic Park The Ride, and Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride. In April 2012, the highly anticipated Transformers: The Ride-3D was opened to the public in the theme park and is based on the hit film series Transformers.The theme park has live shows including The Special Effects Stage and Water World. It also has a carnival fun house called House of Horrors and most importantly, a studio tour that shows clips of popular movies like Jaws, Fast and the Furious, King Kong 3-D. Universal Studios Hollywood has a CityWalk which offers visitors numerous dining and shopping places

WARP FILMS

• Warp Films was established by Warp Records founding partners Rob Mitchell and Steve Beckett. It was initially created with financial support from NESTA ( National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and had a remit to produce a number of short films

• After the death of Rob Mitchell in 2001, Beckett decided to continue with Warp Films and enlisted the expertise of Sheffield friend Mark Herbert to run the company.

• The first film, Chris Morris' My Wrongs#8245-8249 & 117, was shot in 2002. It won the award for Best Short Film at the 2003 BAFTA Film Awards and became the first short film DVD single in the UK market.

• Warp Films breakout success came with Shane Meadows’ This Is England, the story of Shaun, a boy who is adopted by a local skinhead gang after his father is killed in the Falklands war. Since its release in early 2007 it has gained many awards including the Best Film at the British Independent Films Awards, the Special Jury Prize at the Rome Film Festival and Best British Film at the BAFTAs. At the same ceremony, Warp Films received its third BAFTA as Paddy Considine’s directorial debut Dog Altogether won the Best Short Film award

• Three months after This Is England was released in cinemas, Warp's third feature film, Grow Your Own, was released by Pathe. The film was Warp's first collaboration with BBC Films. The film was directed by Richard Laxton and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Carl Hunter, developed from stories Carl had uncovered in his documentary work about the travails of immigrants. Produced by Barry Ryan for Warp Films, Luke Alkin for BBC Films and Carl Hunter for Art in Action.

•  Warp X was formally set up as Warp Xin 2005 as a low-budget digital ‘studio’ to develop and produce films with focus on new talent and commercial potential.

• In 2010, Warp Films produced Chris Morris’ debut feature Four Lions, a satirical comedy drama following a group of homegrown Islamic terrorists from Sheffield, England. The film was a critical and box office success, achieving impressive numbers at the box office on its opening weekend, generating the highest site average of all the new releases (£5,292) and making a total of £609,000. As of 8 August 2010, Four Lions grossed £2,932,366 at the UK box office. The film was nominated for two BAFTA awards; it won the ‘Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer’ BAFTA award for Chris Morris.

• During Richard Ayoade’s debut feature Submarine starring Noah Taylor, Sally Hawkins and Paddy Considine premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010^, and was released in the UK during March 2011 by Optimum Releasing. It was distributed in the US by The Weinstein Company. The film was met with high critical acclaim, and featured original songs by Arctic Monkeys front man Alex Turner, in his first effort as a solo artist. Submarine has won many awards worldwide, including the Best Screenplay award at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards. Richard Ayoade was nominated for a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer at the 65th British Academy Film Awards.

• Warp Films 2010 television production for Channel 4, Shane Meadows' This Is England '86, was a continuation from the 2006 film. It aired over four weekly episodes and received numerous plaudits, including a BAFTA award for leading actress Vicky McClure. It achieved record viewing figures for Channel 4

• Warp X production Kill List was released in the UK on 28 August 2011. Directed by Ben Wheatley, It has gone on to win several awards internationally, including a British Independent Film Award for supporting actor Michael Smiley. Kill List has received strong critical acclaim, with Total Film declaring it ‘Outstanding’ and giving a 5 star rating. 

• Warp Films / Warp X productions, Tyrannosaur, Kill List and Submarine were nominated for a total of 18 awards at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards. 

• Other notable productions: The Midnight Beast on E4 and The Minor Character on Sky (featuring David Tennant)

Essay for Mr Ford

How is Media Convergence Important for Audiences and Institutions

"Big things have small beginnings"

"Prometheus, are you seeing this?" on Prezi

PROJECT PROMETHEUS

http://www.projectprometheus.com/

This website was created especially for the film as it built up the anticipation for the release and contained exclusive content such as videos, pictures and character information, that the fans enjoy and read to gain more information on the film and it's background. 
Fans would have kept going back to the website to check for any new trailers or content on the site, and this ensured they would not lose interest in the film and go and see it when it was released. 

Prometheus Trailers

Viral Clips

Prometheus Twitter Campaign

Prometheus ad campaign reaches 15m Twitter users, but was it worth it?

20th Century Fox tried to tap into the viral power of Twitter on Sunday night to promote the impending release of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi movie Prometheus.
In what was heralded as a world first, a new three-minute trailer for the film was screened simultaneously online, on Channel 4 and on social TV app Zeebox.

Viewers were then encouraged to tweet about the film using the hashtag #areyouseeingthis.

During the next ad break, Channel 4 screened a 40 second spot which included viewer’s tweets.

Channel 4 said it fitted with its strategy to pioneer innovative and impactful marketing solutions, but it did it actually meet either of these criteria?

Word-of-mouth agency 1000 Heads monitored activity on Twitter around the hashtag during the past week.

The results show that there was a spike in activity on Sunday night, peaking at more than 4,000 tweets, and the hashtag was trending for a brief period.
The tweets shown on screen were all positive, but this wasn't the case on Twitter.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games on Prezi

Industry Flow Chart

Industry Flow Chart

The Film Industry

Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audience

An institution (in the film industry)

Definition:

Any company or organisation that produces, distributes or exhibits films. The BBC makes films with their BBC Films arm; Channel4's Film Four produces films, Working Title also produce films, as does Vertigo Films, etc. Some institutions need to join with other institutions which distribute films. Vertigo Films is able to distribute its own films, Channel Four distributed Slumdog Millionaire through Pathe. Working Title's distribution partner is Universal, a huge US company which can make, distribute and show films. The type of owner ship within an institution matters as, for instance, Channel 4 and the BBC are able to show their own films at an earlier stage than other films made by other institutions. They are also better placed to cross-promote their in-house films within their media organisations. Use you work on Film Four as the basis for most of what you write, Moon is a good cross comparison as Duncan Jones had to create his own institution just to get the film made.


Distribution and Marketing

Definition:

The business of getting films to their audiences by booking them for runs into cinemas and taking them there in vans or through digital downloads; distributors also create the marketing campaign for films producing posters, trailers, websites, organise free previews, press packs, television interviews with the "talent", sign contracts for promotions, competitions, etc. Distributors use their know-how and size to ensure that DVDs of the film end up in stores and on supermarket shelves. Distributors also obtain the BBFC certificate, and try to get films released as the most favourable times of the year for their genre, etc.
Examples:Universal distributed Working Title's The Boat That Rocked; Pathe distributedFilm4 and Celadors' Slumdog Millionaire after the original US distributor, Warner Independent went out of business. TRON was heavily marketed across a variety of mediums, Moon struggled to get press attention and Duncan Jones had to really push the film  in obscure places like Popular Mechanics etc. The Kings Speech was distributed by Momentum (a susiduary of Aliance films) who are a major independent film distributor.


Exhibition

Definition:

Showing films in cinemas or on DVD. Media attention through opening nights and premieres How the audience can see the film: in cinemas, at home, on DVD, through downloads, through television, including premieres, the box office take in the opening weeks; audience reviews which includes those of the film critics, ordinary people, cinemas runs; awards in festivals, The Oscars, BAFTAS, etc.


Examples:
Slumdog Millionaire almost never got distribution. Its early US distributor, Warner Independent was a victim of the economic downturn and went out of business. The film's makers then struggled to find a distributor! Then Fox Searchlight stepped up and "the rest is history". The 8 out of 10 Oscar nomination wins ensured that the film has been the greatest British success in awards and in box office for nearly 60years.http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/boyle-reveals-slumdog-millionaire-was-nearly-never-made-1331821.html

Initially Sony Pictures Worldwide were due to distribute the film but they specialise in straight to DVD features. Following positive reaction following its Sundance film festival the rights were acquired by Sony Classic Pictures who gave the film a limited release in the US in Cities like New York and LA.

Exchange

Definition:

The unintended use of an institution’s media text (i.e. a film) by OTHER PEOPLE who use the film or parts of it to form new texts. What happens to a film, etc. after the public get their hands on it using digital technology. 

Examples:People unconnected to the institution/ film using WEB 2.0 applications such as YOUTUBE, Blogger, Amazon film message boards, TWITTER, Face-Book, discuss the film or edit parts of together to form a new text which the may then put a new soundtrack to and publish on YOUTUBE, etc. When you add a trailer from a site like YouTube on your blog you have been engaging with exchange. Look back to MArk Kermodes video regarding piracy and the new release strategies for films like Ken Loach's "Route Irish" (Loach has reportedly steeled himself for a frosty response from critics and anticipates an underwhelming box office, noting the difficulty he faced securing a distribution deal. Though pragmatic in his view that “people don’t make films to communicate; they make it as a commodity”,an unorthodox release strategy utilising Sky Movies Premier - which will place the film (and by extension, its subject matter) in a wider public sphere than it might otherwise have reached – suggests he hasn’t given up on pedagogy entirely.) or the Jack Ass 3 release on DVD and Sky Box Office.


Vertical and Horizontal Integration

Definition:

Absorption into a single firm of several firms involved in all aspects of a product's manufacture from raw materials to distribution.

Examples:Vivendi Universal have integrated film, music, web and distribution technology into the company, including owning big stakes in cables and wires that deliver these services. Therefore they are vertically integrated because they own all the different companies involved in film, from production to distribution to exhibition. They are also horizontally integrated because they have all the expertise for producing media content under one roof – films, TV, magazines, books, music, games thus being able to produce all the related media content for one film under the same roof (see synergy). This is important for the control the institution has over their product/film.


Synergy/Synergies 

Definition:

The interaction of two or more agents (institutions/companies) to ensure a larger effect than if they acted independently. This is beneficial for each company through efficiencies in expertise and costs. 

Examples:Working Title know how to make films and they have formed a business partnership with Universal, a massive US company, who have the experience and size in the marketplace (cinemas, stores, online, etc.) to distribute them. (They create the marketing campaign to target audiences through posters, trailers, create the film’s website, free previews, television and press interviews featuring “the talent”, drum up press reviews, word of mouth, and determine when a film is released for the best possible audience and the type of release: limited, wide, etc.) Channel Four’s Film 4 and Celador Films(Celador also produce Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and films, too) benefited by pooling their know-how, experience and expertise to jointly produce Slumdog Millionaire. These companies formed a business relationship with France’s Pathe to distribute this film. In the UK Pathe helped create the poster, trailer, website, etc. In the USA the film found another distributor after being nominated for the Oscars.


Viral Marketing

Definition:

A marketing technique aiming at reproducing "word of mouth" usually on the internet and through existing social networks. YouTube Video pastiches, trailers, interviews with cast members, the director, writer, etc. You can find interviews of “the talent” trying to gain publicity for your case study films on YouTube. Find some clips from the films we have studied to help you in the exam. Guerilla Marketing.The use of unconventional and low cost marketing strategies to raise awareness of a product. The aim is usually to create “buzz” and “word of mouth” around a film. Unusual stunts to gain publicity (P.R.) on the film’s opening weekend, etc.

Examples:Sasha Baron Cohen created “buzz” before the release of his film “Borat” by holding fake press conferences. The studio also accessed the popularity of YouTube by releasing the first 4 minutes of the movie on YouTube, a week before it’s release, which can then be sent virally across the nation. At a special viewing of “Bruno” Cohen landed on Eminem “butt first” from the roof MTV Awards venue, dressed in as an angel outfit with rents in the rear end.


Media Convergence

Definition:

Convergence of media occurs when multiple products come together to form one product with the advantages of all of them. 
Examples:More and more films are being marketed on the Internet and on mobile phones. You no longer need even to buy the DVDs or CDs as you can download films and music directly to your laptop, Mac or PC. Blue Ray DVDs can carry more features than ordinary DVDs and can be played on HD televisions and in home cinemas for enhanced/cinematic picture quality. You can save films on SKY digital, Free-box digital players, etc. You mobile phone has multiple features and applications. With media and technological convergence this is growing year on year. Play-Stations, X-Boxes and the Wii can can connect with the Internet and you can play video games with multiple players.


Technological Convergence

Definition:

The growing interractive use of digital technology in the film industry and media which enables people to share, consume and produce media that was difficult or impossible just a few years earlier.

Examples:For instance, the use of new software to add special effects in editing; the use of blue-screen; using new types of digital cameras like the one Danny Boyle used in “Slumdog Millionaire” (The Silicon Imaging Camera to shoot high quality film in tight spaces); you can use the Internet to download a film rather than go see it in the cinema; you can watch it on YouTube; you can use special editing programs like Final Cut Pro to edit bits of a film, give it new soundtrack and upload it on YouTube; you can produce illegal, pirate copies on DVDs from downloads and by converting the film’s format; you can buy Blue Ray DVDs with greater compression which allows superior viewing and more features on the DVD; distributors can use digital software to create high concept posters; cinemas can download films to their projection screens and do not have to depend on a van dropping off the film! The is also the Digital Screen Network. There are tons of ways in which technological convergence affects the production, distribution, exhibition and exchange by prosumers. ( A prosumer is someone who not only consumes (watches films) but also writes about them the Net, blogs and make films out of them, often uploading them on sites like YouTube, etc.

A Mainstream Film

Definition:

A high budget film that would appeal to most segments of an audience: the young, boys, girls, teenagers, young people, the middle aged, older people, the various classes in society. Distributors often spend as much or more than the film cost to make when distributing mainstream films that are given wide or universal releases.

Examples:

The Boat That Rocked was a mainstream idea and was given the mainstream treatment on wide release. The film flopped at the UK box office on release ( and has not done too well since mid November 2009 on release in the USA. This was mostly because of its poor reviews, particularly from “Time-Out”. However, when young and older audiences see the DVD they generally like the film because of its uplifting storyline and the well-chosen soundtrack.


Art House Films

Definition:

A low budget independent film that would mostly appeal to an educated, higher class audience who follow unusual genres or like cult directors that few people have heard of. Therefore it is usually aimed at a niche market. Foreign films often come under this category.

Examples: The low budget film, Once (2007) which found a specialised, boutique distributor in Fox Searchlight fits this label. (FOX the mainstream company usually distributes big budget film and blockbusters); So does “Juno” from 2008 which began as a low budget film about teenage pregnancy that the big studios thought too risky to touch – but it found popularity through its touching storyline, engaging music and its Oscar nomination for best script. Like “Slumdog Millionaire” the film crossed over between art-house cinemas and audiences to mainstream ones because of the recognition it received from Canadian film festivals and award ceremonies like Britain’s BAFTAS and the Hollywood’s Oscars.

Ratings bodies BBFC - The British Board of Film Classification:

How your institutions films are rated will affect audiences in so far as WHO can see them. Remember that sex scenes, offensive language, excessive violence, the use of profanity, etc. can affect the rating and certificate the film receives and therefore affect who is able to see the film.