Monday 29 September 2014

'Why did Dredd fail at the Box Office?'

'Why did Dredd fail at the box office?' essay research.

A futuristic police officer in armour and a helmet that covers all but his mouth stands on the corner of a building roof with a gun in his hand as large tower blocks burn behind him. Above the man reads a tagline "Judgment is Coming".



Pre Production

1) Who were the films producer, distributor and script writer? (try and find other films by these groups)
It was produced by the studio DNA Films, IM Global and Reliance Entertainment. It was distributed by Lionsgate and Entertainment Film Distributors. The screenplay is by Alex Garland.
Other films that were distributed by Lionsgate include The Hunger Games films and Kick-Ass. Films distributed by Entertainment Film Distributors include 17 Again & Stormbreaker.
DNA Films also produced films such as Never Let Me Go and Love Actually. IM Global have produced films including Walking On Sunshine and Insidious. Reliance Entertainment have produced films like War Horse and The Help.
Alex Garland wrote the screenplay for films such as Never Let Me Go and 28 Days Later.
2) Who are Lionsgate (who owns them?)
They are a Canadian-American entertainment company. As of 2013 it is the most commercially successful mini major film and television distribution company in North America and it is the 7th most profitable movie studio. Jon Feltheimer is the CEO of this company.
3) Who are IM Global (who owns them?)
It is one of the leading financing, sales and distribution companies in the world, championing a wide variety of cinema, including art house, mainstream commercial, genre fare and foreign language. Stuart Ford founded the company in 2007 and is the CEO of it.
4) Who are DNA films (who owns them and who partnered with them?)
They are a British film production company, one of the UK's most successful ones. It is run by Andrew Macdonald and his producing partner Allon Reich. It partnered with Fox Searchlight back in 2003 when it locked a $50 million joint venture with them to make British films for worldwide distribution.
5) How was the funding for DNA originally split?
$25 million was pushed into the pot from Fox Searchlight and $25 million of production finance was put in from DNA Films, from which it was previously awarded by the Arts Council of England.
6)Why did they need to maintain their relationship with Fox Searchlight?
Projects were greenlit directly by DNA and then benefited from a guaranteed release commitment from Fox. Their partnership has had a stream of critical and commercial successes, such as 'Sunshine' and '28 Weeks Later'. Allon Reich says that they have an 'incredibly close relationship with Searchlight' and that 'they're like gold dust. We value them'.
7) When did Lionsgate announce their three picture deal with IM Global?
During November 2010.
8) Where did Carl Urban announce his role in Dredd? Why might this have helped attract the film's target audience?
He disclosed, in July 2010, at Comic Con to Collider.com that he had been offered the lead role in Dredd. At comic con people are interested in action/futuristic films, so this would make them interested to see it. Also Urban is in Star Trek which many people at Comic Con are extremely interested in, so they are probably fans of his and would want to see him in Dredd.
9) How much money did Dredd make from pre sales (this is people buying the right to show your film)?
It made $30 million in foreign pre-sales.
10) How much did a distributer pay for the rights to show the film in the UK?
A deal was made for $7 million with the distribution company Entertainment Film Distributors.
11) Where was the movie filmed?
It was shot on location in Cape Town (South Africa) and Johannesburg (South Africa). The opening scenes were filmed in Oriental City Shopping Centre (Colindale, North London). They chose to film it in South Africa because of the lowered cost of employing crew and cast compared to employing them in locations such as North America and Europe, and also government incentives that offered to rebate up to 25% of the production costs.
12) Who starred in the film?
Karl Urban starred as Judge Dredd. Urban most likely has a big fan following due to appearance in films with massive fan followings such as Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness as Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McVoy, and Eomer in the second and third films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Olivia Thirlby stars as Judge Cassandra Anderson. Thirlby is known for her roles in Oscar-winning film Juno, and the Darkest Hour. She has been described by Vanity Fair in 2008 as one of 'Hollywood's New Wave' so people might want to see what she does next and therefore be interested in going to see this film.
13) Who directed the film?
Pete Travis directed Dredd. He is known for directing projects such as Omagh, Vantage Point and episodes of Cold Feet. He won two awards for Omagh- in 2004 he won the Discovery Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and in 2005 he won a British Academy Television Award for Best Single Drama. Travis' success as a director might make people interested in seeing what he does next, and knowing that his previous work has won awards they may be more likely to come and see Dredd as they might think that it will be just as good as his other work.
14) What is its source material?
The film is based on the comic strip Judge Dredd by 2000 AD and its character created by Carlos Ezquerra and John Wagner. This comic strip is the longest running in the magazine 2000 AD- suggesting that it is very popular and has fans. It has been featured in the magazine ever since it's second issue in 1977. Dredd was named the 7th greatest comic character by the magazine Empire, and in 2011 he was ranked 35th in the top 100 comic book heroes, by IGN.

Production

1) When was the 'lawgiver' gun built and designed?
It was built and designed in 2010, it was developed as a fully operational weapon, based on a 9mm firing system, capable of being changed from automatic to semi-auto fire and firing ammunition. It is Dredd's signature weapon.
2) During which other UK film was the 'slo mo' sequences designed?
Never Let Me Go
3) How did the film makers feel about making an 18 certificate film?
They didn't really care too much about the certification, it was what it was. It was an independent film, the distributors 'know what they're buying, they make their own judgement how much they're going to pay for it based on the certification they know it will have'. So the film makers didn't feel any pressure, if the film was made differently perhaps they would have pressure from a studio- but this way there was never a problem.
4) How long did it take to film Dredd?
Filming began on the 12th November 2010 and lasted for 13 weeks.
5) Which camera was used to film Dredd?
They shot entirely digitally, in scope, using RED MX cameras and SI2KS, Phantom Flex highspeed and multiple rigs shooting at the same time on first and second unit.
6) Why did they need to create new camera rigs?
They built new camera rigs to take the audience very close to the action.


Post production

1) What issue affected the films editing?
The director of the film Pete Travis was stopped from taking part in the editing process as he had creative disagreements with the producers and executives. This disagreement was to do with a disapproval over the footage that Travis was providing. Alex Garland then took over the editing process, his contribution was so great that he could seek co-director credit- yet he had never directed a film before nor had he been in charge of filming. Travis still followed the progress of the film and Garland did not seek a co-director credit, and they both released a statement saying this and that they had agreed on an 'unorthodox collaboration' before production began.
2) Distribution and marketing
A comic book was published as a prequel to the film, following the life of Ma-Ma before the film begins and how she ends up taking over the Slo-Mo operation. It is written by Matt Smith (the Judge Dredd Magazine editor), drawn by 2000 AD artist Henry Flint and was released in September 2012. This would raise awareness in fans of the comic book of the film.

In August 2012 there was a viral advertising site, 'Dredd Report', launched which satirised the Drudge Report. The site had a video that talked about the use of Slo-Mo and it contained links to news about the film. This once again got people interested in the film, and finding out more about it via the links, and it also got people talking about it.

There was also an exclusive film poster released by Mondo, to promote the film's appearance at the 2012 Fantastic Fest in September that year, featuring artwork by Jock. This got people who were interested in art notice the film poster and perhaps want to go and see it, also the film was aimed at aficionados and people that are interested in art may come under this type of audience.

Distributor Lionsgate contributed $25 million to print costs & advertising.
3) How many cinemas was Dredd released in and how many ONLY showed it in 3D?
It was released in 2506 cinemas, only 2200 of these showed it only in 3D. This would not profit the film very much as they spent a lot of money on making it for 3D yet not all cinemas were showing it only 3D and the audience still have the option to see it in 2D in 306 cinemas. People are less likely to go and see it 3D as it costs them too much, and as the majority of cinemas were only showing it in 3D they would be unlikely to go and see it.
4) How did producers begin promoting Dredd3D?
They began marketing it at Comic-Con in 2012 to its core under-25 male demo.
5) What viral marketing campaign did the producers use for Dredd?
Lionsgate partnered with the publisher 2000AD and Motion Comic to make an online comic-strip prequel to the film following Ma-Ma's life before the film begins, and what led the character up to the life she now lives in the film.
6) The film premiered at Fantastic Fest, what is it and why would this appeal to the films target audience?
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival that focuses on genre films such as horror, fantasy, cult, Asian, action and science fiction. It hosts many directors, writers and actors- established and unknown. There are 'special screenings' where the audience doesn't know what the film will be that they're watching until moments before it starts. These people are clearly aficionados- the group which the film is aimed at- and they are interested in the genre of film that Dredd is, and therefore it would appeal to them.
7) Which awards did the films marketing campaign win?
The film's marketing campaign won a Golden Trailer Award for Best Thriller TV Spot for the trailer 'Big Addicted' and it also got nominations for other awards such as Best Action Poster, Best Action TV Spot, Best Graphics in a TV Spot, Most Original TV Spot, Best Music TV Spot & Most Original Poster for the Dredd motion poster.
8) How much money did the film gross at the box office & what was it's budget?
$41 million and it's budget was $45 million.
9) What unusual step did the film's UK distributors take to ensure people watched in 3D?
Some cinemas requested for 2D prints for patrons and these were denied by Lionsgate. If people can't see it in 2D that means that they have to pay for a more expensive ticket (to go and see it in 3D) therefore making more profit- if the distributors are right about Dredd's ability to attract crowds.
10) What percentage of audiences are physically incapable of seeing a 3D image?
12-30% of audience members cannot properly perceive images in 3D because of a medical conditions.
11) What % of light is lost in a 3D film?
30% light is lost in a 3D film, there are also sometimes blurred edges surrounding moving objects and a lot of seemingly 2D scenes in 3D films (therefore making it pointless to see a film in 3D).
12) Which film was Dredd unfortunate to be released after?
Gareth Evans' The Raid which has an extremely similar storyline which seems a lot better compared to Dredd with its highly choreographed fight routines which makes the fights in Dredd look like they're stomping around in boots, and the dark wit gets lost amidst all the destruction.
13) In the UK which position in the DVD charts did Dredd occupy?
Number 1.
14) What might this show about the decision to allow only a 3D release
This may have been a good decision in the long run because although it did not do as well as hoped at the box office more people made up for that by buying it on DVD as this allows them to see it in 2D, which is what they wanted to do originally but they couldn't as most cinemas were only showing it in 3D.
15) In the US which audience demographic was the largest?
The largest audience demographic in North America on the opening weekend were people over the age of 25 (69%) and males (75%).
16) How many units did Dredd sell on DVD/BluRay in the US?
650,000
17) How much money did this bring in?
The film was estimated to have earned $10 million in home media sales in North America by September 2013.
18) Length of cinema run in the US?
42 days.

Monday 22 September 2014

Representation Task: Skins

Tony's Representation

Sound-

The diegetic sound (dialogue) suggests that Tony is passive aggressive in his behaviour towards his dad, as he does things to wind his dad up but never actually gets angry, shouts at him or responds to his dad's anger. His dad's way of showing his anger is shouting and swearing which is completely different to Tony (who stays calm and winds the dad up because of it). There is a big contrast in their behaviours and they are binary opposites in this way. Tony's behaviour to his dad also shows that he is manipulative and likes to control people.

Other diegetic sounds that tell the audience something about Tony's character is music that he puts on his stereo in his room- which is loud and almost sounds like something from the Screamo genre. This shows us that Tony is not the stereotypical popular teenager- despite his good looks, work out routine and clear popularity- that listens to chart music, he instead listens to this very different genre.

His dialogue with his friends on the phone suggests that he is quite controlling of them, as he wants Michelle to sleep with Sid, and that he is sexist, as he just expects Michelle to say yes and he objectifies her. He is also manipulative to his friends. He is also quite patronising to Sid, especially about his virginity, and makes fun of him on the phone to Anwar. Sid is the binary opposite of Tony (he is geeky and not good with girls), you wouldn't expect young people like them to be best friends in reality, so this helps to appeal to a wider audience of different types of people. The way that Tony seems to be the one arranging everything on the phone to his friends suggests that he is the ringleader, also it shows that he likes to control others.

The non-diegetic music (the score) playing at the beginning of the episode up until when Tony puts his stereo on is rap / R'N'B and it suggests that he is youthful and is into the things that are popular.


Editing-
I didn't make any notes about editing as I don't really understand it yet.


Camera work-
The camera begins on a birds-eye shot looking down on Tony, and this suggest that we're looking at his life from an outsider's point of view- like a bird- also it gives the audience a chance to see what Tony looks like for the first time. It then zooms out from Tony, which gives the audience a feeling that we were intruding on his life but now we're moving away, this could represent that Tony doesn't like people knowing things about his life. The camera zooming out could also represent Tony's life and, the way that it zooms out from him, could represent that he is disconnected with his life. 


There are point of view shots from Tony's perspective when he is looking at the stereo and his clothes drawers- this shows to the audience straight away that Tony is the focus of the episode and that we're going to be seeing events through him.


When Tony is walking down the street and talking to his friends on the phone we see a long shot of him so we see him from head to toe and know exactly what he looks like, the camera also uses a crab shot as Tony is walking so that we keep up with him and feel like we're walking with him too. This also makes the audience feel like everything is from Tony's perspective and that's why we're keeping up with him and not the other characters. The other characters tend to be shot in a more close-up way so we don't see as much as them as we do Tony, so once again we know Tony more than the others and therefore our focus is on him.


The audience is introduced to Tony's friends very early on in the episode- and they all appeal to different groups of society, for example Anwar is Muslim and Max is gay. This appeals to all different types of audience members quickly and makes them feel included and involved.


Tony gets most of the screen time as the audience clearly are meant to be focusing on him more than the other characters.

Mise En Scene-

Many things suggest that Tony is obsessive and likes to control everything, for example at the beginning of the episode we see him lying in bed- already awake before his alarm goes off- and he looks as if he hasn't moved the whole night. This suggests he likes to keep his bed neat and he likes to be in control of things he does. His clothes are also neatly put away- unlike a stereotypical teenager who is extremely messy.

We can tell that he is narcissistic and thinks highly of himself. For example he works out when he wakes up, and this looks like it's a daily routine as he gets out of bed immediately when his alarm goes off and starts exercising, he then admires his muscles in the mirror and preens himself- all of which suggests that he cares greatly about his appearance. Furthermore, the character thinks that he is intelligent as he reads a highly intellectual book (Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre) which is usually for people at university, yet he thinks he is clever enough to read it although he is only at college.

He is also represented as being stylish and smart through his costume for example, he wears plain clothes, for example he wears a pair of chinos, a plain red t-shirt, a black V neck over it and white shoes. This is quite a classic look and goes against the stereotype of what people of his age might wear, other teenagers would usually wear things that are in fashion at the time. His hair is also stylish and simple, which adds to this idea of going against the typical teenage boy stereotype. Teenage boys at the time stereotypically would have had whatever hairstyle was in fashion, like spiky hair (which we see in his friend Chris). Furthermore, he is represented as being stylish through props in his room such as his retro film posters (for example, Blow up and the 8 1/2) that other typical teenagers would probably not watch.

The character is also lustful and sexual, we can tell this as he watches the woman get dressed in the house across the road and this comes across as something that is a daily routine. Also, his bed covers of the naked man and woman suggests that he is quite sexual, yet they can also infer that he is lonely and he wants his bed covers to become a reality for him. You could infer from his position in the bed, which is completely in the middle between the male and female bodies on the quilt cover, that he is bi-sexual- as he is between the two. You could also say differently, you could say that he is confused about his sexuality and isn't sure if he's gay or straight- so he's undecided in the middle. 

The lighting on only half of Tony's face at the beginning of the episode when he's in bed could also show that he's lonely and that his life is a bit dark.


Sunday 14 September 2014

Representation and Textual Analysis

Textual Analysis and Representation (The 4 Key Areas of Textual Analysis)

Camera Shots, Angle, Movement, Composition
  • Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, and variations of these.
  • Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.
  • Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
  • Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.
Editing


Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems.
  • Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway; insert.
  • Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.
 Sound
  • Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.
  • Diegetic and non-diegetic sound; synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound effects; sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing, sound perspective.
Mise-en-Scène
  • Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties.
  • Lighting; colour design.



Textual Analysis and Representation (The 7 Key Areas of
Representation)

You need to understand how these technical elements (in the last post) create specific representations of individuals, groups, events or places and help to articulate specific messages and values that have social significance.

Particular areas of representation that may be chosen are:
  1. Gender
  2. Age
  3. Ethnicity
  4. Sexuality
  5. Class and status
  6. Physical ability/disability
  7. Regional identity

Camera Shots, Angle, Movement






Submarine


Extreme long shot/establishing shot



Tracking shot & long shot



Close up



Side ways tracking shot/ crab shot



Zoom



Over the shoulder shot



Point of view shot



Panning shot



Crane shot



Two shot



Arc shot



Low angle shot



High angle shot



Extreme close up



Mid-shot



Tilt shot

(I couldn't find a better example of this in this film)



Representation in American Beauty

Lester Burnham's Representation

  • He says he used to be happy- suggests that he's not content now
  • Dislikes his wife- he talks about her in a negative way
  • He has a poor posture and slouches- suggests that he's lazy and lacks confidence
  • He is unhappy- we learn this from his VO and the way he acts
  • He is not well respected by the people around him, for example he sits in the back-seat of the car like a child
  • Stereotypical female and male roles are reversed with Lester and his wife
  • He jerks off in the shower and calls it the highlight of his day- which suggests that the rest of his day must be awful and that he's sad, and perhaps that him and his wife aren't having sex
Sound-
The non-diegetic sound is upbeat music, that contrasts with Burnham's life as he comes across in the beginning of the film as being quite miserable. Maybe this music was chosen to keep the beginning of the film somewhat light-hearted and perhaps so the audience don't take Burnham's situation too seriously initially. The music is also repetitive, reflecting his repetitive everyday life and routine. The other non-diegetic sound is Burnham's voice over in which he affectively expresses that he is miserable with his life, this sets the scene for the audience and makes them feel like they already know a bit about his character. Also, the monotonous tone of his voice in this VO reflects his discontent with his life. Any diegetic sound at the beginning of this film sets the scene for the audience of what Lester Burnham's home life is like.


Camerawork-
Burnham is shown many a time trapped behind things and being distant from any action taking place. For example the camera men chose to film from the outside of Burnham's shower so it looks as if he is trapped in there behind the door, representing how he is trapped in his miserable everyday routine and home life. He is also shown stood inside the house looking out the window from a distance at his wife talking to someone in the garden, once again representing how he is trapped and that perhaps he's not close to his family any more. Furthermore, in Lester's computer screen in his office they have cleverly used bars on the screen with Lester's reflection in it to look like he's trapped and affectively imprisoned in his miserable life.



Mise En Scene-
There are dull colours, for example Lester's bedroom is beige and he wears a brown suit, this reflects the dullness of his life. Lester's room is also very sparse and this could represent how he doesn't have much going on in his life. Burnham's office is also very plain, to have the same effect as his plain room does. There is a red, white and blue colour scheme. Their are roses in the garden and also roses on the daughter's top- this suggests that the roses are significant in the film.






Saturday 13 September 2014

Film Production- The Avengers and Les Miserables

Film Production

The Avengers

Development

1) Where did the idea come from?

The idea for the film came from the Marvel comic books.
2) Which studio agreed to the film?
Marvel Studios.
3) Who owns that studio?
Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company).
4) What was the film's budget?
$220 million.
5) Who was the film's producer?
Kevin Feige.


Pre Production

1) Who wrote the script?
Joss Whedon was the eventual writer of The Avengers script, originally it was Zak Penn but his first draft was gotten rid of and Whedon had to write the script pretty much from scratch.
2) Who directed the film?
Joss Whedon also directed the film as well as writing the script for it.
3) Who starred in the film?
It's stars include Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Samuel L. Jackson & Robert Downey, Jr.
4) In which country was it filmed?
The USA.
5) Which locations were used?
Albuquerque, New Mexico, California, outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the Butler area, Worthington, Pennsylvania at Creekside Mushroom farms, Cleveland, Ohio (East 9th Street acted as New York's 42nd Street), large vacuum chamber at NASA Plum Brook Station near Sandusky, Ohio and their Space Power Facility, Chevrolet powertrain plant in Parma, Ohio, Public Square and Detroit Superior Bridge, and New York (especially in Park Avenue and Central Park).

Production

1) How long did filming take?
Principal photography began on April 25th 2011 and I can not find out when filming ended but I assume it was near the end of 2011 as it was released in 2012.
2) Which cameras were used to film?
Canon EOS 5D Mark II and 7D Digital SLR cameras were used for some shots and high speed shots were captured on 35mm film with the Arriflex 435.

Post Production

1) Who was the film's editor?
Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek.
2) When was the film released in the UK and the USA?
It was released on the 26th April 2012 in the UK and in the USA it was released on the 11th April 2012.
3) What special effects were used?
The special effects used were to create things including the Helicarrier, the New York cityscape, Iron Man, digital body doubles and the Hulk. Special effects include the compositing digital backgrounds into shots that were filmed against a greenscreen for scenes taking place inside the Helicarrier. Other special effects include digitally recreating the majority of the New York cityscape used in the film. To do this artists rendered an area of about ten city blocks by about for city blocks. A team of photographers then took pictures of the area in a shoot that lasted 8 weeks. To create the on-screen Hulk, Mark Ruffalo performed in a motion-captures suit on set with the other actors while four motion-capture HD cameras captured his body movements and face. For scenes taking place in Manhattan they shot aerial footage to use as background plates. Many more special effects were used as well as the ones mentioned.
4) Find three marketing campains used for the film?
Posters, premieres & games and apps (for example Avengers Alliance that has 1.2 million users playing a day, and this helps to spread the word online).
5) Find 5 film reviews and summarise them.
The Avengers received mostly positive reviews. One review is quite negative saying that the film's CGI is unimaginative and unnecessarily long. One review is very positive calling it one of the top ten films of 2012. Another review is also extremely positive calling it an 'epic moment in cinematic history'. Another review says that fans of Marvel will be extremely pleased with the film, saying that it will feel like Christmas has come to them. One review says that it is an enjoyable experience that will 'please both fanboys and the public at large'.
6) How much did the film make at the UK box office?
£51.9 million.
7) How much did the film make at the US box office?
$623,357,910.
8) How much did the film make in total?
$1.5 billion at the box office.
9) How many DVD versions exist?
4
10) When was the film released on DVD/Blu-Ray?September 25th 2012







Les Miserables


Development

1) Where did the idea come from?
Les Miserables is adapted from the musical of the same name, that was based on the novel by Victor Hugo.
2) Which studio agreed to make the film?
Relativity Media, Working Title Films and Cameron Mackintosh Ltd.
3) Who owns them studios?
Ryan Kavanaugh, Ron Burkle and Colbeck Capital own Relativity Media, NBCUniversal, Universal Studios and Comcast own Working Title Films, and Cameron Mackintosh owns Cameron Mackintosh Ltd.
4) What was the film's budget?
$61 million.
5) Who were the film's producers?
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh.

Pre Production

1) Who wrote the script?

William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Herbert Kretzmer.
2) Who directed the film?
Tom Hooper.
3) Who starred in the film?
Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham-Carter, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks and Amanda Seyfried.
4) In which country was it filmed?
It was filmed in England and some on-location filming took place in France.
5) Which locations were used?
Boughton House, Winchester College, Winchester Cathedral Close, Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth (Chatham Dockyard), St Mary the Virgin Curch (Ewelme, South Oxfordshire) Pulteney Weir (Bath, Somerset) and Pinewood Studios. A replica of the Elephant of the Bastille was made in Greenwich. Filming also took place in Gourdon, Alpes-Maritimes in France.

Production


1) How long did filming take?

Principal photography began on March 8th 2012 and filming finished in October 2012.
2) Which cameras were used to film?
Arricam LT, Zeiss Master Prime, Ultra Prime and Angenieux Optimo Lenses and an Arricam ST, Zeiss Master Prime, Ultra Prime and Angenieux Optimo Lenses.


Post Production


1) Who was the film's editor?
Melanie Ann Oliver and Chris Dickens.

2) When was the film released in the UK and the USA?
In the UK it was released on the 11th January 2013 and in the USA it was released on the 25th December 2012.
3) What special effects were used?Visual effects artists created oceans, crowds, ships and environments.
4) Find three marketing campaigns used for the film?Posters of main characters were released, in May 2012 a teaser trailer was released and then in September 2012 an extended first look at the film was released on it's official Facebook page.
5) Find 5 film reviews of the film, summarise them.

Les Mis received mixed reviews, but mostly positive, for example in one review from The Guardian the author infers that he enjoyed the film, he calls it unique and sometimes compelling, but he also has some negative things to say about it- for example he didn't enjoy Anne Hathaway's 'I Dreamed A Dream' performance. One review was extremely negative from The Telegraph saying that they hated almost every minute of it and couldn't stand the live singing. A review from The Daily Mail is extremely positive they say it is the best British film ever and the most ambitious. Another review is negative saying that the film goes down hill after the first 30 minutes, but if the whole thing had been as good as the beginning then it would easily be 'one of the year's best pictures'. Another review is a very positive, calling it a 'beautiful interpretation' of the stage production.6) How much did the film make at the UK box office?£33,456,340
7) How much did the film make at the US box office?

$148,775,460
8) How much did the film make in total?$441,809,770
9) How many DVD versions exist?2
10) When was the film released on DVD/Blu Ray?

13th May 2012.









Thursday 11 September 2014

Mock Research

  1. What % of global box office was the British film industry responsible for?15% - 2012
  2. What was this % in 2009?
    6.8%
  3. What might this change indicate about British film?It is becoming more popular worldwide and in England too, we are making more captivating films.
  4. What films have been responsible for this change?
    Skyfall (accounts for $1.1 billion of the $5.3 billion of the UK's tally), in 2011 the higher market share can be partly accounted for by the success of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and The King's Speech. Independent films, released without the backing of a major US studio, also did well in worldwide cinema, especially The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (which made $135 million at cinemas worldwide) and The Woman In Black (which made $128 million at cinemas worldwide).
  5. What % of the British film industry makes a profit?
    7%
  6. What % of Hollywood films make a profit?
    17%
  7. How does that % differ between £2m and £10m budget British films?
    With a budget of £2 million or lower only 4% of films were likely to make a profit, whereas with a £10 million budget or more 17% of films were likely to make their money back.
  8. What might we infer from this difference?
    The bigger the budget on the film the more likely you are to make a profit.
  9. Which age group makes up the largest % of UK cinema goers?
    Over-45s represented the biggest proportion of cinema-goers in the UK, making up 36% of the cinema-goers compared to 25% from the 15-24 age group.
  10. Why do you think this might be?
    There has been a rise in films aimed at an older audience, such as The Exotic Marigold Hotel, this has been a contributing factor.
  11. Which 'type' of film has seen a % drop in gross income from 20% in 2011, and 24% in 2010, to 18% in 2012?
    3D.
  12. Within that 'type' which genre has seen the biggest fall?
    Family films.
  13. What did Charles Gant put this decline down to?
    Families need to economise, prices mount when 3D premium is taken into account as well as the need for paying for parking and several tickets. He also said that 'the word can circulate when there's just a shoddy conversion' from a normal version of the film to 3D.
  14. Who is Paul Greengrass?
    A British film director.
  15. How did he describe the British film industry?
    As a 'success story' and he predicted it would continue to see international growth- particularly in China.
  16. What did a BFI spokesperson say was the point of less profitable low budget British films?
    He said they are 'successful and beneficial to the industry for other reasons like skills and training development and for artistic and cultural importance'.
  17. What was the budget for Filth and how much money did it take?
    The budget for Filth was around £2 million and it made £4 million at the box office.
  18. What advantage did James McEvoy feel £100m films have over low budget films?
    He said that they have a massive budget to sell the film. He said that 'films like Filth can be leagues ahead of the $100m movie, but they've got no money to get a poster in the paper. So who's going to come and see them?'. 
  19. What is VOD?
    Video-on-demand.
  20. What % increase did VOD see last year?
    50%
  21. What impact might VOD have on distributers and Studios?They might become less important.
  22. What impact has it had on Blockbuster rental stores?
  23. What was unique about Ben Wheatleys 'A Field In England'?It was the first UK film to be released simultaneously in cinemas, on TV, on DVD and through video-on-demand.
  24. What does director of The Machine Caradog James think is the toughest part of film making?You can make a good film but it's hard to get it to reach an audience.
  25. Why have rules been relaxed on what makes a film 'British'?To help encourage more investment in the UK film industry.
  26. How has the use of visual effects in films been encouraged?
    The new cultural test will include an increase in the points available for using British visual and special effects companies.
  27. Name five of these rules and link them to The Kings Speech, Kill List, The World's EndFilm set in the UK, British lead actor/majority of cast, lead characters British citizens or residents, film based on British subject matter or underlying material, British director, scriptwriter, producer, composer, key staff, crew.
    The King's speech starred mainly British actors (Colin Firth & Helena Bonham-Carter for example), it was based on a British subject matter and is about British heritage, which is another rule, the lead characters are British citizens, the director is British (Tom Hooper) and so are other members of the crew such as the scriptwriter, and it was filmed and set in England.
    The majority of The World's End cast were British actors (Simon Pegg & Nick Frost for example), it's lead characters are British citizens, it was set in England and filmed in England, it's based on an underlying English material (pub crawls) and has a British director (Edgar Wright) and other key members of the crew are British, for example one of the producers Nira Park is.
    Kill List is set and filmed in England (in Sheffield), it's lead characters are British citizens, the majority of the crew are British (including the director Ben Wheatley).
  28. What rules has chancellor George Osbourne announced for tax on British films?He announced that tax relief would be increased from 20% to 25% on the first £20 million of qualifying production expenditure. Furthermore, productions will only have to spend 10% of their budgets on UK expenditure to qualify (down from 25%) to help more independent production companies and make the UK a more attractive co-production partner.
  29. What is the highest grossing film in UK box office history?
    Skyfall
  30. How much has it taken and how many screens was it available on? £94.3 million in the UK and it was available in 587 cinemas.

Saturday 6 September 2014

My Own Representation




UK Tribes

In UK Tribes I definitely match up to the description of being a fangirl, whenever I like something I tend to maybe become a bit obsessed with it for a time. I am a massive Les Mis fan and I fangirl over the cast of the Westend version of it (especially Carrie Hope Fletcher). Furthermore, I listen to the music from it a ridiculous amount. I am also a massive fan of Justin Bieber and am really dedicated to him. For example, I queued ten hours last year for his concert. So yes, I would say I match the description given on the UK Tribes website of a fangirl. Also, I fangirl over the The Vamps.









Media Figures That I Consider Similar to Myself
Personality wise I think that Emma Stone is quite similar to me in that way as she is a bit quirky. I wouldn't really say I'm like any other media figure personality wise, although I'd love to be like Billie Piper, she's amazing.


Do I Consciously Model Myself On Any Media Figures?

I don't know if would say I really style myself based on media figures, I probably style myself more based on characters from programmes. I went through a phase when I was younger trying to be like Rose Tyler from Doctor Who, I absolutely loved her character and wanted to be just like her. I try to shape my eyebrows like her too, I would love to look like Billie Piper. I don't know who I would say I base my style on nowadays. I suppose the people that model the new trends as they are the sort of clothes I like to wear.



My Clothes

I like wearing basic clothes a lot of the time, like just a black top/white top with jeans or a skirt or something similar. I think that you can dress basic clothes up and you can make them look casual or dress them up, if you wore a blazer with it for example. I base my style sometimes on clothes from Zara as I love their classy look. I like wearing these sorts of clothes as I think they suit me and I like coming across as quite stylish.

       
Gadgets

My phone is my most important gadget as I use it for a lot of things, for example texting, calling people and the internet as well. My iPod is probably me second most important gadget as I love listening to it and going into a world of my own. Listening to it on the bus in the morning is great too, it's a nice start to the day. I'm really not bothered about keeping up with technology, for example some people get the new version of the iPhone every time it comes out, as long as I've got the essentials I am very happy.

iPod nano purple icon

 









Tuesday 2 September 2014

Representation

Representation

The Man



1) Who is he?
He looks as if he is a homeless man as he is wearing the sort of clothes usually associated with being homeless. His trousers being patched up might suggest that he's had to wear the same ones a lot and they are damaged.

2) What does he do?
Beg for money (including money for things like cigarettes).

3) His story?
Maybe he did have some money at some time but he may have lost it somehow and spiralled into a financial disaster, until eventually he was homeless.

In reality his name is Doug Bihlmaier and he is stood on Madison Avenue in New York. He works for Ralph Lauren and travels around the world finding things to dress their stores.

The Woman



1) Who is she?
An elderly woman who is interested in fashion, maybe an artist. She looks like someone that would run an art gallery because of her interesting, arty taste in clothes.

2) What does she do?
Same as above.

3) Her story?
She looks like she is wealthy because of her fur coat and her other clothes look expensive too. So, maybe she has always had an interest in fashion and enjoys mixing it up.

In reality her name is Anna Di Piaggi, she is an Italian fashion writer. She has attended fashion shows all her life and designer companies give her their clothes for free.

The Man 2


1) Who is he?
He looks like someone that's wealthy because of his expensive looking shoes and blazer. He looks relaxed and casual so he might be a laidback person.

2) What does he do?
He looks like a business man because even though his outfit is laidback and casual, it is still to some extent smart.

3) His story?
Because of his age and the fact that his clothes look expensive I would say that maybe he has made a lot of money throughout his life and that maybe he's done this by setting up a business himself. Maybe he can be laidback and casual now that it's successful.

In reality he is Calvin Klein.

Monday 1 September 2014

5 X 5

5 X 5 

FIVE: SONGS

Justin Bieber- Down To Earth: This is one of my all time favourite songs, it is really beautiful and has always had a special meaning for me.
One Day More-
Les Misérables: This is from my all time favourite musical and it's absolutely brilliant. All the characters come together singing about their own situations into a great overlapping, powerful, beautiful song. It's amazing.
On My Own-
Les Misérables: Another song from Les Mis that is so beautiful, well all of them are but if I had to choose it'd be these two that are my favourites.
McFly- Obviously: This song is a definite favourite from my childhood and has such a sense of nostalgia to it for me. Every time I listen to it it's as good as the last.
The Vamps- Wildheart: A really feel-good song that makes you want to dance and live in the countryside.

 

FIVE: BOOKS

The Fault In Our Stars- John Green: A really beautiful book with wonderful characters, I cried through the last five chapters.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower:
A really good coming of age book.
The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins: Just read this on holiday and it was amazing, couldn't put it down. I plan to try and read the next two before the last couple of films come out.
The Night World Series- Enchantress- L.J Smith: I read this book a couple of years ago I think now and I remember reading it at the speed of lightning- I couldn't put it down. I think it's one of the first books I've ever cried at.
The Jane Blonde Series- Jill Marshall: These were some of my favourite books when I was younger.

FIVE: FILMS

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire: Initially this is one of the only Harry Potter films I had on DVD and I must have watched it at least 40 times. It's amazing. I just love Harry Potter anyway, but this has to be my favourite film if I had to choose.
Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest:  My favourite installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, this film is non-stop adventure and there are so many funny moments.
Freaky Friday (the recent version): A really funny film with a lovely, heartfelt side to it as well.
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging: A great coming of age film, it's so funny and relatable. 
The Mummy: I absolutely love this film, it's story-line is great and its characters. Everything about it really.



FIVE: BANDS

The Vamps: I love their music so much, their debut album Meet The Vamps has been the soundtrack to my summer.
The Maccabees:
Their music is so good and I just love it.
Coldplay:
Again, I love their music. My favourite song by them is Yellow- it's so beautiful.
McFly:
One of my favourite bands as a kid and still one of my favourites now. I just love them. Their music is great and they are amazing people.
One Direction:
Yes, I admit it. I love One Direction. I adored them when they were contestants on the X-Factor and they still have a place in my heart now.

FIVE: TV PROGRAMMES


Doctor Who: This was my absolute favourite TV programme as a kid and I still love it now.
Merlin: The humour and storylines in Merlin are absolutely brilliant. I love it.
Robin Hood: I loved it when I was a kid and still do. I was gutted when it finished.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S: I must have watched every episode of it atleast 10 times, it's hilarious.
Glee: Such a feel-good programme. Yes, it can be cheesy at times, but it is funny, makes you happy and has a wonderful message behind its episodes a lot of the time.