pr5 essay

1. PR5: Remakes and production factors that influence them.
Certain factors can entice production companies into rebooting/ remaking a film or
franchise. For example improvement of technology may inspire a remake of a film
usually a film that was ambitious in the past but had restrictions and couldn’t
achieve the look they wanted but is possible now. Usually a Sci-fi or action. Such as
Dredd in the past they used sets that you could tell looked unrealistic and over the
top and then in the remake they used advanced CGI to create a setting that looked
similar to the source material with the huge metropolis that is Mega city one. They
used Johannesburg as the main setting for the slums and motorways and then added
in the enormous city blocks using CGI. They also used a slow mo effect that
wouldn’t of been previously possible because how advanced the camera had to be
and the frames it had to record at. So with the advance of technology they were
able to fulfil their potential instead of being restricted by the technology.
Another factor that could inspire a remake is trends, trends
in certain genres or themes can entice production companies
into remaking franchises or films. For example in 2012 two
huge superhero block buster’s hit the screens ‘Avengers
Assemble’ and ‘ The Dark Knight Rises’. Avengers making
over $1 billion in ticket sales alone and The Dark Knight
Rises making over $1 billion gross. This inspired DC comics
to remake a Superman movie the following year with Man
of Steel coming out directed by Zack Snyder. This also ties
in with business factors because Legendary Pictures and
Warner bros saw the money past movies were making and
the trends that were happening and decided to cash in on
the trend. Not only did they make the money from the

2. movie they made a lot of money using synergy with other production and media
companies, through the sale of Merchandise such as- clothes, action figures, DVD/
Blu-ray sales, comics and many other products. This would also work for Dredd with
sales of the comic/ action figures/ t-shirts and original film going up after the release
of the remake.
Rec is a 2007 Jaume Balagueró directed Spanish horror
film and the two main producers are Carlos Fernández
and Julio Fernández. The two main charcters are
played b Manuela Velasco and Ferran Terraza. The film
was distributed by Filmax a Spanish movie company.
The film had a budget of 1.5 million and made 38
million worldwide so it was pretty big success. The film
revolves around in Barcelona, the reporter Ángela Vidal
and the cameraman Pablo are covering the night-shift
of local fire station. When the firemen receive a
distress call from a lady in a building, Ángela and
Pablo go in the firefighter truck with the firemen
Manu and Álex with Pablo recording each step. When
they arrive in the building under siege of the police,
they find the hysterical dwellers gathered in the lobby
in the entrance and they hear screams upstairs. Manu
and Álex go upstairs with two policemen and followed
by Ángela and Pablo, and they find an aggressive old lady that attacks one
policeman. When they return to the lobby, they find that they are sealed in the
building and trapped with the residents in the beginning of a chaotic and nightmarish
night.

3. The filmwas then remade in America to sell it to the mass audiences. Screen Gems an
American filmcompany bought the rights to remake Rec from the independent European
film production company Filmax. The film was remade for financial factors and trends by
screen gems as they saw the mass success of films like Cloverfield which were filmed in a
similar style and they saw the cult success of REC. They also noticed the trend of the shaky
cam horror coming back, originally starting with Blair Witch Project and then that year with
films like Diary of the dead and the hunt. These aspects all contribute to the decision to
make the remake of REC to Quarentine.
Quarantine is a remake of the Spanish film mainly made
to cater to the mass audience of the English Speaking
world. Quarantine is a 2008 American remake directed
by John Erick Dowdle, they had quite a few more
producers than Rec but they carried over Carlos
Fernández and Julio Fernández from Rec. The two leads
were Jennifer Carpenter and Steve Harris. The distributor
for this film was Screengems a Sony subsidiary company
using vertical integration. The budget for the remake
was 12.5 million and it made 35 million plus at the box
office. So the budget was higher but it made less
money at the box office. The story line for Quarantine
is very similar to Rec and is sometimes even shot for
shot. But a summary for the plotline is a television
reporter and her cameraman is assigned to spend the
night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a
small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response
to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units. They soon learn
that a woman living in the building has been infected by something unknown. After
a few of the residents are viciously attacked, they try to escape with the news crew
in tow, only to find that the CDC has quarantined the building. Phones, internet,
televisions and cell phone access have been cut-off, and officials are not relaying
information to those locked inside. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only
evidence of what took place is the news crew's videotape.
Another film that was remade in more extreme circumstances was Stanley Kubrick’s 1962
film ‘Lolita’. The filmwhen first released had huge controversy surrounding it and as a result
the film was heavily censored. On reflection, the director stated that if he had known just
how problematic the censorship issues were going to be he would not have made the film.
The filmreceived such harsh treatment because of the time it was released society didn’t
like to discuss Taboo themes. This is where Kubrick probably didn’t realise what he was

4. getting into as he discussed Taboo topics freely
because he was ahead of his time, such as his
underlying themes of the Native American genocide
in The Shining. Time needed to pass and censorship
needed to grow more lenient before the novel
could be fully told, visually, through the medium of
cinema. In 1997 Adrian Lyne released his version of
Lolita. He released a much darker and soulless film
to make the themes feel as dark as they are. Lyne
remains more truthful to the book in his version of
Nabokov’s story of love, obsession and perversion.
Kubrick’s film was surprisingly comical and upbeat
despite the sombre scenarios being dealt with.
There is no humour in the 1997 film. The characters
are all pretty putrid and nasty. There is more of an
emphasis on manipulation that Kubrick’s film never
fully explores, maybe due to the limitations of cinema in 1967. Lyne’s Lolita is dark and
depressing and deals with the turmoil of the characters in a more blatant way. It is this
darkness of character, along with the sexual explicitness, that makes Lyne’s Lolita a more
loyal adaptation but not necessarily a better one.
Another film that’s has had a remake is War of the Worlds
but both films were release for the same purpose,
subliminal propaganda and political benefit. Both films
and even a radio transmission of the book were released
during a time where the American public were in a state
of fear. The transmission of the book during a time where
Nazi Germany was beginning to fall on Europe and people
were still fearful of this enormous enemy. The first film in
1953 pried on the Americans fear of Nuclear War as the
Cold war began and the fear of anything foreign/ Russian
grew. And finally the 2005 film followed another time
where Americans felt vulnerable and fearful of anything
‘foreign. The events of 9/11 had shaken the whole
country and Spielberg admitted in a German interview
had 9/11 not took place there probably wouldn’t have
been a remake by him. So as you can see this filmis used
to pry on the fears of war/ terrorism etc. Using the
‘invasion’ of aliens to run parallel with real life events such as 9/11 and the cold war.

5. Conclusion
Films are remade for many different reasons; Financial factors, technology, distribution and
exhibition, trends, genres, stars, synergies between films, vertical integration, horizontal
integration and social, political and regulatory issues. Every remake is made with one of
these issues or another or multiple in mind and producers will keep an eye on trends,
technology, political issues etc. and decide if a film can be remade to benefit them either
financially or benefit the fans artistically with a filmbeing improved. For example the Mad
Max film is being remade by its original creator for the fans because the technology is now
available for him to achieve what he wanted to achieve. Remakes and reboots are a big part
of the world of cinema and although some may seem pointless and be dislike you will also
get great Oscar worthy films out of remake The Departed for example.