G322 SECTION B CASE STUDY

1. ATTACK THE BLOCK
KEY QUESTION: What are the pre-production issues for the production company when making films?
DIRECTOR - Who was the director? How did he or she become involved?
Attack the Block is Joe Cornish’s directorial debut. Joe Cornish ‘first appeared on British TV screens in 1997 as
co-star and co-creator of 'The Adam and Joe Show', a home -made comedy show famous for its sketches,
songs and animations satirizing pop culture... Cornish has also directed the two Channel 4 comedy pilots
'Modern Toss' and 'Blunder', both of which were commissioned as series, as well as an intimate documentary
on the making of the hit BBC comedy show 'Little Britain'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmKnfi_aQoA&feature=player_embedded
THE PLOT
The plot was inspired by an event where the director was mugged himself, and after adding the science
fiction angle into the plot, Joe Cornish interviewed various kids in youth groups in order to find out what kind
of weapons they would use if a real alien invasion occurred. Cornish also based the character of the Stoner
Brewis on himself in his 20s. Night Skies was a science fiction horror film that was in development in the late
1970s. John Sayles wrote it (he had also written the script for the Jaws spoof film “Piranha”.
GENRE
Attack the Block takes very English characters, stars and settings and mixes them with a popular genre. A
hybrid of comedy and action/sci fi – aka a ‘creature feature’
BUDGET - How easy was it to arrange the financial backing to make the film? Why? Who were the financial
backers?
Though this is a British film with a relatively small budget compared to Hollywood blockbusters, Attack the
Block still has a high budget for a British film. Investors would normally be reluctant to give first time
filmmakers £13 million to make a British film with a cast of mostly unknowns, set in a tower block and
featuring characters that open the movie mugging an innocent nurse.
However Joe Cornish has had a great deal of experience in television and has developed a strong
following with his radio and television shows. He is also co-writing Spielberg’s latest film with Edgar Wright
who recently had a huge international hit with Shaun of the Dead. Like that film, Attack the Block takes
very English characters, stars and settings and mixes them with a popular genre. So the science fiction
element could help to draw in bigger crowds and therefore make investors feel more comfortable putting in
£13 million.
CASTING - Casting – who were cast in the main roles and why? What other films featured the stars? What
were the associations they brought with them?
Also casting Nick Frost might draw in international fans of Shaun of the Dead, helping Attack
the Block sell worldwide. Nicholas John "Nick" Frost (born 28 March 1972) is an English actor,
comedian and screenwriter. He is best known for his work with Edgar Wright in the role of Mike
Watt in the television comedy Spaced, as well as Ed in Shaun of the Dead, Danny Butterman in
Hot Fuzz, Clive Gollings in Paul, and drug dealer Ron in Attack the Block. He is also well known
for his various roles in the sketch show Man Stroke Woman.
PRODUCER - Who was the producer? How did she become involved?
Nira Park is a British television and film producer. She worked at The Comic Strip from 1989 to 1995. In June
1995, she founded Big Talk Productions, which employs twenty-five people. Under this production company,
she has produced comedies such as Black Books and Spaced. Subsequent to Spaced, she continued to
work with Edgar Wright on Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. She produced the
Channel 4 comedy Free Agents starring Stephen Mangan and Sharon Horgan in 2009.In addition to
comedy, she has also worked on dramas and documentaries. In 2005, she was named one of the "Top Ten
Producers To Watch" by Variety Magazine.
SOUNDTRACK - Who composed the film music and why was he/they chosen? Consider the sales of the CDs
on Amazon, etc. Seek out reviews.
Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo consisting of Felix Buxton (born 1971) and Simon
Ratcliffe (born 1 December 1969). Their genre of music spans from house to UK garage to big beat. The pair
got their name from the regular club night they held in their hometown of Brixton, London, UK. They first rose
to popularity in the late 1990s.[4] As the British Hit Singles & Albums book duly noted "they surfaced from the

2. underground house scene, are regular transatlantic club chart-toppers and won the BRIT Award for Best
Dance Act in 2002 and 2004".
The soundtrack for the film was an original score composed by Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton of the
popular British electronic dance music group Basement Jaxx, and Steven Price except for a few songs
featured in the film but not on the soundtrack (such as the 1991 rap track "Sound of da Police" by KRS-One,
and the 2006 reggae track "Youths Dem Cold" by Richie Spice, played during the end credits).
The original Attack the Block soundtrack by Basement Jaxx and Steven rice features the following tracks:
1. "The Block"
2. "Sam is Mugged"
3. "Round Two Bruv"
4. "It’s Raining Gollums"
5. "Tooling Up"
6. "Moses is Arrested"
7. "Tell Me I’m Dreaming"
8. "Throat Ripper"
9. "Rooftops"
10. "Moses - Ninja"
11. "Just Another Day"
12. "They Want Moses"
13. "Actions Have Consequences"
14. "Eat My Hat"
15. "They Fell Out of the Sky"
16. "I Need to Finish What I Started"
17. "Turn the Gas Up"
18. "Moses vs. The Monsters"
19. "Moses the Hero"
20. "The Ends" - Basement Jaxx
A rap song called "Get That Snitch", original to the film and sung by the film's main human antagonist Hi-
Hatz, is featured at various times in the film. The full song was featured on the DVD special features, and is
also available on YouTube. This soundtrack is available through Universal UK.
SOUNDTRACK: PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S.
label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British
company was broken for several decades.
The British label was renowned for its development of recording methods, while the
American company developed the concept of cast albums in the musical genre. Both wings
are now part of the Universal Music Group, which is owned by Vivendi, a media
conglomerate headquartered in France. The American Decca label was the foundation
label, which evolved into UMG.

3. SOUNDTRACK REVIEW: ATTACK THE BLOCK by: Allison Loring June 26th, 2011
Much can be (and has been) said about ATTACK THE BLOCK from, its monster movie adventure story to its
frenetic pace to the accents and catch phrases of the block’s resident gang that are quickly
becoming iconic. But beyond the otherworldly “visitors” that fall into the block or the gang of
misfits that turn out to be much more than just thugs in hoods, the score that runs throughout
the film is just as unique, with an unshakable beat that will forever be synonymous with ATTACK
THE BLOCK.
Selecting British house music duo Basement Jaxx (Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe) to create the film’s score
was a symbiotic choice, as their electronic sound blended perfectly with the chaotic pace of the film and
alien foe the South Londoners take on in ATTACK THE BLOCK. Adding to the mix are tracks from composer
Steven Price, rounding out the sound and keeping things interesting, but never out of step. The score is an
impressive collection of original music, but it also includes splashes of artists such as KRS-One’s “Sound of Da
Police” and Mikis Michaelides’ “Get That Snitch” as these two tracks were featured prominently in the film
and had significance to the story.
Creating a score is an undertaking on its own, but to create one that is completely identifiable with the film
it appears in brings that achievement to a whole new level. From the beginning of ATTACK THE BLOCK,
Jaxx's “The Block” strikes up and you know you are in for a cinematic ride with pulsating beats and rhythms
you will not soon forget. Jaxx prove they are not just a one-trick pony, who simply take their well-known
electronica and infuse it into something to throw up on screen. Instead they have created a score that is
not only catchy, but also suspenseful and terrifying, helping to add that level of fear and insecurity needed
in a horror film. “Sam Is Mugged” is dynamic with a near quiet beginning that then ramps up and backs
down again, creating that unbalanced sound that lets you know something may be amiss, and throws in
more classic score elements towards the end with a brass section that all but pushes you to the edge of
your seat.
Price’s “I Need To Finish What I Started” pulls in the more classic string elements to create our hero anthem
as gang leader Moses (John Boyega) faces his emotional turning point while Jaxx’s “Turn The Gas Up”
dovetails off this emotion and brings us into the film’s climactic scene with “Moses vs The Monsters” bringing
us full circle. This back and forth between Jaxx and Price prove that the trio worked seamlessly together to
create a score that is not only thrilling, but emotionally resonant.
The score not only works to electrify the film, it also stands well on its own outside of it, honing in on the idea
of tapping established artists as composers for the double benefit of getting fantastic music both in and
outside of the theater. This idea does not always work (see Daft Punk’s score for TRON: LEGACY,which I
enjoyed in the film, but not outside of it), but Jaxx and Price have created a soundscape that is not
necessarily tied to the film in its originality and scope.
Normally I am not a fan of extensive track listings for soundtracks because they can get monotonous and
repetitive, but in the case of the music for ATTACK THE BLOCK, I simply could not get enough. Basement
Jaxx and Price have created a score this is part thriller, part action, and part emotional backbone, but also
a new infusion of electronic/horror which continues to push and reinvent the boundaries of film score. The
score is infectious and as synonymous with the film as the look of the unfriendly attackers seeking their
revenge on our gang of misfit heroes. Trust.
RATING: EXCELLENT!
REVIEW
2:http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/attack_the_block/news/1923249/joe_cornish_and_john_boyega_talk
_attack_the_block/