Clara Barroso's media research of her case study, ex machina

1. CASE STUDY
Independent British Film

2. Who DISTRIBUTED THE FILM?
The company that distributed the film was one of the biggest film companies in film industry;
Universal Pictures
Who PRODUCED THE FILM?
BUDGET?
$15,000,000
(Estimated)
THEATRICAL release date?
21 January 2015 (UK)
14 March 2015 (USA)
ANDREW
MACDONALD
ALLON
REICH

3. Type of OWNERSHIP
Number of WEEKS AT BOX OFFICE
21 Weeks/ 147 Days
Widest release: 2,004 theatres
Money made at BOX OFFICE TO DATE
Worldwide: $36,869,414
Limited Opening Weekend: $237,264
Wide Opening Weekend: $5,349,500
The type of ownership for Ex Machina is independent, as it was also
produced by a Independent British company, Film4. What makes this
film independent is the fact of the use of small companies and not
too much money wasted on the budget. The budget was
$15,000,000, which is not a big amount wasted on the film, it’s a
pretty low budget but it still makes the film one of the best with
visual effects and special effects with all the sci-fi background to it.
However the film was distributed by a blockbuster company,
Universal Pictures.

4. Runtime: 1 hr 48 min (108 min)
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital | SDDS | Datasat
Colour: Black and White (some shots) | Color
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Camera: GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition
Sony CineAlta F65, Cooke Xtal Express, Kowa Prominar and Angenieux Optimo
Lenses
Sony CineAlta PMW-F55, Cooke Xtal Express, Kowa Prominar and Angenieux
Optimo Lenses
Laboratory: Molinare, London, UK
Negative Format: AXSM, SRMemory, Video (HD)
Cinematographic Process: Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format)
J-D-C Scope (anamorphic) (source format)
Kowa Scope (anamorphic) (source format) (some scenes)
Printed Film Format: D-Cinema
FORMATS AVAILABLE
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

5. Type of RELEASE
PREMIERE:
6TH APRIL 2015 (USA)
The film was released on the 21st January in the UK. However a few months
later it was released worldwide, that was when it was also released in USA.
The premiere for Ex Machina film in the USA, New York City released on
the 6th April in Crosby Street Hotel on a Monday. This was where the actors
and actresses were reunited to watch the film and to release the film in
America. After the film being released in the UK, by being a big released. It
also happened in America. It was also a big released of a Independent
British Film, by being known for one of the best films that use visual and
special effects within the film and the photography for the film itself.
The big two actors Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander took the spotlight by
being the big stars in the film and also in the red carpet at the premiere. All
the crew was also with the main stars at the premiere as they seemed to
share nice time together after a long period of shooting the film and by
meeting again at the premiere.

6. Other films the PRODUCERS HAVE MADE?
ANDREW MACDONALD
ALLON REICH
List of other films that Andrew Macdonald have made:
-Ex Machina (2015)
-Trainspotting (1996)
-28 Days Later (2002)
-28 Weeks Later (2007)
-Dredd (2012)
-Shallow Grave (1994)
-Sunshine (2007)
-The Beach (2000)
-Never Let Me Go (2010)
-A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
-Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)
-Sunshine on Leith (2013)
-The Parole Officer (2001)
-Alien Love Triangle (2002)
-Angel of the Skies (2013)
List of other films that Allon Reich have made:
-Ex Machina (2015)
-28 Weeks Later (2007)
-Dredd (2012)
-Never Let Me Go (2010)
-Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)
-Sunshine on Leith (2013)

7. Alicia Vikander
Ava
MAIN CAST:
Oscar Isaac
Nathan
Domhnall Gleeson
Caleb
Sonoya Mizuno
Kyoko
Corey Johnson
Jay
Claire Selby
Lily
Tiffany Pisani
Katya
Elina Alminas
Amber
Gana Bayarsaikhan
Jade
Symara A.
Templeman
Jasmine

8. MAIN CREW:
Alex Garland
Film Director
Alex Garland
Screenwriter
Andrew
Macdonald
Producer
Allon Reich
Producer
Tessa Ross
Executive
Producer
Scott Rudin
Executive
Producer
Denis Schnegg Art Director
Michelle Day Set Decoration
Sammy Sheldon Differ Costume Designer
Francine Maisler Casting
Eli Bush Executive Producer
Rob Hardy Cinematographer
Mark Day Film Editor
Ben Salisbury Original Music
Geoff Barrow Original Music
Mark Digby Production Design

9. LOCATIONS:
Filming Locations:
Ex Machina was a film, filmed in 8 different locations:
-Juvet Landscape Hotel, Alstad, Valldal, Norway (Nathan's mountain retreat)
-Sognefjord, Norway
-Valldal, Norway
-Norway
-Briksdalen, Jostedalsbreen National Park, Norway (vertical panning shot before waterfall hike)
-Bloomberg Offices, Finsbury Square, Broadgate, London, England, UK (Caleb's workplace)
-Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
-UK
Use of TECHNOLOGY IN THE
PRODUCTION OF THIS FILM?
AWARDS WON:
65 Wins and 136 Nominations
In London, there was an event, Double Negative. The technologists behind Ex-Machina and winners of
two Oscars for visual effects and computer animation work on previous films, Inception and Interstellar,
went one step further…
The visual reality team created a VR experience by using
a custom built digital spherical stereo camera designed
for use with its 3D rendering software. The result
allowed the viewer, wearing the Samsung Gear VR
headset, to look around the entire hi-res environment
and to ‘meet’ Ava using a specialised Android Oculus
playback app.

10. HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE DATE
DVD release date: 14th July 2015 (USA)
The way they would sell the film to the target audience
once it would have been released would have been in
the cinema, released world wide by different dates,
release on DVD, being able to download on different
devices from via iTunes films. Or simply also by buying
the Blu-Ray DVD version of the film. The download idea
of selling the film would have been a very popular way
to buy the film as the target audience is a young
audience. As it also the audience that would use
internet, different devices and always communicating
through the social media as a daily basis. In my opinion
the second best method to sell the film to the audience
would have been through Blu-Ray DVD film as a
hardcopy so the target audience could view it at home
at anytime they would wish as many times they would
wish.
The idea of campaign and making advertisements out of
it would be by the idea that the target audience would
be able to find this adverts easily through the social
media as they are always connected online as a
audience online with the same interests as they like the
same film with the same genres that explains this film.

11. ADVERTISING AND MARKETING METHODS USED
The way they market their film to their audience would have been by the use of different social media accounts and
their very own film official website for Ex Machina. They decided to market their film this way because of the use of
technology the target audience uses for this specific film as its also a young audience from my opinion of the age of
15-25 years old.
MARKETING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA:
ADVERTISING THROUGH TRADITIONAL METHOD:
The only way this film was promoted by a traditional method
was through billboard. The only reason this film was only
promoted this way, its because it has a very specific target
audience. The BBFC targeted this film to the age of 15, this is
because of the use of sensible scenes and the bullet points
that meets to the age of 15. The target audience and older, at
this point would use more social media of a way to keep
interacting with the rest of the audience ad the reason why
there’s more technology marketing rather than advertising
through a traditional method is because of the use of social
media they use in their daily basis.

12. ADVERTISING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA METHOD:
ADVERTISING THROUGH APP: TINDER
The marketers of Ex Machina (film) programmed a bot to match with male Tinder swipers at SXSW. After
a few messages, the bot (Ava) would direct them to ‘her’ Instagram page, which revealed that it was a
marketing stunt for the film.
While many accused the stunt of being deceptive (people allow themselves to be vulnerable on dating
sites and apps, such as Tinder). It successfully accomplished two things:
1. It got ton of press at SXSW. Just about every tech blog and news outlet had a story on Ava (and thus,
the movie).
2. It got people thinking about the use of bots and human interaction, which is a major theme in Ex
Machina.

13. SYNERGY
-The interaction or cooperating of two or more organisations, substances, or other agents to
produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.
-It's a business term and it also refers to companies coming together vertically or
horizontally (or both). For example; often cited in exams is of working title making use of its
parent companies to gain access to become a bigger as a company.
CROSS-MEDIA CONVERGENCE
Further examples and information:
There were no special effects, or green screens or tracking markers
used during the filming. All effects were done in post-production. To
create Ava’s robotic features, they filmed the scenes both with and
without actress Alicia Vikander’s presence, which allowed them to
capture the background behind her. The parts they wanted keep
especially like both parts, like her hands and face, were then
rotoscoped while the rest was digitally painted out and the background
behind her restored.
On the official website, they have a link that takes to a site
called avasessions.com, which is basically where the
character Ava is able to draw you and create connection,
just like a robot (technology) creating connection with a
human. This way would be a way of promoting the film
campaign by growing in the target audience and in the
film and making the film grow. This is also a way of
marketing the film, a different way of linking to the film,
which allow the target audience and the older audience to
create excitement within themselves to want and go and
watch the film once its released.

14. Type of AUDIENCE?
GLOBAL AUDIENCE OR LOCAL AUDIENCE?
My potential opinion on Ex Machina's film audience demographics:
-Gender: Females (as the main character is the women as she shows power throughout the film)
-Age:15-25
-Interests: Technology, sci-fi
-Location: USA and UK (screened)
Ex Machina is a film rated for the age 15 by BBFC which is very sensible choice by the adult scenes
that are not considered to be rate for a 18 by neither lower than the age of 15. This film would be
targeted to a ‘niche’ audience. This film is also not associated as a mainstream film but it also it
doesn’t mean that mainstreamers wouldn’t be able to watch it, which they would. It just means
that the viewers would be a smaller audience, towards especially women who also like sci-fi films
as one of the main genres of the film is sci-fi and also romance which can associate more easily to
a women audience. As it also has a ‘controversial’ and quite complicated storyline it does limit the
audience in gender and age group too.
LOCAL AUDIENCE
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TARGET AUDIENCE:
In my opinion I think the film it’s a local audience because
the film was produced by a independent British company,
which made the film an Independent British film itself and
it also had specific places where it was released. For
example I t was firstly released in UK and a few months
later after having a few reviews from the public and the
target audience, it was released worldwide, in every
country, where the film became bigger and more known
within the film industry. This is where it became known as
‘Independent British film’.