FM2 - Section A

1. Homework
Due: Today – Wednesday 10th December – Period 4
Go to the link:
WHAT emerging film markets are threatening the dominance of Hollywood?
Write your views on ½ a page in your exercise book.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/busines
s/media/hollywood-works-to-maintain-its-
world-dominance.html?_r=0

2. Wednesday 10th December 2014
Unit FM2: Section A –
Producers & Audience
Title: Media Ownership –
Production & Distribution

3. Film Trailers
Kerrigan (2004) states that trailers have 2 purposes:
1) “Withold the fullness of the cinema event”
2) MUST “Achieve a sense of heightened presence”
Do you agree?

4. 'Terminator Genisys' Trailer
HOW effective is this trailer at “Witholding the fullness of the cinema event” Kerrigan (2004)

5. Why?
Aims & Objectives
• YOU WILL re-cap prior learning of some of
the important areas we have covered so far:
• ALL OF YOU WILL develop your understanding of
the HOW 2 differing Film Industries Produce and
Distribute their products to an audience over the
next 3-4 lessons.
• MOST OF YOU will be able to recognise the
differences between Hollywood and the UK Film
Industry.
• Review the Learning.
AO1 Demonstrate
knowledge and
understanding of the film
industry.

6. Past Papers
http://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/qualification-
resources.html?subject=FilmStudies&level=GCEASA&pastpaper=true
Or go to:
http://ncrafts.wordpress.com

7. Starter
2011 Paper Question

8. Starter
2011 Paper Question
YOU MUST write down whether you AGREE or DISAGREE with this statement.
YOU SHOULD support your argument with a Case Study example and/or refer to
some of the films on the Top 10 UK Box-Office list.
Extension – YOU COULD refer to theories such as Prof. Christine Gledhill (2003).

9. Feedback
• To do:
1) Find some further studies on on ‘Star Vehicle’ driven movies.
2) Establish - % - HOW MANY movies in the current Top 10 contain ‘Star Appeal’ (Richard
Dyer)
3) Your own Case Studies – Do they possess stars that offer ‘capital value’ (Gledhill – 2003)
to Producers & Audiences?

10. ‘Star Vehicle’
‘Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters’ (2013 – Paramount Pictures)
Production Budget: $50m
US Box-Office: $55m
Global Box-Office: $214m
Does Jeremy Renner possess ‘capital value’ (Gledhill – 2003)?
• To do:
Can you find any other movies that “bombed” despite being a ‘Star Vehicle’ movie?

11. We are going to look at this through Film Case Study examples today, such as:
✓

12. Mini-Plenary/Starter

13. Vs.
‘Taken 2’
(2012)
Dir. Oliver Megaton
‘The Angel’s Share’
(2012)
Dir. Ken Loach
YOU MUST make notes on EACH case study example as we go through them.
YOU SHOULD make then use this information to help you research your own case study
examples.

14. Key Term:
Event Movie

15. UK audiences are overwhelmed by the
dominance of Hollywood and the
concentration of media ownership they
possess.
RESEARCH TASK FOR THE EXAM:
Find out how many of the films released in 2012 – 2013 were Produced and/or distributed
by Hollywood.

16. Some examples of successful multi-national media conglomerates who are
ensuring Hollywood stay dominant are:
Distributor
Estimated Marketing Budget: $30 million

17. Released in 3,661 Theatres in the US alone!
Grossed $50 million in it’s opening weekend at
the box office in the US alone.
Would you expect a similar
‘blanket release’ in the UK?

18. Unit G322: Institutions & Audience
(Film)
“Blanket release” - UK
Hollywood majors (Big 6 studios) have the power
and finances to release films at vast number of
cinema screens in a number of different formats.

19. Unit G322: Institutions & Audience
(Film)
“Blanket release” - UK
£1.1 Billion generated at the Box-Office in 2013 – 3rd year in a row above £1 billion.
7% of this figure represents UK Produced Low Budget films such as ‘A Field in England’
(2013).

20. Distributor
Who Produced the Movie?

21. “The films that have succeeded have not tried to ape Hollywood. They have typically
British subjects, done in an entertaining, confident way” (Grant – 2007)
‘The Angels Share’ (2012) Dir. Ken Loach
Key Term: Realism

22. Key Term:
Shoestring Film
‘The Angels Share’ (2012) is a prime example of a Low budget shoestring British film that
endeavors to provide verisimilitude (realism) for it’s target audience without being
overpowered by the business and money making Hollywood machine.
Estimated Marketing Budget: ?

23. Key Term: Cross over Hit
Who Distributed this film?
Why did this NOT succeed in being a Cross-over
hit?

24. Key Term: Cross over Hit
Was the film successful in the US?
Critically: YES
Commercially: NO

25. Why so low? Was the film marketed poorly? Was it released in Multiplex cinemas?

26. June 1st 2012
Top grossing films of 2012
WHY is there such a massive gulf between
‘The Angels Share’ and ‘Taken 2’ in terms of box-
office takings?

28. ONLY available in 35mm –
meaning the film had no choice
but to distribute to a smaller
audience in the UK.
35mm –
Around £700 - £1k per.
Reel!
Digital – Films are
released via a DCP –
Digital Cinema Package

29. Key Term:
Event Movie
Budget: $225m

30. The movie was PRODUCED by a studio synonymous with Action-
Adventure/Superhero genre – Legendary Pictures.

31. The movie was DISTRIBUTED by one of the Hollywood majors that dominate the
film market – Warner Bros.

32. Shared Universe

33. Josh Berger - Warner Bros. Chief Executive for
the UK & Europe
The success of the film is not only dependent on
the Distribution power of Warner Bros, but also
it’s co-production deal with other Media
Institutions such as Legendary Pictures and DC
Comics.

34. Shared Universe

35. (See link in the Blog Page for more detail on this)
Thomas Tull – Legendary Pictures CEO
http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/warner-bros-no-longer-in-
legendarys-future-1200501572/
• “We want to grow to a size and want to control as much of our destiny as much as
possible”.
• May was a big month for the company, with Legendary announcing it bought marketing
shop FIVE33; and brokered a three-year co-production agreement with Beijing-based
Legendary East and China Film Co. That marked the first time the state-backed film
venture has inked a long-term, multi-picture production deal with a Chinese or
international partner.

36. RESEARCH TASK – 5 minutes
YOU MUST go onto one or both of the following websites:
1) How much has the movie grossed at the Box-Office? (US and Worldwide)
2) Look for the Opening Weekend takings in the UK (Google) – What did the film compete
with that weekend and how did they fair? How many screens was it shown in the UK?
3) How much was spent on marketing the film Worldwide?

37. Other Case Study examples to
use – as well as your own….

38. Unit G322: Institutions & Audience
(Film)
Smaller UK Studio – Case Study

39. Co-Production deal
Founded by Tim Bevan in 1984
A key element in the company's working methods has been its attention to marketing,
striking deals with American and European companies, thus ensuring world-wide
distribution for its products.
Tim Bevan (1958 – present)
Univers owned a ____% stake in the production
company – Known as a C__-P________ DEAL
67
O roduction

40. Co-Production deal
Founded by Tim Bevan in 1984
A key element in the company's working methods has been its attention to marketing,
striking deals with American and European companies, thus ensuring world-wide
distribution for its products.
Tim Bevan (1958 – present)
Univers owned a ____% stake in the production
company – Known as a C__-P________ DEAL
67
O roduction

41. Co-Production deal
The Co-Production Deal has been extended through to 2015 – however this is now a
“first look agreement” between the 2 Institutions.
Recent Examples of their success together – but HOW successful?

42. YOU MUST:
• Find out the UK and US opening weekend release dates for:
• What film(s) were released over those weekends that were competing with obtaining
“bums on seats” at the box-office? YOU SHOULD note down statistics such as how
many screens the film(s) were released in, as well as the box-office takings, THEN find
out who produced/distributed these texts.

43. Feedback

44. USA – Release Information
Number of Theatres – WHY so low?

45. YOU SHOULD refer to this case study IF you are dealing with a question regarding Film
Distribution, Technology and ‘Star Appeal’(Richard Dyer)
‘A Field in England’ (2013)

46. Produced and Distributed by:
Facts about the film:
• Experimental “Multi-Platform Day-and-Date release” (Katherine Butler – Film Four)
• Mark Kermode, a respected film critic, declared the film as being a part of a new wave
of “Simultaneous Distribution”.
• Released on: 5th July 2013 – Production Budget: £300,000
• Distributed in 2014 in the US by:

47. Facts about the film - Continued:
• Grossed around £21,400 from 17 screens (Box-Office)
• Film Four (TV Channel) – Around 288,000 viewers (This figure rises to around 357,000
when you factor in people who recorded the film and watched over the same weekend
– These are known as part-consolidated figures)
• DVD and Blue-Ray – 11,000 Copies by the following Monday
• Film 4OD and iTunes (VOD) – 1,200 Transactions –
Is this an example of a Co-production deal OR synergy between two Media Institutions?
WHY did Film Four decide to go with a
“Simultaneous Distribution”?
WHAT were they competing with?

48. Pre-release material - January 2014 Paper
Note down key
information
highlighted
Key Term?

49. Plenary 2 –
What have you learnt?

50. Homework:
Section B –
DUE: The presentation Date will now likely take place after Christmas so you
understand what you need to research.
Continue with your research into your chosen Event movie and Indie Movie
2) COMPLETE your Compare & Contrast Table of the 4 Case Studies we have covered and
how they compare and contrast in terms of PD.
DUE: Monday 11st October