1. Paired Research Task – Half Term
Due: Monday 21st October 2013
(You will present your findings in this lesson)
In your pairs YOU MUST:
- Choose 2 Case Studies from the Film Industry (Studio, Film) from no later than 2010.
- 1 Film = Hollywood Blockbuster
- 1 Film = Low Budget, Indie produced outside of Hollywood
Using the Blog Page and your own Research skills, YOU MUST gain a better understanding
of these films and the 7 areas YOU COULD be asked to write about in the exam in May
2014.
The presentation should contain relevant Film Terminology, Statistics, Marketing strategies
and any thin to do with the 7 areas highlighted on the previous slide.

2. AS Media Studies –
Exam Lesson –
Issues raised by Media
Ownership
Monday 16th September 2013
Unit G322: Key Concepts Exam

3. Why?
Aims & Objectives
So you can
succeed in the
exam!
• Re-cap prior learning of HOW to approach Section B
of the Exam.
• Focus on Case Study examples from across the Film
Industry to establish the Issues raised by Media
Ownership.
• Establish some of the differences within these case
studies
• Complete some research into this area in preparation
for completing your own Case Study research into a
Contemporary Blockbuster and Low-budget film.
Key term: Inter-relationship
• Review the learning and set homework for the next
Exam lesson.

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

6. 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.

7. Key Term:
Event Movie

8. 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.

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

10. 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?

11. Unit G322: Institutions & Audience
(Film)
“Blanket release” - UK
£1.1 Billion generated at the Box-Office in 2012 – 4% increase.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/uk-admissions-box-office-up-417093
32% of this figure, however, represents UK Produced Blockbusters such as ‘Skyfall’ (2012).
9% of this figure represents UK Produced Low Budget films such as ‘The Angels Share’
(2012).
23% of this figure represents Hollywood produced ‘Event Movies’.

12. Distributor
Who Produced the Movie?

13. Homework:
Section B –
DUE: MONDAY 23rd September – Period 3
1) YOU MUST have decided on your 2 Studio/Film Case Studies (x1 Blockbuster; x1
Low budget) by NEXT WEEK
2) Find out who produced and distributed these films.
3) Is there a co-production deal in place?
4) Do these studios have a trend in producing or distributing certain genres?

14. AS Media Studies –
Exam Lesson –
Issues raised by Media
Ownership Continued
Monday 23rd September 2013
Unit G322: Key Concepts Exam

15. Homework:
Section B –
DUE: TODAY
1) YOU MUST have decided on your 2 Studio/Film Case Studies (x1 Blockbuster; x1
Low budget) by NEXT WEEK
2) Find out who produced and distributed these films.
3) Is there a co-production deal in place?
4) Do these studios have a trend in producing or distributing certain genres?

16. “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

17. ‘The Angels Share’ (2012) Dir. Ken Loach
Task:
Go onto the Blog Page titled:
Ken Loach – British Film, Director and Studio Case Study – ‘The Angels Share’ (2012) and ‘The
Spirit of ’45′ (2013)
YOU MUST look at the information under 1) Media Ownership and just above this section to
understand the differences between this style of film Production and Distribution when
compared to Event Movies and Franchise movies such as ‘Taken 2’ (2012)

18. Key Term:
Shoestring Film
‘The Angels Share’ (2012) is a prime example of a Low budget 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: ?

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

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

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

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

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

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

25. Shared Universe

26. 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.

27. Shared Universe

28. (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.

29. 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?

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

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

32. AS Media Studies –
Exam Lesson –
Issues raised by Media
Ownership
Monday 7h October 2013
Unit G322: Key Concepts Exam

33. Why?
Aims & Objectives
So you can
succeed in the
exam!
• Re-cap prior learning of areas coevred for this
particular topic.
• Finalise your understanding of the issues
surrounding media ownership in the
Contemporary Film Market.
Key term: Co-Production Deal
• Complete some independent research around
the case study examples YOU MUST know for
the exam.
• Review the learning.

34. RE-CAP PRIOR LEARNING
• What does PDME stand for?
• What is a Co-Production deal?
Extension - YOU COULD give an example of 2 studios who are in a co-production deal
• WHO (Institution) Produced and Distributed ‘Taken 2’ (2012)?
• Who Produced ‘The Angels Share’ (2012)?

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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?

38. 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.

39. Feedback

40. USA – Release Information
Knowing how to establish the “facts behind the stats” is crucial for the exam –
For example did ‘The Angels Share’ (2012) fail at the box office and why?

41. Task 2) - RESEARCH TASK – Go on to the Blog Page (ncrafts.wordpress.com) and go to:
US Distributor
Task 1) – Go onto their website and find out x3 interesting facts about this Institution.

42. 1) Issues raised by Media Ownership
This is a Case Study YOU WILL need to apply in the exam regardless of the question
you get.

43. 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
• Will be Distributed in 2014 in the US by:

44. 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?

45. Unit G322: Institutions & Audience
(Film)
CASE STUDY
http://www.vertigofilms.com/about.php#.Uk65dBYnFUQ
This is an example of a UK Film and Distribution company that has succeeded by capitalizing
on recent developments in Digital technology in the Film Industry – in particular with 3D
releases and the VOD market.
Their films tend to be Indie (Independent from mainstream Hollywood Production and
Distribution), low budget releases – for example:
http://www.vertigofilms.com/news/vertigo-shoots-monsters-dark-continent.php#.UlJVkxYnFUQ
Sequel to the 2010 low budget hit ‘Monsters’ – cost
$500,000 to produce.

46. Unit G322: Institutions & Audience
(Film)
‘Taken 2’ (2012) ‘Man of Steel’
(2013)
‘The Angels Share’
(2012)
‘A Field in England’
(2013)
Table Comparison - COMPLETE FOR Homework –
YOU MUST complete a comparison between all 4 Case Studies to establish the similarities/differences
between the Production/Distribution of each Text.
YOU MUST focus on the following areas:
• Ownership – what financial backing do the studios have to produce and distribute the films? For
example 20th Century Fox is behind the PD of ‘Taken 2’ (2012), which is owned by News Corporation.
• Ownership – Do the power of the majors effect our decision making of consumption of film?
YOU SHOULD use terminology like Oligopoly and Co-Production Deal where relvant, along with facts and
figures.

47. ‘Taken 2’ (2012) ‘Man of Steel’
(2013)
‘The Angels Share’
(2012)
‘A Field in England’
(2013)

48. Plenary 2 –
What have you learnt?

49. 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