an AS-Level media presentation on Inception

1. INCEPTION
A Media Analysis – Using Institution, Audience,
Genre and Reputation
By Ben Rodol

2. Institution – legendary
Pictures and Syncopy films
Legendary pictures is an American film
production company based in California. The
company was founded in 2000 and five years
later, Legendary pictures signed an agreement to
produce and finance their films with Warner
Brothers. In 2014 this agreement ended and later
that year they signed with Universal Studios.
Syncopy films is a British film company founded
by award winning director Christopher Nolan.
The company was founded in 2001 and has
produced many award winning screen plays
along with Inception.

3. Audience
The target audience of Inception are Teens and
young adults which are interested in confusing
Sci-Fi action movies.
The film is available on DVD, download and in
movie retailers such as supermarkets and DVD
shops such as Blockbuster.
The film was advertised to its target markets by
billboards, by posters, TV-Trailers and on
websites

4. Genres
Science Fiction - The film was based upon
futuristic science. A traditional Sci-Fi film contains
occurrences which are not yet accepted by
mainstream science such as aliens, time-shift
and alternative dream worlds.
Heist Film - A film that contains a complex plot
based around a group that are trying to steal
something, in this case, dreams.
Film Noir – A French term used to describe
stylish, Hollywood crime dramas

5. Background information
Dominick Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio
and his business partner Arthur, who is played by
Joseph Gordon-Levitt are people who
experiment with dreams to find out information.
Their employee is a Japanese Businessman
Sato, who is trialing them to see if Inception
actually works. Sato wants an idea planted into
his competitors sub-conscience, to shut down his
business, so that he can become the worlds only
energy supplier and eventually gain world
dominance.

6. The Production Process
Pre-Production – originally, Inception was meant
to be a horror film about dream stealers, but the
plot was changed by Nolan, because he thought
that the film would be emotionally and mentally
hard.
Inception was based upon late 90’s Sci-Fi films
such as the Matrix, a film about reality and how it
is perceived by the population of the world in the
film and Dark City which is also a confusing Sci-
Fi movie.

7. The Production Process
The film began in began in Tokyo, where the main
characters meet there boss to meet their customer, Sato to
find out the details of the deal.
The film then enters the UK to film the flight in which the
job is being carried out in a private air-field. Staying in
London, Dom travels to UCL to find his ‘Dream Architect’.
Next Dom and his architect travel to Paris, this is used as a
test from Dom to see if his prized student Adriane, played
by Ellen Page is capable of shifting time and reality.
The final phase of principal photography took place in
Canada, in order to film a snowstorm in which a ski-chase
was filmed.

8. The Production Process
Nolan used little CGI, he said he preferred to
keep the film as natural as possible. But in the
scenes where Gravity switches and Adriane's
architecture comes to life, CGI played a key role
in making the occurrences realistic and
believable.
The soundtracks which are used in the final
scene of the ski-chase and constant slow, guitar
based sad tunes to allow the audience to feel the
same way as Cobb does in handling his
emotions. These are edited in after production to
add tension.