Task 2 (1)

1. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
The 300 Spartans and 300
The 300 Spartans
The 300 Spartans is a 1962 CinemaScope epic film
depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. It is a hybrid of
adventure, drama and historical epic genre, and is directed
by Rudolph Maté. It is a part of the historical epic genre
because it's based on real historical events fought between
an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of
Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course
of three days, during the second Persian invasion of
Greece in 480 BC, there are big battle scenes, romance
and eye catching locations. It is also considered an
adventure film because of the battle scenes and heroic
characters in battle, in order to defeat the antagonists (the
persians).There are also elements of drama, with different
political events in Sparta occuring.
The main character in The 300 Spartans is King Leonidas,
who was played by Richard Egan. Egan was likely cast as he
was a successful and well known actor, appearing in several
popular films at the time such as Love Me Tender (1956) and
A Summer Place (1959), in which he also played the main
character. He was also the protagonist of the film, and thus
the audience can get behind the character and root for him,
as he was also seen as a ‘Hollywood heartthrob’, with women
liking him and men wanting to be him.
Themistocles was played by Sir Ralph Richardson.
Themistocles is a wise character, also connotated by
his grey hair and white robe clothing, who is in a
powerful position as main councillor. He wins the
support of the Greek allies and convinces both the
delegates and Leonidas to grant Sparta leadership of
their forces. Richardson was a well respected actor, and
became the first actor of his generation to be knighted,
meaning the audience would also be quite supportive of the character he played.
Diane Baker also had a notable career in film and
television, similar to Egan, she was seen as a
‘heartthrob’. This made her perfect for the role of Ellas,
as she was seen as a desirable and innocent young
woman. Thus, the audience could feel protective of her.

2. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
During the 1960s, there were strong beliefs regarding love, freedom and peace,
which grew in popularity due to the hippie movement. It was very influential on
American politics, law and everyday life, and was a time where predominantly the
youth started reflecting on social values and experimentation then became the new
social norm. A new counterculture was forming and those involved were not afraid of
what people thought of them. The counterculture started as a youth movement and
their ideas on all things political, social, cultural
and every day values were much different then
what American citizens had ever seen before.
When The 300 Spartans was released in 1962,
it helped to promote democracy and fighting for
beliefs. There were also other historical epic
films being released at the time, such as Land of
the Pharaohs (1955), Ben Hur (1959),
Spartacus (1960), Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
and Cleopatra (1963) which were all based on
historical events. Thus, 1962 was a good time to
release The 300 Spartans, as it seemed to be a popular movie genre with
audiences.

3. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
The 300 Spartans had a budget of $1,350,000, which was a large budget for the
time, and more expensive than other films being produced at the time. There were
several reasons for the large budget. Firstly, because all scenes were shot on
location in Greece in the village of Perachora, meaning the producers had a
negotiated fee to use the land. They also had to pay to fly out cast, crew and
equipment and pay wages to each of them. This would have been especially
expensive, as the actors were quite well established. The Greek Ministry of National
Defence agreed to make available to the producers up to 5,000 members of the
Hellenic Army for a pre-negotiated fee. However, the film's budgetary constraints
reduced the numbers to only two battalions (around 1,100 men). For the largest
establishing scenes, many of these soldiers were used, together with several
hundred civilian extras, horses, cattle, ox carts and chariots. Sets also needed to be
built up from scratch, catering and props/costumes for actors needed to be created.
There was also a large marketing campaign to promote the movie, which used up a
large part of the budget. This included posters,
and trailers which were shown during cinema
screenings. 20th Century Fox was the
production company and distributor of the film,
and produced such a large budget for the film
because of the amount of other historical epics
being produced and how well they did. Thus, by
putting money into the film, they were expected
to have a large revenue.
The film had a gross revenue of $76,520,000,
with approximately a profit of $75,170,000. The film grossed so much money for
several reasons. For starters, it featured many well known actors, which convinced
audiences to watch so they could see their favourite actors. It also featured real
locations in Greece, which appeals to audiences (uses and gratifications), as they
can see different locations around the world. As the film was a historical epic, and
these were very popular at the time, it was yet another reason that it grossed so
much.
All technology used during filming, was the best
technology at the time. An analogue camera was likely
used to film The 300 Spartans, which uses film (35mm)
rather than produce digital images like the majority of
cameras use today. For editing, either a Moviola (that
allows a film editor to view a film while editing) or a
Steenbeck was used, which made the editing process
speed up a little bit and the cut came out cleaner and
more precise. The Moviola allowed editors to study individual shots in their cutting
rooms, thus to determine more precisely where the best cut-point might be. The
vertically oriented Moviolas were the standard for film editing in the United States

4. Units 25,26
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Lauren Rosenfeld
until the 1970s, when horizontal flatbed editor systems became more common.
Whilst the Steenbeck allowed editors to look at the footage through monitors. There
also would have been a seperate sound mixer.
The movie was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and only
in the cinema. It was only released in this format because
in 1962, there were no other available platforms for
distribution like there is today. Thus, people had to go to
the cinema to watch the film and could only watch it at
home much later from 1976 onwards when new exhibition
technologies were developed such as VHS and Betamax.
Synergy is releasing and promoting a brand across different
platforms, ranging from books, comics, films to television
programmes and video games. There was no synergy for The
300 Spartans, there could have been many reasons for this, but
mainly because it would have cost a lot of money. $8.5m was
already spent on the film, thus it would have cost a lot more on top to convert it into
another platform, such as a book or comic book. Another reason could have been
that it didn’t have a large enough fan base, and if they released it onto different
platforms and the movie didn’t do well, this would have resulted in the studio losing
money. People also may have just been content with watching the film and didn’t feel
a need to see it in another way. There also would have been restricted platforms in
1962, unlike today where a film can be released in multiple different ways e.g. a
video game.
There were many social and political issues when The 300 Spartans was released in
1962, which was the middle of the cold war, between the USA and USSR. The USA
were capitalists and valued democracy, whilst the USSR had a communist system.
In the films case, the USA were the Spartans, and USSR the Persians, which was
reflective of society. Thus, these subliminal messages were embedded to convince
the American audience. Many people wanted
freedom, peace and to live in a new society.
Therefore, the film incorporated these beliefs, which
would in turn appeal to a wider audience, and
spread the message of freedom. There is a strong
message of freedom within the film, with the
Spartans fighting for their beliefs, which was reflective of society. There were also
some light hearted scenes amongst all the battling specifically between Ellas (Diane
Baker) and Phylon (Barry Coe), which attracted more of a female audience and
provide escapism for the audience to see a blossoming romance, within a dark
period of time in society.

5. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
As previously stated, there was a mass hippie movement within the 60s, with key
beliefs of freedom, peace and love. Therefore, believers in the movement would
have been tempted to watch the film because it had a recurring theme of freedom
throughout, with King Leonidas (the protagonist), fighting for his people and against
the idea of "one world ruled by one master" (Xerxes), and love was shown through
Ellas and Phylon. Also, Leotychidas argued with the Ephors over the religious
festival of Carnea that was due to take place, with members of the council arguing
that the army should wait until after the festival is over before it marches,
Leotychidas feared that by that time the Persians may have conquered Greece.
Leonidas decided to rebel and march north with his personal bodyguard of 300 men,
who are exempt from the decisions of the Ephors and the Gerousia. They were
reinforced by Thespians led by Demophilus and other Greek allies, which reinforces
the idea of freedom particularly in society.
In terms of the representation of women in the film, they are far inferior to men.
Women have far less roles within the film in general and hardly any dialogue. This
was reflective of society at the time, as it was a patriarchal society, with the
ideological view of women being at home taking care of children and
cleaning/cooking, whilst men went out to work. Women are spoken about harshly
within the film, for instance, Xerxes says “A woman’s tongue is deadlier than a
sword”, which implies they are dangerous, cannot be trusted, and thus inferior to
men. There is use of male gaze within the film, which
again shows the treatment of women as objects to be
looked at. In several parts, there are female dancers who
are dressed provocatively, that serve no purpose to the
plot, and are just used to be looked for the pleasure of
the characters in the scene and the audience of men in
the cinemas. There is also Xerxes queen Artemisia, who
beguiles Xerxes with her feminine charm. Therefore, the
representation of women in the film is that they are to be looked at and they are
deceptive. This was reflective of societies beliefs in the 60s.There is also Ellas, who
has a slight speaking role, but only because she was in a relationship with Phylon,
and likely if she wasn’t she would have also been used as ‘eye candy’. Women were
shown this was because the film is for a male audience, and thus the film provided
men with sexualised women and action.

6. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
Regarding age in The 300 Spartans, there
weren’t any children present, which again
was reflective of society, as children weren’t
has cherished as they are today, in that they
didn’t have a say in general happenings.
The society of Sparta also wasn’t a place for
children to be experiencing. Whereas, there
are many characters who are elders
particularly those who are members of the council of Sparta, as they provide
wisdom. Whilst all the spartan men are seen to be younger and able bodied to go to
battle with the Persians. This was representative of the majority of society who had
power, with elders being knowledgeable.
In the 1960s, black people and other ethnic minorities were not equal with white
people, in that their average life-span was seven years less than white Americans',
they earned half as much as white Americans and were twice as likely to be
unemployed. However, a growing hunger for full equality arose among black
Americans, with Martin Luther King, Jr. giving a voice to the black people and the
Civil Rights Movement. Although, this
movement was more progressive towards
the end of the 60s, and during the creation
of the film in the early 60s, it was still seen
as socially unacceptable to feature non
caucasian people. The Civil Rights Act of
1964, ended segregation in public places
and banned employment discrimination on
the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Despite this, to make the film
more realistic in terms of representation of Persians, because they were not
caucasian, dark makeup was applied to Persian characters, to make them appear as
darker skinned. Thus, only caucasian skinned people were represented in The 300
Spartans.
For representation of class, the lower class within the film were mainly slaves.
Especially Ephialtes, who is depicted as a loner who works on a goat farm near
Thermopylae. He betrays the Spartans to the Persians out of greed for money.
Whereas, upper class people, such as Xerxes and Leonidas
are seen to be well off in having what they want done and
they are well respected. Thus, lower class people are
represented as traitors, who only do things out of greed for
themselves. As the main audience was middle class, the
producers wanted them to aspire to raise to upper class.
The use of language within The 300 Spartans is very formal, and quite aristocratic
particularly the Spartans. However, there is not a range of accents, even though

7. Units 25,26
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Lauren Rosenfeld
there possibly should be for the Persian characters, as it would have again been
socially unacceptable, as people in society should have spoken properly, and the
film acted as a model of sorts for how people should speak.
The film industry in the 60s had much stricter rules on what was acceptable to be
shown on screen, unlike today. Films could not show excessive violence, sexual
content or strong language, mainly because many people could not have gone to
see it and it wouldn’t have grossed as much money as it did if it had a higher age
rating. For instance, in the film there is no blood or gore in the battle scenes, the only
‘sexual content’ is between Ellas and Phylon and it was kissing, and there was no
strong language, all of the language use was very formal, as previously stated. Thus,
if these were shown not only would it have not made a lot of money, but it would
have been socially unacceptable to show it.
The Cold War was the main political issue within the 60s, between the USA
(capitalism) and USSR (communism), where there was a clash of beliefs. Capitalism
believes in having a free economy and market, whilst communism has everything
controlled by the state. Many films during this period of time, such as The 300
Spartans, Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia were used to spread the idea of
democracy. Despite The Cold War, the film was dubbed in Russian and it was
shown in the USSR in 1970. The film was very popular, with 27.1 million, showing
that the Russian people also wanted to live in a democracy and the war to be over.
For instance, in The 300 Spartans film, the Spartans were democratic (USA) and the
Persians were communist (USSR). This was a form of propaganda, showing the
world that democracy is best. This is the hypodermic needle theory, whereby the
media inject a message into the minds of the submissive audience. Regarding The
300 Spartans, the producers inject the message of democracy and freedom, through
the use of the Spartans, into the audience.
300
300 is a 2006 surreal, fantasy action hybrid film. It is based on
the 1998 comic series 300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley,
and the fictionalized retellings of the Battle of Thermopylae
within the Persian Wars. It was directed by Zack Snyder, while
Miller served as executive producer and consultant.
It is part of the action genre due to the excessive violence,
blood, gore and fighting shown throughout the whole movie.
These fight scenes were shown through close ups, as it makes
the audience more in on the action, whereas The 300
Spartans action scenes were long shots. It also features fit, attractive heroes
(protagonist) for the audience to cheer on. It is also part fantasy genre because of
the mythical creatures featured, such as the immortals, executioner and other

8. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
beasts. Despite these characters not existing, they were featured because it is based
on the graphic novel, which is loosely based on the historical events, and because its
fiction, it speaks to the more contemporary reader, thus it was much more unrealistic
than The 300 Spartans. For instance, even the mystical creatures were in humanoid
form, in order for the audience to relate to them.
Gerard Butler played the main character in 300 - King
Leonidas. He is known for several action films, such
as Lara Croft and Beowulf, and appears to be quite fit
and masculine in the roles he has previously played,
which made him a good fit for the role of Leonidas.
He could also have been seen as a ‘heartthrob’ to
both men and women, and thus, it would have
attracted more people to see the film. Although,
Butler might not have been the biggest name that could have been cast, due to the
sheer amount of money spent on CGI technology. However, he carried the role well
and portrayed him as a strong and powerful leader, with a certain charisma.
Lena Headey played Queen Gorgo, who is the wife of
Leonidas. She is a capable actress, young and
attractive, which made her suited to the role of a
young powerful Queen. Much like Butler, she is able
to play the character with a certain charisma, which
conveys her power, unlike the character in The 300
Spartans.
Other actors playing supporting characters include Dominic West (Theron), David
Wenham (Dilios) and Michael Fassbender (Stelios). These are all attractive and well
established actors, who may attract more people to watch the film specifically
women, as they add to the female gaze. This was a trend with using a lot of British
actors, specifically as they were likeable, and thus attracted more people to see the
film.
In 2006, the main trend was modern technology, including rising popularity of
smartphones and consoles. These new technologies were arising, and there was a
good response to them and thus, the film was heavily CGIed. More specifically
however, the director, Zack Snyder wanted the film to be a shot-for-shot adaptation
of the comic book. 300 began a trend for films, and so, many films after 300 also

9. Units 25,26
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Lauren Rosenfeld
were featured heavy CGI, such as Green Lantern and Spy Kids 3-D:Game Over.
Although, many of these films were not well
received, as audiences began to dislike it. 98% of
300 was CGI, with only one scene, in which horses
travel across the countryside, was shot outdoors,
with the rest of the film shot at the now-defunct
Icestorm Studios in Montreal using
bluescreens.Much like The 300 Spartans followed
the trend of historical epics, 300 followed the trend
of large scale fantasy films. There was also the start
of the Batman trilogy with Batman Begins (2005),
Harry Potter (2001), and The Lord of the Rings
(2001).
One of the main trends in 2006 was the idea of
masculinity, and that men should be muscular.
Many people were also influenced by fitness
magazines, that featured the conventional idea of a
man, who is muscular, and well built. Thus, this
new idea of how a man should be may have
influenced the film, specifically the men cast,
costumes, and their actions. For example, all the
men were physically and visually fit, and they wore few clothes, which revealed their
bodies. Some of the budget was spent on hiring personal
trainers for the main actors for a few months to get them
into peak physical condition.
The budget of 300 was $65 million, which some was
used to pay for the actors, producers and the director.
Paying these people, specifically Zack Snyder (the
director), would have been a considerable amount of
money. They would also have spent a part on hiring
Icestorm Studios in Montreal, as they shot for 60 days.
Part of the budget would also have been used on marketing and other forms of
promotion, with an official website, at comic con, teasers, trailers on television,
PlayStation Portable game, action figures, and sponsoring the Ultimate Fighting
Championship light heavyweight champion. Despite all this, most of the budget
would have been spent on the extensive CGI.

10. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
300 grossed $456.1 million, meaning a profit of $390m, and breaking the record held
by Ice Age: The Meltdown for the biggest opening weekend in the month of March
and for a Spring release. The revenue was likely very high due to the sheer amount
of marketing and promotion used for the film, and the worldwide release. Audiences
would also have been interested in a fully CGI film, being that it was original at the
time.
The technologies used for the film would have been the latest, due to it being 98%
CGI and shot in a studio, the technology
was brand new and had not been used to
this scale before. Only a few parts of sets
were physically constructed. Almost
everything else from mountains, seascapes,
and skies was achieved through 1,300
visual-effects shots. In fact, only one scene
was shot outside the studio. As most of the
film was CGI, the film could only really be made then in 2006, as there wouldn't have
been the same technology earlier. As previously stated, Snyder wanted the film to be
a page to page adaptation of the graphic novel, and thus it has a comic book effect.
Also, compared to The 300 Spartans, 300 hired a lot less people, as Spartan
soldiers showed within the film were CGI. Due to this technology not being available
in 1962, they had to hire real people to play the soldiers.
A blue screen was used to film 300 and 35mm film, which was transferred digitally,
to edit the film. This allowed them to upscale the film to 2K for cinema and IMAX.
The film was likely edited on the latest software available in the industry, which
would have been most effective. Sonics-DDP (IMAX) was used for the sound, which
was the best quality of sound (HD) at the time. A range of cameras were used,
depending on the scene, ranging from Arriflex 235 to Panavision Panaflex Platinum.
Since blue screens are darker, they work best with low-light scenarios such as night
scenes. Also, blue is the furthest color in the visual spectrum from red, which is the
main color in human skin tones and a prominent colour of clothing in the wardrobe
department.

11. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
300 was distributed by Warner Bros. and was released worldwide in cinemas on the
9th December 2006, for the big screen experience and mass audience appeal. On
the 14th June 2007, the film was also released on DVD and Blu-ray, with special
features that included audio commentary from the director and featurettes, that gives
the audience a better insight into the creation of the film. This
allowed audiences to experience it both at the cinema on the
big screen, and in the comfort of their own home only a
couple months later, and they could watch it as many times
as they wanted as they could own the DVD. Also, as the film
was also released in Blu-ray, audiences could experience the
same kind of quality that was experienced at the cinema.
Digital download and online stream was also available later
for audiences to view easier.
There was a lot of synergy surrounding 300. Starting with the
graphic novel in 1998 by Frank Miller, which was a fictionalized retelling of the Battle
of Thermopylae within the Persian Wars. In 2006, Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment announced its intention to make a PlayStation Portable game, 300:
March to Glory, based on the film. Collision
Studios worked with Warner Bros. to capture the
style of the film in the video game, which was
released at the same time as the film. Although
the game received mixed reviews, it provided the
audience with better insight into the role of
Leonidas, which the film didn’t really delve into.
The National Entertainment Collectibles
Association also produced a series of action
figures based on the film, as well as replicas of
weapons and armor. A soundtrack was also released.
There were a few political factors at the time of production of the film, specifically
with the middle east and Iranians. The relationship between the USA and Iraq was
tense due to the Iraq War in 2003, and many middle eastern people believed the
movie was aimed at "humiliating" Iranians, who are descendants of the ancient
Persians. Some Iranians believed that the American Government funded the film to
prepare the Americans for a war. Thus, it was believed to be a form of propaganda.
Much like The 300 Spartans, there was a message of freedom in the film, and
fighting for peace, and in order to do so you had to be aggressive, much like the
Spartans and fight oppressors. This was reflective of society at the time, as there
was a war on terrorism, specifically in the media, following 911, and other mass
shootings/bombings occuring around the US.

12. Units 25,26
Task 2
Lauren Rosenfeld
Many of the beliefs about women in 300 were much more reflective of society in the
2000s. Compared to The 300 Spartans, women, specifically Queen Gorgo in 300
were seen as far more important and giving much greater roles. For example, she
spoke in front of other councilman showing that she has power and she is respected
for being the Queen. She also stabs and kills Theron, without any further
repercussions, again showing that she has as much power as a man. This also spills
open a bag of Xerxes' gold from Theron's robe, and in turn persuades the Council to
unite against Persia.
There was use of both male and female
gaze in the film, to attract both male and
female audiences. All the men were
physically fit, which reflected the view
that men should be strong and powerful.
Queen Gorgo was also naked in a sex
scene, which provided male gaze for an
audience.
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), rated
the film R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some
sexuality and nudity. In the past, it may have been higher
rated, but many audience have become desensitised to
seeing violence and nudity and thus R (15 and over), was
appropriate. Also, a lot of money was spent on the film and
a higher age rating would mean that less people would be
able to see it and thus, the film may not have made a profit.
There is a much more diverse cast in 300, compared to The 300 Spartans. For
instance, all ages from babies to elders are shown, regardless of role. However,
similar to The 300 Spartans, 300 also places a lot of respect for older men. Also, a
wide range of ethnicities are present, from whites,
blacks and Asians. A more real representation was
able to be shown in 300 due to ideologies in society
being more open and accepted, unlike in the 60’s.
Lower and upper class citizens were also presented in
the movie, with villagers and Persians lower and
councilman and King Leonidas upper class. This was
again much more realistic of society. There were many
different accents, King Leonidas and Queen Gorgo
have English accents, which present them as upper class and well respected. Much
of the mode of language and tone of the Spartans was aggressive, which presented
their characters as strong and fierce.

13. Units 25,26
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Lauren Rosenfeld
To conclude, 300 was a clearer and more accurate representation of society and
ideologies than The 300 Spartans, probably due to the differences when they were
both filmed.