Case Studies

British ProductionHollywood Blockbuster

World Cinema ProductionIndependent Film Production

SKYFALL

Case Study of British Production

• There were many posters available for the movie Skyfall, this is mainly due to the wide range of audience and global knowledge that this film has. The production company created many different posters all with the same aim which is clearly shown throughout all of the poster; show the brand. James Bond is iconic, there is an audience already around for any James Bond due to its iconic branding of the character and previous films.

• All of these different posters show the iconic brand of Bond, whether it be through the use of the 007 logo or the sexy bond girl. These are conventions of Bond films and are what draws audiences from the previous Bond films back even if everything else has changed, this is one way which the produces of this film attracted its audience through posters.

• The different orientation of these posters show how much of an audience that the production company were trying to gain, as these different shapes and sizes are used as they will be placed in different areas. For instance landscape and panoramic posters are more likely to be shown on billboards, train or tube stations. Whereas portrait posters are seen in cinemas and bus stations.

• This poster is still very similar to all of the others used to advertise the film however this is one of the main posters for the film.

• The colours are very minimalistic, this is used to highlight the parts that are in fact in colour such as the 007 logo and the release date. These are highlighted as they are the most important elements of the poster because the logo shows that it is in fact a Bond film, the release date is the most important part as it lets people know from when they can see the film.

• The release date is OCT 26, this interesting as this is in fact during a school holiday.

• The gun held by Daniel Craig is another iconic part of the Bond image.

• In the background there is an image of London and the Union Jack flying, this shows where the film is set and due to the fact that James Bond is British again highlights the brand.

• The text of “SKYFALL” is very simple, this is used to emphasise the rest of the poster and so that the title does not take over the more important parts of the poster.

• There is no actors names used in this poster in attempt to attract an audience even though there is in fact some very well known actors in It (such as Ralph Fiennes and Judi Dench) this is because the production company must feel as though the advertising of this film dos not need to include the actors as the film brand is enough to gain an audience.

• In small font at the bottom there is a reference to facebook, this is to get word of mouth out through social networking as it is one of the biggest forms of advertising there is and it is free.

SkyFall

Trailer: How it attracts audeinces:• It is mentioned at the end of the trailer that the film

is available to view in Imax theatres, this attracts certain types of audience as well as letting them know that is a good enough film to be shown there.

• Use of narrative is used well in this trailer to attract an audience as it shows what appears to be Bond dying, this leaves the audience in suspense however It then lets them know he returns making them want to see the film to find out how that is possible.

• Iconic elements of the Bond genre entices audiences to watch the film, such as showing the viewer the weapon that he got given, the action sequences and the Bond girl.

• Even though the famous actors of the film arent in fact mentioned they are shown thoughout the trailer with the aim that the audiences recognise them and come to watch the film for that reason as well as others yet they did not have to mention who they were as they were that well known.

• The editing is very fast paced, this emphasises the fact that it is a Bond film as the action is shown in short clips all bundled into one.

Box Office Figures

• Opening weekend:UK – shown in 587 theatres, $32,501,802

USA – shown in 3505 theatres, $88,364,714

• WorldWide box office - $921,966,063

• Of which is USA – $265,366,063

• Of which is UK – $154,565,641

• Director – Sam Mendes• Writers – John Logan, Neil Purvis, Robert Wade• Actors – Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench• Producers – Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson

MEN IN BLACK 3

Case Study of Hollywood Blockbuster

• Both horizontal and vertical rule of thirds shown, horizontally the bottom third contains important information on the film the viewer will need to know, the middle third is the eye line of the characters, and the top third contains the tagline.

• Vertically each third contains a different character; also, the middle third is where all of the important information is held.“3D” is in bold and in larger font than than the release date to emphasise that this film within the franchise has been developed as I can now be shown in 3D which may help attract newer and younger audiences as well as the fan base from the old films.

• Surprisingly there is no use of the name of the stars, even though they are a major part of the films advertising campaign. This is possibly because there is a large photo of them taking up the entire poster, and the advertising company must feel that the stars are immediately recognisable that there is no need for names.

• Iconic use of minimal colour, suits and glasses from this franchise of film, links all the films together and helps the audience to identify the genre and previous films. Drawing in the previous fan base from the other films.

• Creates a reference to twitter and social networking, encouraging the audience to tweet about the film to advertise the film via word of mouth.

• Direct mode of address used by all three characters shown, gives it a more personal feel for the audience as it feels as though they are looking directly at you. However the use of the gasses seems to stop this and becomes harsher and more serious. Linking in with the genre of the film.

• The tagline emphasises the genre of science fiction as it shows that they will be going “back in time” drawing in science fiction fans.

MIB 3Trailer: How it attracts audiences:

• Iconography used of the Men in Black franchise such as the gadgets used to erase peoples memory this is used in clips from the film as well as on the Columbia pictures statue, this is to draw in fans of the franchise’s previous films.

• Mentions that you can see it in Imax theatres, this, like Bond is used to show that it is a good quality film as it is being shown in these types of theatres.

• The use of the Columbia Pictures logo is to inform the watcher that the film is of good quality as it is produced by such a well known production company.

• There is also a part of the trailers that shows a link to social networking, this is the # sign, the is encouraging people to tweet about the trailer and the film to hopefully create a hype around it release and to “trend” on twitter.

• Like the Bond trailer there is no reference to the stars who are in this film yet they are shown throughout the trailer, this is because the franchise is so well known the stars do not even need to be mentioned to attract an audience.

Box Office Figures

• Opening weekend:UK – shown in 523 theatres, $4,600,385 USA – shown in 4,248 theatres, $54,592,779

• WorldWide box office - $624,026,776

• Of which is USA – $179,020,854

• Of which is UK – $34,182,267

• Director – Barry Sonnenfeld • Writers – Etan Cohen• Actors – Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Emma Thompson• Producers – Steven Spielberg

IN A BETTER WORLD

Case Study of Foreign Language Film

• The use of the three images shows a clear rule of thirds horizontally, this helps to create the poster visually appealing to the audience. As well as showing that the film will be a multi stranded narrative.

• The use of the three different images showing different parts of the film helps the audience to identify the genre as a drama. The pictures used also give the audience an idea that the film may contain strong and sophisticated themes as the images seem to have a mature look about them.

• There is a large part of the poster that is referring towards the director and her previous work, this is because it shows that the film will be of good quality as she must already have a good reputation for making good films. She is also refered to as she will already have a fan base who will be willing to see the film no matter what it’s genre and therefore attracting an audience.

• This film also attempts to attract an audience through naming its accolades, such as emphasising that it was the winner of the Golden Globe for best foreign language film, and nominated for the Oscar of the same name. As well as how it was shown at certain film festivals. This gives the film a good reputation as it must have been of good quality to gain these accolades. This will attract an audience who will be more mature as they know the film will not just be an average “popcorn movie” it will contain more thought when watching it.

• There is no direct mode of address given from any of the actors in the poster, this means the poster seems to become less personal and in a way more dramatic.

• The top and the bottom stills from the film are very dull in colour, this, like the sky fall poster, is done to emphasise the parts of the poster that are in colour such as the title, director and the middle image..

In a Better World

Trailer How it attracts audiences• Accolades are shown at the beginning of the

trailer, saying how it won the best foreign language film at the Golden Globes, and was an original pick at certain film festivals. This attracts a more sophisticated audience who use these accolades to decide what films to watch.

• The trailer also begins to attract an audience through the narrative, although the trailer is a little vague what is exactly going on it is clear that the film is of the drama genre and contains sophisticated films such as death and war.

• There is also a flash of the website adress to attract audiences throughout the world and aiming to get them talking about the film in a hope that the hype will spread across the internet as it is such a big part of everybodys life nowadays.

• Opening weekend:UK – shown in 28 theatres, $35,084

USA – shown in 4 theatres, $33,058

Box Office Figures• WorldWide box office -

$9,629,826

• Of which is USA – $1,008,098

• Of which is UK – $129,998

• Director – Susanne Bier• Writers – Susanne Bier, Anders Thomas Jenson• Actors – Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Tomsen• Producers – Sisse Graum Jørgensen

ANOTHER EARTH

Case Study for Independent Film

• The title and the image of the Earth and what looks to be the moon in the background shows that there must be an element of sci-fi within the film.

• There is limited text on the poster, this means that the people looking at the poster have very little to persuade them to watch the film, but also shows that what is actually on the poster must be very important and have some effect.

• Attractive female the only character in the poster, this is aiming to attract a male audience, but as the female is not being portrayed in a very “sexy” way it may be trying to attract both males and females.

• The text that is on the poster includes a quote given by The Hollywood Reporter, this is used as a form of review, The Hollywood Reporter is a very respected magazine which reviews films and therefore people will trust this quote and assume that this film is worth a watch.

• At the top of the poster there is a reference to the fact that this film won at the Sundance film festival, this again acts as a respected source of review and will be used to attract a more sophisticated audience very much alike to the world cinema poster.

• Right at the bottom of the poster there is a release date which isnt very specific, all it says is “this summer” this creates more of an anticipation around the film as it is not specified what date is is going to be released

• There is also a website address given, this is use in the hope that people will visit it and gain more information on the film and therefore become more interested in its release. This will create a hype around its release, and because it is an independent film the more advertising it can gain at a cheap price, the better.

Another Earth

Trailer: How it attracts audiences:• Accolades are the main part of this films

attraction to audiences, it is mentioned in this trailer, these are used to attract audiences as any accolades that it has won are a way of informing the public that is a good quality film that may have sophisticated story lines, therefore. it attracts these types of viewers.

• The narrative is another way that this film trailer is trying to attract to audiences as it is in fact a sci-fi film however the clips that are shown give the impression that it has elements of drama. This begins to attract a different audience who are interested in dramas rather than science fiction.

Box Office Figures

• Opening weekend:UK – shown in 116

theatres, $142,568

USA – shown in 4 theatres, $77,740

• WorldWide box office - $1,776,935

• Of which is USA – $1,321,194

• Of which is UK - $363,659

• Director – Mike Cahill• Writers – Mike Cahill, Britt Marling• Actors – William Mapother, Britt Marling• Producers – Mark Cahill , Britt Marling