Blockbuster Film Research

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Front Cover

Posters

General facts Release dates UK- 18th November 2016 US- 10th November 2016 Production CompanyHeyday Films Distribution CompanyWarner Bros. Pictures DirectorDavid Yates Production costs$180 million Marketing costs$150 million

The Main Cast Actor/Actress Character Eddie Redmayne Newt Scamander Katherine Waterson Porpentina Colin Farrell Percival Graves Ezra Miller Credence Alison Sudol Queenie Dan Fogler Jacob Kowalski Samantha Morton Mary Lou Jon Voight Henry Shaw Carmen Ejogo Seraphina Jenn Murray Chasitity Faith Wood-Blagrove Modesty Johnny Depp GrindelwaldRon Perlman Gnarlack Zoe Kravitz Lestrange

Pre-production Eddie Redmayne was cast in the lead role of Newt Scamander, the Wizarding World's pre-einent magizoologist, in June 2015. Matt Smith and Nicholas Hoult were also considered. Alison Sudol, in her feature film debut, and Katherine Waterston were subsequently chosen to play the witch sisters Queenie and Tina. Ezra Miller and Colin Farrell joined the cast as the wizards Credence and Graves, while comedian Dan Fogler was cast as Jacob, a non-magical person whom Newt befriends. Following thousands of auditions in an open casting call, ten-year-old Faith Wood-Blagrove was chosen for the part of Modesty. Jenn Murray signed on to star as Chastity,and Samantha Morton was cast as Mary Lou. Jon Voight, Gemma Chan, Carmen Ejogo and Ron Perlman were cast in unnamed roles.Michael Gambon, who played Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films, expressed his enthusiasm for the series. "I want to be in it, yes", he confirmed and suggested that he would like to appear in the role of Dumbledore's father.

Release Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them held its world premiere at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on 10 November 2016. The film was released worldwide on 18 November 2016, in 2D, 3D and the new IMAX 4K Laser system. It would premiere one day earlier in a number of other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany and Italy, on 17 November. The film will be released in a total of 1,028 IMAX screens worldwide (388 screens in the United States and Canada, 347 screens in China, 26 screens in Japan and 267 screens in other countries).

Historical Context The historical context about his film is about it belonging to the Harry Potter franchise. Harry Potter came first and everyone loved it. However everyone was upset when the series had finished and the magic everyone loved had died down. J.K. Rowling wanted to make another series like Harry Potter keeping the magic in there but something that was completely different to it. This is where Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them took place.

Production David Yates Interview J.K. Rowlings Interview

FilmingPrincipal photography commenced on 17 August 2015, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden. Several scenes were also shot on location in London. After two months, the production moved to St George's Hall in Liverpool, which was transformed into 1920s New York City. Framestore in London produced the visual effects for the film. Principal photography ended on 28 January 2016.MusicOn 9 April 2016, it was announced that James Newton Howard would write and compose the film's score. On 24 October, Pottermore published an official first look at the film's main theme composed by Howard. The main theme incorporated John Williams' themes from earlier films, such as Hedwig's Theme. The soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music on 18 November 2016.

Institutions Produced by: David Heyman J.K. Rowling Steve Kloves Lionel Wigram Production company: Heyday Films Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

Heyday films have also produced films such as:► The Harry Potter Series► The Boy In The Striped

Pyjamas ► Paddington ► Paddington 2 ► We’re the Millers

J.K. Rowling has written other books such as: ► Harry Potter Series ► Cormoron Strike Series► The Casual Vacancy ► A few supplements to The

Harry Potter Series She has also produced:► Harry Potter: Deathly

Hallows Part 1 & 2

Warner Bros. Pictures have distributed other films such as:► Superman ► Batman ► The Conjuring ► The Lego Movie ► The Harry Potter Series

Marketing

The Posters

The Trailers

Online and Social

The posters are a great way to market the film this is because they can be made interesting and grab peoples attention. There have been a lot of different posters made for this film which helps market the film because there are different posters everywhere. Other countries also make posters to help market the film.

The trailers for this film help market the film because they come out at different times and all have different parts of the movie in them. This gets the audience excited as they can’t wait to see the film. In the trailers it only gives some parts away which makes the audience want to see what happens at the end.

On the official website you get a recreation of the key art. There are links to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles in the upper left of the page along with the #FantasticBeasts hashtag the studio wants everyone to use. Move over to the upper right corner and there’s a link to Rowling’s Pottermore site for even more of the Potter-verse. Then in the lower left there’s a graphic promoting the movie’s 100% Rotten Tomatoes score long with a rotating series of positive critics’ quotes.

Marketing Advertising and

Cross-PromotionsMedia and Publicity

Overall

There were many TV adverts that were released to market the film this was because many people watch the TV so they see the adverts and it attracts them to want to see the movie. The movie received plenty of social network advertising as well, with promoted posts that used video popping up pretty regularly. Warner Bros. also used the movie as a way to become the first studio to buy into Twitter’s Promoted Stickers ad unit and also used Promoted Hashtags. Google worked with the studio on a number of promotions ranging from integration with Google Maps that displayed locations from the movie and allowed people to explore 1926 New York City. Special deals were also available through Amazon to those who typed certain spells into the search bar on the site.

A teased VidCon promotion was centred around an event encouraging YouTube creators to submit questions that were then answered by the stars and filmmakers. At San Diego Comic-Con there was a lot of activity around the movie one main activity was a Q&A with director David Yates. In mid-October it was revealed that this movie was one of five. It was soon released that Johnny Depp has a role in not just this film but in its potential sequels.

The main reasons for marketing is getting the film noticed as part of the ‘Wizarding world’. Not only does this help the film get noticed it helps the Warner Bros. Pictures expand Harry Potter World. This film is known as the story before Harry Potter which is also why it was a film that everyone wanted to see. Its all about the spectacle and people are being pulled in to se all the magical craziness.

Trailers https://youtu.be/IbSiVk2fjSMThis link is the link for all the trailers for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them.

Release dates:The domestic trailer #1 was released on 15/12/2015The domestic trailer #2 was released on 10/4/2016The comic-con trailer was released on 26/7/2016The Main online trailer was released on 28/9/2016

Views on youtube:Domestic trailer #1 Domestic trailer #2Comic-con trailer Main online trailer

Posters, Billboards and Interviews

Posters and billboard where placed all around the world. These billboards where mainly outside cinemas that showed the film this is to bring the audience to attention that fantastic beasts is shown there. 

Billboards and posters where also placed in shopping centres and on bus stops in and around London, not only at a bus stop was the film advertised but on the bus there where posters to spread the message. 

The main actor Eddie Redmayne was on many radio shows such as radio 1 and radio 4. he was also on catch shows such as the Ellen show, Jimmy Fallen and Graham Norton on these shows he would advertise the film to widen the audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqx1E-JmYzM

Merchandise Fantastic beasts have brought out a lot of merchandise from characters or props used to rumours of rides being built. As fantastic beasts is a carry on from harry potter, there is already a whole theme park built under the name of the surreal so fantastic beasts is shown throughout the universal studios harry potter world. Fantastic beasts campaign for taking the film further has brought out a wizarding Wednesday to get the chance of winning in a competition where you could go visit the harry potter studios or getting the signed poster from all of the cast. Many games where made including mobile apps, video games on PS4 and XBOX 1 and all where big hits in stores. 

Target Audience The Fantastic Beasts target audience are mainly harry potter fans who want to keep the magic alive but following from that family and teenagers are who they are aiming to impress with the posters and trailers. The trailer used is showing the fanatic behind the film so the people who they may also be targeting  are adventure film lovers and fantasy fans. 

Online Presence Fantastic beasts main target audience are teens, therefore the main platform for advertising it on social media, this is where they are going to grab there audiences attention by posting trailers, posters, images and behind the scene snippets from the film. A main platform used is Facebook, fantastic beasts had there own Facebook page where they would advertise the film by posting videos form the trailer, it would be leading up to the premier and show the release date. Another main platform used is Instagram they will do the same as Facebook on this but show a one minute clip and advertise using a paid sponsor to get the message across to everyone who looks on there Instagram feed. There was also a gem realised around the same time as the film this was a game made for the film advertisement. 

Box Office Fantastic Beasts went on general release in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 18 November 2016. It debuted with £15.33 million ($19.15 million) from 666 cinemas, the biggest debut of any film this year, ahead of the two previous record holders

Exhibition and Exchange The film was brought out in November 18th 2016, at the time there where two big blockbuster films coming out so for fantastic beasts they chose the right time as a month later star wars came out. these films would clash as there target audience are crossing over through teens and family. Fantastic beasts was shown in cinemas as a 2D, 3D, 4D and IMAX experience so it has the full budget to do so.