C A S E S T U D I E S

SECTION BTHE FILM INDUSTRY

Working titleFilm 4VertigoWarp Films

CHOOSE TWO FILMS FOR YOUR CASE STUDY:

One needs to be a LOW BUDGET British Independent film released in the last 2 years from either:

One needs to be a BIG BUDGET mainstream film released in the last 2 years from either: 20th Century Fox

Warner BrothersUniversalParamount

Mainstream Studio

Independent Studio

HOW TO USE THIS POWERPOINT….For each section, you must answer all of the

questions for both your Mainstream and Independent film.It must be presented on PPT but it’s up to you how you present this.

I would suggest splitting slides up like this but you may choose to do it differently

THE SMALL PRINTThis PowerPoint is a guideline only. If you answer all of the questions it will give you enough information to help you construct a detailed essay response in the exam. You may find it difficult to answer some questions or some may not be relevant. Also you may find other relevant information to add in.

GOOD SOURCES FOR RESEARCH• IMBD

• Empire online• Studio Websites• Film Websites• BFI Statistical Yearbook• BBFC

• http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/index.html• http://gorillafilmmagazine.com/category/reviews/• http://www.theguardian.com/film• http://www.screendaily.com/• http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/dec/06/ci

neworld-buys-picturehouse• https://mubi.com/• http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/film/way

s_into_the_industry

THE INSTITUTION

Mainstream Studio

Independent Studio

THE INSTITUTIONA brief history of the studio:

• How long has it be going for?• Who owns it?• How are they funded?• How much market share did

they have in 2016?• What genres of film are they

most popular for?• What are there most

successful films?• Has the company ever been

taken over by another company for support?

• Any Co-Production deals?• Any collaborations?• Have their been any major

issues as a result of this?

A brief history of the studio:

• How long has it be going for?• Who owns it?• How are they funded?• How much market share did

they have in 2016?• What genres of film are they

most popular for?• What are there most

successful films?• Has the company ever been

taken over by another company for support?

• Any Co-Production deals?• Any collaborations?• Have their been any major

issues as a result of this?

PRODUCTION

• Where did it come from?• What’s the genre? Does this follow any patterns for the studio?• What happened to the original script/ idea?• Who wrote it? Was it a team brought in, or was it based on an

existing text (novel, screen play?)• Did this stay the work of one person, or did others get involved? • Consider your film. Are there any issues with the genre of it? Is it

a hybrid? How profitable are these genres in today’s market? How do you know this?

THE IDEA

• Where there any issues with getting backing?• Who financed it? One group or many? What was in it

for them?• What did it cost the studio to make? • How much did the stars get? Did it differ much

between the main stars? Why?• Can you identify where the budget went? • Was it shot within budget? Did it go over? How

close?

FINANCE & BUDGET

• Name of producer/s? • Name of the director?• How did they get involved? Any further

associations with these - what are they known for?• Main stars/ roles/ characters?• What had they been cast in before? • What was their ‘star appeal’?• Any issues with getting the cast? Their timetables

and other commitments? Were they second or first choice?

• How important was this casting in terms of the audience? Why were they chosen? Effect?

• Who were the main people in the production team and what did they do?

CASTING & CREW

• Was it all shot in a studio?• Was anything shot on location? • Think about budgets - did they chose the cheaper

location, would the audience know this?• Who composed the film music? Consider the

implications of this person (just as a star is cast)• Consider the sales of the CDs/downloads. Find

reviews (Empire is good here).

LOCATION & SOUND

• Any issues for the production company whilst shooting?

• See if you can find any ‘on set’ disputes (think SITC?

• Any script changes whilst on set/ in production? • Same editor throughout? Was the script editor

changed?• Do you know of any re-writes/ script edits?

PRODUCTION

TECHNOLOGY• Any technical issues when making the film?• Consider the use of SFX: practical and special effects

here.• How important was new technology such as

Computer Generated Imagery? Think about the studios involved here (Disney for example)

DISTRIBUTION

• Who distributed the film? Is it a major player? What else have they done? Did they work with other companies in different locations? What do you notice about this?

• Where and when did they release your film?• What do you notice about the dates (Awards, holidays, was it the

same across the country/ countries)?• What happened outside of the UK? • Do you know how these were secured?• Any changes to the release time table? Why?• Importance of digital technology for the distribution of your film? • How significant are distribution mediums like DVDS, the world web

and DTV when distributing a film? • Advantages and disadvantages?

Now think about the film budgets and prospects of how companies might distribute and market a film. • What issues do you think there are?• Where can you find this information?

DISTRIBUTION

• Detail the advertising strategy for the film.• How did they market this online - YouTube or viral ads? Any

downloads available before?• Comment on the film’s website. What do you notice about the

marketing?• Are there any social network forums linked?• Has the genre had an effect on the distribution and marketing?• Analyse film posters for the film:• Consider the UK audience• Further mediums for advertising? • TV, radio, magazines...?• Merchandise - detail.• Who were these marketed at?• What was the campaign like?• Can you add any further marketing?• Think about the actors and their interviews on TV/ Radio and

online. • Where there any ‘leaked’ stories about the stars and their

private lives around this time?

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

• Ask your peers what they thought of the marketing of the film (using Face Book, a film poster or the trailer for example), using a survey. • What conclusions do you reach about the marketing of the film?• Then ask if they saw it? What does this tell you?

PRIMARY RESEARCH

EXHIBITION& CONSUMPTIO

N

• Target audience for your film...• You know this because...?• Where/ when was the premiere? Which venue? Any themes?

What was the coverage like?• Any issues at this point?• When, where and how was it exhibited?• Was it distributed to digital cinemas? Why?• When did it go to DVD/ blue-ray? Any figures for this?

EXHIBITION

• How did your film fair with the censors?• Any issues?• How did they achieve the rating? • What is the benefit of this audience to the

institution?• Any restrictions on the film? What and why? Link

to genre, audience... (use BBFC website)

CENSORSHIP

• What were the reviews like of the film? Favourable or rotten tomatoes?

• Was it considered a critical success? • Has it been reviewed for DVD too?• Choose a selection of Positive reviews - do they choose

the same features of the film to focus upon?• What was public opinion? Remember to reference

social networks or blogs here.• Did it create any controversy, or water cooler

moments/ talking points?• Did the audiences’ reaction have an impact on the

studio/ producers in terms of how they created/ promoted/released other films?

• Have they stuck with the stars or genre for example? Why?

• Alternatively, have they completely gone the other way?

• Have audiences’ tastes changed? Why?

REVIEWS & AUDIENCE REACTION

• First year takings?• Do you think this is a success? Does

the industry? How do we know this? • Did it have an extended run? Was it

cut short? Was it re-released at the cinemas?

FINANCE

KEY POINTS

Relate to...• Production?• Distribution? • Consumption?• How did cross-media platforms aid your film?

SYNERGY & CONVERGENCE

• Overall, how important was digital technology in the production/ distribution/ marketing of your film?

• How important is this for the film and its audiences?

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY