skyfall production distribution exhibition & audience
DESCRIPTION
A2 Media, Skyfall, film industry, Audience, institution, production, distribution and exhibitionTRANSCRIPT
Case Study
Skyfall
Skyfall: What we need to know
Section A
Section B
Case Study – Skyfall (2012)
• Section B: Institutions and Audiences1. PRODUCTION – Big Budget ($150million +) – Problems with
production - produced by Eon Films (Independent UK/US film company that finances all the Bond Films).
2. AUDIENCE – UK/US film aimed at a global audience – censorship in China.
3. DISTRIBUTION – MGM & Columbia Pictures (both owned by Sony)
4. MARKETING – Product placement, PR Stunts, Synergy.5. EXHIBITION – IMAX release 6. DIGITAL – First use of HD-DV on a Bond film – easy CGI
Production
• It was produced by UK-based Eon Productions and distributed by MGM (a US company) and Columbia Pictures (A Sony Pictures company -US-based subsidiary of Sony).
Case Study – Skyfall
Case Study – Skyfall• PRODUCTION• Production of Skyfall was suspended throughout 2010 because of
MGM's financial troubles. • With big budgets comes big risks – can you think of a film that’s
underachieved recently?• The film had a lower budget than its predecessor, largely thanks to
budget cuts at MGM (which filed for bankruptcy in 2010). Many scenes were filmed in London (where the production is based) to keep costs down (even some scenes pretending to be Shanghai).
• Pre-production resumed following MGM's exit from bankruptcy on 21 December 2010.
• MGM and Columbia Pictures announced that the UK release date would be 26 October 2012, two weeks ahead of the US release date, scheduled for 9 November 2012.
Production• It was directed by Oscar-winning Sam Mendes (a British
director). This was an unusual move, as Bond films were not usually helmed by critically acclaimed directors.
• The film was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbra Broccoli, who have produced numerous Bond films (and who are related to Albert Broccoli, the previous Bond producer) – all of these people are American.
• It was the first Bond film to cross the $1 billion mark in worldwide revenue.
Case Study – Skyfall
Case Study - Skyfall
• PRODUCTION – Profits…• “The windfall will benefit three players in the
Bond universe: producers MGM; producers and rightsholders Barbara Broccoli, 52, and Michael G. Wilson, 70; and distributor Sony Pictures. In a complicated deal that was heavily negotiated with Sony after MGM emerged from bankruptcy in 2010, MGM and Broccoli and Wilson will jointly collect 75 per cent of the movie's profits.”
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/daniel-craig-james-bond-skyfall-390090
• Budget and costs• Although a British film, the budget ($150 - $200 million) was
financed by USA. The budget is required to appeal to a global audience in order to afford the special effects to produce spectacular scenes etc.
• A third of these costs were covered by a deal made with Heineken, who paid £28 million for their product placement in the film (and subsequent TV ad, which featured many Bond characters).
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi3K_K2TPQ4• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txTdiofEJwQ• The promotional costs have been estimated at around $100 million
Case Study – Skyfall
Case Study – SkyfallComparison
• Skyfall, the 23rd instalment of the 50-year-old James Bond franchise, has become a global phenomenon. Its opening-weekend haul in the U.S. was $88.4 million - almost $21 million more than the previous Bond, 2008's Quantum of Solace.
• The Hollywood Reporter
Homework
• Skyfall was part of year-long celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Dr. No and the Bond film series.
• Research what was done differently in Skyfall to celebrate this 50th Anniversary milestone
Case Study – SkyfallComparison
“It can be argued that they are not really British at all, given that they are backed by American dollars. By this token, however, films such as Tom Jones, A Hard Day’s Night and Chariots of Fire would not qualify as British either. Ever since the 1930s, American studios have provided financial backing for British productions”
“The Britishness of Bond films has been one of their main selling points, a factor which differentiates them from all other action movies which have followed in their wake”
What is British about Bond?• Production base• Most of the technical personnel• Generic roots• Ideology of national identity
James Chapman, 2009, p.13
A British Film?Case Study – Skyfall
Case Study – Skyfall (2012)
• PRODUCTION• Filming was scheduled to take up 133 days (it
took 128).• Filming began on 7 November 2011 in and
around London, including the National Gallery, Smithfield, Vauxhall Bridge and foreign locations including Istanbul, in Turkey and Shanghai and Macau in China. Why is China important?
“The latest James Bond film, Skyfall, has finally opened in China after a two-month delay, with some key scenes removed by Chinese censors…”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21106821
Overall, the European market was subdued in 2012 compared with other major international cinema markets, with reports of box office gains of 5.9% in the USA and 33% in China (making China the world #2 territory after the USA)…
Case Study – Skyfall in ChinaGlobal implications
• The film set part of the action in Shanghai, largely to appeal to the Chinese market (an increasingly lucrative market). However, because there were some politically and culturally controversial narrative elements in Shanghai and Macau, some edits were made to the film when it hit Chinese cinemas.
• China has a cap on the numbers of foreign films it shows, and refuses to screen those that criticise the country or its government. However, the size of audiences in China make it a lucrative market.
• To create a Chinese cut is becoming a common practice; other films which have been amended for Chinese audiences include Mission: Impossible3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Men In Black 3 as well as Iron Man 3.
Global implications
The scene where Patrice shoots a Chinese security guard was cut.
The scene where Bond and Severine are at a Macau casino and he enquires if her tattoo is the mark of an infamous prostitution ring remains intact but the subtitles have been changed to refer to a gang.
References to prostitution and corruption in China have either been edited out or obscured in the subtitle translations.
Subtitles were also changed to hide references to torture by the Chinese security forces when Silva makes reference to being tortured by the Chinese government after working for MI6 in Hong Kong. This had been softened in the Chinese cut, with all references to China removed.
Case Study – Skyfall (2012) Global implications – Chinese edits
Case Study – Skyfall (2012) Global implications
• Industry journalist Ian Sandwell, who recently studied the film's release strategy for trade magazine Screen International, describes the film's Shanghai-set sequences as the film's "ace in the pack": given the vast Chinese market's sympathy toward blockbusters with local involvement, the decision to locate a major stretch of Skyfall's action there is no accident.
Case Study – Skyfall (2012) Global implications
• Global implications of James Bond’s goofy skit with the queen at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony - a stunt that may not have had Skyfall's enigmatic name anywhere on it, but pointedly raised awareness of the agent's return to a global audience of a billion.
Case Study – Skyfall (2012) Global achievements
• first Bond film to cross the $1 billion mark worldwide
• the 7th highest-grossing film of all time• the highest-grossing film in the UK• the highest-grossing film worldwide for Both Sony
Pictures and MGM• Second highest-grossing film of 2012
Highest-grossing films of 2012Rank Title Studio Worldwide Gross
1. The Avengers Marvel Studios $1,518,594,9102. Skyfall MGM / Columbia $1,108,561,013
3. The Dark Knight Rises Warner Bros. / Legendary $1,084,439,099
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Warner Bros./ MGM/ New Line $1,017,003,568
5. Ice Age: Continental Drift Fox / Blue Sky $877,244,782
6. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
Lionsgate / Summit $829,685,377
7. The Amazing Spider-Man Columbia $757,930,663
8. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Paramount / DreamWorks $746,921,274
9. The Hunger Games Lionsgate $691,247,76810. Men in Black 3 Columbia $624,026,776
Skyfall
Skyfall: What we need to know
Section B
Release Schedule for Skyfall 2011/12
2011 2012
2011 2012
Oct 23rd Skyfall Premiere in Royal Albert Hall
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep OctOct
May 21st
1st Skyfall trailer released
Nov 3rd
Film name, cast and director announced
Oct 1st
Adele confirmed as the theme song artist
Jul 27th
Daniel Craig appears alongside the Queen for Olympic Games
opening ceremony
Nov 7th
Production begins
Sep 17th
Official UK Skyfall poster revealed
Oct 26-28th
Opening weekend of Skyfall
Jul 31st 2nd Skyfall trailer
released
Case Study - Skyfall
• PRODUCTION & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY• SKYFALL the first BOND movie to be shot
digitally, as well as Sam Mendes’ first digital experience, it is the first production anywhere to make use of ALEXA Studio cameras
http://www.arrimedia.com/news/view/33/skyfall
Case Study - Skyfall
• EXHIBITION & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY• Distribution into cinemas: It was the first
James Bond film to be screened in IMAX venues, although it was not filmed with IMAX cameras. The film’s release coincided with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series, which began with Dr.No in 1962.
Case Study - Skyfall
• EXHIBITION & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY• The decision to make SKYFALL the first in the
franchise to be released in IMAX has already proved hugely successful - it took $3.5 million in 79 locations over 15 territories, averaging $45,000 per screen. That represents the best international opening in IMAX history.
Case Study - Skyfall
• DISTRIBUTION• The film was released in the UK on 18
February 2013 on DVD and Blu-Ray, and in North America on 12 March 2013 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
• Heineken is backing the marketing drive with digital activity on Google and social media marketing on Facebook.
• MARKETING• Around $75,000,000 was spent on marketing
Skyfall.
Case Study - Skyfall
Trailers
Teaser trailer
International trailer
USA – TV spot aired on NBC during Olympic Opening Ceremony
• MARKETING – SYNERGY• “The new film raises the bar for onscreen product
placement, from 007's Tom Ford-tailored suits, Omega Seamaster watch and Sony Xperia phone, as well as off-screen alliances ranging from Coke Zero to perfume retailers... His new tipple of choice, Heineken, has proved an ongoing sticking point with fans, particularly after a big-budget ad that actually roped Daniel Craig into the action. However, with the Dutch beer having stumped up over £28m for the privilege of seeing Bond sip from a green bottle in an early scene – coolly covering almost a quarter of the film's estimated production budget in the process… ”
Case Study - Skyfall
http://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/product/heineken
Marketing/distribution/exhibition
• Perhaps the most outstanding piece of marketing, involved James Bond’s skit with the queen at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony - a stunt that may not have had Skyfall's enigmatic name anywhere on it, but pointedly raised awareness of the agent's return to a global audience of a billion. This was perhaps the best celebrity endorsement the film could wish for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AS-dCdYZbo
•Skyfall was marketed traditionally through posters on various Billboards around the centre of London, on billboards in tube stations and posters on buses. There were even complete trains covered with Skyfall ads. "To mark its unprecedented success at the UK box office and its release on Blu-ray and DVD, ‘SKYFALL’ has become the first film to lend its name to a train in the UK, after the East Coast train was unveiled on Platform 007 at London King’s Cross Station today. “
Case Study - Skyfall
Synergy – Ocean Royale Aftershave
VisitBritain, the official tourism and destination partner of SKYFALL, has launched its first film tourism ad. The Bond is GREAT Britain ad is out in cinemas around the world reminding people that there is no better time for them to come to Britain and explore the home of James Bond.
Synergy – VisitBritian
Omega Watch
Synergy
Brand Association
• In a tie-in, act of synergy, Heineken stumped up over £28m for the privilege of seeing Bond sip from a green bottle in an early scene. This was combined with a successful TV advertising campaign used Heinekin to promote their beer, using scenes from the film (and other Bond films, such as Dr No). Craig himself has been a diplomatic spokesman on the issue, acknowledging that their reliance on brand associations is “unfortunate”.
• However, the use of brand association in the film has been great, with product placement such as Tom Ford suits and Sony Vaio laptops leading to additional promotion of the film through product advertising on TV and in print ads.
Case Study - Skyfall• SOUNDTRACK - SYNERGY• The soundtrack album was released on 29
October 2012 in the UK and on 6 November 2012 in the US.
• In October 2012, British singer-songwriter Adele confirmed that she had written and recorded the film's theme song with her regular songwriter, Paul Epworth.
• She posted the cover for the Skyfall sheet music on Twitter.
Adele’s theme song ‘Skyfall’, another marketing coup, was the series first chart hit in years. It won the Academy Award for best original song, the first Bond theme to win the award. The song also won the Brit Award for Best British Single at the 2013 BRIT Awards.
http://www.007mosaic.com/
• .
Marketing - Posters
Clear Channel are the leading advertisers in outdoor advertisement. They own the famous billboards that run up and down Cromwell road in London. These billboards are known to affect the box office dramatically with the advertisement of new movies on the billboards.
SKYFALL AUDIENCE & TWITTERWho was talking about Skyfall?• It’s interesting to note that even though the conversation was male-driven throughout the campaign (2/3 of all mentions) the female audience had it’s most prominent appearance on the release week.
6158RT
3565RT
2431RT
1621RT
1297RT
3565RT
3079RT
2107RT
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1297RT
Most retweeted Skyfall mentions:• All the most retweeted tweets since November 2011 (right) were posted in October 2012. Adele took top spot for most retweeted when she announced the release of the official theme song. • The official James Bond account (@007) also appears in the top 10.•Fake/parody accounts receive lots of attention on Twitter – such as the Queen’s fake profile and Felix Baumgartner (Red Bull space jumper). • X factor boy band Union J appear twice, with Jedward also featuring.
Title Trailer Adele Release0
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MaleFemale
SKYFALL AUDIENCE & TWITTER
1,637,385 total ‘Skyfall’ mentions on Twitter globally over the 12 months before release, with volume gradually building around each major announcement - peaking at 129,384 mentions on Friday 26th October, when the film was released.
November 3rd 2011:When the new title was announced as Skyfall, there were 3,298 mentions commenting on the ‘name’ or ‘title’ of the film . There were mixed reviews on the title, with majority positive sentiment overall.
Gender distribution: Male – 81%, Female – 19%
May 21st 2012The release of the first Skyfall trailer generated 54,752 mentions and positive buzz around the up coming film with. Most of the conversation included references to how ‘amazing’ and ‘awesome’ the trailer looks.
Gender distribution: Male – 71%, Female – 29%
October 26-28th 2012The record breaking opening weekend has generated the most buzz so far - a huge 311,485 mentions (1/5 of all activity). Most of the conversation referenced ‘excitement’ about seeing the film and about how ‘great’ the movie is. Social activity peaked on Friday 26th October with 129,384 mentions.
Gender distribution: Male – 63%, Female – 37%
October 5th 2012The official release of Adele’s Skyfall theme song generated the second highest peak within the last 12 months with 103,948 mentions about ‘Skyfall’. This shows she has a huge international following, more so even than in the UK perhaps.
Gender distribution: Male – 62%, Female – 38%
Case Study – SkyfallAudience targeting
• The film was targeted at a global audience, especially considering the Olympic skit brought the film international attention. The film was edited for a Chinese audience, however.
• Aimed at a mainstream audience (and the James Bond franchise fanbase) - as the narrative is constructed around action and drama with an accessible plot, featuring heroes and villains. Film’s action scenes appeal to a mass audience (certain scenes been edited to additionally appeal to the Chinese audiences – this is because China has become the world's second-biggest movie market)
• Narrative - Skyfall reveals information on Bond’s childhood which other Bond movies have not focussed on. This offers an additional pull to the conventional Bond narrative, which would appeal to dedicated fans of the franchise. As this was a 50th anniversary film, there were certain elements that were 'special'.
•Sam Mendes was brought in as the director, whose films are typically associated with intense dramas, scripts and dialogues. This would appeal to Mendes film fans who are familiar with his previous hits ‘American Beauty’ and ‘Revolutionary Road’
•Conventional chase sequences (Turkey - on the motorbikes and on the top of the train) and action packed scenes are reinforced which would appeal to the genre’s action and adventure/thriller fans.
•Severine’s (and arguably Eve Moneypenny’s) attractive appearance and role of being served as an object of sexual gratification in the narrative provide the ‘male gaze’ (Laura Mulvey, 1975) and work to satisfy the male heterosexual target audience. Posters including Severine appear to focus on her appearance.
•Daniel Craig’s muscular physique and body is evident in Skyfall, which positions Bond also as a sexualised object for the pleasure of the ‘female gaze’ (Gamman and Marshment, 1988) and works to satisfy the female heterosexual target audience, who may not be a fans of the Bond franchise but find Daniel Craig’s sexual allure appealing enough to watch the film
•50th anniversary of the film Pillars of British acting, self-parody jokes throughout – Sam Mendes plays with the generic conventions of the Bond franchise to ensure Skyfall is contemporary and offers something different for the mass target audience.
Audience positioning• There is an ethnocentric positioning in the film's opening. Bond chases
Patrice through the streets of Turkey, but appears to act as if he in a position of authority there. No regard is given to the safety (or sovereignty) of Turkish citizens in his actions - it as if the UK's interests are of higher importance.
• The audience are further positioned to see the UK a force for good in the world, through the use of stereotyping. The scene in a Chinese casino makes heavy use of cultural stereotypes to make Chinese culture seem almost illicit.
• In the Bond/Severine shower scene heterosexual male audience are positioned through Bond’s viewpoint. We see champagne and two glasses prepared on Severine’s boat in the foreground of one shot, and Severine is wearing a seductive dressing gown awaiting Bond’s arrival. Bond does not turn up. This is positioning the audience to see Bond's advances on Severine as invited, rather than predatory.
Bond suddenly walks uninvited into her shower room naked. Scopophilia is evident through a POV shot, which positions the heterosexual male audiences through Bond’s viewpoint. (Scopophilia = sexual pleasure derived from looking at naked bodies (Freud). This also reinforces Mulvey’s ‘male gaze’ theory).
The audience is further positioned to see characters such as Bond as a 'hero' and characters like Silva as 'villainous'. For instance, Silva's soft voice is creepy (as well as his callous disregard for human life, which is demonstrated when he shoots Severine. Silva's villainy is also clearly displayed when he removes his fake teeth, revealing that he had a physical deformity (a visual code that often connotes villainy in James Bond films).
Bond, on the other hand, is shown working out, rescuing characters (e.g. M) and defeating his foes - all obligatory hero motifs.
Audience responses• Some audiences could resist the ethnocentric positioning within the film,
and see Skyfall as a relic of supporting British imperialism. British agents appear to be able to work over international boundaries without the co-operation of local authorities. When Silva is captured, British helicopters are seen hovering above him, without any international or diplomatic issue being discussed. It is as if British interests supersede any other nation's - which an audience could oppose. As well as this, the key people in power in the film all happen to be white.
• These issues have been discussed at length online - for instance, on blogs - where the word "racist" has been repeatedly used to describe Skyfall.
• Another criticism that has circulated has been the representation of women. As we have said before, women are represented as almost disposable. Women all seem to fall helpless to Bond's charm - creating a sense of women being powerless and present to please the male gaze.
This idea is furthered by Eve Moneypenny's lack of ability in the field (she shoots Bond, instead of Patrice) - and M's demise and ultimate replacement by Mallory. An audience could see this as being deeply sexist.
Silva's resemblance of Julian Assange could also be read in an oppositional way. We are positioned to view people who put secret information online as cyber-criminals or terrorists, while the audience could oppose this view and see the film as a piece of blatant propaganda, which supports the government's view, without acknowledging any debate of democracy of information (Assange is seen as an enemy by many governments, while many journalists and historians see the work of Wikileaks as invaluable).
Regulation
• SKYFALL• Type of media Film• Approved Running time 142m 58s • Release date 26/10/2012 • BBFC Insight Contains moderate action violence and one use of strong
language• Genre(s) Action • Director(s) Sam Mendes• Cast includes Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes,
Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Ola Rapace, Helen McCrory, Nicholas Woodeson
• Cut This work was passed uncut.
BBFC justification
• SKYFALL is the latest film in the James Bond series, starring Daniel Craig as agent 007. This time Bond is called into action to prevent the identities of secret agents around the world being made public. The film is rated 12A for moderate action violence and one use of strong language.
• The moderate action violence includes several fight scenes, shoot-outs and chases. There are rapid exchanges of punches and other blows, without any focus on injury, and when characters are shot there is little clear detail of blood or injury. In some scenes, there is sight of bloodied clothing and faces as a result of violence, but there is no dwelling on either the injuries inflicted or the suffering of the victims. In one scene, a man cuts into his own chest to extract fragments of a bullet and then washes his bloody hands.
• SKYFALL contains a single use of strong language, which is uttered when a character states they have "f**ked up". The use is resigned rather than aggressive and is not directed at another person. There is also some moderate and mild bad language, including uses of 'bitch', 'bloody', 'buggered', 'shit', 'hell', 'damned', 'Christ' and 'God'.
• There are some brief mild sex sequences. In one scene, a man and a woman kiss passionately as they stand in a shower. However, there is no sight of nudity. The opening title sequence includes the usual implied nudity, involving stylised silhouette figures of naked women.
• Smoking occurs shown in one scene, as a woman smokes a cigarette whilst talking to a man in a club. However, Bond himself does not smoke
• SKYFALL includes a sequence in which a villain triggers an explosion underneath a London Underground line, which causes a tube train to derail. The carriages of the train are empty and there is no indication of any passengers. There is no sight of what happens to the driver.