30 Questions Revision Task

What % of global box office was the British film industry responsible for? 17% (Approx. 75% of the UK industry is based in London, with an average of 35 crews shooting on the streets of London every day.)

What was this % in 2009? 6.8% (UK film contributes over £4.6 billion to UK GDP and supported over 117,000 jobs (up from 100,000 in 2009). 

What might this change indicate about British film? They are becoming more dominant and doing del at the box office. 

What films have been responsible for this change? The Harry Potter Franchis.. "Since the release of the first Harry Potter movie in 2001 the movies have made $7,706,147,978 worldwide. The Harry Potter books have profited author J.K. Rowling over one billion dollars since their release."

What % of the British film industry makes a profit? 7%

What % of Hollywood films make a profit? The percentage of Hollywood films that make a profit is 17%.

How does that % differ between £2m and £10m budget British films? lower budget films ($2 million) have a 4% chance of making  profit, higher budget ($10 million) have a 17% chance go making a profit.

What might we infer from this difference? We could infer that if films look more realistic e.g. have better special effects then people will be more inclined to buy/watch them.

Which age group makes up the largest % of UK cinema goers?  18-24 year olds are the most likely to go to the cinema and make up the largest percentage.

Why do you think this might be?  I think this may be because these people have more free time and more disposable income, they also fit into the majority of the 4 quadrants.

Which 'type' of film has seen an 18% drop in attendance? 3D Films.

Within that 'type' which genre has seen the biggest fall?  The films type that has seen the biggest fall is family films, films that don’t involve a lot of action/horror.

What did Charles Grant put this decline down to?  Charles Grant basically said that 3D films are just a little bit too expensive, with them not deserving the extra money over ordinary films.

Who is Paul Greengrass? Paul Greengrass is an English film director, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of real-life events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras.

How did he describe the British film industry? "British film is on a very positive journey. If you look at the biggest movies in the world, like Star Wars, Gravity– a hugely cutting edge movie - they’re being made in Britain. British technicians are world class and audiences are queuing up to see these films. Distinctive British voices, like Stephen Frears, and all the emerging voices on show here highlight where the industry is. Strong leadership from the British Film Institute helps too. There’s a real vibrancy among British filmmaking and all these elements have been growing for the last 10-15 years and it shows no signs of stopping."

What did a BFI spokesperson say was the point of less profitable low budget British films? "tiny budget films that, while commercial success is always hoped for, are successful and beneficial to the industry for other reasons like skills and training development and for artistic and cultural importance."

What was the budget for Filth and how much money did it take? (IMDb) $5,000,000, £3,849,986

What advantage did James McEvoy feel £100m films have over low budget films? James McEvoy said that the ones that are over $100 million, that sometimes "aren't very good" had an advantage over small films because they had a huge budget to sell it.

What is VOD? Video On Demand.

What % increase did VOD see last year? They have increased by 50%.

What impact might VOD have on distributers and Studios?  With recent rises of demand with Netflix love film and sky , there is a chance that the demand companies will out sell Hollywood studios.

What impact has it had on Blockbuster rental stores?  They have had to clos several stores in the UK and globally and move online . they are becoming extinct.

What was unique about Ben Wheatleys 'A Field In England'? ‘A Field in England' was special as it was released in several formats simultaneously, dvd cinemas demand.

What does director of The Machine Caradog James think is the toughest part of film making?     "The toughest thing is you make a good film but can you get it to reach an audience? It's events like this and individuals who champion independent cinema that give us a profile and any chance of a mass audience."

Why have rules been relaxed on what makes a film 'British'?  To encourage wider audiences so the profit percentage can rise.

How has the use of visual effects in films been encouraged?  Visual effects are used in films to make it more interesting for the audience, to aid boosting of ratings as a more attractive picture is a better seller.

Name five of these rules and link them to The Kings Speech, Kill List, The World's End  Keeping a British Theme through culture -Kings Speech
·         'LAD' culture - Worlds End
·         British director - The King's Speech
·         British leading Cast - Kill List, Worlds End
·         Location in Britain - Kill List, Worlds End, King's Speech 

    
What rules has chancellor George Osbourne announced for tax on British films?  George Osborne has announced tax relief would be increased from 20% to 25% on the first £20m of qualifying production expenditure. Productions will also only have to spend 10% of their budgets on UK expenditure to qualify - down from 25% - to help more independent production companies and make the UK a more attractive co-production partner. previously only films under £20m were eligible for the higher rate.

What is the highest grossing film in UK box office history?  Highest grossing film in the uk box office was  James Bond - Skyfall.

How much has it taken and how many screens was it available on?  $1,108,561,013 was taken and it was on 527 screens in he UK.

The Worlds End

The Basics
The World's End (Cornetto Trilogy)
Director: Edgar Wright
Producer: Working Title (Tim Bevan)
Distributor: Universal (Big Six)
Budget: $25 million
Box Office: $46 million

'Cornetto Trilogy' - repeatability for DVD and BluRay

The Audience
The target Audience is male 28-40 (who like sci-fi and comedy and indie music/britpop)
Links to soundtrack which is full of late 80s early 90s hits by bands such as: The Housemartins, Blur, Primal Scream, Pulp, James, Happy Mondays, Suede, The Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets.
All star 'British' cast

Simon Pegg (Gary King): Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul - mainstream and niche appeal.
Nick Frost (Andy Knightley) : Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul - mainstream and niche appeal.
Martin Freeman (Oliver Chamberlain) : The Hobbit, Love Actually, The Office (TV), Sherlock (TV)
Paddy Considine (Steven Prince) : Dead Man's Shoes, Submarine, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (TV) - multiple acting award nominations. Target audience of film buffs/ aficionados
Eddie Marsan (Peter Page) : Tyrannosaur, Miami Vice, Happy-Go-Lucky, Sherlock Holmes (Inspector Lestrade). Target audience of film buffs/ aficionados.
Rosamund Pike (Sam Chamberlain) : Die Another Day, An Education, Made In Dagenham, Wrath Of The Titans, Jack Reacher
Other  notable cast members

Pierce Brosnan (Guy Shepherd): James Bond (1995-2004), The Thomas Crown Affair, The Ghost, Mama Mia
Bill Nighy (The Network-voice only): Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean
Rafe Spall (Young Man): Grindhouse, Kidulthood, Prometheus, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Life of Pi, I Give It A Year

The Director

Edgar Wright: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, The Adventures of Tin Tin (co writer), Spaced (TV)

Themes

The film focuses on uniquely British concerns: pubs, 'lad' culture, British nightlife, loss of British identity, the homogenization of the high street, American influence, school, sleepy market towns. The film is also about growing up, the potential of youth and the disappointment of adult life.

The film was a niche product globally and a mass market product nationally.

Figures
Only 7% of British films make a profit.
Of films costing less than £2 million only 45 make a profit.
Of films costing £10 million or more 17% make a profit
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes 89% approval rating
Metacritic 81 out of 100

Star Trek Research

Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof 

Directed by J.J Abrams

Produced by J.J Abrams, Bryan Burk and the Writers (as above)

Studios Bad Robot Productions, K/O Paper Productions and Skydance Productions

Distributor Paramount Studios.

Cast included star such as
Chris Pine Kirk
Zachary Quinto Spock
Karl Urban Bones
Simon Pegg Scotty
Benedict Cumberbatch Khan
Peter Weller Marcus

Released 16th May 2013

Genre Action/Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Budget estimated $190,000,000

Box office estimated $467,365,246

Rating PG13

Filming locations consisted of Iceland and Los Angeles, California
(7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California USA)
(Paramount Studios, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California)

Critical Rating 7.9/10

Dredd Essay

Why did Dredd flop at the Box Office?

                                                          

The action thriller film Dredd was released in 2012. The producers for this film were Alex Garland, Andrew MacDonald and Allon Reich. The studios involved in it were DNA Films and IM Global and the distributors were Lionsgate and Entertainment Film. The main stars in Dredd were Karl Urban, playing Judge Dredd, Lena Headey playing Ma-Ma and Olivia Thirlby who played Anderson.  The marketing strategies used to promote the film were teaser trailers, an interactive website and posters. The estimated box office figure was $36,000,000 which was less than the original budget resulting in the film ‘flopping.’

In my opinion one of the reasons why Dredd failed to succeed as expected at the box office is because the film did not comply with, in Mark Kermode’s opinion, the four ways to enable success which are: to have a newsworthy budget, to include spectacular visuals, to not be a comedy and to include ‘A’ list stars. Although Dredd was not a comedy and contained superb visuals the other two aspects were not met.  The estimated budget for Dredd was a rather unimpressive $45,000,000 as opposed to its rival film The Avengers who had a huge budget of over $200,000,000. Other films released within the same space of time are films such as ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Skyfall’ and ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ which were all box office successes. A ‘newsworthy budget’ is anything above $100,000,000, which Dredd was not. The main reason for the budget being so small is because there were no A list stars involved in the film.

The Avengers included ‘A’ list stars such as Robert Downey Jr who is well known for his roles in Sherlock Holmes and the Iron Man sequels. Downey has been nominated for several awards including two Oscars, and has won three Golden Globe awards, one being for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical’ in the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes’. Downey is a well know and very well respected ‘A’ list star and has been nominated for an estimated 58 awards. On the other hand  Karl Urban, the lead in Dredd, is not so well known and has only been nominated for an estimated 12 awards,  the majority of which are cast related such as the BSFC award for ‘Best Assembled Cast’ for the cast of the well known film Star Trek. Urban is not classed as ‘A-list’ and has had no main roles in any well known or popular films.

The certificate given for Dredd was 18 which is justified by the amount of violent and gore ridden scenes included in the film. I believe that due to the high certificate rating the opportunity to create tie-ins such as figurines and animated games was limited as the audience would be grown adults, not children or teens. In comparison The Avengers certificate was a 12A, aimed at a much younger audience there by providing every opportunity to capitalise on merchandise such as games and figures, boosting the status of the film and its profits. I also believe that the certificate rating correlates with the marketing opportunities: as the film is an 18 the times at which it can be publicised are restricted to eliminate every possibility of an under 18 year old seeing trailers that are considered to be in appropriate for them. Owing to this, the trailers could only be show on the television after a certain time in the evening, if at all.

This film was a remake of the 1995 film starring the A list star Sylvester Stallone. Through researching this film I discovered that this also failed at the box office. Even though the film starred an undoubtedly famous actor. The budget for this film was higher than the 2012 remake, at an estimated $70,000,000, and made a mere total profit of just over $7,000,000. The first thing that came to mind after reading about this film was why the producers decided to make a remake of a film that performed so badly at the box office. As this film starred Stallone, a top ranking A List star, I can only imagine how high expectations must have been, which makes the failure even more surprising to me. 

The film was originally going to be released in 3D alone but due to the poor reception, was then granted 2D viewing. In my opinion the fact that this film was only released in 3D to begin with was another reason why it didn’t reach the targeted profit. With it only released in 3D this limits where the film can be seen as not all cinemas worldwide are equipped with the appropriate technology.

The film was based on the comic book series Judge Dredd which isn’t as famous and well known as those included in The Avengers. The Avengers consists of well known comic book characters, which all have their own separate films, coming together as a team. The film includes characters such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain American and Hawkeye, all of which are unquestionably renowned. I think that the main reason for the success of The Avengers is because all characters included all have a well known background and all feature. Not only does The Avengers comply with Mark Kermode’s ‘list of four’ of using a newsworthy budget, A list stars, Visual effects and is not a comedy, but the film has such a detailed background that almost everyone is familiar with it. The critical rating for The Avengers was an impressive 92% or 8/10. Dredd also had good reviews with a 7/10 but due to the fact that the original story is not as renowned worldwide as the famous Marvel characters I believe that it had a huge part to play within the failure of the film.

In conclusion, Dredd flopped due to the producers not following the four rules set by Mark Kermode: having A list stars, a newsworthy budget, superb effects and to not be a comedy. With the original film failing surely the producers would consider what they could do differently to avoid a similar outcome. 

Four Quadrant Pictures

A Four Quadrant Picture is a marketing term used to describe a film targeted to all audience quadrants: men over 25, men under 25, women over 25, women under 25. 

Usage
In the movie business, and it is most definitely a business, everyone is looking to maximize the audience for their picture. A four-quadrant picture is that magical type of film that attracts parents and kids, men and women, and brings in huge amounts of revenue on opening weekend. In the term “four-quadrant,” the quadrants refer to gender (male and female) and age (under 25 and over 25).
For most studios, the goal is to get enough details to line up so that they have broad-based, family-friendly appeal in designing a blockbuster or four-quadrant film. An important aspect of getting that appeal is the ratings system. An 18 Rating can be the kiss of death for a studio trying to market a film featuring pre-teen characters. A lowering from PG-13 to PG can mean millions more in revenue as parents feel more comfortable bringing young children to a given film like Evan Almighty.

Examples
One of the most famous four-quadrant, blockbuster films is Star Wars and all of its sequels. Jaws is another landmark blockbuster film. Other more current examples include Night at the Museum, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Shrek (1-3), Spiderman (1-3), Pirates of the Caribbean (1-3), andWall-E.

Implications
Another interesting by-product of the rise of four-quadrant films in the industry is cross marketing. Those films often are associated with toys and other products that both advertise the film and bring in revenue on their own. In addition, four-quadrant films are powerful vehicles for product placement advertisers looking to show their wares to the largest audience possible.
On the down side, many wonder how much effort is placed on credible, engaging story lines as opposed to marketing opportunities in these behemoth cinematic endeavors.