Tuesday 30 September 2014

why did Dredd fail at the box office essay:

Dredd had high hopes of being a success however it turned into a fail. There are many reasons for this and many interesting facts. There has been a lot of work put into the film however there is success and fails within the film and they were throughout the production and final product.

The film was produced by Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald and Alan Reich. Distributed by entertainment films, distributors and Lionsgate. Alex Garland also wrote the script. They are a Canadian-American entertainment company. It is the most commercially successful mini major film and television Distribution Company in North America and the seventh most profitable movie studio. It is founded by Frank Giustra. The company is one of the leading film financing, sales and distribution companies in the world, championing a wide variety of cinema, including mainstream commercial, art house, foreign language and genre fare it was founded by Stuart Ford. DNA Films is a British film production company founded by Duncan Kenworthy and Andrew Macdonald. They each put in $25 million so the funding was split 50/50. We remain committed to this relationship and we’re historically a huge supplier for them. That’s the studio where we have the closest relationships and they’re like gold dust. We value them. Dredd announced their three picture deal with Lionsgate and IM Global which was announced during November 2010. In July 2010 Karl announced to comic-con to the collider.com web site that he had been offered the lead in Dredd. The types of people that go to comic on are interested in this type of film which meant they would be interested in watching Dredd. Dredd made $30 million from pre sales and the distributer paid $7 million for the rights to show the film. The movie was filmed in locations such as Johannesburg and Cape Town Film Studios.

In 1995 it was first designed as a physical drop. During Never let me go the 'slo mo' sequences were being designed. Dredd was made an 18 certificate film. The producers said they didn’t really think about the certificate when producing the film and it was never an issue. Dredd took 13 weeks to film. Dredd was filmed using RED MX, S12K, and phantom flex high speed digital cameras, He needed to build new camera rigs to bring the audience closer to the action.

Dredd was shown in 2,506 locations, roughly 2,200 of them were 3D. Producers started marketing the film at comic -con which was a under-25 male audience, there target audience. For the marketing campaign Lionsgate partnered with publisher 2000AD and Motion Comic to create an online comic-strip prepuel to Dredd. Dredd premiered at Fantastic Fest which is an annual film festival in Austin Texas. This was because it would appeal to the films target audience, because the films shown at Fantastic Fest are action, sci-fi and horror. Dredd falls into these categories so the film would appeal to them. Dredds marketing campaign won a Golden Trailer Award for Best Thriller TV spot for the trailer 'big addicted'. It also received nominations for; Best Action TV Spot, Most Original TV Spot, Best Graphics in a TV Spot, Best Music TV Spot, Best Action Poster and Most Original Poster for the Dredd motion poster.

The total Gross for the film was $13,414,714. The UKs film distributors Lionsgate ensured people watched it in 3D by removing the ability to see the film in 2D. 12-30% of the audience are physically incapable of seeing a 3D image. 30% of light is lost in a 3D film. Dredd was unfortunate to be released after The Raid directed by Gareth Evans. The films similarly include premise lawmen fighting the way to get to the top of a deadly tower block. In the UK Dredd was number 1, this shows the film would have been more of a success if it was shown in 2D as well because many people didn't want to watch it in 3D. 3D films cost more to go and watch which resulted in people not watching the film at the cinema at all. In the US male over 25s was the largest demographic audience with males making up 69% and the over 25s making up 75%. Dredd sold 650,000 units on DVD/BluRay, this brought in $10 million.

The main reasons for the film failing are; the fact that when it was released it was not long after The Raid had been released. These films both contain similar things such as the set; they both take place in a rough tower block. The main characters are important skilled people who are trying to get to the top, however on the way up they are faced with violence and challenging tasks many resulting in death.  This meant that many people didn’t want to see another film that was similar or it didn’t look as good compared to The Raid. Also there are many action films with a classic hero so many films are up against each other. The main character never takes his mask off throughout the film which means people are unaware of the actor, if a film as a major actor staring as the lead role then they are more likely to see it.  Also the character was very violent and had little emotion, understanding and killed people often, this meant that viewers might of taken a disliking to Dredds character. The film was given the certificate 18 which meant that younger teens couldn't watch it at the cinema. This then meant that the film lost viewers and box office income where as if it was a 15 or lower more teens could have watched it. The film also mostly appealed to the male audience because it contained action and had a lot of blood and gore.


To conclude there was a number of factors that resulted in Dredd failing from the making, story line and how it was shown at the cinema. Many people still have the opportunity to enjoy the film by watching it on DVD also it is filled with action and has many positive reviews.

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Why did Dredd fail at the box office task:

Pre Production:

Who were the films producer, distributor and script writer? (Try and find other films by these groups) The film was produced by Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald and Alan Reich. Distributed by entertainment films, distributors and Lionsgate. Alex Garland also wrote the script.

Who are Lionsgate (who owns them?) They are a Canadian-American entertainment company. It is the most commercially successful mini major film and television Distribution Company in North America and the seventh most profitable movie studio. It is founded by Frank Giustra.

Who are IM Global (who owns them?). The company is one of the leading film financing, sales and distribution companies in the world, championing a wide variety of cinema, including mainstream commercial, art house, foreign language and genre fare. Founded by Stuart Ford.

Who are DNA films (who owns them and who partnered with them?) DNA Films is a Britishfilm production company founded by Duncan Kenworthy and Andrew Macdonald.

How was the funding for DNA originally split?  They each put in $25 million so the funding was split 50/50.

Why did they need to maintain their relationship with Fox Searchlight? We remain committed to this relationship and we’re historically a huge supplier for them. That’s the studio where we have the closest relationships and they’re like gold dust. We value them.
When did Lionsgate announce their three picture deal with IM Global? Dredd announced their three picture deal with Lionsgate and IM Global which was announced during November 2010.

Where did Carl Urban announce his role in Dredd? In july 2010 Karl announced to comic-con to the collider.com web site that he had been offered the lead in Dredd. 

Why might this have helped attract the film's target audience? The type of people that go to comic on are interested in this type of film which meant they would be interested in watching Dredd.

How much money did Dredd make from pre sales (this is people buying the right to show your film)? Dredd made $30 million from pre sales.

How much did a distributer pay for the rights to show the film in the UK? The distributer payed $7 million for the rights to show the film.

Where was the movie filmed? The movie was filmed in locations such as Johannesburg and Cape Town Film Studios.


Production:
When was the 'lawmaker' gun built and designed? In 1995 it was first designed as a physical drop.

During which other UK film was the 'slo mo' sequences designed?  During Never let me go the 'slo mo' sequences were being designed.

How did the film makers feel about making an 18 certificate film? Dredd was made an 18 certificate film. The producers said they didnt really think about the certificate when producing the film and it was never an issue

How long did it take to film Dredd? Dredd took 13 weeks to film.

Which camera was used to film Dredd? Dredd was filmed using RED MX, S12K, and phantom flex high speed digital cameras.

Why did they need to create new camera rigs? He needed to build new camera rigs to bring the audience closer to the action.


Post production:
What issue affected the films editing? 



Distribution and marketing:
How many cinemas was Dredd released in and how many ONLY showed it in 3D? Dredd was shown in 2,506 locations, roughly 2,200 of then were 3D.

How did producers begin promoting  Dredd3D Producers started marketing the film at comic -con which was a under-25 male audience, there target audience. 

What viral marketing campaign did the producers use for Dredd? For the marketing campaign Lionsgate partnered with publisher 2000AD and Motion Comic to create an online comic-strip prepuel to Dredd.

The film premiered at Fantastic Fest, what is it and why would this appeal to the films target audience? Dredd premiered at Fantastic Fest which is an annual film festival in Austin Texas.This was becuase it would appeal to the films target audience, becuase the films shown at Fantastic  Fest are action, sci-fi and horror. Dredd falls into these catagories so the film would appeal to them.

Which awards did the films marketing campaign win? Dredds marketing campaign won a Golden Trailer Award for Best Thriller TV spot for the trailer 'big addicted'. It also received nominations for; Best Action TV Spot, Most Original TV Spot,Best Graphics in a TV Spot, Best Music TV Spot, Best Action Poster and Most Original Poster for the Dredd motion poster.

How much money did the film gross at the box office? The total Gross for the film was $13,414,714.

What unusual step did the film's UK distributors take to ensure people watched in 3D? The UKs film distributors Lionsgate ensured people watched it in 3D by removing the ability to see the film in 2D.

What percentage of audiences are physically incapable of seeing a 3D image? 12-30% of the audience are physically incapable of seeing a 3D image.

What % of light is lost in a 3D film? 30% of light is lost in a 3D film.

Which film was Dredd unfortunate to be released after? Dredd was unfortunate to be released after The Raid directed by Gareth Evans. The films similarly include premise lawmen fighting the way to get to the top of a deadly tower block.

In the UK which position in the DVD charts did Dredd occupy? In the UK Dredd was number 1 

What might this show about the decision to allow only a 3D release? This shows the film would have been more of a success if it was shown in 2D as well because many people didn't want to watch it in 3D.

In the US which audience demographic was the largest? In the US male over 25s was the largest demographic audience with males making up 69% and the over 25s making up 75%.

How many units did Dredd sell on DVD/BluRay in the US? Dredd sold 650,000 units on DVD/BluRay.

How much money did this bring in? This brought in $10 million



Monday 22 September 2014

Representation of Tony:

Representation- The typical stereotype of a teenager is someone who vandalizes, does drugs, has underage sex, sleeps a lot, self harms and are also party animals. The programme skins includes binary opposites such as Tony and his best friend Sid. Tony is organised and intelligent where as Sid is messy and not the brightest spark. Tony's parents are another example of binary opposites because Tony's mum knows the kids are playing games and doesn't let them get to her, where as Tony's dad falls for the kids pranks and gets wound up. The representation of Tony's character is that he is OCD because he has to plan and his room is tidy. He is also lustful because he gazes at the naked woman across the road. He is manipulative and arrogant which is shown when he pulls a prank on his dad because he knows he can get away with it.


Mise en scene- his bedroom is tidy with a lot of white showing he is a neat freak. The posters on his wall are films that are not what an average teenager would watch, also he is reading nausea which is what people read above his age group. These props have been used to show his intelligence. Also his skirts are all folded in the draw showing OCD and then he matches his clothing with colour and wears smart items such as chinos and sweaters which could mean he thinks highly of himself.


Camera angles- The camera angles used are a birds eye view at the very beginning over Tony's bed. This way we can see exactly how tony is lying in bed. The camera angle is used to show that tony and his quilt haven't moved in the night, showing his character because it is unusual for a teenager not to move about and mess up their bedding. A side ways tracking shot is also used whilst tony is walking on the phone. This gives the feeling that you are following him and his plans so you are joining in. Also you feel you know the private events that he's planning and the characters don't. Over shoulder camera shots are also used to show dialogue between characters, however they also show a contrast between two characters with looks and personalities when they are both repeatedly shown and are in the same shot.




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Tuesday 16 September 2014

Representation of American Beauty:

Representation of Lester Burnham:
Lester is unsatisfied with is life and is lazy this is shown by the way he speaks. The way he acts also shows this because he is very sluggish, slouches and holds his head down showing he doesn't want to interact with anyone. His life is not how it used to be, also his family have dominated over him because him wife has become the male figure. Lester is forced to sit at the back of the car like a child showing his family no longer treat him with respect. Lester is jerking off in the shower which he claims is the highlight of his day telling us that there is no longer a strong marriage and they aren't having sex.

Camera work:
when Lester is taking a shower there is a plastic screen all the way around him, also he is looking at his wife from the inside of his house through the window and when he is at work the reflection on the computer screen has lines on it which go across his face. These things represent the fact that he is trapped in a life that he doesn't want. when Lester is in a meeting he is shown very small at the bottom of the screen sat on a chair, this shows his status and how unimportant he is. In another scene Lester is lying on his bed and half his face is in the darkness, this could show that he is hiding in the dark and wants to hide from the outside world.

Mise en scene:
The colour scheme is dull with creams and browns reflecting his boring lifestyle. Red, white and blue can often be seen and occur regularly representing the American title. Roses also often appear as these link to the films title.

Sound:
There is non-diegetic sound which is music playing whilst Lester narrates. The music is slow, repetitive and boring also reflecting on his lifestyle. Also when he speaks the narration he has a constant tone showing his lack of enthusiasm. 



Textual Analysis and Representation (The 7 key areas of representation).

you need to understand these technical elements (in the last post) create specific representations of individuals,groups, events or places and help to articulate specific messages and values that have social significance.

Particular areas of representation that may be chosen are:


  • Gender
  • Age
  • Ethnicity
  • Sexuality
  • Class and status
  • Physical ability/disability
  • Regional identity

Textual Analysis and Representation (The 4 key areas of textual analysis).

Camera Shots, Angle, Movement, Composition
  • Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, and variations of these.
  • Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.
  • Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
  • Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.

Editing

Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems.
  • Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway; insert.
  • Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.

 Sound
  • Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.
  • Diegetic and non-diegetic sound; synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound effects; sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing, sound perspective.

Mise-en-Scène
  • Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties.
  • Lighting; colour design.


Camera terminology task:



  1. Over shoulder
  2. High angle shot
  3. Low angle shot
  4. Tracking shot
  5. Sideways tracking
  6. Tilt shot
  7. Zoom
  8. Arc shot
  9. Crane shot
  10. Panning shot
  11. Extreme long shot
  12. Long shot
  13. Mid shot
  14. Two shot
  15. Close up
  16. Point of view shot
  17. Extreme close up




Thursday 11 September 2014

Mock Research:


  1. What % of global box office was the British film industry responsible for? 15%.
  2. What was this % in 2009? 6.8%.
  3. What might this change indicate about British film? It is becoming more popular worldwide and in England too, we are making more captivating films.
  4. What films have been responsible for this change? Skyfall accounts for $1.1 billion of the $5.3 billion of the UK's tally, in 2011 Harry Potter was the reason for the higher market share with the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and The King's Speech. Films that were released without the backing of a major US studio, also did well in worldwide cinema The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and The Woman in Black, which made $135m (£88m) and $128m (£83.4m) at cinemas worldwide.
  5. What % of the British film industry makes a profit? 7%.
  6. What % of Hollywood films make a profit? 17%.
  7. How does that % differ between £2m and £10m budget British films? £2m budget films only 4% made a profit and the £10m 1budget films 7% made a profit.
  8. What might we infer from this difference? higher budget films made more profit.
  9. Which age group makes up the largest % of UK cinema goers? 36% over 45s, 25% 15-25s.
  10. Why do you think this might be? there is a rise in films aimed at an older audience
  11. Which 'type' of film has seen an 18% drop in attendance? 3D films.
  12. Within that 'type' which genre has seen the biggest fall? family films.
  13. What did Charles Grant put this decline down to? Families need to economise, prices rise when 3D premium is taken into account as well as the need for paying for parking and tickets. He also said that 'the word can circulate when there's just a shoddy conversion' from a normal version of the film to 3D.
  14. Who is Paul Greengrass? A British film director.
  15. How did he describe the British film industry? A 'success story' and he predicted it would continue to see international growth, especially in China.
  16. What did a BFI spokesperson say was the point of less profitable low budget British films? He said they are 'successful and beneficial to the industry for other reasons like skills and training development and for artistic and cultural importance'.
  17. What was the budget for Filth and how much money did it take? Roughly the budget for Filth was £2 million and it made £4 million at the box office.
  18. What advantage did James McEvoy feel £100m films have over low budget films? He said that they have a large budget to sell the film. He said that 'films like Filth can be leagues ahead of the $100m movie, but they've got no money to get a poster in the paper. So who's going to come and see them?'. 
  19. What is VOD? video on demand.
  20. What % increase did VOD see last year? 50%
  21. What impact might VOD have on distributers and Studios? less impact
  22. What impact has it had on Blockbuster rental stores?
  23. What was unique about Ben Wheatleys 'A Field In England'? It was the first UK film to be released at the same time in cinemas, on TV, on DVD and through video on demand.
  24. What does director of The Machine Caradog James think is the toughest part of film making? A film may be good but getting it to reach the audience is the toughest part.
  25. Why have rules been relaxed on what makes a film 'British'? To encourage more investment in the UK film industry.
  26. How has the use of visual effects in films been encouraged? They will include an increase in the opportunities available for using British visual and special effects. companies.
  27. Name five of these rules and link them to The Kings Speech, Kill List, The World's End. End Film is set in the UK, British lead actors and majority of cast, lead characters are British citizens or residents, film based on British subject matter or underlying material, British director, scriptwriter, producer, composer, key staff and crew.
    The King's speech starred mainly British actors such as Colin Firth and Helena Bonham-Carter, it was based on a British subject matter and is about British heritage, which is another rule, the lead characters are British citizens, the director Tom Hooper is British and so are other members of the crew such as the scriptwriter, also it was filmed and set in England.
    The majority of The World's End cast were British actors such as Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as it's lead characters are British citizens. It was set in England and filmed in England, it's based on an underlying English material like pub crawls and the director Edgar Wright is British, other key members of the crew are also British, for example one of the producers Nira Park is.
    Kill List is set and filmed in England, it's lead characters are British citizens, the majority of the crew are British and director Ben Wheatley.
  28. What rules has chancellor George Osbourne announced for tax on British films?He announced that tax relief would be increased from 20% to 25% on the first £20 million of qualifying production expenditure. Furthermore, productions will 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.
     
  29. What is the highest grossing film in UK box office history? Skyfall
  30. How much has it taken and how many screens was it available on?  It has taken £94.3 million in the UK and it was available in 587 cinemas.

Sunday 7 September 2014

Film Production Task:

The Avengers

Development:
The idea for the film came from the marvel comic books. Marvel studios agreed to make the film and the studios is owned by Disney.  the film budget was $220 million dollars and was produced by Kevin Feige.

Pre production:
The script was written and directed by Joss Whedon. The film stars Robert Downey. Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Remmer, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Samuel L.Jackson. It was filmed in America in various locations such as Pittsburgh, Worthington Pennsylvania at Creekside mushroom farms, Columbus Ohio based 391st Military Police Battalion, a vacuum chamber at the NASA Plum Brook station near Sandusky Ohio, the Detroit superior bridge, park avenue and central park.

production:
Filming the movie took cameras used were digital Arri Alexa, the Cannon EOS 11 and Cannon EOS 7D SLR digital cameras, Arriflex cameras.

post production:
The film was edited by Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek. The film was released in the UK on the 26th of April 2012 and on the 11th of April 2012 in the USA. the film used ILM Zeno for modeling, Maya for animation, Pixar Renderman for rendering and the animated version of New York city were created using approximately 1,800 panoramas. The film was marketed in many ways such as TV conventions, posters and trailers in movie houses. One film review said that if you are a marvel fan then the film will feel like christmas however if you are not then watching it wont be enjoyable. Another said that the film is well worth your time and there is little moments in the film that are not fun. A third review said it is a slick block buster of what may be the ultimate team. A forth review said the film keeps the marvel comic crazed audiences and keeps the rest of us moderately happy. Finally overall another review said watching the movie with such vividness and ease it is tempting to overpraise the good but not great movie. the film made $200.3 million at the US box office and $25.5 million in the UK. The film made $641.8 worldwide. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on the 25th September 2012.

Les Miserables

Development:
The idea for Les Miserables came from the french historical novel by Victor Hugo. Pinewood Studios agreed to make the film owned by a group led by Michael Grade and Ivan Dunleavy. the films budget was $61 million and was produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron mackintosh.

pre production:
Directed by Tom Hooper. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried. It was filmed in England and France. There were many locations used such as Boughton House, Winchester College, Winchester Cathedral Close, Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth, Chatham Dockyard, St Mary the Virgin Church, Ewelme, South Oxford-shire, Greenwich, pinewood studios, Gourdon Aples-Maritimes in France.

Production:
The cameras they used were a 35mm spherical package of ARRICAM Lite and Studio cameras with ARRI/ZEISS Master Prime Lenses.

Post Production:
The film was edited by Melanie Ann Oliver and Chris Dickens. It was released on the 25th of December 2012 in the US and the 11th of January 2013. The film used SFX and CG special visual effects. The film was marketed in many ways such as TV conventions, posters and trailers in movie houses. One review said that is you are a Les Miserables fan then you will be happy with the film. Another review said they hate every minute of it and waked out because they couldn't hold of till the end because of the drama and singing not getting better.  A third review said its so strong with a lot happening so you don't quite know what you have witnessed. A forth said that the actors singing live on camera keeps the bewitched fans that love the stage play. A fifth said that every word of the dialogue was sung so it become painful to endure. The film made $103.6 million in the US and made over $400 million world wide. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on the 22nd of March 2013.

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Self Representation Task:






I think i belong to the Young Alts and Trendie tribes. I think i am am both because i like to try and follow the latest trends like Trendies, however i experiment with different and my own style so i am unsure of what my style is like Young Alts. I listen to music such as Asking  Alexandria and sleeping with sirens but also listen to chart music like Young Alts. I could say i am also a Trendie because i like to try and follow the trends and i shop from urban outfitters and top shop. I also have a love for fashion, shopping and putting outfits together. However the my own style edges towards Rahs because i like expensive brands and long smart coats, i would love to dress like i had large amounts of money and class.



I like Cara Delevingnes make up and facial look. She has big eye brows and wears little eye make up. This makes her eyes stand out and creates natural beauty. She is alike me because i also have followed the trend and have big eyebrows and keep my eye make up natural. Also i like to wear bold lipstick colors such as bright purple and dark brown. For style i am similar to Marina and the Diamonds because she follows trends however adds her own twist. When shopping i look for whats in trend however i like to be different.

I grew my eyebrows and wear little make up to follow Cara Delevingnes facial look because i think she is gorgeous and would love to look like her. I wear tops with collars and skirts like Marina and the Diamonds because she has a unique vintage style.