Star Wars

1. How much did Disney pay to acquire the rights to Star Wars from Lucas Film?

$4.05 billion (£2.5 billion)

2. Which other major studios/franchises did Disney acquire in 2006 and 2009 respectively

Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006

Marvel comics for $4.2 billion in 2009

3. Why did Josh Dickey believe Disney was a good fit for Star Wars?

"They're so good at branding and brands. They're so good at working with existing intellectual property and making it resonate with fans and marketing it very well," he told BBC World Service radio.

4. When did the UK introduce generous tax relief for the film industry?

2007

5. How much has Disney earned in tax rebates since 2007?

£170 m

6. How many people were employed at Pinewood studios when working on Star Wars The Force Awakens?

Recruited 130 people.

7. What is Matthew Vaughan's criticism of the UK's tax arrangement (include the full quotation)?

“I think it’s crazy that we subsidise British movies with tax breaks but we don’t get any of that money back. We’re subsidising Hollywood. We’re service providers. We’re not an industry.”

8. How much was Harrison Ford paid to reprise his role as Han Solo?

$20 million

9. How much money must the film make before its stars earn 'back end bonuses'? (A back end bonus is when an actor agrees to take a lower fee for staring in a film in return for a share of any profit a film makes over an agreed figure.)

$1 billion world wide

10. How much did The Force Awakens take globally on its opening weekend?

$247 million in the US and $529 million globally

11. Which 5 major companies have signed tie in deals with the film?

Pepsi, Burger King, M&MS/Mars, Hasbro and Kellogg's.

12. How was the White House linked with the film?

White house news conferences have been attended by imperial stormtroopers, and the president also got a special White house screening.

13. The article states "only finite resources for a movie like The Force Awakens are screens and seats: you cannot force four buttocks into one movie seat." What solution have cinemas dreamt up to cope with this problem?

They increased the screenings, and also did screening times such as 3am and 5am. The film is played throughout the day and has very late screenings.

14. How many screens are being used for saturation play (placing a film on virtually every screen in a cinema)?

2,500 screens in UK and Ireland and at 670 cinemas.

15. What is the % rise in box office takings thanks to Star Wars?

512% rise.

16. How is the box office split between 2D, 3D and IMAX?

2D-54%

3D-36% 

IMAX-10%

17. How many mentions has the film had on Weibo?

700,000 mentions since the start of December.

18. When does the film open in China?

9th January

19. How was the film promoted to China in October 2015?

They flew in 500 stormtroopers who stood against the Great Wall of China, holding signs saying "The Force Awakens".

20. What other marketing strategy has been used?

The studio hired pop star Lu Han to introduce trailers, with the singers band EXO contributing the single Lightsaber.

TV Drama Representation of Ethnicity

Different ethnic groups are a large part of British and American TV Dramas. Familiar stereotypes of ethnicity are heavily conformed to but commonly challenged amongst many TV dramas. The issues and situations surrounding ethnicity is often built upon to create exciting and touching story-lines. In a clip from 'Hotel Babylon' that I analysed shows the event of a immigration raid. The characters all of different ethnic backgrounds and are represented in different ways.

The clip opens with a mid-shot of a white man, he is dressed in a suit therefore immediately can be depicted as respectable and well educated; this initially conforms to stereotypes of white British men. The camera pans right to show him turning a corner to come face to face with white police men. The two-shot combined with non-diegetic sound of fast-paced music creates the understanding that something bigger is about to happen. The fact that the police men are both white reflects the stereotype that white men hold respectable jobs. The diegetic sound of the police men telling the man that nobody can leave is politely accepted, the white man is represented as polite and well mannered; his reaction is predictable for a white man.

An establishing shot follows, a lobby is revealed and a white blonde girl stands behind the reception desk. As the camera zooms in on the blonde girl, she is attractive and clearly takes care of her appearance with curled hair and neat make up. The mise en scene shows that this white women is represented as narcissistic and conforms to stereotypes of white females.  The use of the camera zoom connotes that she likes attention her ethnicity is represented as self-centred. The shot cuts to an over the shoulder/long shot of police entering into the lobby. The entrance of the characters is far from discreet, in relation to ethnicity this could infer that white people are arrogant and egotistical or it could show them to be proud of their profession and seek the approval and aid of those around them. As the police walk through a mid shot focuses on a black man holding a newspaper, this familiar position of hiding behind a newspaper suggests he is guilty and has something to hide, the representation of the black character is that he could be a criminal therefore supporting stereotypes. Analysing the shots mise en scene, the back man is sitting down as the men walk past, the shot only shows the middle part of their body consequently making the white men appear higher that the black man. This creates the representation of a divide in ethnicity and suggests the negative idea of inequality. An over the shoulder shot shows the police man in charge speaking to the receptionist, he introduces himself which highlights the good manners associated with white people. As the women alerts Ben and the other staff through a code about the police being there a close up shot of the police man reflects his suspicions and connotes his intelligence and good education.

Fast paced editing and cuts are used when the men are running to inform 'Jackie' of the presence of the police. The white man says 'Jackie' followed by the black man saying 'immigration', this simple diegetic sound reflects the representations of the men. The white man is shown to be more of a polite and intelligent man whereas the black man is straight to the point, less hesitation. 'Jackie', an Asian character is first shown in a mid-shot. She looks very well put together and her red lipstick gives her an element of glamour whilst holding a professional look. Additionally, diegetic sounds show that she is in heels, she is represented as very feminine. There is a lot of shouting and chaos as she enters the kitchen, mise en scene reflect the ethnic groups as being hard working.

A shot of the Asian women and immigrants is shot from being some bars, this connotes being trapped. The characters are being targeted in the clip and being trapped and scared by white people therefore the clip creates a representation of white people that conforms to the stereotype that they are racist. In association with this is the diegetic sound of the jingling keys which is repeated through out the scene which implies that the Asian lady has control of the situation.

The mid-shot of a black man hoovering with his earphones associates black people with music which supports stereotypes that all black people are very involved with and get enjoyment out of music. As this man is taken by the police, a tilt down angle is used as the white man walks away making the audience lose respect for the white man and creating a negative representation.

Once the black man saves the diabetic lady he says, "I wasn't always a cleaner", this diegetic sound creates the representation that black people are not given a fair chance and they are just as respectable and intelligent as white people. In the background of this is the diegetic sound of shuffling feel which reflects the nerves of the immigrants and the power and control white people have over them in this situation.The Asian lady is thankful to the cleaner and is stroking the head of the lady with care. The camera shot zooms in on her face as she reacts to the diegetic sound of knocking on the door. A hand held camera follows her as she walks to the door and unlocks it with mild hesitation. Her character is represented as brave and intelligent, a very positive representation of her ethnicity.

In the clip the Asian lady pleads to the white police man to let her employee go but he declines her with no pity. His representation builds as arrogant and selfish. The camera zooms in on her face as she begs to connote her as an honest and caring character. Once the police leave the lobby, the camera pans left from the blonde receptionist to a waiter and the shot reveals only white people that look quite shocked and uncomfortable with the situation therefore continuing the negative representation of white people being snobs.

As 'Jackie' clears the locker of the man that was taken away by the police the non-diegetic music slows down and creates a sombre atmosphere therefore making the audience feel sympathy for the black man and emphasise the negative representation of the white man. The clip ends with a left pan of the immigrants sitting eating their dinner. The shot rests on two black characters praying at the table before eating their meal. This creates a very religious representation of black people. As the black lady picks up her fork to begin she is stopped by the man as he finished praying, this implies his dominance and perpetuates the representation of their comintment to religion.

The clip alone shows a negative representation of white people, the situation provokes arrogance and selfishness and reflects commitment the police had to their profession. The clip created a very positive representation of the Asian character as she came across as very caring and selfless.

Representation of Gender in TV Dramas

Representation of Gender in TV Dramas

Within British and American TV Drama gender representations vary widely to create a range of diverse interesting characters. Although, there are plenty of stereotypes associated with gender they are equally conformed to as challenged in modern TV drama. In the British TV drama Luther there are many gender representations, in a clip I analysed I can see that gender representations are strongly built upon the way others react to each other and how they are portrayed within the situation.

The opening shot is a close up of a man named Ian, he looks sad; with red eyes and pale skin which challenges the stereotype that men hide their feeling and don't show emotion. The shot soon cuts to a close up/point of view shot to show Luther who looks confident and calm. He says, "that's not going to work Ian" this diegetic sound contributes to Luther's representation being rational and open as he doesn't hide the fact he sees through Ian's attempts. The characters are both dressed smartly in clothes that fit into the office environment, this mise en scene creates a representation that both are respectable men with respectable professions. A shot reverse shot is used to show the tension between Ian and Luther, it suggests they unlikely to give in to the other portraying the pride a man feels and the importance of protecting his dignity. Luther raises his voice and is mildly aggressive as he pokes Ian with a gun. There is non-diegetic sound in the background, it creates an ambiguous atmosphere and doesn't give clues to the forthcoming situation. The relaxed background sound doesn't allow the fast paced editing of fast shot cuts to create a fast  moving scene it maintains the scene to remain calm and reflects the men as remaining relatively calm.

An over the shoulder shot shows Luther's reaction to Ian's comments, he raises a gun against Ian's head; this creates a representation that this man is very dangerous and unpredictable. As this happens the non-diegetic background music builds up but doesn't increase its tempo. A mid-shot shows Luther throwing his gun behind him and aggressively grabs Ian by the neck and begins to strangle him. This sudden change makes this man appear ruthless and scary. His actions represent anger and violence in his personality. An abrupt cut shows Luther holding Ian over a bar railing, this cut isn't noticeable because the shots are fluent but it adds to the sudden increase of pace in the scene and connotes the stereotypical bad temper men have and how they can suddenly flip.

 A close up shot of Ian makes him look helpless which challenges the stereotypes of men which are normally that a man always fights back and has lots of self confidence to win a fight. The camera pans down from Luther to Ian to emphasise that Luther is very strong and a dangerous man to mess with. This TV drama creates a very violent representation of men. A low angle shot shows Luther looking down on Ian, this highlights the way men see themselves as better than others and intend to dominate others. As Luther says he will arrest Ian a close up of Ian's hand shows his pulling out a knife and stabbing Luther with it, at this point the non-diegetic sound cuts off and the groans and heavy breathing of the men takes its place. The groans of pain from Luther show that he is in pain but connotes his inner strength to not give in. A mid shot shows Ian kicking Luther while shouting that its Luther's fault that he's doing it, his blame in Luther creates a representation that he is a very weak minded man and he is in denial and incapable of taking responsibility, this creates a negative representation of men.

The use of an over the shoulder shot shows the entrance of the female character Alice holding a gun. She immediately desires the attention of the dangerous male character Ian which connotes she doesn't fear him like a stereotypical female would, she doesn't conform to stereotypes that women are weak, easily scared and helpless. Before Ian can finish his question Alice answers with confidence creating the positive representation of an empowered female therefore challenging the stereotype of oppressed women and the common idea that women are insecure and lack self confidence. By taking the attention from Luther she is however conforming to the stereotype that women are less selfish than men as she is endangering herself for a man.

A mid-shot of Alice portrays a representation that she takes pride in her appearance. A close up shot shows Ian is intimidated by Alice which challenges the stereotypical binaries between men and women. Luther tells Alice to not shoot but she follows her own decision and isn't influenced by a man, which is a positive representation of an independent woman. However, Alice shoots Ian which makes her seem selfish and lack rational thinking. A shallow focus shot is on Luther while the other characters are out of focus, this connotes his mental stability and allows the audience to question that of the other characters.

Distribution

What part of the supply chain is distribution?
Distribution is the third part of the supply chain.

What is distribution often referred to as?
'Invisible art'

What does 'vertical integration' mean when discussing distribution?
Vertical intergration is where three stages are seen as one larger process.

Why isnt 'vertical integration' so common in the independent sector?
Producers have no formal connections with exhibitors and producers need exhibitors to promote and show the film it its best possible way.

What three stages are involved in the independent sector?
Licensing, marketing and logistics.

Licensing

What is licensing? 

The process that the distributer of the film would go through to be able to legally show the film to the public. 

What are the two levels of licensing? 

International, marketing the film across the world and local, releasing the film in just one particular country. 

What is the advantage of being a major US studio? 

They have their own distribution offices in all of the major territories already. 

What three different types of rights can you acquire on a local level? 

Theatrical rights, video rights, video and TV rights.

What are royalties?

Something that the distributer pays to the producer out of the profits that the film generates. 

What is the most effective way to increase interest in a film? 

A theatrical opening. 

How long does it take for a film to reach 'free to air' TV?
 Two years. 

Marketing
What are the two key questions surrounding the marketing of a film?
The two key questions are 'When?' and 'How?'

What day are films typically released on? Films are typically released on Fridays.

What will a distributor look at before releasing a film on a Friday?

To ensure there are only a few other films which are released on Fridays.
What is a 'light' week in terms of distribution?

It will ensure that there will be both screen space and adequate review column inches in the press allocated to any potential release.

What does it mean to 'position' a film distinctively?

It will be positioned distinctively and a void a release date occupied by other films with similar traits, such as story, subject, country of origin, etc.
Why has this become increasingly difficult in the UK?

It has become increasingly difficult, as the release schedule has regularly featured over 10 new releases in a week.
What are P&A?

Are the nuts and bolts of marketing and distributing films, and its known as Prints and Advertising.

How much can P&A cost?

Its the bulk of the distributor's investment, after paying the initial fee for rights, and can range from less than £1,000 to over £1 million for the release of a film in the UK.

Marketing - Prints and adverts

Typically how many prints will a specialised film have?

Specialised films will often have less than 10 prints, with them 'toured' over a 6 month period to all parts of the UK.

How many will mainstream films have?

Commercial mainstream films however, will often open on over 200 prints. These simultaneously screen in all major UK towns and cities.

What is a key factor in developing the profile of a film?

For most films, favourable press response is a key factor in developing the profile of a film. 

How else can awareness of a film be raised?

Awareness of a film can also be raised by posters, advertising campaigns (e.g magazines and newspapers), and press campaigns (e.g interviews.)

Why is distribution in the UK seen as risky?

Distribution in the UK is seen as risky compared to other countries because the cost of print advertising is comparatively high.

Why are companies looking towards viral marketing?

Companies are looking towards viral marketing in order to extend the reach of advertising and develop more effective communication with audiences at a lower cost. 

What are the benefits of a 'talent visit'?

The benefit of a talent visit is that the director and/or lead actors win significant editorial coverage to support a release. It makes the volume of coverage far outweigh the cost of talent visits.

Logistics

In the pre digital film age what was a distributor responsible for? 

Before film became mostly digital, a distributor would arrange the transportation of the film to cinemas and theatres, the tapes, videos or DVDs to shops and ensure that this whole process is as efficient as possible

How much does a 35mm print typically cost?

Each 35mm print costs around £1000 so handling it needs to be done safely. If the film has subtitles than it may cost as much as twice this.

How many reals is a typical feature print?

 Within the UK specifically, feature prints are shortened so that they can be easily transported. They are usually around 20 minutes long and an entire feature film would require 5-6 of them.

Why do 35mm prints get damaged?

The simple answer to this question is that 35mm prints get damaged from repetitive use as they are moved around lots of cinemas and played through many times.

Where are prints stored?

 The UK's central print warehouse which is located in West London.

How long did a theatrical release used to last? 

Originally, the distributor would run two different releases, the first of which would last for around 6 months, trying to reach optimum coverage until the prints are essentially destroyed after this period. Any remaining prints are then used in second-run which lasts for the rest of the film's licensed period.

Digital Distribution

When did digital distribution begin in the UK?
2005

Name two advantages of digital distribution
Easy to replicate and cost effective.

Which countries adopted digital distribution early and why?
China and Brazil.

How many screens were digital in 2005 and how many are now (you'll need to google this)
110 and now 192 screens.

Why has digital distribution radically altered the operating model of distributors?


What has happened to the typical release period for a film?
Reduced 3-6 months to 1-3 months.

What is a loss leader (google it) and why are companies using the Cinema as a potential loss leader?
A product which is a loss and so attracts customers and cinemas are lost leaders so people buy dvds.
 

June 2010

'Decoding'

What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institution and audience?

TOPIC- Film industry

APECT- Digital media- Computers:
-CGI: Ex Machina
-Editing: Mad Max Fury Road

-Distribution: Netflix combats illegal downloads
                                    Marketing- YouTube, social media, viral marketing etc
                                    DVD, blu-ray (offers free downloads which makes it cheaper for the consumer                                                              provider)

VIEWPOINT- Developing- improving

INSTRUCTION- Talk about the significance.

First Essay

The Second Essay on this:

"Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices"

To what extent would you agree with this this statement, within the media area you have studied?

I believe that for a British film to be successful it must be profitable, if a British film wins awards this emphasises its success as it connotes its recognition and popularity amongst its specific audience. An American film also needs to make profits to be successful, these profits are often a lot larger than those generated by a British film but I don't consider this to make the American film more successful. American films have expanded their audiences by including Chinese locations therefore this increases the movies profit because more people in China will go and see the film. This ability to inflate the target audience of the film makes an American film more successful.

Two films I have studied are: 'Mad Max: Fury Road', an American film directed by George Miller and 'Ex Machina' a British film produced by DNA Films and Film 4 producers and directed by Alex Garland. Both films made healthy profits and succeeded in reaching their specific target audience. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' presents the story of a female warrior 'Furiosa' and her alliances on a pursuit of escape, it features successful and well known actors; Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. 'Ex Machina' tells the story of a computer coder played by Domhall Gleeson and his experience with a bio-engineered robot, 'Ava', played by Alicia Vikander.

A contributing factor to 'Mad Max: Fury Road' being a success is its cast. Tom Hardy plays Max, he is a well known actor that has featured in other successful action movies like 'The Dark Knight Rises' and 'Inception'. This background gives a positive base of a specific audience therefore appeals to mainstream audiences that enjoy action movies and fans of Tom Hardy will be attracted to the movie as they know they've enjoyed his previous performances, also the gaze theory increases the audiences attracted to the movie. Featuring Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult, creates the expectation that the film will be impressive, this enticing reputation will encourage even the likes of less common cinema goers to see the film; these production practices are important for a film to be successful through profit. Also, this sequel of 'Mad Max' (1979), 'Mad Max 2' (1981) and 'Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome' (1985) had a crew of 1,700 workers on the film set including 150 stunt performers. This large crew and successful previous movies provide predictable success. The making of the movie faced challenges such as dealing with the weather conditions like the extreme dust and also rain on multiple occasions which meant the crew needed specialised waterproof and dustproof equipment. Another problem faced by the team was managing to film with all different camera angles in a moving environment to capture the scenes in the best way possible. The constant movement while filming was what Charlize Theron believed was 'tricky' about the production. Recognisably, the movie conforms to containing Summer Blockbuster conventions like impressive explosions and exciting car chases and successfully attract a mainstream audience therefore relied on action over plot. For example, 'Mad Max: Fury Road' contains a lot of car chases specifically a very exciting one as 'Furiosa' drives the war rig into a dust storm and is followed by the war boys; to make this scene as impressive as it was production practices like camera angles and movement were very important. Also, a very tasking scene is when the war rig blows up, to create this very visually appealing image the crew took mobile refinery out into the desert and drove it remotely and surrounded it by camera cars. This explosion is a contributing factor to the films success as it adds to fulfilling the films expectation of a hollywood blockbuster it also would entice audiences that enjoy action packed and visually thrilling. These appealing features urge the target audience to see the movie in cinemas as that is where the film is shown at its best therefore the film increases its profits. Certain scenes like when the war rig blows up are known to look better in cinemas. The film made $374 million at the box office.

Unlike 'Mad Max:Fury Road' a British film like 'Ex Machina' didn't have such an allowing budget, it featured less well known but undoubtably upcoming actors and actresses. Domhall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander are to appear in the upcoming 2015 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' a very popular sequel which similar to 'Ex Machina' appeals to 'films buffs'. 'Ex Machina' relies on a strong script to entice its specific target audience of 'film buffs', a good plot is more important than action in this movie. Instead of using computer generated imagery the crew rotoscoped the body of 'Ava' which took a lot of time but created a sensation on 'the big screen'. Using a production practice like editing a body onto a robot takes time; a scene that would have been difficult to create would have been when Ava runs towards Nathan, the fast pace contrasts with the rest of the movie to create an effective scene but made rotoscoping more difficult.The movie reached its specific audience therefore made a healthy profit of $6.9 million. 'Ex Machina' challenges institutional practices.
A sum of $7 million was spent on television advertising of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' in order to reach the specific audience of this blockbuster, television is the most effective method of marketing. The TV trailers featured small snippets of the film to portray the general idea of the movie. In marketing the film it typically became influenced by the production practices used, its marketing would be used to demonstrate these(e.g. car chases and explosions) to portray the film at its most appealing. An example of a scene the trailer shows is within its opening; Max is being chased by War boys and almost ends up running over the edge of a cliff, the shot then cuts to Max leaping from the cliff but then doesn't reveal its outcome. The cliff scene, ironically, leaves a cliff-hanger where the audience want to see more. The scene used in the trailer immediately demonstrates the fast pace of the movie and how it will contain fight scenes and thrilling chase scenes. In collaboration with the trailers, film posters were released featuring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, this created a 'buzz' over the well known faces therefore enticed their fans to see the movie. The marketing of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' lead to the specific target audience(mainstream) facilitating the studios by going to see the film at the cinema. In comparison, 'Ex Machina' used fairly minimal marketing methods. It used digital initiative creating modern accounts on popular applications. This enabled the crew of 'Ex Machina' to exploit social media to promote the film with either very small costs or for free to its target market. This unique marketing method was hugely effective as it reached 'film buffs' that would go to see the film.


Distribution plays a key role in the success of a film. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' used a wide release on many IMAX screens. On the 14th May 2015 'Mad Max: Fury Road' opened on 12,000 screens in 48 countries. In the United States and Canada the movie opened on 3,702 screens and earned $16.77 million on its opening day. This is similar to other blockbusters like 'Transformers age of Extinction' and 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'. The film was originally planned to be shot in 3D but the crew changed to more straightforward 2D shooting, audiences would engage well with this as 3D revenues have been decreasing as the fascination has faded. The film needs to distribute well or people would challenge institutional practices and not watch the movie in the cinema but choose to use 'Netflix' or an alternative source.


'Ex Machina' was released through universal pictures on the 21st January 2015 in the UK. The film at first, was only shown on one or two screens using modified wide release as the new release of 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' dominated the cinema screens. 'Ex Machina' then piggy backed the 'Avengers' sequel by increasing the number of screens it was shown on as 'Avengers' decreased. The films specific target audience facilitated the studios as they went to see 'Ex Machina' as its screens increased.


I agree that successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices. I think that in years to come methods of marketing will need to change and adapt to more fresh and exciting ideas. The marketing of 'Ex Machina' supports this because although it wasn't expensive; it was new and unexpected which is an effective factor and appealing to audiences of the current generation. I think that while action movies are increasingly overtaking other genres of the film industry there are films that are already being made, e.g. there are fifty marvel films to be produced within the next ten years. However, this genre is currently popular, I predict that it will become too familiar and less of an experience to see at a cinema therefore audiences will gravitate towards other genres that are more exclusive and interesting for them to see. The contributes to how a film will need to expand its methods of marketing and distribution to make a profit and in turn generate a successful profit.