Case studies for FM1

Key: -Names

-Names of films

-Box office statistics

Successful British Blockbuster:


"The imitation game" (2014)
Stars involved: Benedict Cumberbatch- Was famous due to acting as sherlock Holmes in the tv series "Sherlock" before the film was created, therefore there was already and existing fanbase who would be watching the film.
Keira knightly: Famous for previous blockbuster movies, hence adding to the existing fan-base, males may watch her movies for sex appeal, others may be a fan of her as a person and therefore watch films she starred in.
Keira knightly's previous successful roles:
-The "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise
-"Begin again" (2013)

Budget: High budget film at $14000000

Revenue: $479,353 in the opening weekend
$90,944,741 Gross revenue at the box office

Director: Morten Tyldum
Morten Tyldum:
Credited for directing films such as "Headhunter" (2011) and "Buddy" (2003)

Writers: Graham Moore, Andrew Hodges
Graham Moore: Previous writer of "The waiting room" (2008) and "Pirates vs Ninjas" (2005)
Andrew Hodges: Previous writer of "Breaking the code" (1996) - This meant he was experienced in writing this story, and he could see what was successful and what was able to be improved.


Other factors contributing to its success:
-Based on a true story of Alan Turing, who worked with code breakers in Britain during WW2, having this context to the film would be likely to attract people interested in British history, true stories are often appealing to viewers.
- There was a book prior to the film, which was very successful, this means that a large audience base would have been willing to watch the film having enjoyed the book.
-Benedict Cumberbatch is a renowned British actor and had an existing fanbase from his previous role in the Sherlock tv series
-Andrew Hodges had previously written this story before, so was a renowned director in terms of this film, making "The imitation game" a remastered version of his previous film.

Unsuccessful Blockbuster:

"John Carter" (2012)

The film did not contain any stars, this would have meant that it was not well known enough to become a success, as famous star's fan base's are likely to watch a film due to stars being involved in it.

Director: Andrew stanton
Writers: Andrew stanton

Andrew stanton: 
- Famous for writing previous films such as working on the "Toy story" Franchise, "Finding nemo" and other disney animated movies.

Box office:
Budget: $263,700,000
Opening weekend: $30,180,188
Gross: $73,058,679

This Film shows that having a high budget does not always guarantee success, as even with a budget of $263,700,700, "John Carter" was still a failure at the box office.

Other factors which contributed towards its failure:
- The title of the movie "John Carter" was just simply a name, it was not widely known enough to become a recognisable franchise by this name, changing the name to something more interesting would have been more likely to make it a success at the box office.
-Disney did not advertise the fact it was based on a classic series of books in the past, doing this would have made sure an existing fan-base of the books would be better informed of the movie, helping it to be more successful
-Andrew stanton was not experienced in writing for reality movies, he was more experienced in writing animated stories such as the previous disney titles, this lack of experience may led to a more badly written film than his previous animations.


Successful american independent:








Unsuccessful american independent:









Successful British independent: 
"Under the skin"(2013)

Starred: Scarlett Johansson -  A world renowned Hollywood actress - It is unusual for such a big star to play a part in a low budget independent film, which may have contributed towards its success.
Scarlett Johansson's other previous successful roles:
- The avengers
- Iron Man 2

Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
Written by: Jonathan Glazer

Jonathan Glazer- A writer and director, also directed "Sexy beast" (2010)- a successful crime film
- Directed "Birth" (2004) - a successful drama

Box office:
Budget: $13,300,000
Opening weekend: $133,154 
Gross: $2,605,039 














Unsuccessful British independent:



Orange Wednesdays case study:

Orange Wednesdays began as a promotional offer in 2003 to help to boost the worst performing day of the cinema release week. Wednesdays were an unpopular day for cinema goers to choose to view a film compared to other days in the week.
This offer increased convenience for this day as the customers of the orange or E.E network could enjoy a film with a friend while only spending the money on one ticket.
In 2010, 23.5 million extra tickets had been claimed using the offer, if the rate of use remained the same, the current total would be around 38 million extra tickets.
EE said in their 2014 statement that "Our brand has changed and our customers viewing habits have also evolved"
-This may show that the convenience of the internet to watch films has taken over the convinience of the two for one offer
-Having the offer running for so many years may have started to make little impact, meaning E.E were not making as much money from the offer as before, hence the offer was scrapped
-The change in viewing habits may have been due to other factors, such as Wednesdays being an inconvenient day to view a film despite the offer, meaning that the use of the offer as a sacrifice to not viewing on an easier day would not be justifiable

Under the skin:
Budget: $13.3m
Box office: $5.7m
Based on the book under the skin by Michael Faber
Produced by James Wilson and Nick Whelsner
Film was a failure and did not bring much in at the box office despite having very famous actors working on the film

The wolf of wall street:
starred leo Dicaprio
Budget:$100n
Box office: $116,866,727
successful due to having famous actors
also based on a book so had an audience before it was released anyway



The inbetweeners movie: British independent
Budget: £3,500,000
Box office: £41,800,000
american box office: $35,955 (USA)
Based on successful tv program which meant it already had a wide fan-base, helping the film to be successful
Sequel came from the movie meaning it was successful

Django: Unchained

Budget:$100,000,000
Box office:$162,804,648

Written analysis of "the thin red line"

Group analysis - Group 3

The sequence begins with an establishing point of view shot of the surroundings from the position of the soldiers walking through it, showing the position they are in, diegetic sound is used at this point to show the wildlife around the area, as sounds of crickets are heard alongside wind and rustling of grass, this shows how quiet the location is, and connotes the fact it may be isolated, invoking danger of the soldiers in the next shot. There is then a straight cut to a backwards tracking mid-shot, revealing the position of the soldiers, alongside there expressions. The soldier at the front is more in focus, and attention is drawn to the mise-en-scene, particularly regarding his uniform and weapons, as well as the concentration on his face. This helps to create the war-like atmosphere of the sequence, as the isolation of the environment and the nature of the people walking through it hints that there is a war going on at that time. At this point the sequence is very slow paced, with non diegetic music added over the top, as well as the long takes used in this part of the sequence, this makes the mood more relaxed, however slow tension is building up as the shots begin to get quicker, showing the danger that is going to come later in the sequence.

There is then a straight cut to a long shot of a change of scenery, therefore matching on action is used to create continuity between the two settings. The mew area is more claustrophobic, and low-key lighting is used to create more of a suspicious atmosphere of where the characters have moved to. This long shot shows how the surroundings overwhelm the soldiers, and how they are vulnerable, the camera slowly pans across the scene from left to right, further emphasising the density of the forest they are in. A straight cut is then use to a close up of a statue of a monkey, this close up tells us that this is an important part of the sequence, and that it is symbolic, low-key lighting is still used at this point, showing the fear and mystery behind the statue, it also further explains the location, as it shows they are not as isolated as previously thought, as there must be some form of civilisation in order for a statue to be placed there originally. The camera pans to the right of this statue slowly, showing more detail of it and showing even more that it is significant to the plot of the sequence through use of a long pan shot.

After the shot of the statue there is a straight cut to a long shot of the surroundings, the camera slowly tilts upwards showing the trees, alonside the light coming through it in contrast to the lowkey lighting the soldiers are experiencing, this shows how the forest continues to isolate them, as it manages to block everything including light from it, there is a non diegetic narrative in the point of view of the soldier at this point, providing some exposition to the story and telling why they are in the sitation. There is then a straight cut to an extreme close up of a parrot, this backs up the location, showing that they are in a wild tropical location where wildlife is abundant, again adding to the idea of how isolated they are and how this is a threat to them, the camera slowly begins to tilt upwards, showing another parrot in the shot, again emphasising this idea of wildlife. The next shot begins with a long shot of some the forest, before tilting down to show a longshot of the soldiers, this shows how much the mass of foliage overwhelms them, and after panning from left to right, there is a close up focus of bamboo canes, showing how claustrophobic the area is and how trapped they are, despite being in such a massive area, this shows that they are lost and unable to find a way out, yet the size of the forest is still able to show there insignificance compared to the mass of the location around them.

The next transiton used is a cross dissolve, giving a slow pace to the sequence, this gives the idea that a long amount of time has passed, and puts the point across that the soldiers must be working hard and travelling far to get what they are after and what is happening, the camera pans to the left as the characters walk, drawing attention to a one character, there is a straight cut to a close up of his face, showing his tired and fearful expression, making adamant this point about there effort filled travels through this setting. Another straight cut is used to show the expression of another soldier, this expression is similar, showing the lack of morale the group have at the time and the pain they are going through in there efforts.

There is then a straight cut to a close up shot of a woman, the attention is drawn to her hands holding the other characters, giving a theme of romance during the flashback, the camera tilts back up to her face, showing them kiss, and the shot is then repeated in a similar way, showing there hands holding in the same take, this shows the significance of the romance and how the soldier is remembering the past, it also tells us what he has to lose while at war, and gives a feeling of fear and empathy on the audience due to the fact he could lose somebody close to him. There is then a cross dissolve, showing that the flashback is over, and giving a longshot of the forest and soldiers beneath the trees, this longshot emphasises the distance between home and where they are, and how far they must go in order to reach there goals, The camera tilts upwards, showing a large mountain and a higher number of soldiers marching over it, the feeling of the sequence grows more serious and tense at this point, as you begin to realise the amount of troops needed for whatever is going on and the danger implied by this/

Notes on "the thin red line"

Group analysis- Group 3

Sequence:

Establishing shot: POV - Handheld
Diagetic sound - Wildlife and nature

Straight cut to backwards tracking shot:
mid-shot -

Straight cut to forwards tracking
mid shot - Longer take showing man walking towards him

Straight cut - Backwards tracking
Close up - expression/ reaction to what hes just seen

Straight cut - Forwards tracking
Mid shot

Straight cut - Matching on action - Change of scenery
Long shot showing surroundings and how it overwhelms them
Panning across the scene slowly

Straight cut- Close up of monkey statue - Symbolic
Lowkey lighting
Pan right of object showing significance

Straight cut- Tilt upwards of surroundings
Light coming through trees
Non diagetic sound as narrative - Exposition of story

Straight cut - Extreme close up of parrot
Tilt upwards to another parrot

Straight cut- Long shot of trees
Tilt down to show soldiers
-Shows size of forest there in compared to them
-Claustropobic from bamboo everywhere
-More non diagetic sound as narrative

Straight cut- mid shot
focused on character with out of focus bamboo in front of him
Shows how they are concealed in the forest - Danger of being lost or trapped
Pan over- shows other soldiers and there expressions

Cross dissolve - New location
Out of forest, in a more open area- long shot- establishing
Pans left as they move
Non diagetic narrative alongside music

Straight cut- close up of man
Tilt down drawing attention to injuries

Straight cut to close up-  showing expression on his face

Straight cut- Close up of soldier

Straight cut- Memory- new location
Tilt upwards showing close up of woman
Tilt down- Attention drawn to hands - Showing woman, what he has to lose if he is killed as a soldier

Straight cut- Close up of kissing- shows romance between them
Tilt back down showing hands- Repeated so has significance

Straight cut- Woman turning around and leaning in to kiss him

Straight cut- tilt down showing woman now on her own

Cross dissolve- Flashback over, back to forest
Pan left
Tilt upwards showing amount of soldiers and big hill- attention to new location

Straight cut- Tracking forwards
-Slower pace

Cross dissolve- Close up of grass
Claustrophobic- Shows danger that something could be hiding in it

Straight cut- Closeup of man pointing gun
Backwards tracking

Straight cut- Forwards tracking close up
All shots are close- Showing the environment there in

Straight cut- Forwards tracking close up
Tilt down- Camera static- Draws attention to corpse as man walks towards it
Camera moves forward - Handheld
More attention drawn to corpse- Shows danger of where they are and what is happening

Straight cut- Two shot- Close up
Tracking backwards as they leave scene

Straight cut- Close up of corpse- Tilt upwards showing men- All silent showing the emotions they have about it

Straight cut- Close up of soldier- Violent push of grass- anger

Reflective analysis

-The sequence we created consisted of 6 shots and is a cross between a comedy and a horror genre, the sequence is introduced as horror, with the intention to build suspense on the people viewing it, before trying to make the end of the sequence humorous by using an unexpected event which would not usually be part of a horror genre.

-The audience we have aimed to target are teenagers, as stalker-like scenes were used which could be inappropriate to be seen at a younger age, however the movie is not violent and uses humour, meaning it would not have an age rating of over 12, as a potential wider audience base would be ruled out if it were to be higher than this.

-The conventions of both genres used were the suspense building music and isolation as nobody else is around in the sequence, there is also the typical stalker appearance of one of the characters and the dark clothing making them more mysterious and scary, the suspense is broken using an unexpected question which is supposed to be humorous, the exposure of the camera is also increased at this point meaning the lighting is more suited to a comedy genre.