Producers and Audiences Case Studies 2015

Films Paddington Avengers: Age of Ultron Thor: The Dark World (Loki/Tom Hiddleston) The Theory of Everything Gravity A Field in England Under the Skin Slumdog Millionaire Mortdecai Snakes on a Plane X-Men Origins: Wolverine The Hunt for Gollum Colin (Proposed independent films) Bunny Poo Salad The Astronaut

Producers & Audiences Hits & Misses List as many reasons as you can to explain why Avengers: Age of Ultron will inevitably become a profitable film To what extent does piracy harm the film industry? What are the reasons for the poor box office takings for many independent British films? How do you account for the success of the British film The Theory of Everything? How do you account for the success of the British film Paddington? Why did poor reviews not harm any of the Transformers films? What is ‘marketability and what is ‘playability’?

Film Technology 1.What have the VCR, the laserdisc and high street rental shops all got in common? 2.Why did the big Hollywood studios back a new wave of 3D cinema in the early 2000s? 3.What are the advantages of a home cinema system? 4.What are the disadvantages of a home cinema system? 5.What role does the internet play in changing the way we experience films? 6.Is technological advancement an attraction to cinemagoers? Give examples? Producers & Audiences

Film Technology 1.To what extent do fans use technology to interact with their entertainment? 2.Does the internet give audiences control over what they see? 3.What was unusual about the production of Snakes on a Plane?. 4.What advantages does the internet bring to film producers? 5.How has the internet affected film distribution and exhibition? 6.What steps have cinemas taken to retain audiences in the internet age? Producers & Audiences

Gravity List these factors that led to the success of Gravity in order of importance. Explain your decisions Clear genre Stars Technology Marketing Awards Critical praise Word of mouth Being a ‘British’ film

Stars How is the image of the star/s used to create meaning for this film? Producers & Audiences

Stars What’s missing from this image? Why? Producers & Audiences

Stars How important are stars to the film industry? To what extent are stars ‘constructed’ by the industry? To what extent are stars ‘constructed’ by fans? How ‘powerful’ are stars? Is it important to British audiences to see British stars on screen? Producers & Audiences

What can you say about the construction of star images?

Is it important to British audiences to see British actors in Hollywood films?

Studios 1.What key aspects of film business were controlled by the ‘Big 5’ Hollywood studios before 1948? 2.What was this system called? 3.Why do the major Hollywood studios not just make huge blockbuster films? 4.What are some of the reasons behind Marvel films massive box-office success? 5.What do you understand about wider media ownership? Producers & Audiences

1.Scenario Films is an example of a small, British independent production company that has joint projects with foreign companies. Why do they do this? 2.To what extent is the Harry Potter franchise ‘British’?

Exhibition 1.How do cinemas make a profit? 2.What are some of the differences between a multiplex and an art house cinema? 3.Which is better? Why? 4.Why do you think there isn’t an independent cinema in Huntingdon? 5.What are some of the ways in which the different cinemas compete for business? 6.In what ways do cinemas and other media compete for audiences? 7.In what ways do cinemas and other media not compete? 8.What is crowdsourcing? Producers & Audiences

Audiences 1.To what extent do fans influence the studios? 2.What are the key audience theories? 3.Explain what a demographic is. 4.What is the importance of a film having a clear genre for audiences? 5.What is ‘buying into’ a film? Producers & Audiences