British Cinema- Shaun of the Dead

• Sahun of the Dead was directed by Edgar Wright, and was released in the UK on the 9th April 2004
• The film was released in the US on the 24th of September.
• The genere of the film is a comedy, horror so it is a post-generic film.
• The director of the film was Edgar Wright and the producer was Simon Pegg who also acted in film.
• The film was also produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Felna and Nira Park.
• All the producers and the director and the cast were all British
• The main Production Company was Studio Cannal, Working Title Films and WT2 Productions.
• The film was indepandantly funded.
• The film was made in Ealing Studios London and Archway London.
• The film was marketed with the actor's Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. This was one of there earlier films and the film was marketed with them as the main stars.
• The film was a huge success in the UK taking over $6,000,000 at the box office, while in the US taking just over $13,000,000.
• The opening weekend the film made $1,000,000 in the UK and $3,000,000 in the US.

Hollywood Case Study- Avatar

Pre Production and Production

• Avatar was written by James Cameron in 1999. The early idea's for the script started in 1994 and was a 80 page scipt which Cameron didn't want to produce until "technology moved on". He had a vision for the film and wanted to look absoutly perfect, and the effects to fit the story of the film.
• The chacters in the film are simple and easy for the audience to understand. The film starts with the story of the main charater Jake Sully and the audience finds out how he got in the wheel chair and his story on how he is in space and is alowed to be in the Avata programme. The audience can understand the characters easily and can get on the same level as them.
• The estimamted budget for Avatar was around $237,000,000 and at the box office has grossed $595,752,416. Actors were paid an estimated at around $50,000,000. James Cameron made around $8 Million. He used most of the moeny he was paid to make the film so didn't have such a high income as some actors did.
• 5 Production companies were involved but the main distributor was Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. The other companies were Dune Entertainment, Giant Studios, Ingenious Film Partners and Lightstorm Entertainment.
• It was a mixture of generes including Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi and romance. The audeiene than is not to small and is almost a film for everyone, there is not age range.
• Avatar was starting to be devloped in early 2006, then filming with the actors started in 2007 and lasted for around 2 years. Filming eneded in early 2009 and the film was released at the end.
• The film was mostly animation, but the actors filmed most scenes in frnot of a green screen and then there action and facil expression was monited and then the action were copied on screen so the characters were more life like and the expressions. So most of the fiml wasn't done at a fiml set but 3D animation.
• For the film is all 3D animation there is alot of CGI effects. In the last 30 minuets of the film a massive fight breaks out which has alot of explosions and fire, so there is alot of CGI in the last few scenes. The use of this in the film is that is makes the auddience more excited and feels more part of the action and that the audience member watching can actaully feel like they are there.
• The music score in the film is composed by James Horner (The same composer as The Titanic score) The music in the film fits perfectly and moves the audience with the scene. The main theme for the film is a song called "I See You" which is performed by Leona Lewis. An example of a popular music artist will help draw an audience to the film.

Distribution

• The main distrubutior for Avatar was 20th Century Fox, but it was diffrent in some other countries for example in Finland the disribution company was FS Film Oy.
• The total so far for adversising and marketing the film is estimated at around $100 million.
• The film has released over 4 diffrent posters, and screen shots from the film. 3 trailers have been released and the film has it's own website. There is also game toy tage in which you hold up to your computer's webcam and than readsn what charcter you have got and then you are able to enter that world in the online video game.
• The marketing campagin started at the end of November until the release date in December.
• As well as clothes and toy merchandise, there was also a deal with McDonalds where there was toys with the Happy Meals for children and Avatar was used to advertise new Free Wi-Fi connection at McDonalds.
• The film is being shown in over 13 countires.

Exhibition

• The film was released on December 16th and is still being shown regulary 3 months afterwards. The film was released 2 week before it original release date.
• Avartar was released in over 600 screens in opening weekend in America.
• In the opening weekend the film took over $77,000,000 in the US only.
• The fiml is in cinemas for about 4 months.
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Top Gun

Top Gun (1986, Directed by Tony Scott) is an example of a High Conecpt film. The high Concept model, represents a 10 point forumla which indicates what films are big budget and what films have the most intrest in, and have the biggest stars. Top Gun is an example of an early High Concept Film, the budget was estimated at $15,000,000 and earned $8,193,052 in opening weekend. The overall gross from the Box Office was $176,650,237 making a large profit.

The High Concept Model

1. "Post-generic" Filmmaking
Film genres have changed alot from the begining of film. Modern Hollywood films now use a style called "Post-generic" film which is a hybrid of diffrent generes in Hollywood production. Top Gun is a cross between action, drama and romance. Mixing all three genres together, Top Gun is an excititng and enjoyable film that any action fan will enjoy. The audiecne watching the film were excited to see a hybrid film, not just the action of the planes, or a story line involving the main charters, plus a love story between the teacher and the pupil. Top Gun is exciting and audiences were not disapointed.

2. Use of extended montages
In high concept flims, extended montages are becoming more and more common. An extended montage is used to show passing of time, they normaly have a 3 minuete song playing in the background and is always has some significantce to the scene. Ectended montages are used for people who are training to do something. An example of a montage that tells the audience of a life is in the film UP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeLgjGEBWcY This is a link to the montage. The films starts with two children charters and then moves onto the montage of their life together. From this short 4 minuets thier whole life is summed up. The montage sets the pace for the whole film and answers and lot of questions. The montage sums up a large story very quickly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8rZWw9HE7o&feature=related There is a montage at the begining of Top Gun of the planes being prepared to fly while the opening credits are on screne. The audience can see what the film is about straghit away and know about what is happening and what they are doing.

3. Production Design Frequently

Adversisment is one of the most important components in making a profiting film, most new high conept films today spend over $3,000,000 on adversising and merchandising. Top gun released some trailers and posters along with the movie. The film being on of the early high concept films means not that mouch money was spent on advertising as most Hollywood films today. Also the film was hyped up with audiences to see Tom Cruise and also for people who loved action movies, so not that much advertising was needed.

4. Easily Replicated in Publicity

Trailers are designed to give the story line away but not the ending. Top Gun's trailers has some parts of one scene and also introduces the main chacters in the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN8ze3S0Uj8&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh+div-1r-5-HM :Link to the Trailer. In the Top Gun trailer we see a scene in which Marverick says he is going to be on the wall of fame, and the teacher says he likes that attidue. The audience can see the draw to the film and the likable factor of Maverick's character. The trailer was infulenced to draw in an audeince of action film lovers and romance lovers and the trailer said it all.

5. Formal Excess

The camera work in Top Gun are excting and are editided together really well to make an exciting feel as if you are on the place. Some cameras are on the wing of the plane so make and makes the audience feel as though they are flying on the plane. The camera angles in the flying scenes are fast moving and over-the-top. Making the film's prime scenes some of the best in the film.

6. Music Track interrupts.

High concept films use music to draw your attention from the action which is going on. The music makes sense to the scene and creates it's own nartative. In the scene where Charlie and Maverick are getting together ....

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