Producers and Audiences

Case Studies2015

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 & AudiencesHits & 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 Technology1. 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

GravityList 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?

Studios1. 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

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’?

Exhibition1. 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

Audiences1. 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