The Boat That Rocked (2009)•http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=XnQc3lO4JDs

•Who do you recognise? •Where from? i.e. From a particular Genre of film, or a film institution?•What can you imply from the trailer about the film’s: Genre?

Setting- Time and PlaceTypes of charactersThemes

The Boat That RockedWhat are the main features of these promotional posters?What do these imply about the films:Characters? Themes?Audience?

Context1) Some of the posters recall the work of Andy Warhol, a famous 1960s artist.

2) This poster deliberately reminds audiences of this poster of The Beatles, who gained fame and notoriety for their music, which drew on 1950’s Rock and Roll, as well as Psychedelic Pop. The group came to be perceived as the embodiment of progressive ideals, seeing their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s

Context Continued... Pirate Radio! "Pirate radio" in the UK first became widespread in the early 1960s when a number of pop music stations, such as Radio Caroline started to broadcast to the UK from offshore ships or disused sea forts. At the time these stations were not illegal because they were broadcasting from international waters. The stations were set up by entrepreneurs and music enthusiasts to meet the growing demand for pop and rock music.

By 1968 21 pirate radio stations were broadcasting to an estimated daily audience of 10 to 15 million.

The 1967 Marine Broadcasting Offences Act officially outlawed pirate stations.

Tony Benn, Postmaster General attempted to have Radio Caroline shut down.

Although this clash comes to a dramatic head in the film, this never actually happened!

The Boat That Rocked is Curtis's first non-romantic comedy, inspired by his own childhood memories of listening secretly on his transistor radio to the broadcasts of pirate stations such as Radio Caroline, anchored just outside British territorial waters before it was shut down by the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act of 1967.

Factual Information Released 1 April 2009. Running time: 135 mins Directed by Richard Curtis for Working Title. Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Hilary Bevan

Jones, with Richard Curtis, Debra Hayward and Liz Chasin as executive producers.

Principal Photography begun 3 March 2008 and continued until June.

It stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Katherine Parkinson, Tom Sturridge, Talulah Riley, Kenneth Branagh, Jack Davenport, Emma Thompson, January Jones, Gemma Arterton and Sinead Matthews

The film cost £30 million to produce, but only took £6.1 million in the U.K. in its first 12 weeks of release, with film critics complaining the film was too long.

It was rereleased in the US as ‘Pirate Radio’, where it earned $5 million in the first two weeks.

Pre-release marketingSynergy

On the 16th March, The Sun promoted ‘The Boat that Rocked’ through a competition offering the winner tickets to the premier as well as a night in a London hotel and a copy of the sound track.

The Sun ‘This prize will make waves’

On the 28th March, The Mail online offered readers free MP3 players in connection with the film. For one week consumers were also offered free downloadable music and interviews from the cast and crew.

In a bid to further the marketing of the music in ‘The Boat that Rocked’ Universal signed up Spotify (the peer-to-peer music streaming service).The site created playlists for the main characters which were available on a microsite, with a competition mechanic involving the playlists thrown in to increase click incentive. Fans could download the playlists for all the different DJs and had the chance to win posters and props from the film.

The tourism body Visit Britain under the headline ‘Become a Superstar DJ’ offered fans the opportunity to take a trip aboard the only surviving pirate radio ship, The Ross Revenge that broadcasted Radio Caroline. Winners were also invited to participate in a broadcast. Radio Caroline celebrated its 45th anniversary broadcast over the Easter weekend (11- 12th April 2009) and so this happy coincidence tied in nicely with ‘The Boat that Rocked’ release date.

Cinema and DVD release‘The Boat that Rocked’ premiered

in London on 24th March. The cast were met by many fans dress appropriately in 60s attire!

The film was released nationwide at the cinema on 1st April

The DVD was released on 7th Sep 2009

Post release merchandisingPosters T-ShirtsClothingKey Rings Calendars

Tour BooksAlbumsRingtonesdownloads.

From the information you have gathered, who do you think is that target audience of ‘The Boat that Rocked?’

How do you know?