Prometheus is a 2012 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof. The film stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and Charlize Theron. The story is set in the late 21st century and centers on the crew of the spaceship Prometheus as they follow a star map discovered among the remnants of several ancient Earth cultures. The crew, seeking the origins of humanity, arrive on a distant world and discover an advanced civilization and a threat that could cause the extinction of the human race.
Development of the film began in the early 2000s as a fifth installment in the Alien franchise. Scott and director James Cameron developed ideas for a film that would serve as a prequel to Scott's 1979 science fiction horror film Alien. By 2003, the development of Alien vs. Predator took precedence, and the project remained dormant until 2009 when Scott again showed interest. Spaihts wrote a script for a prequel to the events of the Alien films, but Scott opted for a different direction to avoid repeating cues from those films. In late 2010, Lindelof joined the project to rewrite Spaihts's script, and he and Scott developed a story that precedes the story of Alien but is not directly connected to that franchise. According to Scott, although the film shares "strands of Alien's DNA, so to speak", and takes place in the same universe, Prometheus explores its own mythology and ideas.
Prometheus entered production in April 2010, with extensive design phases during which the technology and creatures which the film required were developed. Principal photography began in March 2011, with an estimated US$120–130 million budget. The project was shot using 3D cameras throughout, almost entirely on practical sets, and on location in England, Iceland, Spain, and Scotland. It was promoted with a marketing campaign that included viral activities on the web. Three videos featuring the film's leading actors in character, which expanded on elements of the fictional universe, were released and met with a generally positive reception and awards. Prometheus was released on June 1, 2012 in the United Kingdom and on June 8, 2012 in North America. Prometheus grossed over $400 million worldwide. Reviews praised both the film's visual aesthetic design, and the acting, most notably Fassbender's performance as the android David. However, the plot drew a mixed response from critics, who criticized plot elements that remained unresolved or were predictable.
Monday, 12 November 2012
Prometheus: 'When Movie Marketing Goes Very Right'
Any major studio film these days is going to have a marketing campaign that includes some kind of online element. Often that means a trailer. Sometimes film clips are thrown in there too. But what every studio exec would really like is something about the film that goes viral — that has people passing it on to friends. With Prometheus, the upcoming film from director Ridley Scott, Fox has scored a major viral victory.
First there was the TED talk from the future. The short video showed Guy Pierce, as fictional Weyland Industries head Peter Weyland, giving a TED talk in 2023. The piece was first screened at the real TED conference in February. According to the LA Times TED organizers helped to make the film look like what they envision a TED talk will really be like in the future. (See previous post.)
Now Fox has released a second video. This one is about David, a robot who understands human emotions that he does not feel, and who is creepily life like. Actor Michael Fassbender plays David in this short made to look like a corporate video about a cool new product. The latest video is almost a little movie into itself. We learn a lot about David and the world he lives and works in and the video is just incredibly entertaining.
(See previous post.)
On top of all of that there’s this website for Weyland Industries. The movie promo site could easily be mistaken for an actual corporate website. My favorite bit is the “about” section. It includes the standard corporate information like number of employees: 837.53 MILLION. Secondary locations: 160 countries and 63 colonies. There’s a corporate time line that includes facts such as in 2042 Weyland Industries donated $5 billion to Little Explorers, a charity “dedicated to the education of troubled middle school students.”
There are several reasons this marketing is proving to be so effective. The movie (which is likely a prequel to Scott’s Alien) has been shrouded in mystery. Sci-fi fans have been chomping at the bit to get any information they can about the film’s plot. The current marketing campaign provides lots of tasty tidbits.
The promos are also good enough to pull in movie lovers who have never seen Alien. This summer is going to be crowded. Prometheus will be up against a new Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers. Those franchise films are based on well-known heroes. Prometheus doesn’t have that advantage so the film makers (and the studio) have had to be smarter about their marketing. Mystery + well done promos = marketing gold.
Will it help at the box office? That remains to be seen. The film hits theaters June 8th.
Follow me on Twitter at DorothyatForbes.
First there was the TED talk from the future. The short video showed Guy Pierce, as fictional Weyland Industries head Peter Weyland, giving a TED talk in 2023. The piece was first screened at the real TED conference in February. According to the LA Times TED organizers helped to make the film look like what they envision a TED talk will really be like in the future. (See previous post.)
Now Fox has released a second video. This one is about David, a robot who understands human emotions that he does not feel, and who is creepily life like. Actor Michael Fassbender plays David in this short made to look like a corporate video about a cool new product. The latest video is almost a little movie into itself. We learn a lot about David and the world he lives and works in and the video is just incredibly entertaining.
(See previous post.)
On top of all of that there’s this website for Weyland Industries. The movie promo site could easily be mistaken for an actual corporate website. My favorite bit is the “about” section. It includes the standard corporate information like number of employees: 837.53 MILLION. Secondary locations: 160 countries and 63 colonies. There’s a corporate time line that includes facts such as in 2042 Weyland Industries donated $5 billion to Little Explorers, a charity “dedicated to the education of troubled middle school students.”
There are several reasons this marketing is proving to be so effective. The movie (which is likely a prequel to Scott’s Alien) has been shrouded in mystery. Sci-fi fans have been chomping at the bit to get any information they can about the film’s plot. The current marketing campaign provides lots of tasty tidbits.
The promos are also good enough to pull in movie lovers who have never seen Alien. This summer is going to be crowded. Prometheus will be up against a new Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers. Those franchise films are based on well-known heroes. Prometheus doesn’t have that advantage so the film makers (and the studio) have had to be smarter about their marketing. Mystery + well done promos = marketing gold.
Will it help at the box office? That remains to be seen. The film hits theaters June 8th.
Follow me on Twitter at DorothyatForbes.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Prometheus: The Art of the Film
Go Behind the Scenes With Prometheus: The Art of the Film
- 06.11.12
- 2:00 AM
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
How is Media Convergence important for Audiences and Institutions?
The film industry, though a form of media on its own, has to incorporate Media Convergence into the production, marketing and distribution of a film, in order to make that film a success.
For example, behind the scenes footage was filmed alongside the production of Kick-Ass, and was aired before the film's release, so as to increase publicity and anticipation of the main event.
The same was done for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, but it was not aired until after the film had been released, as it would have spoiled, rather than promoted the film, for its already adoring fans.
In relevance to Kick-Ass in particular, it is clear that the kind of people who frequently check out internet movie sites are the ones who tend to enjoy comic book movies the most and who look forward to humorous action movies, and so the story of Kick-Ass was heavily documented from the first clips shown at Comic-Con.
The problems in which Matthew Vaughn had experienced whilst looking for a distributor, the way the movie was developed in parallel with the comic, and the fact that several TV spots were created, all for teaser purposes, had given the movie fanatics something to talk about.
However, the mainstream movie audience had still never even heard of the film.
Most people who go to see movies make their choices based on which billboards they see in the street, which trailers they come across between TV shows, and because of the occasional full page splash in a national tabloid.
In regards to this, a batch of trailers and posters had to be made, and pages on social networking sites were also created to try and reach a broader audience.
Kick-Ass mainly relied solely on the trailers themselves to generate word-of-mouth, though, and there was a lot of controversy as to how badly the marketing for the film had been constructed, as it portrayed the film to be much less violent than it turned out to be, and did not make a lot in sales figures - although it did make a small profit.
This proves that Media Convergence is extremely important in selling a film to an audience and to the institutions which are trying to make something from it.
The final Harry Potter film was a different kettle of fish, however, as a growing franchise had already been established before the film's release, and had been around for quite some time already, which meant that millions of fans only had to find out that the film was being made to want to go and see it.
This meant that marketing was not as big of an issue as it was with Kick-Ass to create a fan base, as there was already an audience for the film.
Although, this did not mean that marketing was not achieved to its best ability, and because of the enormous budget for the film, Warner Bros. did not sell themselves short when it came to advertising.
A number of fan sites were created due to the film's release, and J.K. Rowling (author of the book the film was based on) even created her own site entitled 'Pottermore', which, although was not entirely linked with the new film, coincided with the film's release and created a whole new wizarding world for the people at home to be a part of.
There were numerous posters and trailers made for the film, which could be found pretty much wherever you looked, and Harry Potter even had its own ticketing app located on several ticket sites and also on Facebook, which meant that people could purchase tickets before the movie had even been released, and friends could be invited to do the same.
Although the film's huge success was not based around its marketing and Warner Bros. were such a big company that they didn't need much help in the first place, Media Convergence had definitely played a big part in constructing the Harry Potter franchise throughout the years, as it could not have been everything that it was without the mix of so many different windows having been introduced from the very beginning, such as video games and merchandise, as well as the fans of the novels who had always supported the story and had watched it grow into something completely new.
Attack The block, on the other hand, was neither here nor there.
Social networking sites offered teasers of the film, whilst an official website had also been created to do the same thing, but apart from the release of a trailer and a poster, and a brief mentioning at Comic-Con, Big Talk Productions didn't come up with any extraordinary ways of promoting the film.
However, this was mainly due to its incredibly low budget, and reflected in the total sales the film made, which was considerably less than the budget itself, meaning that it did not succeed at the box office at all, although ratings of the film were generally good.
This reinforces just how important Media Convergence actually is, as Attack The Block is a perfect example of a film which was well received, but was considered a flop because of the lack of publicity it had, and so could not make enough money to succeed, though those who went to see it did enjoy the film.
Social networking and websites dedicated to publicising film reviews have become increasingly popular when in mid-production of a film or soon after its release, as they allow constant updates to be posted and opinions to be expressed through the best way to advertise a product - the internet.
For example, Twitter initiated an increase in the circling of information and hype surrounding Kick-Ass, and Rotten Tomatoes gave Attack The Block very good ratings.
As well as this, home media, such as DVD and Blu-Ray, is important for Audiences and Institutions, as they provide extra income and another way for people to view the films which they may not have had the chance to go to the cinema to see.
If we look back at Kick-Ass, we know that it was distributed by two different film companies - Universal Pictures (in the UK), and Lionsgate Films (in the US).
With Universal being one of the 6 'major' studios, and Lionsgate being a current 'mini-major' studio, a lot of publicity was created for the film; and as both companies were American based, Vaughn was able to promote Kick-Ass successfully overseas, and pretty well in the UK, as Lionsgate took care of the US, whilst Universal Pictures specifically targetted areas closer to home.
This sense of working together also meant that a vast assortment of advertising techniques, such as trailers, posters, games etc., could be used in different areas of the world to attract an audience, and also to spark a range of different responses and anticipation in build up to the film's release.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was solely distributed by Warner Bros., and so you could say that in this aspect, Media Convergence was not as important as it was for say the marketing of the film, as the company was big enough already to account for the many millions worldwide who wanted to view the final installment of the Harry Potter series.
Also, the fact that there had been a staggering 7 films already made in the same series must have counted for something?
There was already a huge fanbase wanting to view the film, as I mentioned before, and because it was the final film, anticipation was nowhere near inadequate in the weeks leading up to its release, anyway.
This goes to show that if you have a big enough company supporting you, and an ever-growing audience which is eager to receive their next fix - and let's not forget the enormous budget the film acquired - you need only do very little in order to succeed, as it is almost a given.
Attack The Block was a little different, as each company which contributed to the film was UK based.
Big Talk Productions, UK Film Council, StudioCanal and Film4 all worked together to create an audience for Joe Cornish's first blockbuster; but Film4 publicized the film the most and distributed it on a huge scale, by making it possible to view on their channel on numerous occasions in the UK, Republic of Ireland and even Switzerland.
Optimum Releasing, StudioCanal's British distribution company, released the film on 11 May 2011 in the UK, and Screen Gems distributed the film elsewhere after Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the film's US distribution rights, although this was on a significantly smaller scale and the film did not become a hit over there.
Because Attack The Block was such a low budget, British film, these small companies were ideal to collaborate with each other, as they knew exactly how to work well as a team and how to achieve the best outcome.
However, the fact that the film was so small on account of both of these things meant that it couldn't use its size to gain publicity, and so there was a slight problem from the beginning, which lead into marketing and then distribution.
Overall, Media Convergence is definitely important to Audiences and Insitutions, as it allows for the targetting of an audience, and helps to create extra windows surrounding the films, which again will make people more interested.
I have found out that this was the case for Kick-Ass and Attack The Block, as these were completely new films and were not part of any other franchise; but if we come across a film such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, we can see that an existing fanbase has already been established, and so promoting too much may lead to the exposure of secrets which are best left not revealed, and also that the storyline of the film is obviously a big factor in drawing in the public on its own. However, obviously if there was no advertising surrounding a film at all, it would not have the chance to do half as well as it could have, as the public need to obtain a certain level of awareness in order to make an informed decision as to whether they want to see the film or not, and so Media Convergence is well worth the time and effort.
For example, behind the scenes footage was filmed alongside the production of Kick-Ass, and was aired before the film's release, so as to increase publicity and anticipation of the main event.
The same was done for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, but it was not aired until after the film had been released, as it would have spoiled, rather than promoted the film, for its already adoring fans.
In relevance to Kick-Ass in particular, it is clear that the kind of people who frequently check out internet movie sites are the ones who tend to enjoy comic book movies the most and who look forward to humorous action movies, and so the story of Kick-Ass was heavily documented from the first clips shown at Comic-Con.
The problems in which Matthew Vaughn had experienced whilst looking for a distributor, the way the movie was developed in parallel with the comic, and the fact that several TV spots were created, all for teaser purposes, had given the movie fanatics something to talk about.
However, the mainstream movie audience had still never even heard of the film.
Most people who go to see movies make their choices based on which billboards they see in the street, which trailers they come across between TV shows, and because of the occasional full page splash in a national tabloid.
In regards to this, a batch of trailers and posters had to be made, and pages on social networking sites were also created to try and reach a broader audience.
Kick-Ass mainly relied solely on the trailers themselves to generate word-of-mouth, though, and there was a lot of controversy as to how badly the marketing for the film had been constructed, as it portrayed the film to be much less violent than it turned out to be, and did not make a lot in sales figures - although it did make a small profit.
This proves that Media Convergence is extremely important in selling a film to an audience and to the institutions which are trying to make something from it.
The final Harry Potter film was a different kettle of fish, however, as a growing franchise had already been established before the film's release, and had been around for quite some time already, which meant that millions of fans only had to find out that the film was being made to want to go and see it.
This meant that marketing was not as big of an issue as it was with Kick-Ass to create a fan base, as there was already an audience for the film.
Although, this did not mean that marketing was not achieved to its best ability, and because of the enormous budget for the film, Warner Bros. did not sell themselves short when it came to advertising.
A number of fan sites were created due to the film's release, and J.K. Rowling (author of the book the film was based on) even created her own site entitled 'Pottermore', which, although was not entirely linked with the new film, coincided with the film's release and created a whole new wizarding world for the people at home to be a part of.
There were numerous posters and trailers made for the film, which could be found pretty much wherever you looked, and Harry Potter even had its own ticketing app located on several ticket sites and also on Facebook, which meant that people could purchase tickets before the movie had even been released, and friends could be invited to do the same.
Although the film's huge success was not based around its marketing and Warner Bros. were such a big company that they didn't need much help in the first place, Media Convergence had definitely played a big part in constructing the Harry Potter franchise throughout the years, as it could not have been everything that it was without the mix of so many different windows having been introduced from the very beginning, such as video games and merchandise, as well as the fans of the novels who had always supported the story and had watched it grow into something completely new.
Attack The block, on the other hand, was neither here nor there.
Social networking sites offered teasers of the film, whilst an official website had also been created to do the same thing, but apart from the release of a trailer and a poster, and a brief mentioning at Comic-Con, Big Talk Productions didn't come up with any extraordinary ways of promoting the film.
However, this was mainly due to its incredibly low budget, and reflected in the total sales the film made, which was considerably less than the budget itself, meaning that it did not succeed at the box office at all, although ratings of the film were generally good.
This reinforces just how important Media Convergence actually is, as Attack The Block is a perfect example of a film which was well received, but was considered a flop because of the lack of publicity it had, and so could not make enough money to succeed, though those who went to see it did enjoy the film.
Social networking and websites dedicated to publicising film reviews have become increasingly popular when in mid-production of a film or soon after its release, as they allow constant updates to be posted and opinions to be expressed through the best way to advertise a product - the internet.
For example, Twitter initiated an increase in the circling of information and hype surrounding Kick-Ass, and Rotten Tomatoes gave Attack The Block very good ratings.
As well as this, home media, such as DVD and Blu-Ray, is important for Audiences and Institutions, as they provide extra income and another way for people to view the films which they may not have had the chance to go to the cinema to see.
If we look back at Kick-Ass, we know that it was distributed by two different film companies - Universal Pictures (in the UK), and Lionsgate Films (in the US).
With Universal being one of the 6 'major' studios, and Lionsgate being a current 'mini-major' studio, a lot of publicity was created for the film; and as both companies were American based, Vaughn was able to promote Kick-Ass successfully overseas, and pretty well in the UK, as Lionsgate took care of the US, whilst Universal Pictures specifically targetted areas closer to home.
This sense of working together also meant that a vast assortment of advertising techniques, such as trailers, posters, games etc., could be used in different areas of the world to attract an audience, and also to spark a range of different responses and anticipation in build up to the film's release.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was solely distributed by Warner Bros., and so you could say that in this aspect, Media Convergence was not as important as it was for say the marketing of the film, as the company was big enough already to account for the many millions worldwide who wanted to view the final installment of the Harry Potter series.
Also, the fact that there had been a staggering 7 films already made in the same series must have counted for something?
There was already a huge fanbase wanting to view the film, as I mentioned before, and because it was the final film, anticipation was nowhere near inadequate in the weeks leading up to its release, anyway.
This goes to show that if you have a big enough company supporting you, and an ever-growing audience which is eager to receive their next fix - and let's not forget the enormous budget the film acquired - you need only do very little in order to succeed, as it is almost a given.
Attack The Block was a little different, as each company which contributed to the film was UK based.
Big Talk Productions, UK Film Council, StudioCanal and Film4 all worked together to create an audience for Joe Cornish's first blockbuster; but Film4 publicized the film the most and distributed it on a huge scale, by making it possible to view on their channel on numerous occasions in the UK, Republic of Ireland and even Switzerland.
Optimum Releasing, StudioCanal's British distribution company, released the film on 11 May 2011 in the UK, and Screen Gems distributed the film elsewhere after Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the film's US distribution rights, although this was on a significantly smaller scale and the film did not become a hit over there.
Because Attack The Block was such a low budget, British film, these small companies were ideal to collaborate with each other, as they knew exactly how to work well as a team and how to achieve the best outcome.
However, the fact that the film was so small on account of both of these things meant that it couldn't use its size to gain publicity, and so there was a slight problem from the beginning, which lead into marketing and then distribution.
Overall, Media Convergence is definitely important to Audiences and Insitutions, as it allows for the targetting of an audience, and helps to create extra windows surrounding the films, which again will make people more interested.
I have found out that this was the case for Kick-Ass and Attack The Block, as these were completely new films and were not part of any other franchise; but if we come across a film such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, we can see that an existing fanbase has already been established, and so promoting too much may lead to the exposure of secrets which are best left not revealed, and also that the storyline of the film is obviously a big factor in drawing in the public on its own. However, obviously if there was no advertising surrounding a film at all, it would not have the chance to do half as well as it could have, as the public need to obtain a certain level of awareness in order to make an informed decision as to whether they want to see the film or not, and so Media Convergence is well worth the time and effort.
Sunday, 4 November 2012
7 Areas of Audience and Institution - Applied to Kick-Ass
- the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice; (how does who owns a media company influence the type of film made and its potential success? For example do BIG companies make BIG films and therefore make all the money? Is it possible for small companies to succeed?)
As both were small companies, with Plan B (US) being the slightly bigger of the two, Vaughn only had a $30 million budget, which he raised within two weeks, half from his own pocket and half from private investors.
Because the movie had such a low budget, Vaughn could afford to have it rated 'R' and have it pay off, as it was only expected to please a certain audience.
However, these smaller companies were able to succeed with Kick-Ass, even though they weren't in a position to go crazy with special effects and marketing, and couldn't afford to hire many well known stars, although they did manage to tie down a few, and considering the size of the film and its budget, the film did create a relatively big profit.
This proves that it is possible for small companies to succeed in their own way, but also proves that the size of the company does in fact impact the size of the film, as Kick-Ass only grossed around $48 million, which although was an acomplishment for the company, was not a major achievement when compared to other films produced by bigger companies.
- the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing; (how do companies work together to produce, distribute and publicize a film? How can Disney use their size to promote and publicise a film? How can small companies work together to promote their business' when making and promoting a film?)
With Universal being one of the 6 'major' studios, and Lionsgate being a current 'mini-major' studio, a lot of publicity was created for the film.
As both companies were American based, Vaughn was able to promote Kick-Ass successfully across the Atlantic, and also extremely well in the UK, as Universal Pictures specifically targetted areas closer to home.
Working together also meant that a vast assortment of advertising techniques, such as trailers, posters, games etc., could be used in different areas of the world to create this said publicity and also a range of different repsonses and anticipation in build up to the film's release.
Kick-Ass relied on word of mouth, as money had proven to be an issue, and so the trailers that had been made were significant in the promotion of the film.
- the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange; (how has the introduction of digital film, 3D, DVD, Blue Ray, internet streaming, downloadable content, home cinema influenced the types of films made, the way we watch them and the way we 'buy' them?)
This does make the process more difficult and complicated, but the response in sales at the end of it is generally considered good. Likewise, cinema sales are also boosted as more people are willing to pay for the 'real-life experience' that 3D offers.
Similarly, the recent introduction of Blu-Ray now meant that the 'cinema experience' which most viewers wanted could now be achieved in the comfort of their own living rooms, and so this had influenced the majority of Kick-Ass viewers to purchase the DVD, thus boosting sales of the film after it had been released in cinemas.
This was also a more popular alternative for the people who didn't want to pay a high price for a ticket to see the film, and it meant that they could invest in a long time product which they could view as many times as they liked, rather than just going to see the film once.
As well as this, online distributors helped to increase the success of Kick-Ass, too, as they constantly provide an almost never-ending selection of films which can be accessed or rented out quickly and affordably via the internet.
This has recently become one of the most popular distributing techniques, and companies such as Netflix and LOVEFiLM have become extremely well known.
However, because of the increasing popularity surrounding free internet streaming an opposite effect on the success of the film industry has come about.
Focusing on Kick-Ass in particular, it is definitely possible to find an online copy of the film for free which is decent enough to entice an audience, and so even though it is illegal, a negative effect on the sales of the film was also created.
- the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences; (how and why have film companies had to alter the way they work now everyone has web enabled phones, PC's, consoles etc? How have audiences changed their viewing habits now we no longer need to go to the cinema to watch a film)
For example, a film's website, which previously would have only been accessed via a PC, would now have to be altered slightly so that it could be accessed via a mobile device, too.
This would also increase publicity of the film by way of word of mouth, because if a conversation about the film is established between a group of people and portable access to websites, trailers etc., are accessible at the touch of a button, more people are likely to make the effort to go and see the film after its release.
As well as this, due to this change in technology, cinema is not the only way to watch a film anymore, and so audience's viewing habits have also changed a considerable amount.
With regards to this, in order to increase their number of potential customers, film companies decide to sell their films to online distributors, so as to increase their profits, sales and publicity, as more people now rent videos online and view them on computers, laptops, consoles etc.
- the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences; (can you think of examples of how different technologies have come together to help the film industry?)
Everyone is interested in different types of media, whether it be films, TV, books, magazines or the internet, but no matter which one that may be, it is certain that there will be some overlap, as products converge into many different platforms nowadays.
For example, as Kick-Ass had a small budget, the incorporation of technological convergence was limited, but still existent, as a website, soundtrack, and a video game were created to promote the film, as well as a comic book which was made before the film itself.
This created multiple windows for the film to receive financial benefits, and created a franchise much bigger than the film itself, along with a rise in the film's sales, the final profit and the success of the film, which proves that technological convergence is extremely important.
- the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions; (how do film companies try and attract their audience? Do they do different things in different countries?)
For example, Matthew Vaughn made sure that Aaron Johnson spoke with an American accent throughout the film, so as to exaggerate the American 'comics' theme which is present, in order to appeal to the American audience, and many of the scenes were also filmed in the US, too.
As the film was distinctly British, however, Vaughn had to make sure that it appealed to a British audience as well, which was obviously easier to do, given his background and experience, and so various scenes were shot in the UK, including the opening sequence with Nicolas Cage which was filmed in a sewage plant in East London.
Several big names starred in the film, as well as this, which gave both the Americans and the British an insentive to go and see the film.
The film was clearly well received in both countries, due to Vaughn's efforts in production and casting, as it took over £11 million in the UK by the end of May, and chart topped the US box office, taking just under $20 million in America during its opening weekend.
The same trailers and batch of posters were used in both the US and the UK, which tells us that excess marketing was not needed at all and that the film's idea was enough to draw in two different audiences to the film anyway.
- the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour (what is your opinion on the above? Do you see the developments as a good or bad thing?)
We can see that the positives of such technology, such as Blu-Ray, special effects, 3D, online distribution and other windows etc., certainly outweigh the negatives, such as illegal viewing, as the film industry don't tend to acknowledge the bad points very much, and new technology is always being used to benefit the way we watch films - so it can't be that much of a problem.
These growing changes in technology mean that films can be accessed more quickly and efficiently, and that the experience we have as an audience is more enjoyable.
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