Friday 28 November 2014

Grand Budapest Hotel Research



Task 1 Research


1) What is Indian Paintbrush and who owns it?
Steven M. Rales owns Indian Paintbrush which is a production and distribution company. It has produced films like The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom and Fantastic Mr. Fox. The company is based in California and was founded in 2006.

2) Which company is Fox Searchlight a subsidiary of?
It is a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, which is a sister company of 20th Century Fox.

3) Which type of films do Fox Searchlight distribute?  

They specialise in distributing independent films, British films, dramedy films, horror films and non-English language films.

4) Which two countries financed the film?

Britain and Germany financed the film, it was a co-production between the two countries. It was filmed in Germany and financed by German film-funding organisations and financial companies.

5) What did Anderson use instead of CGI (computer generated imagery)?

A three meter tall handmade miniature model was used for wide shot of the hotel, he also built models for things such as the tree-spotted hill and the funicular railway.

6) Where did the inspiration for the Hotel come from?

They looked at vintage pictures at the Library of Congress of European holiday spots and hotels, as well as locales like the Palace Bristol Hotel, the Grandhotel Pupp (Czech Republic) and the Grandhotel Gellert (Budapest).

Palace Bristol Hotel (Carlsbad)

7) Which
film festival opened with The Grand Budapest Hotel?
The 64th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2014.
Alexandre Desplat 2013.jpg
Alexandre Desplat

8) Alexandre Desplat wrote the score, which major Hollywood films has he worked on?

The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 & Part 2, Godzilla, The Golden Compass and Zero Dark Thirty.

9) How many awards has the film won?
Five: The Berlin International Film Festival, Jury Grand Pix for Wes Anderson; The David di Donatello Awards, Best Foreign Film for Wes Anderson; The Golden Trailer Awards, Best Graphics in a TV Spot; The Nastro d'Argento, Best Costume Design for Milena Canonero; and the World Soundtrack Awards, Best Original Score of the Year for Alexandre Desplat.

10) Initially how many cinemas did the film open on in the US?
Four cinemas.

11) How much did it average per cinema?

$202,791.50

12) The film was released on Ultraviolet BluRay, what does this enable consumers to do?

Stream and download the film to multiple devices, this means that they can watch the film without having to rebuy them from websites like Apple.

13) Which companies do not support Ultraviolet?

Disney, Google, Amazon.com and Apple.

14) What complaints did Ultraviolet encounter when it launched and other problems?

  • Limited interoperability with existing services: Ultraviolet content is not available yet on some popular video platforms (e.g. iTunes).
  • Limited content- Some small studios and Disney have not yet released their films with UV rights, meaning its impossible for someone to have a complete collection of films in the UV format.
  • Confusing processes- Redemption sheets that come with the physical discs sometimes direct the buyer to sites that need you to register on, and these often confuse the consumers. This was a huge problem when Ultraviolet first launched, and caused a backlash among buyers. Redemption codes have an expiry date also.
  • Restrictions on use- At the moment, you can not download an UV file and then copy it to another device.
  • Black market- Some consumers have tried to sell their redemption codes online.


Task 2- Comprehension

Part 1- The Story:







List the cast of the film as explained in the featurette:

Ralph Fiennes: M. Gustave
Owen Wilson: M. Chuck
Tony Revolori: Zero
Edward Norton: Henckles
Saoirse Ronan: Agatha

Jeff Goldblum: Deputy Kovacs
Tilda Swinton: Madame D.
Adrien Brody: Dmitri Desgoffe
Jason Schwartzman: M. Jean
Willem Dafoe: Jopling
Harvey Keitel: Ludwig
Bill Murray: M. Ivan
Mathieu Amalric: Serge X.
F. Murray Abraham: Mr. Moustafa
Lea Seydoux: Clotilde
Tom Wilkinson: Author
Jude Law: Young Writer
Bob Balaban: M. Martin



Part 3- Building A Hotel:








1) Where did scouting for a hotel take place?
Central Europe
2) Which location did the production team eventually use?
A department store in Gorlitz, Germany.
3) Did they film on location or on a sound stage?
On location.
4) Where were the production offices located?
On the top floor.
5) How did they film the 60's and 30's hotel?
They wanted to shoot the 60's and the 30's hotel back to back, so they created a set within a set. They built the 30's set and then the 60's one, then they shot it backwards and peeled away the 60's layer- exposing the earlier period of the hotel.
6) Where did inspiration for the hotel's interior come from?
They travelled to different places in Eastern Europe, gathering ideas of what would go in to the hotel.
7) How many extras did it take to fill the lobby?
150

Task 3 - Marketing

1) Read this Variety piece and summarise the 5 secrets to the film's success:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/five-keys-to-wes-andersons-hotel-success-story-1201154272/

  • Anderson's World- The detail used by Anderson has gave the idea for a collection on eBay (a partnership initiated by Waris Ahluwalia, who owns a fashion label). There has also been an art collection inspired by the film. There are auction items, some of which are selling out, which allow the audience to feel like they have a part of the world that they see in the film.
  • Unique Promotions- A model of the hotel has been touring cinemas from Hollywood to Berlin. Secret Cinema screened the film as well, creating excitement around it in England (and also a viral video of the night on YouTube which further promotes the film).
  • Viral Chow- Instructional videos were released telling people how to make their own Mendl's pastries. These went viral as fans sent back their creations, and these were then used by Fox Searchlight in TV spots on cooking channels. There were eight marketing shorts shot as well, including one of M. Gustave. These things made people aware of the film on social media and got people excited about it, and those that weren't in the know about it in the know.
  • Young Moonrisers- The success of Moonrise Kingdom has attracted a new, younger, generation of Anderson fans that then went on to see the Grand Budapest Hotel.
  • Universal Access- The film was received wonderfully by critics. It got a rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. This attracted audiences that wanted to see what the fuss was about. Also, critics have called Budapest Anderson's most accessible film- meaning more people are likely to see it, generating a bigger box office success.
2) How did Anderson use the QE2 (Queen Elizabeth 2nd) to market the film?


Wes Anderson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola went on the ship to promote their film, screening it multiple times and holding a Q&A session. The Cunard CEO David Dingle said 'Mr. Anderson has many fans among Cunard passengers, and we know they will jump at this unique opportunity to enjoy his films and spend time with him and his wonderful collaborators'.


3) What connects Prada to the marketing of the film?
They collaborated with Anderson, designing the costumes and the props for the film. Those interested in fashion may have wanted to see their input in the film and may have gone to see it because of this. There were two windows and an indoor display in a Prada shop in Berlin dedicated to the film, interesting visitors and subsequently attracting possible audience for it.

4) Visit this viral website and identify how the films plot is revealed




http://www.akademiezubrowka.com/


Clues to the films plot are on this website. For example, there is a picture of a Mendl's box and a picture of Boy With Apple.



Task 4 - Opinion



1) Why would a big Six company be interested in supporting a smaller distribution company like Fox Searchlight?
In order to not make the same old blockbuster films that don't earn a lot of respect and to make critically acclaimed films that will gain respect.
2) Which audience category best describes The Grand Budapest Hotel (Mainstream, Mainstream plus, aficionados)
Aficionados.
3)Why might the use of Ultraviolet alienate the film's audience?
As many people who own products by companies who don't support UltraViolet won't be able to access the film in this way.
4) Why might the use of secret cinema work as viral marketing for the film?
The clip of the Secret Cinema event on YouTube is likely to become popular because it looks so entertaining it will intrigue people into going to see the film.

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