Saturday 3 January 2015

Sightseers Research Task

The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice:


Production: 

StudioCanal


What was StudioCanal's original purpose?
To focus on French and European productions.

Which big 6 company has connections with StudioCanal?
Universal Studios were owned by the same company from 2000-2004, therefore StudioCanal has co-produced  a number of their films.

How large is StudioCanal's film library?
It is the third largest in the world.


The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production distribution and marketing:

Big Talk Pictures

What has been the total gross of ALL Big Talk Films?

Over $150 million.

What type of film does Big Talk specialise in?
Comedy.

Who founded Big Talk?
Nira Park in 1995.

Film4 Productions

Who owns Film4 Productions?
Channel Four Television Corporation.

When was it 're-established'?
In 1998 the company was re-branded as FilmFour to coincide with the launch of a new Digital TV channel.

Which TV channel is it connected to?
Channel 4 (and FilmFour). 

Bfi Film Fund

What is the purpose of the Bfi Film Fund?

They provide funding for feature film development and production, this includes completion funding and international co-productions.

What is its budget per annum?
They invest £26m+ of Lottery funds to support film development, production and distribution in the UK.


Rook Films

Distribution: 



StudioCanal

Optimum releasing


Budget: Little under $2 million. 


The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically British) by international or global institutions

Where did the idea for the film come from?
It was originally a short film that was intended as a teaser for a television comedy series, however it was seen as being too dark. A director, Edgar Wright, saw its potential as a feature film.

How does the film qualify as 'British'?
It has a British director, its stars (Steve Oram and Alice Lowe) are British, the film is set in the UK, it is based on a very British underlying material, its characters are British, and it has a British crew.

Other films directed by Ben Wheatley
A Field in England, Kill List, Down Terrace & The ABCs of Death.

Distribution (how many screens in the UK and how long was it at cinemas for?)
92 screens in the UK and 122 days.

Films reception (how did critics receive the film? What is a BIFA and how many nominations and awards did the film receive?)
The film has an 85% (certified fresh) critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it also had rave reviews from critics such as Peter Bradshaw and Kim Newman. It won a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for Best Screenplay. It was nominated for 17 awards and it won 11 awards.

Box Office (opening weekend, domestic and world wide)
Opening weekend: $7,384
Domestic: $41,039
Worldwide: $2,735,440

The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences


Which formats is the film available on?
TV, VOD, Magazines, National and Specialist Press, Outdoor – Underground, High Impact Online Display, Video & Social.


How was it released in the US (formats and release pattern)
It was released after the UK release, hitting cinemas in the US on the 10th May 2013- however it wasn't released in all cinemas. It was also released via Video on Demand on the 13th May, making the film accessible on TVs and computers.

How was it marketed how did StudioCanal help?
An online teaser campaign was used that created interest for the film amongst core films fans. The campaign was then broadened out to release with programmes such as Fresh Meat, and films like Submarine and Kill List. The London Underground and high impact press placements were used, this included a wrap on Guardian's Film & Music. Furthermore, it had a special screening at Cannes Directors' Fortnight, and then went on to win raves in Toronto, Locarno, Sitges and London- this great word of mouth helped to result in it being one of the hottest UK exports of 2012. 

StudioCanal supported the marketing by using campaigns and regional events (working with companies such as Organic, Emfoundation, Stella Artois and elevenfiftyfive) to build a strong sense of excitement around the film. The BFI also helped the film by funding it so that it was able to be released on 92 screens.


How was twitter and facebook used to market the film? 

Twitter was used to tweet news about the film in order to create a buzz around it, encouraging people to see it. It was also used to retweet people's positive reviews of the film, further encouraging people to see it. Facebook was used to the same effect.

How was Stella Artois involved? What is a Stella Artois bursary?

The UK premiere was supported by Stella Artois, their bursaries are unique funds that directly support the film community. The premiere helped garner some great press attention for the film and promoted it's general release whilst engaging film audiences with Stella Artois.