Vear (AS) Media
Wednesday 27 November 2013
Dredd Essay Improved
When remaking a film, many factors are taken into
consideration to determine the possibility of losing or gaining money. In
attempts to beat the original film, or even widen the audience, film companies follow
the same formula; however they add diverse features to make it as unique as
possible. Sometimes remaking a film can cause a large loss of money, and an
example of this is DNA Film's 2012 remake of Judge Dredd.
Dredd is a 2012 British-South African science fiction action film directed by Pete Travis and written and produced by Alex Garland. Originally it is based on the 2000 AD American comic strip 'Judge Dredd' and its eponymous character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. Karl Urban stars as Judge Dredd, a law enforcer given the power of judge, jury and executioner in a vast, metropolis called Mega-City One that lies in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Originally being a British comic strip, this British remake was not as well known to British audiences due to their lack of knowledge about the origin of Judge Dredd. The ‘Dredd’ remake earned $23,153,028 internationally consisting of 6.9 million dollars earned in the UK. However, with an overall film budget of 45 million dollars, the film makers lost over 22 million dollars after 6 months of the film’s release. Over 25 million dollars was spent on marketing for the film, in attempt to reach a wider audience.
The major marketing consisted of film posters, film trailers
and frequent TV spots, which a few of these received awards (E.g. Golden
trailer award and Best action TV spot) The film makers aimed to be nothing like
the 1994 version of ‘Judge Dredd' and this was reflected in the marketing,
however they seemed to aim the marketing strategies more towards Judge Dredd
comic book fans. Also, with the high content of violence in the film, they’re
restricting the audience again by only aiming it at adult, even though super
hero films are usually aimed towards younger generations.
In an attempt to boost the potential of a film, well-known actors are used to gain interest of potential audiences. This is one of the crucial steps that Mark Kermode (British film critic) believes that could make or break a large blockbuster. The nationality of an actor can help to gain the interest of a certain country, and in this case Karl Urban was used as a leading role. He is famously known for being in films such as; The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Trek, The Bourne Supremacy, and RED, and this has caused him to become recognisable well known worldwide. However, in these films he is not the leading role, unlike Dredd. This can help gain potential audiences internationally; however more famously known actors could have been used to star in the film to boost audience potentials even further.
The use of advance filming equipment can increase a films budget dramatically, and this is why critics believe that 'Dredd' flopped at the box office. The film was shot digitally in 3D using RED MX, SI2K and Phantom Flex high-speed cameras. Certain 2D elements were converted to 3D in post-production. Filming in 3D is a very expensive process and watching films in 3D in not always a popular option for potential audiences. This lost a large amount of possible viewers, and also affected the overall budget of the film dramatically. The film was given an 'R' rating; this limited the age of viewers especially as comic book films are mostly appreciated by younger generations, and also affected the performance in cinemas. By aiming the film towards adults, this further decreased audience potential by at least half. The adult targeting was also show by the wide use of violence, and violent references.
The fact that most of the production team, and a large part
of the cast are of A British nationality, this film is seen as being ‘British’.
This 'British' film can be widely compared to many 'American' blockbusters as
the approach towards marketing, casting and overall appearances are very
different. The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by
Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan
and the story with David S. Goyer. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman,
the film is the final instalment in Nolan's Batman film trilogy, and it is the
sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). In comparison to
'The Dark Knight Rises', Dredd’s budget was very limited as the Batman film had
a budget of around 250–300 million dollars. At the box office, the third part
of the Batman trilogy made over a billion dollars ($1,084,439,099), making over
834 million dollars in profits. The scale of the film required such a large
budget, and to entice a wider audience in, the film makers wanted to put the
money on the screen and make the visual elements the key aspect for the
viewers. The success of this blockbuster was due too many aspects. Firstly the
casting used a wide range of internationally known actors who all have large
followings. Christian Bale stars as the batman, and as a world renowned actor,
contributed to the films massive audience following. The film makers elected
not to film in 3D, but instead stated that they intended to focus on improving
image quality and scale using the IMAX format, also saving money.
In order to reach a larger audience, the marketing campaign
for the film started earlier than normal, and was a contributing factor of the
film’s success. The most successful aspect of the films marketing was the
trailer, which reached over 2 billion views worldwide. Also, actors starring in
the film were frequently interviewed about the film on international programs,
and this helped to boost worldwide interest in the film. The films world
première was July 16, 2012 at the AMC Lincoln Square Theatre in New York City.
In comparison to Dredd, the films run in cinemas worldwide lasted nearly three
times as long, and with no extra charge to view in IMAX, unlike 3D. This was a
major downfall for Dredd. On average, 'the Dark Knight Rises' was shown in at
least 4 screens in every cinema, whereas 'Dredd' was only shown on average of
one screen in every three cinemas.
In conclusion, 'The Dark Knight Rises' was without doubt
more successful than the remake of 'Dredd' because of overall attention an
audience’s need, and the film makers ability to draw in a large potential
audience. The 'Dredd' remake did not target the correct audience, or consider
aspects that could have saved the overall budget and this is evident in the
substantial loss of money. Unlike the success of The Dark Knight, Dredd did not
reach such a successful standard, as it was both financially and critically at
a loss.
Tuesday 26 November 2013
Kill List Production Companies
Kill List is a 2011 British horror film directed by Ben
Wheatley, starring Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley, and MyAnna Buring.
When a British soldier returns home from Kiev, he joins
an old friend as contract killers. His disturbed past surfaces as he spins out
of control during jobs and ominous employers raise the stakes. It was filmed in
Sheffield, South Yorkshire in England.
Warp X is a British film production company, sister to Warp
Films based in Sheffield, UK with further offices in Nottingham and London. The
company was founded in 2005 and produces feature films.
Warp X was founded in 2005 and produces feature films. It is
a digital film studio that produces feature films in the UK with budgets
usually between £400,000 and £800,000. The studio serves as a format for new
film directors to create movies for the first time on a lower budget scale with
less expectation for high box office revenues on their initial feature foray.
The film studio began with support from organizations
including Warp Films, Film Four, the UK Film Council, EM Media and Screen
Yorkshire. The intent of the film studio's creation was to add energy and
vitality to the film industry in Britain.
Films include:
· -For those in peril
· -She, a Chinese
· -Hush
· -Donkey punch
Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned
by Channel Four Television Corporation. The company has been responsible for
backing a large number of films made in the United Kingdom. The company's first
production was Walter, directed by Stephen Frears, which was released in 1982.
Prior to 1998, the company was identified as Channel Four
Films or FilmFour International. Later, the outfit was re-branded as FilmFour,
to coincide with the launch of a new Digital TV channel of the same name. The
company cut its budget and staff significantly in 2002, due to mounting losses,
and was re-integrated into the drama department of Channel 4.
In 2004, Tessa Ross became head of both Film4 and Channel 4
drama.[1] The name "Film4 Productions" was introduced in 2006 to tie
in with the relaunch of the FilmFour broadcast channel as Film4.
Films include:
· - The Iron lady
· - Slumdog millionaire
· - Shaun of the dead
· -127 Hours
The UK Film Council (UKFC) was a non-departmental public
body set up in 2000 by the Labour Government to develop and promote the film
industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by
guarantee governed by a board of 15 directors and was funded through sources
including the National Lottery. John Woodward was the Chief Executive Officer
of the UKFC. As at 30 June 2008, the company had 90 full-time members of staff.
It distributed more than £160m of lottery money to over 900 films. Lord Puttnam
described the Council as "a layer of strategic glue that's helped bind the
many parts of our disparate industry together."
Screen Yorkshire has been running for over ten years, with an aim to not only provide support for Britain within the film industry, but to make Humber and Yorkshire the most sought after destination for productions in the UK. Investments made by Screen Yorkshire are purposely made to develop talent and content in specific films they target. This is the largest organisation in the UK that invests in content (£15 million). Investments are made on market rate commercial terms with an intention to make sure investment returns are going to produce a legacy fund to support the development of content and production for TV and Film in Yorkshire.
Screen Yorkshire also run highly regarded talent schemes, such as 'The List' and 'Triangle'. The idea behind these schemes is to encourage national and regional talent to progressively excel in the TV and Film industries.
Films include
-Wuthering Heights
-Kill List
-A Passionate Woman
-The Damned United
-Tyrannosaur
-Red Riding
-This is England '86
THE 'BIG SIX' RESEARCH
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. (CPII) is an American film
production and distribution studio that is part of the Columbia TriStar Motion
Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony
Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the
leading film studios in the world, a member of the so-called Big Six. It was
one of the so-called Little Three among the eight major film studios of
Hollywood's Golden Age.
The
studio, founded in 1918 as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales by brothers Jack and
Harry Cohn and Joe Brandt, released its first feature film in August 1922. It
adopted the Columbia Pictures name in 1924 and went public two years later. The
name is derived from "Columbia", a national personification of the
United States, which is used as the company's logo.
In its
early years a minor player in Hollywood, Columbia began to grow in the late
1920s, spurred by a successful association with director Frank Capra.
With
Capra and others, Columbia became one of the primary homes of the screwball
comedy. In the 1930s, Columbia's major contract stars were Jean Arthur and Cary
Grant (who was shared with RKO Pictures). In the 1940s, Rita Hayworth became
the studio's premier star and propelled their fortunes into the late 1950s.
Rosalind Russell, Glenn Ford, and William Holden also became major stars at the
studio.
In 1982,
the studio was purchased by Coca-Cola; that same year it launched TriStar
Pictures as a joint venture with HBO and CBS. Five years later, Coca-Cola spun
off Columbia, which merged with Tri-Star to create Columbia Pictures
Entertainment. After a brief period of independence with Coca-Cola maintaining
a financial interest, the combined studio was acquired by Japanese company,
Sony in 1989.
Films
include:
·
21
Jump street
·
The
Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
·
Men
in Black
·
The
Amazing Spider-Man
·
Total
Recall
·
Skyfall
·
Django
Unchained
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., formerly known as Warner Bros.
Studios, commonly referred to as Warner Bros. (spelled Warner Brothers during
the company's early years), or simply WB is an American producer of film,
television, and music entertainment.
One of
the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its
headquarters in Burbank, California and New York. Warner Bros. has several
subsidiary companies, including Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures,
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros.
Animation, Warner Home Video, New Line Cinema, TheWB.com, and DC Entertainment.
Warner owns half of The CW Television Network.
Warner
Bros. is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America
Films
Include:
·
The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
·
Gangster
Squad
·
Jack
the Giant Slayer
·
42
·
The
Great Gatsby
·
The
Hangover Part III
·
Man
of Steel
·
Pacific
Rim
·
The
Conjuring
·
Prisoners
·
Gravity
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production
company and division of The Walt Disney Studios, owned by The Walt Disney
Company. Founded in 1950 as Walt Disney Productions, the division is based at
the Walt Disney Studios and is the main producer of live-action feature films
within the Walt Disney Studios unit. It took on its current name in 1983.
Today, in conjunction with the other units of The Walt Disney Studios, Walt
Disney Pictures is classified as one of Hollywood's "Big Six" film
studios. Nearly all of Walt Disney Pictures' releases are distributed
theatrically by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, through home media
platforms via Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and through television
syndication by Disney-ABC Domestic Television.
The
studio's predecessor (and the modern-day The Walt Disney Company's as a whole)
was originally founded as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, by filmmaker Walt
Disney and his business partner and brother, Roy, in 1923.
The
creation of Mickey Mouse and subsequent short films and merchandise generated
revenue for the studio which was renamed as Walt Disney Productions at the
Hyperion Studio by 1928. The studio's streak of success continued in the 1930s,
culminating with the 1937 release of the first feature-length animated film,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which became a huge financial success. With
the profits from Snow White, Walt relocated to a third studio in Burbank,
California.
Films
Include:
·
Toy
Story 3
·
The
Sorcerer's Apprentice
·
Tangled
·
Tron:
Legacy
·
Mars
Needs Moms
·
Pirates
of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
·
Cars
2
·
John
Carter
·
Brave
·
A
Wreck-It Ralph
·
A
Monsters University
Universal Studios Inc. (also known as Universal
Pictures), is an American motion picture studio, owned by Comcast through its
wholly owned subsidiary NBC Universal, and is one of the six major movie
studios. Its production studios are at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in
Universal City, California. Distribution and other corporate offices are in New
York City.
Founded
in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat
Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, and Jules Brulatour, it is the oldest
movie studio in the United States of America. It is also the fourth oldest in
the world that is still in continuous production; the first being Gaumont
Pictures, the second oldest is Pathé, the third is Nordisk Film, and the fifth oldest
is Paramount Pictures. On May 11, 2004, the controlling stake in the company
was sold by Vivendi Universal to General Electric, parent of NBC. The resulting
media super-conglomerate was renamed NBC Universal, while Universal Studios
Inc. remained the name of the production subsidiary. In addition to owning a
sizable film library spanning the earliest decades of cinema to more
contemporary works, it also owns a sizable collection of TV shows through its
subsidiary NBC Universal Television Distribution. It also acquired rights to
several prominent filmmakers' works originally released by other studios
through its subsidiaries over the years.
Films
Include:
·
Snow
White & the Huntsman
·
Ted
·
The
Bourne Legacy
·
Pitch
Perfect
·
Les
Misérables
·
Mama
·
Jurassic
Park
·
Fast
& Furious 6
·
Despicable
Me 2
·
R.I.P.D.
·
Kick-Ass
2
·
The
World's End
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (Twentieth
Century-Fox Film Corporation, with hyphen, from 1935 to 1985)—also known as
20th Century Fox, or 20th Century Fox Pictures, is one of the six major
American film studios as of 2011. Located in the Century City area of Los
Angeles, just west of Beverly Hills, the studio used to be a subsidiary of News
Corporation, but now it's currently a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox. The
company was founded on May 31, 1935, as the result of the merger of Fox Film
Corporation, founded by William Fox in 1915, and Twentieth Century Pictures,
founded in 1933 by Darryl F. Zanuck and Joseph M. Schenck.
20th
Century Fox has distributed various commercially successful film series,
including Star Wars, Ice Age, X-Men, Die Hard, Planet of the Apes, Fantastic
Four, Alien and Predator. Television series produced by Fox include The
Simpsons, M*A*S*H, The X-Files, Family Guy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, How I Met
Your Mother, Glee, Modern Family and 24. Among the most famous actresses to
come out of this studio were Shirley Temple, who was 20th Century Fox's first
film star, Betty Grable, Gene Tierney, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. The
studio also contracted the first African-American cinema star, Dorothy
Dandridge.
20th
Century Fox is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
Films
Include:
·
Rise
of the Planet of the apes
·
We
Bought a Zoo
·
Star
Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
·
Titanic
·
Prometheus
·
Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire hunter
·
Ice
Age: Continental Drift
·
Taken
2
Paramount Pictures Corporation (commonly known as
Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount) is a film and television
production/distribution studio, consistently ranked as one of the largest
(top-grossing) film studios. It is a subsidiary of U.S. media conglomerate
Viacom, Paramount is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA). It has distributed various commercially successful film series,
Films
series include:
·
Shrek,
·
Transformers,
·
Mission:
Impossible,
·
Cinematic
Universe (2008-2011),
·
Indiana
Jones,
·
Star
Trek,
·
Jackass,
·
Beverly
Hills Cop,
·
"Crocodile"
Dundee,
·
Madagascar,
·
Kung
Fu Panda,
·
Paranormal
Activity,
·
G.I.
Joe,
·
Friday
the 13th.
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