Research Project: 127 Hours

Task 1: The Film

The storyline of this film is A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive. The genre of this film is varied between drama, adventure and thriller. The target audience of this film is aimed for people who are called ‘adrenaline junkies’ and who like the extreme sports. The target audience is also people who like sitting at the edge of there seat. The director of this film is Danny Boyle; he also made films such as Slumdog millionaire which was a big British film. The budget of the film was $18,000,000 (estimated). The companies that made the film are film 4, cloud eight films, Everest entertainment, Darlow Smithson production, Dune entertainment 3, Handmade films and Pathe. It was filmed in Moab, Utah, USA and Salt Lake City. The main actors are James Franco, Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara. The studio that distributed the film was 20^th Century Fox. It was released in the US and the UK. The film is from Britain, as the director is known for making many British movies and this one was from Britain. The film has appeared in the London film festival, and also the Austin film festival and has also received some awards like Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 55 nominations.

Task 2: Marketing

The poster

This poster is not very interactive as it doesn’t give any direct mode of address, and also the close up of the mans face is blocked by all the other effects. From this poster you can assume that it will be a British film as the director is a British director. We can also assume it is a sci-fi, drama as the man is obviously looking at something important and he is being blurred and the blurred effect is something that happens to technology, specifically televisions, so we can assume that technology is involved. The target audience would be people who like physiological thrillers or maybe who like true stories. The method to sell the film by a poster is that they have a big name actor in the poster and it stands out to lure the audience in to view his movie. They give information such as that it is a true story, which makes it more interesting, it also gives the reference of the director and also the tag line which is also like what the story is about. Personally I don’t think I would like to see the film, I think they sold it well with there poster but it is not the kind of genre I would go and watch. There different to Hollywood films as Hollywood films have better advertisement and also they always advertise in other countries where as UK doesn’t.

The Website

The website image is more interesting as it is a different image of the man in a dangerous situation; it shows his whole body and the sun going down to show he will be wondering and in a bad situation till dark. It’s very interactive as it makes us intrigued.  We can assume it is a drama as the man is in a tough place and is facing difficulties. The target audience would be people who like physiological thrillers or maybe who like true stories. The fact that the poster is on a website means that the audience can see it whenever they want not just when they are out. This gives an advantage to the makers of the film as they will get a wider response. They give information such as that it is a true story, which makes it more interesting, it also gives the reference of the director and also the tag line which is also like what the story is about. In this image on a website they make it look more of the genre I would watch so I would go to watch it, as the main image makes it look so interesting where as the poster didn’t. There different to Hollywood films as Hollywood films have better advertisement and also they always advertise in other countries where as UK doesn’t.

The trailer

The trailer is the best way to advertise the movie as it shows you parts of the movie, and makes you more interested based on the setting and the use of camera shots.  It is very interactive as the sound and movement help the audience get interested in the film. By the scenes shown the film is like a documentary and movie merged into one. Now watching the trailer I believe that the genre is adventure and drama, as they create suspense through one of the scenes showing them falling through air. The use of camera movement and setting helped sell the film as it helps create the illusion of reality but can also convey a real story. They give information such as that it is a true story, and through the film when seeing all these actions you have to remind yourself that it is a true story, which makes the experience of the film even more interesting and enjoyable. They are successful in making me see the film as the setting and the fact there is a documentary attached interests me.

Analysis of Film poster

The genre this poster represents is an action/ adventure film due to its actors as all of them have been in one action film; the main attraction of this film would be Johnny depp as he is a bankable star, and he has been in many hit films such as Edward scissor hands. Also the props of swords and guns also attract the audience as they can tell it will be a fantasy, the gun is old and no one in today’s society has a large sword. Also the setting looks as if they are in a cave; this makes them appear to be on an adventure, which would appeal to all kinds of audiences, such as families and also adults as there is romance and violence. We can also see that Johnny Depp is the main character as he is in front of the page and also the middle. Also the stars are being used on the posters by images instead of text, this is useful as many people may not know the actors or actress’ name but have seen them in another film and liked them. We can associate films such as Sleepy hollow as it is an a fantasy film and stared Johnny Depp, this would be important when thinking of the marketing campaign of the film because for Johnny Depp to appear in a film the director needs to think of what kinds of genre films he stars in the most, as that audience that view his films would need to like the genre. This movie is totally individual it has its own original music with original storyline. The only text that is used on this poster is the title and the soundtrack. This gives out the mystery of the film and lures the audience into the cinemas to find out more about the film. The composition of the poster is that Johnny Depp is in the middle and dominates the page revealing he is the main character, and then beside him he has Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush which shows they have a quarrel and then Keera Knightly beside Orlando Bloom to show who she is in love with. The camera angle used on this poster is an extreme close-up as it shows the most important thing, which is the cast’s faces, as they all are bankable stars. I believe that the target audience is a range between families and adult couples, as there is romance constantly in the movie whilst also action attracts the younger audience. Since the props and the characters usually have younger audiences it foreshadows what audience they will attract. the unique selling point of this movie is the bankable characters and the genre of the film as both would attract different groups of audiences.

Independant film precious

Precious- independent film (not by big six Hollywood studios)

Research from www.imdb.com

The independent movie I have chosen is precious as it has many stars involved. The idea of the film was inspired by a book called Push written by a woman called Sapphire. The original script was written by Geoffrey Fletcher but he got most of the ideas from the novel push. The financial backers were easy to arrange as major star Opera Winfrey put most of her money into this film as she felt related to it, she was also one of the executive producers. The production companies were Lee Daniels entertainment and also Smokewood entertainment group. The director of the film was Lee Daniels whose production company also produced the film. The Executive Producer was Simone Sheffield. Lee Daniels was also the director; he fulfilled many roles in this film. It was released through lion’s gate entertainment. Precious was filmed on location in various parts of New York City including the film's main setting Harlem, for the period of over five weeks. Daniels believes that his choices for the cast were based on how the actors and actresses worked in there films. Daniels stated he cast her in the role of Mrs. Weiss based on her performance in that film. The budget was $10,000,000 (estimated) and the Gross profit was $47,395,661 (USA). The script was only changed in its music choice Composer Robin Thicke wrote and produced "Push", the film's original main theme music. Later announcements confirmed that the song would be replaced by Mary J. Blige's "I Can See in Color"

Research task

The Hollywood blockbuster film I have chosen was Black Swan as it is a new film that has attracted many good reviews and is a Drama so it would attract a wide audience because it has suspension, tension and keeps the audience at the edge of there seat. The idea of the film was written by Mark Heyman and was screen played by Andres Heinz. He developed the concept by himself but Andres also developed the idea. The idea came from the well known pressures and expectations that are associated with the dancing profession, especially ballet. Thomas Leroy, the artistic director of a New York City ballet company, is mounting Swan Lake as the company's next production. I believe the original script was written by Fox Searchlight Pictures. the production companies were fox searchlight pictures and phoenix pictures are two of the biggest Hollywood production companies as fox has its own channel in America and produces many great films. The director was Darren Aronofsky, and the producer was tom Paul.

The locations where the film was shot are Bowling Green, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City, New York, the concert hall, performing arts centre, purchase college, State university of New York at purchase. Woodhull medical and mental health centre Brooklyn New York. There were no problems with the cast of the movie, in fact Natalie Portman recommended her friend Mila Kunis or the role of Lily after learning that she was a good dancer. The films budget was estimated at $13,000,000 and it gained $83,250,375