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.