Film Distribution and Production Research

Dreamworks

Dreamworks was founded on October 12 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. It is owned by Independent (1994-2006), Viacom (2006-2008) and Reliance ADA group (2008-present) who owns 50% of Dreamworks. Dreamworks was also the partner of Paramount. Dreamworks produces films, feature films, programmes and online virtual worlds which Paramount and Viacom distribute it. Shrek 2 was its highest grossing film - $919,838,758 and they mostly produce animation films for children, for example Shark Tale, Shrek, Antz, Madagascar, Megamind etc. 

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox was founded on May 31st 1935 by merger of Fox films and 20th Century Pictures Inc in Los Angeles. The Fox Broadcasting company is the sister of 20th Century Fox. It distributes and produces films, however Pathe and MGM also produce some of their films. Their highest grossing film was Avatar -$1,858,562,198 and they produce a range of genres such as action, romantic comedies, sci-fi etc. For example, Mr and Mrs Smith, Fantastic Four, Borat, Shallow Hal etc.

Working Title

Working Title was founded in 1983 in the United Kingdom. It is partially owned by Universal Studios (2000-present) and was owned by Polygram (1991-1999). Working Title is a production company who also produces feature films and television productions. They produce various genres but mostly comedies and romantic comedies. For example, Hot Fuzz, Mr Bean, Four Weddings and a Funeral etc.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios was founded on June 8th 1912 in Los Angeles by Ronald Meyer. NBCUniversal is its parent and it is owned by Comcast (51%) and General Electric (49%). Universal Studio is mainly a  film-making/production company but it distributes some films and their highest grossing film was E.T: The Extra Terrestrial - $359,197,037. They produce a various range of genres such as Action, Animation, Comedy, Drama etc. For example, Fast and Furious, Despicable Me, Bruce Almighty etc.

Lionsgate

Lionsgate was founded on July 3rd 1997 by Frank Guista in the United States. Lionsgate produces motion pictures, television programming, home videos, family entertainment, video on demand and music and it also does digital distribution. It serves in North America, England, France and Australasia. Lionsgate, along with MGM and Paramount Pictures/Viacom, is also a co-owner of Epix. Lionsgates highest grossing film was The Hunger Games - $408,010,692 and they produce different genres like Horror, Action, Romantic Comedy. For example, The Saw sequel, Safe House, My Best Friend's Girl etc.


Warp Films

Warp Films was founded by Rob Mitchell and Steve Beckett and it is based in the UK. It was initially created with financial support from NESTA and produces short films and is affiliated with Warp X and Warp Film Australia. Warp Films is a production company and its highest grossing film was This is England - £5,058,600. They produce various genres like Donkey Punch, Kill List, Snowtown and Care.

Representation in Romantic Comedies

This is some research I did on representation in various Romantic Comedies.


Representation

Censorship

This is Powerpoint Presentation on censorship and the BBFC:


Censorship

Evaluations of other student films

What went well in this opening sequence was the fact that the strange music matched the lighting in the building; the lighting was dull and caused an enigma code because we are left wondering why and what was going to happen. This conforms to the convention of the genre as it keeps the audience watching and waiting for more action/mystery.
An improvement would be being careful with editing and where the text is placed because at the beginning the white text is against a white background so the text became invisible. I can make my opening sequence successful by taking a few tips from this one but also avoiding making the same mistakes as them.

This groups use of editing went well throughout the sequence as it reflected the fact that this is a thriller through conforming to the conventions of this genre such as dark lighting and the props used (the rope etc). It also created a tense atmosphere. Also, thrillers often have a lot of screaming and loud noises which causes suspense. The location is a code for a thriller which makes the sequence more successful.
An improvement for them would be to be careful as the sequence could also have been a horror so the genre wasn't extremely clear. The acting used was good so to be successful I could use other students that are studying drama as actors for my sequence, just to make it look more realistic.

At the beginning of the sequence it doesn't seem like a sequence at all because the conversation looked like it is leading to more action. The use of narrating went well for this group as it represented the plot a bit more because it was hard to understand where it was going. Also, some of the shots they used were successful, such as the wide-shot with three characters and graffiti on the wall being them. This was effective because it ensured the audience knew the type of environment they were in which related to the narrative and perhaps genre. To improve it I would suggest they change the beginning as it is quite boring and seemed meaningless. To be successful I could use their creative imagination, for example, putting text on an object that seems to play a big part in the sequence. I will avoid having any parts in the sequence that seem boring and will make the audience lose interest.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Title Sequence Analysis

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Title Sequences

Title Sequence Work Sheet Tanisha Hutson">

Introduction to the brief

Today we were introduced to our main task, which is to create an opening of a new fiction film which will last a maximum of 2 minutes.

I feel this is an interesting task however it could be a difficult piece of work.

Script practice

Today I practiced writing scripts using the kids book, NOT NOW BERNARD.


Tanisha

Analysis of codes and conventions

I am analysing the codes and conventions of the thriller, Se7en.

During the opening sequence there are a lot of jittery jump shots. This is a technical code and is used to create a feeling of intensity. The audience doesn’t want to look away in case they miss something. The fast paced shots create a sense of panic, which there is a lot of in a thriller (technical convention).  This sense of panic is also revealed through a verbal code of white messy/scattered handwriting against a black background. These specific colours have been used because they are the complete opposite of each other and create a contrast. The white handwriting is meant to stand out to the audience and the fact that it is scattered suggests the writer was in some sort of rush or panic. It also creates mystery as the audience begins to wonder who the writer is and why their handwriting is like this. Mystery is a big convention in a thriller so this has been represented through these codes.

At the end of the opening sequence a singer sings ‘I want to be closer to God’. This is a symbolic code. It can be perceived in many ways but to me it seems as the person wants to die and be closer to God. Throughout the sequence we see a person with a razor (which is closely associated with suicide) cutting their fingers. This is clearly self harming which gives me the idea that the person wants to die. The mention of God brings a religious tone which is contradictory to the things going on in the sequence; images of people being murdered, blood splatters and self harming. This suggests something about the narrative. Is the film going to be about a battle between God and Satan? The mention of a battle brings to mind the convention of there always being a battle between the good and bad in a thriller. This is what the narrative is built on so it is very important.

Throughout the sequence the setting isn’t revealed, the person remains anonymous and it isn’t made clear what they are doing. This once again adds mystery but also implies the film is a thriller because in thrillers the most important things are left unrevealed. The audience isn’t aware of the most important thing, who a person is, so they will continue to watch the film to find out who it is. This is common in thrillers as the whole idea is to thrill the audience; to give them something they didn’t see coming.

The opening sequence uses many conventions of a thriller; dark lighting, violence, extreme close ups, use of a filter, grainy film, fast paced music, etc.