1. How important is the appearance of a cinema in you returning? Use examples from your own cinema visits.
On one hand, it could be argued that the appearance of a cinema is important in one returning. Geographical factors are not necessarily the most important ones for deciding which cinema to choose as many cinemas are easily accessible by means of public transport or other methods of travel. For this reason, the appearance of a cinema can come to be the deciding factor on whether or not to visit it. After all, the appearance of a cinema is what makes the first impression on someone going to see a film at the big screen meaning that they will be strongly influenced by it and it can come to determine the viewer’s outlook on the whole event. Furthermore, cinemas nowadays can have more features than simply a foyer – some have, for example, cafes, meaning the features of an individual cinema are becoming more and more important regarding people’s choices of cinema.
On the other hand, however, the deciding factor of going to the cinema altogether is almost always where films are on. Due to film marketing, most people will go to cinemas with an idea of what they want to watch already in their head – it is simply a question of which cinemas are showing it at the most convenient time. Most big films are now booked online which show how cinemas themselves are not as important as what they show.
All in all, the appearance of a cinema is becoming more important in convincing viewers to return – however, it will never be a deciding factor over the question of which cinemas show which films.
2. How significant do you think 3D and digital projection facilities will be to exhibitors? What will it allow them to do?
The use of digital projection facilities will allow exhibitors to create more screens as using digital technology is cheaper. This as a result will lead to cinemas making a bigger profit out of showings, firstly because they will have more cinemas and secondly because the showings cost less for them now. The use of 3D is also considered to be a strong turning point in cinema which will draw more people into cinemas on the basis of watching a film in 3D given its relatively new transfer into the mainstream. Furthermore, ticket prices are more expensive with 3D showings meaning that cinemas will make even more profit out of them.
3. Find out more about Vue, Odeon UCI and Cineworld cinemas - who owns them?
Vue are owned by the private equity firm Doughty Hanson & Co.
Odeon UCI have come under various ownerships in the last 10 years, firstly to Cinven in 2000, then to a group of private investors in 2003 and then to Terra Firma in 2004 where it was merged with United Cinemas International.
Cineworld is privately owned, though the Blackstone group invested in it in 2004 and currently hold 20% of its shares.
4. Although audience choice was a central part of the success of the multiplex what actually have multiplexes allowed exhibitors to do?
Multiplexes have allowed exhibitors to make more money out of individual Hollywood films - despite the amount of cinemas in many multiplexes it is usually the case that most of them show the same 8-10 core titles which are usually Hollywood films - barely any of the films shown at multiplexes are arthouse. The increase in multiplexes has led to an increase in aadmissions - they doubled in little more than 10 years - between 1985 and 1997 admissions went from 72 million to 140 million.
5. The main arthouse cinema chains are the Picturehouse and Curzon chains. One of the main differences between these cinemas and multiplex cinemas is in the films they show - Curzon and the Picturehouse cinemas often show independent films with Curzon favouring European or world cinema. Hollywood blockbusters are rarely present in these cinemas and arthouse, world cinema films are rarely present in the multiplexes. Furthermore, these chains do not only show modern films but re runs of old films as well, popular or obscure ones.
Arthouse cinemas also often have less screens than multiplexes sometimes only 3 or 4. They are not made with the intention of making as much money as the multiplexes (of course they do hope to seek profits as well) meaning they have less screens.
6. What are the BFI doing to help promote niche films to UK audiences?
Funding niche products in order to secure their creation and large scale release.
7. Exhibitors are the route to customers. All film makers think carefully about how their production decisions affect the exhibition sector. What do you look for in a cinema?
In a cinema I do not look for anything in particular - it is usually the case that I go to see films based on what films are on in which cinemas. However, since I watch a range of films from major Hollywood films to more independent productions I tend to look for cinemas which show a reasonably wide range of films. This is not always easy, however, as there is an increasingly strong divide between Hollywood productions and independent productions.
8. Exhibitors are increasingly involved in promoting independent films locally - where personal appearances by cast and crew can generate good press. How might this affect the production of low budget British films?
This will allow more publicity - particularly good publicity - of low budget British films reaching local audiences, which may in turn increase the production of low budget British films and secure larger scale exhibitions of them.
9. The exhibition sector in the UK has grown rapidly but now is a period of some consolidation. The advent of digital technology is raising some interesting issues for the relationships between producer, director and exhibitor. What do you think might happen in the future?
I believe that in the future, digital technology will be increasingly used by exhibitors due to the fact that most major productions which are making money are being made using digital technology. Even directors who make their films using film rather than digital may find their films being exhibited using digital technology as they are soon to be in the minority of directors using film - due to the increasing use of digital to film, digital to exhibit may become the norm.
10. Do you think independent cinemas will survive in the future?
I think that independent cinemas will survive in the future, as there is still a reasonably strong market for independent, foreign and old films - particularly in the wake of this year's releases. The Artist, for example, was a European production that went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. This may open more windows for European cinema altogether - being a silent film and a throwback to the golden age of cinema it may also convince more people to see the old black and white classic films shown in cinemas such as Picturehouses. The Tree of Life and Drive, both arthouse films (Drive being an independent production by a European director), also recieved major releases, critical acclaim and the former was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Showing posts with label The Film Industry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Film Industry. Show all posts
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
The Film Industry Questions - Distribution
Did millions of people go to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in the first week of release because it is such a great film, or because it is so well marketed? Or Both?
The figure – that 32% of the final gross of the film was made in its opening weekend – suggests that Pirates of the Caribbean was a popular film in it’s first week of release was because of the marketing rather than the quality of the film. It starred three popular actors – Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley – and was of course a follow up to a highly successful and acclaimed blockbuster, meaning it was very anticipated as a film. As a result, it made 135 million in its opening weekend, though this ended up being a substantial amount of the film’s overall earnings suggesting that audiences were not as keen to re-watch it as they were to watch it the first time around.
Why do you think Cloverfield was such a successful movie?
One o f the main reasons why Cloverfield was a success was because of its use of viral marketing in accordance with the ‘found footage’ genre it was part of. The marketing was able to stir up curiosity and interest by giving it a fairly low profile. The first information given about it was a teaser trailer giving no name for the film and only a release date. The main footage shown was a homemade video of New York being attacked by something unidentified, ending with an image of the head of the Statue of Liberty crashing through a street. These glimpses of the film were memorable, and led to audience interest due to the fact that they were not totally explained. Via word of mouth, the interest was heightened as blogs and viral websites posted information about the film, sometimes relating to the backstories of the characters and sometimes cryptically revealing information about the monster story. In this way, the film has a universe which goes beyond the 90 minute film itself, making it a more intriguing experience to moviegoers. Cloverfield was not the first ‘found footage’ film and it is certainly not the last – however, in recent years, very few ‘found footage’ films have put as much effort into making their stories seem believable in the way that Cloverfield did.
To what extent do you agree with the statement that the audience of tomorrow is online? What examples from your own consumption of films and media lead you towards the internet?
I believe that there will be a general tend towards watching films online with the younger generation for several reasons. For one thing, they consume the advertising and publicity of the films they watch mainly online through adverts on youtube and awareness pages on websites and social networking sites such as Facebook. This means that it will feel natural for them to actually watch their films online rather than go to the cinema and see them. Furthermore, the internet opens new windows of opportunity for lesser known or independent directors to get their films seen and can become popular as a result of this.
Personally, I have often favoured watching films at the cinema or at least renting them on DVD as I often find myself particularly drawn towards certain films with certain actors or directors which give me more of an incentive to watch them on the best formats available. However, most of the marketing for films which I have enjoyed recently I have often consumed online – Apple Trailers for example showcase all trailers for upcoming films, and film websites such as IMDb offer information about upcoming films which I may want to see. Online marketing has also opened new opportunities for creating excitement – not only can trailers be shown online but short select scenes from films to advertise the film as a whole to the audience. One particular film that got my attention through this was the film Drive, which released it's opening prologue online before making a trailer.
The figure – that 32% of the final gross of the film was made in its opening weekend – suggests that Pirates of the Caribbean was a popular film in it’s first week of release was because of the marketing rather than the quality of the film. It starred three popular actors – Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley – and was of course a follow up to a highly successful and acclaimed blockbuster, meaning it was very anticipated as a film. As a result, it made 135 million in its opening weekend, though this ended up being a substantial amount of the film’s overall earnings suggesting that audiences were not as keen to re-watch it as they were to watch it the first time around.
Why do you think Cloverfield was such a successful movie?
One o f the main reasons why Cloverfield was a success was because of its use of viral marketing in accordance with the ‘found footage’ genre it was part of. The marketing was able to stir up curiosity and interest by giving it a fairly low profile. The first information given about it was a teaser trailer giving no name for the film and only a release date. The main footage shown was a homemade video of New York being attacked by something unidentified, ending with an image of the head of the Statue of Liberty crashing through a street. These glimpses of the film were memorable, and led to audience interest due to the fact that they were not totally explained. Via word of mouth, the interest was heightened as blogs and viral websites posted information about the film, sometimes relating to the backstories of the characters and sometimes cryptically revealing information about the monster story. In this way, the film has a universe which goes beyond the 90 minute film itself, making it a more intriguing experience to moviegoers. Cloverfield was not the first ‘found footage’ film and it is certainly not the last – however, in recent years, very few ‘found footage’ films have put as much effort into making their stories seem believable in the way that Cloverfield did.
To what extent do you agree with the statement that the audience of tomorrow is online? What examples from your own consumption of films and media lead you towards the internet?
I believe that there will be a general tend towards watching films online with the younger generation for several reasons. For one thing, they consume the advertising and publicity of the films they watch mainly online through adverts on youtube and awareness pages on websites and social networking sites such as Facebook. This means that it will feel natural for them to actually watch their films online rather than go to the cinema and see them. Furthermore, the internet opens new windows of opportunity for lesser known or independent directors to get their films seen and can become popular as a result of this.
Personally, I have often favoured watching films at the cinema or at least renting them on DVD as I often find myself particularly drawn towards certain films with certain actors or directors which give me more of an incentive to watch them on the best formats available. However, most of the marketing for films which I have enjoyed recently I have often consumed online – Apple Trailers for example showcase all trailers for upcoming films, and film websites such as IMDb offer information about upcoming films which I may want to see. Online marketing has also opened new opportunities for creating excitement – not only can trailers be shown online but short select scenes from films to advertise the film as a whole to the audience. One particular film that got my attention through this was the film Drive, which released it's opening prologue online before making a trailer.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
A History of British Cinema - Questions
1
One of the major developments in the UK film industry has been the increase in politically and socially progressive films, mainly coming into the centre stage during the Thatcher years, with directors such as Ken Loach and Mike Leigh at the forefront of this style of social realism. Even Four Weddings and a Funeral, which was less focused on the harsh qualities of the Thatcher era and more focused on the upper middle class of England, was certainly a film based on class and proved to be greatly successful here and in the USA. One of the most radical and famous examples of the gritty form of British cinema that emerged in the 80s and 90s was Trainspotting, starring Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner. Focusing on the acid house culture of 90s teen life in the UK, it had a strong and noticeable influence on many British films, inspiring such films as Human Traffic and Boston Kickout, which all starred now famous British actors. Often these films would have a mix of realism and surrealism, focusing on the UK drug culture and its highs and lows. Films like these challenged traditional views on youth, though youth culture was not the only aspect of British society which had new light shed on it by British films. Directors such as Shane Meadows began to explore English society outside London with films such as This is England (set in Nottingham). In general, British cinema had began to explore the lives of the 'underclass' which was emerging during the 90s, with films like Brassed Off and The Full Monty being prime examples of such films.
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Momentum Pictures tend to distribute low to medium budget films, usually UK or foreign films. Recently, for example, they distributed Shame, a British film starring Michael Fassbender, and Valhalla Rising, by Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn. They distribute films of many different genres, from actioners such as Haywire to the Oscar winning drama The King's Speech, though there is a recurring trend for them to distribute more independent or arthouse films - they have distributed and are distributing films for sophisticated, independent or arthouse directors such as Steven Soderbergh (for Haywire), John Hillcoat (for the upcoming Wettest County), Nicholas Winding Refn, David O. Russell (for The Fighter) and Gus Van Sant (for Milk). They have also frequently distributed films for Mike Leigh, the famous British social realist director.
One of the major developments in the UK film industry has been the increase in politically and socially progressive films, mainly coming into the centre stage during the Thatcher years, with directors such as Ken Loach and Mike Leigh at the forefront of this style of social realism. Even Four Weddings and a Funeral, which was less focused on the harsh qualities of the Thatcher era and more focused on the upper middle class of England, was certainly a film based on class and proved to be greatly successful here and in the USA. One of the most radical and famous examples of the gritty form of British cinema that emerged in the 80s and 90s was Trainspotting, starring Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner. Focusing on the acid house culture of 90s teen life in the UK, it had a strong and noticeable influence on many British films, inspiring such films as Human Traffic and Boston Kickout, which all starred now famous British actors. Often these films would have a mix of realism and surrealism, focusing on the UK drug culture and its highs and lows. Films like these challenged traditional views on youth, though youth culture was not the only aspect of British society which had new light shed on it by British films. Directors such as Shane Meadows began to explore English society outside London with films such as This is England (set in Nottingham). In general, British cinema had began to explore the lives of the 'underclass' which was emerging during the 90s, with films like Brassed Off and The Full Monty being prime examples of such films.
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Never let me go
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3
Momentum Pictures tend to distribute low to medium budget films, usually UK or foreign films. Recently, for example, they distributed Shame, a British film starring Michael Fassbender, and Valhalla Rising, by Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn. They distribute films of many different genres, from actioners such as Haywire to the Oscar winning drama The King's Speech, though there is a recurring trend for them to distribute more independent or arthouse films - they have distributed and are distributing films for sophisticated, independent or arthouse directors such as Steven Soderbergh (for Haywire), John Hillcoat (for the upcoming Wettest County), Nicholas Winding Refn, David O. Russell (for The Fighter) and Gus Van Sant (for Milk). They have also frequently distributed films for Mike Leigh, the famous British social realist director.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
The British Film Industry - Questions
1 - Based on the statistics, does the British Film Industry seem to be in good shape?
These statistics suggest that the British Film Industry is in reasonably good shape - certainly a sustainable one - though it is clear that there are some weaknesses with regard to it at present, many of which could be put down to the current economic conditions. The value of domestic production has fallen by 22%, and the median budget of UK films has gone from approximately 3 million pounds to 1 million. Nonetheless, the British Film Industry remains the third largest in the world. It has seen some prolific accolades and successes over the past few years - for example, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 earned almost £1 billion, and The King's Speech, a fairly low budget British film, went on to become a huge success and winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture.
2 - How does film production in the UK seem to be very different from the Hollywood model?
One of the main differences between UK film production and Hollywood film production is that the UK often has co-productions between several different production companies and distributors, whereas Hollywood films often rely one one major film production company such as Universal Studios or Warner Bros. Many British films also rely on European or American investments, e.g. Ken Loach's Looking for Eric had investment from Germany and Spain, while The Dark Knight was a UK/American co-production.
3 - What does the table tell us about the state of the UK film industry in 2010?
The table tells us that the vast majority of films released in the UK are in fact American, and that these films have the largest box office earnings of all films released. It also suggests that UK independent productions are not nearly as popular as UK studio-backed productions, given that the studio-backed productions had a 10% higher share of the box office than independent productions, when the latter had around 100 more released. Overall, it states that a quater of the box office share was from UK films - though this is pale by comparison to the USA box office share, it is also very high above the share of films from the rest of the world combined.
4 - How many of these cilms could be considered British films? What does this say about the scale of the UK film industry?
Shrek Forever After - this was distributed by Paramount UK.
Twilight Saga: Eclipse - this was distributed by E1 entertainment in the UK.
Sherlock Holmes - this was distributed by Warner Bros UK.
Alvin and the Chipmunks - this was distributed by Twentiefth Century Fox UK.
Sex and the City 2 - this was distributed by Warner Bros UK. It also recieved worldwide New Line Cinema distribution.
None of these films can be considered wholly British, as most of them had American production companies backing them and recieved worldwide distribution, with most distribution companies such as Warner Bros and Paramount also distributing in the USA, Ireland, European and other countries.
5 - Which of these two films recently released in the UK do you think is a BBC co-production and why?
My Week with Marylin, given that it seems to be a majorly British film with an all-British cast - it is also set in England.
6 - Why do you think the Coalition government decided to close down the UKFC?
It would appear that the UK Film Council used it's money unwisely - sometimes investing in arthouse pictures which do not often make profit, while at other times investing in bigger budget films that could have found money elsewhere. Furthermore, in the year leading up to it's closing down, it put £160 million of Lotery monney into more than 900 productions, not all of which were successful. It had recieved criticism for narrowing the rate of return for the industry.
These statistics suggest that the British Film Industry is in reasonably good shape - certainly a sustainable one - though it is clear that there are some weaknesses with regard to it at present, many of which could be put down to the current economic conditions. The value of domestic production has fallen by 22%, and the median budget of UK films has gone from approximately 3 million pounds to 1 million. Nonetheless, the British Film Industry remains the third largest in the world. It has seen some prolific accolades and successes over the past few years - for example, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 earned almost £1 billion, and The King's Speech, a fairly low budget British film, went on to become a huge success and winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture.
2 - How does film production in the UK seem to be very different from the Hollywood model?
One of the main differences between UK film production and Hollywood film production is that the UK often has co-productions between several different production companies and distributors, whereas Hollywood films often rely one one major film production company such as Universal Studios or Warner Bros. Many British films also rely on European or American investments, e.g. Ken Loach's Looking for Eric had investment from Germany and Spain, while The Dark Knight was a UK/American co-production.
3 - What does the table tell us about the state of the UK film industry in 2010?
The table tells us that the vast majority of films released in the UK are in fact American, and that these films have the largest box office earnings of all films released. It also suggests that UK independent productions are not nearly as popular as UK studio-backed productions, given that the studio-backed productions had a 10% higher share of the box office than independent productions, when the latter had around 100 more released. Overall, it states that a quater of the box office share was from UK films - though this is pale by comparison to the USA box office share, it is also very high above the share of films from the rest of the world combined.
4 - How many of these cilms could be considered British films? What does this say about the scale of the UK film industry?
Shrek Forever After - this was distributed by Paramount UK.
Twilight Saga: Eclipse - this was distributed by E1 entertainment in the UK.
Sherlock Holmes - this was distributed by Warner Bros UK.
Alvin and the Chipmunks - this was distributed by Twentiefth Century Fox UK.
Sex and the City 2 - this was distributed by Warner Bros UK. It also recieved worldwide New Line Cinema distribution.
None of these films can be considered wholly British, as most of them had American production companies backing them and recieved worldwide distribution, with most distribution companies such as Warner Bros and Paramount also distributing in the USA, Ireland, European and other countries.
5 - Which of these two films recently released in the UK do you think is a BBC co-production and why?
My Week with Marylin, given that it seems to be a majorly British film with an all-British cast - it is also set in England.
6 - Why do you think the Coalition government decided to close down the UKFC?
It would appear that the UK Film Council used it's money unwisely - sometimes investing in arthouse pictures which do not often make profit, while at other times investing in bigger budget films that could have found money elsewhere. Furthermore, in the year leading up to it's closing down, it put £160 million of Lotery monney into more than 900 productions, not all of which were successful. It had recieved criticism for narrowing the rate of return for the industry.
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