Over the two-year Media course, we need to study the following for the Industries key concept:
- How media is produced and who produces it: the companies or organisations behind the media – owners, structures, channels, distributors, film studios etc.
- How the media is increasingly global in terms of products and ownership.
- How the media is funded: where does the money come from? What different funding models exist?
- The regulation and control of media in the UK – including how the internet has challenged traditional rules.
Movie marketing: Film industry blog task
Research the institutional details behind ONE of the following films in list 1 OR list 2:
List 1
List 2
Use imdb.com, rottentomatoes.com and any other relevant websites you can access to find out the following information about the film you have chosen...
Your chosen movie
1) Which film have you chosen?
2) Why did you choose this film in particular?
Institutional background
Use IMDB to find out the institutions behind your chosen film. Find your film, click on Company Credits and then look for the production company and UK distributor.
1) What was the film studio or production company behind your chosen film? E.g. Warner Brothers, Paramount etc.
2) Who was the distributor for the theatrical release of the film in the UK?
No brand loyalty
1) What genre does your chosen film fit into?
2) How can you tell it fits that genre? Be specific with reference to the trailer.
3) Does your chosen film have any stars or a director that are known for that particular genre?
It’s all a matter of timing
1) What was the UK release date for your chosen film?
2) When did the first trailer appear on YouTube for your movie? Find the earliest example you can and embed it in your blog.
3) What other examples of marketing (teaser trailers, main trailers, newspaper or TV interviews etc.) can you find for your chosen film from before the film’s release date?
It’s a social thing
1) What was the word-of-mouth like for your chosen film? If you can’t find tweets (probably blocked) use the IMDB user review rating or the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating to judge whether the public have given the movie a good review.
2) Find three quotes (no more than 25 words each) from user reviews of your movie to create a picture of what the public reaction to the film has been. Post them on your blog.
Risky business
Use IMDB to find out the box office records for your chosen film. Find your film, click on Company Credits and then Box Office/Business. You may want to use the excellent website Box Office Mojo to find out the budget and box office success for the film.
1) What was the original budget for your chosen film?
2) How much money did the film make in the opening weekend?
3) How much money has the film made in total? (Look for the subheading ‘Gross’ which has the total box-office earnings listed).
4) For a film to be considered a box office success, it needs to make at least two-and-a-half times the budget in box office takings. Using this method, was the film you have chosen a success?
Stars in their eyes
Research the stars and director for your chosen film.
1) What films has the director previously directed? Are they in the same or similar genres?
2) Who is the main star in the film?
3) What other films has the main star appeared in? Are any of the films similar to the one you are researching?
4) Are the stars or the director or writer mentioned in the trailer for the film?
When you've finished the questions...
Go back to the list of films and choose a film to research from the other list. Then, work through the questions again for your second film. This will give you a brilliant insight into both big-budget Hollywood productions and lower-budget British films. If you're looking for a 7+ grade in Media this is the kind of comprehensive research and knowledge you need to build up over the GCSE course.
Take it even further...
If you've finished the questions above for TWO films - well done! Now, work through the following tasks to take your case studies to another level:
Newspaper reviews
A more traditional starting point for word-of-mouth is press reviews of the film. Almost all national newspapers carry film reviews of the big releases and positive review quotes are often used on the film's marketing material.
Read three newspaper reviews for one of your chosen films and select five quotes from each review that tell you what the reviewer thought of the film. You can look at the Guardian film website, the Telegraph film website and other reviews in magazines such as Empire.
Additional promotion
Look back 'It's all a matter of timing' question 3... What other examples of promotion can you find for one of your chosen films? TV chat show appearances (e.g. Graham Norton, the One Show etc.) Radio interviews? Make notes and embed any clips in your blog.
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