Unit 26 - Films and their audiences

Distribution, Marketing and Exhibition

Distribution and marketing

The film that i have chosen is: Quantum of Solace

The primary target audience for the film i have chosen would be Male's, who are aged between 15-35. It is mainly Males, because the main character is male and the villains are also male as well, so most of the cast is made up by men, Also women in bond films are usually just their for Male viewers to gawp and stare at, By the use of Mulvey's male gaze theory. James Bond himself would be an inspirational and role model for the lower ages as he embarks on a cool secret mission to save the world, this would make lower ages engaged and excited in the film and they would one day like to be like him as well, Older males would enjoy the action but they would be of a more mature age and they would like the plot of the film to be good as well, as they would not be as easily pleased by constant frantic action.

The secondary target audience would be females aged 18-30, This would be because they would enjoy a good action film as they are of a mature age to enjoy a film with action, cars, guns etc. They would be interested in what the film is about and the plot and of course they hope to see James bond triumph, however Females are also excited by seeing James bond as well, as he is supposedly a 'ladies man' and so they would probably enjoy some of the sexual scenes taking part in the film as well. 

The box office revenue for this film was $586,090,727 worldwide, most of its revenue came from foreign countries as only domestic (UK) was $168,368,427. Comparing to is previous film Casino Royale, $599,045,960 as a total. So it did not do as successful as it previous film. This could be because of a Change of directors, In Casino Royale it was Martin Campbell, where as in Quantum of Solace it was Mark Foster.

Trailers of the film would have a big impact on the publicising as they would give the fans and viewers of the series a insight into the film and give them something to wait for, it increases the hype about the film and it will make the viewers look forward to watch the film. Trailers are very important to make the film well known and make sure that a majority of people know that there is a new film being made. Also trailers can also make new-comers to want to watch the film, as they may like some aspects of the trailers that they see, and so this will lead them to watch the film when it is released.

From watching the trailer you can see that it is a continuation from the Previous film, as James bond had shot Mr.white in the leg, and he has brought him back to MI5 for interrogation. this means that if you have not watched the previous film then you may be confused or may not understand some of the references, so new comers to the franchise would have to watch the previous film to be able to fully enjoy this one. The trailer has a lot of action sequences to engage the audience and make the feel excited for the film that is going to be released, it does not give away plot details or any part of the story, it just shows the main characters briefly and shows action scened to make the viewer want to see the film with the full plot and action mixing into each other to create a better experience. The trailer also has the Classic James Bong theme tune in the background so it will create nostalgia for fans and also it is a 'catchy' song that will make the new viewers quickly acquainted with it. 

Social media would also have a huge impact into making the film more known and watched by a lot of people, due to the Target audience being aged between 15-30, most of the people watching will have a social media account and so they would talk about the film and place images/videos that they have seen. This then will be seen by their friends and they would repeat the same thing and so a huge amount of people would be notified or at least seen the film's publicity and so it will make them want to see it when the film is released. The film could also create their own account and give updates to their fans, they could give sneak previews and small clips to excite the viewers and make them wait for the release of the film.

Merchandise is also a way of collecting revenue from fans, They are collectibles and things that would make the fans happy as they own something that connects with the film that they have watched and enjoyed. This will generate income for the producers as they will produce and sell these products to their fans and then use the money that they have made to make more films of the same series and then create merchandise for the same series and then repeat the cycle.



The reviews of a film can also influence people to watch the film, if the previous film received good ratings then the following film would be watched by more people, 

Old vs remakes

The Two films i am going to focus on is: LA Take-down and Heat. They are made by the same director: Micheal Mann

LA Take-down is a prequel, it was made before Heat. it was made in 1989, and it is argued that LA take-down was a used a basis for the successful crime film in 1995 called heat, the film consists of a bank heist being made by a group of criminals who hijack the bank vans and take the drivers hostage to get in the bank and steal all the money, however in both films one of the group shoots and kills the hostages, and so the police move in to take out the criminals and it leads to a shootout. 

At the end of the film the main character dies, in which in the films they are called: McLaren and McCauley. They even have similar names, people have given Heat better reviews and it was a more successful film, but delving deep you can see that most of the dialogue, the narrative structure and action and theme are taken from the first film.

The Film Heat was made afterwards, as if LA Take-down was a test to see if a film in that genre and structure would be successful and appeal to a larger audience, because all producers want to make a profit out of the film that they make, and the director wants to receive positive results so they can be offered more director roles in the future.

These films are 'old' as they did not have the technology that the current Hollywood has, with CGI and special effects, so the remake was treated as a copy as some people favor LA-take-down as it is original and Heat to be a 'copy' just to grab more money from the viewers, and this is what exactly Hollywood is doing at the moment, they remake films that do not create their own original idea, because that requires effort and a lot of money. Where as remaking a set idea with different actors and 'cool' effects can be a big hit and make more money than an original idea, to make it simple Producers/studios do not want to take risks funding a 'not tested' idea. 

I personally enjoyed Heat more, as it has my Favorite actor:  Al Pacino, also he is a favorite of many people as well, The film Heat was made 6 years later so there is an improvement in technology as well, The film Heat is known and more famous than its prequel, and it is more successful by its box office of $187,436,818. It was a success as it had more known and famous actors and it had a longer running time as well. 

Unit 26 - intertextuality

Intertextuality 

Intertextuality is when films have references to another film in the past, The film's that I have Chosen are: Olympus had fallen, and white house down.

The two films have nearly exactly the same plot, That the Terrorists are attacking the White house, The two films has similar plots, the main character ends up saving the day and killing all of the terrorists, and him rushing to the top of the White house to stop the U.S government from bombing it, The references in the films are throughout, as if White house down was a tribute to Olympus has fallen they exactly have the same plot, while the main character is touring the White house, there is instant terrorist attack, The protagonist has excellent military training and they go ahead to try and protect the president, in the films there are different actors but they play the same role, The president needs to be saved and protected, The main character is trying to save the white house and obviously kill the terrorists. There are also side characters which help in the film, such as like as sidekick in both films to help guide the character around the building as it is a big place and move them around safely so that they can have a chance of saving them. Also in both films the President is seemed to be dead, this means that a vice-president is placed in charge, However in White House Down, the 'new' president turns out to be a traitor, where as in Olympus has fallen the 'new' president actually helps protect the White house. The Both films involve the military coming into intercept and being shot down by the terrorists, involving a shootout on the outside garden of the White house. The Films were both released in 2013.

Auteur Theory Essay

Auteur Theory

The auteur theory is a theory that the directors have control over what their film looks like and what the film is. "Auteur" translates to author in English. The auteur theory originated in France in the late 1940's. An example of an early Auteur is Francois Truffaut, he started off the auteur theory. His idea was to have total control over his films, specially in aspects such as the theme, the narrative structure, and the story line of the films he makes.

An example of an Auteur would be: Micheal Bay, Each auteur has a different style of making a film, so every auteur is different because their films are different in theme, style, aesthetics and story line. So Micheal bay was different in his films by adapting a new way to show films to the audience and the story line

Micheal bay has usually and mostly done films in these Genre's: Horror, Action, Thriller. He has done these films many times and they have proven to be successful as they have been watched many times in cinemas. A few examples of his films are: The Transformers, Pain and Gain, Pearl Harbor etc. These films all have a common theme of violence and 'saving' the day from the 'evil' forces by using force back.

The Lighting used in his films are always artificial as he is known to have a lot of explosions in his films, and also he does action films so artificial light is vital to show the audience the special effects and make the film 'cool' as there are different colors and lighting to show important facts/objects of the film. He uses a lot of shot types in his films, but the most common are medium close ups, to show the characters usually shooting a gun to kill the 'bad' guys, or to probably show them punching the villain, involving some sort of action to show how the character does it and their expression while doing so.

The Action part of his films always consists of guns that usually cause huge explosions that finally destroys the villain and saves the day, and the character/characters walking away from possibly a burning car etc, probably in slow motion to make it seem more exciting and appealing to the audience, especially to the younger audiences. His films usually consists of  murder, death, and a 'hero' killing all the 'antagonists' goons and then finally finishing off the main antagonist.

The way the films of Micheal Bay appeal to the target audience is simple, Because his target audiences are mainly males from the age of 12-20, so frequent use of guns, explosions, expensive cars and good looking females for the viewers to look at and enjoy is exactly what they want, so they watch Micheal bay's films as they know it will have what they want as it will be a reoccurring theme, and so they will go ahead and spend money to watch the film in the cinema again, even if it is not as good as they expected.

In my opinion, i enjoy his films as well, As i am in the target audience i will also watch his films in the cinema, as they consist of themes that i particularly enjoy so i would not think twice, and straight go to watch the film, Although i am 17 and i am nearly end of the target audience, constant explosions are not always good to look at, as i am maturing i have a better taste in films and so, one day i may not be interested in his films.

M-E-S Essay

Mise-en-scene

The film that i have chosen is Casino Royale, The 6 main parts of Mise-en-scene is Production Design, Lighting, Colour and Era. I will talk about what impact they have on the characters and how they represent the characters to the audience, either in positive or negative way.

Production Design consists of, Locations, Props and costumes. Locations are essential to set the scene and give a different sense of feeling, they go to many exotic places in the film and it helps set and atmosphere and give the viewer a feeling that they are in a different country, as they are actually in the film as well. It can provide a challenge.obstacle for James bond or allow the plot to advance. The locations in Casino Royal are: Prague,Venice,Montenegro and the Bahamas, these quite different locations from each other gives the audience escapism as they may not have been to these locations and they can see some of the surroundings in those countries and the famous landmarks, such as the canals in Venice is shown in the film.

The costumes that the characters wear are usually suits, this could be to represent them in a positive way of showing them being rich and that they are of a high status, he is an English Agent and he has to look good in the films with classy suits, this shows that they successful and have 'made' it in life, it could also represent them being hard working, as many viewers would connote suits being worn by business men who have companies etc.



The props in Casino Royale are very suited to an Action/Spy film, The first Prop is the use of high performance cars. This shows the characters as being rich, or it could show that they are highly skilled at driving and can work well under pressure as they can control the cars at very fast speeds, however during the car chase, James bond crashes on purpose in order to save the woman he loves, this represents James bond as being a caring and loving person as he would rather crash his £300,000 aston martin, and so this can cause the audience to sympathize with the character and hope he finishes his mission, as the crash could have killed him as well.



Another frequently used prop is guns, James bond favorite is the pistol, but he does utilize the use of assault rifle as well, which are picked up form dead enemies, Guns are vital in a action/spy film as James bond couldn't kill all the enemies and catch the villain, The gun represents the characters in a way of them being strong, deadly, and possibly ruthless, and also them to be dangerous and threat to the person they are shooting at.



The last prop i focused on was the use of Poker chips, they are of big stakes. One of them is worth £100,000. Although the money staked is not Bond's, The UK government has given him £10 million for him to play in the high stakes poker game, This could show bond being trustworthy and being a highly skilled poker player, as he calls people's bluffs and wins the poker game to stop the villain funding terrorism. The poker chips show that the poker game  is being held in a rich location, preferably a casino specially reserved for the players, which shows that the players are quite rich and wealthy and can afford to have a private match in a casino just reserved for them.

The lighting in the film is mostly artificial, This is because it would be very hard to capture the essential lighting needed for the film, if it was in a dark scene, then they would need some artificial lighting to show what the characters are doing, this is especially shown in the torture scene, in casino royale there is some artificial light to show just about what we need to seem but it is kept dark to fit the scene, as it goes with the torture being physical and mental.

The Torture scene has a dominant colour of being black, the suits worn by the torturer, and the surroundings are all black, this could connote death at a first instance as, bond is being tortured and could possibly die from it, Also black could also connote that it is never going to end, as if they are never going to stop torturing him until he gives the password, and so it is also the mental pain of knowing that it will never finish.


For the Acting, i focused on the main character of James Bond, He comes across as being quite mischievous as he drinks a lot of alcohol on his mission, and usually falls in love with a woman in every film, and so he can be more 'single-minded' and acts like he wants rather than follow strict rules or protocols laid out by the MI5 as other agents would follow. He is also represented as being intelligent as he can work out the villains bluff, and he wins the poker game, however before he has become arrogant and lost the hand to the villain and has to ask for a buy in.
A quote is :
Dryden: ( Pointing a gun at bond) Shame, we barely got to know each other. ( Shoots but reliases that there is no bullets.
Bond: ( Holds up magazine with bullets) I know where you keep your gun, i suppose that's something.

The Era the film is set in is the late 2000's, due to the use of sports cars and modern weapons.There are also a few scenes that include hacking and modern gadgets being used which reinforces the idea that is is set in the modern times, in some telephone calls you can also see the date being 2006, the year that the film was released.

Reception Theory Essay

Reception Theory

Film Chosen: Avatar

I think that the producers of the Film avatar, have encoded a message into their film, from what i interpreted from the film,the film was about the invasion of an different place where indigenous place live, this can show the Invasion of Iraq by the U.S.A & UK to bring 'democracy'.

I also think that the dominant reading is supposed to be representing the Iraq war, as people of a mature age and knowledge of global events, would make the link between the Iraq war and the film. I think that the producers have done this on purpose and it was made around the same time as the war, and it was made by an American Producer James Cameron, who we can guess was against the war and the invasion.

The oppositional reading would be made by a person who is for the war, presumably an English or American. They would just watch the film as entertainment, and they would make no relevant link to the Iraq war, as they would not like seeing a comparison as the film may have portrayed the truths of the War in real life, such as the rich oil reserves, that the U.S.A wanted.

The negotiated reading would see some of the links made between the film and the Iraq war, however they would not make a full link as, they would think that it is a work of fiction with some aspects of real life. They could possibly make the link of foreign land being invaded but they may not make a full link to the Iraq war, as there are many other wars such as the Vietnam war, where the U.S.A invaded as well.

Different social groups will have different interpretation of the film, people in the western part of the world will see the film in a way that does not represent the actions of their governments, they would purely watch the film for entertainment, and usually for escapism, Where as people in the middle eastern would make the link as they have experienced the war, and it would be fresh in their mind and so they could make the link very quickly.

My interpretation is that some points of the film does portray the Iraq war, as the humans in the film are looking for a tree that has natural resources that can give them energy for a long time, this also represents the western desire for the oil in the middle east and Iraq. As many western countries do not produce oil, they have to be imported from other countries, so rather than pay for the oil, its easier to invade it and get it for 'free'.

Another part of the film is when the humans cannot find a diplomatic resolution so they give a go ahead for an invasion of the 'new' world that they found. this also portrays the invasion of Iraq by the western forces, since they couldn't find a way to solve the issue without an invasion. So i believe that i have a preferred reading of the film.

The gender of the viewer wont effect their reading of the film, as it does not have any links with gender related topics, Culture and religious beliefs will play a huge role in their reading but, since there are males and females in the film playing both sides of the war, it means that a gender difference will not make a change in the reading of the film that they have watched.

The mood of the viewer could also effect the interpretation of the film, if they are not in a happy mood then they would not be able to read between the lines and see the encoded messages within them, keeping a calm clear mind when watching a film is really important as being angry can cloud your judgement and thinking.