Assignment 2: Film case study research

My chosen movie

1) What film have you chosen?
     The Wolf of Wall Street

2) Why did you choose this film in particular?
    I chose this film because I thought it would be an entertaining film and I could write a lot about it in my analysis. 

Institutional background

1) What was the film studio or production company behind your chosen film?
    Paramount and Red Granite Pictures are the production companies behind The Wolf of Wall Street.

2) Who was the distributor for the theatrical release of the film in the UK?
    Universal Pictures International (UPI) are the distributors for the film in the UK.

No brand loyalty

1) What genre does your chosen film fit into?
    It fits into the genres of Biography, Comedy and Crime.

2) How can you tell it fits that genre?
    The Wolf of Wall Street fits into the genre of Biography as it is based on a true story about Jordan Belfort who pleaded guilty to fraud and related crimes in connection with stock market manipulation and running a boiler room as apart of a penny stock scam. It comes under the genre of Comedy as there are a lot of humorous jokes and the movie manages to put Belfort in very serious scenes and let his craziness work its magic. The Wolf of Wall Street fits into Crime as there is involvement of corruption and federal government.

3) Does your chosen film have any stars or a director that are known for that particular genre?
    Jonah Hill is particularly known for starring in Comedy films.

It's all a matter of timing

1) What was the UK release date for your chosen film?
    It was released on the 17/01/2014 in the UK.

2) When did the first trailer appear on YouTube for your chosen movie?
    It was published on June 16th 2013.


    

3) What other examples of marketing (teaser trailers, main trailers, newspaper or TV interviews etc.) can you find for your chosen film before the film's release date?
    Here is another trailer published before the release date.


    
It's a social thing

1) What was the word-of-mouth like for your film?
    82% of the audience has given a good review of the movie on Rotten Tomatoes.

2) Find three quotes of users reviews.
    Martin Roberts - "A terrific watch, and bound to be one of the funniest films of the year.""
    Chris Stuckmann - "DiCaprio's powerhouse performance, and Scorsese's brilliantly energetic direction makes this a must watch for film lovers."
    Raam Tarat - "This is a fantastic exploration of money, greed, and a truly flawed character that spent much of the nineties on a jaw-dropping but pernicious thrill-ride."

Risky business

1) What was the original budget for your chosen film?
    $100,000,000

2) How much money did the film make in the opening weekend?
    In the US it made $18,510,00 in the opening weekend.

3) How much money had the film made in total?
    It had made $116,866,727 in total.

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. Was the film you have chosen a success?
    The Wolf of Wall Street did not make two and a half times the budget therefore it would not be considered as a box office success.

Stars in their eyes

1) What films has the director previously directed? Are they in the same or similar genres?
    Martin Scorsese has directed films such as 'Shutter Island' and 'The Soul of a Man'. These films fall under the genres of Mystery and Biography.

2) Who is the main star in this film?
   Leonardo DiCaprio is the main star in this film.

3) What other films had the main star appeared in?
 He has starred in movies such as Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, and Inception.

4) Are the stars or the director or the writer mentioned in the trailer?
    Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Jordan Belfort and Terence Winter are mentioned in the trailer.

Assignment 1: Magazine Cover

Minority Report shot by shot analysis

This is a medium close up shot because we can see that the characters are visible from head to toe. This shot allows the audience to see the characters strong facial expressions. The emotions shown are rage, determination and confidence in their abilities to catch the fugitive John Anderton (Tom Cruise). The medium close up of the group of police officers suggest that they could be chasing after the fugitive in the following shots . This could build up tension and anticipation as the    viewers do not know what is to come and if John Anderton will escape.

We can tell that this is an establishing shot because we can see the whole setting of the alleyway which allows the audience to understand where the next scene and action is going to take place. Also, the use of dark blues and greys relates to the key convention of Sci-fi and it also gives the audience an idea of what the atmosphere will be like. The colours foreshadow that the next scene is not going to be pleasant and could imply that the fugitive has ended up in a dangerous situation.

The next shot can be identified as a close up because the camera is focusing on one aspect which is the characters face that allows the audience to see his facial expressions and identify the emotions. The audience can tell by his expressions that he is hopeless however, John Anderton is also determined to escape the police officers that surround him. The fact that there are a lot of officers staring at him in the first shot and the officers surrounding him now gives the idea that Anderton is seen as vulnerable to the audience.

Camera shots

 Establishing shot: We have used this shot to introduce the location and set the scene of a young student sitting by her self in the corner.

 Long shot: A long shot is when the head to toe is visible and also shows plenty of the background. A lot of action can fit into this type of shot. This picture shows the bully approaching the lonely girl.

 Medium shot: This shot is used to show the head to waist. A medium shot is often used to show two actors together e.g in conversation. However, this picture only shows a medium shot of the bully pointing towards the student.

 Medium close up: We have used a medium close-up to feature the head to shoulder. Some facial expressions can be identified in this shot as well as the background. As you can see the student seems to be worried about what could happen. This is often used with an over-the-shoulder shot.

 Over-the-shoulder: This type of shot is shown from behind one person to see characters different points of view. In this picture you can see from the innocent students point of view.

 Extreme close up: We have used this shot to emphasis the detail in this picture. As you can see, this is a extreme close up of the bully strangling the girl.

 Close up: This is a close up on one aspect which is the sad girl crying in a corner. A close up also allows the audience to see emotions of the characters.

High angle: This sort of angle makes the subject look smaller and weaker. In this picture you can see the bullied girl sitting in the corner which makes her look small.

 Low angle: This is shot from below to make the subject look bigger and superior/ powerful than others. This picture is a low angle taken from the bullied girls view when she is sitting on the floor.

Unusual perspective: This sort of angle is to surprise the audience and to show danger. You can see in this shot that it shows some sort of mystery or tension.

Fruit bowl activity

 I have used Photoshop to practise my skills and get better by doing this fruit bowl activity. 


In the first fruit bowl I have used a 'Vibrant' picture to help me fill in the template.  

However, in the second picture I have used  'Fashionable' colour palette to fill in the fruit bowl.

Key Concepts

Guardians of the Galaxy:  

Language: We can tell that this film falls under the Sci-fi genre because of the background, which shows a large planet and the setting of outer space. Another way we can tell that it is sci-fi is the way that the main characters are shown, for example there is a green skinned woman, there is also an action pose of a raccoon holding and firing a gun, a tree like creature and one with red eyes. These characters suggest that they come from another planet thus fitting in to a key concept of the Sci-fi genre. The weapons that the characters are holding also seem to show that they are advanced pieces of technology, which represent the futuristic element of the Sci-fi genre.

Institution: The film poster quotes 'From the studio that brought you The Avengers', which is referring to Marvel as they are associated with making other similar Sci-fi movies such as Iron Man and Thor. The director of the Movies is James Gunn. The movie also features big stars such as Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel and Dave Bautista. Marvel is the studio making the money for the movie as they have made other comic book heroes into movies have gone further by creating new superheros.

Audience: The target audience of the film would appeal to both genders. It would appeal to a male audience because Chris Pratt is the center of attention in the poster. It could also appeal to the female audience due to the underlying romantic story line between Pratt and Saldana's characters. Any fans of the Marvel studio could, by association be the target audience of this movies as it shows similarities to other sci-fi, superhero movies.

Representation: Pratt's character is shown larger and is seen more dominant than the other characters on the poster, which represents that he is more significant and that he could be the leader of the team. The spaceships in the background of the poster could represent the action scenes in the movie, also the characters seem to be escaping from these spaceships which connotes the adventure that the main characters will be going on.

Summer research project: Insurgent

Science fiction film: Insurgent

Genre: Insurgent is a hybrid Sci-fi, action, adventure movie and fits into the sci-fi sub-genres of a futuristic dystopia and experimental science.

Summary: Insurgent picks up from where Divergent had finished off with Tris and Four on the run from Jeanine, trying to find allies who can help defeat the Erudite. Tris must find out why her family had sacrificed their lives and what they were trying to protect from Jeanine. Tris and Four fight together to overcome difficult challenges as they unravel the mystery of the past and possibly what's held in the future of their world.

Setting: The setting links to the Science fiction genre because it is set in a futuristic Chicago and it shows the progression of technology.

                        

Characters: The main protagonists, Tris and Four, link into the genre Sci-fi because they have rare names and the characters clothing is very distinctive.

Themes: In most Science fiction films you see a journey or adventure that takes place which is also seen in Insurgent. Experimental science is a theme also seen throughout Insurgent as Divergent people are being tested on to see who is the 'chosen one' that can pass all five tests and unlock 'the box'. 



          

Production: The main production company is Summit Entertainment which is currently being run by Robert G. Friedman. Summit Entertainment is also known for big blockbusters such as the Step up movies and the Twilight sagas.

                                      

Director: The director of Insurgent is Robert Schwentke.

Cast: The main characters consist of Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James), Jeanine (Kate Winslet), Caleb (Ansel Elgort), Peter (Miles Teller), Eric (Jai Courtney).



Release: Insurgent was released on March 19th 2015 in the UK.

Budget: $110,000,000 (estimated) 

Domestic gross: $130,179,072

International gross: $165,059,129
                                 
                                = Worldwide: $295,238,201

Critical reception: People's reviews on the Rotten tomatoes website has given Insurgent a very bad review, they believe that it is essentially one long fight with occasional scene changes. However, some critics believe that Insurgent was well paced and because there has already been a part one movie (Divergent), Insurgent could focus more on the plot. Similarly, the IMDB website has given Insurgent a bad review. The Critics believe that the movie did not live up to the expectation shown in the trailer.

Insurgent was nominated for the 'Teen choice award for film' however did not win any awards.

Target audience: The film website IMDB has given Insurgent a rating of 'PG-13' due to intense action scenes and moderate sexual scenes. However, the BBFC website has given Insurgent a rating a '12A' because of the use of violence and strong language. I believe that Insurgent is aimed more at a teenage audience because it is a teen-dystopian movie. The movies are based on the book series which is aimed at a teen/adult audience. Insurgent would appeal to 55% female and 45% male audience because the movie is centred around a female protagonist. However, it would appeal to a male audience due to the fact that there are two main characters that consist of a male and female.