Primeval - Textual Analysis

In this extract, gender is represented with the presentations of femininity and masculinity. Femininity is shown through both female characters and less 'manly' males, who are stereotyped as weaker, scared and acting as 'damsels in distress', whilst masculinity is shown through the male characters and a less feminine female (Abby), who are stereotyped as strong, independent and heroes.

The camera is utilised during the clip to show the representation. During the Sabre Tooth Tiger attack, a high angled shot of Nick Cutter is used, with his character positioned in the bottom half of the frame. This shot is used to create a countertype to masculinity, with the angle and framing showing his weakness in the situation, which is unlike the stereotype of the male characters, showing the power of the tiger. Another aspect of the camerawork, later on, helped emphasise the gender divided, with panning shots being used on male characters whilst theyre talking, like the white-collar worker and Connor, however, not with the female character of Abby. This camera bias shows the stereotype of women being the second class sex, as it mimics the bias of society. Later on, a shot is used with Stephen in the foreground in the center of the frame, with the more feminine characters of Abby and Connor on either side of him, positioned in the background in the left or right third of the frame. The positioning of the characters in this shot emphasises the stereotype of the more masculine characters being the heroes and have the authority, whilst more femine characters are weaker.

Sound is also utilised for the representation, mostly in the scene between Jenny and Farmer West. Initially Jenny talks calmly despite being threatened, which shows a countertype for the feminine character, with her being level-headed and strong rather than the stereotyped weakness and fearing. When Jenny does get attacked, all the diagetic sounds are slowed down and amplified, which is done to exaggurate the danger she is in. This is done to show the stereotype of women's 'damsels in distress' role, by showing the danger she is in. After this, intense background music is played, which is used to both further exaggurate the danger again, to show the female 'damsel' role, as well as show how a man attacking a woman is wrong, by making West out to be villainous, as attacking woman is very bad for the stereotyped male.

Editing is briefly used for the representation, with it slowing down during the attack on Jenny. This is done to emphasise the distress and danger she is in, showing her in a stereotypical female role of 'damsel in distress'. 

Mise-en-Scene also helps present the representation. Jenny's costume also has elements stereotypical for female characters, with her white coat showing stereotypical purity and innocence, and her heavy red make-up, showing her seductivity and care for her image. The stronger female, more masculine, character Abby's costume shows a countertype to femininty, by being more akin to the male stereotype. Abby's costume is made up of a leather jacket and trousers, two clothing items stereotyped to males, showing how she's stronger than the typical female, adopting stereotypically male traits, as well as costume items. She also has shorter hair and less make-up, which is more masculine, further emphasising her countertype. Connor's costume is also a countertype, showing him to be weaker than the other males by showing him to be more feminine. The costume is mostly made up of pink and red, two colours typically associated with femininity, further showing his weakness in relation to other males. He also wears a hat and scarf, two items of clothing that are more feminine. Other than the costume, the way that Connor can't handle a gun, choosing to weild a spade instead, also shows his femininity as he cannot handle himself.

Waterloo Road - Textual Analysis

In this extract, age is represented with the presentations of the elderly teachers and the youthful students. The older characters are stereotyped as important, authoritative and respectable, with the sole exception as the Maths Teacher, who is shown to be going through some form of mid-life crisis, with very little understanding of the kids. Contrastingly, the children are shown to be emotional, noisy, dangerous, cool, rebellious and powerless, whilst also in the majority at the school.



In the beginning of the clip, the senior teacher is positioned in the centre of the frame, showing his importance and authority, mirroring the older stereotype presented. Following this, a tracking shot of Miss Chowdrey's entrance infers her stereotyped importance and authority, showing that, despite how she is belittled by the senior teacher, she is still older than the students ands thus has power an authority. In the next segment, the opening shot is a panning shot that moves from the teacher's sign on the door to the student waiting outside of it, thus showing the hierarchy of the school and how the teachers have a lot more power than the students under them. After this, the action moves to the character of Amy. During this segment, whenever she gets angry, the score starts. The cue of the score highlights her emotional and dangerous behaviour, which is stereotyped to teenagers. The style of the score, which is a techno funk-like genre, shows a stereotyped genre of music that teenagers listen to. It then uses a cut-away scene to the English class room, where, several reaction shots are used after any character speaks, showing the emotional behaviours of the teens. It then cuts back to the character of Amy, where the previous musical cue is being played constantly over the action. This segment uses close-up shots of both Amy and Stuart, edited together in a shot-reverse shot method, to show the tension of the situation due to their stereotyped emotional and dangerous behaviour. The action then moves over to the Maths Teacher, who's costume is that of an outdated stereotype of teenagers, showing a mid-life crisis-like behaviour, whilst also showing his lack of understanding for the youth. This behaviour is further exaggerated by the rap music played during the segment, used almost ironically to show his complete misunderstanding.


Throughout the whole clip, a background sound of teenagers' muffled chattering is used to create the effect of the children being in the majority and their noisy behaviour. Also, in all scenes in corridors, children are placed in the background of the frame, to further demonsrate this effect, whilst also being out-of-focus compared to the main action being followed, using a form of shallow focus, which is used to demonstrate the powerlessness of the students. The costumes of the students show them all in uniform, however, each student has a slight variation of this, showing an attempt to be cool, whilst also, in turn, being rebellious. In binary opposition, the teachers all dress smarter, either wearing shirts, full suits or smart dresses, showing their respectability and authority. As well as this, the editing used throughout the clip is basic, as to show the naivety of the children in the school.

Theory on Stereotypes

Task 1:


Stereotypes aren't always negative: This is true in relation to the migrants, which are presented as the protagonists of the piece rather than villains like in some stereotypes. However, with the immigration officers, who are white, the stereotype is negative as they bully the less powerful.


They aren't always about minorities or less powerful groups: In the clip, this is true, as the stereotyped powerful white bullies are shown, however, the focus of this extract is on the less powerful migrants.


They can be held about one's own group: This is true, as the extract is aimed towards to majority white audience and is presenting a stereotype of white bullies.


They are not rigid or unchanging: The extract shows a change in society's stereotype with the woman on the front desk, as in the 40s-60s, the person on the front desk would have been a man but now its stereotyped as a woman, which is shown in the extract.


They aren't always false: Of course, there will be some white people that are bullies and there will be some migrants that act as protagonists but these are just stereotypes and are thus not true for everyone in the group.


Task 2:


The theory of Cognitive Dissonance is somewhat disproved by the success of programmes like Hotel Babylon. This is because the theory suggests that we seek out confirmation of our common stereotypes, thus being attracted to programmes that present these stereotypes. However, Hotel Babylon, and programmes like it, are unconventional, aiming to break these stereotype but their success opposes the theory of Cognitive Dissonance.


Task 3:


Alvarado's Racial Stereotype Theory:


Alvarado theorised that racial stereotypes will always be portrayed in one of 4 ways:

• Pitied - Racial Stereotypes may be presented as weak, to make us feel superior, and that they need to be pitied. An example of this representation can be seen in the following clip (showing a pitied African stereotype):

• Humorous - Racial Stereotypes may be used to humour the audience, using the stereotype as comic relief. An example of this representation can be seen below (showing a humorous Scottish stereotype):

• Dangerous - Racial Stereotypes may be used to show the danger presented by particular groups and encourage the audience to fear them. This clip shows an example of this representation (showing a dangerous Asian stereotype):

• Exotic - Racial Stereotypes may be used to show how different certain ethnicities are. Commonly, this is used to either with characters speaking different strange languages and eating uncommon foods. An example of this representation can be seen in this extract:



The Big Six

1) Warner Bros. Pictures:

Comprising a whopping 19.7% of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Warner Bros. Pictures is the biggest player in the film industry. Securing the rights to major film franchises like Harry Potter, DC and The Matrix have made Warner Bros the biggest name in the business.

2) Paramount Pictures:

With 15.5% of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Paramount Pictures continues to be one of the most successful film production companies in the world. Star Trek, Mission Impossible and Transformers are just a few of the popular film franchises produced by Paramount Pictures.

3) Walt Disney:

One of the most renowned film production companies in the history of the business, Walt Disney now holds 15.3% of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). With highly successful movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure and Star Wars, there's no doubt that Disney will continue to play a key role in the industry for years to come.

4) Columbia Pictures:

Comprising 12.9% of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Columbia Pictures remains a big player in the business. Some of this company's recent successes include the James Bond, the 'Angels and Demons' and the 2000 Spider-Man franchises.

5) Universal Studios:

12.2% of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures) belongs to Universal Studios, which continues to make millions for the film industry. With major hits like the Bourne series , The American Pie series and the Jurassic Park series, it's very clear that Universal Studios knows what it takes to make money in this industry.

6) 20th Century Fox:

This highly successful movie production company makes up 11.9% of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). Some of the biggest and most successful movies from this empire include the X-Men series, the Star Wars Prequels and Independence Day.

DNA Films Questions

Who were the co-founders of DNA Films?
DNA films was founded by Andrew MacDonald and Duncan Kenworthy, however Kenworthy was later replaced by Allon Reich as head of the studio.

When was the company founded?
The studio was founded in 1983.

Where is DNA based?
DNA Films is based in the UK, with the head office being in London.

How many films have DNA Films produced?
DNA Films have produced 21 films, one of which is now in post-production, awaiting its release next year.

What awards have DNA Films won?
DNA Films have won several awards for their films including 28 Days Later which won 6 awards (including the Saturn Award's Best Horror Film in 2003), Love Actually which won 9 awards (including the Empire Award for Best British Film), Notes on a Scandal which won 8 awards (including the British Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay), The Last King of Scotland which won 6 awards (including three BAFTAs, for Best British Film, Best Actor for Forest Whitaker and Best Adapted Screenplay), Sunshine which won a single award (being the BIFA for Best Technical Achievement in 2007), Never Let Me Go which won 8 awards (including the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Overlooked Film) and Ex_Machina which won 19 Awards (including an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects).



How many full time staff does DNA Films employ?
There are three main full time staff at DNA Films, the heads of Andrew MacDonald and Allon Reich, as well as their secretary Joanne Ruth Smith.

List 5 box-office hits that DNA Films have made:
- 28 Days Later (2002) - Making $84.6 Million from its $8 Million budget
- Love Actually (2003) - Making $246.9 Million from its $45 Million budget
- The Last King of Scotland (2006) - Making $48.4 Million from its $6 Million budget
- 28 Weeks Later (2007) - Making $64.2 Million from its $15 Million budget
- Ex_Machina (2014) - Making $36.9 Million from its $15 Million budget

List 5 flops that DNA Films has made:
- The Parole Officer (2001) - Only making $3.976 Million on a $6 Million budget
- Sunshine (2007) - Only making $32 Million on a $40 Million budget
- Amelia (2009) - Only making $19.6 Million on a $40 Million budget
- Never Let Me Go (2010) - Only making $9.5 Million on a $15 Million budget
- Dredd (2012) - Only making $41.5 Million on a $45 Million budget

What is Danny Boyle's relationship with DNA Films?
Danny Boyle is a friend and collaborator with DNA Films, with them working together of 28 Days Later, Sunshine, 28 Weeks Later and T2: Trainspotting.

List 3 famous directors that DNA Films have worked?
- Danny Boyle
- Richard Curtis
- Mark Romanek (although famous for directing Music Videos)

List 5 famous actors who have starred in films made by DNA Films?
- Andrew Garfield
- Ewan McGreggor
- Karl Urban
- Keira Knightley
- Alan Rickman

What has been DNA Films highest grossing film?
Love Actually was their highest grossing film, with the box office take of $246.9.

What Hollywood studios have DNA Films worked with?
DNA films have previously worked with members of the big six, who helped to distribute films, with 20th Century Fox distributing 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later (through their division, Fox Searchlight) as well as Universal, who distributed Love Actually.

List two of DNA Films big blockbuster films and find out their budgets:
- Dredd (2012) - $45 Million
- Sunshine (2007) - $40 Million

What film is DNA Films most famous for?
Arguably, DNA Films most famous film is 28 Days Later.


What other genres do DNA Films films like to make?
DNA Films mostly make smaller, independent films, with the genres including drama, thriller, romance, sci-fi, action and historical.

Who have DNA Films entered into a partnership with for DNA TV Limited?
DNA TV Limited is their television division with is made in collaboration with the Fox Network Group (division of 21st Century Fox, one of the big six).

What information can you find out about DNA Films through their web page?
Contact information as well as a description of their collaboration with FOX for their TV division.

Ex_Machina - Review

Alex Garner's Ex_Machina was released on January 21st 2015, starring the talents of Domnhall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander. The film also boasts the production pair of Alex MacDonald and Allon Reich, previously working together on Dredd, 28 Weeks Later and Never Let Me Go. The film follows Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson) as he wins a competition to spend a week with the entrepreneur, and boss of his company, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), that is until he uncovers the real reason for his visit, to perform a Turing Test on the first AI, Ava (Alicia Vikander).

Ex_Machina shows a fantastic amalgamation of the thriller, drama, terrestrial sci-fi and horror genre, with a provocative, claustrophobic and tense story revolving around the creation of an AI and the possible moral implications of this. The horror-like claustrophobia is fantastically built up, with its tiny cast (with three main stars, two supporting cast and a few unnamed appearances), the amazing set design (with many white and silver corridors) and the eerie, gorgeous music. The talent of the cast shines through in this, with Oscar Isaac playing the cocky, paranoid but depressed entrepreneur excellently, especially with his mastery over being able to flip between rage, excitement and sadness so smoothly but quickly. Domnhall Gleeson, whilst not showing the best performance, puts in a good performance as the intelligent but irrational Caleb, making his feelings for Ava seem real. However, without the fantastic acting of Alicia Vikander, who balanced robotic movements with human emotion. The film, despite its low $15 Million budget, demonstrates fantastic special effects with the design of Ava, making it look realistic in a fantastical manner. The film also shows fantastic stylized cinematography, which makes the film a pleasure to watch.

The story is expertly crafted, with mystery and twists woven through it, with Caleb's indecision of whether to trust Nathan or Ava along the watcher to be engaged in the plot more deeply. It also raises many moral questions of whether an AI would have the same rights as a human as well as a god vs creation theme running through. These moral elements were great additions and, unlike other provocative films, really discretely placed, so not to feel too forced. However, despite this, there are a few plot holes and continuity errors, most notably being Corey Johnson's helicopter pilot taking Ava away, no questions asked, as well as Ava taking skin, which is considerably different in skin tone, and it looking seamless on her. Yet, these plot holes are not hard to overlook. The ending is a special one, coming unexpectedly, mixing hope with despair to show the fates of the future for the characters in another moral dilema of if these new robots will replace us. 

Overall, the film is amazing, with a great cast, fantastic set design, music and effects, as well as an intriguing plot with great messages and morals. Despite a few missteps in the plot, this is almost a flawless movie, which both looks and feels great.

The film gets a strong 9/10.

 

Disability in TV Drama

Game of Thrones - Tyrion Lannister

Despite the character of Tyrion being disabled, due to having dwarfism, his character is not hindered. The usual stereotype of a disabled character being weak and useless is broken by Tyrion, with his character having one of the best minds in the show as he takes up positions like Hand of the King, due to his power and mind. He also is one of the richest characters in the show, showing more of his power. However, despite that, his treatment from other characters is harsh due to his disability, with him being called insulting names like 'Imp' or 'Halfman' and even being disowned by his own father, Tywin.

Agents of SHIELD - Phil Coulson

The character of Coulson wasn't disabled until the season 2 finale, where he lost his left hand. Since the loss of his hand, the character hasn't been as much of an action hero as he was, perhaps showing that the disability has weakened him and disabled him from his previous life. However, he infrequently does become an action hero, even using his prosthetic hand to kill someone, showing part of his previous life being re-enabled. The other characters don't treat him any differently to before due to his disability, showing a break of the stereotype that disabled people get treated differently.


Star Trek: The Next Generation - Geordi La Forge

The character of La Forge is blind, seeing through the aid of a special visor. Despite the difference in appearance, the character isn't hindered by his disability, still being essential to the Enterprise's mission. Most characters don't treat him any differently due to his disability but occasionally he is mistreated by other characters due to his disability.   

Ex_Machina - Research Task

Producer: This film was produced by the production pair Alex MacDonald and Allon Reich, who have previously worked together on projects including Dredd, 28 Weeks Later (MacDonald doing the previous instalment 28 Days Later too) and Never Let Me Go. Alex MacDonald also produced Trainspotting and Sunshine.

Director: This film was directed by first time director, Alex Garland, who has since directed Annihilation, coming out next year. The director also wrote the film, after previously writing on 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Dredd.


Production Companies: The film was produced collaboratively between Film 4 (a British film company owned by the Channel 4 corporation, responsible for films like Attack the Block, Frank and the Inbetweeners films) and DNA Films (a British film company co-owned by the producer Alex MacDonald, responsible for films like 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Love Actually and Sunshine). 


Distributor: The film was distributed by Universal Studios, one of the Big 6 Film Companies.


Cast: The film had a small cast, including: Domhnall Gleeson, famous for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (both parts), Frank and Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Oscar Isaac, who went on to star in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and X-Men: Apocalypse; Alicia Vikander, famous for her role on Swedish TV, as well as The Man From U.N.C.L.E and Jason Bourne; Sonoya Mizuno, a relative newcomer, only appearing in Venus in Eros prior, but going on to star is Alleycats as well as next year's Annihilation and Beauty and the Beast; as well as Corey Johnson, who previously starred in Captain Phillips, Saving Private Ryan, The Bourne Ultimatum and Robert Shearman's Doctor Who episode, Dalek.


Budget: A small budget of $15 Million was given to the film.


Locations: The film was mostly filmed in Norway, notably in Valldal, Sognefjord and Briksdalen, as well as in Pinewood studios in the UK and Bloomberg Offices in London.


Technology: A variety of cameras were used in the film, including GoPro Hero 3s as well as Sony CineAlta F65s and Sony CineAlta PMQ-F55s (both with Cooke Xtal Express, Kowa Prominar or Angenieux Optimo lenses). It was also filmed digitally at 4K resolution. No greenscreen or motion-capture were used during filming, and all visual effects were added during post production, although there were only 800 VFX shots.


Number of Screens - Opening Weekend: During the official opening weekend, the film was shown on 1,255 screens in the USA, as well as roughly 100 screens in Europe. However, a week before its official release, it was screened on 4 screens at the South By Southwest Film Festival.


Number of Screens - Peak Number: On its 3rd Week, it peaked in the USA at 2,004 screens.


Box Office Figures: The film grossed $25.443 Million domestically in the US, with a $36.9 Million take in the global box office.

Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens - Seven Areas

1)The Issues Raised by Media Ownership in Contemporary Media Practice

As with any other piece of media, The Force Awakens is owned by a legal owner. In this case, the legal owner is Disney, who acquired the rights during its acquisition of Lucasfilm. As Disney is one of the ‘Big Six’ film companies, this meant the film had a lot of money behind it. This meant that the film could attempt a larger scale, as there would be a larger budget for special effects. Disney would also have many connections to big names in the film industry, for if the film needed specific jobs to be fulfilled. Disney also has a reputation for producing good movies, either directly or through their various branch companies (like Marvel Studios or Pixar), which would help to give the film a boost in the eyes of the public.

It also is produced by Bad Robot, meaning it is partly owned by them as well. Bad Robot is a production company owned by the Director and Producer, JJ Abrams, which has a good track record from producing on the newest Mission Impossible films, the rebooted Star Trek films and both Cloverfields. It also has a good reputation for having only one out of their 12 films be a loss (being Infinitely Polar Bear, which only made $1.8 Million of its $6.7 Million budget).

Because of the film’s well-known production companies, the film was granted a large budget of $306 Million (second biggest budget recorded), which allowed them to make the film on a larger scale. 

2) The Importance of Cross Media Convergence and Synergy in Production, Distribution and Marketing

Star Wars is a renowned, acclaimed and recognised franchise which is known by the majority of people of this planet, but how did this recognition and remembrance actually occur? The first star wars film, A New Hope, was one of the most influential because of its ground breaking use of special effects and was one of the most successful films of all time. Charles Lippincott was in charge of the marketing of A New Hope which consisted of T-shirts, posters, toys, trailers and billboards. However, Lippincott wanted to boost marketing by looking at other devices such as securing deals with Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Roy Thomas for comic book adaptations as well as novelised adaptations with Del Rey Books.  Although Star Wars merchandise was available to enthusiastic children upon release, only Kenner Toys—who believed that the film would be unsuccessful—had accepted Lippincott's licensing offers. Within three weeks of the film's release, 20th Century Fox's stock price doubled to a record high. The marketing had led to such a mammoth success that the beginning of the prominent and outstanding franchise, Star Wars, had begun! It is no surprise that every film that was made after A New Hope was commemorated and celebrated by many, many people. 

Lucas film has now been signed onto a partnership with Disney as it distribution core. The accessibility of Disney’s recourses allows the marketing for Force Awakens to become so strong that this will help increase their marketing strategies due to the connections and deals Disney can make with other companies. We can see a considerable jump from Below The Line Marketing to Above The Line Marketing. Posters, Toys, mugs, pyjamas- The list goes on! With all these items released to the general public with the produce from Disney it’s no wonder that so much profit was being made from items. Disney is company which works considerably with its visuals and merchandising and this is what helps the items to appeal to all ages. With the classically designed posters following the original art work of the previous films helping to appeal to the original audiences as well as the teddies and children’s clothes appealing to younger, more influential audiences. 

3)The Technologies That Have Been Introduced in Recent Years at the Levels of Production, Distribution, Marketing and Exchange

Because technology has only improved over the time of which the other films were released to the most recent, there is no question why excitement has only risen for the franchise Star Wars. The special effects have only gotten better and the filming and ways to see films have only improved. The idea of there being more ways to watch films, such as 3D and internet streaming, have made the profits from the viewing of Star Wars: The Fore Awakens increase. Overall the film was shown on well over 5,000 screens globally. The idea that Disney aided the films distribution is incredible; the company is so well known and if Disney distributed a brand this big this would only increase its presence. Disney is known by cinemas and is trusted amongst making deals, the connections that they have also managed to attain during their existence has managed to make their ideas of distribution much more achievable. The film was available to be distributed digitally; this managed to save the companies money because the process is in fact cheaper and easier. 

 

During the production processes many companies with connections to the franchise and workers were able to get involved, thus allowing there to be a lot of technology available to be used. Because of the fat that Star Wars is an franchise with obviously focuses on sci-fi we can agree that one of the most common features for Star Wars, as a production company, to focus on is their depiction of technological progress.  Although the technology has improved the production team wanted to make sure that the special effects and visuals used in the films that feature later on in the franchise, in comparison to the prequels, were just as ubiquitous.  The idea that mast of the effects such as explosions, costumes and fight scenes were able to be made on set was one of the huge advances. Being able to time the explosions of designing the costumes for some of the imaginative creatures made the franchise come across as even more creative and effective toward the audience. 

4)The Significance of Proliferation in Hardware and Content for Institutions and Audiences

The film was marketed in many ways to grab the attention of the audience and future viewers of the film, in the modern time of social media and almost everyone having access to the internet multiple clips, scenes and posters were released to the public through the internet to increase the hype of the film, the companies producing the movie may have tacitly dropped hints and particular scenes of the film to get people excited. The production team of the film made sure that there wasn’t many details of the plot or characters was released for the audience to know about, even in the trailers that was released didn’t give much details of the plot, which intrigued the audience to watching the film. And with the December release not many films were being released at the time so there wasn’t much competition to compete with.   

 

5) The Importance of Technological Convergence for Institutions and Audiences

The worldwide audience for the Star Wars saga is still growing and so is the audiences viewing habits of the franchise when a new addition of the films is released. Many of the fans of the films have taken to the way of illegally downloading and viewing the films on their mobile phones and laptops, this is for the fact that it’s a way for them to save money, its easy and hassle free. How the films are viewed on the online sites can be quite good, with lots of the films being viewed in 720 (HD), but this can vary and can also be in much poorer quality for cheaper prices, some of these films have been recorded and put onto the site by members of the public, these are probably in the worse quality as it has probably and visibly been filmed on a handheld device. Disney and LucasFilm couldn’t have prevented this as it is so embedded in today’s popular culture of viewing films. However, Star Wars is still a strong factor in today’s culture and film so the film still earned a lot from cinema viewings.

 

6)The Issues Raised in the Targeting of National and Local Audiences (Specifically, British) by International or Global Institutions

Due to The Force Awakens being the seventh instalment in a franchise film, it received a boost in its reputation, as it is a well-renowned name due to its previous instalments. This also meant it had a wide-appeal, as the kids would’ve seen Star Wars with their parents, the teenagers and young adults would have watch the prequel when they were younger, whilst the older demographic would have grown up with the original trilogy. This wide-appeal would increase the film’s audience and thus its box office figures, however this would only work in certain areas of the world like America, Europe and Britain. Other places, like China or Former-Communist countries, might not receive this effect as the original films were not shown there, so the nostalgia would give the same effect, which may have affected its global box-office intake.

Despite the film having well-known Western actors star in it which would help to pull in audiences, the film lacked any Asian or Eastern actors, who would appeal to the foreign audiences. The film however also starred some unknown British actors, which may help to sway some of the British audience in watching it. It would also appeal to the British audiences as it classifies as a British film, due to the contribution from the British government and most oit being recorded in Pinewood Studios.

7) The Ways in Which the Candidates’ Own Experiences of Media Consumption Illustrate Wider Patterns and Trends of Audience Behaviour

Recent movie viewing habits mean that online-streaming is more popular and more accessible. This also has led to illegal pirate streams too, which were very popular around the film’s release, taking away some of the film’s ticket sales. Many people who streamed from these illegal sites however, were viewing it as a repeat, so the studio still took some money.

However, despite this, the majority of people still went to the cinema to view the film. With a few thousand screens around the world showing it over several months, bringing in massive amounts of money ($2 Billion worldwide box office). Many people even went back to the cinema several times to see it.

The other option to view this film is to wait for its Blu-Ray and DVD release (released in April 2016) and view it. This doesn’t bring in as much money for the studio but allows the audience to view it multiple times and share with others.

Personally, I both went to the cinema and purchased the Blu-Ray for this film. This allowed me to watch the film at the time of release as well as watch it again on demand. Many others that I know also follow the same trend.

<Done in collaboration with Isabel Denney-Foster (Q2&3) and Frank Parnell (Q4&5)>