AS Media Studies Your Case Studies

Exam Approaches & Case Studies

•       The exam board want to know what you understand about:

•       Media Institutions: Hollywood Studios (20^th Century Fox etc.), British Studios (Working Title + Warp Films etc).

•       Media Audiences: UK film viewers (either in cinemas, or via PC / TV / Phone etc)

•       Media Technology: Digital filmmaking (CGI, 3D, Imax, DV-Cams), Online Films (LoveFilm, iTunes, YouTube, piracy), Convergence (gadgets to watch films on)

•       Marketing Campaigns: How Studios advertise their films (Synergy, TV + Internet trailers, Print ads – newspapers, magazines, posters, Premieres, junkets, word of mouth, USP, merchandising etc).

ALL OF THE ABOVE NEED SPECIFIC EXAMPLES. REMEMBER YOUR EXEMPLAR TEXTS MUST BE POST 2011 FOR YOUR EXAM.

Small Independent Low Budget British Film: ·          Genre: Social Realist Drama - ‘This is England’  ·          Budget £1.5m, takings £1.5m. ·          Institutions: Warp Films + Film 4 + various small UK media companies. Successful UK Studio: Working Title ·          Genre: string of blockbuster Rom-Coms: ·          ‘Four Weddings & a Funeral’ budget $6m, takings $244m  ·          Post-Universal take-over ‘Love Actually’ budget $30m, takings $244m. ·          Produced 100 films, but several non Rom-Com flops.

Successful US Blockbuster Film(s): ‘Star Trek’ ·          Genre:  Science Fiction / Action ·          Studio: Paramount: massive marketing campaign - budget $140m, takings $280m+. Successful US Blockbuster Film(s): ‘Avatar’ ·          Genre: Science Fiction / Action / Romance ·          Studio: 20th Century Fox: massive hype, digital, 3D, massive budget $300m, massive takings $2.7bn. + add your own case study films & studios.

When creating your own case studies/examples, you need to research the following:

PRODUCTION

•       Original idea?

•       Book?

•       Franchise?

•       Casting?

•       Producers?

•       Directors?

•       Composer – music tie ins?

•       Screenwriters – other films?

•       Studio – genres the do best?

•       Blockbuster?

•       Locations?

•       Stars - A List or unknown?

DISTRIBUTION

•       How did the distributor market the film and who was the target audience?

•       Posters

•       Trailers

•       Websites

•       Release date and type of cinemas best?

•       Blockbuster?

•       Locations?

•       Stars - A List or unknown?

•       The number of prints and scale and pattern of release  eg wide release

•       Internet downloads, DVDs.

EXHIBITION/EXCHANGE

•       In cinemas and at home

•       Screen release

•       DVD release

•       Rating?

•       Censorship?

•       Restrictions?

•       Film reviews

•       A commercial success?

•       Why?

•       Stars - A List or unknown?

•       Audience figures

•       Box office figures

•       Personal response

•       Sales figures for DVDs, CDs

•       Rising stars?