MEST 1 Section B: Independent Case Study
Case study research tasks
The basics
1) What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?
Spectre
Sam Mendes
Daniel Craig - "James Bond"
Dave Bautista - "Mr Hinx"
Christoph Waltz - "Ernst Stavro"
Lea Seydoux - "Madeleine Swann"
2) When was it released?
26 October 2015 (United Kingdom)
3) What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?
Genre: Crime, thriller and action
Within the trailer of Spectre, it consists of the generic conventions of its genre which is Crime, thriller and action. And in movies that are the same genres, the generic conventions we would expect would be guns, crime, catastrophic events, fast pace and crime. Also, with Propp's theory, there would be mainly a protagonist, antagonist and a villain.
4) What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?
Rotten Tomatoes: rated 65% which is a relatively good result compared to other movies with the same genre that scored less than Spectre.
Critical reception: "Spectre nudges Daniel Craig's rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it's admittedly reliant on established 007 formula."
Broadcast
1) Write a close-textual analysis of the trailer using the MIGRAIN key concepts of Media Studies.
2) Find examples of television promotion on YouTube (adverts, chat shows, ‘red carpet’ interviews etc.) and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
3) Does the broadcast promotion use stars to create interest in the film?
Print
1) Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
"Spectre is sloppier than other recent Bonds, but it also feels like it's exhausted the idea that fueled the franchise's relaunch -- darker and more realistic can only last so long when it's paired with a rotating cast of Bond girls and supervillains."
"I regard it as a ravishing exercise in near-despair, with Bond beset by the suspicion that, were he to desist, both his character and his cause would be unmasked as a void. Killing is his living, and his proof of life."
"Dazzles early and fizzles late...Bond is not Batman; he does not need an origin story."
2) Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
This is the Spectre poster which I chose. It was used to promote the film "Spectre". The key conventions of posters are met in this Spectre poster which helps to reach out to the audience and promote the film. Firstly, the central image is an image of the main star of the movie which the consumers can identify and be appealed by. Also, the title of the film is included in block of letters to catch the attention of the consumers. Also, the costume of the main actor as the central image helps to attract the audience as it is a professional and a neat looking Tuxedo suit. The iconography of the gun held by the main star helps it to fit with clothing of the main star and the theme of the poster too. Lastly, the text"007" helps to promote the film as the consumers can identify with it as that particular text is in many previous franchises.
This is the Spectre billboard which they used to advertise to a wide range of audiences. The Billboard helps to promote the film as it includes the main actor "James Bond" (Daniel Craig) as the main central image. Also, there is a synergy link as both of the texts "007" and "Spectre" help the film be promoted as the fan base/audience can identify the James Bond franchise.
3) Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.
The print advertisement of the Spectre poster has a big impact in my perspectives as the central image as well as with the Skull masked background helps the fan-base of the James Bond franchise to notice it. Also, it has an impact on the audiences that are not familiar with the James Bond franchise both of the central and the background image communicate to the non aware audience of what the movie might mostly be about. Considering the clothing of the main central image of "James Bond", the iconography of the central image wearing the Tuxedo blazer as well as holding a gun helps the audience to recognise the typical representation of "James Bond" in many other movies from the franchise. Lastly, the skull-masked background image of a person suggests that it could be a masked villain that James Bond has to face.
4) How is the film’s brand constructed? What does the brand connote? Does it remind you of any other brands or similar films?
The brand is constructed as in the other movies of the franchise especially "spectre", we have the main character being James Bond who is a very heroic character in terms of rescuing a girl and defeating the villain. The movies of James Bond always has a disequilibrium until when James Bond solves the situation and creates a new equilibrium where everything is solved. Also, with the narrative of the James Bond movies, they are mostly the same but its different events that take place in each movies such as explosions and fights that lead to another conflict. Moreover, the brand also involves luxurious things such as the main star wearing suits while brutal fights taking place which shows his extreme power. Lastly, this film is similar to movies like "Jason Bourne" and "Mission Impossible" that consists of many physical and brutal actions within the movie to appeal to the audience.
E-media
1) Research the film’s presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. How does the film’s social media presence help promote the film?
The movie Spectre has an active presence on "facebook" social media platform in the sense that there was a group created for everyone from the public, the actors and also the crew members from the film were able to discuss their thoughts about the film. It was a user-generated content for the people from public where they were able to express their thoughts on the movie. Essentially, for the people from the public being open to express their thoughts about the movie helps the fan-base or the audience to be more engaged.
2) Analyse the official website for the film. How does it use the film’s brand? What examples of synergy can you find with the other platforms?
The film did have its own official website where on the website, they had a category where they would show the different trailers of the movie "Spectre". Also, there was a section of behind the scenes where the consumers or people that are interested in production would click on it to consume the way filming works. Moreover, there was also a huge sypnopsis of the movie which is essentially summarising the movie for the audience or fan-base of James Bond. In addition, the website had other informations such as "latest news" surrounding the movie "Spectre". Also, the statement "available to buy now" is positioned on the top right of the website to convince the consumers to buy it on DVD. It also has the merchandise of the "007" franchise overall for the fanbase of the franchise. Lastly, to promote the movie itself, they gave links to their social media pages such as Facebook.
3) Did the film run any kind of e-media based campaign to generate interest in the film?
4) Can you find any examples of the two-step flow theory online – did celebrities or journalists tweet or post about the film in order to promote it to their followers?
Daniel Craig (James Bond) in the recent previous movies of the James Bond franchise including Spectre, he tweeted and shared out many pictures and videos during the shooting of the production of previous James Bond films as well as "Spectre". For example, a video of a scene within the movie "Spectre" was shared with stating where the location where they shot the particular scene was at. This helps promote the film in particular to his fan-base especially where they would want to watch the film. Also, the consumers that are familiar with James Bond and the franchise would want to watch it too. Essentially, it helps promote to a different group of audiences with different demographics.
Audience
1) Who is the target audience for this film? Demographics and psychographics.
The target audience for Spectre would be more males rather than females that are aged from 15 to 35 year old. More males would be targeted due to the main actor always being a male but however, it can be said that females can be targeted an equal percentage too as there is always a girl that James Bond is linked to and has to save. Also, the psychographics would be due to the iconography of luxurious locations, vehicles and clothings would target a more of a middle class audience where they can feel a sense of diversion knowing that when they consume a movie from the James Bond franchise, it is going to take them into a world full of violence, cheating death and a luxurious lifestyle too as being a spy agent which the audience would want to become part of.
2) How does the cross-media promotional campaign target this audience?
With Print, Spectre used many different print platforms such as Billboards, Newspapers, bus sides, posters and within magazines. These different platforms used by Spectre was to promote the movie itself so a wider audience with different demographics can consume the movie when it comes out. With this cross media promotional campaign, they were able to target many audience with different demographics but especially the fanbase of the franchise and also, the target audience.
With e-media, they used social media platforms such as Snapchat which is very modern and used by many people. On Snapchat, they created a filter for the movie Spectre so whenever the users use the filter, they'll be reminded of the release of the movie coming soon. Also, with Twitter, they could upload images, videos and tweets. It is a user-generated content where the fan-base or an audience can access it and publicly express their thoughts on the movie or the trailer. With these social media platforms, they are very modern and Viral which many of the ages from 14 to 35 would use Twitter which matches the age requirement of Spectre's target audience.
With Broadcast, Spectre appeared on an advertisement on Television with the branding of Sony products which also helped Spectre to be known to a wider audience which in this case, would be the audience of Sony. Also, the cast appeared on The Graham Norton Show which was also another factor that the movie was promoted. The Graham Norton Show is mainly comedy that targets a more older audience with a sense of humor. This helps target the audience of Spectre as the show mainly targets an older demographic from the age of 25 to perhaps 40 which covers half of the target audience Spectre.
3) What audience pleasures does the film provide? Think about the BFI lecture on audience pleasures in British film.
The film "Spectre" provides many audience pleasures. Firstly, the audience go into a world where they see luxurious lifestyle of James Bond with many expensive cars, suits and accessories which for working class people and many middle class people, they would feel a sense of escapism as they would experience something that they do not see everyday in their lives. Also, with James Bond wearing expensive suits, driving expensive cars, drinking expensive alcohols and sleeping with many girls is something many high class people can personally identify with. They might do the same thing as what James Bond does in the franchise and in the movie. Moreover, there are many explosions, gun shootings and crimes which many of the demographics wouldn't be familiar with so in that case, they would feel a sense of personal identification. Lastly, with James Bond's representation of physical appearance, in many fights he tends to win easily which many different demographics would feel a sense of surveillance on trying to know how to fight like James Bond perhaps.
4) What similar films would the target audience enjoy? Justify your suggestions.
The similar movies that the target audience of Spectre would enjoy are films like "Mission Impossible", "Men in Black", "Jason Bourne" and the previous movies of the franchise. This would be because all of these films involve physical actions such as conflicts between the main actor and the villains. Also, many gun shootings, crimes committed and explosions which each of the films have similar with "Spectre". The fan-base of James Bond and the franchise are mainly into watching actions and fights take place which is the reason why they would enjoy the films which I have stated as they all consist of shootings and fightings.
Institution
1) Which film studio produced the film? What other films have they produced? Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
There were many film studios that produced the film. Eon Productions, Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwynn-Mayer produced "Spectre" which are all these production companies are known by many people.
Eon Productions company are the company that produce the franchise of the James Bond movies which include; Skyfall, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and etc. With producing only the James Bond franchises, the genre, the narratives and the action events that take place within those movies help target a specfic audience who are perhaps "fans" of James Bond's franchise.
Columbia Pictures are a very big production company which tend to produce many movies that have made many numerous amounts of hits. Mainstream movies like "The amazing Spider-Man", "22 Jumpstreet", "Grown Ups" and "Sex Tape" are all produced by Columbia Pictures. With a movie like "The amazing spider man", it would be a different target audience with a different demographics and interests.
Metro-Goldwynn-Mayer are also a huge production company. In terms of movies that they have produced, some of them are "Nanny Mcphee" which was a huge hit. Also, the Hobbit franchise that made a huge amount of revenue. The most recent film that has been a hit and produced by the Metro-Goldwynn-Mayer company is "Creed". Moreover, with Creed, I think the audience would be more similar to Spectre than the other films produced by this company as both films have numerous scenes of physical violence shown which the target audience of Spectre and the franchise would love to watch.
2) Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed?
The distribution company that distributed "Spectre" in the UK were Twentieth Century Fox film company, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Releasing.
Twentieth Century Fox film company have distributed films in the UK such as "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb", "Avatar" which was the biggest Box-Office movie and "The day after tomorrow".
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have distributed films in the UK such as "X-Men: Days of Future Past", "The Wolverine" and "Die Hard 2".
Sony Pictures Releasing have distributed films in the UK such as "T2 Transpotting" which was very recent. Also, they distributed "Django Unchained" which was a historical movie about black people. Lastly, "This is the End" was also distributed by this company which was a hybrid genre of Comedy and Action.
3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
4) What was the budget for the film?
The budget of Spectre was estimated around $245 - 250 million which was a staggering amount of budget.
5) How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?
In terms of the Box Office revenue, Spectre created around $880.7 million USD which was a huge amount more than their budget meaning that they made a huge amount of profit. Also, in my perspectives, I think it was a successful financially because they met the expectations of their audience. They met the generic conventions of Crime, Thriller and Action genre which attracted more audiences. Moreover, with narrative based, it is always James Bond creating a new equilibrium where he defeats the villain which his fanbase and also a new audience would enjoy to watch.
6) Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?
In the UK, the film was successful as the gross profit created by the film was $136.3 million which is a staggering amount but it doesn't go over-take the budget. However, in the USA, the movie made $70.4 million in the opening weekend which was also a staggering amount but of course it didn't meet the budget or over-take it. In the UK, the movie prospered more and in my perspective, I think its due to the setting within the movie which more of the audiences in the UK are more familiar with. And also, the main star is a British actor which many of the audiences in the UK are likely to personally identify and build a personal relationship with than the audiences in the USA.
7) What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?
The certificate that the film was given was 12. Th reason for this certificate was that it met all the guidelines of the certificate 12. For example, with violence guideline, it said "there may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail" which in Spectre, it did exactly that, it didn't show much blood nor clear details of injuries and deaths. The certification is important in terms of targeting its audience because in companies like Vue, they would only let in 12 years of age and older which for Spectre, their target audience are more from 15 to 35 which allows them to consume the media.
Representation
1) What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
The representation of gender is very reinforcing but also at times within the movie, is subversive. The reinforcing of gender is shown through the movie "Spectre" and it's franchise as we always see James Bond (Daniel Craig) who is the male main lead character that protects a particular girl and others from the villains. The James Bond movies always begin with a new equilibrium where everything is fine but a disequilibrium occurs. Then James Bond always defeats the villains. With James Bond's representation within the movie, it is reinforcing the stereotype of men being very masculine and brave. Moreover, with female representation, we always are shown a female character that James Bond has to protect and save from the villains. In many James Bond movies, the female characters are shown to the weaker ones as they rely on James Bond to save them. This reinforces the stereotype of females being very weak and a "target". However, the stereotype of females are subverted in particular within the "Spectre" movie where we see the female character sometimes acting as the boss one with her actions. The female in the James Bond movie also helps out James Bond in frustrating and frightening situations as in one of the particular scenes from Spectre, we see her help James Bond when he is captured by the villain and is locked up on a chair with the needles being pierced inside him.
Also, with representations of locations within the movie "Spectre", it is mainly located in the rich areas of London. The representation London is shown to be more of a place of where action appears to happen quite often as we see James Bond who is a Spy agent keep on fighting the villains. Also, the iconography of guns helps to show how the location which mainly the action is taking place is represented as a dangerous place.
2) What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain?
The locations where the film is mainly shot is in main rich areas of Central where the audience get to see many famous London landmarks.
3) How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors?
Ill Manors is a drama and crime movie that reflects the lifestyles of the youths that live in council estate areas. It revolves around many different characters which are mainly the youths that are suffering and become corrupted. It essentially represents Britain as a "broken Britain" as it shows and reflects the broken side of Britain where the audience see the corruption of youths in council estate areas.
However, within the movie Spectre, the narrative revolves around James Bond who is the main lead character that has to fight off the villains and protect a particular girl. Within the movie, we are shown the rich parts of London as we see the famous landmarks of London which differs to Ill Manors as in "Ill Manors", we only see the broken part of London.
4) What values and ideologies can you find in your chosen film? (E.g. The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy etc.)
Case study comparison
1) What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.
Ill Manors:
A Field in England
Spectre
The basics
1) What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?
Spectre
Sam Mendes
Daniel Craig - "James Bond"
Dave Bautista - "Mr Hinx"
Christoph Waltz - "Ernst Stavro"
Lea Seydoux - "Madeleine Swann"
2) When was it released?
26 October 2015 (United Kingdom)
3) What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?
Genre: Crime, thriller and action
Within the trailer of Spectre, it consists of the generic conventions of its genre which is Crime, thriller and action. And in movies that are the same genres, the generic conventions we would expect would be guns, crime, catastrophic events, fast pace and crime. Also, with Propp's theory, there would be mainly a protagonist, antagonist and a villain.
4) What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?
Rotten Tomatoes: rated 65% which is a relatively good result compared to other movies with the same genre that scored less than Spectre.
Critical reception: "Spectre nudges Daniel Craig's rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it's admittedly reliant on established 007 formula."
Broadcast
1) Write a close-textual analysis of the trailer using the MIGRAIN key concepts of Media Studies.
2) Find examples of television promotion on YouTube (adverts, chat shows, ‘red carpet’ interviews etc.) and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
3) Does the broadcast promotion use stars to create interest in the film?
1) Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
"Spectre is sloppier than other recent Bonds, but it also feels like it's exhausted the idea that fueled the franchise's relaunch -- darker and more realistic can only last so long when it's paired with a rotating cast of Bond girls and supervillains."
"I regard it as a ravishing exercise in near-despair, with Bond beset by the suspicion that, were he to desist, both his character and his cause would be unmasked as a void. Killing is his living, and his proof of life."
"Dazzles early and fizzles late...Bond is not Batman; he does not need an origin story."
2) Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
This is the Spectre poster which I chose. It was used to promote the film "Spectre". The key conventions of posters are met in this Spectre poster which helps to reach out to the audience and promote the film. Firstly, the central image is an image of the main star of the movie which the consumers can identify and be appealed by. Also, the title of the film is included in block of letters to catch the attention of the consumers. Also, the costume of the main actor as the central image helps to attract the audience as it is a professional and a neat looking Tuxedo suit. The iconography of the gun held by the main star helps it to fit with clothing of the main star and the theme of the poster too. Lastly, the text"007" helps to promote the film as the consumers can identify with it as that particular text is in many previous franchises.
This is the Spectre billboard which they used to advertise to a wide range of audiences. The Billboard helps to promote the film as it includes the main actor "James Bond" (Daniel Craig) as the main central image. Also, there is a synergy link as both of the texts "007" and "Spectre" help the film be promoted as the fan base/audience can identify the James Bond franchise.
3) Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.
The print advertisement of the Spectre poster has a big impact in my perspectives as the central image as well as with the Skull masked background helps the fan-base of the James Bond franchise to notice it. Also, it has an impact on the audiences that are not familiar with the James Bond franchise both of the central and the background image communicate to the non aware audience of what the movie might mostly be about. Considering the clothing of the main central image of "James Bond", the iconography of the central image wearing the Tuxedo blazer as well as holding a gun helps the audience to recognise the typical representation of "James Bond" in many other movies from the franchise. Lastly, the skull-masked background image of a person suggests that it could be a masked villain that James Bond has to face.
4) How is the film’s brand constructed? What does the brand connote? Does it remind you of any other brands or similar films?
The brand is constructed as in the other movies of the franchise especially "spectre", we have the main character being James Bond who is a very heroic character in terms of rescuing a girl and defeating the villain. The movies of James Bond always has a disequilibrium until when James Bond solves the situation and creates a new equilibrium where everything is solved. Also, with the narrative of the James Bond movies, they are mostly the same but its different events that take place in each movies such as explosions and fights that lead to another conflict. Moreover, the brand also involves luxurious things such as the main star wearing suits while brutal fights taking place which shows his extreme power. Lastly, this film is similar to movies like "Jason Bourne" and "Mission Impossible" that consists of many physical and brutal actions within the movie to appeal to the audience.
E-media
1) Research the film’s presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. How does the film’s social media presence help promote the film?
The movie Spectre has an active presence on "facebook" social media platform in the sense that there was a group created for everyone from the public, the actors and also the crew members from the film were able to discuss their thoughts about the film. It was a user-generated content for the people from public where they were able to express their thoughts on the movie. Essentially, for the people from the public being open to express their thoughts about the movie helps the fan-base or the audience to be more engaged.
2) Analyse the official website for the film. How does it use the film’s brand? What examples of synergy can you find with the other platforms?
The film did have its own official website where on the website, they had a category where they would show the different trailers of the movie "Spectre". Also, there was a section of behind the scenes where the consumers or people that are interested in production would click on it to consume the way filming works. Moreover, there was also a huge sypnopsis of the movie which is essentially summarising the movie for the audience or fan-base of James Bond. In addition, the website had other informations such as "latest news" surrounding the movie "Spectre". Also, the statement "available to buy now" is positioned on the top right of the website to convince the consumers to buy it on DVD. It also has the merchandise of the "007" franchise overall for the fanbase of the franchise. Lastly, to promote the movie itself, they gave links to their social media pages such as Facebook.
3) Did the film run any kind of e-media based campaign to generate interest in the film?
4) Can you find any examples of the two-step flow theory online – did celebrities or journalists tweet or post about the film in order to promote it to their followers?
Daniel Craig (James Bond) in the recent previous movies of the James Bond franchise including Spectre, he tweeted and shared out many pictures and videos during the shooting of the production of previous James Bond films as well as "Spectre". For example, a video of a scene within the movie "Spectre" was shared with stating where the location where they shot the particular scene was at. This helps promote the film in particular to his fan-base especially where they would want to watch the film. Also, the consumers that are familiar with James Bond and the franchise would want to watch it too. Essentially, it helps promote to a different group of audiences with different demographics.
Audience
1) Who is the target audience for this film? Demographics and psychographics.
The target audience for Spectre would be more males rather than females that are aged from 15 to 35 year old. More males would be targeted due to the main actor always being a male but however, it can be said that females can be targeted an equal percentage too as there is always a girl that James Bond is linked to and has to save. Also, the psychographics would be due to the iconography of luxurious locations, vehicles and clothings would target a more of a middle class audience where they can feel a sense of diversion knowing that when they consume a movie from the James Bond franchise, it is going to take them into a world full of violence, cheating death and a luxurious lifestyle too as being a spy agent which the audience would want to become part of.
2) How does the cross-media promotional campaign target this audience?
With Print, Spectre used many different print platforms such as Billboards, Newspapers, bus sides, posters and within magazines. These different platforms used by Spectre was to promote the movie itself so a wider audience with different demographics can consume the movie when it comes out. With this cross media promotional campaign, they were able to target many audience with different demographics but especially the fanbase of the franchise and also, the target audience.
With e-media, they used social media platforms such as Snapchat which is very modern and used by many people. On Snapchat, they created a filter for the movie Spectre so whenever the users use the filter, they'll be reminded of the release of the movie coming soon. Also, with Twitter, they could upload images, videos and tweets. It is a user-generated content where the fan-base or an audience can access it and publicly express their thoughts on the movie or the trailer. With these social media platforms, they are very modern and Viral which many of the ages from 14 to 35 would use Twitter which matches the age requirement of Spectre's target audience.
With Broadcast, Spectre appeared on an advertisement on Television with the branding of Sony products which also helped Spectre to be known to a wider audience which in this case, would be the audience of Sony. Also, the cast appeared on The Graham Norton Show which was also another factor that the movie was promoted. The Graham Norton Show is mainly comedy that targets a more older audience with a sense of humor. This helps target the audience of Spectre as the show mainly targets an older demographic from the age of 25 to perhaps 40 which covers half of the target audience Spectre.
3) What audience pleasures does the film provide? Think about the BFI lecture on audience pleasures in British film.
The film "Spectre" provides many audience pleasures. Firstly, the audience go into a world where they see luxurious lifestyle of James Bond with many expensive cars, suits and accessories which for working class people and many middle class people, they would feel a sense of escapism as they would experience something that they do not see everyday in their lives. Also, with James Bond wearing expensive suits, driving expensive cars, drinking expensive alcohols and sleeping with many girls is something many high class people can personally identify with. They might do the same thing as what James Bond does in the franchise and in the movie. Moreover, there are many explosions, gun shootings and crimes which many of the demographics wouldn't be familiar with so in that case, they would feel a sense of personal identification. Lastly, with James Bond's representation of physical appearance, in many fights he tends to win easily which many different demographics would feel a sense of surveillance on trying to know how to fight like James Bond perhaps.
4) What similar films would the target audience enjoy? Justify your suggestions.
The similar movies that the target audience of Spectre would enjoy are films like "Mission Impossible", "Men in Black", "Jason Bourne" and the previous movies of the franchise. This would be because all of these films involve physical actions such as conflicts between the main actor and the villains. Also, many gun shootings, crimes committed and explosions which each of the films have similar with "Spectre". The fan-base of James Bond and the franchise are mainly into watching actions and fights take place which is the reason why they would enjoy the films which I have stated as they all consist of shootings and fightings.
Institution
1) Which film studio produced the film? What other films have they produced? Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
There were many film studios that produced the film. Eon Productions, Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwynn-Mayer produced "Spectre" which are all these production companies are known by many people.
Eon Productions company are the company that produce the franchise of the James Bond movies which include; Skyfall, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and etc. With producing only the James Bond franchises, the genre, the narratives and the action events that take place within those movies help target a specfic audience who are perhaps "fans" of James Bond's franchise.
Columbia Pictures are a very big production company which tend to produce many movies that have made many numerous amounts of hits. Mainstream movies like "The amazing Spider-Man", "22 Jumpstreet", "Grown Ups" and "Sex Tape" are all produced by Columbia Pictures. With a movie like "The amazing spider man", it would be a different target audience with a different demographics and interests.
Metro-Goldwynn-Mayer are also a huge production company. In terms of movies that they have produced, some of them are "Nanny Mcphee" which was a huge hit. Also, the Hobbit franchise that made a huge amount of revenue. The most recent film that has been a hit and produced by the Metro-Goldwynn-Mayer company is "Creed". Moreover, with Creed, I think the audience would be more similar to Spectre than the other films produced by this company as both films have numerous scenes of physical violence shown which the target audience of Spectre and the franchise would love to watch.
2) Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed?
The distribution company that distributed "Spectre" in the UK were Twentieth Century Fox film company, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Releasing.
Twentieth Century Fox film company have distributed films in the UK such as "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb", "Avatar" which was the biggest Box-Office movie and "The day after tomorrow".
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have distributed films in the UK such as "X-Men: Days of Future Past", "The Wolverine" and "Die Hard 2".
Sony Pictures Releasing have distributed films in the UK such as "T2 Transpotting" which was very recent. Also, they distributed "Django Unchained" which was a historical movie about black people. Lastly, "This is the End" was also distributed by this company which was a hybrid genre of Comedy and Action.
3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
4) What was the budget for the film?
The budget of Spectre was estimated around $245 - 250 million which was a staggering amount of budget.
5) How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?
In terms of the Box Office revenue, Spectre created around $880.7 million USD which was a huge amount more than their budget meaning that they made a huge amount of profit. Also, in my perspectives, I think it was a successful financially because they met the expectations of their audience. They met the generic conventions of Crime, Thriller and Action genre which attracted more audiences. Moreover, with narrative based, it is always James Bond creating a new equilibrium where he defeats the villain which his fanbase and also a new audience would enjoy to watch.
6) Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?
In the UK, the film was successful as the gross profit created by the film was $136.3 million which is a staggering amount but it doesn't go over-take the budget. However, in the USA, the movie made $70.4 million in the opening weekend which was also a staggering amount but of course it didn't meet the budget or over-take it. In the UK, the movie prospered more and in my perspective, I think its due to the setting within the movie which more of the audiences in the UK are more familiar with. And also, the main star is a British actor which many of the audiences in the UK are likely to personally identify and build a personal relationship with than the audiences in the USA.
7) What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?
The certificate that the film was given was 12. Th reason for this certificate was that it met all the guidelines of the certificate 12. For example, with violence guideline, it said "there may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail" which in Spectre, it did exactly that, it didn't show much blood nor clear details of injuries and deaths. The certification is important in terms of targeting its audience because in companies like Vue, they would only let in 12 years of age and older which for Spectre, their target audience are more from 15 to 35 which allows them to consume the media.
Representation
1) What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
The representation of gender is very reinforcing but also at times within the movie, is subversive. The reinforcing of gender is shown through the movie "Spectre" and it's franchise as we always see James Bond (Daniel Craig) who is the male main lead character that protects a particular girl and others from the villains. The James Bond movies always begin with a new equilibrium where everything is fine but a disequilibrium occurs. Then James Bond always defeats the villains. With James Bond's representation within the movie, it is reinforcing the stereotype of men being very masculine and brave. Moreover, with female representation, we always are shown a female character that James Bond has to protect and save from the villains. In many James Bond movies, the female characters are shown to the weaker ones as they rely on James Bond to save them. This reinforces the stereotype of females being very weak and a "target". However, the stereotype of females are subverted in particular within the "Spectre" movie where we see the female character sometimes acting as the boss one with her actions. The female in the James Bond movie also helps out James Bond in frustrating and frightening situations as in one of the particular scenes from Spectre, we see her help James Bond when he is captured by the villain and is locked up on a chair with the needles being pierced inside him.
Also, with representations of locations within the movie "Spectre", it is mainly located in the rich areas of London. The representation London is shown to be more of a place of where action appears to happen quite often as we see James Bond who is a Spy agent keep on fighting the villains. Also, the iconography of guns helps to show how the location which mainly the action is taking place is represented as a dangerous place.
2) What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain?
The locations where the film is mainly shot is in main rich areas of Central where the audience get to see many famous London landmarks.
3) How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors?
Ill Manors is a drama and crime movie that reflects the lifestyles of the youths that live in council estate areas. It revolves around many different characters which are mainly the youths that are suffering and become corrupted. It essentially represents Britain as a "broken Britain" as it shows and reflects the broken side of Britain where the audience see the corruption of youths in council estate areas.
However, within the movie Spectre, the narrative revolves around James Bond who is the main lead character that has to fight off the villains and protect a particular girl. Within the movie, we are shown the rich parts of London as we see the famous landmarks of London which differs to Ill Manors as in "Ill Manors", we only see the broken part of London.
4) What values and ideologies can you find in your chosen film? (E.g. The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy etc.)
Case study comparison
1) What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.
Ill Manors:
- Very Low budget film
- Had many print designs but just not the Bill Board as they didn't have the sufficient amount of budget.
- Different target audience to Spectre and A field in England - Niche
- The genre was very clear as well as the narrative
- It had many different characters that the movie focused on
- Many shots at different parts of London
- Had a website for promotion
A Field in England
- Also a very low budget film with being the lowest budgeted movie
- However, this couldn't afford to advertise the movie through print adverts
- A very niche target audience to Ill Manors and Spectre
- The movie's purpose was for education wise - historical genre
- Only one location which the whole film was shot in
- Also, had a website for promotion
- However, the distribution method was very different to Ill Manors and Spectre
Spectre
- Highest budgeted movie with $245 - $250 million
- This movie had all the promotional print adverts such as the Bill Boards and Posters
- The film was located in London similar to Ill Manors
- Genre is easy for the audience to acknowledge through the clear codes and conventions
- Mainly for a mainstream audience - mass target audience
- Also includes a website to promote the movie
- Made the most money out of the three movies
- Main purpose was to entertain and give audience pleasures such as escapism for all demographics
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