The Hunt for Gollum - Case Study - Fan Made Film

The Hunt for Gollum

Directed by Chris Bouchard

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The Hunt for Gollum is a 2009 British fantasy fan film directed by Chris Bouchard and based on the appendices of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The plot of the film is set in Middle-earth, when the wizard Gandalf the Grey fears that Gollum may reveal information about the One Ring to necromancer Sauron. Gandalf sends ranger Aragorn on a quest to find Gollum.

Filming took place in North Wales, Epping Forest, and Hampstead Heath. The film was shot in high definition video, with a budget of £3,000 ($5,000). The production is completely unofficial and unauthorized, though Bouchard said he had "reached an understanding" with Tolkien Enterprises in 2009.

The Hunt for Gollum debuted at the Sci-Fi-London film festival and on the Internet, free to view, on 3 May 2009. By October 20, it had been viewed by 5 million people, and has since been viewed over 10 million times.

Distributed by	Independent Online Cinema
Release date	3 May 2009
Running time	38 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	less than £3,000 (less than $5,000)
Box office	£0 (distributed free)

The Official The Hunt for Gollum Website

As this a 'film made by fans for fans' it is completely free to watch online. This can be done so through the official website or even on Youtube. The Hunt for Gollum is a perfect example of how the improvement of technology has effected world of cinematography.

My Brother The Devil - Case Study - British Independent Film

My Brother The Devil

Directed by Sally El Hosaini

Starring: James Floyd and Fady Elsayed

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My Brother The Devil is a 2012 British independent film written and directed by Sally El Hosaini. It has won multiple awards, including at the 2012 Sundance film festival and at the 2012 Berlin and London International Film Festivals and also at the British Independent Film Awards. 

Running time	111 minutes
Language	English
Box office	$12,100

Official Links to Twitter and Facebook Pages

https://twitter.com/MBTDFilm

https://www.facebook.com/mybrotherthedevil

Shaun of The Dead - Case Study - Low Budget Working Title Film

Shaun of the Dead

Directed by Edgar Wright

Starring: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost 

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Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, and co-written by himself and Simon Pegg. The film was collectively produced by companies such as; WT2 Productions (a subsidiary company named Working Title 2 Productions, the company is an independent film production arm), Studio Canal, Big Talk Production and Film4 Production. The film was distributed in the UK by Universal Pictures and in the US by Rogue Pictures.

The film was released on DVD shortly after its theatrical run in the US, with a DVD release around December 2004 in the US. Features included several audio commentaries, EPK featurettes about the film's production, pre-production video diaries and concept videos, photo galleries, bloopers, and more. The film also saw release on the HD DVD format in July 2007, with a Blu-ray Disc release following in September 2009.

Running time	99 minutes
Country	United Kingdom France
Language Budget	English $5,000,000
Box office	$30,039,392

A marketing technique used by Shaun of the dead was to bring the film's theme to life with 'zombie-infected' areas; actors dressed as zombies were driven around central London the Saturday before the film's release and were told to break loose in areas of high traffic before being herded into a zone and cordoned off with hazard tape. 

Staging these live events created a genuine pre-experience of the movie. It has to be the most powerful way to communicate what Shaun of The Dead is all about. The campaign was designed to attract  the attention of a young urban audience. Phone box activity showed zombies crowding around lead actor Simon Pegg. London Underground ads featured a similar visual concept, however this time Shaun and the zombies were rammed into a Tube carriage. 

As there is a strong reliance on visiting the pub in the plot of the film many, ads were placed in drinking establishments, Glasses were printed with the slogan 'Dying for a pint' on the base and distributed to pubs.

The consumers were also offered a chance to download ringtones of zombie wailing by pointing their phones at posters. 

                                       

Ted - Case Study - High Budget Universal Film

Ted

Directed by Seth MacFarlane

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane

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MacFarlane's feature-length directional debut, produced by Media Rights Capital and distributed by Universal Pictures. 

Ted was released on June 29th 2012 and became the 12th highest-grossing film of the year, the highest-grossing R-rated film of the year and the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time. The film also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Although seen as very controversial the film has done amazingly well and there are speculations of a sequel. 

Media Rights Capital is an American independent film, television and digital studio. MRC's distributors include Warner Bros. Pictures, Independently and Universal Pictures. Universal is set to distribute twenty MRC pictures over five years. 

Running time	106 minutes 112 minutes (unrated version)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$50,000,000
Box office	$549,368,315

Official Website

The official website used to advertise Ted, called www.tedisreal.com contains a variety of links, varying from a link to sites such as www.amazon.com and iTunes where you can buy the film and the  soundtrack online to a link where you are able to buy official 'Ted Axe Hair Gel.' When you enter the site the song 'F**k You Thunder' automatically plays, this instantly intrigues the audience and if they have already seen the film will remind them of the quality of the film. The site also contains links to social media pages such as; Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. As the film was produced and distributed by Universal on the budget of $50,000,000 the company are able to put a lot of money into promoting and distributing the film. This is made evident by the extra content available to download and the merchandise you can buy, such as: a talking ted app available on iPhones, an interactive game which you can play online called http://fistsoffurry.com  and an official merchandise website where you can buy Ted clothing, mugs, teddy bears, iPhone cases, pillows etc. 

The Official Twitter Site

The use of creating an official Twitter site for Ted is that it creates an ongoing buzz about the film even after its been released in the cinema or even on DVD. @WhatTedSaid frequently tweets about news to do with the film and additionally promotes not only the film but other media products created by Universal. Twitter also allows Universal to constantly keep the audience in the know of the film, this creates a better relationship with the audience and producers. @WhatTedSaid doesn't always necessarily tweet about the film, often his tweets are quite simply jokes. This may be seen as pointless however it is actually a clever marketing technique to constantly keep the audience aware of the film. 

The marketing for Ted most definitely had a huge impact to the success of Ted. Not only did Ted have a Twitter account he also has a Tumblr account called 'Ted's Fuzzy Thoughts' and is full of dirty pictures. You can also leave comments for Ted., which makes the relation between the producer and consumer much more advanced. The marketing availability for Ted was very wide as the film was produced by Universal, on Facebook it is even possible to add a picture of ted to any of your Facebook photos or upload a brand new one. This marketing technique allows friends of the uploader on Facebook to view this picture and make them want to see the film.

Les Misérables - Case Study - High Budget Working Title Film

Les Misérables

Directed by Tom Hooper

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway 

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A musical drama film produced by Working Title Films and distributed by Universal Pictures.

Les Misérables premiered in London on 5th December 2012 and was released on 25th December in the United States, on 26th December in Australia and on 11th January 2013 in the UK, it was originally supposed to be released in December but they released in January because they didn't want the film to be associated with Christmas. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Jackman and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for Hathaway. It has also won four BAFTA Awards, including the Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Hathaway). It received eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture (the first musical nominated since 2002's winner Chicago) and Best Actor for Jackman, and won three, for Best Sound Mixing,Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Supporting Actress for Hathaway.

The film was produced by Working Title Films on a budget of $61 million and at the box office it grossed over $437,710,466. As NBCUniversal own 67% of Working Title (Horizontal integration) they have access to a higher budget and new technology such at 3D and 4D cinema releases and better CGI effects. Through the use of synergy Working Title Films are able to not only create low budget British independent films they are also able to create big budget blockbuster films like Les Misérables. Through cross media convergance Working Title have the advantage of being able to make more money in the box-office, DVD sales from different countries and having better advertising methods. The film released the soundtrack before the actual release of the film to create a buzz around the film.

Running time	158 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$61 million
Box office	$437,710,466

Official Website

The official Les Misérables website contains a variety of links which give additional information about the film. Firstly the home page has the information that the film was nominated for 8 Oscar's and 9 Bafta's, this establishes the film as a well recognised film and this therefore means the audience will be intrigued and want to find out why it is so good. In the centre of the page there is also a link to a Facebook page where you can buy tickets to see the film. The page is very user-friendly as all you need to do is type in your location and it will inform you where the nearest cinema to view it is. Additional links on the page include links to the story (therefore the audience is informed about the context of the film which will draw them towards it), images, videos (including trailers and teasers) and soundtrack (which includes a list of all the songs on the album and links to sites where you can buy them, including; iTunes, amazon and Spotify.) Also in the top left and right hand corners of the page there are links to the official Facebook and Twitter.

Behind the Scenes Commercial

To market the film Universal advertised trailers and behind the scenes material. The behind the scenes material largely explained and promoted the film's use of live signing by the actors for all the musical numbers instead of prerecorded studio tracks. On one hand this could be seen as positioning the film as innovative and on the the other hand it forewarns the audience of potential disappointment. The comercials address that the actors took liberties with the music, allowing for a more intense acting experience to occur even at the sacrifice of harsh criticism. These specific commercials were intended to create a buzz around the fact that celebrities like Russell Crowe were able to pull off a musical performance, it also made the film stand out. It was also a way of warning the audience if a note would fall flat. 

The first poster to be released was of the iconic and famous image of young Cosette. This was done to raise public awareness for the film as the audience could compare it to the iconic image of young Cosette used to market the west end production. 

Les Misérable was originally going to be released on 7th December 2012 before it was moved to 14th December; however, on 18th September 2012, the film's release date was moved back to 25th December, so as not to conflict with the opening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The Place Beyond The Pines - Case Study - Low Budget Universal Film

The Place Beyond The Pines

Directed by Derek Cianfrance 

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes

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A lower budget Universal film produced by Focus Features. 

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2012; it received a limited release in the United States on March 29, 2013 and was widely released on April 12, 2013.

The film was produced by Focus Features who are the art house films division of NBCUniversal, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films. It was also co-produced by Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Hunting Lane Films Pines Productions and Silverwood Films to lessen the risk of losing money. However the film was distributed by NBCUniversal and other subsidiary members of NBCUniversal like Studio Canal. 

Running time:	140 minutes
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Budget:	$15 million
Box office:	$24,114,220

The Official Website 

This website is an interactive site which contains a variety of additional material. On the website there are links to the Focus Features Twitter and Facebook page along with a link to the official Youtube site for The Place Beyond the Pines. This makes it very easy for there audience to access additional information and clips. If you scroll down the page you will find many more clips e.g. 'CRASHING LIKE THUNDER: DEREK CIANFRANCE, BRADLEY COOPER & RYAN GOSLING ON THEIR CAR CHASE.' There are also actor profiles with information about the actors which will give the audience a clearer insight into the world of cinematography. Not only are there actor profiles but there are profiles for pretty much everyone involved in the making of the film. This creates the sense of a community. On the right hand side of the page the links range from behind the scenes clips to view on Tumblr, the synopsis of the film and a News and Press section.