Writing Your Own Case Studies for Section A: Producers and Audiences

It is essential that you write your own case studies to use in Section A: Producers and Audiences of the AS FM2 paper. You should write one for a contemporary British film and one for a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster produced/distributed by one of the major Hollywood film studios. The films should be no more than three years old (five years at the very most) so that they reflect current practices within the film industries.

By now you should have read my case studies on Sightseers and The Dark Knight Rises (please start using them in your essays!) and you should use my template when constructing your own.

The process is time-consuming BUT it will be worth it - not only will you have your own excellent case study material to use in the exam BUT the process will act as a form of revision of the main issues that you will be expected to discuss.

The following sites will be useful for you when gathering the necessary material:

IMDB
THE NUMBERS
BOX OFFICE MOJO
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
VARIETY

Also - you may find it useful to simply Google questions regarding your chosen films or even look on the relevant Wikipedia pages (just be careful to double check the accuracy of information you find here!).

Try to answer the following questions in your case study - and remember to relate your findings back to the issues we have discussed in class!

• DOES THE FILM BELONG TO A RECOGNISABLE GENRE?
• WHAT WAS THE FILM'S BUDGET?
• IS THE FILM BASED ON EXISTING SOURCE MATERIAL?
• IS THE FILM PART OF A FRANCHISE?
• WHICH PRODUCTION COMPANIES WERE INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OF THE FILM?
• HOW WERE THE FINANCES RAISED?
• WHO DIRECTED THE FILM? NAME THE OTHER KEY CREW.
• WHO WERE THE MAIN ACTORS/STARS? WHAT WERE THEY PAID?
• HOW LONG WAS THE SHOOTING SCHEDULE?
• WHERE WERE THE SHOOTING LOCATIONS?
• WHICH COMPANIES DISTRIBUTED THE FILM?
• WHAT WAS THE FILM'S RELEASE PATTERN?
• HOW WAS THE FILM MARKETED?
• WAS THERE A VIRAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN?
• WAS THERE ANY MERCHANDISE RELATED TO THE FILM (INCLUDING TIE-INS AND OTHER PROMOTIONS)?
• WHAT CERTIFICATE DID THE FILM RECEIVE?
• WHEN WAS THE FILM RELEASED IN THE UK AND THE USA?
• HOW MANY SCREENS DID THE FILM APPEAR ON IN THE UK AND THE USA?
• WHAT OTHER FILMS WERE RELEASED AT THE SAME TIME?
• HOW MUCH DID THE FILM TAKE IN ITS OPENING WEEKEND?
• WHAT WAS THE TOTAL UK GROSS?
• WHAT WAS THE TOTAL US GROSS?
• WHAT WAS THE TOTAL WORLDWIDE GROSS?
• WHAT KIND OF CINEMAS WAS THE FILM RELEASED IN?
• DID THE FILM WIN, OR GET NOMINATED FOR, ANY AWARDS?
• WERE THE REVIEWS FOR THE FILM POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?