film- opening scene analysis
- doctor strange - budgetless plan - I, Daniel blake |
opening scene analysis
up (2009)The movie UP is about Carl Fredricksen, an old man determined to fulfill his lifelong dream of exploring the world by tying thousands of balloons to his house and flying to the South American wilderness. It was made by Pixar in 2009 and won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. I chose UP because I liked the movie, and the opening scene was very memorable.
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PRODUCTION / CONVENTIONS
The target audience for UP is children, as is the case for most Disney movies. I think that's because cartoons are supposed to appeal to children. However, you will also get many adults watching it because they are accompanying their children, or because they also used to watch Disney movies when they were younger. This is an example of Brand Recognition, because people will recognize the Disney logo and expect to like any new movies. UP is in the genres comedy and adventure, and both of these are present in the opening scene. It follows the conventions of the comedy genre quite well as it has bright lighting and rapid cuts and good sound effects at the funny bits. But for the adventure genre, other than referencing a desire for adventure, no conventions or anything were shown as it was only the introduction. The movie cost 175 million dollars to make, but I think the majority of that went into the animation costs, as it was an animated movie so no actual shots were required. Some probably went to pay the voice actors etc. It earned back 735 .1 million dollars in box office, so it made quite a large profit. Some people claim that it's one of the best Disney openings as the directors managed to summarize Carl and Ellie's whole relationship and make us attached to the characters in just 10 minutes.
The target audience for UP is children, as is the case for most Disney movies. I think that's because cartoons are supposed to appeal to children. However, you will also get many adults watching it because they are accompanying their children, or because they also used to watch Disney movies when they were younger. This is an example of Brand Recognition, because people will recognize the Disney logo and expect to like any new movies. UP is in the genres comedy and adventure, and both of these are present in the opening scene. It follows the conventions of the comedy genre quite well as it has bright lighting and rapid cuts and good sound effects at the funny bits. But for the adventure genre, other than referencing a desire for adventure, no conventions or anything were shown as it was only the introduction. The movie cost 175 million dollars to make, but I think the majority of that went into the animation costs, as it was an animated movie so no actual shots were required. Some probably went to pay the voice actors etc. It earned back 735 .1 million dollars in box office, so it made quite a large profit. Some people claim that it's one of the best Disney openings as the directors managed to summarize Carl and Ellie's whole relationship and make us attached to the characters in just 10 minutes.
SCENE ANALYSIS
The movie starts off with a pan down shot to a young Carl to introduce the main character, and then right after that a zoomed out long shot to set the scene. As Carl runs down the street there is non diegetic narration that mimics the style of old time radio commentary. This is to show how he is a kid pretending or aspiring to be an adventurer like the ones on the radios. In almost all the shots they use, the camera is still / not moving and they skip between close ups and long shots. This creates a feeling of movement so the audience does not get bored. The quick cuts also feel snappy, which matches Ellie's personality and manner of speaking very well. Later on, the opening scene transitions into a montage of moments in Carl and Ellie's relationship and they play the iconic theme music of UP. The theme music and opening scene of UP make it very distinctive and recognizable. People will feel sentimental / nostalgic when they hear it. |
IN GENERAL
Doctor Strange (2016) is a superhero movie based off the comic books of the same name. It is the 14th movie in Marvel Cinematic Universe and it falls under the same genre as its predecessors - action / adventure / science fiction. The character Dr Strange was originally created by Stan Lee (writer) and Steve Ditko (artist) for Marvel Comics in 1963. Since then, over the last 30+ years, there have been many botched attempts to transform the comic into a film, due to complications regarding film rights and companies (refer to timeline)
The movie was finally released in October 2o16 by Marvel Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It was directed by Scott Derrickson, also known for directing many horror films such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) The production cost was an average / large $165 million, however it made $677 million in revenue. Clearly it made quite a large profit, although not as large as that of the more recent Marvel film, Thor Ragnarok (2017)
Doctor Strange (2016) is a superhero movie based off the comic books of the same name. It is the 14th movie in Marvel Cinematic Universe and it falls under the same genre as its predecessors - action / adventure / science fiction. The character Dr Strange was originally created by Stan Lee (writer) and Steve Ditko (artist) for Marvel Comics in 1963. Since then, over the last 30+ years, there have been many botched attempts to transform the comic into a film, due to complications regarding film rights and companies (refer to timeline)
The movie was finally released in October 2o16 by Marvel Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It was directed by Scott Derrickson, also known for directing many horror films such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) The production cost was an average / large $165 million, however it made $677 million in revenue. Clearly it made quite a large profit, although not as large as that of the more recent Marvel film, Thor Ragnarok (2017)
TIMELINE
1963 + july /doctor strange introduced in comic books 1986 + movie script written by Bob Gale (writer of Back to the Future) but was never produced 1990 + Alex Cox and Stan Lee (co-creator of dr strange) signed by Marvel to write a script, to be produced by LA company Regency and distributed by Warner Bros. However Warner Bros and Marvel Comics had a dispute over merchandising, so it was cancelled. 1992 + Marvel signed Wes Craven to write / direct a new script with Savoy Pictures (also produced: Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde, 1995), but the movie was never produced + Doctor Mordrid released, produced by Full Moon Entertainment, originally as an official Marvel Licensed Doctor Strange movie, but their license expired 2005 + Paramount pictures acquired film rights on behalf of Marvel Studios 2014 + june / hired Scott Derrickson (directing) and Jon Spaihts (writing) + dec / cast Benedict Cumberbatch as doctor strange 2015 + june / cast Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo + july / cast Tilda Swinton as the ancient one + 4 nov / began main filming in Nepal -> England -> China -> USA 2016 + 3 april / finish filming in new york release 1st trailer and teaser posters + 13 oct / Doctor Strange premiere in Hong Kong + 4 nov / premiered in USA |
Releasing teasers / trailers / posters
In April of 2016, months before the movie premiered, the first teaser for the Dr Strange movie was released on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show. This gave the movie instant publicity as the show is very popular. Around the same time, individual character posters were released for each of the major characters. This gave the public and idea of the film concept and styling, and what the characters would look like. Further advertising online and in cinemas built up hype for the movies.
In April of 2016, months before the movie premiered, the first teaser for the Dr Strange movie was released on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show. This gave the movie instant publicity as the show is very popular. Around the same time, individual character posters were released for each of the major characters. This gave the public and idea of the film concept and styling, and what the characters would look like. Further advertising online and in cinemas built up hype for the movies.
Using famous actors and social media
eg. Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton Famous actors / actresses have their own fanbases, and so will attract even more people to watch the movies. Plus, if a well known actor is starring, it gives the film credibility. Using social media allows the cast to be more interactive with fans, and let the audience feel more invested in the film. Furthermore, using social media such as twitter or instagram specifically targets teenagers or young adults, who are more likely to use these platforms. |
Brand recognition
Although Doctor Strange himself is one of the less popular superheroes, Marvel, and its parent company Disney, already have a reliable reputation. People know that Marvel movies will have a certain quality, and will be predisposed to like them. Also, recently Marvel movies, and superhero movies in general have become trendy, so even non-fans will come to watch it just for the brand. And of course Marvel comics have many loyal fans, who can always be counted upon to watch every movie. |
budgetless plan: up (2009)
CAST
I would pick famous, experienced actors to voice the characters in order to generate hype and make people excited for the movie. Since it is budgetless I don't need to worry about cost. Either way the voice actors must fit the character concepts, for example I feel like Ellie's voice and personality are pretty iconic PRODUCTION
I would hire a skilled director, preferably one who has experience producing animated movies, and hire a music producer or a band who fits the concept of UP to produce a soundtrack or at least theme music, because UP's theme music is very recognizable |
MARKETING
I would release teaser photos to build hype several weeks to a month before the movie is released. I would also release a trailer and advertise in cinemas / on youtube, especially on platforms that are child friendly and children usually use, or on social media platforms such as facebook or youtube as the target audience is young children who will taken by their parents, and parents tend to use facebook. I would also use standard advertising like posters at bus stops etc. Since it is a kid's show, I could maybe create a game inspired by the show and put it on the app store so kids can play. Or produce merchandise based on the show that people can buy (like dolls?) |
i, daniel blake (2016) |
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I, Daniel Blake (2016) is an award winning social realism film, directed by Ken Loach, that is meant to shed light on the struggle of countless working class families in the UK from 2015 - 2016. It follows a 59 year old man, who used to work as a carpenter until a major heart attack leaves him unable to continue. However, his claim for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) from the government is rejected and he is declared fit for work anyway.
PRODUCTION / FUNDING
I, Daniel Blake was directed by Ken Loach, who is known for his other work - Kes (1969) and The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006) which are also social realism films. He uses his work for social and political campaigning, and a number of his works have been censored. He has since built up a following. The film was the result of a co-production between lesser known film companies from different countries - Toronto based Sixteen Films, French company Why Not Productions and Wild Bunch. Production was supported by BBC films and the British Film Institute (BFI) who invested lottery funds in film development, as they regularly do. It was a low budget film, and earned $12.4 million in box office. That is quite a lot for small films. |
MARKETING
The target audience for this movie are older people / adults, who experienced this crisis and feel represented by the film. For this movie they did the standard trailer and posters, However, they also got the help of Canadian Multinational company E-One Entertainment, who used a unique "grassroots" campaign strategy in order to raise awareness under budget constraints. Rather than having the premiere in London, they had it in Newcastle, where the film was set. Also, they employed 5 regional managers to work with local communities and have over 500 community screenings. This was to specifically target the common working people who inspired the film and could actually relate to the problems |