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Tuesday 29 October 2013




In order to deepen my understanding of Dredd’s failure at the box office, I believe that I need to research film formulas in more depth, and to also look in more detail at what qualities define a ‘British’ film.

Sunday 27 October 2013

'Dredd' Comparison Essay



When remaking a film, many factors are taken into consideration to determine the possibility of loosing or gaining money. In attempts to beat the original film, or even widen the audience, film companies go to extreme lengths to make it as unique as  possible. Sometimes remaking a film can cause a large loss of money, and an example of this is DNA Film's 2012 remake of Judge Dredd.

Dredd is a 2012 British-South African science fiction action film directed by Pete Travis and written and produced by Alex Garland. originally It is based on the 2000 AD american comic strip 'Judge Dredd' and its eponymous character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. Karl Urban stars as Judge Dredd, a law enforcer given the power of judge, jury and executioner in a vast, metropolis called Mega-City One that lies in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Originally being an american comic strip, this British remake was not as well known to British audiences due too their lack of knowledge about the origin of Judge Dredd. The 'Dredd'  remake earned 23,153,028 dollars internationally consisting of 6.9 million dollars earned in the UK. However, with an overall film budget of 45 million dollars, the film makers lost over 22 million dollars after  6 months of the films release. Over 25 million dollars was spent on marketing for the film, in attempt to reach a wider audience. The major marketing consisted of film posters, film trailers and frequent TV spots, which a few of these received awards (E.g. Golden trailer award and Best action TV spot) The film makers aimed to be nothing like the 1994 version of  'Judge Dredd' and this was reflected in the marketing, however they seemed to aim the marketing strategies more towards Judge Dredd comic book fans.

In an attempt to boost the potential of a film, well known actors are used to gain interest of potential audiences. The nationality of an actor can help to gain the interest of a certain country, and in this case Karl Urban was used as a leading role. He is famously known for being in films such  as; The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Star Trek, The Bourne Supremacy, and RED, and this has caused him to become recognisable well known world wide. This can help gain potential audiences internationally, however a more famously known actors could have been used to star in the film to boost audience potentials even further.

use of advance filming equipment can increase a films budget dramatically, and this is why critics believe that 'Dredd' flopped at the box office. The film was shot digitally in 3D using RED MX, SI2K and Phantom Flex high-speed cameras. Certain 2D elements were converted to 3D in post production. Filming in 3D is a very expensive process, and watching films in 3D in not always a popular option for potential audience's. This lost a large amount of possible viewers, and also affected the overall budget of the film dramatically. The film was given an 'R' rating, this limited the age of viewers especially as comic book films are mostly appreciated by younger generations, and also affected the performance in cinemas. By aiming the film towards adults, this further decreased audience potential by at least half. The adult targeting was also show by the wide use of violence, and violent references.

This 'British' film can be widely compared to many 'American' blockbusters as the approach towards marketing, casting and overall appearances are very different. The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan and the story with David S. Goyer. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the final instalment in Nolan's Batman film trilogy, and it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). In comparison to 'The Dark Knight Rises', Dredd's budget was very limited as the Batman film had a budget of around 250–300 million dollars. At the box office, the third part of the Batman trilogy made over a billion dollars (1,084,439,099), making over 834 million dollars in profits. The scale of  the film required such a large budget, and to entice a wider audience in, the film makers wanted to put the money on the  screen and make the visual elements the key aspect for the viewers. The success of this blockbuster was due too many aspects. Firstly the casting used a wide range of internationally know actors who all have large followings. Christian Bale stars as the batman, and as a world renown actor, contributed to the films massive audience following. The film makers elected not to film in 3D, but instead stated that they intended to focus on improving image quality and scale using the IMAX format, also saving money.

In order to reach a larger audience, the marketing campaign for the  film started earlier than normal, and was a contributing factor of the films success. The most successful aspect of the films marketing was the trailer, which reached over 2 billion views world wide. Also, actors starring in the film were frequently interviewed about the film on international programs, and this helped to boost worldwide interest in the film. The films world première was July 16, 2012 at the AMC Lincoln Square Theatre in New York City. In comparison to Dredd, the films run in cinemas world wide lasted nearly three times as long, and with no extra charge to view in IMAX, unlike 3D. This was a major downfall for Dredd. On average, 'the Dark Knight Rises' was shown in at least 4 screens in every cinema, whereas 'Dredd' was only shown on average of one screen in every three cinemas.

In conclusion, 'The Dark Knight Rises' was without doubt more succesfull than the remake of 'Dredd' because of overall attention an audiences need, and the film makers ability to draw in a large potential audience. The 'Dredd' remake did not target the correct audience, or consider aspects that could have saved the overall budget and this is evident in the substantial loss of money.


Thursday 17 October 2013

Here are a few images from the making of my video..




This is the stop motion video I produced about 'The Hobbit'. Sorry for the poor quality, but I hope the content makes up for it!


American Beauty


AMERICAN BEAUTY ANALYSIS

For my 'American Beauty' mes en sen analysis I have chosen to look at the Office scene between Lester and his boss. During this scene Lester is fired, but very confidently out smarts his boss earning himself a years salary plus benefits. The theme of  wanting a 'more meaningful life' is something that runs very deeply with in the subtext, and is also represented in this scene in various different forms.

This scene opens with Lester's boss reading a promiscuous letter written by Lester as to why he believes he should keep his job. The first we see of Lester is that he is sat relaxed in his chair not facing his boss. This connotes a rebellious quality as he is choosing  not to make eye contact with someone with a higher status. Also to support this connotation of rebellion, he sits with his arm on the boss's desk, showing an informality and unprofessional attitude towards his boss. At first the desk appears very organised and clean, denoting the boss's sense of neatness and detail. However this could further connote a 'control freak' like quality within the bosses personality. The setting also contains many black objects, and this could connote danger, and a sense of the unknown. From Lester's outfit, I can connote that he does not care about how he appears to his boss, showing a sense of being fearless, which could also been interpreted as a teenage styled attitude as this plays a crucial role later on in the film. He is wearing dull colours E.g: Grey shirt and blazer, which could denote a lack of style, however it could connote his dull views  on life. Furthermore, he wears a yellow laced tie which if looked at in detail, could connote breaking away from his dull views on  his life, and perhaps the start of something new. Also the way he sits with his tie loose, and his jacket open, connotes a care free quality.  In comparison to Lester's careless sense of style, his boss wears a black fitting suit with a red tie and matching pocket handkerchief. From this detailed choice of outfit, I can connote that he is very detailed with his appearance, and cares about how he is presented to others, and how people view him. On the other hand, the use of red and black could connote destruction and danger, which perfectly fits his intentions after reading Lester's unpredictable letter. He is also well groomed, unlike Lester, connoting a sense of pride in all aspect of the way he looks. Both outfits fit the nature of the office setting. At this point of the scene, all attention is on Lester's letter, however if analysed in more detail, the setting and lighting of the moment can give away connotations about both characters. The lighting used is very natural lighting with no artificial lighting coming from an points in the room. The light from outside is very limited, as the blinds are slightly closed as well as the door, connoting a sense of privacy and secrecy. Furthermore, it could connote that Lester's future actions must remain a secret and kept from others.  As soon as Lester's reverses the situation using blackmail towards his boss, the atmosphere of the scene changes rapidly. Lester's relaxed facial expressions change into intense eye contact with his boss. As the situation has changed, and Lester is now higher than his boss, the boss no longer keeps eye contact, and struggles to retain the same body language. The boss becomes very upright an tense as Lester takes control of the situation, and this could connote panic with his loss of control. Lester's vocal quality as he reveals his plan of blackmail is a very confident/sarcastic which connotes that he has nothing to loose giving him complete power in the situation. In comparison to his boss, Lester remains in the same position connoting that he has the upper hand against his boss.

As Lester Leaves the office, he walks behind several windows of frosted glass and then into the office, this could connote his unclear intentions finally becoming clear. Also it could show clarification in his life ambitions. His attitude is much more upbeat as he leaves his bosses office, and this is shown in his upright body language. This office is much brighter and more lighting is used to connote his change in attitude and his more positive outlook on his own life. Also it connotes his future becoming brighter, and this contrast the lighting of the boss's office. As he leaves he is carry a box of items over his shoulder, which denotes his unemployment, however the way he is carrying it over his shoulder connotes strength and confidence within himself. In comparison to the other office workers he stand much taller, connoting his views on the company, and also his attitude towards life. As the office workers are all wearing dull colours, this shows a bland and boring interpretation in comparison to Lester's brighter and more exciting life.
The theme of a 'more meaningful life' is influenced by lots of aspects of mes on sen during this scene, and all aspects combined help to connote the positive change in Lester that influences the rest of the context and supports other major themes throughout the film.

By Cameron Vear
Word Count: 887