Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - Film Case Study Research

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Budget - $19 Million

Stars - Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Maribel Verdú - Not well known actors worldwide as they feature in no well             known worldwide films.

Genre - Fantasy and Drama - Restricted audience

Box Office - $83,258,226 worldwide (54.8% of profit was from foreign countries.

Production Companies - Tequila Gang, Telecinco Cinema, Estudios Picasso.

Certificate - 12 - Wide audience, low limiting factor

Marketing - Marketing campaign doesn't expand past posters and trailers, no well-known actors worldwide.

Merchandise - Limited to DVDs - limiting genre and storyline.

Release Date - October 11, 2006 (Spain) - Halloween - Other blockbusters released in october 2006 include                                 The Departed (Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon) and The Grudge 2 (Amber Tamblyn and                                 Teresa Palmer.)

Reviews - IMDb - 8.3/10, Metacritic - 98%

                - Complaints about the emptiness of the plot

                - "Wonderful scenery" for you to get lost in.

Poster - Horror connotations, storyline is not given away at all, intrigues the viewer.

Trailer - 

The Illusionist - Film Case Study Research

The Illusionist

Budget - $17 million

Stars - Edward Norton (Fight Club), Jessica Biel (Total Recall), Paul Giamatti (12 Years a Slave) - all well known                films

Genre - Fantasy, Romance, Indie, Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction - wide audience

Box Office - Worldwide = $87,892,388

Production Companies - Pathé, Django Films

Certificate - PG - elements of drug use

Marketing - Reasonably well known actors, known from films they are in (not particularly main                                                  characters.) Posters highlighting 3 main characters. Trailers include mise-en-scene that sets the                            time and place.

Merchandise - Limited to DVDs as the genre and storyline limit the merchandise available.

Release Date - March 2nd 2007 (UK): - Relatively neutral, film has no real seasonal connotations, therefore the                             film may have been released at a time where no big films were being released. Popular comedy                           Wild Hogs was released on the same day as this film, therefore explaining why it wasn't so                                   successful as Wild Hogs would have stolen the attention of the public. A week later, on the 9th                             of March, popular Drama film 300 was released, therefore stealing some of the existing                                         audience for The Illusionist.

Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes - 74%, Metacritic - 68%

                - Acting was well respected by critics

                - Criticisms include the film not being appealing to the eye - A film should "dazzle the eye as much as                   stir the heart. It does not dazzle."

Poster - Features main characters (size representing their significance in the film) Connotations of the era and the genre due to the mise-en-scene, e.g. clothing and setting.

The Inbetweeners Movie - Film Case Study Research

The Inbetweeners Movie

Budget - £3.5 million

Stars - Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley. Blake Harrison - well known by the British public from the TV series "The Inbetweeners."

Genre - Comedy - Wide audience appeal in terms of genre

Box Office - £57,699,138

Production Companies - Young Films, Film4 Productions

Certificate - 15, therefore lowering the potential audience

Marketing - Well known British actors who were loved by their audiences throughout the country as they features in the TV series.

Merchandise - Official merchandise includes mugs and t-shirts among the DVD boxsets
Release Date - August 17th 2011 (UK) - In the summer, relatable to the theme of the movie. Other films                                         released shortly after this film include well-known comedy The Change-Up and Rise of the                                   Planet of the Apes. Which could explain why this film wasn't so popular in the US, along with                               the theme of the movie.
Reviews - IMDb - 6.8/10, Metacritic 44%
              - Many reviews from the audience talk about how the film wasn't as good as the series, due to the                     series coming first it was difficult for people not to compare the two. The director argued this was a                   continuation of the series.

Posters - 
Left - Bright colours to attract a wider audience, main characters/actors featured (character's reactions are relatable to the TV show therefore appealing to the already existing audience.)
Right - Relates to the targeted audience due to the theme. Mise-en-scene suggests partying abroad in the summer which the audience can relate to.

Trailer -

- Fast paced, humorous

- Relatable to the series (wide existing audience)

- Funniest parts of the film shown to appeal to audience

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Interstellar - Film Case Study Research

Interstellar

Budget - $165 million

Stars - Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine

Genre - Science Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Action - Wide audience, very popular

Box Office - Debut = $8.42 million, World wide total = $322,727,481

Production Companies - Paramount, Syncopy Inc, Lynda Obst Productions

Certificate - PG13 - wide audience, low limiting factor

Marketing - Well known actors, Posters highlighting main actor, McConaughey (well known from "The Wolf Of                        Wall Street." Posters address genres slightly, different connotations portrayed throughout.
                   - Interesting Topic to a wide audience worldwide - faces a scientific feature (visualising a black hole)                      addresses the issue of jumping through space-time (includes interesting factors that alter life as we                      know it
                   - Based upon real science - Astrophysicist Kip Thorne also exec. producer on the film. Wormholes                        or black holes have never been portrayed visually in any film to date other than Interstellar.
Merchandise - Limited, due to storyline - mainly clothing
Release Date - November 7th 2014 (UK): - after summer hype and before winter hype (no limit on potential                                   audience.) Jessabelle was released on the same date (could explain why it wasn't as                                             successful. Dumb and Dumber To released a week later. Film released 2 days later in US -                                   so premieres can be in multiple countries.
Reviews - IMDb - 9/10, Metacritic - 74%
               - Many Complaints about sound, voices mumbled at times (audience opinion)
               - Nolan told us he dialogue was used "as a sound effect." Therefore making it quieter than other                             noises "to emphasise how loud the surrounding noise is."
Posters -
Left - Portrays connotations of sci-fi, another world, highlights McConaughey, font portrays science fiction                   connotations.
Right - Clearly on earth, McConaughey featured with fellow actress, looking toward the sky (suggesting the                      stars portray some significance.) The font is kept the same, suggesting the sci-fi connotations.



Trailer -

- Slow paced preview of the narrative - Music and sound represents this as it is slow paced and quiet

- Voice over of extract of dialogue from the film

- Selects key scenes from the film but without spoiling the narrative

- On-screen graphics include titles and explanation of the storyline

- Music and scenes remain the same pace throughout although beginning and end are more slowly paced

- Trailer ends when ship enters black hole, therefore leaving the audience with questions unanswered (enigma code)