Assignment 2: Film Institution Case Study Research

Your chosen movie

1) What film have you chosen? 

The Wolf of Wall Street

2) Why did you choose this film in particular? 

I chose this film because it has an interesting concept because it's making crime seem like the only way into a luxurious life. 

Institutional background

1) What was the film studio or production company behind your chosen film? E.g. Warner Brothers, Paramount etc.

Red Granite Pictures

2) Who was the distributor for the theatrical release of the film in the UK?

• 
  
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2014) (UK) (theatrical)

No brand loyalty

1) What genre does your chosen film fit into?

• Comedy
• Crime
• Biography

2) How can you tell it fits that genre? Be specific with reference to the trailer.

I can tell that it fits with these genres because the movie is based on a real story, where the main character is running an illegal business (he says so himself) and is making millions out of it. What makes it a comedy is that no one in the movie seems to take the fact that they're doing illegal business seriously or see is at a big deal. Plus they use the money on drugs, parties and sex.

3) Does your chosen film have any stars or a director that are known for that particular genre?

The director, Martin Scorsese has won one Oscar and is well known for two other crime movies- Goodfellas (1990) and The Departed (2006)

The main star, Leonardo DiCaprio, is a very successful and well known actor. He has won an Oscar and has starred in many successful movies, such as Inception, Titanic and the Great Gatsby. Interestingly he has been in two other movies directed by Martin Scorsese: The Departed and Shutter Island.

It’s all a matter of timing

1) What was the UK release date for your chosen film?

17 January 2014

2) When did the first trailer appear on YouTube for your movie? Find the earliest example you can and embed it in your blog.

The first trailer appeared on YouTube on the 16th June 2013-





3) What other examples of marketing (teaser trailers, main trailers, newspaper or TV interviews etc.) can you find for your chosen film from before the film’s release date?

This is an example of a poster from before the movie was released:

This is an example of an interview with Leonardo DiCaprio from before the movie was released:

This is an example of an interview with Martin Scorsese from before the movie was released:

It’s a social thing

1) What was the word-of-mouth like for your chosen film? If you can’t find tweets (probably blocked) use the IMDB user review rating or the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating to judge whether the public have given the movie a good review.

Before the Wolf of Wall Street was released in the UK, Americans who had just seen the movie were creating a massive buzz on twitter. Some examples of what people were saying include:

We can even see that even businesses, like Topshop, and other film studios, like Paramount Pictures, supported the film.

2) Find three quotes from user reviews of your movie to create a picture of what the public reaction to the film has been. Post them on your blog.

There are many user reviews on IMDB.com- each with different opinions and reasoning. Some examples of people's opinions include-

"I am not against showing drugs or sex or money in a movie, if it helps the plot. But in this case, it didn't. It was 2 hours of absolute useless display of all the possible debaucheries on earth, without them helping in building up the characters."

" The Wolf of Wall Street is a roaring thrill ride that is both absolutely hilarious and meticulously constructed."

"High energy and wonderfully excessive as it delivers an engaging true story, but the lack of morality anywhere was a limiting factor"

Risky business

1) What was the original budget for your chosen film?

$100,000,000 (estimated)

2) How much money did the film make in the opening weekend?

$18,510,000 (USA) (27 December 2013)

3) How much money has the film made in total? (Look for the subheading ‘Gross’ which has the total box-office earnings listed).

$392,000,694 (Worldwide) (2 August 2014)

4) For a film to be considered a box office success, it needs to make at least two-and-a-half times the budget in box office takings. Using this method, was the film you have chosen a success? (Or, if it's a recent release, do you expect it to be a box office success?)

Yes, this movie was a box office success as it earned more than 3 times its budget.

Stars in their eyes

Research the stars and director for your chosen film.

1) What films has the director previously directed? Are they in the same or similar genres?


The director, Martin Scorsese is well known for two other crime movies- Goodfellas (1990) and The Departed (2006). He has also directed other films such as Shutter Island.

2) Who is the main star in the film?

Leonardo Dicaprio

3) What other films has the main star appeared in? Are any of the films similar to the one you are researching?

Leonardo Dicaprio has starred in many movies, such as Inception and Titanic. 


4) Are the stars or the director or writer mentioned in the trailer for the film?

Yes, the star, writer and director are mentioned in the trailer. This is significant as it shows how they contribute in making the movie more successful. Interestingly, the director is mentioned twice in the trailer.

Introduction to film genre- NCIS

She's the man (2006)

https://youtu.be/D4OhwrMidSU

Genre

• Comedy
• Romance

Narrative

The narrative features a high school tomboy whose brother goes to London without telling their parents. As a result of this, she is forced to disguise herself as him, and proceeds to fall for one of her soccer teammates. This is a typical storyline for the romantic comedy genre.

Character

The film includes characters typical of a comedy genre: a teenage girl (who, in this case, is a tomboy), the good-looking boy, the mean girls, and their friends. 

Iconography

We see many things happen in the trailer that tell us this is a romantic comedy. Examples include: the disguise, the fighting, kissing, tarantulas, etc. 

Setting

The film is set mostly at the high school which is extremely typical of a romantic comedy.

Final Destination 5 (2011)

https://youtu.be/PI87-0g_SI8

Genre

• Horror
• Thriller

Narrative

The storyline is clearly shown to be a group of survivors of a suspension-bridge collapse trying to stay alive but learn there's no way you can cheat death. This is a frightening concept that fits the horror and thriller genre very well.

Character

The characters are typical of a horror genre: a group of young people.

Iconography

There is plenty of iconography typical of the horror and thriller genre: cringe moments (e.g the close up of the eye), earthquake, dangerous situations, knives, drowning, fire, etc.

Setting

The trailer first starts off at the bridge, where the death situation started and then the setting continues in the city throughout the rest of the movie.

The Last Witch Hunter (2015)

https://youtu.be/xsuG2JUgs_8

Genre

• Fantasy
• Action

Narrative

The storyline features the main character (Vin Diesel) as a witch hunter, who is all that stands between humanity and the combined forces of the most horrifying witches in history.

Character

The characters include Klauder (the witch hunter) and Chloe, a modern witch who helps him throughout the movie. There is also the enemy: the ancient witch whom is trying to destroy the world. The fact that there is good and evil characters fighting each other makes this movie typical in the action genre. 

Iconography

There is plenty of iconography that gives evidence for the fantasy and action genres; swords, bows and arrows, changing of eye colour, fighting, 'dream world', hallucinations, witches, supernatural monsters, etc. 

Setting

The movie starts of in the olden times, showing us the history of the witches. The story then moves on to modern day in the city, which is then disrupted by flashbacks of the past and the 'dream world' which proves this movie to be a fantasy.

Assignment 1- Magazine cover

Magazine cover key conventions- Vogue

Blog feedback learner response

WWW: This is a brilliant start to Media – your blog is absolutely superb! The whole look and feel of the blog suggests to me a natural Media student; you clearly care about design and attention to detail – both absolutely crucial aspects to success in this subject. Your fruit bowls are truly stunning and the quality of analysis to your LIAR Interstellar film poster work is brilliant. The fact you’re already picking out key media terminology in bold is so good to see (something we ask A Level students to do – you’re getting ahead of yourself!)

EBI: Your written analysis is already good and shows an impressive understanding of the key concepts. However, we do need to work on the depth of our analysis if we want to aim for the top grades: over time you’ll need to be writing in much more detailed paragraphs that offer the depth required for A* (this will be particularly important in the Assignment 2 essay after Christmas). Writing high-level analysis means exploring the different possible interpretations that audiences may take from a media product such as a film poster. Your Minority Report analysis is a good example of what I’m getting at: you’ve clearly picked out some important aspects but some of it is more description than impact on audience.

LR: Reflect on your first month of Media. What do you feel is your strongest piece of work so far? What is your weakest? What specific skills or knowledge do you need to develop over the rest of the course?

Learner response:

I think my first month of media has been going really well and I've been really enjoying it. Personally, I think my strongest piece of work is my fruit bowls because I really like how they turned out and I enjoyed photo-shopping them. However I think that my minority report analysis could be improved because I need to write in more detail and focus on the impact on the audience and how the specific camera shot is able to achieve this effect. I think that I need to develop writing analysis in more depth and with creative ideas in order to achieve a higher mark.

Fruit bowls- Photoshop task

Camerawork and editing: Minority Report analysis

Medium close-up

The medium close-up allows the audience to see the facial expression of the pre-crime officers and identify how they are after John (as just before this shot, there was a shot of Tom Cruise). The officer at the front seems serious about doing his job and following his orders but he also seems worried and the audience can infer this is because he has to arrest his own boss. This ties in with the next shot that juxtaposes this one- where John and the main officer have an eye-line match which warns the audience that the danger is only just beginning. The fact that there are so many officers trying to catch one man creates drama and builds tension. The audience will be curious to witness what will happen and anticipated to see the action of chasing him. 

Establishing shot

This is a long shot of an abandoned car in an alley way and we can see Tom Cruise running in the background. The long shot allows the audience to see where the action will be taking place. The audience can see how he is trying to run away despite the fact that he knows he has done (or will be doing in the future) something terrible. The alleyway is very dark which creates a sinister and unpleasant feel and foreshadows that something bad might happen in the next scene. Therefore this scene builds tension as the audience thinks he has no chance of escaping from that many officers. 

Close up

Slight high angle

This shot allows the audience to see the facial expression of the fugitive in order to sympathise with him. The slight high angle makes him look weak and vulnerable, as he seems he is at this point because there are so many police officers after him. This is contrasted with the future shots, where he is able to take down all the officers by himself. However he also seems determined to get away and the audience can see that he is thinking of a way to escape. The audience can infer this even further when in the next shot he repeats the phrase 'everyone runs away' many times in order to distract the police officers while he devises a plan.