Another great example of Viral advertising

I was doing some research on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) last week and came across this interesting form of advertisement for the Universe as a whole, but more specifically Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War.

The video below is one of a series of 10 which are on YouTube and suggest to the audience that it's a real news channel. In fact, it's a 'fake' channel which had uploaded a few videos about the events in the MCU, including an interview with Scott Lang (protagonist in Ant-Man) and the President in the Marvel Universe, Matthew Ellis.
This is a great example of film companies creating interesting and engaging content to advertise their films without actually advertising it in a direct way (notice that there's no mention of a new film coming out!) and also building the 'world' of the MCU to make it seem more believable and generally 'bigger' than just the films. It's also interesting to note the presenter, Christine Eberhart featured as a reported in the Iron Man films and that WHIH is also seen in the Marvel TV series Daredevil, possibly suggesting that the MCU could be joined by the characters from the TV shows, given that the news channel is combining the two together.

Have a watch below-this is a great example that can be used in your Paper 1 GCSE exam, especially for questions 3 and 4 but also potentially for an AS Film Studies exam. I've also added the videos to the school YouTube channel under the playlist Superhero Films.

The future of the cinema is at home?!

 Just a quick post that might be useful for AS Film Students in terms of Production, Distribution and Exhibition. Below are some links that offer some ideas and possibilities for the future of cinema by watching the latest releases at home. 
Why the need for this an option is worth considering, as is the reasons why this is a good idea (or not!?) but are certainly worth reading and thinking about as case studies for your FM2 exam.  


http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/29/flix-premiere/

http://variety.com/2016/film/columns/hollywood-sean-parker-home-movie-services-screening-room-1201737625/

http://www.techinsider.io/sean-parker-streaming-rental-startup-the-screening-room-2016-3

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3464839/The-35k-Netflix-billionaires-box-shows-films-come-cinema-500-time-rumoured-Kim-Kayne-one-new-home.html 

http://www.primacinema.com/

129 of the greatest shots in movie history?

An interesting collection of stills from films via a BuzzFeed post, linked below.
Some wonderful images here.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/there-will-be-scrolling#.dka168LXe

New worldwide Box Office record for a calendar year.

2014 was a pretty year average year in terms of quality of films, but it was a spectacular one for 20th Century Fox who set a new record for earnings at the Box Office in a calendar year. 

Have a read of the link below for more. 

http://mashable.com/2015/01/05/fox-record-box-office-2014/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link

The making of Batman (1989)

A really interesting video has turned up online to coincide with the 25th Anniversary of Tim Burton's Batman film from 1989.

The video is a 'behind the scenes' style video that looks at various aspects of the film before it was made, showing investors why the idea of a dark and gritty Batman would be a successful one. It seems as though the film was made to show the people whose money was needed to make the film that they should continue to give the film money even though they weren't convinced the film would make money. There is also some really nice background to Batman comic books and the evolution of the character, so could be a really useful watch for both GCSE Film paper 1 and for FM2 section of AS Film.

Well worth 20 minutes of your time:

AS Film Studies Revision

Remember-if there is something you're not sure on or need help with, leave a comment and I'll get back to you asap. 

AS Film Studies Fm2 section a revision pdf from Ian Moreno-Melgar

BFI Statistical Yearbook for 203 & homework reminder

Homework for Friday 16th January

1. Read the Guardian Box Office report again
2. Access the BFI Statistical Yearbook for 2013 below and read chapter 2.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2013.pdf

3. Give a written explanation as to what the 5 most successful films of 2012 were and, in your opinon, why each one was so successful.

Making a film with no money.

Making a film on a very limited budget is not only part of our Media and Film courses in school, but is how many famous Directors developed their craft and their honed their skills. Without a budget you have to be innovative, smart and resourceful. There are limitless possibilities when it comes to making a film with no budget and the useful website Raindance providing 10 tips for Filmmakers working with no money.

10 Zero Budget Filmmaking tips

How NOT to make a film: The curious case of World War Z

Below is a link a fantastic article by Vanity Fair on Zombie-apocolypse film World War Z which is just about to be released in the UK. Based on a book of the same name, this $200million Blockbuster was originally to be released 6 months ago and despite Brad Pitt starring and producing, seems to be headed for an uncertian performance at the Box Office. Vanity Fair recently published the story of how the rights to adapt such a highly regarded book (Simon Pegg said that it's "An absolute must have ... Brooks [the author] infuses his writing with such precise detail and authenticity, one wonders if he knows something we don't') into a film went so wrong and so quickly.


There is some wonderful insight here and would be a great case study and example for AS Students studying Hollywood, the film industry and the pre and post-production issues that can beset a film.


This is well worth a few minutes of your time and worth bookmarking for later use.

Vanity Fair: The Making of World War Z

The future of release paths? A Field in England

Ben Wheatley's latest film, A Film in England, is to receive a unique, multi-platform release from Film4.0, their first feature release.

More details can be found here:

Live for Films.com report