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Workingtitlefinal 1pptx[1]
- 1. Year 12 Audience & InstitutionsCase Study:Working Title Films
- 2. Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan have achieved the near impossible They’ve created a wildly successful production company in a country where the film business is subject to repeated predictions of imminent doom. Eric FellnerTim Bevan
- 3. 1984Working Title founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah RadclyffeNow the most successful British film production company
- 4. Film mathsFilms + American stars = Appeal to international market (& success for the British film industry)This approach has provoked criticism about the ‘mid-Atlantic’ nature of the films.
- 5. The British film industry dilemma:Do you: A) Make culturally specific films which appeal to a limited audience? ORB) Make broader, generic films with a wider appeal?
- 6. The British film industry dilemma:Working Title want to make European films for a worldwide audience.They want to imbue them with European ideas and influences and they couldn’t do these things without the backing of a major Hollywood studio.
- 7. History of WT:1984Working Title founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe1985First Working Title film My Beautiful Laundrette (The first of a series of collaborations with Channel Four Films)15 Number of WT films produced in the 1980s
- 8. History of WT:1988 Production deal with PolyGram Filmed Entertainment1991 WT sets up Hollywood office
- 9. History of WT:1992 PolyGram (a European music and media company) buys Working Title. Sarah Radclyffe leaves to set up her own production company She’s replaced by Eric Fellner
- 10. History of WT:1994Four Weddings and a Funeral A big box office success due to the access to the US market provided by Polygram
- 11. History of WT:1998 Polygram bought by Universal, a Seagram company2000Seagram is bought by Vivendi, the French multimedia conglomerateWorkingTitle is now owned by Universal, which is in turn owned by Vivendi
- 13. $35mThe amount of money WT can spend on a film before consulting with UniversalWT2 Set up to encourage new British filmmakers.Billy Elliot (Dir. Stephen Daldry, 1999)WT2 did not need the approval of Universal
- 14. Safety Net:£13m Budget for Captain Corelli’s Mandolin£9.8mUK Box Office takingsThe protection of Universal means that Working Title was able to survive this disappointing performance
- 15. Unique:There is no other British Film Company like Working TitleIt is allowed freedom to make creative decisions but it is owned by a conglomerate
- 16. Some key Working Title films:
- 17. Some numbers:4 or 5The number of films Working Title produce each year1Number of ‘risk free films’ Working Title will invest in each year2 Number of mainstream films WT will invest in each year2 Will invest in projects they feel passionate about (which have risk factors involved)
- 18. Some numbers:95Number of films made (to date) by Working Title$4.5 billionAmount of money made by these films6Number of Academy Awards won26Number of BAFTA Awards won
- 19. Successful RelationshipsWorking Title make films with 3rd parties e.g. the Coen Brothers and people they know well and have built up a good working relationship with e.g. Richard Curtis
- 20. Notable filmsThe SoloistState of PlayThe Boat That RockedWild ChildBurn After Reading,The InterpreterAbout a BoyNotting Hill
- 21. ElizabethFargoDead Man WalkingBeanHigh FidelityJohnny EnglishBilly ElliotFour Weddings and a Funeral
- 22. Bridget Jones's DiaryBridget Jones: The Edge of ReasonO Brother, Where Art Thou?Love ActuallyShaun of the DeadPride & PrejudiceNanny McPheeUnited 93
- 23. What does Eric Fellner have to say?Working Title focus on character and narrative (as opposed to action/ special effects etc.)They often create films of cross-genresFellner feels the simple essence of a successful film is a really good screenplay and sense of humanity; that the most important thing is for the audience to identify and empathise with characters
- 24. What does Eric Fellner have to say?Working Title have aimed to create an industry that is exportable and globalThere is an active aggressive industry in Hollywood that we can never compete withWhat we should focus on is making films we believe in and exporting them
- 25. What does Eric Fellner have to say?We should dissipate the notion of the British Film Industry just being BritishInstead we should work with home grown material and work with others to distribute, market etcCharacters should be fun and engaging; you should want to spend time with them (regardless of whether they’re simplistic or stereotypical)This is the focus for Working Title, rather than trying to package films/ characters for American audiencesFellner says that the British film industry is “thriving” and can ride out recessions
- 26. Homework due Tuesday 25th MayResearch a Working Title Film and prepare a presentation in groups (no more than 3) examining its patterns of production, distribution, exhibition and consumption by audiences. http://www.workingtitlefilms.co.uk/
- 27. ProductionOriginal idea?Book?Franchise?Casting?Producers?Directors?Composer – music tie ins?Screenwriters – other films?Studio – genres the do best?Blockbuster?Locations?Stars - A List or unknown?
- 28. DistributionHow did the distributor market the film and who was the target audience?PostersTrailersWebsitesRelease date and type of cinemasThe number of prints and scale and pattern of release eg wide releaseInternet downloads, DVDs.
- 29. ExhibitionExchange and consumption In cinemas and at homeScreen releaseDVD releaseRating?Censorship?Restrictions?Film reviewsA commercial success?Why?Audience figuresBox office figuresPersonal responseSales figures for DVDs, CDsRising stars?
Editor's Notes
- #15: Channel 4 films unable to survive their big flop
- #16: A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses together into one corporate structure, usually involving a parent company and several (or many) subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company. Conglomerates are often large and multinational.
- #28: a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements. Multiple sequels are often planned well in advance, and (in the case of motion pictures) actors and directors often sign multi-film deals to ensure their participation.Some media franchises are accidental, and some are planned, such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The most profitable film franchises include Harry Potter, Star Wars, James Bond, Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean. The longest-running modern film franchises include James Bond, Godzilla, and Star Trek. In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age. They either lose interest, or their characters are killed.