Look back at the five films you have analysed for your existing product research. Find which studios made them – e.g. Film Four, Studio Canal, BFI, BBC Films etc.
Se7en - New Line Cinema
Kill Bill - Miramax Films
Donnie Darko - Pandora Cinema, Newmarket Films
Little Miss Sunshine - Fox Searchlight Pictures
What other films do these studios produce? Can you find any any other independent, arthouse or low-budget examples?
New Line Cinema:
-'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1974)
-'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984)
-The 'Final Destination' franchise (2000-2011)
-'The Conjuring' + 'Annabelle' (2013 + 2014)
Miramax Films:
-'Reservoir Dogs' (1992)
-'Three Colours: Blue' (1993)
-'Pulp Fiction' (1994)
-'Trainspotting' (1996)
-'Amelie' (2001)
-'City of God' (2002)
-'No Country for Old Men' (2007)
Newmarket Films:
-'The Usual Suspects' (1995)
-'Cruel Intentions' (1999)
-'Memento' (2000)
Fox Searchlight Pictures:
-'Waking Ned' (1998)
-'One Hour Photo' (2002)
-'28 Days Later' (2003)
-'Napolean Dynamite' (2004)
-'Confetti' (2006)
-'Juno' (2007)
-'Slumdog Millionaire' (2008)
-'Black Swan' (2010)
-'The Grand Budapest Hotel' (2014)
-'Brooklyn' (2015)
-'Me, Earl and the Dying Girl' (2015)
Do the studios have any notable successes? What is the most successful low-budget or independent film the studio has released?
These studios do have notable successes. A good example is that it's clear that Little Miss Sunshine of Fox Searchlight Pictures was extremely successful in that its budget was just $8 million and yet it managed to make a profit of $100.5 million.
Now research the distributors for each of the arthouse films you have analysed for your existing product research. Who distributed each film in the UK?
Se7en - David Fincher (1995) - Entertainment Film Distributors
Kill Bill - Quentin Tarantino (2003) - Buena Vista International
Donnie Darko - Richard Kelly (2001) - Metrodome Distribution
Little Miss Sunshine - Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (2006) - Twentieth Century Fox Film Company
How many cinemas did each film open in?
Se7en - According to Wikipedia, it was released in the US on 22nd September 1995 in 2,441 cinemas where it grossed $13.9 million on its opening weekend.
Kill Bill - According to Wikipedia, it was released in both the US and Canada on 10th October 2003 in 3,102 cinemas, grossing $22 million on its opening weekend.
Donnie Darko - Interestingly, during its first weekend, it was only screened in 58 cinemas in the US, earning just $110,494. It is speculated that this may have resulted from the fact that the film was released shortly after the 9/11 attacks.
Little Miss Sunshine - Upon initial release, it was only released in seven cinemas in the US, earning an impressive $498,796. The largest number of US cinemas it appeared in was 1,602.
How much money did each film make? Did it make a profit against the budget?
Se7en
Budget: $33 million
Box Office: $327.3 million
Kill Bill
Budget: $30 million
Box Office: $180.9 million
Donnie Darko
Budget: $4.5 million
Box Office: $7.3 million
Little Miss Sunshine
Budget: $8 million
Box Office: $100.5 million
Curzon Artificial Eye is a British film distributor that specialises in arthouse, foreign and independent films.
Look at the Curzon Artficial Eye YouTube channel. Watch three trailers for recent or upcoming independent films and identify something you can learn from each film to use in your own film production.
In this trailer for 'The Unknown Girl' I liked the use of withholding information from the audience, for example, we never actually see the dead girl who is being talked about throughout the trailer, despite the main character Jenny showing numerous people pictures of her, and more specifically, a moment towards the end of the trailer when we see a car pull in front of the main character's car and hear it crash but we aren't shown anything else.
From this trailer for 'After Love', I could try and incorporate a variety of camera angles in my production to try and communicate the mood of a scene just like we see in the trailer. For example, during the brief scene when the main female character has friends over for dinner, she is in none of the same shots as her husband which could emphasise their romantic separation so maybe this is something I could try and replicate in my own work.
For me personally, I love how in film, non-diegetic music can combine with editing to create the desired atmosphere and I think this trailer for 'The Handmaiden' does that very effectively, especially towards the end when the pace of the editing begins to quicken and the music reaches a dramatic crescendo. I think with certain scenes from my production in mind, I could use this same strategy to create tension and other feelings throughout the film.
Exhibition: Arthouse cinemas
Find some London-based arthouse cinemas and research the following:
What is the name of the cinema? Where is it?
I researched the Electric Cinema which is located on Portobello Road in Notting Hill.
What type of films do they show? What films are on this week? How do their programmes differ from the major cinema chains like Vue?
At the moment, 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' is being shown every day until the 11th May. This doesn't differ hugely from the films that are most likely currently being shown at major cinema chains but there are films being shown over the next few weeks that aren't currently being shown at mainstream cinemas e.g. 'Rules Don't Apply' and 'The Levelling'.
What type of audience attends this kind of arthouse cinemas? Are there any clues on the website regarding the target audience? How can you tell?
I think that the vast majority of an arthouse cinema audience would definitely be people who have an avid interest and appreciation for arthouse film and art in general and enjoy watching independent, niche films. Something that could be an indicator of this on the Electric Cinema website is that where it advertises the screenings of the conventionally arthouse films, most of them appear to only be available to members which could imply that they know that the people that are going to be members are the people that have a genuine interest in the arthouse genre.
A case study in independent film production: Film London and Microwave Film
What is Film London and why does it exist?
Film London is London's film and media agency. Its aims are to: grow the film industry in London, ensure the film culture in London is maintained and use film to promote the city of London to the world.
Microwave Film funds the films made by Film London but as well as that, it aims to provide mentoring support to all of the shortlisted upcoming projects, and then providing financial aid once the projects have been distributed.
What is the London Calling project for Film London and how does it encourage independent filmmaking?
London Calling is Film London's annual short film scheme which supports and helps London's most budding filmmakers reach their full filmmaking potential while providing financial support and professional training and mentoring.
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