- Anne Hathaway is a bankable actress, due in part to the variety of films that she has starred in, which spans many genres and audiences. Examples of this are 'The Dark Knight Rises', 'The Princess Diaries', 'The Devil Wears Prada', and 'Les Miserables'.- Hathaway is also critically acclaimed, having won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a BAFTA award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
- She is also known for having a large acting range, having played characters such as Catwoman, The White Queen, and Fantine. All very different characters in terms of personality and storylines, demonstrating Hathaway's ability to adapt to different roles.
Think about films you have recently seen in the cinema. Which ones were recommended by word of mouth? Why did you go and see other films?
- I went to see 'Gravity' due to both word of mouth (ie friends saying it was very good) and also because of a review of it that I read in 'The Week', which gave it 4 stars (the most I have ever seen them give).
- I went to see 'Thor: The Dark World' based on my enjoyment of other Marvel films in the same or related franchises such as 'Avengers Assemble', 'Thor', and 'Iron Man'. Had I been uninterested in the story of Thor and Loki, I would likely have still gone to see the film, as it is part of the Avengers series and thus will be referenced in future releases either in passing or as a plot point.
Find out the budget and box office for the following films; 'The Blair Witch Project', 'Paranormal Activity', and 'Avatar'. Which of these has made the biggest profit?
- 'Blair Witch Project' had a $60 thousand budget, and made almost $15m at the box office in the UK.
- 'Paranormal Activity' had a budget of just $15 thousand and made almost $108m at the box office in the USA.
- 'Avatar' had a budget of $237m, and made over $760m at the box office in the US.
Find out the producers and budget for the following British films; 'Never Let Me Go', 'The King's Speech', and 'Skyfall'. How has film production changed in the UK since the 1990s?
- 'Never Let Me Go' had a $15m budget, and was produced by Film4, Fox Searchlight, and DNA Films.
- 'The King's Speech' had a budget of $15m also, and was produced by Momentum Pictures, The UK Film Council, and the Weinstein Company.
- 'Skyfall' had a $200m budget, and was produced by Eon Productions and Danjaq.
- The main changes in British film production since the 90s have been in budget, and calibre of production companies (from television companies like Film4 and BBC, to larger production companies based in foreign countries, notably the US). Financial backing remains less obtainable than in America, due to the lack of production companies that are not subsidiaries of American companies.
Can you think of any more recent film soundtracks that have proved popular with audiences? Why?
- 'The Hunger Games' and it's sequel have had successful soundtracks due to tie ins with successful artists such as The Civil Wars, Taylor Swift, and Jake Bugg. The addition of songs by these artists to compilation albums promotes the actual soundtrack and generates hype for the film.- Musicals often have successful soundtracks, for obvious reasons. Examples of this are the soundtracks to 'The Muppets' and 'Les Miserables'.
- 'Skyfall' had an Oscar winning song by Adele that opens the film, which hit No.1 in the UK. This is a good example of a successful soundtrack in recent years, as it does not come from a musical, but is successful in it's own right rather than as a tie in from a compilation album.
How has Lionsgate attempted to survive in the cut throat world of film production?
Lionsgate bought Artisan, which gave them an excellent back catalogue of films like 'Resevoir Dogs', 'The Blair Witch Project', and 'Requiem for a Dream'. The company also built a reputation for releasing popular horror films that gained a number of sequels, such as the 'Saw' franchise, and this gave them the ability to diversify into more critically acclaimed films such as 'Crash' and 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'. Since building its diverse catalogue, Lionsgate has been able to release large budget, box office hits such as 'The Expendables' and 'Kick Ass', and to break into the TV industry, with hits including 'Mad Men'. The key aspect behind the success of the company is it's diversity, as it has both allowed expansion into new genres and audiences, and a powerful reputation due to a huge back catalogue of successful films. This diversity has been achieved through strategic acquisitions and shrewd choice of genre, which has been done with an expert hand throughout the company's lifetime.
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