Weekly Podcast 7

This is our Weekly Podcast

In this we talk about:
Evaluation question 3
Our case studies:
'71 (Demange, 2014)
About Time (Curtis, 2013)
The Theory of Everything (Marsh, 2014)

Film analysis: The Theory Of Everything

Film analysis of The Theory of Everything 

Production Background

The Theory Of Everything is a Working Title film. Its initial release date was the 

26th of November 2014. 
Director: James Marsh
James Marsh is known for The Theory of Everything (2014), Man on Wire (2008) 

and Shadow Dancer (2012). This is quite rare having an unknown director with a 

limited track record for high budget films directing this film. Another example of 

this is in the film Elizabeth which was directed by Shekhar Kapur. This is quite 

unusual as the director was Indian and the film is a traditional British film but 

they did this as they wanted the directer to have a fresh and new view on the history.

Box Office
Budget:

  $15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

  $208,763 (USA) (7 November 2014)

Gross:

 $29,055,497 (USA) (23 January 2015)

World Wide:

 $81.8m

Budget and Implications

The budget for this for was $15 million. By having quite a low budget for the size of

 the marketing this meant that they could of got a bigger star. Eddie Redmayne was

 their main star. Being a british actor that isn't well known in british film it was a massive 

risk for Working title getting him for the starring role as they may not get box office in

 England never mind America.

Distribution and Marketing

This is The Theory Of Everything'sFacebook page. This page has over 300,000 likes which is a lot for a film that has only recently been released. 

Twitter Page

This is the poster for the film and also the DVD cover. The way he is looking at her signifies that she isn't of has fallen out of love with him even though this is a romance. It is also a two shot which also signifies romance.

• two shots
• sci-fi
• about her in small text

The Theory of Everything has got different distributors for different countries. In the UK it was distributed by Universal but in the USA it was distributed by Focus Features. This information also shows where they have already planned to release the film on DVD as well as cinema. This is quite interesting as working title had a 7 year cycle with NBC universal that said anything under $25m had the green light so seeing focus features distributing the film in the US is interesting. This is because NBC 

universal thought that there would only be a niche market for this film in the USA

 therefore letting Focus Features (who are owned by NBC Universal) distribute this

 film in the US. This is because Focus better at distributing art house films for a small 

audience, but the massive proportion of hype and awards for this film, intrigued a larger

 audience in the US than expected therefore opening up the niche market into an 

extremely big one. The main reason for this is the amount of awards they got nominated

 for at The Oscars including all of the main ones you can receive. 

Theory Of Everything just has an International trailer.

 This is quite interesting that they only made an international trailer as it shows they 

were trying to get their film released wherever they could.

Critical Reception

This is part of the Guardian's film review

It stands or falls, of course, on its central performance. But Redmayne towers: this is an astonishing, genuinely visceral performance which bears comparison with Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot. His Hawking starts askew – the glasses, maybe the shoulders a touch – and over the course of two hours contorts and buckles into a figure at once instantly familiar and fresh. This is more than just skilful impersonation – it's inhabitation. To look on as his face and body distort is to feel, yourself, discomforted, even queasy.
The film's emotional punch, however, comes from the trauma the disease wreaks on Hawking as one half of a couple. It manages that rare thing in any movie, least of all a well-upholstered biopic, and that is a realistic relationship, with grace notes, and a 

bedrock of respect and affection. Jones makes for a formidable opposite number; she's a consistently brilliant actor who needs a breakthrough.
It's a film to leave you reeling but cheered, too. It's about battling love, as well as illness. 

A universal story, extracted from a unique one.Perhaps this may prove to be the movie. Though Redmayne will deservedly hoover up a great swagbag of awards, Jones shouldn't go home empty-handed. One beautifully underplayed scene between the two near the end hits with such choking force the viewer is left almost giddy.

Overall it has a very good review with their rating out of 4 out of 5 stars and the IMBD rating

 of 7.8 out of 10 makes this review a good watch.

Media Language - Genre + Audience
The Theory of Everything is a hybrid of a documentary and a romance. It's primary audience 

is both older woman and men as his best known by older people although young people are

 also a key part of the audience as they may look up the the main protagonist and want to be

 like him when they are older.
Media Language - 'British'
This film has all southern British characters set in the south of England. It is mainly set

 in the heart of cambridge and at the well known Cambridge University. This is easily

 identified by a US audience by the arcitecture and mise-en-scene. The main protagonist

 who plays Steven Hawking  is also British making it authentic and more realistic. If we

 compare this to 4 Lions which took a more stereotypical approach as it was set in Bradford 

in the middle of a city with muslim characters 

• Compared to 4 Lions which is set in britain it is the more steriotypical approach
• Commutation test and set it in bradford not the south of england wold get a totally 
• different view

Typical WT Film?
On one hand this is a typical Working title film as it is set in southern britain and also

 has british actors but on the other hand focusing on the genre, its not as working title 

don't usually do a documentary genre but this film is not a typical Working title film. The 

budget for this film is quite a low budget for working titles standards with no A list-stars in the

 film at all. The main reason it isn't is the director. The director is very unknown and they

 have only ever picked an unknown director once before in Elizabeth. They have also 

taken a very artistic approach to this film not a commercial approach which is unusual

 with Working title as the budget for an Artistic film is very high making it hard to get 

mass box office results compared to a commercial approach.

Film analysis: About Time

My film analysis of About time

Production Background

About time is a Working title film

Initial release: August 8, 2013 (United Kingdom)

Director: Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis has previously directed numerous films for Working title including Love Actually (2003 which he also wrote) and wrote Notting Hill (1999)  and also directed The Boat That Rocked (2009)

Distributed by Universal Pictures

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

 $1,076,250 (USA) (1 November 2013)

Gross:

 $15,294,553 (USA) (20 December 2013)

Overall Box Office $87.1m

Budget and implications of this

Their budget was $12 million. This could have restricted WT from casting a more recognised  lead male actor. Domhnall Gleeson the Irish actor who is well known in the Uk, having been in a few of the Harry Potter films as a minor role and another minor role in Anna Karenina. But he is fairly unknown in the US therefore he would have no impact on the sales of the film over there. However Rachel Mcadams is a very well known Canadian actress in the Uk and US due to her famous roles in The Notebook and Mean Girls, so her A list status will bring in a lot of money from all countries. Their budget could also have reduced the number of locations they could have filmed in, as the more locations used the more expensive the cost.

Distribution and marketing

About Time Facebook page

About Time UK Facebook page

About Time Twitter

This is the Uk and international poster 

This is the DVD cover

The About Time soundtrack

Fan made video 

Rachel Mcadams is clearly shown in the centre of the shot and Domnhall Gleeson is less obvious in the corner of the shot making sure all focus is on Mcadams (the more famous actor) 

The trailer 

Critical Reception

IMDb gave this film 4 stars out of 5

Rotten Tomatoes gave it 3 1/2 out of 5 

The Independent however gave the film a grilling review:

Tim, in any case, knows straightaway how he's going to use his power: he wants to get a girlfriend. Things look promising when he meets a cute American, Mary (Rachel McAdam, already a veteran of such whimsy from The Time-Traveler's Wife) but on account of a glitch he "loses" that first encounter and has to woo her all over again. Then, deploying his time-bending lark to edit out all his gaffes on their Big Night – a stumble on the stair, a fumble with the bra, a tumble in the sack that's not quite perfect – he makes smooth the course of true love without Mary suspecting a thing. This might have struck us as a clever conceit had we not seen it done with far more wit, heart and precision 20 years ago in Groundhog Day. It's the same routine that Bill Murray's misanthropic weatherman follows, obliged to rehearse the same moves and learn the same lines over one eternal day until he wins round the woman he loves.

Media Language- Genre
It's a romantic comedy-drama. Its audience is partially focused on the American audience as it contains a famous American star. Its also directed towards the type of people who were fans of Love Actually, Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral as they mention that this film was directed by the same director who directed these films very centrally and largely on the poster, and in the right hand corner of the DVD cover. This market for rom-coms are usually focused on the female audience as the romantic genre is key how ere the comedy aspect also appeals to the male audience. The age rating is R therefore the audience is not restricted. 

Media Language- British and Typical Working Title film
The lead characters are all upper class attractive Brits. The focused family have a house in the country and in London, these are the main locations for the film. The lead male is played by a rich, upperclass. bumbling, awkward man who is kind of a remake of many Hugh Grant for example in Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral. These are all qualities of a Richard Curtis Working Title film. 

Summary
As a whole I didn't mind the film, it wasn't great but it did contain Bill Nighty who I love and who brought a few laughs ti the film. Overall the film didn't receive great reviews however the Britsh and American audience seamed to like it due to the high rates and gross profit of the film. 

Next steps

What I need to do now
After the feedback from our first rough cut I was told that the scenery shots weren't all the same length and pace so my next task is to do this as well as figure out a font to use of the titles. 

RECORDING SOUNDTRACK

On Thursday we went to see Conor in Leeds to record some of the music that

 we want in our film opening. Now with all three of us there we were able to tell Conor 
and Sam exactly what we wanted and how we wanted it done.
This did take longer than expected so we only managed to get one song recorded
 but after Christmas we will schedule another date to record the other parts of the soundtrack.

Soundtrack lyrics: Shop scene

The lyrics for our sound track

For the shop scene we have decided to do a music video style entry for
 one of our main protagonists. We are using the song 'Try a Little
 Tenderness' by Otis Redding. Due to the limited time we have to 
screen our film opening, we will not be able to use all of the song 
as it is over 3 minutes long. I have selected and cut some lyrics out to make it a lot shorter.

Original lyrics

Oh, she may be weary
And young girls they do get weary
Wearing, that same old, shaggy dress, yeah yeah
But when she gets weary
Try, a little tenderness, yeah yeah
Oh man that..........Uh

You know she's waiting
Just, anticipating
For things that she'll never, never, never, never possess, yeah yeah
But while, she's there waiting, without them
Try, a little tenderness
That's all you gotta do

It's not, just sentimental no no no
She has, her grief and care yeah yeah yeah
But, the soft words, they are spoke so gentle yeah
It makes it, easier, easier to bare yeah

You won't regret it no no
Some girls they don't forget it
Love is their only, happiness yeah
But it's all so easy
All you gotta do is try, try a little, tenderness, yeah
All you gotta, do is man, hold her where you want her

Squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave her
Get to her, Just try
Just try a little tenderness, ooh yeah yeah yeah
You got to, know how to love her man, take this advice, man
You've got to, squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave
You've got to, hold her and rub her softly man
Try a little tenderness, ooh yeah yeah yeah
You've got to rub her gentle man, ah, watch it uh, ooh what don't bruise her no no
You've got to love her, tease her, don't squeeze her
Gotta try um nah nah nah, try
Try a little tenderness, yeah, watch her groove
You've gotta to know what to do, man
Take this advice
You gotta love and squeeze
Don't tease my baby
Love her, lord

Our Lyrics

Oh, she may be weary

And young girls they do get weary
Wearing, that same old, shaggy dress, yeah yeah
But when she gets weary

Just try a little tenderness, ooh yeah yeah yeah

Squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave her
Get to her, Just try
Just try a little tenderness
You got to, know how to love her man, take this advice, man
You've got to, squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave
You've got to, hold her and rub her softly man
Try a little tenderness, ooh yeah yeah yeah

Try a little tenderness, ooh yeah yeah yeah

Rough Cut practice shoot: Introducing Bad boy- Shoot 5

Bad boy practice shoot

 

In this video it is explained how the practice shoot went and why we have chosen to add certain aspects. 

Rough Cut: Shop Scene

This is the rough cut for the shop scene

This is the rough cut for the Shop scene.

In this we have edited together the dance scenes me and ben took at the shop. 
We have tried to make the editing quick and to fit the beat of the music. 
A temporary backing track has also been added. 

Rough Cut: 1

Rough Cut 1

On our first rough cut is:

• The idents are not on yet. 
• I have used different types of fonts to help us decide on which one we prefer.
• The sound track for the bedroom scene is on
• All scenes are on. 

Audience feedback that we have received on it is:

• Some shots are shaky and need to be edited too make them shorter.
• We defiantly need music and ambient sound all the way through.
• Not all of the scenery shots are the same length and time.
• The long takes in the bedroom need to be cut up and they are too long.
• The love triangle is the classroom scene is not clear yet.

Rough Cut: Classroom Scene- Shoot 4

Rough cut 1 for the class room scene

Our intention
This is our first rough cut. In this we have edited together key moments from the classroom shoot. In this we want to portray the love triangle within the three central characters. 
How we did it 
We did this by highlighting Harri's glance at Hollie by framing them both in a two shot, so all attention was focused on just these two characters. Also Brad throwing the ball of paper at Harri hints at his flirting with Harri.