Blockbuster

• The film that I have chosen for blockbuster is ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ my reasoning
for picking this film as my blockbuster movie as its one of the most highly rated
films on the charts. This can be seen on the IMDB top 100 movies charts. The first
aspect of this blockbuster film is the budget, blockbuster usually has a budget of a
minimum of £70,000,000 this is due to their ability to try and create the best film
and excitement from the film. The film that I have chosen had a budget of
£250,000,000 the reasoning for it being this expensive is the different costs that
they had to pay for. For example, they have to pay for the marketing which is
mainly advertisement on different media types such as social media and television
that get the most attention as they have the largest volume of consumers. Another
expense is the salaries of everyone on set especially the cast members and the
producer. Other categories may be the script and development which takes 5%
and the cost of production that takes around 25%. As the film is around a
superhero there are lots of special effects that have to payed for which comes to a
grand expense. This film is highly rated due to the marketing that the film had
behind it and the reputation that the characters brings to the franchise. The
reason in which a budget is so necessary is because they have to budget the
marketing, distribution. The effect of blockbuster expectations is high for the
audience as they want to get the most enjoyment from the film. This creates a lot
of stress for the directors to deliver the perfect film.
 equipment
• Equipment used for the blockbuster film ‘the dark knight rises’ were of the best grade possible to
shoot the best scenes and to make it seems as realistic as possible. They would have used the most
advanced technology around as they didn’t have a budget to stick to. IMAX Cameras: four hand-
made MSM 9802s were used to film the movie. These cameras cost around $16,000 dollars to rent
per week. The film stocks that were used are Kodak Vision3 250D 5207. These were used to shoot
the best quality footage. The props that they used were weaponry and vehicles as it is an action
packed film with lots of special effects. The reason in which they used the best equipment for this
film was for the best viewing possible for the consumer, another reason is due to the expectation of
the viewer. They pre-sold tickets to the audience which gave them high expectations for the film
meaning that it had to be of the best quality possible. The equipment has a negative impact on the
budget due to the amount of props that they are using. Also the equipment they are using are of
the highest quality and latest technology which meaning there going to be expensive. However,
warner brothers own a lot of equipment due to the size of the company and the blockbuster films
they have produced before for DC comics. A props that were used for this film were vehicles such
as a bike, Lamborghini, truck. They used these vehicles in the film as they are conventional to action
films due to the speed and adreniline that people get from driving them. Also the batmobile or
batman costume is iconic to the series and superhero genre. Below are some of the other props
that were used for the film. these were used during the production of the film and can be identified
through a authentication certificates. The special effects that were used ranged from removing the
rigs in the background to crashing prototype cars into garbage trucks. By using the computer
graphics, they were able to change the visuals of the vehicles to make them seem more realistic,
they done this by increasing the size of the vehicles and adding different shades to them.
 casting
• The casting for this film had high-end Hollywood actors that have been in many blockbuster movies.
The two main actors in this film are Christian Bale and Tom Hardy $15,000,000 each for their parts.
Other actors such as Morgan freeman and Anne Hathaway would have cost them a lot of money.
The reason why they picked these cast members is because they have already been in similar
movies before, for example Morgan Freeman has been in Se7en. However blockbuster films attract
the majority of people due to the like of an actor or how the actor can play certain characters. The
reason in which the cast would have cost so much is due the experience that they bring and the
reputation they can bring to the marketing of the film. The impact that the characters have on the
film, is that they bring different audiences to watch the final piece due to their reaction. They had a
large crew; the reasoning behind this is the length of the movie and the different aspects of the film
such as special effects. This made the film successful as it made the different processes run
smoothly. The special effects team that were used in this film were over 50 men and women
strong. They used these many individuals for specific operations such as model making or senior
animatronic designer. The reason why this is successful for the film is because each person can use
their best ability to get the most detail into the film. This would be a large part of the budget, as the
editing and special effects require a large amount of time. The use of A list celebrities like Morgan
freeman and Anne Hathaway help due to their experience in other block buster films.
 distribution
• Distribution, blockbuster films spend a large portion of the budget
on marketing meaning that the largest business want these films.
The dark knight rises has Warner Bros as their distributor. There
are actually five others which make the big six. They are Fox, Sony,
paramount universal and Disney. The reasoning behind this is
because they have the most money ad spending power meaning
that productions teams are allowed to express themselves
throughout working on the film. They had main synergies that
allowed merchandise to sell which were games, toys and the
soundtrack for the film. The film was distributed globally around
the world. These films are exhibited via cinemas around the world
and after a few months will first come out of blue ray and various
other devices for all the public to see. They used vertical and
horizontal integration, to sell their merchandise. This means that
they use the same production process and will be able to sell
merchandise from different companies. The reason in why the film
was distributed internationally is to accumulate as much money as
possible. This influenced the success of the film as it was shown
over the world which would accumulate the most amount of
profit. The budget is influenced as well, due to the different rights
for each company and the different language barriers that they
will have to cross. Due to the size of the film, the film got
distributed into different countries in the majority of continents.
The distributors for this film were 20th Century Fox and Warner
Brothers. They also had lots of other distributors who are owned
by the two major distributors. They were distributed out around
the world via these major distributed.
 location
• Locations of Mini Major Companies find it hard to use lots of CGI due to the cost being $1500 per
minute which would have been way out of their budget. This means that they have to travel to
countries of use green screen to get their CGI if needed. In the film ‘Texas chainsaw massacre’ they
used a real house and used props and lighting to make it look realistic. There is only one main
location in the film which is the house. Also they used a town for the setting meaning that they
don’t have to pay as much for the location sue to them not having to move abroad. They filmed in
the India, Chicago and Pittsburgh to form Gotham as a city. The location recce for this film is
detailed enough to tell us how they used the scenes and what they used them for. Also they
included the risk assessment, which has high risk and low risk hazards. For the high risks they have
stuntmen instead of A list celebrities as they are professionally trained in that area. The location
recce and risk assessment allowed the filming run smoothly. Also the different places that they
filmed at allow the viewers to recognise different places. This made the film successful as they used
iconic places that are easily recognisable and relatable for the viewer. The locations were relevant
to the film because of the comics being presented in the city of Gotham. In the comics Gotham
looks similar to New York, this is the reason in which they filmed in that area. Location scouts are
important to find the right location to the right narrative. They work with the directors to find the
most realistic location to fit the narrative. Risks that would have been considered when filming in
New York is the weather, in case it rains and damages the equipment. The surface of the roads in
New York usually have pot holes, for that reason they will need to look into the road surface due to
the speeds that the vehicles will be going due to the genre being action. Another risk that may be
considered is the safety inside the vehicles, this is due to cars getting flipped upside down and
blown up with people in them. They will have to make sure that the stunt people are trained
properly, fire service and medical service are in position if needed. This lead to success of the film
as the risk assessment ensured that the production of the film runs smoothly.
 transport
• Transport of a mini major will be in Lorries and specialised vehicles that can carry
cameras on them. The reasoning that they do this is to transport the equipment
efficiently, however they will not be able to get other people to transport the
products as they will be carrying expensive kit and renting out other services is too
expensive. The term that they use is ‘carnet’ which means a production company
has special delivery of the equipment that can cost around £475 per £1,000,000 in
equipment. The company that transported the equipment for the film is Allan
Padelford cars. The vehicles were used to move the most expensive equipment.
This made the film successful as the equipment was moved around different
countries at a fast paced due to them moving the equipment in advanced. They
also used custom made equipment which would have had to be special delivery;
this would affect the budget due to it being unique for that specific need. The
transport lead to success of the film as it ensured that all the equipment
transferred without damage. Also it means that paparazzi's and journalists can’t
see the equipment being shipped that may spoil he film. another reason in which
transport leads to success is that it means all the equipment is in the same
location when needed. This means that the directors have no stress when moving
equipment. Another reason in which they transport the equipment is so that its
secure and nothing can get taken.
 budget
• Financing for the dark knight rises: Budget: $250,000,000 (estimated)
• Opening Weekend: £14,362,443 (United Kingdom), 22 July 2012, Limited Release
• Opening Weekend USA: $160,887,295, 22 July 2012, Wide Release
• Gross USA: $448,139,099
• Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $1,084,939,099
• The reason in why they made so much gross profit is due to the pre selling of tickets and A list celebrities
that boost the sales of tickets. The reputation for the first film also allowed the film to gain views which
accumulated in profit. Compared to the previous Batman, they didn’t make as much money. The reason
for that was due to the success of the first film being record breaking, which would have been difficult to
break due to the acting of Heath Ledger as the Joker which is an iconic character in the film industry. The
reason in why the film has such a large budget is due to the equipment, cast and special effects that were
used for the film. Also the demand for the film was so anticipated, all around the world, this is the
reasoning why the budget was so high. The equipment that they are using is expensive as it’s the latest
technology. Another reason for the size of the budget was due to the transport of the location. And the
cost of the cast due to them being A list celebrities such as Christopher Nolan or Samuel L Jackson. The
conglomerate companies are Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox. What this means is that the
businesses have extended brands so that they can distribute around the world. Warner Bro’s and 20th
Century Fox both allowed for a larger budget for the film due to it being a blockbuster and the
expectations from the DC fans being high. Also the quality of the equipment would have cost more along
with the actors wages due to the experience in other films. They knew this would film would be a success
due to the pre sales in tickets which sold out in most of the capitals in the world. Another reason in which
they knew it would do well is that fans follow the actors and comics.
 Mini major
• The next film type that we will be looking at is mini major. The film that I am going
to picking for a mini major is Texas chainsaw massacre. My reasoning for picking
this film as my mini major is because it had an estimated budget of only £300,000
in 1974. In which 1974, was produced for just under £2,000,000 meaning they had
enough for one or more locations in a specific area. The film actually grossed over
$30,000,000 dollars in the US alone becoming an iconic film. The reasoning this is
a mini major is because it was not exhibited globally until it became popular in the
US. Also it fits into the budget bracket for a mini major film which is under
£30,000,000. The budget on the film was spent on pre-production work such as
the script and storyboard. Also a large portion of the money would have been put
on the setting or location as there weren’t technical special effects. This would
have saved them money, as they wouldn’t have had to buy so many different
props. The reason in which this film is iconic and highly rated is due to the
advanced technology that they used in the era which had never been seen before.
The budget for this film is necessary as they needed to know how much they have
for the marketing of the film and distribution of the film. The effects of mini
major’s expectations are that they should hopefully be re-watchable.
 equipment
• The equipment that the production team would of used be used for
this film would have been of a good quality. The reason that they
wouldn’t use the most advanced technology is because of the price
of the cameras in 1974 which were expensive as they were
improving as a rapid rate all the time. The production company may
have lent them a camera for filming. Over equipment they would
have used were different tripods, on the website that I have linked
down below, you can see a dolly zoom shot that would have been
manually made due to the price. This reinforces the idea of a mini
major films budget that they have to spend on equipment. The
other equipment they would have used were props such as knifes
and axes that Mike Myers used. For this mini major, they needed a
camera that would be able to film a number of footage but it didn’t
have to be an IMAX camera.
 casting
• The casting for a mini major film is usually actors that are up and coming or has
just come out of performing arts. This allows them a chance to get to play in a film,
and the production company will not have to spend a lot on the cast as they are
not proven yet. The salaries that they will be on are a £100,000 minimum per film.
The casting director picks the actors to play that role, mini major films usually go to
performing art schools to pick out students that they would like to play in that
acting role. Also due of the genre of the film being horror; there are not a lot of
famous horror actors than there are other genres such as action and romance.
Marilyn burns was one of the actors in this film, she was also in films such as helter
skelter which is about the chilling story of Charles Manson. This would have
impacted the success as she had been in horror films before allowing her to
express her knowledge with the other actors. The crew that was involved in the
film was around 50 people, the reason why was due to the length of the film and
the budget that they had to work with. However, it didn’t impact the success of
the film as each person had different skills that allowed them to work together as
a team. Due to the year that the film came out, special effects weren’t used which
means that they didn’t have to spend any allowing for money to be spent
elsewhere.
 distribution
• Distributions of Mini Major Films are usually just in that country or the
powerhouse countries of the world. They are only having a small target audience
of followers this is due to the genre of the film and the target audience. The
distribution of the film ‘Texas chainsaw massacre’ was only distributed in the
South of USA as there is a large population of rednecks. The Bryanston pictures
were the company that distributed the film were a specialist in horror films. The
film itself was later distributed into DVDs and Blu-ray around the world 40th
anniversary. It was exhibited around in cinemas in Texas. The production company
is producer owned independent, meaning that the owner of the business
distributed his own money into the film itself. Locations of Mini Major Companies
find it hard to use lots of CGI due to the cost being $1500 per minute which would
have been way out of their budget. This means that they have to travel to
countries of use green screen to get their CGI if needed. In the film ‘Texas
chainsaw massacre’ they used a real house and used props and lighting to make it
look realistic. There is only one main location in the film which is the house. Also
they used a town for the setting meaning that they don’t have to pay as much for
the location sue to them not having to move abroad.
 transport
• Transport of a mini major will be in Lorries and
specialised vehicles that can carry cameras on
them. The reasoning that they do this is to
transport the equipment efficiently, however
they will not be able to get other people to
transport the products as they will be carrying
expensive kit and renting out other services is too
expensive. The term that they use is ‘carnet’
which means a production company has special
delivery of the equipment that can cost around
£475 per £1,000,000 in equipment.
 budget
• Financing for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre:
• Budget: $300,000 (estimated)
• Gross USA: $30,859,000
• The last is small scale production, which is made by a
small independent company. The film that I have
chosen is ‘submarine’ as it is a small scale film made on
a short budget. The budget for the film submarine is
£244,000 this digit fits into the budget for a small scale
film which is £1,000,000 to £10,000,000. Another
reason for this film being a small film is due to the film
being made by an independent company.
 Small scale production
• The last is small scale production, which is
made by a small independent company. The
film that I have chosen is ‘submarine’ as it is a
small scale film made on a short budget. The
budget for the film submarine is £244,000 this
digit fits into the budget for a small scale film
which is £1,000,000 to £10,000,000. Another
reason for this film being a small film is due to
the film being made by an independent
company.
 equipment
• The equipment that they would have used would
have been from their own production company.
However, they will be able to rent equipment and
props out as well. The equipment that the film
submarine used was Canon Power Shot TX1
which is a cheap but high quality movie camera.
They also used a zoom h1 recorder for a sound
recorder, which can pick up diegetic sound and a
crisp voice. This equipment that they are using
will be their own and equipment that they don’t
have will be rented out to them, which they will
have to pay on a weekly basis.
 casting
• Casting for a small independent company is
usually family and friends this is due to the
budget that they are accommodated with.
Another reason why they use this is because it
is too expensive for them to pay for actual
actors and it will be hard to attract them with
non-lucrative deals. The main cast members
for the film submarine took in £75,000 for the
film. And other cast members got £25,000
each for their participation.
 Distribution
• Distribution for a small scale film may not necessarily
be in a cinema, however they may be able to get onto
channels such as channel 4 and streaming websites.
For the movie submarine, its production company is
Weinstein’s company and UK Film Company. Due to
them having the backing power of Harvey Weinstein,
they are able to attract relatively large distribution
business. This has allowed them to distribute on
television around the world, in Europe, America and
Asia. Also they have a lot of theatre work as well; this
has allowed them to distribute the film worldwide.
 Location
• Locations for a small scale film are normally public
places or properties owned by staff already as they
can’t spend a lot of money on the locations. Unless
they need to film in a specific area, they may use a
green screen. The locations in the film submarine are
all welsh as that is where the filming took place. Some
of the locations are listed here: Bishop Gore School,
Pontsticill Reservoir, and Brecon Beacons National Park
as you can see all of these are public locations that
they won’t have to pay for. On the other hand, it takes
a long time because it is being filmed in wales and a
national park it may be hard to moving around in the
vehicles.
 Transport
• Transport for a small scale film links into the
locations as the terrain in a national park is
rough and the weather in Wales is cold and
damp. The transport that a small scale
production company would use for this is cars
and on foot. The reasoning for this is that they
will only have the budget for a few trucks at a
time unlike blockbuster that will be able to get
private service for their equipment to be
moved.
 Budget
• Financing for the submarine Budget: $1.2 million (estimated)
• Opening Weekend USA: $467,602
• Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $864,659
• The reason in why they didn’t gross as much in worldwide is
because they cannot distribute worldwide due to their
budget. The reputation of the independent company is low
meaning that it would have been difficult to make an example
of them self.