AS Film Studies: Producers and Audiences This task is designed to get you used to the style and format of the exam question. In the exam you will be given some resource material and a discussion question. The examiner will expect you to use the resource material as a basis for wider discussions about the film industry and audience. I have included prompt questions to get you thinking about possible ideas. These are only suggestions. Please feel free to develop your own opinions, thoughts and arguments – as long as you can back up what you are saying with facts.
How important are stars in attracting audiences to particular films? Thinking time: think about the questions key words “How important” expects you to make a judgement and evaluate 'to what extent' “are stars in attracting audiences to particular films” evaluate the importance of stars for getting audiences to pay to see a film. “particular films” for the prompt there are posters for J.Edgar and The Artist; there is also a breakdown of the most profitable movies and a screen grab from Rotten Tomatoes web site. You should also make reference you your film marketing case study and your general film knowledge and your personal film-going experience. Resource Material (1)
Resource Material (2):
Resource Material (3)
Resource Material (4)
The prompts below are ideas to get you thinking. You must also bring in your own ideas, experiences and opinions. Arguments in favour of stars: How many of the most profitable films of all time had A list stars and 'star' directors? Do you think that this helped make the film such a success? Were the stars used in the film posters and film trailers? Were audiences only attracted because of the stars? How important were awards ceremonies, marketing, promotion, reviews, word-of-mouth in the success of the films? Was the success of some of the films based on 'buzz' around ultrahigh budgets or advances in film technology (e.g. 3-D)?
Stars have been the back bone of the film industry from the days of silent films . Find examples of film stars from the 1920s onwards. Arguments against stars The Artist – has no really well known stars; however it is an original film that has performed really well at the box office because it is something different to mainstream Hollywood films; films that don't have stars but manage to perform well at awards ceremonies such as Canes, The Golden Globes and the Oscars can generate massive interest and a large audience – can you find examples from the last few years? Sometimes films can be successful because they are controversial; the controversy may cause publicity because the BBFC want to cut certain scenes; this may generate interest in the
film even if the film has no stars; people are more likely to read reviews on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and get recommendations rather than believing the publicity hype for a film; people are more willing to take 'risks' on films available on DVDs, Blu-Rays and live streaming sites like Filmflex because it is cheaper than going to the cinema; 16-24 year olds don't pay to watch films so it's all a big waste of money anyway; the film audience are sick of 'ultra-high budget' films that feature the same old stars and the same old storylines......
Have an opinion; back up your opinion with evidence