Find as many online newspaper articles as you can from the mainstream press (Guardian, Mirror, Telegraph, Mail, etc) that include interesting or noteworthy representations of women. Create a document or blog post that includes all your links along with a brief description of what the article shows and why you chosen it. You will need lots of these for the exam.
We will look at these in greater detail after Christmas.
Thursday, 15 December 2016
Thursday, 8 December 2016
Last Tango In Paris Controversy
This is referred to in the previous article:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/04/last-tango-in-paris-director-says-maria-schneider-butter-scene-not-consensual
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/04/last-tango-in-paris-director-says-maria-schneider-butter-scene-not-consensual
Article on TV treatment of rape
http://variety.com/2016/tv/features/rape-tv-television-sweet-vicious-jessica-jones-game-of-thrones-1201934910/
Homework - due Thursday 15th December
Research Sally Wainwright, the writer of Happy Valley and produce biography of her as a television writer, especially focusing on her creation of strong female parts. Also, include a section on the critical response to Happy Valley (particularly season 1) and quote your sources.
You will need to read lots of different sources to do this effectively. Online reviews, newspapers and interviews will help.
Factual information can be found on IMDB as well as Wikipedia.
You will need to read lots of different sources to do this effectively. Online reviews, newspapers and interviews will help.
Factual information can be found on IMDB as well as Wikipedia.
Thursday, 10 November 2016
Homework - Due Thursday 17/11/16
Answer the following essay question:
How are women represented in the film Bridesmaids?
How are women represented in the film Bridesmaids?
Thursday, 3 November 2016
Classwork & Homework 3/11/16
Please work in groups of 2/3 to produce a detailed, professional looking PowerPoint presentation on the representations of one of the main characters (Annie, Helen, Megan or Lillian) or a group of minor characters in Bridesmaids.
For your selection, please focus on:
For your selection, please focus on:
- gender stereotypes
- deviations from this
- the use of Media language in this representation
- references to gender theory in relation to this representation
The work is due in next Thursday 10th November.
Groups:
1. Meg, Erin & Tom - Annie
2. Rach & Kate - Helen
3. The lads - Lillian & possible minor characters
4. Holly, Charlotte & Dan - Megan
Groups:
1. Meg, Erin & Tom - Annie
2. Rach & Kate - Helen
3. The lads - Lillian & possible minor characters
4. Holly, Charlotte & Dan - Megan
Monday, 10 October 2016
Media/Feminism/Representations of Women Links
First of all, here's The Guardian's Media briefing for yesterday. These pages are required reading for your A-Level:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/10/jacqui-oatley-strictly-ratings-womans-hour?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Secondly, Jaqui Oatley on work opportunities for women and girls in the media:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/09/jacqui-oatley-footbal-presenter-bbc-itv-womens-sports-media-interview?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Finally, the same Jaqui Oatley is dealing with misogynistic online abuse:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/09/bbc-sports-presenter-jacqui-oatley-forced-to-call-police-over-online-threats?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/10/jacqui-oatley-strictly-ratings-womans-hour?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Secondly, Jaqui Oatley on work opportunities for women and girls in the media:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/09/jacqui-oatley-footbal-presenter-bbc-itv-womens-sports-media-interview?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Finally, the same Jaqui Oatley is dealing with misogynistic online abuse:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/09/bbc-sports-presenter-jacqui-oatley-forced-to-call-police-over-online-threats?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Classwork and homework - 6/10/16
Classwork for today and homework: be prepared to share your notes on Monday.
Task 5 :
POST-FEMINISM
Do
you agree with the argument that feminism is no longer necessary?
Use
the internet to research women’s pay and the number of women in positions of
power in Parliament, the judiciary and in top paid jobs.
What
role do you think the media now plays in making certain roles, jobs and
attributes seem ‘natural’ for women?
Find
some textual examples to support your points.
Task 6 :
Judith Butler (1999)
A
contemporary approach to gender representation has been introduced by Judith
Butler (1999).
Carry
out some research into her study – what are her key findings?
How
does her approach differ from some of the other perspectives you have looked
at?
Butler
refers to ‘gender trouble’. What does she mean by this? Give some examples to
support your answer.
Thursday, 29 September 2016
Homework
Choose any short example of The Male Gaze and analyse how the man appears to have the power and the woman is portrayed as a sexual object for him.
Please hand this in for marking on Monday. Reference the YouTube link.
Please hand this in for marking on Monday. Reference the YouTube link.
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Column on representations of women in advertising
Some interesting videos in this:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/28/hm-advert-diversity-ad-women?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/28/hm-advert-diversity-ad-women?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Sunday, 25 September 2016
Another interesting article on pay equality
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/24/gender-pay-gap-wont-close-until-2069-says-deloitte?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Thursday, 22 September 2016
Homework - 22/9/16
Research the way contemporary feminists express their views online and how others respond to them. Bring evidence and be prepared to discuss it on Monday.
A link that might be a helpful starting place. The Guardian have done loads on this including a huge campaign of their own:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/25/yvette-cooper-leads-cross-party-campaign-against-online-abuse
A link that might be a helpful starting place. The Guardian have done loads on this including a huge campaign of their own:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/25/yvette-cooper-leads-cross-party-campaign-against-online-abuse
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Homework for this week
Please complete the following two tasks, started in class, and be prepared to discuss them first lesson next week. You can work in pairs if you want to, but you both need to have written responses:
Task 1 : Fact Finding
One
of the first groups to draw attention to the politics of representation in the
media were the feminists of the late 1960s and 1970s, who pointed out the
limited range of representations of women in the media.
What were their key arguments about the
representations of women in the media, and the impact this had on the
perception and role of women in society?
Task 2: Feminist Theory
Laura
Mulvey’s (1975) influential work ‘Visual
Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ argued that mainstream Hollywood film was the
product of a male-dominated and controlled industry.
What
films formed the basis of her research?
What
were her findings?
Explore
what the following terms mean :
Voyeurism
Narcissism
Scopophilia
Thursday, 8 September 2016
Year 13 Homework
Welcome Back everyone.
As I said in the lesson, we are going to be working on Media and Collective Identity for this term and specifically on representations of women in the media. Please complete the following task for Monday and be prepared to discuss it:
Identify two representations of women in the media, one positive and one negative. Write at least 400 words for each on the following:
As I said in the lesson, we are going to be working on Media and Collective Identity for this term and specifically on representations of women in the media. Please complete the following task for Monday and be prepared to discuss it:
Identify two representations of women in the media, one positive and one negative. Write at least 400 words for each on the following:
- what the representation is
- how it was created
- what your own opinion is on it
Due Monday 12th September.
Thursday, 19 May 2016
Year 13 Revision
There's a revision pack online here that has some useful stuff in it - especially the grade-related glossary of terms at the end:
http://www.slideshare.net/andywallis/a2-media-studies-revision-pack
http://www.slideshare.net/andywallis/a2-media-studies-revision-pack
Sunday, 15 May 2016
Year 12 & 13 Exemplar Answers
On the following link you will find exemplar answer for both the two AS questions and the two A2 questions. These also include the examiners' comments and the mark schemes. It would be very useful for you to benchmark your own work against the Level 3 and Level 4 answers:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/179236-example-candidate-answers-from-june-2013.pdf
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/179236-example-candidate-answers-from-june-2013.pdf
Wednesday, 4 May 2016
Revision Resource
Further to all the resources I've put on the student area of the network, this website covers all the key media concepts you need to know for the exam:
http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/
http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/
Year 12 Revision
All my teaching and revision materials from the whole year, plus extras are on the student network. Please download onto memory stick the ones you need and see me for extra 1:1 teaching after school if you feel you need it on any particular area.
Year 12 Institutions & Audiences Exam Preparation
Here are some past questions on this half of the paper; for each one you need to make detailed reference to the case study material to support the points made in your answer (remember we've studied film as our media area):
June 2014
"The increase in hardware and content has been significant in recent years. Discuss the effect this has had on institutions and audiences in the media area you have studied."
June 2013
"Evaluate the role of digital technologies in the marketing and consumption of products in the media area you have studied"
January 2013
"What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audiences in the media area you have studied?"
June 2012
"Cross-media convergence and synergy are vital media processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences. To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to your chosen media area?"
Your task is to do further research into the production, marketing and distribution of films that can be applied to these questions. Contemporary examples might be Disney's purchase of both Marvel and Lucasfilm to create the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the new Star Wars films. Also look at the synergy used with these products.
You could also find examples of how films are distributed after cinema release, focusing on how streaming, Netflix, Sky, etc are taking over from sales of DVDs and Bluray.
June 2014
"The increase in hardware and content has been significant in recent years. Discuss the effect this has had on institutions and audiences in the media area you have studied."
June 2013
"Evaluate the role of digital technologies in the marketing and consumption of products in the media area you have studied"
January 2013
"What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audiences in the media area you have studied?"
June 2012
"Cross-media convergence and synergy are vital media processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences. To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to your chosen media area?"
Your task is to do further research into the production, marketing and distribution of films that can be applied to these questions. Contemporary examples might be Disney's purchase of both Marvel and Lucasfilm to create the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the new Star Wars films. Also look at the synergy used with these products.
You could also find examples of how films are distributed after cinema release, focusing on how streaming, Netflix, Sky, etc are taking over from sales of DVDs and Bluray.
Monday, 18 April 2016
Year 13 Homework - due tomorrow
Write a paragraph for each of the following media theories as they apply to the texts you have looked at for the exam:
1. Stuart Hall
2. Foucalt's archeology
3. Audience Reception Theory
1. Stuart Hall
2. Foucalt's archeology
3. Audience Reception Theory
Year 12 and Year 13 Past Papers
You can access past papers, mark schemes and examiner's reports (where the examiner points out what people did well and where they struggled) through this link:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/i-want-to/download-past-papers/
Select the following in the drop downs:
Subject - Media and Communication
Type - AS/A Level GCE
Qualifiation - Media Studies
Series - select the relevant past paper, mark scheme or examiner's report
I strongly recommend you use all of these resources to help you prepare for your exam. As ever, if you want support with this, see me to arrange a 1:1 tutorial.
http://www.ocr.org.uk/i-want-to/download-past-papers/
Select the following in the drop downs:
Subject - Media and Communication
Type - AS/A Level GCE
Qualifiation - Media Studies
Series - select the relevant past paper, mark scheme or examiner's report
I strongly recommend you use all of these resources to help you prepare for your exam. As ever, if you want support with this, see me to arrange a 1:1 tutorial.
Wednesday, 23 March 2016
Year 13 Homework
Your timed exam questions are due back to me by the end of today. Over Easter and Spring Break, you can practice writing a timed response to the other questions from this week:
1. Media and collective identity - how does one affect the other?
2. "Media simply reflect collective identity; they don't create it." How far do you agree with this statement. Refer to one or more groups of people in your answer.
1. Media and collective identity - how does one affect the other?
2. "Media simply reflect collective identity; they don't create it." How far do you agree with this statement. Refer to one or more groups of people in your answer.
Year 12 - Easter/Spring Break Homework
Both case studies need to be fully completed by the first day back after Spring Break. Also, you need to have actually studied the full documents and know them inside out to the point where you can write about them in the exam. We will be reviewing them and focusing on how they are examined in the first lesson back.
If you need a paper copy of either case study, please see me as soon as possible.
If you need a paper copy of either case study, please see me as soon as possible.
Year 12 Warp Films Case Study - Submarine
Institutions and Audiences – Case Study 2
You are
going to put together a detailed case study on Warp Films and Submarine.
There is
some information already contained within these notes, but you need to work
through it and highlight the key areas. Any information that is missing you must research yourself and add to
this case study.
Your deadline for this is …….
RESEARCHING WARP FILMS
You need
to have a good understanding of how the company works so make sure that your
case study includes the following information..
O
How is Warp
Films set up ? – is it part of a conglomerate? A multinational company? A
subsidiary company?
O
What
competition does it have in the marketplace? Who is their main target audience?
O
How has
globalisation helped the company to expand and widen its target audience?
O
Can you
find any examples of industry convergence?
O
Have
there been any recent film trends in their production? How successful have they
been? How successful are they in maximizing the potential of their film
products through synergy?
O
What
distribution methods do they use? Have they done anything innovative with
digital distribution?
Warp Films
is an independent film production company based in Sheffield & London, UK,
with a further affiliated company Warp Films Australia based in Melbourne,
Australia.
History
Warp Films was established by Warp Records
founding partners Rob Mitchell and Steve Beckett. It was initially created with
financial support from NESTA and had a remit to produce a
number of short films.
After the death of Rob Mitchell in 2001,
Beckett decided to continue with Warp Films and enlisted the expertise of
Sheffield friend Mark Herbert (who had just produced the critically
acclaimed first series of Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights for Channel 4)
to run the company.
The first film, Chris Morris'
My Wrongs#8245-8249 & 117,
was shot in 2002. It won the award for Best Short Film at the 2003 BAFTA Film
Awards and became the first short film DVD single in the UK market.
Through the star of My Wrongs, Paddy Considine,
Herbert met director Shane Meadows and asked them to generate an
idea for a film. Herbert raised the funding and the result was Warp Films debut
feature, Dead Man's Shoes,
directed by Shane Meadows in 2004.
Shot in 22 days on a tight budget, and
produced from Warp Films’ Sheffield office (at that time a shed in Herbert’s
garden), it earned a BAFTA nomination, was nominated for a record eight British Independent Film Awards,
won the Hitchcock D’or at the Dinard Festival, and won the Southbank award for
Best Film. It received strong critical acclaim and has been hailed as a
landmark in British cinema. It was ranked #27 in Empire magazines list of the
best British films ever
Film
|
Year
|
Director
|
Notes
|
2002
|
Short film
|
||
2004
|
|
||
2005
|
Short film
|
||
2006
|
Paul
Fraser
|
Short
film/Music video
|
|
2006
|
|
||
2007
|
Richard
Laxton
|
|
|
2007
|
Short film
|
||
2008
|
Chris
Waitt
|
|
|
2008
|
Chris
Waitt
|
|
|
2008
|
|
||
2008
|
Oliver
Blackburn
|
|
|
2009
|
|
||
Curtains
|
2009
|
Short film
|
|
2009
|
|
||
2009
|
|
||
2009
|
|
||
2009
|
|
||
2009
|
Dom
Rotheroe
|
|
|
2010
|
|
||
2010
|
TV
|
||
2010
|
|
||
2011
|
|
||
2011
|
|
||
2011
|
TV
|
||
The Organ
Grinders Monkey
|
2011
|
Jake &
Dinos Chapman
|
Short film
|
2011
|
Warp Films
Australia
|
||
The Minor
Character
|
2012
|
Richard
Curson Smith
|
TV
|
The
Snipist
|
2012
|
TV
|
|
Care
|
2012
|
Amanda
Boyle
|
TV
|
Swimmer
|
2012
|
Short film
|
|
2012
|
TV series
|
||
2012
|
|
||
2013
|
Documentary
|
||
2013
|
TV
|
In 2005, Warp Films produced Rubber Johnny,
an experimental short and 42-page book by director Chris Cunningham,
featuring music by Warp Records artist Aphex Twin. To this day it continues to
shock and amaze audiences.
Warp Films breakout success came with Shane
Meadows’ This Is England, the
story of Shaun, a boy who is adopted by a local skinhead gang after his father
is killed in the Falklands war. Since its release in early 2007 it has gained
many awards including the Best Film at the British Independent Films Awards,
the Special Jury Prize at the Rome Film Festival and Best British Film at the
BAFTAs.
At the same ceremony, Warp Films received its
third BAFTA as Paddy Considine’s directorial debut Dog Altogether won the
Best Short Film award.
Three months after This Is England was
released in cinemas, Warp's third feature film, Grow Your Own, was released by Pathe. The film
was Warp's first collaboration with BBC Films. The film was directed by Richard
Laxton and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Carl Hunter, developed from
stories Carl had uncovered in his documentary work about the travails of
immigrants. Produced by Barry Ryan for Warp Films, Luke Alkin for BBC Films and
Carl Hunter for Art in Action.
In 2004, Warp Films made a significant
expansion in its capacity. Robin Gutch
joined Mark Herbert and Barry Ryan to devise the Warp bid for the Low Budget
Film Scheme tender put out by Film4 and UK Film Council. The Warp bid was
backed by Optimum Releasing, Screen Yorkshire
and EM Media.
Warp won the tender against stiff competition and Warp X was formally set up as Warp Xin
2005 as a low-budget digital ‘studio’ to develop and produce films with focus
on new talent and commercial potential.
During the Richard Ayoade’s debut feature Submarine
starring Noah Taylor, Sally Hawkins and Paddy Considine
premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010
and was released in the UK during March 2011 by Optimum Releasing.
It was distributed in the US by The Weinstein Company.
The film was met with high critical acclaim,
and featured original songs by Arctic Monkeys front man Alex Turner,
in his first effort as a solo artist. Submarine has won many awards
worldwide, including the Best Screenplay award at the 2011 British Independent
Film Awards. Richard Ayoade was nominated for a BAFTA for
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer at the 65th British
Academy Film Awards
Warp Films / Warp X productions, Tyrannosaur,
Kill List
and Submarine
were nominated for a total of 18 awards at the 2011 British Independent Film
Awards.
Warp Films successfully ran a crowd-funding
campaign to fund four short films shot at the All Tomorrow's Parties music
festival by Vincent Moon, using the website Kickstarter.com.
The project reached its funding goal on 15 October and the films are currently
in post-production.
Company
Warp
X was founded in 2005 and produces feature films[2]It is a
digital film studio that produces feature films in the UK with budgets usually
between £400,000 and £800,000.[2] The
studio serves as a format for new film directors to create movies for the first
time on a lower budget scale with less expectation for high box office revenues
on their initial feature foray.[3]
The
film studio began with support from organizations including Warp Films, Film Four,
the UK Film Council, EM Media and Screen Yorkshire.[4] The
intent of the film studio's creation was to add energy and vitality to the film
industry in Britain.[5]
Warp Films and sister company Warp X produce
innovative and distinctive content which is both commercially and critically
successful. Their features, shorts and music videos share a unique voice and an
identifiable, loyal audience.
Alex Marshall, Chief Operating Officer at Warp,
explains why they wanted to get involved in Take 12: “Everyone is talking about
digital and what it means for the film industry and we wanted to develop our
understanding of these issues. We were particularly keen to find out more about
the potential for digital distribution and how it could change the way we do
things at Warp.”
Exploring partnerships
The Warp team has been working with its innovation
partner to explore distribution ideas outside of traditional theatrical and DVD
‘windows’. Part of this process involved conducting interviews with people
working in different sectors, covering areas including games development, PR,
blogging and direct mail strategy. These interviews gave them valuable insights
into how digital distribution works, the different players involved in the
process and the potential for partnership working.
“We learnt that there are no simple answers and that
everyone is in the same boat, trying to understand the digital environment and
what it means for their business”, comments Alex. “One thing that we were
surprised by is how little monetisation there really is in digital at the
moment.”
Developing test cases
Warp has developed a digital distribution and
marketing plan for low-budget rockumentary Le Donk, which premieres at
the Edinburgh International Festival in June 2009 prior to release in
September. The plan includes audience targets for each digital media activity,
to allow the team to explore the kind of audience that the film appeals to and
the tools it can use to understand its audiences better.
Low budget studio Warp X – an initiative of The UK
Film Council, Film4, Screen Yorkshire and Optimum Releasing – is also dipping a
toe into the digital pool with All Tomorrow’s Parties, a music
documentary produced by Luke Morris of Found Films. Warp and Found are creating
an online portal through which audiences can access the film when it is
released in September 2009.
Getting closer to the audience
“The main question for us is how we can use digital to
find and get closer to our audiences”, says Alex. “Le Donk and All
Tomorrow’s Parties are acting as live case studies, giving us a chance to
test out ideas, measure effectiveness and assess the impact on sales targets.
The insights and data we gather will enable us to develop an overall digital
customer relationship management strategy.”
Kate Fewins is managing the distribution and marketing
of both films for Warp. She says: “This is an exciting time for us. We’re
really enjoying working with Huge in channelling our creativity into these
alternative release strategies. We want to prove to others in the market that
there are opportunities to monetise digital content. With the right strategy and
the right partners, we’re confident that we can make this happen.”
RESEARCHINGSUBMARINE
(2010)…..
You
need to look into all aspects of the film production process including the
following:
O
Initial idea and pitch – where did the idea for the
film come from? Source material?
O
Target audience – who was the film aimed at
primarily? Why do you think this target group was chosen?
O
Investment in the idea – contributors? Who ‘bankrolled’
the idea?
O
Budget-do you know how much was spent
on distribution and marketing?
O
Cast and crew – any notable ‘stars’?
Production background and credits?
O
Production – how was the film shot? Any
special FX used? What technology was employed during the production of the
film?
O
Post-Production – was CGI used in the
post-production process?
O
Distribution – who distributed the film? When
was this decision made – at the pitch stage or did the producers need to find a
distributor once the film had been completed? How did this come about?
O
Marketing – how was the film marketed?
Evaluate the marketing campaign. Did the distributors choose to go down the
viral marketing route? How far did the distributors use new technologies to
market the film? Where there any cross media marketing tactics used? How did they
use new media technologies to target their audience more effectively?
O
Synergy / Merchandise / Tie
Ins / Spin Offs – did
the distributors utilise any of these options? How successful were they?
O
Release of the film – How was the film released? Was
this a successful strategy?
O
Box office success – how successful was the film on
its opening weekend? How successful was the film in the UK? How successful was
it globally?
SUBMARINE (2010)
Submarine
is a 2010 coming-of-age comedy-drama film adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name
by Joe Dunthorne.
The film was written and directed by Richard Ayoade, and starred Craig Roberts,
Yasmin Paige,
Noah Taylor,
Paddy Considine,
and Sally Hawkins.
Submarine is Ayoade's directorial debut.
Cast
Production
The film was produced by Warp Films
and Film4 Productions.
Principal photography began on 26 October 2009 and filming finished in December
2009. Andrew Hewitt composed the score and musician Alex Turner
of Arctic Monkeys
contributed five songs.
Casting
Around 100 actors submitted video auditions
for the roles of Oliver, Jordana, and Chips. Michael Sheen
and X Factor
contestant Lucie Jones were originally cast in the film
but dropped out due to other commitments.
Release
The film premiered at the 35th Toronto International Film
Festival in September 2010.Following a generally
positive reception it was picked up by The Weinstein Company
for a North American release.The film also played at the 54th London Film Festival
in October 2010 and was played out of competition at the 27th Sundance Film Festival
in January 2011. It was also screened along with 400 other films at the 61st Berlin International Film
Festival the next month.
Reception
Critical response
Submarine
received very positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the
film has a score of 87% based on reviews from 142 critics, with the consensus:
"Funny, stylish, and ringing with adolescent truth, Submarine marks
Richard Ayoade as a talent to watch." At
Metacritic,
which assigns a weighted average score
out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average
score of 76 based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable
reviews". Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3/4 stars saying
"Submarine isn't an insipid teen sex comedy. It flaunts some
stylistic devices, such as titles and sections and self-aware narration, but it
doesn't try too hard to be desperately clever. It's a self-confident work for
the first-time director, Richard Ayoade, whose purpose I think is to capture
that delicate moment in some adolescent lives when idealism and trust lead to
tentative experiments. Because Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige are enormously
likable in their roles, they win our sympathy and make us realize that too many
movies about younger teenagers are filtered through the sensibility of more
weathered minds."
The film grossed $467,602 in the USA, plus
$397,057 outside the USA, for a combined gross of $864,659.
Music
Original songs were written and performed by Alex Turner,
the Arctic Monkeys frontman. The soundtrack charted
at 35 in the UK Album Chart.
The original score was composed by Andrew Hewitt,
long-time collaborator of Ayoade, recorded at Air Studios with The Composers
Ensemble orchestra.
MOVIE MARKETING MADNESS: SUBMARINE
We’re all just a collection of our various learned and inherited
quirks, aren’t we? We react this way or that to whatever situation we find
ourselves in based on how we’ve been taught through one means or another to
react. Sometimes that’s in what are deemed socially acceptable ways and other
times it’s not so much that.
Nowhere do those quirks come to the forefront, particularly for
guys, as when we’re dealing members of the opposite sex. The pressures put on
us when a girl is in the room are extraordinary and so we wind up dropping
silverware, tripping over our own two feet and otherwise making an ass out of
ourselves. The good news is that this only lasts from age 10 to I’ll Let You
Know When Even.
The quirks of one particular romance are explored in the new
British film Submarine. Teenager Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is trying
to explore the ways of love with his classmate Jordana (Yasmine Page) but he is
so genuinely odd that it’s a bit difficult. Part of his odd nature comes from
what he perceives to be the demise of his parent’s (Craig Roberts, Sally
Hawkins) marriage. So with a mix of insecurities, misinformation, ego and
charisma Oliver sets out to woo Jordana in the best way he can.
The Posters The movie’s poster shows Graham half
underwater, a wide eyed, bewildered look on his face. There’s not much to it
but it’s clear that we’re watching his story of discovery in the movie. A
slightly revised version was released later on that added critic quotes but
other than that it’s essentially the same image.
The Trailers The first trailer, which
debuted just after it showed up at Sundance, introduces us to Oliver as a very
strange young man who likes to pretend he’s being filmed as he goes about his
life. We see lots of his flirtation with Jordana but there’s also lots about
his parents and what their story is going to be, both on their own and in their
interactions with him. The trailer has all sorts of fast, unique cuts that
build to a crescendo with the French music that plays in the background and it
comes off as really interesting and funny.
In the second trailer, which
is much more straightforward, we meet Oliver as he’s searching for some idea of
who he is or who he’s supposed to be. He’s tried a number of quirks and such on
for size but none have stuck. Then he meets Jordana and the two begin an
offbeat and unusual romance, including his clumsy and preposterous attempts to
seduce her, something that seems to be largely what he thinks he’s expected to
do. It’s clear in the trailer that there’s the prerequisite period where
everything goes somewhat south for the couple but hope is presented at the end
that they work things out because their own version of love is just too strong
and unique to not exist. It’s funny and amusing and works quite well.
Online There’s not much on the official site. The trailer is there and you can
click links to some reviews of the movie on outside sites, visit the studio’s
Facebook page and read about the source book but that’s about it.
Advertising and Cross-Promotions Nothing
that I’ve seen.
Media and Publicity The movie premiered at the 2011
Sundance Film Festival, where it picked up some good word of mouth for director
Ayoade and for Roberts’ performance in the lead role. That was followed by
reports that after the Weinstein Co.’s purchase of the movie it was undergoing
some serious recutting at the
hands of Harvey Weinstein himself, who was apparently concerned the movie
didn’t play as well for general audiences as it did for the festival crowd.
Overall There’s not much to this campaign so the overall
effectiveness is going to be judged by the two components of its Sundance
appearance and the trailer that was released. By those measures it’s a pretty
good effort, getting people talking at the film festival and then working that
general awareness into something more with the trailer. It certainly seems to
have a unique rhythm, which as a movie is its greatest asset in terms of
finding an appreciative audience. I wish there had been a bit more marketing
work done but instead this seems like one of those movies that’s picked up
after festival buzz and then unloaded into theaters on a wing and a prayer.
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