The Big 6

Today, there are 6 major film distribution companies such as:

1) Warner Brothers: Comprising a whopping 19.7 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Warner Bros. Pictures is the biggest player in the film industry. Securing the rights to major films like Harry Potter, Superman, Batman, The Matrix and Star Wars have made Warner Bros. the No. 1 name in the business.

 

What makes a film like Harry Potter successful and eye capturing is that it has the ability to take the audience into a fantasy world; detaching them from their everyday live. The use of green screen effects makes these movies extra special because the movie becomes more magical and therefore interesting, such as when they are flying on a broomstick. As the majority of the target audience is young adults, they would be drawn into these supernatural abilities and the visual effects create a sense of excitement, increasing the adrenaline rush in the audience.

2) Paramount Pictures: With 15.5 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Paramount Pictures continues to be one of the most successful film production companies in the world. Star Trek, War of the Worlds, the Mission Impossible series, Transformers and Tropic Thunder are just a few of the popular films produced by Paramount Pictures.

 This film appears exciting because of the incredible use of visual effects in this film, such as the air raids around the city. As things like this do not happen in real life, this movie, like the Harry Potter one, enters us into a different world which makes us immediately drawn in by. Throughout the whole trailer there is a sense of excitement by the sound effects, the powerful buildings and costumes that the characters are wearing and the transformers themselves.  They are capturing to us because of the superior way they have been made, and their strength and power further heightens our adrenaline.

3)  Walt Disney: One of the most renowned film production companies in the history of the business, Walt Disney now holds 15.3 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). With highly successful movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, Meet the Robinsons and Enchanted, there's no doubt that Disney will continue to play a key role in the industry for years to come.

 The Pirates of the Caribbean is a popular movie because they the exciting use of locations and scenery they have used (such as at the beginning) attract the audiences, as well as the whole concept of Pirates. The cast is also very crucial when making a highly successful film, and I think that Johnny Depp fulfills this role because he is able to provide humor without even trying, making him perfect for the main role. 

4) Columbia Picture: Comprising 12.9 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Columbia Pictures remains a big player in the business. Some of this company's recent successes include Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, the Spider-Man series and Step Brothers.

 The Spider-man series is also a very successful movie project. One reason could be is because of the inhuman capabitlity the main character possesses, which gives him power than the rest of us as he, such as jumping over building. This therefore creates excitement by these super human qualities and the fact that he appears like a normal man is further mesmerizing. The fast cutting between the spider-man jumping from one building onto another one adds to the tension and excitement of the movie, making it to appeal to its young adult audience.

5) Universal Studios: 12.2 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures) belongs to Universal Studios, which continues to make millions for the film industry. With major hits like the Bourne series (Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum), The American Pie series, Knocked Up, American Gangster and The Incredible Hulk, it's very clear that Universal Studios knows what it takes to make money in this industry.

 The American Pie series are popular because of its humour. The cast in these movies are able to entertain us throughout the movie, and the constant partying and 'easy' life which they are living in makes it appealing to any young adult viewer watching and so keeps them interested.

 6)  20th Century Fox: Also known as "Twentieth Century Fox," this highly successful movie production company makes up 11.9 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). Some of the biggest and most successful movies from this empire include the X-Men series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Star Wars Episodes II and III, and the Fantastic Four.

This is also a popular and successful movie because the characters powerful abilities, the violence, fast paced action and heroic clothing create a thrilling sense of vitality and so would not keep the audience watching bored or disinterested. With the use of air raids in the air this further increases the excitement and the dramatic  music that goes along with these fast paced actions really overwhelming, gripping its audience into the movie. 

Distribution Openings

As our genre is between romantic and a coming of age genre, me and my group wanted the distribution opening to be creative and interactive, which would capture the audience's attention immediately but also be creative as well. For example, looking at some of the major distribution companies, their opeinings prior to the actual movie is very creative.
This is the way Dreamworks Pictures open:

I really like this opening theme because what we see is parallel to their title' Dreamworks' and the use of the colours blue & white and puffy clouds creates this dreamy feeling. It also has a calm and soothing effect which is important because Dreamworks  films are animation and adventure movies aimed at young people, therefore this suits nicely for their type of audience and genre. 



Below is the Paramount Pictures opening theme for their 100th Anniversary: 

I thought again this was very creative, and the use of pink sky, beautiful mountain and lake, this helps to create a sense of enchantment , which is effective because this could be what their movies are about.  For example films like Transformers and Iron Man 2 are distributed by Paramount Pictures, and are adventure films. Therefore, this is effective in creating this feeling and it is something we also want to create in our opening sequence. We want it to be exciting right from the start, preparing our audience to feel in a thrilling/ happy mood. 

Credits

This week and next week we need to start creating our credits to go into our opening sequence. I have found some examples below which I enjoy and think are effective: 

 Lord of War

Although the credits are very basic and just appear in standard font and are of one colour, I think this is effective because it doesn't distract the attention of the visually creative and entertaining action in the background.  Some of the letters actually appear quite long and straight with no swirly letters which you might see in a romantic or chick flick genre; therefore this is perfect for this type of genre and target audience who might be older. The bright font is easy to see from the dark/ uncanny atmosphere we are being shown in the background which makes it easier to see but the style is not too distracting so that viewers do not miss the important action. 

Thank you for smoking 

 

I found the credits on this opening sequence very visually creative and entertaining to watch. I liked how the credits appeared on the vintage cigarette packets which is effective because it matches the title of the movie, which is obviously referring to cigarettes. The names of all the people are in different fonts, shapes, colours and sizes which I also found effective because although there is no particular important action, the fast pacing of the credits and different colours capture the readers attention, drawing them in to want to watch more. Overall, I liked the whole idea of the way they presented the credits and I think it  was different from any other opening sequence I have watched. The fact that it is so original is what makes it unique and interesting.

The Notebook

The title credits for The Notebook are very simple and basic, which is effective because they aren't distracting from the enchanting and breathtaking scenery we are presented with. They also very small and usually at side of the corner which I thought was very unusual. I liked the simple and elegance to these credits although I did find this a bit boring because I thought it dragged on for too long. In order to make our opening sequence enteratining I think we should make our credits for eye-capturing and entertaining which is unique. This way people can be drawn in, because the opening sequence is what will determine whetehr people will wathc the movie.