Media Ownership
Mainstream film - a film made by the big 5 film studio
Big 5:
- Disney
- Universal
- WarnerBros
- Paramount
- Columbia
Conglomerate - a company that owns other companies involved in mass media enterprises
Parent company - the company that owns all the other companies
Subsidiary - smaller companies
Time Warner → WarnerBros → Lego Movie
Time Warner:
- TV
- Film
- Video games
- Music
Vertical integration - when a conglomerate owns the entire production process
The benefit of vertical integration:
- Keeps profits within the conglomerate
Independent - films made outside the big 5
Mainstream:
- High budgets
- High production value
- Wider release
- Well known actors/directors
- Simpler/safer narrative
Independant:
- Small budgets
- Lower production values
- Smaller release - one country at a time/at film festivals
- Riskier narrative
- Lesser known cast and directors
Tentpole production - a movie made to make money for other projects
Lego Movie:
- Tentpole production
- Released 14th February - unconventional Valentines Day film and UK half term
- $469.1 million at the box office
- Mainstream film - made by WarnerBros
Production:
- Warner Animation Group
- L1N Pictures
- Animal Logic - CGI
- LEGO - made sure their brand was represented in the right way
Directors:
- Phil Lord
- Christopher Miller
Producer:
- Dan Lin
CGI:
- Made trying to make it look like a stop motion brick film
Why did they use CGI?
- High production values
- Takes less time
- Don’t have to film on location
- Things can be achieved that are unimaginable in real life
Distributor’s Job:
- Marketing - research, trailers, posters, website, social media, viral marketing, synergy
Lego Ad Break
Aired
- On ITV
- During X Factor
- During Dancing on Ice
Why?
- Promotes film
- The shows that it was shown during hae family audiences
Website:
- Interactive games
- Information
- For kids
Synergy:
- McDonald’s toys
- Vinyl/cd soundtrack
- Video game
- Merch
- Magazine
- Hamley’s
- Legoland
- Lego Movie 2 - Movie Maker App
- DC characters