Frozen

Institutions:

Chris buck and Jennifer lee are the directors of the award winning film frozen. They have previously worked on films such as Pocahontas (1995), surfs up (2007), wreck-it ralph (2012) and zootropolis (2016); but none have come close to one of the biggest animated family films ever: frozen. The company in charge of the producing this film was the Walt Disney animation studios who have also produced some other major films such as Tangled and Big hero six and expect big things from their new up and coming film Moana. Walt Disney studios home entertainment, Walt Disney studios motion pictures and Buena Vista are the major distributors of frozen in different countries. When frozen was released in 2013 it was the highest grossing film of the year and in its lifetime has gone on to make a lot of money:

Total Lifetime GrossesDomestic: $400,738,009 31.4% + Foreign: $875,742,326 68.6% = Worldwide: $1,276,480,335

Audience:

The film is targeted towards family viewing with young female children being the priority as many love princesses and queens, which is what frozen includes. The age certification ranges depending on each country. In the United Kingdom it was PG rated and was the same for USA and in other parts of the world it was rated majority 6 or 7. Although this restricts very young children from watching it alone the vast majority of children would be able to watch this film without concern as it is targeted towards a family. The target audience of families would be attracted to this film as there is enough for everyone to enjoy such as; Princesses, humour, animals, fantasy and Idina Menzel who previously was in another Disney film enchanted, and all without anything being too violent or distressful for viewers. Many critics claim this film is a great Disney film with the correct amount of story and humour for all the family to enjoy; “It’s the best Disney animated movie in almost a decade. Every inch an instant classic” MSN. It’s not hard to see why many people are in love with this film from the animation to the characters and it fulfils the criteria of a family film exactly.

Genre and conventions:

Frozen covers a few genres including, Animation, adventure, comedy, family, fantasy and musicals meaning that it can appeal to many people. In any film with these genres people would expect singing and laugh out loud moments as well as an interesting plot which takes the characters on a journey or mission. Frozen covers all of these with more than what is needed. Other examples of films which also follow some of these conventions are finding dory and Tangled. The film is very typical of its genre because it shares many similarities with other films from the Walt Disney animation studios which is the second biggest in the world following the number one Disney Pixar for example, Frozen includes a princess and so does Tangled and this covers the fantasy genre.

Representations:

The characters in Frozen each have different personalities which help shape the film and create the story. Anna is fearless and optimistic compared to Elsa who is afraid, sensitive and caring. Olaf and Sven are both loyal and joyful on the other hand Hans is evil and deceiving. Unlike most films they are not represented this way by how they look or dress but more on how they act when interacting with others and their surroundings. The film is set in the fictional kingdom of Arendelle in Norway and is believed to be set in the 1780’s. The place and time are represented by how they are dressed and the setup of a castle with a village. The representations are mainly positive however they do show that being royalty means that you are superior and do rule over the people which in Frozen is what the villain wants, although for the most part the representations of the place and many of the characters is positive as there is no darkness in them. Frozen has three main morals to its story which include; the power of sacrifice, the need to let go of fear and to not judge a book by its cover as it can end badly. The director would have wanted to highlight these morals to show to children – and adults – that family can mean a lot and should be worth giving up something that you want. The film ends positively to show these morals and because it is a family friendly film so wants to leave its audience happy in order for them to want to watch it over and over again.

Inception

Institutions:

The director of this film was Christopher Nolan who is also known for; the dark night and the dark night rises as well as interstellar. Warner bros and legendary pictures produced this film despite it being very original so would be hard to know what people would think of it. They also produced all of the Harry Potter films as well as the highly anticipated fantastic beasts and where to find them being release this November. As well as warner bros producing inception’ Warner bros pictures went on to distribute the film. Due to its originality it made quite a bit of money in its lifetime;

Total Lifetime GrossesDomestic: $292,576,195 35.4% + Foreign: $532,956,569 64.6% = Worldwide: $825,532,764

Audience:

Targeted at the age range of young adults and older teenagers who are white British/American and male the age certifications reflect this with it being a UK 12A, USA PG13 and other countries were mainly at 12 or 13 although some were even higher with Denmark rating it 15. This doesn’t restrict many of the viewers as it is not target towards a younger age due to the films complexity and difficulty understanding. The targeted audience would be interested in this film because of the stars filming in this; Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page as well as the original content of the film which has not seen before in any other film. The film critic Roger Ebert described the film as a, “breath-taking juggling act” which is a view shared by many other critics. In agreeance with this I would further it by adding that it is very complicated to understand which can mean that you lose the effectiveness of the film and forever feel like you are chasing to keep up although this does make it unique in itself.

Genre and convention:

Inception covers the following genres; Action, adventure, sci-fi and thriller. All require different conventions to please an audience as they expect different depending on the genre. Key conventions used in films like these are fight and chase scenes as well as missions and futuristic developments. Inception uses similar including, Explosions, different locations and futuristic technology which allows someone to enter a dream. Another film which shares some of these genres and conventions is the new film Suicide squad. It’s hard to decide whether this film is typical of its genres as its story is so unique and original however it does also contain some conventions that you would expect to see in similar films from the same genres.

Representations:

Dom Cobb and Arthur are thieves. They are represented by the dark outfits they wear and how they steal dreams. The film is set in America and Asian countries are shown in different parts of the film. These are shown by using the typical red colour that we associate with Asia. This puts a negative light on Asian countries as it shows them as a place where the villains are and makes all Americans think that they are the good people and are always the ones to do the right thing. There are two morals of the film: You’re not alone in your problems and it’s okay to dream big. This is a good positive message. The film ends the way it does because its suspense, wondering and questioning and leaves the audience to make up their own ideas and dreams which is what the film is about.

Gone girl

Institutions:

David Fincher is a well-known director for fight club and the social network and in 2014 directed the film gone girl. Regency Enterprises produced this film and is also well known for producing films such as 12 years a slave. The main distributor of gone girl was Twentieth century fox Film Corporation who have distributed many films in the past including the maze runner and the other women. Over its lifetime gone girl has racked up a lot of money:

Total Lifetime GrossesDomestic: $167,767,189 45.4% + Foreign: $201,563,174 54.6% = Worldwide: $369,330,363

Audience:

The film is targeted at adults of either gender and this is reflected in the censorship classification with the UK rating it and 18, USA R rated it and many other countries were between 16 and 18. This limits the audience as older teenagers who may have been interested in watching it would not be able to go to the cinema to see this which would impact the amount of money which it makes. As well as this the high rating can put some people off watching it as they know what dark and gruesome things to expect from it which is not what everybody enjoys in a film. Many people would be interested in this film because of the mature content, real life situation and wondering what is happening and who kidnapped the girl. As well as the film starring Ben Affleck. A rolling stone critic said this about the film, “David Fincher's shockingly good film version of Gone Girl is the date-night movie of the decade for couples who dream of destroying one another. Expect a stampede at the box office.” As well as variety adding, “Surgically precise, grimly funny and entirely mesmerizing over the course of its swift 149-minute running time.” Both praising the film highly which is not hard to believe as it is very captivating although it is also very dark and twisted at the same time.

Genre and conventions:

Crime, drama, mystery and thriller are all genres of the film gone girl. This means that the audience expects; Suspense, death, fight scenes and murder to occur in any film with all of these genres. A lot of the conventions are seen in the film. Suicide squad is an example of a film which shares some of these genres and conventions. This film is typical of these genres as it includes terrifying truths that even scar adults.

Representations:

The kinds of people seen in the film are people who lie and hurt others and themselves by their actions. They are represented this way by how they act. North Carthage, Missouri is where the film is set and although it is a made up place, it is in America which does influence how people see it and

makes it have a negative representation for being a place of crime. The film has a powerful message about the consequences of changing your identity to suit another person.

12 years a slave

Institutions:

Steve McQueen director of films Shame and Hunger, directs the film 12 years a slave which follows the story a man and his struggle for freedom. Summit Entertainment and Regency Enterprise produce this heart breaking film, as well and producing other films such a gone girl. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the United States and Entertainment One in the United Kingdom or have also distributed the film Beasts of the Southern Wild. Meaning that over its lifetime so far 12 years a slave has managed to make a lot of money:

Total Lifetime GrossesDomestic: $56,671,993 30.2% + Foreign: $131,061,209 69.8% = Worldwide: $187,733,202

Audience:

This film is targeted at any adults but particular older adults who are black, male or female who are interested in the past. The age rating for this film in the UK was only a 15 whereas the USA rated it R. however this does not majorly affect the film as it is target towards the older generation. The target audience would be appealed to this film due to the content about the past and slavery as well as the star Chiwetel Ejiofor who previously featured in the film the Martian. Critics highly praised the film: “12 Years a Slave avoids feeling like cheap exploitation, but Ridley's script reduces the evils of slavery to a concept that isn't challenging and lets viewers disconnect from the atrocities.” (Screen rant) and “This is one of the most searingly intense portraits of slavery ever committed to film, exercising onscreen brutality to bludgeon slavery's grim, cruel and conscience-less degradation.” (Plugged in). The film itself covers the ugly truth of slavery which hadn’t yet been discovered in such depth and shown from a slave’s point of view as well as the incredible acting seen throughout – it’s sure to grip any viewer.

Genre and conventions:

The following genres are all in the film 12 years a slave: Biography, drama and history. Each mean that the audience is expecting some conventions which relate to the genre, for example, suspense, a resolution and costuming which is an essential element in understanding when a film was set. Many codes and conventions are seen in 12 years a slave so that the audience can understand the films plot. Other examples of similar films include, the king’s speech. The film is typical of its genres because it talks about the past and history.

Representation:

Soloman upnorth the main character of the film is a dedicated man who thinks of others. This is seen in the film by the way he is with the other slaves. The film is set in America in the 1840’s and 50’s. This shows America in a bad light as it shows how they were inconsiderate and dominant in the past.

The director would have wanted to highlight this to show how Americans were wrong and how it was wrong to segregate them. The moral of the story is to treat everyone with respect.

The fifth estate

Institutions:

The director of the film fifth estate was Bill Condon who has directed many films including the twilight saga: breaking dawn part 1 and part 2 films. DreamWorks pictures produced the film and is well known for producing the film Gladiator. Distributed by the famous Walt Disney studios motion picture. Over the course of the fifth estates lifetime lots of money was gained by cinemas and DVD releases:

Total Lifetime GrossesDomestic: $3,255,008 38.0% + Foreign: $5,300,000 62.0% = Worldwide: $8,555,008

Audience:

The target audience of this film is young adults who may be interested in computers or politics. The censorship classification of the film for the United Kingdom is 18 and is R rated in America. This film would attract viewers because of the content of wiki leaks which interests some people and Benedict Cumberbatch who has played numerous other films. Some critics highly praised the film while others fell that it fell short saying its “fortunate and safe” –Roger Ebert.

Genre and conventions:

The genres of this film are biography, drama and thriller. All of these means codes and conventions are needed such as suspense and possibly a voice over which is seen in this film the fifth estate. Other similar films are gone girl and inception who share the thriller genre so will also share many similar codes and conventions.

Representation:

The kinds of people seen in the film can be seen as either good people for revealing the truth or bad people because it is harming others. The film is set in America and this creates a negative representation because it is showing that they country itself is very unstable. The moral of this story is that you should be honest with others and yourself. The director may have wanted this message to be a part of the film as it shows that you need to think positively of yourselves and shows that others can help.

Taken

Institutions:

The film Taken is directed by Pierre Morel who had only previously directed one other film district 13. Taken was produced by Europacorp and distributed by 20th century fox who also distributed the film gone girl which was also very popular. Over its lifetime Taken has managed to gain lots of money:

Total Lifetime GrossesDomestic: $145,000,989 63.9% + Foreign: $81,829,579 36.1% = Worldwide: $226,830,568

Audience:

The target audience the film is young male adults who are seeking a thrill and suspense. The censorship classification of it being rated an 18 in the UK reflects this. This film would attract the audience as it contains an action packed plot full of fighting and death. Many critics raved about this film and how Pierre Morel despite only having directed one other film had done himself proud with Taken. I agree as it is full of everything that you would expect of a film this genre.

Genre and conventions:

The genre of this film is thriller and so the audience expects to see guns, death and explosions and all of these are seen in the film as Bryan goes on a mission to get his daughter back and kill the people who took her. Similar films are Shutter Island and seven which also have this genre.

Representation:

The main character Bryan is ruthless and determined and this is portrayed by the weapons he uses and what he is wearing. The film is set in America and shows it in a negative light as it shows that a lot of violence takes place in the film and therefore many people believe that it is a violent country with a high crime rate. The moral of this story is that family means a lot and so you should do whatever you can to save them.