US Cast Study - The Cabin In The Woods

Director: Drew Goddard
Writers: Drew Goddard + Joss Whedon
Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradely Whitford
Rating:
US Release: Blanket release April 13, 2012
Genre: Horror / Torture Porn / Postmodernist
Duration: 95 minutes
Studio: Mutant Enemy Productions
Distributer: Lionsgate
Budget: $30 Million
Total Gross: $66,486,080

Marketing:
The marketing campaign presents us with a various and diverse amount of methods consisting of viral methods, posters on billboards and on the side of buses and of course, the trailer.

Reception:
The film received critical acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported 92% approval rating with an average rating of 7.8/10 based on 230 reviews. It offers the consensus: "The Cabin in the Woods is an astonishing meta-feat, capable of being funny, strange and scary, frequently all at the same time." On Metacritic the film achieved an average score of 72 out of 100 based on a rating of 40 reviews signifying it had generally favourable reviews"

Independent Film - Case Study Red State

Red State

What makes it independent?

Holds a controversial subject matter about religious extremists which is based on a real figure 'fred phelps'

Overall budget is $4 Million.

Screened at the 27th Sundance Film Festival.

Budget granted through two main private investor groups.

Would not be considered appealing to a mass audience.

Auctioned the film to himself for $20 stating that he would release the film on his own.

Sent posters out with the winning bidder being able to host the poster on their website, this is relevant because he then gave the money from the auction to charity which implies a lack profit motivation.

He was able to have complete artistic control bringing in everyone he wanted to be in it.

The production cost came to $4 million whist also providing an extra $20 for the rights of his own film.

Who stars in it and why?

• Michael Parks as Pastor Abin Cooper
• John Goodman as ATF Special Agent Keenan, investigating disturbances at Cooper homestead
• Melissa Leo as Sarah Cooper, Pastor Cooper's daughter, Caleb's wife and Cheyenne's mother
• Kyle Gallner as Jared, teen who answered online sex ad
• Kerry Bishé as Cheyenne, Sarah and Caleb's daughter and Abin Cooper's granddaughter
• Michael Angarano as Travis, another teen who replied to sex ad
• Nicholas Braun as Billy Ray, third teen
• Ralph Garman as Caleb, Sarah's husband, Abin Cooper's son-in-law and Cheyenne's father
• Stephen Root as Sheriff Wynan
• James Parks as Mordechai, Pastor Cooper's son and Fiona May's father
• Haley Ramm as Maggie
• Kevin Pollak as ATF Special Agent Brooks
• Matt L. Jones as Deputy Pete
• Kevin Alejandro as Tactical Agent Harry
• Anna Gunn as Travis' mother
• Betty Aberlin as Abigail
• Marc Blucas as ATF Sniper
• Elizabeth Tripp as Melanie, Abin Cooper's granddaughter, Caleb and Sarah's daughter
• Jennifer Schwalbach Smith as Esther, Mordechai's wife and Fiona May's mother
• Molly Livingston as Fiona May, Abin Cooper's granddaughter, daughter of Mordechai and Ester.
• Alexa Nikolas as Jesse
• Hoc Sy as Butch
• Kevin Smith as prisoner who tells Pastor Abin Cooper to shut up

These are some well known names, specifically Michael Parks and John Goodman. Specifically Kevin smith wanted Michael parks after seeing his performance in From Dusk Till Dawn and that if Parks had not agreed to be in the film he would have dropped the project entirely.

Samuel L. Jackson was considered for the role that eventually went to John Goodman.

Some fun facts : Casting Director Deborah Aquila was moved to tears whilst listening to Kyle Gallner's performance during the cage scene.

In October 2011, Red State won the Best Motion Picture award at the 2011 Sitges Film Festival, while Michael Parks was named Best Actor. Parks' character, Abin Cooper, received a nomination for Villain Of The Year from the Virgin Media Movie Awards. At the 2012 Chlotrudis Awards, Melissa Leo earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Case Study: Johnny English Reborn.

Director: Oliver Parker

Writers: William Davis, Hamish McColl

Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike and Dominic West

Rating: PG

UK Release October 7th 2011

Genre: Adventure/comedy

Duration: 101 Minutes

Studio Working Title, StudioCanal, Relativity Media

Budget: $45 million

Total Gross $160 million

Marketing:

The film was a prequel to the first Johnny English made in 2003, which was a previous success with a Box Office of $160.5 million appealing to the previous fans of the first film.

It had it's own iPhone App the Johnny English Mobile Spy Kit including features such as a Voice Disguiser, Lie Detector and Intruder Alarm.

Its website had a lot of downloads like wallpapers, buddy icons and creating your own spy dossier by connecting to Facebook.

Traditional marketing included the viewing of theatrical and teaser trailers (appearing online and as adverts), movie posters (billboards/magazine adverts) and actor interviews.

Reception:

The film received mixed reviews like its previous film. Rotten Tomatoes gave an average rating of 4.7 out of 10 whereas Cinemascore polls reported that the average grade movie-goers gave was B+ (A to F scale).

The world film premiere was in Sydney on September 4th at Fox Studios. The film premiere in the UK was on October 2nd 2011 and Rowan Atkinson even arrived in the famous Rolls Royce phantom in leicester square and in Sydney