Welcome

Welcome to my media blog, which I will use for posting the progress of my coursework throughout the year. My name is Sebastian Hodge (0330) and I'm in Group 5 alongside Louis Caldwell (0131), Vivian Oparah (0621) and Joshua Brooks (0110). To the right you'll find labels which can be used for easy navigation of my blog.

NTLS - Heart Skipped A Beat video

NTLS Album Cover

NTLS Album Cover
Album for the self-titled NTLS debut album cover

NTLS Website

NTLS Website
Click on image to open the NTLS website

Monday 25 November 2013

Tracking: The Hobbit: Return of the Smaug

Yet another trailer promotion

Using Ed Sheeran to attract more attention

Feature article of Empire magazine

Trailer promotion

Attracts fans via Ed Sheeran star status

Competition attracts fans, new and old


Tracking: Kill Your Darlings


Article using actor status to promote film

Article promoting art exhibition

Metro article, made to catch attention

Official UK poster

Cineworld promotion 

Radcliffe appearing on The One Show, Thursday 14th November

Wednesday 20 November 2013

10 Quick Questions - Kill Your Darlings

1) UK release date ?
6th December 2013

2) Institutions behind the film's production and distribution?
Production: Killer Films, Benaroya Pictures, Outpost Studios
Distributors: Future Film, Lumiere, Sony Pictures Classics, Sony Pictures Releasing, Works UK Distribution, Paris Filmes

3) What's the film's production budget?
$2 million (estimate)

4) Nationality of the film?
USA

5) What kind of production film is it? 
Low budget independent film

6) Any connection with other films?
No

7) Who's the director?
John Krokidas

8) Any star names in the cast?
Daniel Radcliffe (lead), Dane Dehaan, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall, Jack Huston

9) What's the film about?
"A murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs."

10) Who will the film appeal to?
Fans of the drama, murder mystery or romance genres. As well as those who are into poetry. Even just fans of Daniel Radcliffe. 

10 Quick Questions - The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

1) UK release date?
13th December 2013

2) Institutions behind the film's production and distribution?
Production: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), New Line Cinema, WingNut Films
Distribution: Cocinsa, Forum Hungary, Warner Bros. Entertainment

3) What's the film's production budget? 
$250 million (estimate)

4) Nationality of the film?
USA

5) What kind of production is it?
3-D Studio Production

6) Any connection with other films?
Part 2 of 3 of the Hobbit trilogy. Sequel to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey released in 2012 and prequel to The Hobbit: There and Back Again, which is set to be released in 2014. The Hobbit Trilogy itself, is a spin off of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

7) Who's the director?
Peter Jackson

8) Any star names in the cast?
Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, Richard Armitage

9) What's the film about?
"The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug."

10) Who will this film appeal to?
Fans of the fantasy or action and adventure genres. Not restricted to any age group. Fans of previous film or Lord of the Rings. Fans of the actors.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Papadopolous and Sons - Director's Q&A Session

We had the fortunate experience of having a Questions and Answers Sessions with the director of "Papadopolous and Sons", Marcus Markou. This is a list of the top 5 things I learnt from the session:

  • In order to save money, Marcus avoided finding actors via agencies. He instead directly contacted potential actors. This allowed him to get the script to them directly and it just so happens that many of the actors were willing to act for less pay than they usually would, simply because they loved the script.
  • When being produced, the film was not aimed at any demographic in particular. It could appeal to Londoners, immigrant families living in the UK, Greek people, Turkish people, people living in the suburbs and even anyone affected by the economic crisis. However, in the marketing side of things, Marcus specifically targeted the Greek demographic.
  • Marcus strived to abolish any form of hierarchy in the production team. By this, I mean, getting rid of the superiority complex and benefits from being a lead actor. For example, in the queue for lunches it would be done on a first come, first serve basis and not dependant on the role you play in producing the film. Furthermore, Marcus learnt the names of all crew members by the end of the first day and ensured that the process was as laid back and as informal as possible.
  • Marcus told us about a job I had never heard of before. The task of reading through a script and judging how much each scene would cost, belonged to a Line Producer. In the case of Papadopolous and Sons, the Line Producer was Sarah Butler.
  • I also learnt that the filming was done in 3 primary locations. This was done in order to cut costs significantly and to make it much easier for crew and equipment to be moved about as there were only 3 major distances to be travelled.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Papadopolous and Sons Case Study







Papadopolous and Sons, also known as "Papa and Sons" is a British comedy-drama film, written and directed by independent filmmaker Marcus Markou. We got a chance to speak with Markou in one of our lessons.

Official Plot Summary: Following his ruin in the latest banking crisis, a self-made millionaire reluctantly re-unites with his estranged freewheeling brother to re-open he abandoned fish and chips shop they shared in their youth.

Cast:
Stephen Dillane - Harry Papadopolous
Georges Corraface - Uncle Spiros
Frank Dillane - James Papadopolous
Georgia Groome - Katie Papadopolous
Thomas Underhill - Theo Papadopolous
Ed Stoppard - Rob
Cosima Shaw - Sophie
Selina Cadell - Mrs Parrington
Cesare Taurasi - Mehmet Ali
George Savvides - Hassan Ali

Budget and Actors:
Marcus had a relatively small budget of £850,00. However, he managed to get the actors for a cheap price because they were willing to act for low pays simply because they loved the script. Furthermore, Stephen Dillane thought it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to act with his son (Frank Dillane) and therefore cleared his schedule for the film.

Marketing:
To save money, Marcus focused heavily on spreading the film via word of mouth and directly contacting the target audience in places like Greek churches. He also used Facebook and Twitter to secure a lot more viewers. This film is a great example of one that can do well without having a particularly large budget.

Film Festivals:
The film was present at three film festivals in 2012. One being the Dinard Festival of British Film in France, another being the Palm Springs Film Festival in North America and lastly the Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece. The film also managed to win the Michael Cacoyannis Audience Award at the Greek film festival.

Location:
The film was predominantly shot in three locations; a street in Morden that providing the chip shop and kebab shop setting, a mansion in Croydon and a Greek food factory in East London.

Reviews:
Overall, the film received good reviews. It got a 6.2/10 from IMDb and an 83% positive rating from Rotten Tomato. The Guardian posted the comment that the film is "an ambitious attempt to rewrite Lear for laughter rather than tears. It's a throwback, but relaxed, sweet and funny with it; a first feature that makes an impression without trying too hard to make an impression".

Trailer: