My name is Juliette Wileman (0875), and this is my A2 Media Studies Coursework blog. I am working in Group 3 along with Audrey King Lassman (0397), Brandon Poonwasie (0660), and Chrystal Li (0470).
To navigate around my blog, use the labels on the left side, below the Labels heading.
2) Institutions behind the film's production and distribution? Production:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
New Line Cinema
WingNut Films
Distribution:
Cocinsa (2013) (Nicaragua) (theatrical)
Forum Hungary (2013) (Hungary) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. Entertainment (2013) (Canada) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2013) (Germany) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2014) (Japan) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2013) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2013) (Singapore) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2013) (USA) (theatrical)
3) What's the film's production budget?
$250,000,000 and funded by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and New Line Cinema
4) Nationality of the film?
America and New Zealand
5) What kind of production is it?
Big budget Hollywood blockbuster
6) Any connection with other films?
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) is the first film of the franchise
7) Who's the director?
Peter Jackson
8) Any star names in the cast?
Benedict Cumberbatch - Smaug/The Necromancer
Martin Freeman - Bilbo Baggins
Richard Armitage - Thorin Oakenshield
Orlando Bloom - Legolas
Cate Blanchett - Galadriel
Ian McKellen - Gandalf
Christopher Lee - Saruman
Stephen Fry - Master of Laketown
Andy Serkis - Gollum
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. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.
10) Who will this film appeal to?
An audience who like adventure, drama and fantasy, as well as those who are fans of The Lord Of The Rings
When meeting Marcus Markou, I learnt a lot about the process of making a short film, and the industry itself. My top five points were:
I learnt about pre-production, and the role of a Line Producer (in this case, Sarah Butler). A Line Producer will read the script and work out a budget for each individual line.
Marcus also told about how he ran the sets, and how it differed from big budget films; he tried to create a family atmosphere, and on the first day he learnt the entire crews names, and queued for lunch.
I also learnt that the technical crew, such as electricians and boom mic operators, get paid a fixed amount, whether they are working on a big budget set or an indie film. The locations and actors fees tend to be negotiated.
Marcus also told us about how he got Stephen Dillane and Georges Corraface to act in his film; he essentially stalked them until they got his script. Stephen Dillane wasn't going to be a part of the film, until he found out that his son, Frank Dillane, was performing the role of Harry Papadopoulos' son. Stephen Dillane then wanted to act in a film with his son, so took the role.
I also learnt about how Marcus first asked the actors how they wanted to perform the scene, then asked the Director Of Photography how they would shoot it. Then, if there were any extra set ups, he would check with the Assistant Director on whether or not they had time. This way, he ended up with a more natural looking film, as the actors were more relaxed, therefore giving better performances.
Papadopoulos & Sons is a British comedy-drama feature film written and directed by independent filmmaker Marcus Markou. IMDB Synopsis Following his ruin in the latest banking crisis, a self-made millionaire reluctantly re-unites with his estranged freewheeling brother to re-open the abandoned fish and chip shop they shared in their youth. Production
The film was inspired by Marcus Markou's own family history and cultural roots, which fuelled his desire to focus on family unit;
"I came from a very tight knit Greek-Cypriot family. However, as we grew older and grew up, my family, like so many other families, broke apart. I also lost so many of my Hellenic roots. In making the film I reached out to that sense of family that had been lost and I reached out to my Hellenic roots. [The film] is not about being Greek or Cypriot at all. I use that as backdrop. It really is about family unity at a difficult time".
The film was shot in London. The crew found a street with two empty shops in Morden, South London, and took the lease on them. One became the chip shop The Three Brothers, the other one the rival kebab shop. The city scenes were filmed in Central London, the mansion scenes in Croydon. Finally, the Papadopoulos factory was set in a real Greek food factory in East London.
The cast included;
Stephen Dillane as Harry Papadopoulos
Georges Corraface as Uncle Spiros
Georgia Groome as Katie Papadopoulos
Frank Dillane as James Papadopoulos
Ed Stoppard as Rob
Cosima Shaw as Sophie
Selina Cadell as Mrs Parrington
Marcus Markou as News Reporter
Richard Durden as Father Jimmy
George Savvides as Hassan Ali
Cesare Taurasi as Mehmet Ali
Alexander Hanson as Lars
Distribution
The film was self-distributed by Markou's own company Double M Films, and Cineworld initially agreed to distribute the film on April 5th, 2013, for one week only in a limited number of screens across the UK, but due to unprecedented audience demand, extended the run while expanding to more venues. In the Cineworld in Shaftesbury Avenue, the film started in their 100 seat screen and was set to stay there for a week, but after the tickets sold out within hours of availability it was moved to the 500 seat screen where it stayed for most of the four week extension.
The film was also released in France on the 3rd October 2012 (at the Dinard Festival of British Cinema), in Greece on the 7th November 2012 (at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival) and the 20th December, in Ireland on the 5th April 2013 and in Germany on 27th June 2013.
Marketing
The film can be found on both Facebook and Twitter, as well as having a YouTube channel, a Google+ profile and an IMDB page. The trailer was released on the 23rd April 2013 on YouTube. The film also has an official website, and a poster. The Trailer:
The Poster:
Exhibition and Exchange
The film was screened at Cineworlds, as explained above, and was also released on DVD, and is available online, such as on Netflix.
The film made £40k from just 13 cinemas in the opening weekend.
