Project Research - Location

Locations

The Hogsmill River

The forest near the hogsmill river is a great location for a horror movie because it features both enclosed and open areas which gives us freedom in the shots we use.

Ebbisham Park

Ebbisham Park will be a suitable area for our short movie. This is because it is an open ground which includes shady/dark forest areas that can be used to add to the scenes.

Ashley Road Deep-level Shelter

This bunker is private property but with permission from the land owner we may be able to film in this shelter, its a very large maze of corridors and rooms which works perfectly for a horror movie.

It is currently owned by 'Elite Action Games Epsom' so we would have to ask permission to film there.

Film Studio - Walt Disney Studios

Walt Disney Studios

Walt Disney Studios is one of the most powerful movie studios currently active, they don't opt for buying small independent projects from smaller studios, they mainly create their own movies and buy studios to develop popular franchises.

Disney Studios bought Marvel Studios in 2009 and have continued to advance the many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Franchise.

Lucasfilm was acquired in October 2012 by Disney in a deal that cost $4.05 billion dollars. This included all Star Wars movie rights, merchandising and most other rights. The Force Awakens made over $2 billion at the box office with 5 more confirmed movies being released from 2016 to 2021.

Film Studio - Warner Bros

Warner Bros

Warner Bros Studios was formed in 1918 by Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner with official incorporation of the company in 1923.


Warner Bros started the trend of films using 'synchronized sound' which we take for granted nowadays as it is standard. It is the use of sound that is synchronised with the actors on the screen, usually pairing speech with the actors.

Warner Bros owns the movie rights to popular franchises including DC Comics characters, Harry Potter, The Hobbit.
This is a very good way to make a profitable movie because the audience has already been established and can be opened to many new audiences as well.

Some of their most popular franchises include the Dark Knight Trilogy, the Harry Potter Series and The Hobbit Trilogy.

Film Studio - Paramount

Paramount

Paramount was founded in 1912 by William W. Hodkinson, Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky.

Paramount started to garner real success during 1921 to 1930, creating a chain of theatre screens across the US to see movies.


In 1994, media conglomerate Viacom bought Paramount for 9.75 billion dollars.

Some of their most highly grossing movies include Titanic (the second highest grossing movie of all time) and the Transformers movies.

Film Studio - 20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox was founded in 1935 and is one of the most well known film studios.

It is a big player in the film industry because it owns the movie rights to the 'X-Men' and 'The Fantastic Four', as well as owning mini-major studios such as Dreamworks.

Along with movie distribution, 20th Century Fox also make TV Shows and own Fox News.

Film Studio - Universal

Universal

Universal is one of the oldest film studios still around today, it was founded in 1912 by Karl Lammle.
Today it is owned by Comcast.

Their most financially successful movies are Jurassic World, Furious 7, Minions and Jurassic Park.

Movie Rating Systems

Movie Certifications

There are two different movie rating systems for the UK and the US, BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) for the UK and MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) for the US.

BBFC

The BBFC was formed in 1912 and classifies all movies released in the UK, there are 7 ratings, U, PG, 12, 12A, 15, 18 and R18...

U (Universal)

Movies classified as U will be family friendly with a positive message and little violence involved. Aimed at children 4 years old and over.

PG (Parental Guidance)

Parental Guidance films should be suitable for children 8 years old or over but is up to the parents to decide whether or not the film is suitable for the children.

12 and 12A

12 rated films are not allowed to be viewed by any person under the age of 12 whilst 12A films are similar to PG in which the decision for a child under 12 to watch is at the parent's discretion.

15

These films are only allowed to be viewed by people aged 15 and up, usually have occasional violence or sexual content.

18

18 films are only suitable for ages 18 and over for their frequent sexual content or graphic violence and offensive themes and language.

Mini-Major Studio Analysis - Dreamworks

Dreamworks, a Mini-Major Studio

Dreamworks is a primarily animation focused mini-major studio known for its family friendly but boundary crossing movies.

Dreamworks was founded in 1994 making live-action movies but now primarily focuses on animation since the success of their first animated movie 'Antz'.

Their next 3D Animated movie was 'Shrek' which was released in 2001 to huge commercial success cementing their place as one of the biggest computer animation studios.

Whilst not having the huge budget that Disney Studios have they are still a big contender and make high quality movies to the standard of Disney.

Film Studios

What are Film Studios?

Film studios are companies that produce and distribute films, sometimes they only buy the distribution rights to a completed movie because they have the money to advertise it.

There are six major film studios currently still active, Universal, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Disney Studios, Warner Bros and Columbia.

These companies have been around for many decades, some even over a century and hold a monopoly over movie distribution.
Because of how much money they have to spend on advertisements, these major studios overshadow the smaller studios trying to make a break with their movies so publishing rights are usually negotiated with these major studios for a percentage of the profit.