Film Flashcards
Disney Subsidiaries
Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, 21st Century Fox, ABC
Disney First Films
First short comedy series based on Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927. First short film Steam Boat Willie in 1928. First feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937- highest grossing film of all time at that point.
Disney box office success
Cinderella next box office success in 1950 after Snow White making $182 million.
Disney Worth
Currently worth $170.31 billion- various business ventures including film, television, music, video games, retail, entertainment and property.
Pre-production
Planning, writing, storyboarding, casting, scheduling.
Production
Rehearsal, filming.
Post-production
Editing, sound, voice overs
Distribution
Making the movie available, marketing, logistics
Exhibition
Cinemas, DVD, streaming
Horizontal Integration
Buying competitors to reduce competition- buying companies at same stage of the chain.
Vertical Integration
Owning different companies at different parts of the chain.
Disney Film Chain
Production- Walt Disney Pictures
Distribution- Buena Vista
Exhibition- Disney Plus
Hollywood Golden Age
Period of 40 years between 1920s and 1960s where technology advanced and the quality of cinema improved, leading to several iconic films, soundtracks and actors.
The ‘Big Five’
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Warner Bros, Paramount, Fox and RKO.
The Paramount Decree
1948- harder for studios to control distribution and make profit as they could no longer control or own cinemas. Big Five were stopping independent filmmakers from showing films. Ended in 2018- Disney Plus introduced.
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs
Produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by RKO on 4th February 1938. Labelled ‘Disney’s folly’ by critics- first full length animated colour film ever. Proposed the idea in 1934. Took 5 years, 750 crew and over 2 million drawings (166,000 used) to create.
Snow White Budget
Originally proposed to cost $250,000 but increased to $1.5 million, which lead to financial issues for Walt Disney Productions. Had to show a the bank his film and remortgage his house to be able to finish it.
Snow White Gross
Since release it is estimated to have grossed about $1 billion (adjusted to inflation). By the end of its original theatrical run, it made almost $8 million (~$175 million with inflation). Allowed Disney to open first studio.
Buena Vista Distribution
Disney started distributing themselves in 1953, having to use third party distributors due to cost before.
Multi-plane Camera
Allowed producers to use celuloid to create layers and depth in the scene. Also meant that entire scenes didn’t need to be painted repeatedly. Used over 1500 colours and real makeup to create the images. Over 150 tracers traced the sketches onto celuloid.
Snow White Premiere
Premiered on December 21st 1937 in Los Angeles. Received the honourary Oscar for ‘significant innovation’.
Snow White Merchandise
First movie to produce merchandise on release day, including costumes, toys, household items, food and more.
Snow White Soundtrack
First soundtrack to be released on record with radio singles released prior.
Snow White International
Dubbed into more than twenty languages to be accessible world wide.
Dwarfland
Disney constructed a ‘Dwarfland’ outside of the movie theatre with large billboards to promote the film. Allowed audiences to experience the film before seeing it- entice families.
Snow White Below the Line Marketing
- Studio tours- engages a select audience to build a community/ relationship between the studio and the audience- build anticipation.
- Dwarfland- presented as a ‘gift’ from Walt Disney- Uncle Walt persona- allowed audiences to be immersed into the film’s world.
Snow White Above the Line Marketing
- Los Angeles Times- posted a review by a family- captured true and positive reaction to the film.
- Two editions of the Good Housekeeping magazine focused on the film- targeting mothers by explaining the plot and introducing the character.
- Photoplay Studies- promoted the film to children- available in schools.
- Lots of focus put on celebrities enjoying it- showed audiences it was high quality.
Snow White Distribution
Re-released 8 times into cinemas since its original release. First re-released in 1944 until its final theatrical re-release in 1993. It was then released on VHS in October 1994 and DVD in 2001. Available on Disney Plus as well as YouTube, Apple TV and Amazon Prime to rent. Films had to be distributed on physical film reels, so the film was released in major cities first then toured around to smaller locations.
Snow White Regulation
British Board of Film Classification was founded in 1912 to regulate films. Originally they classified Snow White as ‘A’ which meant it was only suitable for adults. This remained the same until it was re-rated a ‘U’. In the USA, it faced no constraints.
Hays Code
USA Film Regulators- banned ‘lustful kissing’, homosexuality, nudity, drugs, adultery, vulgarity and ridiculing the clergy. Became out of date as was replaced with a new rating system in 1965 rating films as G, PG - 13, R or NC - 17.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Media franchise centred around a series of superhero movies produced by Marvel Studios. Includes films, TV shows, short films and literature. They release their films in Phases, the first three known as the Infinity Saga and the final three the Multiverse Saga. Shang-Chi is part of Phase Four, the 25th MCU movie.
Shared Universe
Fictional universe contributed to by more than one writer.
Disney’s Acquisition of Marvel Studios
Purchased Marvel Entertainment on August 31st 2009 for $4 billion. Allowed them to appeal to a wider range of audiences.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Produced by Marvel Studies by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz then distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Shang Chi Budget
Estimated to have cost from $150-200 million.
Shang Chi Gross
Lifetime gross of $432 million. Ranked 9th on the world box office figures of 2021. Other films in the 10 ten were also action movies including Spider Man: No Way Home, No Time To Die, Fast and Furious, Venom and Godzilla vs Kong.
Shang Chi Release
Premiered in Hollywood 16th August 2021 then released 3rd September 2021. The release was pushed back from February 2021 to May, then to July, then to September.
Hybrid Release Strategy
Due to the Covid pandemic, they opted to release the film in cinemas for 45 days then release it immediately onto Disney Plus to maximise both anticipation and profits. Black Widow had a simultaneous release strategy and made less.
Shang Chi China Ban
The film was banned in China for an unspecified reason. It is speculated to be due to the source materials link with Fu Manchu, a racist archetype villain often played by white actors made to look asian.
Shang Chi Representation
The film was narrated in Mandarin by Fala Chen. Only actors with native Chinese language spoke Mandarin to prevent any errors. The film distinguishes between Chinese and Chinese-American to highlight racism and alienation in society. The film was co-written and directed by Asian American filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton and starred a predominantly Asian cast to be representative. Payed homage to Chinese culture and myths throughout. Step forward after the last Asian villain in Iron Man 3 was played by an English actor.
Shang Chi Production
Live action film so involved filming people on sets with a digital camera. CGI was then composited into these shots with computer software. It was produced in Sydney, Australia, as the production was financially supported by the government’s Location Incentive Program and the Screen NSW’s Made in NSW International Footloose fund. They were also assisted by their production team. It created 4,700 jobs and used 1,200 local businesses.
Rising Sun Pictures
Created the ‘Talo’ environment based on South-East Asian jungles. Originally had to research Vietnam and Asia then constructed a physical set. They used their research to create a catalog of digital foliage and flora. The environment was procedurally generated and simulators were used to maximise realism.
Trixter CGI
Created the creatures based on Chinese mythology- had to make sure that they were realistic but still magical so designed from the anatomy outwards.
Rodeo FX
Created the city environment- had to use Google Maps to entirely recreate the city of Macau due to the pandemic and their inability to go to the city to capture images. Used references from the internet then composited shots of the actors into the environment.
Shang Chi Covid 19
Principle photography began in February 2020 but was stopped in March. Work on sets began again in July 2020, and cast returned in August. Filming in San Francisco began in October 2020 and the film wrapped the same month. The same crew couldn’t be used in Australia and San Francisco, so the exterior shots of the bus sequence had to be carefully planned remotely to match the interior shots filmed on a blue screen in Sydney. Cast and crew had to quarantine for two weeks on arrival in Sydney.
Shang Chi Marketing
- Announced film at 2019 San Diego Comic Con event- attract the target audience directly.
- Promoted through social media accounts (Instagram, YouTube, Twitter)
- Live streamed the premiere- build hype/ engagement
- Couldn’t rely on face to face strategies so moved to digital marketing- interviews with the cast recorded/ introduction videos for characters and cast.
- Magazine interviews to get to know the cast.
- Lots of merchandise including a partnership with Lego.
- Digital posters released gradually.
- Trailer/ promotional teasers.
Shang Chi Regulation
Rated PG-13/ 12A- moderate violence.
