Casting Homework

Plot Four
The Train Driver (Spiritual predecessor of Taxi Driver?)

Sean Bean -The Train Driver

I casted Sean Bean to play the 'disturbed Train Driver because I think that his face lends itself to particularly sinister roles. Also he has a history of playing roles of 'bad' guys in films which makes his character easy to sell to the movie-goers, in a way that on a poster people will immediately assume his role of the evil train driver. Sean Bean also meets all parameters for the part.

Nicole Kidman - The Woman
I chose Nicole Kidman for the womans part because she has an image of a very perfect lady, this is vital for the role because she is described as a 'wonderful' woman. Although Nicole Kidman is a bit older than the character I think that the difference is not story changing. I thin she would fit straight in to thepart of this woman because she is so likeable, and I tink thats important for this film.

Plot Seven

The Warrior (The Heroes Film?)

Will Smith - The Warrior
Will Smith is athletic which is vital for the role of a superhuman person, however one of the main reasons for casting Will Smith to be the hero of this film is because he proved himself perfect for this kind of against all odds film with his terrific performance in I am Legend. (2007, Francis Lawrence)

Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Evil Leader

I think Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfect for this part. For starters his bodybuilder look i perfect for an evil leader, and his foreign accent lends itself to creating a cliched evil foreign leader. I also think that an important aspect of casting him is that when people see him on the poster they will immediately have the expectation of an all out over the top action film that he is so well known for. I think that this promise will attract all of his fans.

Launching a Film

Release of a Film
Audience - You need to successfully target and market your film.
Budget - How much will it sell and how much should you put into it. Different genres make diferent amounts of money at the box office.
Promotion - Really to be heavily linked with target audience. How will you appeal to them.

Position and Audiences
Know your market - Research your the market, what audiences want what? You need to know the market enough to judge what they want. Use whatever you can to get to know them (questionnaires?)
Genre - Specialise on a genre through your research.

Target Audience
Clarity - The importance is to be 100% clear who your target audience is.
Focus - Use past comparisons, to see what did or did not work.
Research - Get to know your particular target audience.

Competition
Stand out - Your film needs to stand out amoung others, why will they watch your film?
Better - Your film needs to be more exciting and more innovative.
Release Date - Has to be relevant to your audience,when are they on holiday? when can they go to the cinema?

PA and Budget
Advertising
Film Costs

Word of Mouth
Make or Break - Good or bad word of mouth will make or break your release. Word of mouth is the most critical advertising your film can get.
Advance Sreenings - These allow to start up word of mouth advertising before the release of the film.

Marketing Plan
Advertising - Has to be well thought out and executed to attract audience.
Press - Very important in relation to word of mouth advertising.
Interviews - A more personal approach between the actors/director and the audience
Word of mouth - The key to advertising
Viral Campaigns - Internet campaigns, which can really boost films if well launched.

Film Trailers
The key - Make sure you portray what you want to of your film. This is the first exposure to the audience.
The Best - The trailer has to be the the best sequences of the film, a promise to the audience for more.

Link Between
Where will you publish yor film

Digital Marketing
Viral Marketing - Creating word of mouth.
Websites - Games, Quizes, Trailers, Info.

Test Screenings
Expectations - Does your film meet expectations? Get feedback from the target audience. Get them to fill out questionnaires and answer questions. Does your film have to changed? Was the feedback good or bad?

Persuading Cinemas
Licenses - You need to sell your films licence to as many cinemas as possible to get it at as many cinemas as possible for launch day and beyond.
Selling - Why will they buy your license? How will yours entice them?

Opening Weekends
Make or Break
Success - The opening weekend must go well in order for the film to advance well.

Piracy
Large Problem - Costs the film industry huge losses of money. Huge amounts of money go into the avoiding of films being pirated before release. It could cost your film dearly.

Shot Sequence Analysis

Shot 1: High Angle Mid ShotThis shot shows a man on the floor clutching his ear and a gun, he is sprawled across a wooden walkway which looks old and battered. He looks like he has been hurt by his posture but shows little expression on his face. This makes him seem evil. The shot aims to represent his emotion and the gun in his hand as both are glaring from the light, which is low key. The man is made to look helpless and inferior by the high angle. It would seem there is someone staring back down at him, and the audience can only assume this.

Shot 2: High angle Long Shot The next shot is further out to introduce a second character, and gunman who is aiming straight back at the other character. The downed gunman, now disarmed ( literally) looks in worse shape and is spread more across his back. The longer shot allows the viewer to make out the walkway to be part of a dock. and derelict by the looks of it. The second gunman wears a long detective style coat which shows authority and makes him look like the hero. The light on his arm emphasises where he is aiming.

Shot 3: Long shot Now a third character is introduced which is a little girl, cowered to the side of the dock. The shot shows the continuation of the standoff as well as the confrontation continues. The seting, now clear has surrounding warehouses, reminiscant of illegal smuggler docks. The horizon follows the bottom third of the shot and the detective stands up along the first third, so this shot is very easy on the eyes. The posture of the two men is reminiscant of the iconic resevior dogs shot of the standoff (much like this one). It would seem at this point to the viewer the gunman is the rescuer of the little girl.

Shot 4: Very Long Shot

Now further out we are introduced to a fourth character, another gunman behind the detective, because of his ddetective coat and his position behind the first detective, it would be likely he is infact going to betray the first detective. His darker coat shows him to be more evil than the rescuer. The standoff appears to be drawing to an end as the detective leans over the downed man, who look close to death by now. The girl looks like collateral damage in this standoff and looks physically and symbolically caught in the middle of the gunman and the new character at the back.

Shot 5: Close Up High Angle This shot is put in to show the emotion of the little girl, to get the audience more emotionally charged for the scene. The high angle and tears in her eyes show innocence, as well as the bright light on her. The camera is very close to her face to make her emotion recognisable straight away with the audience and to make it more personal.

Shot 6: Long Shot This shot has the most interesting perspective from the sequence. The shot puts the detective and downed man in the foreground, and the darker detective in the backround now walking in. The fourth man is very much framed by the light around him, which in contrast makes him very dark and evil looking. This shot aims to wrap up the scene so it shows all. By now the downed man looks dead.

Sequence Analysis

I think this sequence from Sin City works very well because it captivates the qudience through mystery and emotion, I think there is enough variation in shots to keep the viewers happy and composition is strong throughout, obviously the low key lighting style is key and really adds to the drama, but everything else is well executed as well. I think this sequence is very good indeed.