Working title films

WORKING TITLESection B: Institutions & Audiences

AS Media Studies

Learning objectives:

• To gain a basic understanding of issues relating to Media

Ownership: Ownership of film industry.

• To locate Working Title within the context of the British

Film Industry.

• To understand the issues raised by media ownership in

contemporary media practice.

Background

• Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London.

• The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffein the late 1980s. It produces feature films and some television productions.

• Among the company's films are Richard Curtis-scripted romantic comedies and Coen Brothers' films, but has in recent times moved into many other types of film, such as United 93.

• In 2004 it made a profit of £17.8 million. As of 2007, all its films distributed by Universal Pictures, which owns a 67% stake in the company, and many of its recent films are co-productions with StudioCanal. The remaining shares are owned by the company's founders, BBC Films, and private investors.

Film maths

• Films + American stars = Appeal to international

market (& success for the British film industry)

• This approach has provoked criticism about the

‘mid-Atlantic’ nature of the films.

The British film industry dilemma:

• Do you:

A) Make culturally specific films which appeal to a

limited audience?

OR

B) Make broader, generic films with a wider

appeal?

The British film industry dilemma:

• Working Title want to make European films for a

worldwide audience.

• They want to imbue them with European ideas

and influences and they couldn’t do these things

without the backing of a major Hollywood

studio.

• 1992

• PolyGram (a European music and media company)

buys Working Title.

• Sarah Radclyffe leaves to set up her own production

company

• She’s replaced by Eric Fellner

History of WT:

History of Working Title

• 1984

• Working Title founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe

• Now the most successful British film production company

• 1984

• 1985 - First Working Title film My Beautiful Laundrette

(The first of a series of collaborations with Channel Four

Films)

• 15 - Number of WT films produced in the 1980s

• 1988 - Production deal with PolyGram Filmed

Entertainment

• 1991 - WT sets up Hollywood office

History of WT:

• 1994

• Four Weddings and a Funeral

• A big box office success due to the access to the US

market provided by Polygram

History of WT:

• 1998

• Polygram bought by Universal, a Seagram

company

• 2000

• Seagram is bought by Vivendi, the French

multimedia conglomerate

• WorkingTitle is now owned by Universal, which is in

turn owned by Vivendi

Vivendi

Universal

Working Title

• $35m

• The amount of money WT can spend on a film

before consulting with Universal

• WT2

• Set up to encourage new British filmmakers.

• Billy Elliot (Dir. Stephen Daldry, 1999)

• WT2 did not need the approval of Universal

Safety Net:

• £13m

• Budget for Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

• £9.8m

• UK Box Office takings

• The protection of Universal means that Working

Title was able to survive this disappointing

performance

Unique:

• There is no other British Film Company like

Working Title

• It is allowed freedom to make creative

decisions but it is owned by a conglomerate

Some key Working Title films:

Film Budget (£m) Box Office UK (£m)

Bean (1996) 16.2 17.9

Elizabeth (1997) 13 5.5

Notting Hill (1998) 15 31

Bridget Jones (2000) 14 42

About a Boy (2001) 13.5 16.8

Love, Actually (2004) 30 36.2

Wimbledon (2004) 20 (est) 6.8

Some numbers:

• 4 or 5

• The number of films Working Title produce each year

• 1

• Number of ‘risk free films’ Working Title will invest in

each year

• 2

• Number of mainstream films WT will invest in each year

• 2

• Will invest in projects they feel passionate about (which

have risk factors involved)

Some numbers:

• 95

• Number of films made (to date) by Working Title

• $4.5 billion

• Amount of money made by these films

• 6

• Number of Academy Awards won

• 26

• Number of BAFTA Awards won

Successful Relationships

• Working Title make films with 3rd parties e.g. the

Coen Brothers and people they know well and have

built up a good working relationship with e.g.

Richard Curtis

Notable films

• The Soloist

• State of Play

• The Boat That Rocked

• Wild Child

• Burn After Reading,

• The Interpreter

• About a Boy

• Notting Hill

• Elizabeth

• Fargo

• Dead Man Walking

• Bean

• High Fidelity

• Johnny English

• Billy Elliot

• Four Weddings and a Funeral

• Bridget Jones's Diary

• Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

• O Brother, Where Art Thou?

• Love Actually

• Shaun of the Dead

• Pride & Prejudice

• Nanny McPhee

• United 93

What does Eric Fellner have to say?

• Working Title focus on character and narrative (as

opposed to action/ special effects etc.)

• They often create films of cross-genres

• Fellner feels the simple essence of a successful

film is a really good screenplay and sense of

humanity; that the most important thing is for the

audience to identify and empathise with

characters

What does Eric Fellner have to say?

• Working Title have aimed to create an industry

that is exportable and global

• There is an active aggressive industry in

Hollywood that we can never compete with

• What we should focus on is making films we

believe in and exporting them

Breakthrough success

Four Weddings and a Funeral is

a 1994 British romantic comedy

film directed by Mike Newell. It

was the first of several films by

screenwriter Richard Curtis to

feature Hugh Grant. The film was

an unexpected success,

becoming the highest-grossing

British film in cinema history with

worldwide box office in excess of

$244 million worldwide.

Richard Curtis

Curtis is a screenwriter for British Films, best known for writing ‘Four

Weddings and a Funeral’, ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Love Actually’ and shows such

as ‘The Vicar of Dibley’, ‘Mr Bean’ and ‘Blackadder’ and transferring

‘Bridget Jones’ from book to film.

Charity

Curtis founded the charity

in 1985.

And was a founder of MAKE POVERTY HISTORY

Curtis and Working Title

His films for Working Title have a recognisable formula:

• A tendency to portray a ‘Christmas Card’ little England, combining chocolate box villages with tourist London

• Middle class heroes stuck in romantic predicaments, looking gorgeous and living in fabulous houses in London

• Using the romantic comedy genre as a showcase for Britain’s comedy talent in cameos

• Hugh Grant is best known for his Curtis films

Coen Brothers

Owing a heavy debt to film noir and other film styles of the past, the

Coen brothers' films combine dry humor with sharp irony and shocking

visuals, most often in moving camera shots.

Working Title Films

Best of British

• Working Title films have promoted a range of home grown

talent: Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson, Martin

Freeman, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightly, Colin Firth,

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and frequently draws on

comedy television show stars (such as ‘The Office’) for

cameo roles.

• When casting for Bridget Jones was taking place, there

was outrage than an American actress was given the lead

in what women saw as a ‘Thoroughly British’ role.

Portrayal of London

• Working Title’s portrayal of London could be described as

heavily formulaic, especially in Richard Curtis’ depictions.

• TASK: Using ‘Notting Hill’ ‘Bridget Jones’ and ‘Love

Actually’ for reference, what values and ideologies does

Working Title’s London convey?

Task Content

• Views of London, the streets and houses, famous

landmarks – where do the characters take us?

• Londoners – how are they portrayed?

• Jobs in London – what do the characters do?

• Fashion and music

Working Title Films

• Bridget Jones Diary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp08csjN_xI

• Love Actually

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYCkFTyADJ0

• Notting Hill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5_5wAX4rrk

Discussion Question:

• What does a healthy film industry need to be productive?

ELT Due Monday 9th March

• Research a Working Title Film and prepare a presentation

in groups (no more than 3) examining its patterns of

production, distribution, exhibition and consumption by

audiences.

• http://www.workingtitlefilms.co.uk/

Production

• Original idea?

• Book?

• Franchise?

• Casting?

• Producers?

• Directors?

• Composer – music tie

ins?

• Screenwriters – other

films?

• Studio – genres the do

best?

• Blockbuster?

• Locations?

• Stars - A List or

unknown?

Distribution

• How did the distributor

market the film and

who was the target

audience?

• Posters

• Trailers

• Websites

• Release date and type

of cinemas

• The number of prints

and scale and pattern

of release eg wide

release

• Internet downloads,

DVDs.

Exhibition

Exchange and consumption

• In cinemas and at home

• Screen release

• DVD release

• Rating?

• Censorship?

• Restrictions?

• Film reviews

• A commercial success?

• Why?

• Audience figures

• Box office figures

• Personal response

• Sales figures for DVDs,

CDs

• Rising stars?