Star wars : The Force Awakens research. 

The producer / production company 

The producers that worked on the film are J.J Abrams (who is also the director) , Kathleen Kennedy and Bryan Burk. George Lucas the star wars creator was thinking of making a sequel trilogy and discussed this many times, but his plans were never followed through and in 2012 he sold his company along with the star wars franchise to Walt Disney. The first story draft, that was now being completed by Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan, was completed in 6 weeks. The director wanted the film to go back to the original star wars roots and reminisce on those stories. The script was completed in January 2014 and earlier on in 2013 it was confirmed that it would be filmed in the United Kingdom. 

 Screen writer(s)  

J.J Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, and Michael Arndt worked on the screenplay for the film, George Lucas did give some ideas for the plot but his ideas were 'discarded' by Disney. 

   

Actors / Cast 

     

Budget 

$200 million USD (Estimated) 

  

Locations 

Ireland, Iceland, Cumbria, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, New Mexico USA, California 

  

Screens showed on 

Star wars: The Force Awakens gained the title 'Biggest worldwide opening weekend' and 'single weekend gross' with $529 million earned on its opening night. It was also estimated to over take films like Jurassic world with over 4000 screen showings. In China alone it earned 78,900 screenings. 

  

Critical Reactions 

Rotten Tomatoes -

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Box Office Figures 

UK - Ranked the highest grossing film in the UK and Ireland of all time, estimated at £119.4 million 

US - Also ranked the highest grossing film of all time taking the place of Avatar, in the US it was titled the biggest opening weekend and single weekend gross at $247.97 million. 

China -  Titled the biggest Saturday opening day star wars: the force awakens earned ¥217.5 million ($33 million) in one day. 

  

Music / Composers 

John Williams was the main composer for the film and conducted a few songs for the soundtrack whereas William Ross conducted most of the music. It featured new themes that the star wars trilogy hadn't used before and many music critics commended it on its energy and depth.

 Marketing 

The hype for this Star Wars film was huge, many old fans were excited for its return. The huge excitement was achieved through various marketing techniques. First there were rumors and then it was confirmed, posters around heavily populated areas got the film recognition and attention. Adverts on TV and in Cinema gave people an idea of what the film was like and therefore making them excited to watch it. The idea that the old actors were returning also convinced fans and old fans to want to watch it even more. 

 Tie-in products 

Now that the Star Wars franchise is owned by Disney they can create a range of toys and clothing linked with the release of the new film. Hundreds of Star Wars toys and collectables exist gaining the franchise even more money, Lego also create toys and games related to the film. 

Stereotypes

Perkins' 5 assumptions about stereotypes can be applied to the 'Hotel Babylon' clip, Not all stereotypes are negative. For example the African character was portrayed as ex Doctor which shows he's intelligent. Stereotypes are not always about minorities either as the white character who had a high up job was stereotyped; blonde and pretty. The assumption that stereotypes are not rigid and unchanging is shown through the end sequence when the African character is praying, as the stereotype for Africans wasn't always that they were religious/Christian. Stereotypes are not always false either, the Asian character could be interested in technology and using computers as its her job so she would've had to of chosen it. They can also be held by the members of the group, for example the white character could enjoy being stereotypes as blonde and attractive because of it.

Theory of cognitive dissonance - Why are shows popular?

Leon Festinger's theory of  cognitive dissonance can be used to help explain the popularity of certain programmes. If we have an opinion of something or a view on something and then we see this reflected in TV drama were assumed to like it straight away. For example how some of the characters behave in ' skins' is how some people assume teenagers to be like. If a teenager can relate to this then they're definitely going to enjoy watching the programme; it may remind them of their life or their friends which they could find comfort or enjoyment in. We seek out confirmation of our views on things and when a programme successfully gets our approval of a view we tend to enjoy watching the show, it agrees with us and our brains are programmed to find this appealing. For example if a strong atheist watched a programme about religion it'd aggravate them due to the distinct contrast of beliefs. Furthermore they dislike the programme and are likely to not watch it again. Our morals and views are very useful when finding out why we like certain programmes; which is what Festinger's theory tells us. Generally the reason people like the shows they do is because of their opinions on people or topics. People like TV dramas like 'hollyoaks' and 'emmerdale' because it confirms their stereotypes of certain groups and this makes them feel right.

UK TRIBES

I decided that I fit mostly into the 'scenesters' tribe as the clothing in the illustration looked like how I dress or what clothes I find good looking, the description also sounded similar to how I express myself and how my friends do too. The fashion is also similar to people I look up to. I think I fit into this tribe because of these reasons, and I'm also interested in a wide range of clothing and different music types like the description mentions. I don't really model myself after anyone although I do get inspiration for my clothing from bands I like that also seem to dress similarly to my interests, and my friends. I like a lot of fashion from the 80's and 90's and vintage clothing appeals to me a lot. I like mixing my clothing a lot as its interesting and i get bored of my appearance sometimes.
I don't try to look a certain way I normally just go for what I like, although I don't have idols the bands/artists I get my inspiration from dress in a way that I think looks good:

Ethnicity in the media (Hotel Babylon clip) 

In this clip there are a number of ethnic groups being portrayed generally in an offensive way.

long shot

 In this scene the white woman is portrayed as the authority in the situation, shes wearing white which indicates purity, whereas the Asian girl next to her is in black and red, which stereo typically carry negative vibes with them. Shes also on the phone and using technology which is an Asian stereotype. In this scene the white woman is shown as superior due to the fact shes in the center of the table seemingly lit up more than the girl next to her.  

close up

The character in this scene is hoovering the hallway wearing cheap looking uniform, this indicates hes poor as his job is catering in a hotel. This is a black stereotype and his body language suggests hes weaker than other characters, later in the scene hes tackled by white police officers which shows hes being portrayed as weak and we get the idea hes doing something wrong if the police are attacking him.



close up

In this scene the character supposedly African due to his accent and appearance helps a woman who's collapsed due to diabetic issues, his efforts to help are shown in a way that is surprising which seems patronizing as if hes not supposed to be clever for his race. The Asian character asks him for help in this scene and then thanks him, this re enforces the Asian stereotype of being thankful and submissive towards people.

close up / tilt shot

This scene shows the Asian character looking distressed and afraid when hearing a knock at the door, her body is slumped in a way that portrays her as scared or weak, this enforces the shy submissive stereo type of the Asian community on TV. However shes the authority figure in this situation highlighting that shes above the other ethnic groups that are present with her, which is re enforced by the fact shes in the center of the shot with the lighting concentrated on her; in contrast to the dark background where all the other characters are.

close up

The person in charge of the 'raid' on the hotel is white, which immediately indicates hes being portrayed as more powerful as he has the authority to take who he wants from their job/safe place. In this scene hes also blatantly racist about the person hes just arrested and shows no sympathy for his life, this makes us pity the character who's been taken.

close up

The two supposedly white characters are in white again. They're also standing mostly in focus of the shot and in front of the two people behind them, who are dressed in red and at the back of the shot mostly in the dark. The contrast of colours makes us separate the two sets of people and assume they're different, and assume the people in red have a different / worse job than the other characters.

When cleaning out the locker of the person who was arrested pictures are up on the door of it, they depict a tribal looking setting that looks like its taken in a different country. This supports the idea TV sees black people as exotic and it makes us perceive things that way too.

Pan shot

In this scene the authority is the white person again, who hastily tells the barman to get everyone free drinks after the raid has happened. The barman is not white and has an accent that seems Italian and she talks to him as if hes lower than her. Hes portrayed as weaker in this scene and obeys her very timidly.

Whip pan

This shot pans across all of the ethnic groups eating and talking, each table seems to have a different ethnic group on it and with it a lot of stereotypical behavior. This infers within an ethnic group all the people actively portray stereotypes, act exactly the same, and eat the same food etc.

Tracking shot

In this scene one of the characters collapses due to a diabetic issue, it seems unnecessary as if the producers just want to portray the character as pathetic and unable to handle situations of high caliber. It could however highlight the seriousness of the situation and we do pity the characters and fear for them.

Film production

Writer - To be a film writer you need a very in depth understanding of the entire plot, story, and the characters. Film writers personalities are usually very imaginative and determined; when writers have to deal with changing the script etc. these qualities are very useful. The writers work also has to be believable and the characters must seem real, if not the film may seem poorly made and hard to relate to/ get into. The work a writer is assigned has strict deadlines so determination and effort must be put into the work. A screenplay is the backbone for the entire film and allows the producers and director(s) to visualise their film and to bring it to life with a blue print to follow, which can prove as very helpful. A producer commissions a writer with a key concept, idea or story for the writer to work on and this is how a film begins.

Producer - A producer has a good grasp on business as well as experience in the film industry, they bring together all key aspects of the film in production and make sure everything is working to a good standard Settings and locations and even props are viewed by producers and approved or disapproved before filming. Making sure the actors are doing their best and are in safe conditions whilst also checking lighting and editing is also a key role the producers play. They are in control of most of the background ideas from start to finish and are in charge of making sure their film is successful, they also work with the director and co-producers when creating ideas and help get the money needed to support the production of the film, for example: Money to rent locations or props or pay certain actors to fulfil a role.

Casting director - Casting directors cast actors for all the roles in a movie, they arrange interviews and auditions for people wanting roles. To understand the needed requirements they work with the director and producer in order to cast the right roles for the right characters. They negotiate payments and fees and are required to have a basic knowledge of how to work a camera.

Director - Directors have a very strong eye for art and are very creative, they're confident strong and understand things like mise en scene perfectly, they are also assertive and in control. They're in charge of turning the script, ideas, and concepts of a film into an actual image and also direct the actors on how to exert themselves and their lines. Whilst developing the ideas of the film they're totally in control of the films artistic success as a whole. Directors usually work with the editors therefore directing them through what should be kept in the film or cut out. Directors also keep a close eye on the budget and finances of their production.

Film finance - To do this job someone must have good skills with managing money and experience with accounting and budgeting. A film financer is in control of sorting out the finance and taxes of a film production, development and distribution. They usually give aid to producers when trying to prepare budgets etc. for the film.

Camera operator - Camera operators have an excellent visual composition and an idea about lighting, movement, and perspective. They know how to work cameras perfectly and have creative imaginations. Camera operators carry out the directors choice of shots, they analyse how the lenses work with the colour and lighting of the sets in order to create the perfect image for the film. They work fast and on their feet and can offer creative input to the director about what can be changed to make a shot better.  

Editor - Editors work very well with computer software and the rhythm or pace of a film. The editors work with each shot and turn them into a collection of shots that work together to create a smooth flowing scene, they also select the best takes to make sure the film all together makes sense and flows. The editor doesn't always work on the film in chronological order so they must have a good grasp on how things play out.

Production designer - Visual awareness and a grasp on presentation skills is very important for a production designer, they work on making the films image and how everything looks from props to CGI. Depth is added to a films image by how well the production designers create the look and feel of its elements. Concept art is produced so sets and characters and landscapes are drawn out by production designers so the director can get across how they want their film to look like. Producers find this helpful as well as this gives them a good idea of what to look for when buying props and finding locations. They're constantly checking the sets and costumes to make sure the image is consistent.

Marketing - Mostly in charge of advertisement of the film, marketing employees make sure the films advertisements are convincing and truly portray their film in a positive way. They work on billboards and TV adverts in order to bring attention to their film and encourage people to want to watch it. Posters are made and put up around busy areas like towns, a test screening is shown to people so the marketers know their audience and see how the film is received.

Exhibition - A big 'premier' event can be held for a films release, this attracts people as its exciting and special offers could be on sale for example limited edition shirts etc. Cinemas show the film and this is what gains the most money for the film and gains its popularity. Cinema is very important for a films success and is the ultimate gateway to the public.