Institutional Research

How many thriller films were released in 2012?54 thriller films were released in the year of 2012 including The Hunger Games and Taken 2- two highly successful franchises and the highest grossing thrillers of that year.

How Profitable is the genre?Thriller is a reasonably profitable genre. In its most profitable year- 2012- it grossed a total of $1,533,591,817 and sold 192,662,261 tickets from the 54 films released.

Which Films were most successful and why?The most successful thriller movie of 2012 was the first edition to The Hunger Games franchise, it grossed a total of $408,010,692 and sold 51,257,624 tickets. There are many discussed reasons for its success, one being the already large fan base of support from fans of the novels. It is also suggested success flares from the fact that the film appeals to both boys and girls, its not gender specific and so has a larger target audience. Furthermore the films advertisements and promos had a large part in its success rate- it was everywhere! This created a large hype before its release date a created a larger turn out.

What are the characteristics of the audience for the thriller genre?Due to common themes within the genre(eg. Violence, bad language etc.), a thriller film will likely have an audience of 15 and over, with some exceptions based on how monitored the content of the movie is. The genre appeals to both males and females however it may be more popular among men–to create suspense- they can be very action packed and include a lot of violence and a hard hitting storyline which may not appeal to many women viewers. Thrillers may appeal to a person with any demographic class as the genre includes a variety of character types and storylines that could relate and interest anyone.

Overall…I have learned that a typical thriller can appeal to both genders and people of any class status and has an age rating from 12+ with the average being around 15+. I have found out that the advertising of a movie is key in its success rate. In order to make my opening sequence successful I will make sure I include the typical conventions of my genre and meet the needs of my target audience.

Film Studio Research

Blumhouse Productions

Established: 2000 by Jason Blum

Location: America

Well known films: Insidious, The Purge and the Paranormal activity franchise

Who they worked with: Blumhouse productions have worked with directors such as Scott Derrickson, Scott Stewart and James Wan. They have also worked alongside Lionsgate Entertainment and ABC.

Recent Success: Their most successful work is the very famous Paranormal Activity series, which so far as a whole has grossed a total of $889 million, which for a low budget production company with only $28.015 going into all 6 projects is pretty remarkable. The latest instalment grossed a total of $77 million.

Hammer Film Productions

Established: 1934 by William Hinds and James Carreras

Location: London, England

Well known films: Dracula, The Woman in Black and The Mummy franchise

Who they worked with: Hammer Film Productions have a distribution partnership with Warner Bros. and have worked had distribution contracts with the likes of American film producer Robert Lippert

Recent Success: Hammer Film Productions had a large success with their 2012 adaption The Woman in Black. It grossed a total of $128, 955, 898 worldwide and has even been called ‘The most successful British horror in 20 years’

Warner Bros.

Established: 1923 by Albert, Harry, Sam and Jack L. Warner

Location: Burbank, California, United States

Well known films: Gravity, The Dark Knight and the Harry Potter series

Who they worked with: Warner Bros. have been involved in many production deals and partnerships with companies such as Vertigo Entertainment, Heyday Films and Carousel Productions

Recent Success: Warner Bros. have had a recent success in 2010 with their Sci-Fi thriller Inception which grossed a massive total of $825.5 million and ranked as number 9 on the company’s highest grossing films.

In Conclusion…

Choosing a studio to distribute is vital to the films success and a very difficult decision.

Out of the three studios I have looked into I would choose Blumhouse productions to distribute my film as they are specialised in the horror and thriller genres and work with low budgets but still manage to create large successes.

Also due to the fact they are well known as a horror production company, a lot of people will go to them for those types of movies meaning it wont be difficult to attract my target audience.

Film Funding Research

BFI Funding

• Largest public film fund in the UK

• Every year they invest £26 million of Lottery funds to support film development, production and distribution.

• The budget is set to rise to £30 million by 2017

• The BFI invests in distinctive new British filmmaking and will also help to support first time film makers as long as they are over the age of 18 and eligible for funding

• They aim to support diverse, bold and distinctive films and increase the audiences for them across the UK

• You must have a producer working on the film to be funded and have a director involved to receive production funding

Creative Skillset

• The empower the creative industries to develop skills and talent

• They help to secure vital investments for individuals to become the best in their field

• They work across film, television, radio, performing art and many other industries.

• They offer not only investments but training and careers information so that those entering the industries are well prepared

• A range of bursaries are offered by the Creative Skillset

Film London

• Film London Microwave is a funding scheme UK feature films

• They provide development and mentoring support to all shortlisted projects as well as production finance and distribution support to final commissioned films.

• They have a development programme called Microschool that helps their shortlist filmmakers to develop their scripts and skills

• The programme also offers mentoring from experienced industry directors, writers and producers

• Commissioned features have the opportunity to access up to £25,000 of distribution funding once complete and shortlisted projects receive – after mircroschool training- £1000 of funding for a 3 month development period and work with the continued support of their mentors

In Conclusion…

After looking to a selection of film funding methods, I have made a decision on which route I would like to take when it comes to funding my own film.

I have chosen to seek funding support from Film London as they have more than just financial support to offer me. They provide ways to develop my skills and project as well as support and mentoring from experienced people within the industry, which – for a first time filmmaker like myself- will be invaluable and key in my projects progression.

Furthermore, even if I do not make it to their final stage of commission, they still provide a small amount of funding and the continued support of my mentor.