Film Studies Assignment 2

George West
 Film Choices
Throughout this assignment, I will explore and discuss
three Kaiju movies with drastically different
production contexts. I will be comparing a Hollywood
Kaiju, a British Kaiju, and a US independent Kaiju.
These films will be; Godzilla (Hollywood), Monsters
(British) and Colossal (US Indie). I have chosen these
specific films due to their quality, the critical response
which they garnered and the way they tackle hard-
hitting and taboo themes.
 Hollywood-Godzilla
The newest rendition of the most famous movie monster,
Godzilla, was released in 2014 and directed by the relative
newcomer, Gareth Edwards. Edwards rose to popularity after his
2010 film, Monsters was released. This films critical and
commercial success landed him with the responsibility of
rebooting one of the most well-known characters in world
cinema. He may be one of the only directors to get the
opportunity to direct a $160 million Hollywood blockbuster, in
only his third directorial role. Looking from the outside in, this
may have seen like a gamble for Legendary Pictures (Production
Company) to give such a huge property to a director with little
experience. However, their gamble paid off. The film earned
$529.1 million at the box office, for a profit of $369.1 million.
Naturally, with this kind of financial success, Edwards went on to
bigger and better things, going on to direct Star Wars: Rouge
One in 2016. He is also set to direct the next Godzilla film, which
will be an integral part of the ever-expanding ‘Monsters
Universe' which Legendary Pictures are putting together.
 Godzilla-Financial Determinations
Godzilla 2014 was not limited by finance. With a budget of
$160million Edwards and the producers had a lot of money to
use to create the best Godzilla film possible and kick-starting a
new cinematic universe. Due to having such a large budget, the
filmmakers were able to pour more money in more minute
details, which do add to the overall product but are not
essential. An example of this is the creature design. A large
portion of the budget was set aside for the design and creation
of the 350 foot reimagined, Godzilla. We see frequent shots
throughout the film of Godzilla, essentially showing off the
creature design. This is of course, impressive, but not necessary.
Edwards himself has shown that you don’t really need to see
the creatures that much to still get the same effect. 75%% of the
budget is estimated to have been funded by Legendary, and the
remaining 25% by Warner Bros. The large budget also allowed
for a grand advertisement campaign, which leads to the large
profit generated.
 Godzilla-Funding Bodies
Godzilla was produced and distributed by some of the biggest
names in the movie world, one of those being a member of the
‘big 6’ production companies (Warner Bros, Walt Disney,
Paramount, FOX, Sony and Universal Studios). The production
company, Legendary Pictures, is a subsidiary of the Wanda
Group. Despite the Wanda Group not being a member of the
big 6 studios, it still wields tremendous power, purely due to the
amount of money it has. In 2016 the Wanda Group had an
estimated operating revenue of around $120billion. This is only
the production side of Godzilla, the distributor is a member of
the big 6 studios. The distributor being, Warner Bros
Entertainment. Another layer of funding comes from the fact
that Warner Bros is a division of Time Warner. Time Warner is
one of the largest conglomerates in the world, with an
operating income of around $6.8billion. These factors all lead to
having multiple funding bodies, resulting in a large budget for
the filmmakers.
 Godzilla-Quotas
The Cinematograph Film Act of 1927 was an act design and introduced by
the UK parliament in 1928. The act was designed to stimulate the British
film industry, by setting a British film quota which British studio,
distributors and cinema chains had to abide by. The quota was initially set
at 7.5% for the exhibitor, however, during the 1930s, the quota was upped
to 20%. Supporters of the act believed that, with this quota in place, the
British film industry would eventually grow to rival the dominance of
Hollywood. They believed this would be through the emergence of a
vertically integrated industry, with the production, distribution and the
exhibition of a film, all being taken care of by the same companies. A film
has to meet certain criteria, to allow it to meet the quota. These criteria
are; 1) The film must be made by a British or British controlled company. 2)
Studio scenes must be photographed within a film studio in Britain. 3) The
author of the scenario or the original work on which the screenplay was
based must be a British subject. Now if we look at Godzilla and see if it
would fit the quota. Godzilla wasn’t created by a British or British
controlled company. The filming didn’t take place in Britain, however, it did
take place in a country which is a member of the Commonwealth, Canada.
The original creators of Godzilla were not British. It is safe to say that
Godzilla doesn’t fit the British film quota.
 Godzilla-Tax Incentives
Certain areas of the world offer tax incentives to production
companies to encourage them to film in their area of the world.
What comes as a result of large production companies filming in
certain areas of the world, is that particular area of the world
gain in popularity due to that location being in a film. Likely a
big Hollywood film. This gain in popularity for a location brings
money into that places economy due to fans visiting the
locations they saw on the big screen. Certain areas offer larger
tax incentives over others. One of the most famous areas for tax
incentives in Canada. This is where a large majority of Godzilla’s
filming took place. The shooting took place on Vancouver Island,
where tax incentives reach 40%. This is very attractive to
production companies and is a big reason why production
companies choose to base the majority of a production
shooting on Vancouver Island.
 Godzilla-Technologies of Production
Godzilla 2014 was a large production, with a budget of $160 million
and being helmed by Legendary Pictures. Pre-Production began in
2012 and filming began in 2013. Seamus McGarvey, the films
cinematographer, shot the film digitally using a Arri Alexa camera.
Famous cinematographer Roger Deakins once noted about the Alexa,
“This camera has brought us to a point where digital is simple
better”. He also used the Panasonic C-series anamorphic lenses.
Some sections of the film are set in the 1950’s. Vintage lenses were
used to give the footage a ‘distinct period feel’. This vintage effect
was enhanced via post production colour grading. Despite the 2D
release of the the film, Godzilla 2014 was actually made to be
released in 3D. The special effects supervisor Jim Rygiel stated that
the special effects were created in the spirit of the original series.
Some of the special effects companies working on Godzilla include;
Moving Picture Company, Weta Digital, Double Negative and
Amalgamated Dynamics. The creation of the CGI Godzilla included
lots of studding of various animals (Komodo dragons, lizards, lions,
bears and wolves). This studying helped the production companies
decided on Godzilla’s body structure (fat layers, skin, bones, muscle
and scales).
 Godzilla-Distribution and Exhibition
The 2014 version of Godzilla is the thirtieth Godzilla film
released. Since then, two more Godzilla films have been
released and three more have been announced. However, this is
only the second Godzilla films to be made outside of Japan. The
original Godzilla was distributed by a Japanese company named
TOHO. TOHO owns the rights to the Godzilla properties and only
allow American studios such as Legendary Pictures to create
their own, westernized version of Godzilla if they are involved in
the distribution. TOHO also takes on the responsibility of
distribution in Japan. Besides TOHO, the distribution for Godzilla
(2014) was taken on by Warner Bros Pictures (Worldwide).
Godzilla was released in the United States on the 16th May
2014. Godzilla is now available worldwide on DVD and Blu-Ray
discs. Of course, like the majority of films released in modern
times, it is available to download and stream from various
websites.
 Godzilla-Genre Trends and Cycles
The genre cycle is a four-stage cycle which genres travel around. The
Godzilla franchise has filmed at each stage of the genre cycle. The
four stages begin with the primitive stage. This is the stage where the
conventions of a particular genre are established through
experimentation. If we were applying the kaiju genre to the genre
cycle, the original Godzilla (1954) would fit into the ‘primitive’ stage.
This is due to it set down the foundation for all other kaiju films
coming after. The next stage is the ‘classical’ stage. This is the stage
where the genre conventions are solidified. This is generally seen as
the peak of the genre. For Godzilla, this would be the time when
Godzilla had a pantheon of rival monsters. The third stage is the
‘revisionist’ stage. At this stage the genres boundaries are expanded
and the conventions are reevaluated. This is likely where Godzilla
2014 finds itself. The final stage is the ‘parodic’ stage. This is the
stage of a genres ‘life’ where the conventions are satirized and
parodied. The cycle then returns to the primitive stage where the
conventions of the genre begin a new.
 Godzilla-Stars
One current belief attached to modern cinema is that a film needs at
least one ‘star’ or a well known, ideally a household name actor. The
film needs a star if it wants to reach a large audience, and therefore
generate more profit. Of course, a film doesn’t need a well-known
actor to be a good film, with good performances, however, certain
actors do have the ability to draw huge numbers based on their
name alone. Some actors with this ‘ability’ are people such as Tom
Cruise, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. Besides drawing large
crowds to the movie theatre, this type of actor can also provide
increased amounts of funding to projects, especially to indie films.
Godzilla was never low on funding, however, the inclusion of famous
actors; Ken Watanabe and Bryan Cranston will have defiantly
persuaded a percentage of audience members to see the film who,
otherwise would have missed. Bryan Cranston is probably the most
well-known actor in the film, and this is the reason why his character
features quite heavily in the trailers and the promotional material.
People will see Cranston in the trailers and his name on the posters
and this is enough for them to see the film in theatres. This ability is
very valuable to studios, which allows the actors to become highly
paid.
 Godzilla-Social and Political Issues
One of the primary reasons the original 1954 Godzilla was made, was
to channel the grief and social issues of the post-war Japanese
people. For the Japanese, the second world war ended in a
tremendous loss. In August of 1945, the US dropped 2 atomic bombs
on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (Aug 6) and Nagasaki (Aug 9).
Combined the bombs killed around 226,000 people. In September of
1945, the US began their occupation of Japan. These are the events
that the creators of the original Godzilla had to live through. The
inspirations from these events are quite clear in the film. The most
obvious one being that Godzilla is a creature awakened by the use of
atomic bombs. The design of Godzilla’s skin resembles atomic burns.
The film also starts on the skinning of a fishing vessel, which was a
reference to the real-life fishing boat named the ‘Lucky Dragon’,
whose crew was contaminated by nuclear fallout when the boat
drifted to close to a nuclear weapons testing site, near Bikini Atoll.
This theme of exploring real-life issues through the film is very
common for monster movies and the 2014 Godzilla follows this
trend. The 2014 Godzilla features a scene which mirrors the 2004
Indian Ocean tsunami.
 Godzilla-Regulatory Issues
Unlike some other kaiju movies, Godzilla 2014 didn’t have to
worry about stepping on TOHO’s toes. TOHO own the rights the
most famous movie monster and protect their rights intensely.
Due to the popularity of Godzilla, and due to it being one of the
first ever kaiju movies, aspiring kaiju movie filmmakers take
‘inspiration’ form Godzilla, particularly in the design. TOHO
generally files some kind of legal action if they deem that the
creature design is too close to something seen in the Godzilla
franchise. An example of this was in 2016, TOHO filed legal
action against Voltage Pictures because it deemed that their
creature design was too close to the original Godzilla’s design.
The legal action was taken care of, however, a month after the
release of the film in September 2016. Godzilla 2014 didn’t
seem to run into any kind of regulatory. This isn’t too surprising,
knowing that this film was handled by very experienced and
well-financed companies.
 Godzilla-Synergy
Synergy is when media texts are connected to make a whole
product. In the film industry, this is usually via franchising and
sequels. In the case of Godzilla, synergy is rife. There are
currently 30 Godzilla movies, Godzilla features in 26 episodes of
TOHO’s Zone fighter TV program in 1974 and there are 51
Godzilla based video games. Synergy gives the fans of a product
the ability to continue to indulge in their fandom by buying
extra products which feature the characters and universe from
the original product. This is why films such as Godzilla become
so well known because their popularity spawns so many other
avenues of media which fans can explore. Godzilla 2014 is the
genesis of a whole new cinematic universe featuring other well-
known movie monsters such as King Kong. Godzilla 2014 was
also followed by a tie-in game (called Godzilla) which is a game
based on the Godzilla universe set up in the film. It also
generated a new line of Godzilla merchandise.
Godzilla-Vertical and Horizontal Integration
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 Independent-Colossal
The international co-production and director, Nacho
Vigalondo’s 4th feature film, Colossal is a fantasy, sci-fi
and black comedy flick which brings a fresh perspective
on the kaiju genre. Colossal was released in September
2016 and had a budget of $15million. Unfortunately, the
film only generated £4.7million at the box office. Perhaps
this was due to the film’s relatively low budget, not
having enough money remaining to push a strong
advertisement campaign. Despite the film's failure at the
box office, it still managed to garner very respectable
reviews from critics. Colossal seems on the surface, to be
an indie style kaiju film. However, as the plot unravels we
begin to see the taboo themes which are woven
throughout the runtime. The film primarily explores
alcoholism and abusive relationships but also examines
other human issues.
 Colossal-Financial Determinations
Compared to a kaiju film such as Godzilla, Colossal has a small
budget. This was mainly due to the film not being connected to the
‘big 6’ film studios, those being; Warner Bros, Walt Disney,
Paramount, FOX, Sony and Universal Studios. These studios turn out
the most profitable kind of films. They are based on business,
therefore they don’t want to distract any potential viewers with
possible offensive or touchy subject matter. Subject matter which
Colossal explores. Of course Colossal wants to bring in audiences as
well, so they use the kaiju backdrop to explore these themes and this
is where a majority of the film's budget went, into the design,
creation and believability of the monsters in the movie. They
additionally, had to put a lot of money into the devastated version of
Seoul we see the monster inhabit throughout the film. These were all
things in which the filmmakers had to plan for and set aside a certain
percentage of the budget to facilitate. As a result of these costs, the
film had less budget to use for advertisement and other important
requirements which go into creating a successful film.
 Colossal-Funding Bodies
Unlike many films, Colossal had numerous production
companies work on it. This was because Colossal was an
international co-production. This means that the movie couldn’t
have been made with the support of just one country. So the
filmmakers had to go to other countries to ask for support. This
is why the film had 5 production companies working on it
because each one of these production companies was from one
of the countries that agreed to support Colossal. The main two
countries were Canada and South Korea, this is why the
majority of the film was shot in Canada and the rest was shot in
South Korea. The other countries involved include; United
Kingdom, United State and Spain. Due to the combined support
of all of these countries, the movie was able to get enough
funded to be created
 Colossal-Quotas
The Cinematograph Film Act of 1927 was an act design and introduced by the
UK parliament in 1928. The act was designed to stimulate the British film
industry, by setting a British film quota which British studio, distributors and
cinema chains had to abide by. The quota was initially set at 7.5% for the
exhibitor, however, during the 1930s, the quota was upped to 20%. Supporters
of the act believed that, with this quota in place, the British film industry
would eventually grow to rival the dominance of Hollywood. They believed
this would be through the emergence of a vertically integrated industry, with
the production, distribution and the exhibition of a film, all being taken care of
by the same companies. A film has to meet certain criteria, to allow it to meet
the quota. These criteria are; 1) The film must be made by a British or British
controlled company. 2) Studio scenes must be photographed within a film
studio in Britain. 3) The author of the scenario or the original work on which
the screenplay was based must be a British subject. If we apply this act to
Colossal and see if it would fit the quota, we actually get some surprising
results. Despite this film defiantly not fitting the quota, it does fit some of the
criteria, mainly due to it being an international co-production. Canada was a
huge part of this film, due to it mostly being filmed in British Columbia.
 Colossal-Tax Incentives
Certain areas of the world offer tax incentives to production
companies to encourage them to film in their area of the world. This
increases the local economy in these areas. In terms of its filming
locations, Colossal follows what seems to be a trend for modern
films. A large majority of the film's scenes were shot in Canada,
which is a famous area of the world for tax incentives. These scenes
where all shot in British Columbia, particularly Vancouver, which is
another location famous for its tax incentives. Despite the trend, the
final scenes of the film, however, were shot in the South Korean
capital, Seoul. This is due to the film being an international co-
production. Meaning that countries from around the world offered
funding to get the film off the ground. This allows the film to be shot
in any of these countries. In the case of Colossal, they gained a large
amount of funding from South Korean. This was in return for some of
the film being shot in Seoul and South Korea being a large part of the
plot.
 Colossal-Technologies of Production
During the production of Colossal, many of the
common kaiju filmmaking techniques were employed.
This includes computer-generated imagery (GCI) to
create both the monster and the giant robot. In the
movie, these two ‘characters’ are linked to Gloria and
Oscar. Due to this, the GCI team were given footage of
the actor's performances as reference points to base
their GCI imagery one. The GCI team were also
responsible for the creation of the look of both the
monster and the robot. Unusually, the production team
decided not to use motion capture to help with the
creation of the GCI creatures. However, this may be due
to the films limited budget.
 Colossal-Distribution and Exhibition
Colossal was the first film ever distributed by the new
distribution company NEON. Soon after they distributed
Colossal, the company went to the Sundance film festival,
hunting for finished films to add to their roster. Since 2016
NEON had continued to acquire finished films and add their
name to the credits. Colossal received a limited cinematic
release, this may be connected to the small advertising
campaign, therefore resulting in small numbers of people
wanting to see the film. Of course, when there is less demand
for a film, cinemas will show films which audiences want to see.
This decreases the number of cinemas showing the movie and
the small number of people who actually saw the advertising
campaign, were likely no able to see the film in cinemas.
Another possible reason why there was a limited cinematic
release, may be related to the fact the NEON is a very new
distribution company and may not have to ability to facilitate
larger release.
 Colossal-Genre Trends and Cycles
The genre cycle is a four-stage cycle which genres travel around.
The four stages begin with the primitive stage. This is the stage
where the conventions of a particular genre are established
through experimentation. If we were applying the kaiju genre to
the genre cycle, the original Godzilla (1954) would fit into the
‘primitive’ stage. The next stage is the ‘classical’ stage. This is the
stage where the genre habits are solidified. This is generally seen
as the peak of the genre. The third stage is the ‘revisionist’ stage.
At this stage the genres boundaries are expanded and the
conventions are reevaluated. The final stage is the ‘parodic’ stage.
This is the stage of a genres ‘life’ where the conventions are
satirized and parodied. The cycle then returns to the primitive
stage where the genre's members begin a new. If we were to look
at Colossal when applied to the kaiju genre cycle, I’d say that
colossal is around the revisionist stage. This is due to Colossal
bringing a new aspect and a new look to the genre.
 Colossal-Stars
Colossal being an independent movie, it naturally had a smaller
budget when compared to a Hollywood film. One way
independent movies can increase their budget is by getting a
well-known actor on board to be part of the project. This is
because these stars can use their influence in the industry to
acquire more funding for a project. In the case of Colossal, the
lead actress Anne Hathaway, signed on to the project before
there was any funding. She used her appeal and star power to
get an increased amount of funding for the film. This allowed
the creators use more expensive equipment (than originally
intended) when shooting the film. They also were given the
ability to increase the quality of the GCI in the film due to this
increased budget. Due to the added funded, which Hathaway
was directed accountable for, this increased the quality of the
film and likely got more people than expected to see the movie.
 Colossal-Social and Political Issues
Colossal follows the trend set by multiple other movies in the
Kaiju genre. It tackles some particularly taboo themes
throughout the film. Some of these themes include; alcoholism,
abusive relationships and other personal, human issues. In a
larger budget film, themes like these are harder to explore and
discuss. This is due to a myriad of things, which are all linked.
The film having a large budget, generally indicates that the film
will be attached to one of the ‘big 6’ movie studios in some
capacity. This means that the film will have a large reach, having
more than adequate advertising and likely a couple of well-
known actors staring. All in all, this results in large numbers of
people seeing the film, and to keep all of these different people
happy, the creative powers deem such taboo topics are an
unnecessary risk to achieving a profit. This is why we see
smaller budget, independent movies exploring these kinds of
themes more often.
 Colossal-Regulatory Issues
During Colossal’s production stage, the production company
(Voltage Pictures) ran into a lawsuit filed by TOHO, the Japanese
production company made famous for owning the rights to the
Godzilla franchise. The reason TOHO filed the lawsuit against
Voltage Pictures was that of the unauthorized use of “Godzilla’s
image and stills from previous Godzilla films”. These images and
stills were used in emails and documentation which the
production company sent to potential investors to get them on
board with the project. The production company used Godzilla
imagery to show the style of monster they wanted to create in
terms of aesthetics and size. Of course, the plot isn’t related to
Godzilla’s beside the inclusion of huge monster. Fortunately for
the filmmakers, the lawsuit was settled a month after the film's
release in September 2016.
 Colossal-Synergy
Unlike Godzilla, Colossal doesn’t have the advantage of having
over 60 years of history and franchising to create merchandise
to be released alongside the release of the film. Colossal does
not have any merchandise which fans of the film can buy and
wear to show their support for the film. Colossal also doesn’t
have any other kinds of synergy. There are no video or mobile
game to allow fans to explore more of the Colossal universe.
There are also no comic books or novels set in the Colossal
universe. Currently, there are no plans to carry on the Colossal
in the form of a film sequel. This is not exactly a surprise for an
independent film. Independent films don’t aim to begin a
franchise, they aim to create a well made and self-contained
story which explores subjects and themes which big-budget
cinema cannot.
Colossal-Vertical and Horizontal Integration

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 British-Monsters
The film that gained Edwards his break out role as a
director, Monsters, was released in 2010 and follows two
Americans as they travel through the ‘infected zone'. A
section of northern Mexico and the southern United
States, which is filled with giant exterritorial life forms.
The film follows them as their relationship goes from
purely business to possible lovers. We see them form an
unbreakable bond as they narrowly survive the
treacherous infected zone. One of the most impressive
feats that this film attains is that the majority of the
filming and editing was done by Gareth Edwards himself.
They also had only two actors with them (the two main
characters), the rest of the cast was the local people the
crew encounter as they travelled throughout central
America look for filming location.
 Monsters-Financial Determinations
Even though Monsters had a budget of $500,000, which seems like a
lot of money to people such as you and me, this amount of money is
only around 3% of the budget which Edwards would get to play
within his next film, Godzilla. So how did Edwards and the rest of the
filmmakers deal with having such a relatively small budget, especially
when filming a kaiju movie, a genre which is notorious for larger
budgets. They had to get creative in how they planned, shot and
edited the film. Unlike other directors, Edwards didn’t plan every tiny
detail of the film, he didn’t even storyboard or write dialogue. He
only wrote general notes on how to story would unfold and
particular story beats he wanted the film to hit. This allowed him
freedom during the shooting process. They also only cast two actors
for the film, relying on the locals to be part of the cast. They used
consumer standard filming equipment to keep costs down and they
also deiced to also use consumer-level editing software as well. This
was to keep the costs low but to additionally create something that
Edwards couldn’t have imagined himself. Edwards also took on the
roles of; writer, director, cinematographer, special effects
designer/creator and editor. Edwards taking on all of these roles
himself, allowed the budget to be kept low.
 Monsters-Funding Bodies
It is well known that Monsters had a budget which would be
deemed, next to nothing when compared to the industry standard.
This was due to many factors. One of these factors being that
Monsters had no connection to the ‘big 6’ production studios. These
6 being; Warner Bros, Walt Disney, Paramount, FOX, Sony and
Universal. These are the studios which create the large blockbuster
type movies, which mass audiences see. As a result of this, these
movies create a lot of profit, therefore, more of them get made. So
without the large amounts of power that the big 6 wield, Monsters
had to get its funding differently. A partner of the production
company working on Monsters (Vertigo Films) was the answer. This
was Protagonist Pictures, an international financing company based
in the UK. They have a track record of financing films which went on
to have great financial success. So with Protagonist Pictures on
board, Edwards received a budget which, he and the production
company, could work with to create the film he envisioned.
 Monsters-Quotas
The Cinematograph Film Act of 1927 was an act design and
introduced by the UK parliament in 1928. The act was designed
to stimulate the British film industry, by setting a British film
quota which British studio, distributors and cinema chains had
to abide by. The quota was initially set at 7.5% for the exhibitor,
however, during the 1930s, the quota was upped to 20%.
Supporters of the act believed that, with this quota in place, the
British film industry would eventually grow to rival the
dominance of Hollywood. They believed this would be through
the emergence of a vertically integrated industry, with the
production, distribution and the exhibition of a film, all being
taken care of by the same companies. Monsters would fit into
this quota due to being produced and distributed by a British
studio, Vertigo Films and because it was created by a British
director, Gareth Edwards.
 Monsters-Tax Incentives
Unlike Godzilla and Colossal, Monsters wasn’t filmed in Canada.
Canada would have been a good filming location for such a
small budget film, due to the great tax incentives. However,
Edwards and the other filmmakers did choose good shooting
locations, in terms of tax incentives. The film was primarily shot
in Mexico and in Texas (Galveston). However, some shooting did
occur in other central American countries such as Belize,
Guatemala and Costa Rica. According to ‘film in Mexico’
website, Mexico offers a tax incentive of up to 17.5%. This is a
similar rate to the tax incentives just over the border in Texas.
Texas offers a base incentive of up to 20% with an additional 5%
possible. These rates are not as good as the king of tax
incentives, Canada, which offers up to 30%. However, I’m sure
that these rates were not unwelcomed for Edwards and the rest
of the crew.
 Monsters-Technologies of
Production
Previously, I briefly mentioned how the crew had to take a somewhat
‘amateurish’ approach to the production of Monsters. Edwards
mentioned in an interview, about the creation of Monsters, that his
most important tools were; Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro.
These are all widely available software, far below the calibre that most
kaiju movies employ. These are the software that the majority of
amateur filmmaker use and it is very motivational and inspiring for
amateur filmmakers to see a product of this quality, being produced
with this kind of software. He also mentioned how he enjoyed using
these kinds of software due to its ability to ‘accidentally’ create
something that wasn’t planned and usually this is welcomed. The
software ends up making effects which Edwards could never have
imagined. Additionally, he mentions how every night after filming they
would have to download that day's footage onto a separate device due
to shooting in such high resolution. Often this was a challenge because
of the limited number of power outlets in central American hotel
rooms.
 Monsters-Distribution and Exhibition
As a British film, Monsters was produced and distributed by the
London based distribution company, Vertigo Films. Founded in 2002,
Vertigo Films has distrusted some of the best British films recently
released. Monsters generated $4.2milllion at the box office with
only a very small budget of $500,000. Unlike a film such as Colossal,
the small budget was an asset for Monsters. The creative ways in
which Edwards and the rest of the crew kept the budget down
seems like a large factor for the success of the movie. This is because
even though it made a profit at the box office, compared to Edwards
next film, Godzilla, this was a very small return. If the film would
have had a higher budget, and this budget was spent on casting a
full cast of actors for everyone in the film for example, then it would
have had made much less at the box office. Due to the small budget,
the distrusters had to get creative with the marketing. Leading up to
the UK release of the film, a social media advertising campaign was
used to generate hype for the film. This was a low cost and effective
way to advertise something
 Monsters-Genre Trends and Cycles
The genre cycle is a four-stage cycle which genres travel around. The four
stages begin with the primitive stage. This is the stage where the
conventions of a particular genre are established through experimentation.
If we were applying the kaiju genre to the genre cycle, the original Godzilla
(1954) would fit into the ‘primitive’ stage. The next stage is the ‘classical’
stage. This is the stage where the genre conventions are solidified. This is
generally seen as the peak of the genre. The third stage is the ‘revisionist’
stage. At this stage the genres boundaries are expanded and the
conventions are reevaluated. The final stage is the ‘parodic’ stage. This is
the stage of a genres ‘life’ where the conventions are satirized and
parodied. Based on the creative ways in which the plot plays out in
Monsters, I would say that it is at the revisionist stage, just as Godzilla and
Colossal were. I believed, however, that Monsters is the most ‘revisionist’
out of the 3 films. This is because of the rugged style in which the filmed
was made. Using a real couple in the lead roles and having such limited
equipment and crew, resulted in a unique kaiju movie. This is supported by
the fact that the aliens who no inhabit the infected zone, aren’t here to
cause destruction, it was merely circumstance.
 Monsters-Stars
A factor which adds to the unique and impressive nature Monsters
isn’t just the small crew and the rugged style of filmmaking. It is that
the filmmakers persuaded local people in which they came across, to
act in the film. As the crew moved throughout central America,
shooting for monsters, they needed to cast local people to play the
part of; security guards, marines, guerilla fighters, taxi drivers, boat
driver and many other parts. Fortunately, for the filmmakers, the
locals were very willing to part of the film. Due to this, this left only
two ‘real’ actors as part of the cast. A real-life couple, Scoot McNairy
and Whitney Able were cast to play the lead roles, of two Americans
trying to survive the infected zone and return home. At the time of
release, these actors were not particularly well known and didn’t bring
much of the audience who saw the film. However, I believe this adds
to the film. If these two roles were played by more well-known actors,
it would have been much harder for audiences to become invested in
these characters. The fact that these actors were less well known,
adds to the immersion of the film.
 Monsters-Social and Political Issues
The same as many kaiju films, Monsters isn’t really about the
aliens which inhabit the infected zones, it is merely a backdrop for
the exploration of issues of the time. In the case of the Monsters,
it explores the relationship between Andrew and Samantha. As
we see their relationship unwind throughout the film, we see that
both of the characters have their own personal struggles which
they have to get through to finally, at the end of the film, realize
their chemistry and admit that their relationship is more than just
business. Monsters can also be seen as an allegory for the recent
border control issues which faces the United States at its
southernmost border. Another possible allegory could be the
parallels between recent wars and the use of high tech military
aircraft, used to fire missiles on a mostly invisible ‘enemy’. Both
the personal and the political themes which Monsters explores
may be one of the reasons for its great success.
 Monsters-Regulatory Issues
As a result of the low budget given to the production of the film,
many of the shooting locations in both the Latin American
countries and the US were not planned. This means that the
vast majority of the locations seen in the movie, the producers
did not gain any permission to shoot there. However, this didn’t
seem to bother any of the locals, who also used in the film,
without permission, as local citizens. Due to the opportunistic
style of filmmaking the producers took to the production of
Monsters, many things were not planned and because of this,
the producers didn’t run into any regulatory issues. They just
came across a location, decided to film there and used the
locals as extras and in small parts. After they were done with
that location they would just move on. This ‘under the radar’
approach helped the filmmakers avoided any issues.
 Monsters-Synergy
Surprisingly for a small, self-contained movie like Monsters, it
has a sequel. This may have seemed like great news for the fans
of the original film at the time it was announced. However, after
much rescheduling, the movie was finally released in 2015, two
years after its initial release date and its reception were far from
the originals. Monsters: Dark Continent was shunned by critics.
The Guardian said the film was “uncompromisingly boring and
pointless”. The consensus seemed to be that the film didn’t
need to be made and only was due to the overwhelming
success of its predecessor. It is safe to say the film was a
complete failure, having a much higher budget than the original
and only attaining $228,710 at the box office. This failure was
despite the fact that they brought on the director of the
original, Gareth Edwards and the lead actor, Scoot McNairy, as
exclusive producers.
Monsters-Vertical and Horizontal Integration
Production:

Distribution:

Exhibition:
 Part 2
TV Channel-SKY UK
 SKY-Ownership
SKY (UK) is one of the largest broadcasting, broadband internet, fixed line
and mobile telephone services in the United Kingdom. It is actually the
largest paid-TV broadcasters in the UK, with over 11 million customers. SKY is
a subsidiary of SKY plc. SKY plc offers similar services to SKY, but it is not
limited to the UK. It offers its services to many countries in Europe including;
Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain. The founder of SKY plc, and
therefore SKY UK, is the 86 year old Australian born American media mogul,
Rupert Murdoch. Rupert Murdoch is known for being the Chairman,
Executive Chairman and CEO of many large media companies including The
News Corporation and 21st Century Fox. Each of these companies is media
conglomerates, meaning that each company owns many other, subsidiary
companies which all take a role in pushing Murdoch's particular agenda.
Some of the assets which The News Corporation owns include; The Sun, The
Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and The Sunday Times.
Some of the assets which 21st Century Fox owns include; Fox Broadcasting
Company, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox News Channel, 20th Century Fox
Home Entertainment and SKY plc and therefore SKY UK. Murdoch is at the
top of the ladder in all of these companies and more.
 SKY-How SKY Generates Income
Similar to Virgin TV and BT TV, SKY is a subscription-based service.
This means that customers have to sign up for a certain pay
package. SKY have many packages, all at different prices, which each
offer different services. For example, one package may offer a
costumers access just to SKY Sports, while allowing another
customer to buy a package which offers access to just SKY Movies.
This allows SKY to target a wider audience. They can provide a
service for many different types of people, which allows them to
generate more income than a company which specializes in just
movies for example. This approach also keeps people happy
because they only get what they paid for. They don’t get additional
channels which they don’t want or need. In July of 2015 SKY
reported an annual revenue of nearly £11.3 billion. They also stated
that pre-tax profits rose to 6%, which accounts for £1.196 billion.
This is not just due to SKY’s television services, they also provide
services in broadband, fixed line and mobile.
 SKY-Online Services
SKY’s online presence is the main hub for its business.
Their website is the location in which potential
customers go to see SKY’s television, broadband and
mobile packages. This is not the only service which is
available on SKY’s website. Similar to the BBC,
Channel 4 and ITV, SKY offer a streaming service for
existing customers. This service is named ‘SKY GO’.
SKY GO allows customers to stream the SKY content
which they would have access to on their TV. This
means that a customer who owns an SKY Sports
package can stream SKY Sports to compatible devices
such as a laptop, a mobile, a tablet and other devices.
 SKY-Ofcom Case Study
On the 24th of March 2013, The Office of Communications, or Ofcom, received a
complaint from the British television channel and broadband provider, BT. BT alleged that
the way in which SKY offered a wholesale supply of SKY Sports 1 & 2 to BT’s ‘YouView’
platform, amounted to an abuse of dominance. An abuse of dominance is when a
company can restrict competition if it is in a position of strength on a given market. The
company is essentially exploiting its powerful position in the market to eliminate its
completion. This is generally through; Charging unreasonable high prices, Depriving
smaller competitors of customers by selling at artificially low prices which they can’t
compete with and making the sale of one product conditional on the sale of another
product. It is now clear that SKY is guilty of an abuse of dominance. This is because when
we look further into the complaint from BT, they alleged that SKY was making the
wholesale supply of SKY Sports 1 & 2 to BT’s YouView platform conditional on BT
wholesaling BT Sports channels to Sky for retail on Sky’s satellite platform. This means if
BT would have agreed to this deal that sky would have had more power then they
already did in the market. This can, of course, affect consumers. Ofcom opened the case
on the 14th of June 2013, and the case was closed on the 16th of February 2016. During
this near to 3 year period, Ofcom came to the conclusion that SKY was indeed guilty of
breaking Chapter 2 of the Competition Act 1998 and Article 102 of the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union (Abuse of Dominance). The result of this was that BT
now has access to both SKY Sports 1 & 2 on a non-reciprocal basis. This was deemed the
right action to take because it brought the original complaints from BT, to an end.