Student ID: 19025523
Thick description of the Watershed cinema in Bristol compared to the Vue cinema in Paignton.
The atmospheres of the cinemas are very different; the Watershed has a much more natural and open design. The entryway is a small room with a shop and a set of stairs leading to the screens and a café/ bar with a large seating area spanning across a few rooms. In the entryway there is also a podium with pamphlets on advertising local events going on both in the cinema and in the surrounding area as well as a program advertising the upcoming screenings and festivals. The surroundings are accompanied by soft, quiet music. It was loud enough to hear but not so loud that it made conversation hard to keep. This varies greatly to the Vue cinema in Paignton; its large entryway its dimly lit and painted black walls make it feel very unwelcoming. The ‘Vue Radio station’ can be heard booming from speakers built into the ceiling; ‘We are Never Getting Back Together’ by Taylor Swift fills the room. The location of the Watershed is on the harbor-side, its surrounded by bars, restaurants and cafes as well as the Arnolfini. The Vue cinema is located by the beach with a family restaurant and play area to the left and mini golf to the right resulting in a family orientated customer base.
The films shown at these cinemas are very different with the Vue showing mainstream, well recognized films that will appeal to a larger audience- whether the film itself is good or not. The large posters on the wall advertised Frozen 2 and Zombieland 2 as upcoming releases- Hollywood blockbusters are their main screening choice. This varies greatly from the Watershed. The films that I repeatedly saw advertised were The Peanut Butter Falcon– a film with a directorial debut, as well as The Day Shall Come, a film directed by an ex University of Bristol student. The films shown are well considered to target the customers that attend the cinema.
The watershed has a natural design. Its décor features a lot of exposed wood and large windows. The high ceilings are filled with large black wooden beams. The wooden theme is extended onto the brown tables and benches and grey floors. This creates an atmosphere that is very light and inviting in the daytime- when the bar opens in the evening the large windows give a beautiful view of the city with dimmer, warm lights. Art on the walls is often filmed themed- one picture that especially stands out is a large screenshot from pulp fiction in black and white. Large areas of the walls are draped with green foliage especially in one seating area of the café that connects what used to be the two boat sheds. Two of the room’s walls are all glass while the others are exposed brick. Abstract art and chalk boards feature in this room. The theatres themselves are simple in their design, the seats are comfortable yet firm- the room isn’t pleasingly decorated or well furbished however its fit for the purpose of screening the film. This is one distinctive difference between this arthouse cinema and the Vue cinema. The seats are in a deep. red while those of the watershed are an olive green. The rest of the Vue cinema is black with large circular speakers embedded in the walls. There is no art featured in the hallways or entryways, only neon signs labelling the screens and large posters of the mainstream films coming soon. Often large cardboard cutouts block the entrances making the busy foyer harder to navigate.
The Watershed café and bar serves a range of different foods and drinks including small snacks as well as a separate breakfast, lunch & dinner and children’s menus. The coffee served is locally sourced- as well as ciders served. This reinforces the watersheds theme of supporting local businesses. After reading them menu I also discovered that they often use locally sourced meat, fruit and vegetables. While the watershed is very local and unique, the Vue cinema is plastered with branded concessions. It is also more expensive than the watershed. For a coffee the watershed offers high quality coffee for around £2, while the Vue cinema charges around £3.50 to £4 as they are using products from well recognized brands.
The staff at the Watershed are a range of ages, at the café and bar they are young, wearing a casual black t shirt printed with a yellow logo; while the staff at the screens were older, wearing casual clothes. When asked all of them were happy to help and talk about the films being played as well as the upcoming festivals and director talks. Whereas at the Vue cinema the staff are all young and appeared as though they do not want to be there. Some were happy to help while others are disgruntled with my questions. Overall the customer service is very different.
While having a coffee in the café the other members of the public are not only using the space cinema itself but being in the building for other purposes. I could see lots of business meetings, families enjoying a drink and snack as well as a small group of older people playing cards to my left. The space is welcoming. This carried across into the evening when the bar began to become popular and much louder than before- the families and older people were replaced by a younger crowd and the relaxed atmosphere grew livelier. The customers for the Vue cinema are mainly families or teenagers. I saw very few older people and as there are no other facilities in the building there is nothing to attract them. The Watershed also offers a range of facilities for customers that the Vue cinemas do not. For example, the pervasive media studio is a unique aspect of the watershed and is another alternate motive for people to visit- while the Vue cinema is simply visited for the cinema. The Watershed also does a lot of deals. Under 24’s tickets for any film are £5, as well as for refugees and asylum seekers. The Vue cinema also does deals on tickets- for example £3.99 Tuesday’s; however, they often have a catch- only before 8pm for example. The watershed encourages interaction through notice boards where customers are encouraged to review films and then respond. The Watershed also holds director talks. It offers more for its customers and appreciates their voices and opinions.
To what extent is Alien successful as a film franchise?
Released in 1979, Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, was made as a high concept film that then paved the way for a franchise spanning almost forty years. There are many elements that go into creating a high concept film, as well as a film that can be developed into a franchise. Specific features make the film marketable and allow it to appeal to a diverse and global audience.
Created as a blockbuster film with a budget of almost eleven million dollars, Alien (1979) was an immediate success, grossing nineteen times its budget. It has the formula of a high concept movie. This formula is described by Wyatt, 24 as having the elements of a ‘high concept “look,” stars, music, character and genre’. By applying these elements to a somewhat simple narrative structure, the combination of the high quality special effects with an ensemble cast featuring a leading female protagonist, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, as well as a supportive cast featuring John Hurt and Tom Skerritt, it appeals to a larger audience and therefore becomes a film with more franchise potential. Other elements that allowed the film to have the success that it did are the elements of spectacle and thrill which were in high demand after the release of Jaws (1975), a blockbuster success that refreshed audiences excitement in attending the cinema in the late 1970’s.
When developing a franchise film series, especially one that will go on to have as much success as Alien, the film must be a proven product. Studios often produce films from books or a tv series in order to guarantee their success and profit. They may also take a blockbuster film with an existing fanbase and develop this into a film series, as they did with Alien. These are called tentpole films. They support the financial performance of the studio that has made them. The attributes of a tentpole film are a high budget film, often high in action and globally sellable. Studios want to create films that are easy to market to a range of ages and in a range of countries and languages. The film targets a female audience by using a strong female heroine. At the time this was not often seen in cinema as it had a much more male driven audience. The action and science fiction elements appeal to a sci-fi audience that was developing with the popularity of tv shows such as The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) and Battlestar Galactica (1979). By drawing on this typically very dedicated and loyal growing audience they are guaranteeing themselves financial success. It also appeals to a young audience through its multi genre format. Alien features typical elements of an action movie by using pyrotechnics. It also fits into the horror genre, with the use of occasional, intense gore- for example when the face hugger breaks through Kane’s (John Hurt) chest. The overall dark color palette and sense of foreboding danger throughout the film heightens this horror feel. This cross generational and cross genre appeal allows it to be a successful franchise.
Another key element within the success or potential success of a franchise film is the use of semantics and syntax. Rick Altman’s theory summarizes the idea that franchise films may abide by the structures of semantics- the use of consistent elements and a basic storyline within the films. Alien uses these elements in the form of the setting of space and spaceships. While these elements can often be represented in very versatile ways within the science fiction genre, Alien has a stricter and recognizable format- the planets visited are often in a deep green color scheme with the ships featuring long winding corridors and large panels covered in buttons and screens. They also use the element of iconography. The alien itself being an iconic image related to the films. As well as the face hugger scene in Alien (1979) where it breaks through Kane’s chest and the repetition of this in Aliens (1986) when a face hugger breaks through the chest of a body. Elements like this are often used in advertising to remind audiences of their favorite scenes of the film, exciting them for the rest of the franchise. The other structural element featured in Altman’s theory is the element of syntax. These are small changes to a plot that ultimately stays the same. Alien and Aliens both feature the plot of a group of people being hunted by an Xenomorph and killed off one by one, with Ripley surviving. The difference between the plots are in small elements such as the supporting characters- for example the group changing from scientists to a team of space marines and a young girl who survived the attack of the Xenomorph. These elements allow the audience of the franchise to easily follow and recognize the story of the films.
Developing on Altman’s idea of semantics and syntax, studios and writers will often research into audiences favorite elements of the films and apply these to the rest of the franchise. This is explained by Keith 181 when he said that there is a ‘negotiation between Hollywood and its audiences’. This is especially present within franchise films as for them to continue to be as successful as the original film they must listen to the opinions if audiences as it is their input and their impact that will make the franchise a success. This is evident within the Alien franchise. They use the same tropes and genre elements from Alien that were successful in order to create another highly anticipated film, such as the genre bending style, aniconic lead role and small Easter eggs to the original film. However, as the franchise began to develop fan demand was lowered as the films were released more often, with three of the sequels being released within ten years of each other. Upon the release of Prometheus (2012) there was a higher demand in the films due to the original becoming a cult classic amongst dedicated film fans of all genres and casual cinemagoers. While the story and syntax different the semantics remained the same, keeping the franchises’ key elements present.
While the original movie was released in 1979, the films manage to have a timeless feel, still appealing to audiences when the newest film, Alien: Covenant (2017). This film also did exceptionally well, grossing over two hundred million dollars at the box office- this tells us that audiences enjoy the franchise movie. This idea is reinforced by Stigler and Becker’s consumption capitol theory (1977). This theory outlines the ideas that we are more likely to enjoy a product when we have a preexisting knowledge or experience with it. This explains why franchise films are often some of the highest grossing and most popular films. Audiences like to enjoy what they already know. Cinemas are often filled with franchise films, cross overs and spin offs. This preexisting knowledge of the product allows audiences to know what to expect and therefore gives them more confidence in consuming the product. While this is true, film franchises also need to adapt to the times; still being recognizable yet adapting to fit the expectations of the audiences that it is being sold to. Upon the release of Alien: Covenant (2017) the marketing campaign was in depth and advanced, crossing into print-based advertising as well as online and tv advertisements. One of the most sophisticated pieces of advertising used for the film was an advert ran by ‘Channel 4’. This advert features small clips from the film, with ‘Take me home, Country Roads’ by John Denver paying in the background. The use of semantics with the advertisement such as a high budget, iconography and a recognizable song appealed to audiences. In order to create a more unique campaign, a feature was added that said the viewers name. This personalization feature allowed the campaign to develop word of mouth advertising. The audience began to create a buzz around the film prior to its release. This adaptation into the modern world shows how Alien has moved with the times and adapted appropriately to become a successful franchise.
As a franchise, Alien applies a range of elements that allow it to appeal to a global and cross generational audience. In creating a high concept, blockbuster movie; Alien was able to become one of the longest spanning franchises to date, with more sequels expected to come. These elements allow it to be a heavily successful franchise featuring six film as well as crossovers.
References
Alien. Directed by Ridley Scott. 20th Century Fox. 1979
Aliens. Directed by James Cameron. 20th Century Fox. 1986
Alien: Covenant. Directed by Ridley Scott. 20th Century Fox. 2017
Altman, Rick. A Semantic/ Synactive Approach to Film Genre. University of Texas Press. 1984
Hoffman, Kay. H and Opitz, Christian. “The More You Know… The More You Enjoy? Applying ‘Consumption Capitol Theory’ to Motion Picture Franchises.” Journal of Media Economics. 2016. P. 181-195
Wyatt, Justin. High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood. University of Texas Press. 2010.
Group Work Reflection.
While working as a group in order to create out film blog I found that we worked well as a team. We distributed the work between us and met regularly to discuss our ideas on the design of the blog itself. We decided to go with a simple theme, using images on the home page so that viewers are clearly shown the content that they can find. We also created menu tabs on WordPress in order to clearly display our blog posts separately by writer. I found this an easy task with my group as we were well organized and focused. The only issue that we ran into with this element was WordPress itself. I found the site very hard to navigate however after some research and each member of the group attempting to change the display and add menu tabs, we came to the result of a blog that we are all happy with featuring both images and text.
For the thick description we took a trip to the Watershed, while looking around we stopped and sat down, allowing us to share our ideas and discuss elements that we may not have initially considered or things we may not have noticed upon a first glance. I feel that this really helped me when writing my thick description as I had more ideas and more elements to discuss. We also decided to all compare our watershed trip to different cinemas. This allowed us to create a more diverse and less repetitive blog.
For our short essay pieces, we all discussed beforehand the films and topics that we wanted to write about. By doing so we all chose different themes for our essays. This again gives us a more diverse and interesting blog. I also feel as though we gave each other a lot of support within out group when writing these essays. We met regularly as a team where we all worked on our separate essays, however we shared them with each other. This allowed me personally to hear my essay from someone else’s perspective and pick out any flaws and any elements that didn’t make sense or points that were not necessary. When we met it also helped us all to bounce ideas off one another, for example a better way to word a sentence or a suggestion of a book that would be helpful to our pieces.
Another way I feel we worked successfully as a group was to create a group chat. This allowed us to create an open stream of communication where we could assist to review each other’s work and help each other with any technical issues on the blog.
Overall, I enjoyed working as a team, I felt it was beneficial to us all and allowed us to create more diverse and interesting pieces of work as well as our collaborative film blog.
AJJK Film Blog 