'Neither producers nor audiences need stars anymore.' How far do you agree with this statement?

In article one (The Rise and Fall of Star Power) it talks about the amount of films that have been star driven films that haven't been successful. It states that films such as Saw and The Final Destination which are practically star less, however a big hit on the high-concept gore alone.  This proves that the audience are more interested on the genre of the film and the storyline rather then the actors within the film.  Also, this shows the producer that they don't need to splash out a large amount of money on big named stars.   According to this article there are three main reasons for falling star appeal.  One of which is 'celebrity overexposure in the media.'  I agree with this statement because If you see a star in the media you may get a negative opinion of them so therefore not want to see them in a film, however, if the stars that are used aren't well known you are less likely to have an opinion on them, therefore it won't put you off going to see the film that they are starring in. 

Item 2 states that you don't need stars to create a successful film. For example, Avatar is the most successful film of all time but it doesn't include many stars, the popularity of the film is due to the amazing CGI used throughout the film and the acting that takes places within the film. 

Essay Question

How far do the American films we have studied, depend on well established narrative and/or genre conventions?

 The two American films that we have studied are the original Batman made in 1989 by Tim Burton and the Dark Knight made in 2008 by Christopher Nolan. Both of this films depend on a very established narrative because they are both based around the comics of Batman, therefore the directors for both of these films needed to follow the comic in order to keep it true to the comics, however they need to make it slightly different so that it persuades people to watch the movie, if it's exactly the same to the comics there won't be any point in seeing the movie because many people would have read it before. Also, the Dark Knight is a remake of the original Batman; therefore Christopher Nolan had to create a new film that is different to the last film but still staying true to the storyline, including The Joker and Harvey Dent within the film. I think that the Joker played by Heath Ledger was really effective because they have kept the fat that he is crazy and really enjoys all of the evil things that he does, however they have made his makeup seem a lot more realistic and frightening which I feel really helps build a horror aspect to the film.

For both of the Batman films we have studied the Genre is action. This is clearly evident throughout the film because of the several fight scenes including the one with Joker and Batman in the huge church at the end of the film, but also several uses of Guns also promote violence throughout the film.  Within both of the Batman films Joker is a very menacing Villain who enjoys violence and watching people fear for there life's, this is really effective in creating an Action film by having such violent Villains and also makes it easier for the audience to relate to the Genre. 

What can be done to attract bigger audiences to UK films?

There are many things that can be done it order to increase the popularity of UK films.  For example they could sell Merchandise in America, this is because there is a extremely large population so that the UK film will be able to gain a larger audience.  They could also show UK films in America and promote their film by placing posters on buses, bus stops, bill boards and adverts on the tele.   You could also translate the UK film into several different languages so that you can gain an even larger target audience from all around the world.   Another way of promoting a UK film is to get a well knwon Americam actor such as Tom Hanks to be in a UK film, this will promote the film for the American audience. 

Film Questions

Why do some films have a global release date?

Synergy

The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the...: "the synergy between artist and record company"