Frozen & Seven Psychopaths Distribution

Disney vs Film 4

Applying Audience Theory

Frozen

Hypodermic Needle Model

Disney apply the hypodermic needle model to their film, Frozen as their intended message of a true love's kiss is entirely accepted by the audience. As Ana's heart is frozen, the audience are lead to believe that the true love's kiss is Prince Hans, the same result as any other Disney film- for example, Sleeping Beauty. But, the message later on shows that her act of true love is through risking her life for Elsa. This message shows that women should not always have to rely on men to save them, and this is not at all questioned by the audience. We also do not challenge the fact that there are only white characters in this film, we still go out and buy all of the merchandise despite this huge divide in colour.

Uses & Gratifications

Disney apply Entertainment/Diversion to their film as it is enjoyable throughout with its use of songs, in the first second of the film, their is a song, making the audience feel happy through their escape from reality. The film offers a lot of comedy, mainly through the Character- Olaf.
Frozen is also watched because of its Social Relationships, Frozen is an event film, and so a majority of people have watched it, it gives people something in common, something to talk about, especially at it's initial release.
Disney relates to it's young audience through their personal identity- Young girls can look up to Ana as although she is a princess, she still plays the role of an everyday girl through her clumsiness and humorous character, young girls will see someone that they one day wish to be.

Cultural Commonality-
Frozen is set in Arendelle, is a fictional place, said to be set in Norway. It can relate to everyone as it is not specifically made to suit people in any specific place.

Hall's preferred readings

Preferred reading- The younger would ideally perceive the idea of Ana finding her 'true love' and marrying him on the first day a normal happy ever after, portrayed in most Disney films.

Negotiated reading- The audience may feel sorry for Ana but disagree with the extreme behavior Hans is portraying of wanting to kill her sister.

Oppositional reading- The audience, especially parents of the children, may not agree that this is a good thing to show young kids, it shows naivety, as people are not always who they turn out to be, they may not agree with the message that this is showing kids.

Seven Psychopaths

Hypodermic Needle Model

Film 4 inject the idea that Americans are violent, use guns in their day to day lives and drink, as an audience we do not challenge these views and at any point think this is unrealistic, we just accept their views and enjoy the film.

Uses & Gratifications

Seven Psychopaths includes Entertainment through it's sub genre of Comedy, it is a film that will make the audience laugh throughout. The audience may also be able to relate to Marty, who is a struggling alcoholic, people who use alcohol as a escapism from real life. Also, Marty is writing a film, and struggles in the process, the film may relate to people who are trying to write a film, but are struggling to find the inspiration to do so. It may also relate to people who have experienced family being diagnosed with cancer like the character Hans who visits his wife in hospital everyday as she is a cancer patient.

Cultural commonality

Martin McDonagh was born in Camberwell, London, although Seven Psychopaths is set in Los Angeles, so the film does not portray life of where he grew up. People in LA may be able to the real life settings in the film. Martin used his real life experience of visiting LA and seeing posters of missing dogs everywhere to create the story line of dog napping, people in LA will relate to this as they would have seen the posters themselves and would know that this is a large issue out there.

Hall's preferred readings

Preferred reading- The audience will feel sorry for characters such as Myra and Marty.

Negotiated reading- They may disagree with the behavior of Marty who treats his wife badly due to his alcohol addiction.

Oppositional reading- They may think that killing a cancer patient due to her association with Hans is too far, and will upset viewers.

Meet their audience

Frozen // Seven Psychopaths

In Arendelle, Princess Elsa has the power of freezing and creating ice and snow, her younger sister Anna loves her powers. When building a snowman, Olaf, Elsa accidentally hits Anna on the head with ice, their parents take them to the magical trolls that save Anna's life, but make her forget Elsa's power. Elsa keeps herself in her room, as she is too dangerous to be out. Their parents pass away when their ship sinks. On coronation day, Elsa finally comes out of her room and opens up the gates. Anna meets Prince Hans, falls in love and gets engaged on the same day, Elsa does not accept the marriage and loses control of her powers, setting off an eternal winter. Elsa runs away, and Anna sets off to find her, finding Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and Olaf on the way.  They find Elsa in her icy castle and she accidentally hits Anna in the heart; only an act of true love can save Anna's life. In a hurry to get back to Hans, he isn't everything he seemed to be, the act of true love instead turns out to be from Anna risking her life for Elsa.

Target audience?

Frozen's overall target market is families, it is open to both genders as it features characters for all. Anna, who is for young girls who love princesses, but she is still strong, likeable, clumbsy character. Kristoff, an average, kindhearted guy for boys, then Olaf is the lovable, awkward snowman for everyone. I would say it's targeted to kids of all ages , interested in musicals, and other princess Disney films such as Tangled. And all ethnicities, as although the characters may be white, they are not only relatable to a white audience.

Frozen's IMBD- title, date, cast and crew

  

This film is based around 3 main guys, Marty who is trying to write a film, Seven Psychopaths alongside his bestfriend, Billy, who kidnaps dogs and returns them to their owner in return for a cash reward. And Hans Kieslowski, a religious man whose wife has cancer, Myra. Billy helps Marty write Seven Psychopaths, the first is "Jack of Diamonds" and then the "Quaker", who stalks his daughter's killer, making the killer commit suicide, the stalker then cuts his own throat to follow him to hell.
Billy and Hans steal a Shih Tzu, Bonny, whose owner is a psychopath, Charlie. Billy advertises for "psychopaths" to share their stories for the film. Charlie's gang finds the dognapping location, and threaten to kill Marty and Hans unless they reveal Bonny's location, but the Jack of Diamonds killer arrives in time and shoots them. Zack, who saw the advertisement and shares his story of killing serial killers with his wife. Charlie kills Myra at the cancer ward when she refuses to tell him Hans or Bonny's whereabouts.
Billy meets up with his girlfriend, Angela, who is also seeing Charlie. When Billy finds out Myra has been killed, he shoots Angela and leaves a  playing card behind, revealing his identity as Jack of Diamonds psychopath. Hans reveals that he was the Quaker, and survived his attempted suicide. They drive into the desert where Marty and Hans find out Billy is connected with the Jack of Diamonds killings. Charlie arrives alone, without a weapon apart from a flare gun in his car, but Billy still shoots him. Billy fires the flare gun, whilst Hans is shot in front of police. After a shootout, Charlie and Billy have a stand-off, holding Marty and Bonny hostage. Charlie releases Marty and shoots Billy just as the police arrive. Marty finds a tape recorder with suggestions for Seven Psychopaths on his body, helping Marty finish his film.
Zack, who has just watched Seven Psychopaths, calls Marty, telling Marty that he will be over to kill him on Tuesday for forgetting to leave a message in the credits as promised, but decides not to kill him.

Target audience
Seven Psychopaths is made for over 15's, as it includes very strong language and violence. I would say mainly a male audience as it surrounds the interests of guns, violence, explosions and killings, which is normally aimed towards the male gender. I think that the film is suited to all ethnicities,  although the main characters are white, they are not specifically suited to only a white audience.

Seven Psychopaths IMBD- title, date, cast and crew

Film 4 Factfile

Who is the company?

Film4 is a British digital television channel available in the UK, it produces, distributes and exhibits films. It is owned by Channel Four Television Corporation, which screens the films, they also own Channel 4, 4seven, Film4, E4, More4 and 4music. The BFI Film Fund is the largest public film fund in the UK, each year they invest over £26m of Lottery funds to support film development, production and distribution activity in the UK. The budget is set to rise to £30m by 2017. 

What do the company produce?

Film 4 aim to fund 10 to 12 films a year, it co-operates with other companies such as, 4seven, Channel 4, E4, More4, 4Music, Heat, Kerrang!, Kiss, Magic, Smash Hits and The Box. Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years, films like Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, Martin McDonagh's In Bruges. Steve McQueen's Hunger, Mike Leigh's Another Year, Chris Morris' Four Lions and Peter Mullan's NEDS and the Inbetweeners Movie which took over £14.7m in its first week of release in 2011.  Film 4 aim to show films within any genre. Film Four productions have a reputation of producing British Social Realism films they base their films in real life, gritty locations with mostly unknown actor, their general rule is to not develop films for family audiences.

Where is the company based?
As Film 4 Production is a British film company, they are mainly funded in the UK, although they support international, including American independent film-makers by co-investing in innovative and interesting foreign films.  Film 4 is also available in the Republic of Ireland and Switzerland. 

Why is the company important to the UK film industry?
Film 4's Ethos is to develop new British Talent and be a leader of innovation in the British Film industry. They also aim to invest around £500,000 per film at a rate of around 20 films a year. They want to offer a platform for British and independent cinema by showing each one of Film Four Productions films on Channel 4 and Film 4. 
1992-1997 was Film Four's main period of financial success, The Crying Game in 1992 took $62 million in US. Four Weddings and a Funeral, in 1994 took $240 million worldwide, and Trainspotting in 1996 took $16 million in Us and £12 million in UK.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film4_Productions

http://www.channel4.com/info/commissioning/4producers/film4