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Kill List Research

Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.

Movie Info

From director Ben Wheatley, Kill List is a mind-blowing genre concoction being called the "#1 Horror Film of the Year" (Bloody-Disgusting). A brilliant blend of family drama, hitman action-thriller and terrifying psychological horror film, Kill List tells the story of an ex-soldier turned contract killer who is plunged into the heart of human darkness. Eight months after a disastrous hit job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, Jay (Neil Maskell) is pressured by his partner Gal (Michael Smiley), into taking a new assignment. As they descend into the bizarre, disturbing world of the contract, Jay's world begins to unravel until fear and paranoia sending him reeling towards a horrifying point of no return

Director: Ben Wheatley

Writers: Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump

Stars: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring and Harry Simpson

Genres: Crime | Horror | Thriller

Details

Official Sites: Official site

Country: UK

Language: English | Swedish (a few lines)

Release Date: 2 September 2011

(UK)

Also Known As: Lista za odstrel 

Filming Locations: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK

Budget:

£500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$9,838 (USA) (5 February 2012) (2 Screens)

Gross:

$26,297 (USA) (4 March 2012)

Technical Specs

Runtime: 95 min

Color: Color

 Awards:

British Independent Film Awards
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2011	Won	British Independent Film Award	Best Supporting ActorMichael Smiley
	Nominated	British Independent Film Award	Best Achievement in Production
			Best ActorNeil Maskell
			Best ActressMyAnna Buring
			Best DirectorBen Wheatley
			Best Screenplay Ben Wheatley Amy Jump
Empire Awards, UK
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2012	Won	Empire Award	Best Horror
Evening Standard British Film Awards
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2012	Nominated	Evening Standard British Film Award	Best Screenplay Amy Jump Ben Wheatley
London Critics Circle Film Awards
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2012	Nominated	ALFS Award	British Film of the Year
			Supporting Actor of the Year Michael Smiley
Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2011	Won	Best Actress	MyAnna Buring
	Nominated	Best of Puchon	Ben Wheatley

Directed by	Ben Wheatley
Produced by	Claire Jones Andy Starke
Written by	Ben WheatleyAmy Jump
Starring	Neil Maskell Michael Smiley MyAnna Buring Emma Fryer
Music by	Jim Williams
Cinematography	Laurie Rose
Editing by	Ben Wheatley Robin Hill Amy Jump
Studio	Rook FilmsWarp X Film4 Productions Screen Yorkshire UK Film Council
Distributed by	Optimum Releasing (UK)IFC Midnight (US)
Release date(s)	28 August 2011 (2011-08-28) (FrightFest (UK Premiere)) 2 September 2011 (2011-09-02) (UK)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£500,000

Release Information

In Theaters: Sep 2, 2011 Wide

On DVD: Dec 26, 2011

Interveiw:

Reviews:

"Kill List" didn't have very positive reviews with only just over half of 'Roten Tomatoes' users liking the film. Considering that Ben Weatley's film debut 'Down Terrance' was praised by critics, they didn't seem to think that this was very good. Maybe it is the outrageously ridiculous story line? Perhaps the blood and gore seems to be too much to handle? Either way, it wasn't the best film that they have ever reviewed. Not by a long shot.

Rotten Tomatoes

All Critics
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 81
Fresh: 61 | Rotten: 20
Audience:

56% liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 6,427

"Kill List" begins with verbal violence at a dinner table, continues with actual violence in a hit-man scenario and concludes with metaphysical violence that threatens to decapitate the movie itself. It's baffling and goofy, blood-soaked and not boring. That it's well-made adds to the confusion; it feels like a better film than it turns out to be.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

Following up his impressive 2010 debut, “Down Terrace,” with something altogether more implacable and strange, the British director Ben Wheatley has gained confidence in his handling of male violence and domestic distress. That assured style is the spackle that holds “Kill List” together: when the plot doglegs into insanity, and the characters follow suit, this brutal fever dream refuses to fall apart.

Andrew O'Hehir

Salon.com

Top Critic

Writer-director Ben Wheatley served up one of last year’s punchiest British debuts with Down Terrace, the story of a common-or-garden Brighton crime family. With his second film, the joltingly scary Kill List, he plunges further into genre territory – but identifying exactly which genre we’re going to wind up in is half the challenge. The less you know in advance, the more potent the feeling of being shoved head-first down a rabbit hole. What’s waiting at the end isn’t a bunny – it’s hideous.

Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph

Top Critic

Prometheus: 7 Key Areas

• the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice; (how does who owns a media company influence the type of film made and its potential success? For example do BIG companies make BIG films and therefore make all the money? Is it possible for small companies to succeed?)

20th Century Fox is the main film production company who would have put in the most money and we would therefore assume that they would have had the most influence within the making of 'Prometheus.' However the director of the film was Ridley Scott, a very well known and well respected English film director and producer. He owns  his own film production company called Scott Free Productions. This would have meant that, being the director, he would have had a very large role in the making of the film and Scott Free Productions would have been very influential when making 'Prometheus.' However this would have not been able to happen unless the film had a large budget- the budget for 'Prometheus' was $130 million however Ridley Scott wanted $250 million which was declined by 20th Century Fox as they wanted the age range to be brought down to broaden the audience- which was provided almost fully by 20th Century Fox. Although 20th Century Fox is a massive film production company- one of the big 6- another film production company- Brandywine Productions- was also brought in to help produce the film. They are known for their part in the production of the films in the alien franchise and so are very knowledgable about what needs to be done in regard to the films within the alien franchise. It is what they are experts in and, although they are a very small film production company (having only ever been involved in the making of 9 films over the course of 43 years) they have the right ideas about the films. They have been extremely successful, the gross of all films being over $900 million, and are only a very small film production company. This goes to prove that smaller production companies can be successful however not on the same scale as the big Hollywood film production companies.
Together the film production companies spent an estimated $50 million on advertising, $30 million of which came from marketing support from companies including Coors, Amazon, and Verizon FiOS.

• the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing; (how do companies work together to produce, distribute and publicize a film? How can Disney use their size to promote and publicise a film? How can small companies work together to promote their business' when making and promoting a film?)

In the making of Prometheus, a few different film production companies combined in order to create the film. This was good because it enabled the film to get a bigger budget which gave the film a better more marketable budget to work on. The main film production company which halped to create 'Promatheus' was 20th Century Fox. This is a good thing because it is one of the Hollywood big 6 so it has a massive amount of money which it could provide for the making of the film. It also has a good reputation- meaning that Prometheus will be associated with them and automatically have a fairly good reputation. Another film production company which worked of Prometheus was Dune Entertainemnt. This film production company works in close assosiation with 20th Century Fox and invests in a lot of the same films. This will increase the underrtsanding of film making and make Prometheus a good film. The films director Ridley Scott also owns a film production company called Scott Free Productions which invested and helped to make Prometheus. It is important the Ridley Scoot became very involved with the film as it shows the dedication to the film. The final film production comapny which became involved with Prometheus is Brandywine Productions- the film production company which has had involvement in the success of all of the Alien films. It was good for Prometheus to have all of these production companies to help in the making because with the combined knowledge of the film industry, science fiction genre and the direction of films it was guaranteed that the film would do well.

• the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange; (how has the introduction of digital film, 3D, DVD, Blue Ray, internet streaming, downloadable content, home cinema influenced the types of films made, the way we watch them and the way we 'buy' them?)

Production
Set and Veichals- 'Prometheus' is a film which required a lot of special effects. To do this CGI was used when making the alien creatures as well as some of the set and veichals.
Arthur Max designed the sets, including the alien structures and the alien world landscape, and vehicles, including the Prometheus and the Engineer's ship. Digital 3D models and miniature replicas of each set were built to allow the designers to envisage the connections between them and to know where the CGI elements would be inserted
To better blend the practical and the digital, the design team took rock samples from the Iceland location so they could match the graphical textures with the real rocks. To create the Prometheus, Max researched NASA and European Space Agency spacecraft designs, and extended these concepts with his own ideas of how future space vehicles might look.

Creatures- Neal Scanlan and Conor O'Sullivan developed the film's alien creatures, aiming to convey that each creature has a logical biological function and purpose. Creature designer Carlos Huante chose to make the creature designs pale to contrast the black-toned, Giger-influenced aesthetic of Alien. When designing the Engineers (pale scary alien type creatures) Scott wanted them to resemble Greco-Roman gods. Were created by applying bulky, full-body prosthetics to the actors, whose facial features were diminished by the material, and were later digitally enhanced to preserve the "godlike" physical perfection. Scott described the Engineer's as tall, elegant "dark angels". The snake-like alien dubbed the "Hammerpede" was given life through a mixture of CGI and practical effects, and the wires controlling the practical puppet were digitally removed. The mutated "Fifield" effects were achieved mainly through the use of make-up and prosthetics. Due to concerns that the practical effects would be unsatisfactory, the filmmakers completed an alternative version of the sequence, in which Fifield was rendered as "a digital character with elongated limbs and an engorged, translucent head, incorporating a semblance of Harris's face". For its grown form, the "Adult Trilobite", Max found inspiration from an arthropod-like creature from Earth's Cambrian era and the alien octopus in Jean Giraud's illustrations for the comic strip The Long Tomorrow.T he film's last-unveiled creature, the "Deacon", was named by Scott for its long, pointed head that he considered resembled a bishop’s mitre. Shaw and Holloway who produce the Trilobite which impregnates the Engineer, in its design. However, they focused on making the creature feminine, and said that "it was born of a female before being born of a male." Messing drew inspiration for the Deacon's birth scene from the birth of foals, and created an iridescent appearance for its skin, based on the equine placenta.The Deacon's protruding jaw was inspired by the goblin shark.
Visual Effects
Prometheus contains approximately 1,300 digital effect shots.The main effects studio was Movin Picture Company (MPC), which produced 420 of the shots.Several other studios, including Weta Digital, Fuel VFX, Rising Sun Pictures, Luma Pictures, Lola Visual Effects, and Hammerhead Productions, also produced effects shots for the film.
The Orrery-3D digital map-was one of the most complex visual effects, contained 80–100 million polygons, and took several weeks to render as a single, complete shot.

'Prometheus' was released in 3D as well as 2D. It was shot on Red Epic cameras in 70mm DMR with inherent 3D meaning it could be easily transferred from 2D to 3D when creating the shots.
It was released on DVD and Blu-Ray which was also available to download onto iPods and iPhones through the means of Amazon, iTunes, PlayStation and Xbox in over 50 countries. During its first week of sale in the United Kingdom, Prometheus was the number 1 selling film on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, outselling its nearest competitor by a factor of three.

• the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences; (how and why have film companies had to alter the way they work now everyone has web enabled phones, PC's, consoles etc? How have audiences changed their viewing habits now we no longer need to go to the cinema to watch a film)

I was available to download onto iPods and iPhones through the means of Amazon, iTunes, PlayStation and Xbox in over 50 countries. The producers of the promotional tool of the Weyland Industries website will have had to enabled the website to be accessable on mobile phones and other technologies other than computers. Also, due to the recent growth in games console film downloads such as NetFlicks, the film will be able to be viewed and bought through these. Audiences no longer need to go to the cinema due to the recent development of being able to watch film online, often illegally. However because of the massive amount of advertising and promotion of the film, 'Prometheus' did not lose out. Instead of only making a small amount like a fair amount of films have because of illegal streaming and illegal downloading, 'Prometheus' managed to make $51 million in the USA in its opening weekend. Overall it grossed $401,933,453 (as of October 1st 2012.) This shows that, even with the growing use of illegal downloads and people staying at home when watching movies, that some films can still be extremely successful.

• the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences; (can you think of examples of how different technologies have come together to help the film industry?) 

Films such as Prometheus now tend to be sold to online film distributors, such as Netflix and LoveFilm, as audiences have changed their viewing habits due to the development in technology in media and the film industry. Viewers do not feel the need to spend large amounts of money on a trip to the cinema to see a film when they can either buy it on DVD/Blu-Ray as a long term investment or even rent the film from an online distributor and watch it in the warmth and comfort of their own home. The introduction of home cinema has influenced the way that film companies have to alter the way they work as they have to consider their production, distribution, and marketing to fit the majority of audiences that prefer to watch a film in their own homes and to publicise the other windows that the film has to offer, e.g. DVD, Blu-Ray, online distributors.

Also, with the increasing use of smart phones, the film industry has had adapt to changes when it comes to marketing their product and advertising it. As for the Weyland Industries website, Ridley Scott is able to apply a setting so that iPhone and other smart phone users can view it, increasing the publicity of the film even further. This proliferation in hardware has boosted the publicity of Prometheus even further than the already successful viral marketing. 

• the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions; (how do film companies try and attract their audience? Do they do different things in different countries?)

The director of 'Prometheus' is the very well known British Ridley Scott. Along with his brother he owns his own film production company called Scott Free Productions. It has produced films such as 'Gladiator', 'Robin Hood' and 'The A Team'. He has also directed the first film 'Alien' in the franchise and so he is well known within this genre. People who are interested in the sci-fi genre will be attracted it go and see the film because of the genre and the director. Film companies use a lot of metods of promotion in order to make people go and see the film.
Rumours were that the cost of marketing the film was between $40 and $50 million- very expensive!!! It was important that the film was marketed in a massive way because the more people that hear about it will mean that more people will go and see it when it is at the cinema.
The 'Prometheus' marketing campaign began on July 21, 2011 at the San Diego Comic-Con International, where images and footage from the film were presented by Lindelof and Theron; Scott and Rapace participated via satellite contribution. A segment of the footage showed Theron performing naked push-ups, which attracted much attention. A teaser poster was released on December 14, 2011, with the tagline, "The search for our beginning could lead to our end." A bootleg recording of an incomplete trailer was leaked online on November 27, 2011, but was swiftly taken down by Fox. The full proper trailer was released on December 22, 2011.
On March 17, 2012, Scott, in partnership with AMC Theaters, hosted the premiere of the first full Prometheus trailer at the AMC Downtown Disney during WonderCon in California. The event was streamed live via Facebook, Twitter, and the AMC Theater website, and the trailer was posted on AMC's Youtube channel immediately after its debut. Reactions to the trailer from WonderCon attendees, and on Twitter, were generally positive, and it received nearly three million views in the three days following its release. On April 10, 2012, media outlets were shown a 13 minute montage of scenes in 3D from the film's opening at the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square, London. The screening, and in particular the 3D visuals and the performances of Fassbender, Rapace, Theron, and Elba, was well received.
On April 29, 2012, the international launch trailer debuted in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 during the first advertisement break of the TV show Homeland. Viewers were encouraged to share their opinions about the trailer on Twitter, some of which were then shared in a live broadcast during a later break. This was the first time that viewers' tweets were used in a broadcast advertisement. A competition, offering viewers a chance to win tickets to the film whenever the social platform Zeebox detected the advertisement airing, was launched on that site.
Although marketers typically avoid promoting adult-oriented films in order to reach a broader demographic, the film attracted several promotional partners including Coors, Amazon, and Verizon FiOS, which were estimated to have spent $30 million in marketing support. Amazon directed interested users to purchase tickets through Fandango, and placed promotional material in products shipped to customers; this was the first time that Amazon had allowed such marketing by an external company. The premiere in London was streamed live via the film's website and the Verizon FiOS Facebook page. The event was facilitated by BumeBox, which took audience questions from social sites and gave them to reporters to ask at the event.The National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) is developing a series of Prometheus action figures, scheduled for release in September 2012. A book, Prometheus: The Art of the Film, containing production art and behind-the-scenes photographs, was released on June 12, 2012
VIRAL CAMPAIGN:
-A viral marketing campaign began on February 28, 2012, with the release of a video featuring a speech by Pearce, in character as Peter Weyland, about his vision for the future. Set in 2023, the video presents a futuristic vision of a TED conference, an annual technology and design event held in Long Beach, California. The segment was conceived and designed by Scott and Lindelof, and directed by Scott's son, Luke. The production was made in collaboration with, and made available through TED because Lindelof wanted to introduce new audiences to the conference itself. Lindelof said that the scene takes place in a futuristic stadium because "a guy like Peter Weyland—whose ego is just massive, and the ideas that he's advancing are nothing short of hubris—that he'd basically say to TED, 'If you want me to give a talk, I'm giving it in Wembley Stadium.'"
-During the 2012 WonderCon, attendees at the film's panel were given Weyland Corporation business cards that directed them to a website and telephone number. After calling the number, the caller was sent a text message from Weyland Corporation that linked them to a video that was presented as an advertisement for the "David 8" android, narrated by Fassbender. An extended version of the video, released on April 17, 2012, lists the android's features, including its ability to seamlessly replicate human emotions without the restrictions of ethics or distress. A full page "David 8" advertisement was placed in The Wall Street Journal: a Twitter account operated by a David8, that allowed Twitter users to ask the character questions, was included.
-Another video, "Quiet Eye", starring Rapace as Shaw, was released on May 16, 2012, and debuted on the Verizon FIOS Facebook page. In a telephone call monitored by Yutani, a fictional company from the Alien series, Shaw requests Weyland's aid to seek out alien life.
-Another video followed in September 2012, featuring Elba's Captain Janek preparing for a mission.
All of this was in aid of getting a buzz going for the film.

• the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour. (what is your opinion on the above? Do you see the developments as a good or bad thing?)

Overall, I think that 'Prometheus' was a good film. I thought that the use of special effects and CGI was good and made the film interesting and gripping to watch. I think that the developments in the film industry were good for the making and production of 'Prometheus' because, without the growing use of technology, the film would not have been as good and would not have had as much impact. The scenes involving the creatures were realistic in a stupidly unrealsitic way and the settings were very realistic and were exactly how you would imagine it to be. The technology deveklopments may be good for the production of the film however may not be the best for people who can illegally download, stream and watch films over the internet without going to the cinema and spening the money which determines whether the film has been a success or not. If this gradually becomes more and more frequent, less and less people will go to the cinema to see the film and the films will start to generate less money. This could lead to a huge loss of money which could mean less chances of things like follow up movies. This would be bad for 'Prometheus' as it is part of a franchise and so more films are expected. The final scene of the film was left on a cliffhanger meaning that people will be expecting there to be another film- which is scheduled for release in summer 2014 at the earliest- (luckily there is) however if the film was unsuccessful then the chances of another film would have decreased significantly.

Prometheus: About

A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. Director: Ridley Scott Writers: Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof, Stars: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green and Michael Fassbender Storyline A team of scientists travels through the universe on the spaceship "Prometheus" on a voyage to investigate alien life forms. The team of scientists becomes stranded on an Alien world, and as they struggle to survive it becomes clear that the horrors they experience are not just a threat to themselves, but to all of mankind. Tag Lines The search for our beginning could lead to our end They went looking for our beginning. What they found could be our end. We came from them. They will come for us. Details Official Sites: Official Facebook | Official site Country: USA | UK Language: English | Gaelic Release Date: 1 June 2012 (UK) Also Known As: Prometeo Filming Locations: Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK Box Office Budget: $130,000,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: $51,050,101 (USA) (10 June 2012) (3396 Screens) Gross: $401,933,453 (Worldwide) (1 October 2012) Company Credits Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox (presents) Dune Entertainment (in association with) Scott Free Productions (as Scott Free) Brandywine Productions (as Brandywine) Technical Aspects Camera Red Epic, Zeiss Ultra Prime and Angenieux Optimo Lenses Laboratory Company 3, Los Angeles (CA), USA (digital intermediate) DeLuxe, Hollywood (CA), USA Fluent Image, London, UK (digital negative management) Film length (metres) 3379 m (Portugal, 35 mm) Film negative format (mm/video inches) Redcode RAW Cinematographic process Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format) Redcode RAW (5K) (dual-strip 3-D) (source format) Printed film format 35 mm (anamorphic) (Fuji Eterna-CP 3514DI) 70 mm (horizontal) (IMAX DMR blow-up) (dual-strip 3-D) (Kodak Vision 2383) D-Cinema (also 3-D version) Aspect ratio 1.66 : 1 (70mm IMAX 3D version) 2.00 : 1 (IMAX Digital 3D version) 2.35 : 1 Trivia According to Ridley Scott, the film's plot was inspired by Erich von Däniken's writings about ancient astronauts: "Both NASA and the Vatican agree that it is almost mathematically impossible that we can be where we are today, without there being a little help along the way. That's what we're looking at: we are talking about gods and engineers, engineers of space. Were the Aliens designed as a form of biological warfare, or biology that would go in and clean up a planet?" Soundtracks "Theme from Alien" Written by Jerry Goldsmith Prezi

Prometheus on Prezi

Prometheus: Ridley Scott Interview

Director Ridley Scott tells Cath Clarke why he's making a science fiction comeback

Sci-fi films are as dead as westerns. There’s nothing original. We’ve seen it all before. Been there. Done that.’ So said Ridley Scott in 2007 and sounding absolutely, categorically final, which he was about it. Five years later the 74-year-old director blusters a bit gruffly when I remind him of his death-knell speech: ‘Errm. Did I?… I wish I hadn’t said that.’ He’s just given a press conference in a Leicester Square cinema unveiling 11 minutes of his new sci-fi film. Yes, sci-fi – and not just any old sci-fi. Unless you’ve been on Mars, you can’t have missed the juggernaut of hype and expectation behind ‘Prometheus’ – which started life as a prequel to ‘Alien’.

So what changed his mind? ‘I suddenly had an idea.’ Scott’s arms are crossed over his chest and his posture is poker-straight (his dad was a military man). ‘No one had asked the question: who is the big guy on the chair?’ He’s talking about the nine-foot creature (fanboys call him the Space Jockey) whose fossilised corpse is discovered by the crew in ‘Alien’, but who featured in none of its three sequels. Scott says he started wondering about the creature and its kind a few years ago: who are they? Why are they there? ‘If I got underneath that, would it be enough to unearth a new story?’ Predictably, the more he burrowed into the new story, the less inclined he became to tie it to ‘Alien’. Now, he says, the connection is ‘barely in its DNA: you get it in the last seven minutes or so’.

‘Prometheus’ is set late in this century, when two archeologists (one Christian, the other atheist) discover what they believe is a clue to the origins of human life: the same cave paintings in ancient ruins in different countries. The paintings turn out to be cosmic maps, and the pair embark on a mission aboard the starship Prometheus – named after the Greek god who was punished for giving humans fire (nastily too: his liver was pecked out by an eagle every morning, only to grow back that day). So we don’t need the trailer – with its desperate disembodied howl: ‘cut it off!’ – to tell us that this meeting with our makers may not end in a warm glow of halos.

Scott comes across as every bit the Hollywood survivor: a man who’s had to fight his fair share of corners. In a career of highs (‘Alien’, ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Gladiator’) and lows (‘GI Jane’, ‘A Good Year’), he’s watched studios carve up his films and critics misunderstand them (they blasted ‘Blade Runner’: ‘No one knew what the hell I was doing. No one got it. And then they ripped it off’). A ‘helmer’ in the truest sense of the word, Scott steers epic tanks of movies. How does he stop them careering out of control? ‘By casting very strong actors. I think I’m pretty good at casting. I take my time. Because everyone has to defend their island. They’ve got to be able to survive the process.’ He talks like this, in short, snappy sentences – his accent mixing Teesside (where he grew up) with Americanisms (he lives in LA). He was knighted in 2003, but earlier gave a journalist a ticking off for calling him ‘Sir Ridley’. He’s plain Ridley.

He won’t call ‘Prometheus’ a prequel (‘I think I’ve been quite successful in resurrecting a notion but going off at a new tangent’). But he’s craftily given us plenty of enticing nods to ‘Alien’, not least in the casting. Noomi Rapace, playing one half of the archeologist duo, looks every inch a heroine in the Ripley mould. Scott watched her twice as kick-ass feminist avenger Lisbeth Salander in the original ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ before meeting her. (Though she may not be so tough in real life – she had to get Michael Fassbender to open her mineral water bottle at the press conference.)

Fassbender plays an android, David (the ship’s butler), and he’s the character Scott is most enthusiastic talking about. There’s a great scene, he explains, where David is pouring a drink for a tipsy crewman, who’s ribbing him about not being human: ‘Are David’s feelings hurt? Is he pissed off? How far is he away from being dangerous?’ And how far from being human, presumably – if he’s feeling human emotions? ‘Exactly right. And it evolves beautifully at the end.'

Androids with soul-envy. It’s a paradox at the heart of Scott’s two modern masterpieces: ‘Alien’ and ‘Blade Runner’ (his most personal film: made after the death of his older brother, it’s filled with loss). Like the gods, androids are stronger and smarter than humans, yet they long for human flaws, to feel what we feel. God occupies the director’s thoughts more than He used to, says Scott, who’s an agnostic, converted from atheism. ‘You could have ten scientists in this room. You could ask them all: who’s religious? About three to four will put their hands up. I’ve asked these guys from Nasa. And they say: When you get to the end of your theories, you come to a wall… you come to a question. Who thought up this shit?’ Scott was turned off religion by his Church of England upbringing (‘altar boy… terrible burgundy wine… all that stuff’). Now? ‘Now my feeling goes with “could be”.’

Next up for the self-confessed workaholic is another future-set film, a ‘Blade Runner’ sequel. Does he stay on top of new technology to keep up? Not massively. ‘I’m not avid. I flick through Scientific American and National Geographic.’ And what about the future? Does he buy into the ‘doom and apocalypse’ vision of what lies ahead? ‘No. I try to be positive. I’m fundamentally a positive person. Otherwise I wouldn’t be doing some of the insane movies that I do.’

How is Media Convergence important for audiences and Institutions?

Q: How is Media Convergence important for audiences and Institutions?

With the growing use of media convergence, the film industry has become more extremely successful. Marketing, distribution and exhibition all heavily rely on cross media convergence as it ensures that there is a market for the film in order for the film to be a hit. Audiences are now a lot more aware of the production of films which is driven by media convergence.

During the production of the British film ‘Attack the Block’, cross media convergence was also used to virally market the film using social networking. They made a twitter account, posting occasional teaser posts to entice their audience to see the film before its release, however this wasn’t used enough to create the buzz which was necessary to really help the film gain recognition. Cross media convergence was also used when a variety of smaller film companies joined together in order to finance the film. Synergy was used when Big Talk Productions, Film 4, Studio Canal and the UK Film council all joined together to achieve the final outcome of the film. It was important that this happened as otherwise the film wouldn’t have been a success. ‘Attack the Block’ is a British film with a small budget. All of the companies which worked on the production of ‘Attack the Block’ are small and have a lot of experience working on other small budget so it was expected that the film would succeed. It is important that ‘Attack the Block’ has the backing of all of the smaller film production companies as the experience and knowledge of all four will ensure that the film can be the best that it can be. They managed to get $13 million for the making of the film and which paid for the film production as well as advertising for the film in the usual ways; tv adverts, film trailers, teaser trailers, official UK and US trailers, exclusive interviews with the cast and director as well as creating a soundtrack which was available for purchase when the film was released. After all of the marketing, ‘Attack the Block’ was still only small budget which, crossed with being British, was a disadvantage when trying to promote the film, especially outside of the UK.

The film ‘Kick Ass’ is also a British film, however it worked with larger film production companies which could provide larger budgets for the film which amounted to $30 million. These companies include Universal Pictures (which is one of the big six film production companies in Hollywood), Marv Films, Lionsgate and Plan B Entertainment (owned by Brad Pitt). This was an advantage for the film ‘Kick Ass’ as the companies are much larger and operate on larger scales the ‘Attack the Block’ and are therefore able to market and advertise the film more heavily. The well known film production companies would have been an attraction for the film as people know them and will know that their standards are high meaning the films will have met those standards. As well as this, the film had already gained a fan base from the comic books, which the film was based on, released by Marvel Comics. This was useful when promoting the film as the target audience had already heard of ‘Kick Ass’ and will be able to use word of mouth in order to create a buzz for the film. This mixed with the promotion which included social networking sites, tv adverts, film trailers, posters and a soundtrack which was available for purchase after the film had been released. The film also had film reviews on sites such as ‘Rotten Tomatoes’, forums and blogs which helped create a positive view of the film so people went to see the film at the cinema. As well as this, the film was followed from the filming until when it hit the screens by film magazines ‘Empire’ and ‘Total Film’ which also gave it positive reviews, urging readers to go and see it. All of these advertising methods crossed with an excellent cast (including Nicholas Cage; who has a huge fan base) helped the film to become a massive hit in the box office and DVD/Blu-Ray sales.

Another example of a film which uses cross media convergence is ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’. This is a film which required a large budget due to the extensive use of CGI. Because of the large expense, (completing the on screen monkeys took 3 stages, all of which had to be executed in different parts of the USA as specialist equipment and technology were required) it was necessary that cross media convergence was used in order to come up with the money needed. The film budget was $93 million which was generated by Twentieth Century Fox (one of the Hollywood big six), Chernin Entertainment and Dune Entertainment, all of which have experience working on big budget films. This is important because they know that in order to create a brilliant film they need to give time and a lot of money. This money paid for the film production and the film promotion which consisted of tv adverts, film trailers, international trailers as well as a whole range of viral videos showing monkey intelligence. All of this helped to raise awareness of the film and helped persuade people to go and see the film. This joined with the incredible cast, including James Franco, Freida Pinto and Tom Felton (from Harry Potter attracting fans of the wizard film series to the science fiction action adventure film) helped to make the a success at the box office which grossed over $450 million worldwide.

Media conversion is becoming increasingly important in the film industry as there is a correlation between a films budget and a films success. Technology is also advancing fast shown by things such as viral marketing becoming more prominent in the marketing of films as well as the use of social networking being used to create a word of mouth  buzz for many films. Facebook and twitter are becoming very important when marketing films; there are over 100 million active twitter users and over 750 million facebook users so the audience that the film promotes to via social networking sites is amazing. Also, over 500 years worth of YouTube videos are watched each day leaving a huge place for films to post videos of the film trailers, teaser videos and cast/crew interviews. This helps to create a huge amount of promotion through word of mouth which hopefully generates lots of money through people seeing the trailers and then the film. This plays and essential role in the success of a film as without it, the target audience wouldn’t know about the film making it a flop at the box office proving that there would be no point in creating the product as it would end up not selling.

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