Hammer Context

1. Hammer studios
About hammer studios.
Hammer is a London based production
subsidiary of Exclusive Media Group and a
legendary British film brand. In addition to
Hammer, Exclusive is the parent company of
Los Angeles based documentary film specialist
Spitfire Pictures, US distributor Newmarket
Films and Exclusive Films International, the
international sales & distribution entity based in
London and Los Angeles. Not in production
since the 1980s, Hammer is now being
aggressively reinvigorated through new
investment in the development and production of
film, television and digital-platform content.

2. History
• Launched in 1934 Hammer's first
production was The Public Life Of Henry
The Ninth and, following a period of
inactivity during WW2, the first picture
from the newly incorporated Hammer Film
Productions Ltd. was 1949's Dr. Morelle:
The Case Of The Missing Heiress.

3. History continued…
Half-way through the 1960s deals were struck with
Seven Arts and Twentieth Century Fox, which
led to further horror classics including The
Plague Of The Zombies, Quatermass And
The Pit, and The Devil Rides Out in addition to
successful adventure films including One Million
Years BC. The 1960s also saw Hammer's first
move into television production with Journey To
The Unknown and in 1968 the company
received the Queen's Award for Industry.

4. Continued again..
Hammer's return to horror was heralded by
interactive web serial Beyond The Rave, which
was broadcast by MySpace in 13 territories in
2008. Today, Hammer has an active
development slate totaling more than 25 projects
across diverse genres sourced out of both
Europe and the United States. Let Me In,
Hammer's first theatrical feature of the
millennium, will be released in October, while
The Woman In Black (starring Daniel Radcliffe)
goes into production in September

5. Why was Hammer Studios
successful?
Hammer films had low budgets, but nonetheless
appeared lavish, making use of quality British
actors and cleverly designed sets. During its
most successful years, Hammer dominated the
horror film market, enjoying worldwide
distribution and considerable financial success.
This success was due, in part, to distribution
partnerships with major United States studios,
such as Warner Bros.

7. Why did Hammer Studios fail?
The decline in British cinema in the run up to, and duration
of, the Second World War saw Hammer productions
bankrupted, and only their distribution firm Exclusive
pictures survive. After the war, the British film industry
was in a poor state, and the Government passed a law
obliging cinemas to show a British film for every
American import. In 1947, Anthony Hinds and James
Carreras, sons of the founders, relaunched the studio as
production arm to Exclusive pictures, aiming to provide
low budget films to fill the cinema quotas. The majority of
their films from this period were low budget action and
drama pieces, mostly based on popular BBC Radio
serials - including the Dick Barton trilogy, and
Adventures of PC 47 (1949). With the advantage of an
existing audience base giving them strong audience
figures, the films gradually grew larger and more
expensive.

8. What must Hammer Studios do to
survive this time round?
This time round Hammer studios need to
create films which are upto date for a
more current audience, e.g 18+.
Hammer studios need to also increase their
budget size for each film so that particular
film is an intresting film to watch which ups
the ratings, also each film should include
different characters so the audiences don’t
get bored and the films predictable.