..

1. Film case study
Frozen
By Christie Townsend

2. Mark Kermode’s 4 rules-Frozen
• Newsworthy budget- $150 million and grossed approximately $1.274 billion as of August 2014
• A-List stars- there wasn’t many extremely famous stars in the movie world except for Kristen bell, however
many of the voiceovers are well known for their musical talents.
• Not a comedy- frozen is an animated family film, it contains lots of action and music but little comedy.
• Amazing visuals and effects- frozen, being an animated film, is full of amazing visuals that have been made to
look as realistic as possible and took years to develop

3. Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbQm5doF
_Uc

4. 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?)
• Frozen was distributed by Walt Disney studios motion pictures which is a massive production company that is acclaimed across the world as
they are also part of the big 6. it think this massively adds to the success of the film as it already has a wide fan base before even coming out
because Disney has a base of many young children but also adults that recognize the company as being top quality.

5. 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?)
• Disney did not work with any smaller companies to help publicise or distribute their film frozen as they are already a massive
company that have a lot of authority in the film world as they are members of the big 6 film companies. They use very similar
ways of producing, publicising and distributing their films as many of their films have similar audiences, markets and general
styles. Their movies are usually animated but almost always apply to a four quadrant audience as they are family films. They
aim much of their advertising at children so use their large budgets and importance in the film world to create top quality
advertising campaigns including adverts, trailers and also selling merchandise through specialist Disney stores and around
the world. Many companies would try to merge with others to create a larger field of expertise when creating their styles of
distribution and also to allow for a bigger budget when marketing however Disney does not have this problem because
audiences are already aware of future films as they are such a popular company around the globe for many different
audiences and markets.

6. 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, Blu-ray, internet streaming, downloadable content, home cinema influenced
the types of films made, the way we watch them and the way we 'buy' them?)
• Frozen was released in 3D, DVD, blue ray and can easily
be downloaded and streamed online, it has a very wide
range of viewing experiences to suit its large target
audience. The introduction of more modern means of
viewing films like 3D especially target children which is
the main audience for this particular Disney film. It
intrigues audiences to want to go out to watch a film
which generally creates more profit for the company per
viewing than it would if the films were streamed online
for a cheaper price.

7. hardware and content for institutions and audiences; (how and why have film companies had to alter the way the significance of
proliferation in they work now everyone has web enabled phones, PC's, tablets etc? How have audiences changed their viewing
habits now we no longer need to go to the cinema to watch a film)
• This works as an advantage to films such as frozen because, especially concerning children, it means that parents no longer need to
go through the hassle of going to a cinema now they can just find the films at home through the use of on demand or through
streaming websites. It makes it a lot easier for families that may struggle to actually go out to watch a film so it means that the
companies are able to advertise to a much wider audience of people because the specific film is much more widely available. The
experience for the viewer watching at home may not be as ‘special’ as if they were watching a film in a cinema because of the large
screens and detailed visuals- which in effect could cause them t judge a film negatively because their experience wasn’t as good
quality however this generally doesn’t stop large sales of a film online so overall the companies like Disney still get the profits they
need for the film to be successful. Frozen was widely available to buy or rent through modern institutions and this added to their
success as it made the film so much more flexible for the audiences. “Frozen” has already made a huge impact online, as its
soundtrack — which was the top album on the Billboard 200 chart for several weeks — also topped the iTunes sales chart. The
breakout song “Let It Go” has been streamed over 125 million times on YouTube alone.
• Many people online felt that they cheated watching the film online as the price was so low compared to if they had gone to a cinema
to watch it, this however overall increases the sales of a film and actually urges others to watch it even if the company aren't receiving
as much profit per viewing online rather than at a cinema.

8. 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 concerning frozen I believe that the above developments
have added hugely to the success of the film, the changes in
advertising mean that Disney were able to sell vast amounts of
merchandise for the film. The love fest between little girls and the
film “Frozen” helped Walt Disney Co. (DIS) maintain its domination
of the U.S. licensed toy industry last quarter. Elsa dolls and other
“Frozen” merchandise sold better than any other licensed toys in
the first three months of the year, according to NPD Group Inc. The
animated movie, released in November, has generated more than
$1.1 billion in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. That’s
made it the highest-grossing animated film of all time. For Disney,
the “Frozen” surge is helping continue its winning streak in toy
licensing. Also the developments in the way audiences are able to
view films mean that it opens up the market for Disney; they can
have their films shown all over the world through different modern
means of watching including streaming and online rentals of the
film. This contributed to the huge viewings of the film. The special
effects and enhanced use of visuals where also developed through
new technologies adding to the appeal of the films and attracting
new types of audiences interested by this area of film.
This is the graph that shows the rise in sales of frozen merchandise

9. 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 Disney movie phenomenon is just nine months old, yet it's the highest-grossing animated film of all time with more than $1.2
billion in ticket sales, a best-selling album and a hot-selling DVD -- and it's still going strong. "Frozen" is expected to sell $1 billion in
licensed merchandise this year.
• "In 2014, 'Frozen' is more popular than when it opened in 2013 and momentum has picked up, not slowed down," said Jim Silver,
CEO and editor-in-chief of TTPM, a site where consumers can research and locate playthings. He said toys alone will account for
$500 million in sales this year, with "Frozen" apparel and other licensed merchandise adding a similar amount to hit the billion-dollar
merchandise mark.
• Catchy music and a well-conceived story, pent-up demand for merchandise and popularity that accelerated with DVD and digital
downloads in the spring are some of the reasons we're still talking about "Frozen." While analysts agree Disney was caught off guard
by the popularity of the movie when it hit theatres in November, the entertainment giant is no longer playing catch up.
• Disney’s latest campaign for animated movie ‘Frozen’ has dominated shopping centre atriums across the Eastern Seaboard and is a
great example of how a simple creative idea can capture the increasing retail traffic that shopping centres are experiencing at this
time of year.
• Two dimensional characters from the movie appear suspended from the ceiling, like they’re hanging from a mobile, which is a nice
creative twist on standard banner advertising. Its small advertisements like this that can be used around the world and can actually
captivate an audience so much further without the company having to spend extra millions