Working title production process

Working title Synthesis

Funding and the influence of Global Ownership
When working title first started out in 1983 they where producing low budget films for example, my beautiful laundrette (1985), they where solely funded by PolyGran and they werent injecting a big enough budget for them to make higher quality films. But when PolyGran was bought out by universal, Working title became part of the Universal Conglomerate. This meant that Working Title where recieving big sums of money to produce the films, this helped Working Title to secure big casts, and meant that they could add in more effects, which made them more succesfull.


Developments of Working Title
Working title started producing independent films early on, they where started up by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radcliffe in 1983. in 1992 then funding was taken over, sole fundeing by Polygran, under PolyGran's funding, they produced films such as "Robin hood" and "Drop Dead Fred". In 1999, Working title got bought out by Universal Studios, they then became part of their conglomerate, and because of this they recieved a massive increase in funds/budgets

In the present day, working title have produced over 100 films, and are now branching out into the 3D film market by producing Nanny Mcphee in 3D. And they will continue to grow as a company as long as they have the financial backing of Universal.

There are many advantages of investment from a conglomerate, such as more of a budget available for your productions meaning you can incorporate new features into your production e.g. 3D technology, special effects, and new cameras such as silicon cameras etc. Another advantage could be Increased avenues when advertising the film, the parent company(in this example, Universal) can advise working title. 

There are also disadvantages to investment such as If you have too many investors, it may result in conflicting ideas, and may disrupt the production, also the investor may try to have too much influence into the production, causing the producer & director to have less control

Examples of Media Theorys

Claude Levi-Strauss (1908 - 2009)

Binary Opposites
Good / Evil
Black / White
Tall / Short
Old / Young  ect.

Vladimir Propp (1895  - 1970)
Charector Roles
1) The hero - the character who seeks something.
2) The Villain - Someone who tries to stop the hero.
3) The donor - who provides an object with some magic property.
4) The Helper - aids the hero.
5) The Princess  - reward for hero - often the object of villians
6) Her Father - who rewards the hero
7) The dispactcher - who sends the hero on his way.
8) The False hero - seems to be heroic intially. Turns out to be evil/ Red Herring

Red Herring:
A character or object that is intoduced as seemingly important. It is left behind/forgotten/never mentioned again. Turns out to have been of no importance.

Tzvetan Todorov (1939 -   )
All stories begin with an equilibrium this is disprupted, then restored. A classic begginging, middle, end narrative structure.
3 part narrative structure:
1. Equilibrium
2. Disruption of equilibrium
3. Restoration of equilibrium or new equilibrium.