PR5 - Remakes and Production Factors Which Influence Them.

A lot of films have been remade so fans of the film can see a more updated and better

quality version, with the technology and software they have today can create better visuals

and special effects looks more and more realistic especially with the SC-fi genre, a big

influence for a remake is the better technology, the older films become less popular with the

new generation because of the poor effects so to gain its popularity back they would remake

it with a new cast and have the use of new software’s which can produce realistic looking

animation and weapons in the film. This would then be up to date with all the special effects

in today’s films. Trends can relate to popular genre at the time for example if SC-fi movies

are popular the more people would want to go see these films they would get the most

attention, so remaking an old popular SC-fi movie would make people curious and would

make them want to see the film to compare it to the original this would also boost

merchandise sales for younger and the older audiences who were a fan of the original film,

this includes things like toys, clothing, mugs, key rings, posters etc. Finding a new younger

audience will keep to film relevant if it catches the interest of younger people this could spark

a lot of merchandise sales. Vertical integration is used in the film Judge Dredd (1995)

because its production company Hollywood pictures is owned by its distributor Buena vista

which means that because it’s the same company they will profit from both production and

the distribution of the film.

Part 1:

Dredd was made by the production company Buena Vista, the year of production was 2012

and the director was Pete Trans. The budget for the film was 45 million and it made in the

box office 41.4 million, this film is about future America which has one mega city it’s a

massive place with a lot of criminal goings on, the judges act as the law who go and stop the

criminals, judge Dredd has a call to go check out a suicide but then he discovers the two

men were pushed and have the drug slo-mo in them which slows down time, Dredd takes

out a new trainee judge to evaluate her skills, which starts out as a call to investigate a

suicide turns into a war against the drug gang and their leader Ma-ma who takes control of

the building buy shutting it down and sending all her gang out to kill Dredd and the trainee

Cassandra. Judge Dredd is played by Karl urban who starts in the new Star trek film as the

doctor Bones. The original film Judge Dredd made by the production company Hollywood

pictures, the year of production was 1995 and the director was Danny Cannon. The budget

for the film was 70 million and it made 113,5 million at box office, this film is about the year

2139 the earth has become a uninhabitable place where all of the earth’s population has

crowded into mass cities across the planet, these are known has mega cities, the crimes in

these cities have become so powerful that the original justice system failed a new system

called judges who were highly skilled people who worked in the mega cities, the main

character is a judge named Joseph Dredd who’s the best in judge history he ends up being

charged for murder and ends up in prison, he finds out that there is another judge who

shares his DNA judge Rico, Dredd now has to find out about his past. Joseph Dredd is

played by Sylvester Stallone a very popular actor known for playing Rocky and Rambo.

The two films are completely different when looking at both plots instead of using the same

story they are using the same theme for example both films are set in the huge Mega city

one they are both set in the future when crime is at a complete high and is out of control both

films have the Judges who are specially trained to fight crime, Dredd (2012) is based in a

tower block with a huge drug gang the whole film is set in the building and follows Dredd as

he fights through to get to the Head gang leader and stop this massive drug trade, Dredd

identity is never revealed in this film he wears his helmet all throughout the film which stays

very loyal to the comic books in these he never takes off his helmet. Judge Dredd (1995) he

does take of his helmet and he does go by his first name also this film focuses more of his

character and his life his struggle to get back to the mega city and find out why he was

framed for the murder, this is a big difference between both films due to the main theme

running through Dredd (2012) is focused on Dredd defeating the gang and finding Ma-ma

Judge Dredd (1995) is focused on Dredd himself so the only similarities throughout both

films is the setting and the theme both being in future America and both having the Judges

to keep crime under control and the biggest similarities is having Dredd as the main

character. The film being remade gives the chance for the character Dredd to stay relevant

for newer audiences this can also spark massive merchandise sales, the special effects

plays a massive part for remakes because of the new technology has become so much

more advanced for the film Dredd (2012) they use a certain camera called Phantom Flex a

high speed camera which can record at a frame rate of over 3000 frames per second and

higher, this slows down shots for all the slo-mo scenes which is something you couldn’t of

used in 1995 this is a perfect example of new technology, Synergy plays a huge role in

remakes, having a remake can also make the person watching be curious to watch the

original film this can also make people want to buy merchandise from the old film, clothing

like t-shirts is always a popular for nearly all films you can buy a t-shirt with the title or a

character out of the film on one, mostly quotes from films are on t-shirts like the ‘I am the

law’ quote from Judge Dredd (1995) can still be found people will always associate with the

film and character Dredd. Relationships between companies like clothing distributors and the

DVD production company are important they would discuss what features they want on the

DVD like bonus features and behind the scenes something the audience couldn’t see in

cinema. Looking at both film budgets the original film had a huge amount but made a lot

more back from its box office takings with the remake there budget was a lot less and they

ended up loosing out on at least 4 million so the original film actually made more in cinema

than the remake did this shows that even though the new film had all the new special effects

and new story the original actually did better.

Part 2:

Rec was made by the production company is Filmax International, the year of production

was 2007 and the director for the film was Paco Plaza and Jaume Balaguero.The budget for

the film was 2 million and the box office made 32.5 million. The film is about a a girl who

works for the local news station and she’s doing a part on the fire station on what they do

during one of their nights she follows one of them around, when they get a call to go to an

apartment block and she goes with them, Receiving a call from an old lady trapped in her

house, they reach her building to hear horrifying screams this then leads to them getting

trapped inside. The lead role is played by Manuela Velasco a famous actress in Spain. The

remake named Quarantine was made by the production company Vertigo entertainment its

director was John Erik Dowdle, the year of production was 2008. Budget for the film was 12

million and its box office takings were 41.3 million. The film has basically the same story as

Rec but instead of it having a religious theme the virus is made by terrorists, from start to

finish its pretty much shot by shot the same it’s a news reporter following around some fire

fighters during one of their night shifts again they get a call to go to an apartment block due

to a women screaming this then leads to them being trapped inside whilst people are getting

attacked by residents with the virus. The main character is played by Jennifer Carpenter who

is best known for her role in the TV series Dexter. The two films are exactly the same based

on the story line most of the characters fit the roles who are in the original because Rec had

a very positive rating but was in Spanish and had subtitles, the remake was made but in

English this can then gain a American audience knowing how popular the original one was

this can then hopefully have the popularity Rec had, the differences include added

characters and scenes also a different explanation for the virus they are both shot in a ‘found

footage’ style so always through the camera lens, there are much more similarities than

differences even the main characters resemble each other a lot the characters in both films

like the police men, fire fighters and the woman with the child and the old women. The

distribution of Rec was the same company that produced the film a good example of Vertical

integration having its own company distribute the film meaning they gain all the profit made,

Because Sony Pictures owns Screen Gems and then Screen Gems bought the rights to Rec

so they could then make Quarantine, the film didn’t cost as much as the original one did,

Rec only had a budget of 2 million whilst quarantine was a massive 12 million, Quarantine

did make more in the box office but Rec did make a lot more than they spent.

Part 3:

Carrie was remade the original was made in 1976 and they recently remade it in 2013,

Carrie (1976) is a Thriller/Science Fiction, it is directed by Brian De Palma it was distributed

by United artists, the budget for the film was 1.8million and it made back in box office 33.8

million it stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie and also stars John Travolta as one of the ‘popular’

lads, the film is about a quiet girl who is in high school a group of other girls bully her, at

home her mum is very religious and is also unstable. During one of her school days when

she’s being bullied she becomes very frantic and hysterical and a light bulb bursts. She ends

up discovering she has some sort of powers and uses them against everyone at prom after

being humiliated. The remake of this film in 2013 this film was directed by Kimberly Peirce

and was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and screen gems. The films budget is 30

million and box office takings were 85 million, the film stars actress Chloe Grace Moretz who

plays the lead role as Carrie it also stars Ansel Elgort as Tommy Ross the love interest who

pretends to take her to prom as a joke with his friends. The two are really big stars in today’s

time this is a good example of star theory, the use of star theory in a film is to attract people

to come and watch the film people finding out that she is the lead role in this film especially

fans of her will want to come and pay to see it making sales of the film a lot higher,

sometimes just from the pure fact someone is starring in a film can make people want to

come and see it. Star theory is when the film casts an actor/actress who is well known and

has a good reputation in acting someone with a huge following who would come out to watch

anything they are in.

War of the worlds was also remade, the original was made in 1953 and it is directed by

Byron Haskin and distributed by paramount pictures the budget for the film was 2 million and

it made back in box office 2 million. It stars Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. The remake was

made in 2005 it is directed by Steven Spielberg the production company is Amblin

entertainment and cruise and Wagner, it was distributed by paramount pictures for north

America and DreamWorks pictures for international, the budget for the film was 132 million

and it made back 591 million in box office, this 2013 film directed by Steven Spielberg has a

few relations to terror attacks he has an anti-terrorism message in the film showing that

everyone comes together to go against it and they can all beat it in the end, also the scenes

where tom cruise gets home at the end with white ash all over him relates to the “9/11

attacks when people nearby where covered in white ash. Steven Spielberg himself that 9/11

set the tone and made it worth my time and the audience’s time to see this. Story treated in

this way”. The aliens being under ground refer to all the ‘undergrounds’ ‘secretive’ goings on

until the ‘surprise attack’. Again the crashed plane scene again could be said that it is also is

in some way related to 9/11.

The film Karate Kid was remade, the original was made in 1984 it was directed by John G.

Avildsen and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The films budget was 8 million and in box

office it made 90 million, it stars Ralph Macchio as the main boy Daniel and Pat Morita who

plays Miyagi as his ‘master’ who teaches him in martial arts, the film is about Daniel who

moves to live with his mum and his new school has bullies who are beating him until one day

Miyagi intervenes and defeats them all on his own, this then leads to Daniel asking him to

teach him how to fight. The film which is distributed by Columbia who is owned by Sony

subsidiary this is Horizontal integration, because this is now owned by Sony this means that

they have the rights to all previous films that Columbia have made in the past which then

leads to remakes, They chose Karate kid to remake which they released in 2010 this film

was directed by Harald Zwart the production companies involved include Qverbrook

Entertainment, JW Productions and China film group, this was then distributed by Columbia

pictures, the films budget was 40 million and it mad 359 million in the box office. This film

has a similar plot to the original but it has changed the characters names including the main

boy himself who is now called Dre and he doesn’t move to his mums he moves with his mum

to Beijing his trainer also has a different name ‘Han’ the film still has similarities like him

getting bullied in school and the trainer helps him and ends up teaching him to fight and

defend himself. The cast include big names like Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith who is the

son of the massive star Will smith.

Lolita is a remake the original was made in 1962 directed by Stanley Kubrick, it had several

production companies like Seven arts, AA Productions, Anya Pictures and Transworld

Pictures. The budget for the film was 2 million and the box office takings are 9 million. The

film was based of a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The film Is about a middle aged man who is

falling in love with his teenage step daughter, because the film was released in 1962 a

storyline like this was strange and a lot of people didn’t know how to handle it, the idea of

incest wasn’t tolerated in 1962, the way the film come across and because its under the

genre ‘Comedy’ people didn’t take this lightly Kubrick had a lot of critical opinions towards

the film. The remake was made in 1997 directed by Adrian Lyne, the budget for the film was

62 million and the box office takings were 1 million basically this shows how bad the film was

received it was a massive flop compared to the original, even though the story might have

been taken differently because of the different times but Adrian Lyne made their relationship

a lot more in your face which Kubrick couldn’t of shown in his version due to the time. If

Kubrick would have done his film in 1997 his film might have gotten much better response

because of people views on the whole relationship.