Inception Soundtrack

Inception soundtrack.

Created by Charles Dumont and Michel Vaucarie.

Inception Posters

A selection of teaser posters were created to contribute to the marketing of the film. These teaser posters don't give away any of the major Hollywood actors/actrees's. Which also add to the climax of the films distribution.

These other posters feature the Hollywood stars and the fans would want to then go and see the film.  

   Ellen Page, young Hollywood actress. Known for the film 'Juno', 'The last stand' and 'Hard Candy.

Joseph Gordon Levitt: Aged 30. Known for his role in '500 days of summer' that he received a golden globe nomination for. He was also nominated a MTW Movie Award for Inception.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Made famous as a child actor in the film 'What's eating gilbert grape' (1993). Also the award winning film 'Titanic' and 'Romeo and Juliet'. When Titanic was released Leonardo became a heart-throb. Something that didn't sit well with him.

 Marion Cotillard: The glamorous, Oscar winning, Hollywood actress that plays up to 'the male gaze' in Christopher Nolan’s film 'Inception'. Most commonly known for her part in the musical film 'Nine' and ' La vie en Rose' 

Inception

'successful media products depend as much on marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices'. To what extent would you agree with this statement. Within the media area (film) you have studied?

Inception is a successful film that made $825 million, which was a massive profit considering the budget for the film was only $175 million and the marketing budget $100m.

Some might question that $100 million is a lot to spend on a films marketing. However marketing is a crucial to determine the films success. The marketing team of Inception created 7 posters and they are each different to advertise each character in the film. This is a clever way of advertising because fans of the specific actor/actresses will want to see them in the new film "Inception'. Two teaser poster were also released before the other seven were. The teaser posters used a silhouette of a man in the street. From the dark colours and city location in the posters, the public can anticipate the films release. A 3D poster what also created and gave the illusion of a building being flooded. This imagine was purposely meant to stand out and be a striking sight in the city and acts to generate word of mouth. A teaser trailer, two official trailers and nine T.V spots (adverts) were also released. The nine different T.V spots were also a good idea  because each T.V spot/trailer has Christopher Nolan's name plastered across or 'The director of the dark knight' which provides the film with recognition and we know what to expect from Nolan's films. The standard is set.  People see a different side of the film for example, romance, action and drama are all shown in each T.Vspot. Press junkets also took place to help spread the word. This is where the director/production team and Hollywood stars meet and greet international press. The press junkets would also include a press conference. Which also contributes to advertising the film and leading towards it's successes. The 'Inception' website and spin off marketing material e.g. pop ups and comic books. Along with a fake website for the 'dream device' where the public can feel closer and more involved in the film.

The distribution of Christopher Nolan's 'Inception' was released by Warner bros Pictures on July 16th 2010. The UK Premier took place 8th July. Inception was distributed to over 2000 cinemas worldwide. The film Inception would be enjoyed by Christopher Nolan fans and fans of his film 'The Dark Knight'. People who enjoy action packed dramatic films brilliant special effects would also go and see this film. The influence of having major Hollywood stars taking part in the film draws in the audience who are fans of the actors/actresses. For example Leonardo DiCaprio is described as a 'Hollywood heart-throb. Inception pretty much covers all genre's of film. We see the romance between leonardo DiCaprio and Marolin Cotillard, real life family struggles of trying to get home to see children, the dramatic action scenes and puzzling story line. I do not believe that there is a specific audience for the film. However viewers would have to be some what intelligent to understand the complexity in the plot. Having a mass audience target means the film can make more money. But no specific audience worried Warner Bros for the reasons that it's a totally original idea from Nolan with high intellectual levels of the films and the fact that it is different from any other Hollywood blockbuster. This could explain why the marketing was so expensive and important.

Inception was filmed in a number of locations including England, California (America), Paris (France) and Japan. The shut down of famous cities such as New York and Paris mean't that production would be very expensive. The cast of the film: Leonardo DiCaprio, Marolin Cotillard, Joseph Gorden Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger and Christopher Nolan’s son Magnus make production practices important. After all if there was no big names a film will statistically not do as good because there isn't recognition. Charles Dumont and Michel Vaucarie created the soundtrack for Inception. The film has over 500 visual effects shots. In charge of the stunning visual effects is Paul Franklin. Who built a miniature fortress mountain set and then blew it up for the film.   CG- based effects were also used during the zero gravity scenes in the hotel. As well as CGI . The score by Edith Piaf 'Je Ne Regrette Rien' is played throughout the film at the height of drama or tension. This worldwide song is became inspirational during the film. 

Taking all these points into account i believe that a media product, whether it be a magazine, T.V show or film (like Inception) all depends on,  correct marketing, specific audience and good production practices in order for it to be successful. 

How is gender represented in this clip of 'Mistresses' ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3NhPDuC5BU&feature=player_embedded

During this clip taken from T.v drama 'Mistresses', gender is represented differently. The first couple we see have a subverted gender roles. The woman is dressed in a smart business suit and is handed a mug (by her husband) that reads 'super mum' that suggests she is a powerful character with children.
Throughout this scene we see Richard (male character) getting frustrated because he is a 'stay at home' man. We also see a lot of mid shots between the two characters and they seem to be close. The scene is slow moving (limited cuts) this introduces a realism into the narrative. A sound bridge is edited in and used to take us to the next scene.
The second scene shows a woman at a low angle ( on the floor) getting her child dressed/ready. we hear diegetic sound of the shower and the see a young handsome man exit the bathroom at a high angle. Interpreting the child's point of view (what the child is seeing). The camera then cuts to an eye-line shot of the mother and child. Then quickly cuts again to another low angle shot of an attractive, glamorous blonde lady also coming out of the bathroom. The use of a low angle shot gives the couple coming out of the bathroom a superior, more powerful representation, compared to the single woman looking after her child. We feel slightly sorry for her. This scene is also very quick, which illustrates the fast moving 'rush' of a household getting ready in the morning. The mother of the child is in a smart tray/black suit which indicates she is on her way to work. This character is shown as independent. However in the first and second scene traditional gender roles are not shown. For example the man would stereotypically be going out to work.
We enter the third scene with another sound bride. The third and final scene we see a couple with traditional gender roles. But before we see them together we are shown a high angled shot of golden balls which symbolise a pawn brokers shop. Instantly we know the character we are about to see is struggling for money . Non diegetic, mysterious sound is played and we see a close up shot of cash in the mans hand. We get an uneasy atmosphere as the music plays and question what the man is up to. Why does he need the money? The man in this scene seems like a  gentleman e.g buying his girlfriend flowers to make up for being late for an IVF appointment.
A door bell sounds and interrupts the couples embrace. The man travels down the dark hall way and opened the door to two men dressed in dark suits. We get a uneasy feeling as the mysterious characters don't allow the man to shut the door. The men turn out to be bailiffs. quick cuts are used and over the shoulder shot to show the fast pace of conversation.

Chirstiphor Nolan- Inception

The dreams
The film Inception plays with your mind and focuses on characters subconscious. If director Christopher Nolan explain everything that happens in the film and justify it then it would destroy the ambiguity that he built into the plot. There are many different ideas and interpretations about what happens at the end of the film. One argument is that the ending is a dream. Another argument is that the whole film is a sequence of dreams or one big dream. Therefore the characters are never conscious/awake. Inception's bonus DVD comes with special effects and a explanation of the dreams and vision that Nolan had in mind. We are told why dreams happen and at what stage of sleep you can begin to dream.

Originally, Nolan wanted the film to b a horror thriller. The extraction of dreams would be more gruesome. However during the nine years of writing this he decided to not make it scary/gruesome. This could be to appeal to a wider audience. By doing this we aren't distracted by the horror, but focus more on the plot and details.