Hollywood Production

Hollywood Film Production
Hollywood genrally makes around 120 films a year, the production costs of these films are usually high. They consist of the following:

• Special Effects.
• Actors (Usually established).
• Great Scripts.
• Exotic Locations (e.g. Italy, Vietnam, India).
• New Technology (New types of camera work).

Blockbusters
These films are the ones that have a high-budget production. They are aimed at mass markets and rely on vital merchandising.

'Spiderman 2' - Production Costs

Spiderman was a 'blockbuster'.

                                                   

Script & Development ($10m)

• Script budget on the film was 5% of the total budget.
• Writer David Koepp recieved an eight-figure paycheck at the end.
• A batch of four new writers also worked on the script including Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon.
• Although uncredited, well-paid script doctors were drafted in to rewrite certain scenes.

Licensing ($20m)

• Marvel owns the Spiderman character, however Sony bought movie rights in 1999. There has been ongoing litigation between the two companies since. This has pushed the licensing fee up further.
• Stan Lee (the co-creator of the Spiderman comic character) acts as executive producer on Spiderman 2. Lee's annual salary is $1m (£540,000). However, Lee has threatened to sue for a share of profits from licensing.

Producers ($15m)

• The typical blockbuster spawn numerous producers.
• Spiderman 2 has two producers, one co-producer & three executive producers.

Director ($10m)

• In the age of studio-led blockbuster movies, the dirctor has less & less autonomy, it is often brought on board after the studio has already completed casting.
• If test audiences dislike a scene then the director will likely cut or reshoot the scene.
• For the first Spiderman movie, then Columbia Pictures chairwoman Amy Pascal caused a shock to the community by hiring 'Evil Dead' director Sam Raimi, he was not well known to keep costs down.

Cast ($30m)

• Tobey Maguire landed the role of Spiderman after first-choice Heath Ledger passed. His pay for Spiderman was $4m (£2m) leapt to an upfront $17m (£9) for the sequel.
• Industry insiders estimate Kirstin Dunst was paid $5-$6m for Spiderman 2.
• New villain Alfred Molina would be paid in the region of $1m (£540,000)
• Actors, agents & managers went home with a tasty 10-15% of their clients payday.

Below The Line ($45m)

• 'Below The Line' costs are the physical production expenses of the school, including crew fees.
• The costs of hiring & operating 'state of the art' equipment, corralling and feeding armies of extras, occupying & vacating locations and employing thousands of high salried crew members are enormous.

Special Effects ($65m)

• The lion's share of post-production budget is now spent on special effects.
• Editing is still a sizeable chunk in the special effects budget, however the effects budget on blockbusters is one of the big allowances, it is growing fast as well.

Music ($5m)

• No more than 2% of the budget is spent on the music in the film.
• 3 time Oscar nominated Danny Elfman composed the music for Spiderman 2. The fee that he recieved came to nearly £2m.
• 'Sony Music Soundtrax' puts out the official soundtrack which includes tracks by Jet & Train.
• The 1st Spiderman album debuted at no. 4 on the US Albums Chart & sold more than 2m copies worldwide.

Prints & Advertising ($75m)

• Print & advertising costs aren't included in the production budget.
• Having already spent $200m on making the film, the studios will spend even more money on marketing it.

Final Box Office Figures
$821m [£446] worldwide.

Glossary

• High Production Values- The quality of the film. For example, if it is a higher budget then it is much more likely to be a 'high production value film'.
• Blockbuster- When a film does unusually well in the box office across the world.
• Above The Line Costs- Any cost that is involved in the advertising production process.
• Below The Line Costs- Costs covering virtually everything that a production will require such as the crew, the set production, equipment rentals, location fees, props, office space etc.
• Media Conglomerate- A company that owns many companies. This makes one big company that can shut out opposition.
• Subsidiary- A company that is owned by a bigger company. For example, Disney (Which is in the big 6) owns Pixar (A small animation company).