The Hobbit desolation of smaug: Various trailers

The Hobbit the desolation of smaug: The star system

The star system was the method of creating, promoting and exploiting movie stars in Classical Hollywood cinema. Studios would select promising young actors and glamorise and create personas for them, often inventing new names and even new backgrounds. Examples of stars who went through the star system include Cary Grant (born Archie Leach), Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur), and Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr.)

The star system put an emphasis on the image rather than the acting, although discreet acting, voice, and dancing lessons were a common part of the regimen. Women were expected to behave like ladies, and were never to leave the house without makeup and stylish clothes. Men were expected to be seen in public as gentlemen. Morality clauses were a common part of actors' studio contracts.

This however, is no longer the case with the star system being exploiting or hiring an actor to ensure commercial success. Some actors will become specifically tied down to a role as Robert Downey jr is to Iron Man and Ian Mckeller is to Gandalf. The Hobbit employed a number of well known british actors in order to appeal to the british audience. The main 4 were Ian Mckeller (X-MEN), Stephen Fry (QI), Martin Freeman (Hot Fuzz) and Benedict Cumberpatch (Sherlock) who are notoriously known for a variety of British films and television series.

My brother the devil: Soundtrack analysis

My brother the devil's soundtrack was a compilation of relevant music which helped to set the scene, promote unknown rappers and draw in the fans of well known rappers like "Cashtastic". Being reflective of the atmosphere of the film these songs would often play in the background un-noticed although the film would feel empty without them. They are urban tracks creating a dark backdrop. Featuring artists like Benny Banks, Joe Black and Cashtastic.

The Hobbit desolation of smaug: Soundtrack analysis

The music of The Hobbit film trilogy is being composed, orchestrated, conducted and produced by Howard Shore. He was the obvious choice for the soundtrack as not only did he work on the original Lord of the Rings trilogy but her also worked on The Hobbit and unexpected journey.

Howard shore has made a big name for himself in the film soundtrack world having worked on other films such as the twilight saga, Eastern promises and the departed. This repertoire and a need to replicate the feel of the original LOTR trilogy means that his place on the crew was almost ensured.

A surprise addition to the soundtrack was Ed Sheeran and his song "I see fire". Written specifically for the Hobbit 2 it created buzz within the Ed Sheeran fandom and also gave the film something to promote that wasn't so fantasy heavy. This synergy benefited both The Hobbit and Ed Sheeran with their fan bases crossing over.

My brother the devil: Classification and intended audience

My brother the devil was given a classification of 15

Any film Classified 15 will contain:

Any of the following:

•   strong violence
•  frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
•   portrayals of sexual activity
•   strong verbal references to sex
•   sexual nudity
•   brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
•   discriminatory language or behaviour
•   drug taking

-BBFC official website

As this film will have a much more niche audience to that of The Hobbit desolation of smaug it had to ensure that it could be viewed by as many people as possible without detracting from the message of the film. This film appeals to an audience between the ages of 15- 25. Had the film been more gory or taken a more graphic approach it would have gained an 18 classification. This would have been detrimental to the performance of the film as less people would have been able to see it. Further considering that this film is a social commentary on a very real if not hidden part of British culture it was important that it could be seen by those who would enjoy it the most.

Unlike Hobbit this film wouldn't be releasing play sets or games as it's just not intended for children. The only thing which could be marketed would perhaps be the soundtrack, composed by a number of (with want for a better phrase) urban artists.

The Hobbit desolation of smaug: Classification and intended audiences

The Hobbit desolation of smaug was given a 12A rating

"12A is advisory, which means that as with U and PG, parents can make up their minds about whether they think a film is suitable for you. 12As are stronger than PGs and Us though. When BBFC Examiners recommend a film should be a 12A this means they think it is suitable for children aged 12 and over. However, your parents may decide that you are likely to enjoy a specific film." 
-CBBFC main site

This age rating was instrumental for the films success as it allowed parents to see the film with their children. Every parent taking their child to the cinema would have to buy a ticket for them and most likely popcorn and drinks for a well rounded cinema experience. It also allowed for the film to be shown more times throughout the day as anyone over the age of 12 could see the film unaccompanied.

Considering this fact I would assume that the age range intended for the audience was 12- 45 a huge margin meaning that even with it's very niche fantasy audience it was still expected to make a lot of money. Along with this many products could be sold to this wide and varied audience. Action figures for young children and collectors, games, replica weapons and LARP, as well as the original book.

My brother the devil: Budget and critical acclaim

My brother the devil was given a budget of £650 by it's production company PACHA pictures. Since then it has grossed £1.2 million meaning it cannot be considered commercial successful. Unlike the Hobbit however this film received much critical acclaim and was awarded 12 awards, 1 honorable mention and 17 nominations.
Some of which included:

• Won Best European Film (Europa Cinemas Label Award) at Berlinale
• Won Best Cinematography at Sundance Film Festival
• Won CBA Worldview Sundance Impact Award at Sundance London
• Won Best Newcomer - Sally El Hosaini at BFI London Film Festival
• Won Most Promising Newcomer - Sally El Hosaini at Evening Standard Film Awards
• Won Grand Jury Award at LA Outfest
• Won Audience Award - Annonay Film Festival, France
• Won BIFA for Best Newcomer - James Floyd at British Independent Film Awards
• Won Best Actor - James Floyd at Milan Film Festival
• Won New Vision Award for Cinematography - Manaki Brothers Film Festival, Macedonia
• Honorable Mention Outstanding First Feature, Frameline Film Festival
• Nominated Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival
• Nominated BIFA Douglas Hickox award for Best Debut Film - Sally El Hosaini at British Independent Film Awards
• Nominated Sutherland Trophy (Best First Film) - Sally El Hosaini at BFI London Film Festival
• Nominated Most Promising Newcomer - James Floyd at Evening Standard Film Awards
• Nominated Best Newcomer - Fady Elsayed at BFI London Film Festival

Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian wrote this:

"First-time feature director Sally El Hosaini makes a bold and terrifically confident debut, hitting her stride with this urban drama set in east London. It's well made, well acted by a largely non-professional cast and seductively photographed by cinematographer David Raedeker – a muscular and heartfelt film with Stephen Frears's My Beautiful Laundrette somewhere in its DNA."