Look at the following:


  • Which one of these is more familiar to you and why?
  • Can you name any films that you have seen brandishing either one of these logos at the start of the film?
  • How important is it for the audience to know who produces a film?

List firstly the benefits of Universal and Working Title working together and secondly the problems that might be encountered.


Benefits of Universal working with Working Title:

Problems that might be encountered:

  • They are a long established Hollywood production company
  • They are a global brand
  • Universal have a huge distribution company
  • They can provide a big Print (amount of digital copies of the original film) and Advertising budget
  • They are in a perfect position to sell the film to a North American audience
  • Their backing is likely to attract big stars and established directors
  • Their past relationship with Working Title has produced many hit films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually.
  • Cultural distance between Universal’s American outlook and Working Title’s sense of Britishness
  • This may create issues about how to position these films for a North American audience
  • There may need to be concessions made here, such as the inclusion of an American star actor (Andie McDowell – Four Weddings and a Funeral, Rene Zellweger – Bridget Jones, Julia Roberts – Notting Hill)
  • There may be changes to screenplays based on the difficulties of selling Working Title’s British films to the all-important American market
  • With Universal’s size, smaller Working Title films may not be as prioritised as some of their bigger films such as the Bourne and Despicable Me franchises.