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.