WJEC, Media Studies, MS4 - Film Industry, Spectre, James Bond, Production & Marketing

1. Case Study

2. Spectre
Spectre: What we need to know
Section A
Section B

3. Case Study – Spectre (2015)
• Section B: Institutions and Audiences
1. PRODUCTION – Big Budget (Originally $245 million), making it the most
expensive Bond film and one of the most expensive films ever made.
Company: Eon Films (Independent UK/US film company that finances all
the Bond Films).
2. DISTRIBUTION – MGM & Columbia Pictures (both owned by Sony)
3. AUDIENCE – UK/US film aimed at a global audience – censorship for
Indian audience.
4. MARKETING – Product placement, PR Stunts, Synergy.
5. EXHIBITION – IMAX release
6. DIGITAL vs TRADITIONAL – First use of 6K Alexa camera on a Bond film
(for selected sequences). Yet, reverted back to 35mm to retain ‘feel’ of
the original Bond movies.

4. Production
• It was produced by UK-based Eon Productions
and distributed by MGM (a US company) and
Columbia Pictures (A Sony Pictures company -
US-based subsidiary of Sony).
Case Study – Spectre

5. Case Study – Spectre
• PRODUCTION
• Production of Spectre was completed within 11 months. It was
announced at a special launch event held on 4th December 2014
• At the launch event the release dates were revealed: 26th October
2015 in the UK; 6th November in the US.
• The film had a bigger budget than its predecessor, (Skyfall was
limited due to MGM’s financial troubles in 2010). This bigger budget
resulted in a much more global project. While Skyfall, was mainly
UK-centric, Spectre was shot in Mexico, Morocco, Austria, Italy,
Vatican City and several locations around the UK, with the base of
operations being Pinewood Studios, just outside of London.

6. Case Study – Spectre
• A large editing team, based primarily at Pinewood, was working on
the footage as the production continued its journey around the
globe. They were uploading footage to a system called PIX, to allow
people to keep track of the film from wherever they were in the
world.

7. • It was directed by Oscar-winning Sam
Mendes (a British director). Prior to
Skyfall, Bond films were not usually
helmed by critically acclaimed directors.
Case Study – Spectre

8. • The film was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbra
Broccoli, who have produced numerous Bond films (and
who are related to Albert Broccoli, the previous Bond
producer) – all of these people are American.
• Despite the hype generated from its predecessor,
Spectre failed to achieve the $1 billion mark in
worldwide revenue.
Case Study – Spectre

9. Case Study - Spectre
• PRODUCTION – Profits…
• “The windfall will benefit three players in the
Bond universe: producers MGM; producers and
rightsholders Barbara Broccoli (aged 57), and
Michael G. Wilson (aged 75); and distributor Sony
Pictures. In a complicated deal that was heavily
negotiated with Sony after MGM emerged from
bankruptcy in 2010, MGM and Broccoli and
Wilson will jointly collect 75 per cent of the
movie's profits.”

10. Budget and costs
• Although a British film, the budget ($245 million) was
financed by USA. The budget is required to appeal to a
global audience in order to afford the special effects to
produce spectacular scenes etc.
• A third of these costs were covered by a deal made with
Heineken, who paid £28 million for their product
placement in the film (and subsequent TV ad, which
featured many Bond characters).
• Original Skyfall Ad
• New Spectre Ad
• The promotional costs have been estimated at around $100
million
Case Study – Spectre

11. Stardom
Spectre was able to attract much attention from bigger names mainly due to where it sits in the
movie universe – as a Bond film.
Joining Daniel Craig – his 4th movie as Bond – included names such as:
• Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
• Monica Bellucci (“The Matrix” franchise)
• Lea Seydoux (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol; Blue is the Warmest Colour)
• Dave Baustita (Guardians of the Galaxy)
As well as others reprising their roles from Skyfall:
• Ralph Fiennes (M),
• Ben Wishaw (Q)
• Naomie Harris (Moneypenny).
As is the case with western cinema, audiences are usually drawn to a movie if it contains
familiar/their favourite actors, giving Spectre a huge advantage in terms of audience appeal.
Richard Dyer – Star theory:
3 key areas:
• The star as a construction
• The star as a commodity
• The star as an ideology
• Yet he also suggested there is a paradox:
– The star needs to be ordinary yet also exceptional.

12. Case Study – Spectre
Comparison
Spectre, the 24th instalment of the 53-year-old
James Bond franchise, has become a global
phenomenon. Its opening-weekend haul in the U.S.
was $70.4 million - almost $18 million less than the
previous Bond film, Skyfall.

13. Case Study – Spectre
Comparison

14. “It can be argued that they are not really British at all, given that they
are backed by American dollars… [yet] the Britishness of Bond films
has been one of their main selling points, a factor which
differentiates them from all other action movies which have followed
in their wake”
What is British about Bond?
• Production base
• Most of the technical personnel
• Generic roots
• Ideology of national identity
James Chapman, 2009, p.13
A British Film?
Case Study – Spectre

15. Case Study – Spectre (2015)
• PRODUCTION
• Filming was scheduled to take up 133 days (it took
128).
• Filming began on December 6th 2014 (two days
after the announcement event), and principal
photography would eventually wrap on July 5th
2015.
• It was filmed in several locations including
Mexico, Morocco, Italy and Austria.
• Why are global locations important?

16. The censorship was
agreed to enable the
film to reach the 4th
largest international
audience
Case Study – Spectre in India
Global implications

17. • Spectre outperformed Skyfall in several foreign
markets, most noticeably in China, where it
has taken in $83 million since opening on
November 13, compared to the $59 million
overall taken in by the earlier film.
• The shortfall has come from the film’s home
turf, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Why
do you think this is?

18. China Publicity
• Skyfall grossed nearly $60 million in China, but many observers believed
Spectre would trump that figure given that the country has substantially
increased its network of theatres in the three years since the last Bond
picture opened.
• Sony’s marketing strategy also focused a lot on the Chinese market which
resulted in a $48.1M gross profit in its opening weekend alone which set
records for a 2D film and far outpaced Skyfall’s success.
• To achieve this, Sony partnered with local singing star Jane Zhang who
produced a Chinese version of the Bond theme, “Writings On The Wall.”
She’s got millions of social media followers. Chinese audiences want to be
part of the pop culture and that means seeking out talent with big
followings who are also invited to premieres.
• In the case of the Jack Ma showcase for Singles’ Day - a televised gala
event - he got Daniel Craig on his show, and Spectre got a big platform. A
major contributor to Spectre’s opening box office was this pre-release
week publicity. It made it an event whereas Bond movies are generally
events elsewhere other than China.

19. US Publicity: The Late Show
• Daniel Craig and Stephen Colbert performed a sketch on
The Late Show that brought to life some of the gritty
realism we never see in James Bond movies.
• There's no way Bond, who has probably racked up a debt
the size of a small nation in destroyed cars, could manage
to rent a vehicle with his accident history. Can you
imagine this guy's insurance rates? Colbert and Craig run
with this scenario in a "deleted scene" from Spectre.

20. Boxofficestats

21. Boxofficestats

22. Case Study – Spectre (2015) Global
achievements
• Second highest earning Bond film
• 48th highest-grossing film of all time
• Sixth highest-grossing film of 2015

23. Spectre
Spectre: What we need to know
Section B

24. Release Schedule for Spectre 2014/15
2011 2012
2014 2015
Oct 26th
Spectre Premiere in
Royal Albert Hall
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep OctOct
March 27th
1st Spectretrailer
released
December 6th
Production begins
Sep 8th
Sam Smith confirmed as the
theme song artist
July 21st
Official trailer
released
December 4th
Film name and cast
announced
Sep 2nd
2nd TV spot
trailer
Oct 26th
Opening night of
Spectre
June 10th
1st TV spot trailer
trailer released
Oct 5th
Theme tune ‘Writing on
the Wall’ released

25. PRODUCTION & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
• Spectre relied on both digital and 35mm Film to
shoot the film. Alexa 65 cameras were used to film
the High production stunt/fight scenes as this would
have been much easier to add in CGI than traditional
35mm.

26. • Distribution into cinemas: It was the second
James Bond film to be screened in IMAX
venues, although it was not filmed with IMAX
cameras.
EXHIBITION & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

27. EXHIBITION & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
• Following on from Skyfall’s release in IMAX
which proved hugely successful - Spectre's
performance has surpassed its predecessor
and even Avatar in IMAX cinemas to make it
the country's high-grossing IMAX release ever
with $10.09 million.

28. Case Study - Spectre
• DISTRIBUTION
• The film was released in the US on 9th February 2016
• The Uk release date wasn’t until 22nd February 2016.
• Both were distributed by 20th Century Fox Home
Entertainment.
• Heineken is backing the marketing drive with digital
activity on Google and social media marketing on
Facebook.

29. • MARKETING
• Approximately $100m was spent on marketing
Spectre.
Case Study - Spectre

30. Traditional Marketing: Posters
The use of
different posters
being released
also raised
awareness of
the film being
released. The
posters on these
slides are the
different ones
released to
promote the
movie.

33. IMAX
POSTER

34. Digital Motion Poster

35. Sizzle Reel: Announcement
On the 4th December, the studio announced the
release of Spectre. This strategy is used to let
people know it is now being produced which
therefore allows people to become excited and it
starts the talk of the movie- allowing it to reach
more people before it’s release.
• https://youtu.be/v5u452Q9FGM

36. Teaser Trailer
The teaser trailer was released on 27th March to
keep the waiting fans excited, showing them
some special moments from the trailer and
giving them more of teaser of the movie itself.
• https://youtu.be/LOWc8GefAV8

37. TV Spot Trailers
• The first TV Spot trailer was release on 10th
June 2015 in the US.
• The second TV Spot trailer wassailed on 11th
September 2015.

38. Official Trailer
The official trailer was released on 21st July
2015.
Closer to the release date, its to show the larger
fanbase what they’re waiting for. It also now
generates more publicity as more and more
people start watching it and sharing it.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTDaET-
JweU

39. Final Trailer
• Released on 2nd October 2015, the final trailer
seeks to continue the hype until the premier.

40. Chat shows
• Marketing also including traditional
promoting methods through chat shows, for
example: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz &
Naomie Harris appearing on popular chat
show The Graham Norton Show just weeks
prior to the film’s release.

41. Synergy
• Using other brands to promote both products.

42. Advertisement
Sam Smith, who was signed on to do
the soundtrack, posted a picture of
his hand on Instagram Monday (Sept.
7) in which he's wearing a ring which
is blatantly engraved with the symbol
of a spectre.
The fact that he posted it before his
initial statement caused a commotion
all over Social Media as people began
to talk about whether or not he was
going to be the actor doing the music
for the movie.
Twitter and Facebook began
discussing the circumstances around
him wearing the ring and this
therefore raised awareness of the
movie as most news outlets also
joined the media.

43. Official
Confirmation

44. News on the 23rd September 2015
Sam Smith released a sneak preview for his song. This therefore starts a new topic of
talk as it begins to invite people to speculate on whether the soundtrack is fitting or
not. I personally liked the new audio clip released as I feel Sam Smith’s music is very
powerful and soulful and therefore it is a great contrast with the movie’s action. The
song was released on 5th October 2015 and went on to receive the Academy Award
for Best Original Song.

45. News Outlets

46. Social Media

47. 007.com
Official James Bond Website

48. Specialised Merchandise
In light of the 007 release, two new alcohol
brands have begun to sponsor the upcoming
film. One of them being Belvedere, with the
motto ‘Excellent Choice, Mr. Bond’ and the other
brand being Heineken, who have released a 007’
beer.

49. Cars talking about Spectre
The Jaguar Land Rover was announced to be used in the making of 007
Spectre. The cars are shown below and had their own photos released to
tease the smashing cars used in the movie.

50. Spectre and the Odeon
Odeon are the main exhibitors of Spectre and are making a lot
of different announcements in regards to the movie.
The movie is being shown at all different times of the day,
ranging from 10 in the morning, to 8 in the afternoon-
meaning there has to be many screenings a day to reach the
level of demand.
Odeon are also campaigning a special ticket, this ticket- if won,
can be used to watch the Spectre film as many times as you
want and this therefore is a huge campaign technique.

51. Odeon – Book Online

52. Odeon Timetable – Special Packages
This special
package consists on
a special Gallery
ticket and a vodka
martini package
which is an
incentive to book
the viewing in
advance

53. Odeon Pre-Booked
The first screening on Monday, October 26th had
a lot of seats already pre-booked. This
information was screenshot on 16th September
2015.

54. • “The new film raises the bar for onscreen product
placement, from 007's Tom Ford-tailored suits, Omega
Seamaster watch and Sony Xperia phone, as well as
off-screen alliances ranging from Coke Zero to perfume
retailers... His new tipple of choice, Heineken, has
proved an ongoing sticking point with fans, particularly
after a big-budget ad that actually roped Daniel Craig
into the action. However, with the Dutch beer having
stumped up over £28m for the privilege of seeing Bond
sip from a green bottle in an early scene – coolly
covering almost a quarter of the film's estimated
production budget in the process… ”
MARKETING – SYNERGY

55. Heineken
• Additionally, Heineken produced around 500
million beer bottles that contained a logo that
can be scanned to unlock behind-the-scenes
content from the new Bond film.

57. Case Study - Spectre

58. VisitBritain, the official tourism and destination partner of Spectre, has launched its first
film tourism ad. The Bond is GREAT Britain slogan was used for Skyfll, but has been
restyled with a new banner and hashtag which is seen around the world reminding
people that there is no better time for them to come to Britain and explore the home of
James Bond.
Synergy –
VisitBritian

60. Sony Xperia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aRwkJWHzC8

61. Omega
Watch

62. Synergy

65. Brand Association
• In a tie-in, act of synergy, Heineken launched a $100 million (£64
million) campaign capitalising on its sponsorship of the new
James Bond film, Spectre, with a TV spot featuring Daniel Craig.
Although the film features no product placement of the green
bottles of lager, this I as a result of the critical response by fans -
after Bond was seen to sip from a bottle during a scene in Skyfall
– as they believe his drink of choice should have been the
Martini.
• However, the use of brand association in the film has been great,
with product placement such as Tom Ford suits and Sony Vaio
laptops leading to additional promotion of the film through
product advertising on TV and in print ads.
• Top 6 promotional adverts

66. Fans’ reaction
BBC News: Is Beer Damaging ‘Brand Bond’?

67. SOUNDTRACK - SYNERGY
• The soundtrack album was released on 23rd October
2015 in the UK and on 6 November 2015 in the US.
• On 8th September 2015, British singer-songwriter Sam
Smith confirmed that he had written and recorded the
film's theme song with Jimmy Napes, who also co-
wrote Stay with me and I’m not the only one.
• He posted a picture of the spectre ring on his Instagram
account on 7th September (the day before it was
officially released) causing speculation.

68. Snapchat
• A first-of-its-kind, 24-hour Snapchat channel devoted
entirely to the new James Bond entry Spectre went live at
midnight on the day of release (26th October)
• “This is a fun way for current and future James Bond fans
to experience Spectre,” said Dwight Caines, President,
Theatrical Marketing for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“For one day only, Snapchat will be the one-stop shop
for Spectre content, including photos and behind-the-
scenes looks at the making of this incredible movie.”
• The Spectre Edition Discover Channel was the social
media platform’s first Discover channel created
specifically for a film.

69. Facebook & Twitter