SECTION A CASE STUDY - BRITISH FILM

12 years a slave

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty at the hands of a malevolent slave owner, as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth… More year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon's chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.


Budget: $20 - $22 million      Box office: $178,124,378

Directed by: Steve Mcqueen

Produced by: Brad Pitt                     
                      Dede Gardner
                      Jeremy Kleiner
                      Bill Pohlad
                      Steve Mcqueen
                      Arnon Milchan

Screenplay by: John Ridley

Based on: Twelve years a slave by Solomon Northup
Studio: Film4
            Plan B
            River road Entertainment
            Regency Enterprises
            Summit Entertainment
Running time: 134 minutes
Release Dates: UK - January 10 2014
                         US - November 8 2013
Distributed by: Fox searchlight Pictures (US)
                           Entertainment One ( UK)

Awards: Academy Award for best picture, Golden Globe Award for best motion picture - drama,  Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress, Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, BAFTA Award for Best Film, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.






Oscar Predictions!

The main arguments in the 12 Years a Slave corner are that it was the year’s greatest work of cinematic art, it told a story that needed telling and has needed telling for decades, a Best Picture win for it will be a sign to the world that making films like this matters and that Hollywood is unafraid of not watering down difficult subject matter for a wide audience (even though they really are), that a Best Picture loss for it will prove negative stereotypes of the Academy and the Hollywood film industry in general, that a loss will mean the Oscars as an institution are afraid of real and daring art, that a loss could be seen as a racist statement, or as an implicit statement that the Oscars aren’t fair to African-Americans, and that a win will provoke more people to see the movie (which desperately needs to happen).

Starring

Chiwetal Ejoifor

 Chiwetal Ejoifor is a British actor of film, television, and theatre. After enrolling at the National Youth Theatre in 1995, and then subsequently gaining a scholarship to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, aged 19, and only three months into his course, Ejiofor was chosen by Steven Spielberg to play a small part in Amistad as James Covey.
 
For 12 Years a Slave, he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor.

Michael Fassbinder

Michael Fassbender is an Irish-German actor. His notable roles include Lt. Archie Hicox in the film Inglorious Basterds, Magneto in the superhero films X-Men: First Class  and X-Men: Days of Future Past, David in the science fiction movie Prometheus, and slave owner Edwin Epps in 12 Years a Slave , a historical drama that earned him a 2014 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
His other credits include the fantasy action film 300 ; the drama film Fish Tank; the romantic drama film Jane Eyre ; the historical film A Dangerous Method ; the biographical film Hunger  and the drama film Shame ,both directed by Steve McQueen.

 

 

Benedict Cumberbatch

 

Benedict Cumberbatch is an English film, television, theatre and voice actor.

Cumberbatch's first West End theatre performance was for Sir Richard Eyre's revival of Hedda Gabler as George Tesman in 2005. Since then, he has appeared in the Royal National Theatre productions After the Dance (2010) and Danny Boyle's Frankenstein (2011). His first starring role on television was as the title character in Hawking in 2004. He has portrayed Sherlock Holmes in the television series Sherlock since 2010 and has led the ensemble cast of Sir Tom Stoppard's adaptation of Parade's End in 2012.

He has received two Olivier Award nominations winning one for Best Actor, four BAFTA nominations, two Emmy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination, among several others.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Academy Award nominations in acting categories, and received two further Academy Award nominations, winning one, for productions of his film production company Plan B Entertainment. He has been described as one of the world's most attractive men, a label for which he has received substantial media attention.

His other films include; fight club, World War Z, Money Ball, Oceans Eleven, Inglorious Basterds, seven, Mr and Mrs Smith, Thelma and Louise, Snatch, Meet Joe Black, Killing them softly, 12 Monkeys, The counsellor, Happy feet two, Kickass.

                       

 Director

Steve Mcqueen

  

Steve Mcqueen is a British film director, producer, screenwriter and video artist.
Steve Mcqueen movies - 12 years a slave ( he won an Academy Award),shame, hunger and deadpan.


What happened during the production phase?

Filming

With a production budget of $20 million, principal photography began in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 27, 2012. After seven weeks, filming concluded on August 13, 2012. As a way to keep down production costs, a bulk of the filming took place around the greater New Orleans area – mostly south of the Red River country in the north of the state, where the historic Northup was enslaved. Among locations used were four historic antebellum plantations: Felicity, Magnolia, Bocage, and Destrehan. Magnolia, a plantation in Natchitoches, Louisiana, is just a few miles from one of the historic sites where Northup was held. "To know that we were right there in the place where these things occurred was so powerful and emotional," said actor Chiwetel Ejoifor. "That feeling of dancing with ghosts – it's palpable." Filming also took place at the Columns Hotel and Madame John's Legacy in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Design
To accurately depict the time period of the film, the filmmakers conducted extensive research that included studying artwork from the era. With eight weeks to create the wardrobe, costume designer Patricia Norris collaborated with Western Costume to compile costumes that would illustrate the passage of time while also being historically accurate. Using an earth tone color palette, Norris created nearly 1,000 costumes for the film

Marketing and Distribution Stage

Marketing

• Due to both the film's explicit nature and award contender status, 12 Years a Slave's financial success is being watched closely. Many analysts have compared the film's content to other epic drama films of a similar vein such as Schindler's List (1993) and The Passion of the Christ (2004), which became box office successes despite their respective subject matters.

• During its marketing campaign, 12 Years a Slave received unpaid endorsements by celebrities such as Kanye West and Sean Combs. In a video posted by Revolt, Combs urged viewers to see 12 Years a Slave by stating: "This movie is very painful but very honest, and is a part of the healing process. I beg all of you to take your kids, everybody to see it. ... You have to see this so you can understand, so you can just start to understand

• It may be a tough subject matter, but when handled well ... films that are tough to sit through can still be commercially successful," said Phil Contrino of Boxoffice Magazine. Despite its content, the film's critical success has assisted its domestic distribution by Fox Searchlight that began with a limited released aimed primarily towards art house and African American patrons