Institutional background
Use IMDB to find out the institutions behind Independence Day. Click on Company Credits and then look for the production company and UK distributor.

1) What was the film studio or production company behind Independence Day? E.g. Warner Brothers, Paramount etc. 
The production company behind Independence Day was Stargate.
2) Who was the distributor for the theatrical release of the film in the UK?
The distributor for Independence day was 20th Century Fox.
Genre and Media language analysis
1) What sub-genre of Science Fiction does Independence Day fit into? What issues or fears in society might be addressed in the film?

2) How can you tell it fits that sub-genre? Be specific with reference to specific clips or scenes from the film.

3) How does the narrative (storyline) of the film fit the Science Fiction genre?

4) Who are the main characters in Independence Day and why might they appeal to an audience?

5) How does the mise-en-scene in Independence Day fit the Science Fiction genre?


Release date and marketing campaign
1) What was the UK release date for your chosen film?

2) Find the trailer for Independence Day, embed it in your blog and explain why it might appeal to an audience. 

3) What other examples of marketing can you find on Google for Independence Day (film poster, teaser trailers, main trailers, newspaper reviews or TV interviews etc.)



Critical reception
1) What is the IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes rating for Independence Day?

2) What is the word-of-mouth like for Independence Day? Use the IMDB user review rating or the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating to judge whether the public rate the movie.

3) Find three quotes (no more than 25 words each) from user reviews of Independence Day and post them on your blog.


Box office success
Use IMDB to find out the box office records for Independence Day. Click on Company Credits and then Box Office/Business. You may also want to use the excellent website Box Office Mojo to find out the budget and box office success for the film.

1) What was the original budget for Independence Day?

2) How much money did Independence Day make in the opening weekend?

3) How much money has Independence Day made in total? (Look for the subheading ‘Gross’ which has the total box-office earnings listed).

4) For a film to be considered a box office success, it needs to make at least two-and-a-half timesthe budget in box office takings. Using this method, was Independence Day a success at the box office? 


Stars and director
Research the stars and director for Independence Day.

1) What other films has the director made? Are they in the same or similar genres?

2) Who is the main star of Independence Day?

3) What other films has the main star appeared in? Are any of those films similar to Independence Day? Are any of them Science Fiction films?

4) Are the stars or the director or writer mentioned in the trailer for Independence Day?


Audience pleasures
1) What specific aspects of Independence Day would an audience enjoy?

2) Identify three key moments in the film that audiences would particularly enjoy and explain the audience appeal for these key scenes. Use media language in your analysis.

3) Which characters in Independence Day would particularly appeal to different audience types? Use specific examples from the film to support your points.

4) Write a detailed demographic breakdown of the possible target audience for Independence Day. Include age, gender, social class, education, job/earnings, where they live, what they enjoy in their spare time and brands they are attracted to.

Plans

1) Brainstorm ideas for a new Science Fiction film aimed at a family audience. Plan out the following:

1. Issue/fear that drives the storyline (e.g. alien invasion, contagious disease, overpopulation etc.) -My issue/fear that will feature/drive my movie is a contagious disease called The Flux.
2. Title and tag line - The Flux , Run before it gets you. 
3. Logline – summing up the film in one ‘hook’ sentence - As mad scientist Dave's experiment goes wrong , The Flux spreads across the Seven Seas infecting everything in its way. 
4. Other successful Science Fiction films similar to your idea - Other Sci-Fi films that are similar to my idea 'The Happening' and 'Outbreak'.
5. The narrative elements / plot and the sub-genre of Science Fiction it fits into - A narrative element for 'The Flux' is fear of contagion as there is an international fear that people near you might have the disease.Another narrative element is fear of mutation as the disease infects humans and the infected humans try to infect the people closest to them.The plot is a scientist experimenting on a dead corpse accidentally finds a horrible disease. The disease then becomes an international fear which drives peoples crazy and it becomes an every man for himself situation.The sub-genres that 'The Flux' fits into contagion and mutation.
6. Location: the setting of the film and how this fits the Science Fiction genre -This film starts in a science lab in Texas but then the disease spreads world wide and becomes an international disease. This ties in with the Sci-Fi genre as it is set in a crazy scientists lab.
7. The hero / heroine and their appeal to the audience - The protectionist is a student who is studying science in school and he thinks he can get raid of the virus. His appeal to the audience is that he is a young student who is still at school so the audience is able to relate to him.
8. The conflicts the hero / heroine encounters during the film (can be physical, moral or internal)
9. Other characters and their role in the film
10. Presentational style: The look, style and feel of the film e.g. will it feature 3D? Visual and Sound FX? CGI? 

2) Which of the aspects of the brief have you successfully included in your idea? (Note: you do not need to include all but must include at least two of these aspects.)

• Futuristic Earth setting
• Another planet such as Pluto or Mars
• Outer space or set on a spaceship
• Issues of genetic engineering, cloning or AI
• Changing people, robot technology or how people may develop in future through scientific advancement- The disease changes people by slowly killing them and nobody , but 1 person knows how to cure the disease

3) How will you make your film popular with a family audience?

I will offer visceral pleasures in my film such as letting the audience relate with the protagonist and featuring a family in the film.

4) Plan a marketing campaign for your film: trailers and video content, social media, apps, tied-in merchandising, franchise opportunities (e.g. sequels, spin-offs etc.)

5) Prepare for the creative task in the exam. Plan, sketch and draw the following:

• Logo and graphic identity for your new Science Fiction film
• Film poster
• Website homepage for your Science Fiction film
• Storyboard for a 30 second trailer for the film. Use this AQA storyboard sheet if you don't pick up a paper copy in class.