Straight Outta Compton

Using websites like Wikipedia, IMDB and Google research the following questions:

Media Organisation

Research the business conglomerate Comcast Corporation and NBC Universal

List the different companies (subsidiaries) owned by Comcast Corporation/NBC Universal and identify the industry it is situated in and product/service provided.

NBC Universal, is an American multinational media conglomerate that is a subsidiary division of Comcast.NBCUniversal is primarily involved in media and entertainment industries.

What happened during the pre-production phase?

• Whose idea was the film? Did the idea start with the writer, or were writers brought in to develop a preconceived idea?

The writers were brought in by the producers. The two people responsible for the making of the film our Ice Cube and Dr Dre, who were both apart of the real life N.W.A group.

• Where did the idea come from? Was it an original idea, or perhaps a book first, or TV series, or comic strip, or from some other source?

Producers Ice Cube and Dr Dre were apart of the real life N.W.A group, therefore the idea is based on true experiences they had in their life.

• Was the film based upon an original script or developed over time by many writers?
In 2010 Andrea Berloff wrote a draft of the screenplay. However, then in 2013,when universal took control of the film they hired Jonathan Herman to write a new draft of the script.

• Who financed the film - Production Company? What other films have they produced?

The production companies involved in making the film are ; Legendary pictures, New Line Cinema, Cube Vision, Crucial Films, Broken Chair Flickz.

• Casting – who were cast in the main roles and why? How important were stars? How did the film-makers think the chosen stars would appeal to audiences?

In the film Ice Cube is played by his son O’Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins plays Dr Dre, Easy-E is played by Jason Mitchel and Paul Giamitti stars as the manager Jerry. The film makers intended to select characters that best represented the real life group, hence why they used Ice Cubes real son.

Who was the producer?

The film was produced by Ice Cube, Tomica Woods-Wright, Matt Alvarez, Gary Gray, Scott Bernstein and Dr Dre.

• Who was the director and why did they take the project on?

The film was directed by Gary Gray, as he had shot some of Ice Cube and Dr Dre’s music videos in the past.

• Did they have a track record of success?

• Was there anything interesting about the film soundtrack?

The film features songs mainly from N.W.A and a few other west coast rappers.

What happened during the production phase?

• Was it an easy ‘shoot’? If there were difficulties what were they? Were there tensions between any of the creative personnel, often known as ‘the talent’?

It is rumoured that the script was constantly changing on set. One issue that they faced during filming was a drive by shooting, which occurred whilst they were filming on set.

• Was any part of the film shot on location? If so, where? Why were some locations chosen over others? Were costs a factor?

Nearly all of the film was shot in and around LA and the neigbourhood of compton

• Where there any difficulties with casting or with acquiring the stars/actors the producer wanted?
There were initially rumours that Lil easy E would play the role of his late father in the fil, but these did not come to fruition.

• What did the film cost to make? How much did the stars get? Where did the budget go? Was the film shot within budget? Was it ever in any danger of going over budget?

The film made over $200million,which makes it a success considering the budget was an estimated $28million.

• Were there any changes to the script during production? How many changes or re-writes?

Its rumoured that the script was constantly changing on set. One of the directors said that the film took 130 sets to film.

•       What technology was used in the production of the film such as camera?

•       Libatique opted to shoot Compton on RED DRAGON, using re-housed vintage Kowa (4.5K) anamorphic lenses 

•       List some of the key people who made contributions to the producers

Ice Cube’s Widow Erica Thomas Woods Wright made contributions to production.

What happened during the marketing and distribution phase of your case study film?

• Who were the distributors? How well known was the company? What is their track record as distributors? (Other films/genres)
The film was distributed by universal pictures.They are one of the most well known movie companies,and have distributed many blockbuster films like fast and furious 7,Despicable Me 2 and Jurassic Park.

• Were there any issues with the classification of the film?

The film was classified as a 15

• Who was the target audience? How do you know? 

The target audience was obviously young people.This is evident through the promotion strategies they used,which was largely through social media,which we know is dominated by the younger generation.

• How did the filmmakers decide where to release the film and when? What was the eventual release pattern? 

The film was released worldwide on the 28th August 2015

• What was the marketing and advertising strategy for the film? Was there a premiere, and if so, where? 

Straight Outta Compton premiered on August 10th 2015 in the LA Live complex in Los Angeles,California.

• Find film posters and analyse them for how they reach their audience• Analyse a trailer/teaser trailer and consider how the trailer persuaded and positioned British audiences to see the film.

The black and white colour theme illustrates that racism is a key element of the movie. 

• What outlets were used for advertising? Was TV used, for example?

They created several TV advertisements in the lead up to the release.Shockingly,it was revealed that the advertisements were different for white people than for other races.For white people the advertisers were unsure whether they would understand much about the group N.W.A so they decided to focus on Dr Dre's career as a producers and Ice Cubes career as an actor.

• Were there any merchandising tie-ins?

A lot of merchandise was created for the film,including shirts and hats.People began following the "Straight Outta" movement and began personalising the catch line e.g. Straight Outta. 

• Was any additional publicity gained, and if so, how?

What happened during the exhibition (audience) phase?

• When was the film released; also where and on how many screens? 

The film was released worldwide on the 28th of August 2015.

• Were there any other special restrictions placed on the exhibition of the film? 

There was extra police presence in theatres when the film was first released,due to the films violent nature.However,no incidents occurred.
• What were the reactions of the critics to the film? Was it considered a critical success? Has it been re-assessed since then? 

It was considered a success,receiving 87% on rotten tomatoes and on 72% on metacritic.
• Did the film create a particular media debate, or create news headlines? 

The film sparked many debates regarding the treatment of young black males.Also,the film angered on real life member of the group Mcren. He criticised the portrayal of his character in the movie as he felt that he played more of a role lyrically.
• How much money did the film take? Was it considered a commercial/financial success?
The film was considered a financial success as we know it generated over $200 million in revenue fro an estimated budget of $28 million
• Did it run in the cinema for some time?

On average,in the UK films run for four weeks.However,as Straight Outta Compton was such a global hit,I assume it stayed in theatres for longer.