‘What makes a film good?’

A variety of components are needed to make a film ‘good’ such as costumes, cinematography, themes, sound and so much more but how each component is used can vary depending on the genre, target audience and budget of a film. ‘The Platform’ is a good example of a film that uses all these elements in order to make an enjoyable, successful and overall ‘good’ film.

The costumes are kept quite simple and dull throughout the film – everyone within the establishment wearing a brown prison-like jumpsuit, with the exception of the chefs on level zero who are given white suits. The costume differences show how disconnected  both groups are from each other, the jumpsuits adding to the glum and dismal setting as the people within the established try to survive each month due to the greed of those on the higher levels whilst the white suits represents the obliviousness of the chefs whose focus lies on perfecting their food rather than questioning the system.

Greed is an important theme throughout the film that is often linked to class and capitalism in a metaphor of ‘Heaven vs Hell’ – the amount of power and influence each person has decreases depending on what level they’re on as they’re shunned by those above them. The lighting throughout the film is also used to subtly show this as the higher floors have yellow tones that lighten up the rooms, making them look safer than the lower blue-toned floors that darken the space which exaggerates the uninviting and unfriendliness of the level. All of this combined allows the viewer to immerse themselves within the film and ponder about the system’s flaws and whether they themselves would survive. 

The use of music also helps to immerse the viewer within the film’s universe; the quiet violin that’s heard in the background of most scenes helps to add tension to the dystopian-thriller without overdoing like a horror film would. The film’s main theme is used scarcely throughout the film and is the only piece we hear other than the softer violin. This gives the scenes an ominous feel and exaggerates the actions that are happening on screen especially as the theme itself sounds like a mixture of pots and the ticking of a clock which fits in well with the films plot whilst sounding both sinister and soft.

In conclusion, there are various elements that combine together in order to make a film ‘good’ but it’s how well they combine together that make a film enjoyable and memorable for the viewer. Does the lighting match the mood? Is the music too intense? Of course, no film is the same so the way each element is used can change, especially due to different film styles and genres, but if they don’t work well as one, then the watching the final product won’t be as pleasant.

A successful film that makes a large sum of money in the box-office is usually a part of a well-known franchise with a high standard that the audience trust. It is typically one that is suitable for all ages.

Bankable Stars

In the film industry, a bankable star is an actor capable of guaranteeing box-office success simply by being in the film.

Genres

Franchises

Adaptations

the top ten films in 2018 were mostly part of a franchise or a sequal to a movie. They were also all family films such as a 12a rating. A lot of these films had a fanbase already such as the movies from marvel and disney and the other movies that these companies have produced so then the audience will know that the films will be up to a certain standard

The top 10 box office films of 2018 follow various trends such as being tied to a mass-media franchise or huge conglomerate like 6 of them being owned by Disney or 8 of them being a sequel or remake. This trend is followed throughout the top 20 as well.

Most of the highest ranked films have a large cult following which can apply to multiple demographics. As well as a high budget, an inclusion of renowned actors; and a large portion are part of a series of franchise. A big fraction could be classed as action or animated family films which hold nostalgic value or are accessible in the sense that they are predictable; and fall under the same universe or storyline which has been known to create profit in the past with fans. An original soundtrack is also a theme, and this can help attract attention to ‘non-film-watchers’.

The top ten films from 2018 follow certain trends such as most of them are part of a trilogy and a franchise. As well as this most have the same genre being heavily Action based and mainly science fiction. Likewise a lot of the films are family friendly and everybody can watch. As well as this all of the films have a very good cast that have a lot of fans which draws more people into drawing into watching the films. Finally most of the films are made and produced by the same company’s and studios that all have very large budgets.

The list tells us that the formula for making a successful film is to be apart of a franchise since 6 of the 10 films are apart of a large franchise. People gravitate to these franchise films because they build hype over time since there are multiple films in the series. They construct a contract with the audience in a way where they know roughly what they are going to watch before they have seen it. Another way to make a film successful is to have a big company produce it, this is because the majority of the films were produced by Disney or Universal. These bigger companies have built a name for themselves past their films and therefore attract more viewers. Including famous actors is another way to have a successful films because their fandoms will watch the film purely because they are in it. Such as with the Avengers family because fans become invested in not only the films themselves but also how the cast interact on and off set. The more successful films also tend to cater towards children making their films “12s” and in more accessible genres like fantasy and Sci-Fi.