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BFI RESEARCH SHOWS FILMS GOING HOME
BASE AWARDS JUDGES PRAISED…
…AS GONGS ANNOUNCED ON OCTOBER 22
ARROW SHOCKS AGAIN…
…AND CRASHES INTO CINEMAS
MANGA REVEALS AKIRA 4K DATE…
…AND UNVEILS HEFTY Q4 SLATE…
…WHTH PHYSICAL AT THE FORE
NETWORK’S NOVEMBER…
…WHILE KIM HAS A NIGHT IN
PARKLAND TAKES TO THE AIR
LIONSGATE’S IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT
FAMILY FARE OFFERS INTERACTIVE FIRST
101 GETS THE CREEPERS
STRICTLY FOR THE GIFTERS
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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The London Film Festival has been taking place online and, in among the assorted screenings – and an excellent press screening room – there have been online seminars too. Mong those were some fascinating figures looking at lockdown viewing put together by researchers at the BFI pooling their own figures and others. As Paul McEvoy from the research team noted, using Office of National Statistics figures: “What was remarkable in these early COVID-focused statistics is that watching films ranked as one of the most valued coping tools, more than half the population said they were watching films to help them cope.” By April 2020, screen viewing time in April 2020 had increased from four hours and 53 minutes the year previously to six hours and 25 minutes. There was, the BFI noted, a “formidable” increase in svod viewing, which more than doubled. The TV set was the one that increased its share of our home screen time behaviour indoors. When it came to film, its share of screen viewing in homes increased up to more than 10 per cent as part of all programming and by more than 40 per cent within non-news based programming. Within film, the winning genres were historical and period drama, such as The Darkest Hour, up almost 100 per cent, crime drama up 60 per cent and action/adventure and thrillers up 39 per cent. Least successful genres were musicals, animation and documentaries, which all saw declines. Another key change saw, as McEvoy noted, many people “biting the streamer bullet”, with more than 3 million people gaining access to subscription vod, with Disney+ earning 1.6 million subscribers on its launch. And the lockdown has also acted as a “catalyst for change” for the distribution model too. Meanwhile, once cinemas came back, Tenet has dominated, although independent films are reaching a wider audience, and, as was noted, “audiences coming back to cinema have a real appetite for new films”. Box office in 2020 is down 70 per cent compared with the two previous years. So what next? BFI head of research Julia Lamaison said a “lot of entertainment will still happen in the home”, and our homes have become entertainment hubs, out of necessity. Audiences will fragment – “older audiences might not return for the foreseeable future” – but there was still a home for innovative storytelling on a range of platforms and screens. Innovative and alternative venues would continue, but many still wanted the cinema experience. It’s well worth a look, you can see it here.
By this time next week (whenever you’re reading this newsletter), the winners at this year’s much-delayed but eagerly-awaited BASE Awards will be known and a few glasses of celebratory champagne quaffed by both the deserved gong-holders and the unlucky and unfortunate runners-up. The winners will be unveiled from 4pm on October 22 at the BASE website, with the awards put together in clusters and groups for interested parties to check out who’s picked up the prizes and plaudits from their peers. This week BASE has paid tribute to the judges involved, so it’s only fair that we at The Raygun also have a look at this year’s judges as selected for the BASE Awards. The judging was broken down into six panels for the first ever virtual judging panel for the event. Judges on Panel 1 were led by Kerry Nortcliffe, sales and marketing manager at IMDb, supported by Katie Baker md, Delta Creative; Gennaro Castaldo director of communications at BPI; former hmv stalwart Andy Anderson and and Nick Rylance, head of film at ITV. Panel 2 was moderated by Melanie Nicholas, independent marketing consultation at Cactus, joined by TI Media entertainment director Denise Parkinson; Tom Butler, senior editor entertainment at Yahoo UK and another recognisable industry face in the shape of Jon Sadler of Magus Marketing. Panel 3 was led by long time BASE judge Dean Russell, alongside independent marketing consultant Tom Kirkham; Kristina Frost, head of ents UK and international at Snap Inc; Barbara Feeney, trade marketing director at Mail Metro Media and Matt Risley, head of digital creative unit at Channel 4. Panel 4, which was moderated by Louise Vaughan director of communications at the National Emergencies Trust and former MD of Teneo, included Monica Chadha, independent director at Portfolio; Cinema First director of marketing and partnerships Sharon Reid; Screen International’s Orlando Parfitt and Into Film’s head of audience development Flora Menzies. Panel 5 was headed up by Midas PR’s Catherine Anderson, working with Nick Keegan, from Mayfair Equity Partners and Digital Cinema Media’s Tom Linay. Panel 6 was moderated by NOW TV’s Camilla Markham, joined by George Goldhagen, marketing and merchandising manager at Amazon Prime Video UK; Morrisons buying manager David Catton and Danny Gardner, senior buyer at Sainsburys Argos.
Comment and praise for the judges came from BASE chief executive Liz Bales who said: “After a record-equalling number of entries into this year’s Awards, our judges had a daunting task ahead of them, which was compounded by a week of unorthodox online judging sessions at the beginning of the March lockdown. The central purpose of the BASE Awards is to reward the exceptional work seen across the category, and without our judges, this simply wouldn’t be possible, so I would like to thank each and every one for dedicating their precious time, expertise and integrity to the judging process.”
We’ll have a special edition of The Raygun landing in your in-boxes at the end of next week after the winners are announced, with more on the thinking behind the awards and a full rundown of who won want, along with comment or reaction. To get involved, contact Tim Murray at the usual address. That’s our week ending October 24 issue, and the following week’s issue of The Raygun, week ending October 31, will look at gifting titles due in the run up to Christmas. To get involved in our gifting special, both editorially and with adverts, contact Tim Murray at the usual address.
It's October, and with Halloween looming large, horror comes to the fore once more and October 12 saw Arrow Video, the grandaddy of the burgeoning UK horror scene, landing with its annual Shocktober promotion, which now spans its own website as well as traditional retailers, with the likes of Zavvi, hm and Fopp and Amazon all getting behind it too, with the sale also migrating to the US and Canada too. The company’s Mike Hewitt said: “The annual Arrow Video SHOCKTOBER promotion goes from strength to strength as we unleashed Phase 2 this week with a multitude of physical promotions. Launched on Monday across our social channels and supported with a dedicated newsletter and paid media, SHOCKTOBER features up to 70 per cent off a huge range of Arrow Video and Arrow Academy titles. Our website www.arrowfilms.com also features great titles from Second Run and Third Window, with more participating labels arriving in the Sale from Monday next week. The promotion is also running across key UK retailers including Zavvi, HMV, Fopp and Amazon for an incredible UK reach, whilst also running concurrently across supported retailers in both the US and Canada. Early numbers have been incredibly positive, and we'd like to thank everyone supporting us over the coming weeks until Shocktober ends on November 2.” You can see more on the promotion here
More from Arrow and the company’s assorted arms, the Academy and Video imprints, are each bringing films back to cinemas, which will both support the theatrical business and also drum up support for its home entertainment catalogue too. The company’s Mike Hewitt said: “Meanwhile, Arrow continues to bring our fantastic restorations to all platforms with two upcoming theatrical catalogue releases. Keen to safely support the industry's theatrical business, Arrow will present our stunning 4k restoration of the eternal classic CINEMA PARADISO which arrives on big screens from October 23. The film is receiving some great support from the likes of chains such as Everyman and Showcase, through to independents including Manchester Home, Prince Charles, Nottingham Broadway and several more. Two weeks later, we will also be unveiling our 4k restoration of David Cronenberg's CRASH on the big screen from November 6."
Manga has unveiled a home entertainment bow for the first ever release of the restored version of its seminal anime hit Akira, including a first ever 4K release for the title, so we caught up with the company to see where it’s currently at. The company’s Charles Fotheringham said: “Whilst the general trading environment has been challenging for the wider market over the past few months, anime fans' demand for our content has been and continues to be, extremely robust as they seek to catch up on shows they may have missed. We’ve seen a particularly solid performance on physical which is set to continue throughout Q4 given the strong calibre of our releases through peak trading. On the back of an incredible box office performance, Akira - the crown jewel of anime - and our very first 4K release, lands on 4K UHD on November 30 – and will be a must have for the legions of 4k collectors out there this Christmas.”
Akira heads up Manga’s Q4 slate, here’s the company’s Rob Bunce on the slate. He said: “We’ll be releasing this 4K edition of Akira in a limited edition set which includes one UHD Blu-ray, two Blu-rays packed with extras and a 40-page collectors book giving fans a key insight into the movie and how it was made. Dragon Ball is one of Manga UK’s top selling IPs and has been one of the most popular anime franchises for over 30 years. The latest series, Dragon Ball Super, has received high praise from critics and fans alike. On November 2 we’re releasing Dragon Ball Super the complete series on DVD. Blu-ray and limited collector’s edition for the first time ever. These sets contain 20 discs that span all five sagas of Dragon Ball Super. The collector’s edition will include a 52-page booklet with exclusive artwork, stickers, art cards and a poster all packaged in a limited collector’s box. Ideal for any Dragon Ball fan. With Dragon Ball’s popularity not slowing down any time soon, fans are eager to get their hands on the Blu-ray version of the popular anime Dragon Ball Z. This was only available with the Dragon Ball Z collector’s edition that Manga UK and Funimation released last year, until now. We’re releasing all nine seasons of Dragon Ball Z individually with the first three being released on Blu-ray and Steelbook . Each Blu-ray edition of Dragon Ball Z will appeal to avid collectors as they come bundles with exclusive art cards and a poster.”
Sticking with Manga and more from the company’s Q4 slate as outlined by the company’s Rob Bunce. He continued: “My Hero Academia is becoming one of the most popular anime franchises in the world! My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising is the second feature film from the ground-breaking franchise. It was one of the highest grossing anime feature films of 2019, generating an impressive £400,000 at the UK Box Office. Manga UK will be releasing Heroes Rising on DVD. Blu-ray and in Limited edition Steelbook on October 26. We will also be offering a double pack of both My Hero Academia feature films for fans who missed out on our release of Two Heroes. Next from the the acclaimed director of Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D, Yoshiaki Kawajirir, comes two cult classics from the 1980’s. Wicked City and Demon City Shinjuku have only ever been available on VHS and Manga is bringing them to the UK on Blu-ray for the first time ever on November 23. We’ll be releasing these classic films on DVD, Blu-ray, HMV Exclusive Edition, and Limited Collectors Edition. Both the Exclusive and Limited editions come with both films and art cards. The HMV exclusive comes bundled with a collector’s art book while the Limited Edition includes an exclusive poster. That’s not all as Manga UK is releasing a whole host of Anime titles this quarter which covers all corners of the anime spectrum.”
Network has unveiled its November titles, with just the kind of eclectic offering you'd expect from the company. It includes additions to its ongoing The British Film Collection, with an addition to an ongoing Australian series too. Outlining the slate, the company’s Juan Veloza said: “This November we have a wonderful array of hidden gems coming to The British Film Collection, many available in HD for the first time. With a powerful screenplay from Oscar-Winning writer Ronald Harwood, the hard-hitting conspiracy thriller Eyewitness comes to Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. A key British war film, Danger Within, written by BAFTA-winners Bryan Forbes and Frank Harvey. Gracie Fields stars in the 1930s musical, Sally in Our Alley and more musical delights come courtesy of Rock ’N’ Roll legend Tommy Steel. November also brings part one of the final season of the gritty and very popular Australian prison drama Wentworth Prison.”
Network is also launching a new initiative on its own streaming service, unveiled here a some weeks ago. It follows on from the success of its ABC Nights In format, which presents an evening’s worth of curated entertainment for a set fee. This time around, it’s timed for Halloween and features horror aficionado Kim Newman offering up an evening’s worth of themed spooky streaming gems, with, plenty on offer. The line-up includes recent hit The Woman In Black, as well as a classic episode of Tales Of The Unexpected, with interviews, trailers and more. It officially kicks off on October 23, available here https://bit.ly/3dvrWaA, with assorted pre-order offers and the opportunity to rent or buy. Commenting on Kim Newman’s Nightmare Night In, Network’s Juan Veloza said: “Following the success of the ABC Nights In format on our recently launched streaming service, we are thrilled to present something very special for Halloween, Kim Newman’s Nightmare Night In. Hosted and curated by the horror aficionado, it will bring a themed evening of scary treasures, including the streaming premiere of The Woman in Black. Kim will be joined by a tremendous group of guests including Andy Nyman, Pauline Moran, Adrian Rawlins, Gary Sherman, Mike Hodges and Sean Hogan plus lots of rarely seen trailers, commercials and more.
The London Film Festival has been ongoing throughout the week, we’ve been at home in the virtual press screening section catching up with a raft of titles airing at this year’s event both digitally and in actual cinemas. There’s some goodies on display too. One of the highlights of the week was, for us, One Man And His Shoes, a marvellously detailed documentary that looks at Michael Jordan and the eponymous Air Jordan trainers, as well as his ongoing relationship with Nike and the fallout from the multi-million dollar business. It follows hot on the heels of the acclaimed Netflix series The Last Dance, which has enthralled viewers in the UK as much as anywhere else, paving the way for the film. It’s been picked up for UK release by Parkland Entertainment, whose Tom Stewart said: “We’re thrilled to be working on such a fascinating and incredibly topical story with the executive producers, Dartmouth Films, who this week successfully premiered at this year's London Film Festival and who'll also be releasing theatrically on October 23. Parkland Entertainment will then release wide across all the major digital platforms. There’ll be a three week full PR and paid social campaign will be supporting the release to hit a wide audience.”
Out on Monday from Lionsgate is bona fide action star Mark Dacascos starring in his latest outing, The Driver, and this time he’s brought his family along for the ride too. Commenting on the release, the company’s Olivia Dean said: "Starring Mark Dacascos alongside his real-life wife, Julie Condra, and daughter, Noelani Dacascos, The Driver is gut-punching, zombie action horror, and the perfect watch this Halloween. With Dacascos having a strong following in the world of martial arts and action films, we’ve built a strong PR campaign to support the DVD and digital launch. Mark himself has been involved, completing interviews for The Express, Starburst, Kung Fu Kingdom and Zavvi. We’ve also placed a host of competitions, secured reviews and a feature on the history of running zombies in film, all of which is creating a lot of noise and excitement for the release.”
Just arrived on digital this week, and in stores on Blu-ray on October 26 is a groundbreaking release from Warner and its DC arm in the shape of Batman Death In The Family. It’s a collection of animated short films based on characters from the comics, and includes something of a first for Blu-ray, in that the lead short, Death In The Family, is interactive, enabling viewers to choose different paths for the characters to follow and offers up different endings. Director, producer and writer Brandon Vietti said: “Batman: Death in the Family is essentially a comic book come to life. We’ve paid homage to the 1988 interactive experience of DC’s ‘A Death in the Family’ comics release by giving fans a unique opportunity to craft their own story through a branching tool that can lead in multiple directions. The viewer gets to choose these characters’ paths, and each choice paves an alternate future for all of the characters and, ultimately, the story. From the very first navigation card, we wanted to give the audience an impression of what they’re getting into, but then also give them something unexpected – maybe even something they’ll regret, so they have to think twice about every future choice they make. Branched storytelling has to be stronger than just the gimmick of the choices – it has to be rewarding and offer new and worthwhile insights into the characters. It needs to involve you, and keep you searching for the next twist. So we sought to subvert expectations and do something very different.”
Announcements from 101 Films, which has a brace of horror releases on the way, one timed for Halloween, the other a seasonal treat and further addition to its ever-growing Black Label imprint. First up is Jeepers Creepers, due on October 26 in time for the witching season, while the November 9 release sees a double billing of Christmas shocks in Silent Night, Deadly Night and its sequel in one package. The company’s Tim Scaping said: “Jeepers Creepers is a genuine 21st century horror classic and we’re excited to be giving it a long-overdue UK Blu-ray release in time for Halloween. The acquisition of such a high profile title is indicative of 101 Films’ growing catalogue of cult and classic films. Likewise, our November 9th release of Silent Night, Deadly Night 1 & 2 is a highly significant release for horror fans. The three disc set includes the original theatrical and ‘extended unrated’ versions of the first film, along with a first UK release in any form for Part 2, which was rejected by the BBFC back in 1987. With extensive extras, special packaging and striking, newly-commissioned artwork Silent Night, Deadly Night is going to be at the top of a lot of wish lists this Christmas.”
Gifting news as the line-up continues to take shape, BBC Studios has this week formally announced its option for fans of ongoing Saturday primetime hit Strictly Come Dancing, in the shape of Strictly come Dancing – Shirley & Craig’s Perfect 10 DVD, due on November 23, which features the two judges talking about some of the best routines from the show’s 16-year history, with clips aplenty. Head judge Shirley Ballas said: “It’s never too early for a ten from Shirley! Watch me take Craig on a tour of some fantastic routines that have earned a coveted ten, but that Craig only deemed worthy of a nine. I’m going to highlight Craig’s fussiness, point out his mistakes and get him to change his mind!” Craig Revel Horwood added: “It wouldn’t be a Strictly DVD if we didn’t include a few dance disasters, darling! You will also see some fab-u-lous dances that I did award a maximum score to.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The effects of lockdown have been profound. Our media habits were dramatically changed as a result of the new situations in which we found ourselves. What is clear already is the many roles screen content came to play. The high breadth of choice came to the fire, with people exploring all corners of the audiovisual universe to keep them and their families informed and entertained.”
Matt Hill research and planning director of Thinkbox
AT THE MOVIES
Any TV series that ends these days is bound to be rumoured for a comeback in some shape or form – if Breaking Bad can do it, so can anyone else. And now Dexter’s back, long after having vacated our screens in a finale that included… Oh look, we’re not going to recap in case you haven’t seen it (it’s well worth it if you haven’t viewed yet), but let’s just say, it looked like his murdering days were over. But now the serial killer with a heart is set to return as news has emerged that Dexter will return in a miniseries from Showtime. There’ll be 10 episodes in all, and the company’s Gary Levine said: “Dexter is such a special series, both for its millions of fans and for Showtime, as this breakthrough show helped put our network on the map many years ago. We would only revisit this unique character if we could find a creative take that was truly worthy of the brilliant, original series. Well, I am happy to report that Clyde Phillips and Michael C. Hall have found it, and we can’t wait to shoot it and show it to the world!"
Cleopatra, coming at ya… It’s emerged this week that Wonder Woman partners director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot are working on a film looking at the Egyptian ruler’s life. And it’s going to become a reality, after Paramount, undaunted by the fact that the Liz Taylor-starring version nearly bankrupted a studio, Fox, during its long and troubled road to screens, ought off rivals in a bidding war to win the rights. No word yet on a date for the film, which is currently being scripted…
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Due at cinemas and on Netflix next month…
More from Studiocanal’s restoration of The Ladykillers…
Family hit of LFF…
On digital in November via Munro Films…
Now due on Disney+
Monster movie
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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