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Media Match Blog Promotion: Disney Dark

Media-Match — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:12:55 +0000

Here is the latest blog submission in our ongoing Media Match Blog Writing Promotion;’Disney Dark‘by Media Match member Matthew S. Surprenant. If you are interested in participating please send a 500 word blog to us-blog@media-match.com. If your blog is selected you will get a free annual subscription to our Media Match services.

Disney Dark
By Matthew S. Surprenant

Film has come a long way since the late eighties and early nineties. These days, though we see primarily the same genres in the market, more and more producers are willing to blend ideas in a way which treats intelligently caters to wider age groups. Perhaps my favorite spawning of the modern era is what I call “Disney Dark.”

In the nineties, aside from the Addams Family films, darker, frightening content almost inherently meant an R rating, regardless of the actual content of the film, especially if it wasn’t animated. Even one of my childhood favorites, 1984’s Gremlins, was threatened with an R. We can thank Spielberg for getting it a PG after an extensive appeal process which, along with Raiders of the Lost Ark, brought us into the era of the PG-13 rating, potentially depolarizing content and allowing for some middle ground. Prior to then, if it was scary and wasn’t Spielberg-made, it pretty much didn’t have a chance at a marketable rating.

Then there was another major change, and it’s one I’m eternally grateful for. In 1993, Disney decided to remove their logo from Tim Burton’s innovative The Nightmare Before Christmas, having deemed it too dark for children. Since its success, the logo has been reinstated and Disney has been willing to let some more disturbing themes into its movies, such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which was the first PG-13 title to get mass distribution and theatrical release while openly retaining the Disney name.

For someone such as myself, I like getting some genuine scares in, but I don’t always feel like taking in a film that has the sole purpose of filling my eyes with carnage candy (or excessive nudity). For something to be “Disney Dark,” it doesn’t necessarily have to be made by Disney, but retain the fright without having to go overboard in any other area. It’s that little area allowing a babysitter to scare the tweens out of their wits without showing anything parents would patently disapprove of. I’m talking about works like Insidious (2011), Devil (2010), Drag Me to Hell (2009), The Invasion (2008), 1408 (2007), When a Stranger Calls (2006), Cry_Wolf (2005), Secret Window (2004), all the way back to 1998’s Tremors, which I dub as the unofficial first “real” PG-13 horror flick. It had guts, both figuratively and literally.

Of course, there has been some flak from die-hard horror fiends who prefer their horror hard. For me, all I care is the creators get a fair shot to show their visions to the markets they’re intended for. Sure, material does occasionally get trimmed for a PG-13 theatrical release, but we also live in the era of the unrated in-store copy. Even more, many retail releases include both rated and unrated versions, putting control over content where it belongs: in the hands of the consumer. Parents can choose if they want the carnage candy or Disney Dark, including for their kids.

Hulu for sale…?

Lee Jarvis — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:09:11 +0000

Online streaming service Hulu hit the headlines twice this week when they announced that, firstly, when an as-yet unnamed company made an unsolicited enquiry regarding acquisition, and then, secondly, that they were indeed, open to offers of acquisition. This follows yet more recent news and opinions on the future of Hulu, with constant talk of an IPO, then its subsequent delay.

The streaming giant has caused quite a stir in Hollywood, and opinion has been pretty divided: some say it is the savior of TV, others say it has affected film industry jobs for the worse. Their launch of a premium subscription service, Hulu Plus, last year helped the company edge into solid profitability territory, and obviously peaked the interest of some internet big wigs. NBCUniversal, Fox and Disney-ABC all currently have stakes in Hulu, yet have limited influence on the overall running of the company, and this had led to clashes among board members and CEO Jason Kilar about the way it has affected older revenue streams of cable and TV. This may in turn be the reason for those holding companies looking to exit the venture.

Hulu announced that it would retain investment banks Guggenheim Partners and Morgan Stanley on Wednesday, who will then reach out to any prospective bidders with news that they are formally accepting offers. Expect the rumor-mill to start churning very soon.

The success of Hulu is largely due to their free ad-funded model, which also allows embedded videos of new and archived content, as well as clips and behind-the-scenes specials from providers and studios such as NBC, Fox, ABC and many more. Recently, the free-thinking institution TED has enable Hulu to share and distribute their series of ground-breaking talks. The embedded feature helps clips such as this go viral…

Hulu’s actions may well be blazing a path for the future of visual content for the end user, but the key TV networks and companies sure have kicked up a fuss along the way.

by Lee Jarvis.

Hans Zimmer and Rodrigo y Gabriela collaborate for a Walt Disney Pictures soundtrack

Lee Jarvis — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:19:26 +0000

Walt Disney Pictures has recently announced that Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is to team up with popular acoustic duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela. The at first unusual, but ultimately exciting collaboration will span the soundtrack to the fourth installment of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. The film will be released in typical summer blockbuster fashion, in late May, with the soundtrack available to purchase the same week. From the official press release….

One of summer’s most highly anticipated blockbuster movies, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” features original music by Academy Award®-winning composer Hans Zimmer and a first-time collaboration with the internationally acclaimed Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. Walt Disney Records will release the soundtrack for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides May 17, 2011.

“We’d always felt it a creative necessity that the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 4′ score have an original sound all its own and to distinguish itself from the first three films. With the inspiring addition of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s unique artistry under the direction of maestro Hans ‘Long John’ Zimmer, this iconic score franchise take its next step forward with an imaginative, fresh and individual new sound,” says Mitchell Leib, President of Music and Soundtracks for the Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Group and Disney Music Group.

Hans Zimmer is one of the film industry’s most respected and sought-after composers with a career that encompasses more than 100 film and television scores. An Academy Award® winner for his score for The Lion King, Zimmer has also received eight additional Oscar® nominations for his work including Inception, Sherlock Holmes, Gladiator, The Thin Red Line, Rain Man, As Good as It Gets, The Preacher’s Wife and The Prince of Egypt. Other recent credits include Rango, The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. Among his many honors, Zimmer has also won two Golden Globes® and three Grammy Awards®.

Rodrigo y Gabriela are considered the premier guitar-playing duo in the world. They have sold over one million albums, have sold out arenas and headlined festivals worldwide, and in 2010 they were invited to share the stage with Beyonce for a state dinner at the White House. The collaboration with Hans Zimmer is their first film score-an exciting and defining moment in their career. Their willingness to explore musical expression and to embrace new sounds irrespective of fashion or trends, as well as their point blank refusal to be pigeonholed as any particular genre, is the very foundation of Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

Walt Disney Pictures’ and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” with screenplay by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, suggested by the novel by Tim Powers opens in theaters May 20, 2011, in Disney Digital 3D™.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides original motion picture soundtrack will be available wherever music is sold on May 17, 2011. For more information on Walt Disney Records’ releases, please visit Disney.com/music, become a fan at Facebook.com/disneymusic or follow us at Twitter.com/disneymusic. For more information on Rodrigo y Gabriela, please visit www.rodgab.com

Hollywood East (Part I: The Players)

Steve — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:04:27 +0000

I’ve been hearing tidbits for months now, from various friends and family in the northeast, about a film studio or two popping up in that area. The talk centers around the number and variety of film and television production jobs that will be available, in complexes that are set to rival those found anywhere in the country (even Los Angeles). As time went on, the chatter grew, and so I decided to look into the claims; and soon, two words stood out above the others, both in terms of scope and ambition: Hollywood East.

That’s right, film and television production is coming to Massachusetts in a way never-before seen on the east coast. As of now, there are two distinct groups emerging as favorites to build studios within the state. The first, Plymouth Rock Studios, is a film and television digital complex set to open in Plymouth, MA; the second is Los Angeles-based International Studio Group, which intends to build eleven sound stages and related office space in SouthField, MA. Both of these groups intend to work together, not in competition, to ensure that the larger goal of creating a viable studio system in the state is reached.

These are no fly-by-night endeavors, the kind of operations that build themselves up on promises but fail to deliver for whatever reason (anything from a lack of funding, to a lack of approval by the local legislature). No, these are legitimate collections of Hollywood producers and executives, including a former producer who once ran Paramount, Walt Disney and Touchstone studios. And yet despite coming from outside the state, these men and women are showing a keen understanding of how to work with local governments and business leaders, to not only gain approval for the land they need, but also to clearly and concisely lay out their plan for what will be an ambitious business model (one that could conceivably bring 7,000 jobs to their respective regions). There’s also a youth-oriented feeling among many of the proposals for the studio development, with the goal of retaining a creative and young workforce who would otherwise be lured to California or New York in their pursuit of filmmaking opportunities.

And yet this kind of ambition should come as no surprise to anyone who’s followed the film tax credit battles that have been waged these past few years between states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Michigan. Each one is looking to make the claim of being THE BEST home for filmmaking outside of Hollywood, and are competing to be just that. Such grand-scale plans are exactly what Massachusetts has been searching for ever since the 25% film tax credit that was created in 2006 (and subsequently expanded in July 2007). There have even been public hearings on proposed legislation to give an equally-high tax credit on studio construction costs as well. Already the state has seen a dramatic increase in production in the Commonwealth, and if the first step of their intent was to attract the filmmakers, then the next logical step seems to be keeping them there. Hence the idea behind Hollywood East.

Next up, now that we know who the players are, we’ll take a look at what they’re offering, everything from specific jobs in film and television, to increases in tourism…