FILM INDUSTRY: ROMA

Case studies
Roma (2018) dir. A. Cuaron
Rogue One, A Star Wars Story (2016) dir. Gareth Edwards
Legend (2015) dir. Brian Helgeland

Complete the sheets that track the value chain of production, distribution, marketing and exchange

Our first case study film is: Roma (2018) dir. A. Cuaron

Roma is a 2018 drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who also produced, shot, and co-edited it. Set in 1970 and 1971, Roma, which is a semi-autobiographical take on Cuarón's upbringing in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, stars Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira and follows the life of a live-in housekeeper of a middle-class family.

 •  Who produced the film? 
Nicolas Cellis
Alfonso Cuaron

• Who owns this production company and what other films have they produced? 

• Who directed the film? 

Roma is a 2018 drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón,

• What other films have they directed? 
Children of Men, Gravity, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)

• What was the budget? 

$15 million
Netflix does not issue revenue figures

• Who stars in it? 

• Yalitza Aparicio as Cleodegaria "Cleo" Gutiérrez, one of the family's maids
• Marina de Tavira as Sofía, the mother of the family

• What other films have they been in?

film debut as Cleo in Alfonso Cuarón's 2018 drama Roma, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Aparicio is the first Indigenous American woman, the fourth Latina, and the second Mexican woman to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination

• What technology has been used to make the film? (What cameras did they use? How was the film edited? What CGI was involved?) 

While Cuaron is known to produce big screen experiences, and shot “Roma” on 65mm (the film used the Alexa65 digital camera)
Cuarón shot the movie on 65mm using a “really pristine, almost never-before-seen black and white.” The film’s sound design is also instrumental to the experience, as it was constructed using state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos technology.

Cuarón tells Lubezki how he filmed ‘Roma’ — even one quiet shot needed 45 camera positions

Lubezki asked his long-time collaborator to explain the many rules he broke while making a film that could earn him his first cinematography nomination

As the director embraced being his own cinematographer, he asked himself: "What would Chivo do?"

Cuarón discussed the controversial decision for “Roma” — a movie shot on large-format film best appreciated on a big screen — to partner with Netflix. While the release plans for the movie remain unclear, Cuarón said the streaming giant was the best home for a secretive project that may be the closest he has come to an autobiography, and brought him back to his roots.

The film’s sound design is also instrumental to the experience, as it was constructed using state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos technology. 

• How was the film marketed? Which different marketing tools were used?

The film had its world premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on 30 August 2018, where it won the Golden Lion. 
It began a limited theatrical run in the United States on 21 November 2018, before streaming on Netflix in the US and other territories starting on 14 December 2018.
Limited theatrical release in the UK in Curzon Cinemas

 • What examples of synergy with other products/merchandise can you find? n/a

 • What examples of cross media convergence can you find? n/a

• What examples of technological convergence can you find? n/a

• Where and when was ROMA released (nationwide, worldwide) and in what cinemas?

In April 2018, it was announced Netflix had acquired distribution rights to the film.^[24] A teaser trailer was released on 25 July 2018. 
While Netflix has not publicly disclosed box-office figures for Roma, sources deduced that the film made $90,000–120,000 in its opening weekend, 23–25 November, and a total of $200,000 over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, including selling out theatres in Los Angeles and New York City. Had the results been officially reported, its approximate venue average of $66,600 would have ranked among the best ever for a foreign-language film.

After Roma was nominated for Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards, AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas both issued statements saying that Roma would not be part of the line-up at either chain's annual Best Picture showcase. AMC said in their statement that this was due to them never receiving a license from Netflix to screen Roma in their theatres. Both theatre chains have refused to screen films from Netflix due to policies that stipulate a minimum 90 days between theatrical exhibition and home viewing.

• What formats was it available in (digital / 3D etc…)? 

Only available on Netflix

• Who is the target audience?

Cuarón admitted a conventional theatrical release “worried” him because “Roma” is a “Spanish-language drama shot in black and white” featuring “a cast of unknown actors.” A source told IndieWire these factors contributed to at least one studio passing on the film since having “no name” actors makes “Roma” a tougher sell. Cuarón wanted to partner with a distributor offering a more aggressive theatrical plan, which is what he said Netflix offered.

“It has to reach the biggest audience possible,” Cuarón said. “For me, when Netflix made a pitch to us, this film being so intimate for me, I was really concerned with the film not being able to reach as much of an audience as possible. Not even talking commercially, but securing a long life for the film … 

PLANNING: CASTING

WORK FOR WEDNESDAY 31 JANUARY PERIOD 4 & 5

Write a post entitled PLANNING: CASTING
In your post, first draw a portrait (write / describe) of each character in your production. Then, underneath each of these, describe your casting decisions. Consider what presentational platform to use: Visme, Canva, SlideShare?

The recent release of the Examiner's Report threw up useful points, such as the good practice of including a post on casting. See their comment (in yellow) below beside an example from a student blog. You will present the casting with images, such as your casting of the character (and perhaps a stereotype character from a film?):

PLANNING: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Hot seating your characters (like this) can help you develop how you represent them. 

It also gets everyone on board by delving into the backstory of the character. 
Pick a realistic interview situation and write the script outline.
Video your interview (make it brief) and post it on your blog together with the following information (in your own words).

PLANNING: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Pen Densham is an Academy award-nominated writer and film director

For my character in my film opening entitled *********,  we decided to interview our protagonist in order to develop his character further.
We were inspired by an article written by Charlie Sierra about building the back story to film characters in which he quoted from Riding the Alligator, a book written by Pen Densham, an Academy Award nominated filmmaker.
In one of the chapters in the book, he provides a check list of questions every writer and director should ask of themselves when they are developing their characters. The purpose of this is to outline a deep understanding of your characters for both the actors and director, and for motivating a character’s choices or actions.

My Character Interview

(Example) As my film opening features only one character in a world without anyone else, we decided that rather than a questionnaire interview, we would use a video diary of our character asking himself and answering the questions as if he is communicating through the camera to anyone who might find it, which is a creative way to handle the questionnaire whilst still keeping with the solitary theme of the opening...(video interview + script follows)
(Example) One of my central characters is a young girl, we have decided to compose a series of exchanges that she made using What's App with her friend in which she confides her worries about her sister. Her friend asks her a series of questions about her state of mind... (screenshots of What's App exchanges follow)
(Example) Our protagonist is a senior police officer who is struggling with his job (meeting targets; pleasing a critical boss) and his family (his daughter challenges him and he questions his ability to relate to her). He is interviewed by a police psychiatrist after the incident when he knocks down a teenager on his bike.