2. • The film is actually a remake of a 1970s
TV series. This means there is already an
established audience.
• Although, Nick Love thinks that in order
for the film to work, it needs to be called
a ‘reboot’ not a remake.
• This is because it doesn’t feature many
things from the TV series, only Regan,
carter and the catchphrase “Get your
trousers on, your nicked!”
3. Production
• Vertigo Films, Embargo Films, Exponential Films were the
companies involved in producing ‘The Sweeney’
• Director: Nick Love
Nick Love previously directed Football Factory (2004)- bringing
a violent obsessed audience to view The Sweeney.
• Allan Niblo, Rupert Preston, James Richardson, Christopher
Simon and Felix Vossen all played a part in the production
of the film.
• Budget: £3 million
• Top Gear planned and filmed the car chase which appeared
in the film. The planning and filming appeared on the show
in series 18, episode 3.-synergy
• Box office: £4,474,661
4. Filming locations
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The initial idea was to film the gun fight in Trafalgar square but there was a lot of
people to convince. Westminster City Council, the Squares Management Team of
the GLA, Transport For London and the Metropolitan Police. The police said no
because of how many people would be ringing 999 because of gun shots.
However, Nick Love heard from the MoD that they recently started using UTM
silent blanks, the only noise you hear from them is the guns mechanical system
‘click click’, all they had to do was add in the sound afterwards. This is because
they look like real bullets with flashes and shell cases falling.
They tried to film the gun fight on a Sunday morning before a big crowd appeared
so most of the extras in that scene were just real people going about their lives.
This convinced the police and Boris Johnson agreed as he is a massive Sweeney
fan.
The car chase was filmed in Isle of Sheppey, Kent in Queenborough and Sheerness.
The gun fight was filmed in Trafalgar square.
The rest of the filming was done in Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
Holborn and London.
5. Issues
• The film was originally going to be sponsored by Fox Searchlight and was
going to star Ewan Mcgregor and Daniel Craig. When Fox dropped out, the
two actors left due to the film budget.
• The gun fight was originally planned to happen in Oxford Street, but due
to the delay happened in Trafalgar Square.
• The filming was also planned to begin in spring 2009.
• The rights of the film were owned by an Anglo-German called Fremantle.
• However, a few weeks before filming was due to start, Fox dropped out.
Fremantle then left Nick Love to make the film on a low budget.
• This then meant that filming actually started over a year later in July 2010
now starring Ray Winstone and Ben Drew (Plan B).
• Love had interest in making the film for years, but had problems with
negotiations with studio executives who wanted to make the film
Americanised.
6. Distribution and Marketing
• One of the key ways the film was distributed, by Entertainment
One, was through the BBC programme Top Gear. Top Gear filmed
and planned the car chase that happened in the film. This brings
attention to the film as it draws in the audience from Top Gear. This
is vertical integration.
• The Sweeney also sponsored the Orange Wednesday advert. This
creates awareness for the film and orange Wednesdays.
• They used traditional distribution and marketing techniques such as
cinema ads, TV trailers, Billboards and Radio ads.
• Plan B had success with Ill Manners, bring an audience from that
film to this.
• Posters show crazy action scenes appealing to a certain audience.
Ray Winstone brings a big manly audience.
7. Star Appeal
• Ray Winstone appeared in the TV programme
35 years before. This connects to an older
audience who watched the series.
• Ben Drew is in the film, bringing his fans to
watch the film.
• Also famous TV starts such as Damien Lewis
and Kara Tointen.
• Hayley Atwell who is staring in Captain
America: the Winter Solider.
8. Exhibition
• Made its premiere at the Locarno Film Festival
in Switzerland. This means Entertainment One
will have been picked up the film here.
• It was released to 286 cinemas.
