Slumdog Research

Release Date: 9 January 2009
Director: Danny Boyle
Production Company: Celador Films
Distributor: Pathé, Pictures
Production Budget: $15 000 000
Advertising Budget:
Main filming locations: Mumbai, India
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Male lead: Dev Petal
Female lead: Freida Pinto
Writer: Simon Beaufoy

Who do you think the target audience is? Why? (Mainstream or niche?)
I think the target audience is a niche audience, because there aren't many films that are British films and are set in India. I think that mainly Hindi people would watch this because it shows their culture and they would understand some of the things they are talking about in the film and relate to it.

What do the budgets tell you about the film?
That the film was quite cheaply made unlike other films, however, the film won 8 Oscars, unlike Casino Royale who did not win an Oscar and who's budget was $150 million. This tells me that you don't need a lot of money to make a really good film.

Slumdog is classed as a British film, why?
Because the director is British.

What is the criteria for classifying a film as ‘British’?
The director has to be British for the film to be classed as British.

How was the film received? (research critics reviews/awards won)
Slumdog has received many good reviews. "Slumdog Millionaire is as acerbic as it is clear-eyed about the brutal power dynamics in modern-day Mumbai. But, at the same time, what makes it so warming and what has been inspiring audiences all across the world to cheer at its rousing ending" - by Peter Bradshaw 'Guardian UK' http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/slumdog_millionaire/# .It has won 8 Oscars.

How was the film advertised? (Where? How long for?)
The film was advertised throught televison, on billboards and on buses. It was advertised for at least a month or just over amonth.

Why do you think the film was so successful?
I think it was so successful because it was based on real life and it sorta highlighted, to the people watching this, that they should be aware of what really happens in the world and that everything is not as it seems. It is also based on a true story.

Helpful websites:

Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com
Sight & Sound magazine: http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/
Guardian film reviews: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film
Official Slumdog site: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/
Wiki info on Slumdog: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumdog_Millionaire
Review site: http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/slumdog_millionaire/
UK Film Council: http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/
BAFTA: http://www.bafta.org/