Film Institutions: Enigma Entertainment

Enigma Entertainment was founded in October 2012 by myself, Philip Smith, and my associate Nicholas Ashurst. It is currently comprsied of two sub divisons - Enigma Theatre and Enigma Cinema - which are, together, a re-branding of the now-defunt ASP TV and its subsidaries Colossus Pictures and Spartan Enterainment, which were responsible for the critically acclaimed France 24 and The Piano in the cinematic department, as well as Love, Lies & Venice,and the recent The Nero Complex as performed in the Therfield Drama Studio.

Enigma Cinema is a production company that specialises in virtually no-budget blockbuster epics, with our debut feature the hugely successful Preliminary Task which has accumulated over 200 views on YouTube within a fortnight.

Our upcoming project is the feature-length motion picture Sins Of The Martyr (Release Date 2013 TBA), which aims to revolutionise cinema. An exclusive prologue will be released early 2013 to generate interest and hype.

Film Institutions: The Mini-Major Movie Studios

Dreamworks Animation

A sub-division of the Steven Spielberg founded Dreamworks Inc., it has grown to be more financially successful, with such franchises as Shrek and Madagascar.

Lionsgate Entertainment

The most successful independent film distribution company, it is known for The Hunger Games as well as a number of horror remakes.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Known predominately nowadays for the James Bond franchise, this film studio has been around for a long time but has experienced some financial turmoil in recent years

Relativity Media
In recent years, the film division of this studio has released a number of critically and commercially successful films such as Bridesmaids and The Social Network, but generally is a rather low-key film studio.

The Weinstein Company

Formed by the Weinstein Brothers following their departure from Miramax, this relatively new film studio tends to finance films that look to do well at the Academy Awards.

Film Institutions: The Major Movie Studios: 20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox (News Corp.)

Fox December release
"Life Of Pi"

20th Century Fox, founded in 1935, is iconic both for its recognizable insignia and association with many major blockbuster film properties such as Star Wars, Alien and the most successful movie of all time Avatar.

One of, if not the most powerful film studio, they produce and distribute films across all kinds of genres. Fox Searchlight Pictures is the name given to the art-house label of the studio, which also releases a number of British films.

Film Institutions: The Major Movie Studios: Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures (Comcast)

Universal January release
"Les Miserables"

Formed in 1912, Universal Pictures is one of the longest lived motion picture studios to be located outside of Hollywood. Today it is a division of conglomerate NBCUniversal, and is responsible for a wide range of films, such as the Back To The Future and Bourne franchises.

Universal's subdivisons include Focus Features, the arthouse and world cinema production company and distributor, and Working Title Films, a British production company famous for comedies such as those of directors Richard Curtis and Edgar Wright.

Film Institutions: The Major Movie Studios: Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Pictures (Disney)

Disney February release
"Wreck-It Ralph" 

Walt Disney Pictures, formed in 1928, has been one of the most well-renowned and successful movie studios, due to their films' mass appeal. The company has released films targeted towards family audiences, of both live action and animation. Touchstone Pictures is an imprint of Walt Disney Pictures that typically releases more adult and darker-orientated movies, while Pixar Animation Studios is known for critically and commercially successful releases such as Toy Story and Up.

Acquisitions in recent years include Marvel Studios, which led to the hugely lucrative The Avengers, and LucasFilm, responsible for Star Wars and Indiana Jones, allowing Disney to pursue future installments.

Film Institutions: The Major Movie Studios: Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures (Sony) 

Columbia January release
"Django Unchained"

Columbia Pictures was formed in 1918, and today is now currently under the operation of Sony Pictures Entertainment, who still primarily distribute their films under the Columbia label. It began as a minor player in Hollywood, but today has been very successful, with lucrative properties such as Spider-Man and the recent installments of the James Bond series.

Sony Pictures Classics operates as a sub-division that distributes lower-budget films, such as those of director Woody Allen.

Film Institutions: The Major Movie Studios: Warner Bros. Pictures

  Warner Bros. Pictures (Time Warner)

Warner December release
"The Hobbit:
An Unexpected Journey"

Warner Bros. Pictures was formed by the four Warner brothers, who had already established a previous distribution company, in 1923. It was a leading studio throughout the twentieth century, pioneering 'talkie movies', while also being responsible for the Looney Tunes animations. In recent years, Warner Bros.'s most successful film properties have been the Harry Potter series and The Dark Knight Trilogy of films.

New Line Cinema was recently merged into Warner Bros, after previously being a subsidiary. It is most well-known for the successful "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy of films.

Film Institutions: The Major Movie Studios: Paramount Pictures

 

Paramount Pictures (Viacom)

Paramount May release
"Star Trek Into Darkness"

Paramount Pictures was founded in 1912 and is the fourth oldest existing film studio in the world and consistently ranked as one of the highest grossing.

 

They are known for a variety of films across all genres, in recent years being responsible for leading sci-fi franchises such as "Transformers" and "Star Trek", while also releasing numerous action films and comedies. It is now the last movie studio still based in Hollywood itself.

 

Paramount Vantage is the sub-division of the studio that is responsible for more low-key affairs, such as indie drama and documentaries.

Location Scouting: Farnham - Waverley Abbey

Location scouting for this location was actually done a long while back, exclusively by my colleague, Nicholas. The thought of using this location had actually been an idea of his for a while. You can see why in the pictures below:

Location Scouting: Brighton - The Pavilion

Location Scouting: Brighton - The Pier

During my excursion to the seaside town of Brighton on the 20th and the 21st of November, as part of my Geography course, I spent some time taking photographs of various locations around the area, as we thought Brighton would be an interesting locale that would contrast with London.

An iconic location in Brighton is, of course, the Pier.

Video Diary: Location Scouting | London - St. Dunstan-in-the-East

Here's the second of our video diaries, detailing our location scouting in London this past weekend.

 

Video Diary: Location Scouting | London - Trafalgar Square

I have edited together some short video production diaries, chronicling our visit to London and the many locations we hope to feature in our film.

Watch our first video diary below:

Locations: London - The Gherkin

Locations: London - St. Dunstan In The East

Location Scouting: London - Embankment & The Hungerford Bridge

Location Scouting: London - The Mall & Horse Guards Parade

Location Scouting: London - Trafalgar Square

On the 17th November, myself, my fellow director Nicholas Ashurst, and our leading man, Lee Davidson, went on an expedition to central London to scout locations for our film and its opening sequence. We travelled via train up to London Waterloo, and used the London Underground to reach our first destination.

We had imagined Trafalgar Square as the setting for the opening scene for a long time, and by the end of our visit were even more keen on using it, as it traversed the square and identified key points of interest that would be utilised in the sequence, planning a rough idea of how the sequence would play out.

Below are a number of photographs we took at Trafalgar Square, displaying the geography of the location and the architecture that surrounds it. A complete collection of images taken can be found in the gallery.