Compare and contrast 24 Hour Party People’s production to that of a Hollywood film.

The two films that I will be comparing and contrasting are ’24 Hour Party People (Michael Winterbottom, 2001) and ‘The Boat That Rocked’ (Richard Curtis, 2009). The two films deal with similar themes of passion for music as well as multiple others; for these similarities I feel that will be perfect to analyze.
The first element to consider is the synergy in both films; the first type of synergy I will focus on is product placement. In ‘24 Hour Party People’ there is one example of product placement; when the main characters girlfriend leaves for the train station there is an advertisement for PG tips. A stereotype often associated with England is the love for tea; therefore the inclusion of this is well suited for the British production. On the other hand, there are no examples of product placement in ‘The Boat That Rocked’; it could be suggested that the reason for this was that although the film is Hollywood it is not a bigger enough production to capture the large companies typically associated with Hollywood productions. Another section that both productions use is music appearance; however it is clear that the Hollywood production develop this idea. It is clear that both films include music both verbally as well as visually. ‘24 Hour Party People’ includes music from the ‘Sex Pistols’ throughout as well as showing archive footage from ‘New Order’s concert; ‘The Boat That Rocked’ includes music throughout as well as presenting a montage of album covers toward the end. However, ‘That Boat That Rocked’ develops the idea of music appearance into cross media convergence. It was the well-known artist Duffy that produced the song ‘Stay With Me Baby’ specifically for the film. This cross-media convergence increases advertisement for both the film and the artist.
In terms of new media technology, both films are fairly modern and both produced in the 21st Century, resulting in new technology being used in multiple areas. The first element to focus on is cinematography; both films were shot using digital tape. This resulted in both films having different shots that would have been unable to apply with an analog recording. For example, in ’24 Hour Party People’ when the reporter is paragliding, the camera is actually strapped to the paraglider; this resulted in a very jumpy shot of the reporters face. This type of exclusive camerawork wouldn’t have been possible with an analog camera and it gives the shot a much more realistic feel. However, it is clear that the editing of the two films differ; ‘The Boat That Rocked’ uses much more complex and interesting editing. In it’s opening sequence both horizontal and vertical swipes are used as well as multiple split screens and other functions. In contrast to this, ‘24 Hour Party People’s opening sequence presents the initial credits in a much simpler way; with colourful images merely fading on and off the screen. Special effects are also used in both productions; however the scale of the CGI alters hugely. The most noticeable use of special effects in ’24 Hour Party People’ is the section with the pigeons; this includes multiple falling from the sky as well as a camera that appears to be placed on the back of one of the pigeons. However, in ‘The Boat That Rocked’ the use of CGI is far less noticeable and is on a much higher scale; special effects were used to create the sinking of the boat as well as the sea around it.
In terms of the effect of new technology I feel that it has opened new prospects for British independent films; I feel that it has closed the difference between the two & revolutionized film. Digital recordings in regards to the effect of Hollywood productions has allowed them to master the techniques for CGI; this is evident through the realistic feel. This enabling of better and more advanced equipment has allowed directors to make films have they want them to be produced; suiting different audiences with different styles.
To conclude, there are many similarities and differences in the films production; the majority due to quality and definition. Although I believe that both productions are of a similar standard, using comparable software & techniques, it is the Hollywood production that just edges in regards to audience appeal and satisfaction.