case study: saw B^)

Bianca RabyLeave a comment

In order to perfectly construct my film I have decided to review one of my favorite thrillers of all time from the beginning of it’s production all the way to it’s final execution. Without further a do, let’s begin! :0 

History/ Target Audience

Saw 1, released in 2004, began as a seven minute short film directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannel. The short was pitched to Lionsgate and with roaring approval, the pair was granted a small budget of 1 million dollars to make what is now known as one of the highest grossing horror series of all time. 

Production

The most incredible part of Saw’s production was perhaps it’s ability to work wonders with it’s severely limited resources. The film consisted of only three actors (one of which was the scriptwriter himself, Leigh Whannel) and was shot in only one location. This location, a dingy run down basement was not only arduous on the actors, but Wan as well as the scheduling constrictions were extremely tight. This resulted in shoots that lasted as long as 12 hours on a typical day. The film was shot in 18 days and there were no rehearsals for the actors, rather, the rehearsal takes were actual footage for the film. Wan explained that the style instead ended up being “more gritty and rough around the edges due to the lack of time and money that we had to shoot the movie with” but that it ultimately worked to their advantage as it became the aesthetic of the film.

“It was a really tough struggle for me. Every day, it was me fighting to get the shots I did not get. I had high aspirations, but there’s only so much you can do. ”

James Wan

“We did a lot of things to fill in gaps throughout the film. Whatever we cut to newspaper clippings…surveillance cameras, or we cut to still photography within the film, which now people say, ‘Wow, that’s such a cool experimental style of filmmaking’, we really did that out of necessity to fill in gaps we did not get during the filming,”

James Wan
Distribution

After having it’s praises sung from Lionsgate, the film was distributed to Sundance Film Festival, where, a few days later it was premiered for 3 days in a packed movie theatre. Lionsgate had originally intended to release the film direct to video, but due to the positive reaction at Sundance, they chose to release it theatrically by Halloween. Initially, the film received a rating of NC-17, but after further evaluation, was rated R for it’s graphic and disturbing content, and exploitation of violence. Saw opened at #3 on Halloween weekend 2004 in 2,315 theaters and grossed $18.2 million, behind Ray, which earned $20 million and The Grudge ($21.8 million). According to Lionsgate’s exit poll, 60% of the mostly male audience was under 25 years of age. 

Marketing

Ironically enough, the release of Saw came with the emergence of the “Give Til It Hurts” blood drive by Lionsgate which benefits the Red Cross. Donating blood for this event came with the reward of receiving tickets to see the film, which is an incredibly clever marketing technique on their part. With each release of a new Saw movie, the blood drive ran back up creating a tradition which would later characterize the series as a whole. Moreover, the release of the Saw’s trailer “teased and pontificated but gave away as little as humanly possible in terms of actual plot or visual spoilers. ” This created an highly regarded sense of anticipation for those who hadn’t gotten the chance of viewing the film at Sundance. 

Cross Media Convergence and Synergy

Since Saw was released in 2004 and began as an indie film by two largely unknown people, the film was not designed to have received as much praise as it did. It received a mix of responses from critics, some comparing it’s excellence with that of “Se7en” (Fincher, 1995) and some going as far to claim it was “convoluted” and “carelessly underscores its own shaky narrative at every turn with its mid-budget hokiness.” After it’s theatrical release, it was made for DVD. 

Sources Cited

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