Research - Companies and Institutions

For general research of a company, I have chosen:

Universal Studios

This company produces and distributes Motion pictures and Video (Films). They are well known for their films and have been making entertaining films for the public for 85 years.

Universal studios was founded by Carl Laemmle, he was a German-jewish immigrant who was struck by the popularity of the nickelodeons. The company had been handed down through the family for many generations, until the Laemmle’s lost control and the company was split between producers and directors. Different companies have bought and owned Universal Studios over the years, since the 1950’s, including the MCA and Matshishita & Vivendi. Nowadays, it is known as NBC Universal, and Universal Studios works with many other companies, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks for example.

Universal studios offer a range of different appealing products to the public. They offer souvenirs such as toys and posters from films that they produce, some of which are collectables. Also they have several theme parks such as the one in Florida; also they offer tours around their studios such as the one in Hollywood, with experiences of how their movies are made.

For research into a company that does films from my genre, I have chosen:

Miramax Films

This company was founded by the Weinstein Brothers, Harvey and Bob, in 1979. They created it to distribute independent films became increasingly successful throughout the 1980's. In 1993 it was bought by The Walt Disney Company, however, the Weinstein brothers continued to run  the company independently of Disney.

Miramax Films operated Dimension Films, which specialized in genre films. It was during this period that the company did films from the horror genre, such as the 'Halloween' films and the 'Scream' trilogy.