Taken on Prezi
Slide 1- Introduction
Taken is a 2008 French-produced thriller film produced by Luc Besson, starring Irish actor Liam Neeson,
American actress Maggie Grace and Dutch actress Famke Janssen.
Neeson plays a former CIA agent who sets about tracking down his daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers while traveling in France.
Taken is a 2008 French-produced thriller film produced by Luc Besson, starring Irish actor Liam Neeson,
American actress Maggie Grace and Dutch actress Famke Janssen.
Neeson plays a former CIA agent who sets about tracking down his daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers while traveling in France.
Slide 2- Cast
Liam Neeson- Bryan Mills, Maggie Grace- Kim Mills (daughter), Famke Janssen- Lenore Mills (mum & ex),Olivier Rabourdin- Jean-Claude, Australian singer Holly Valance- Sheerah (singer), Katie Cassidy- amanda (Kim’s Friend)
Slide 3- The Idea
Co-writer and producer Luc Besson came up with the idea for TAKEN.
Luc had met with a Paris police officer who told him about the underworld of kidnappers who take young women and force them into prostitution through drugs and then the girls would then be auctioned off just outside of Paris.
Besson and Kamen turned this idea into a compelling story.
Besson hired Pierre Morel to direct Taken as they had previously worked together when he’d been the cinematographer, who had shot "Unleashed," which was also written and produced by Besson, but also because he loved the internationally acclaimed action film "District B13," Morel had previously directed with a vast amount of choreographed martial art fighting styles which Besson wanted to incorporate into Taken.
Taken was finally rated as an age 15 movie due after the surrounding controversy due to its explicit violence & drug use
Luc had met with a Paris police officer who told him about the underworld of kidnappers who take young women and force them into prostitution through drugs and then the girls would then be auctioned off just outside of Paris.
Besson and Kamen turned this idea into a compelling story.
Besson hired Pierre Morel to direct Taken as they had previously worked together when he’d been the cinematographer, who had shot "Unleashed," which was also written and produced by Besson, but also because he loved the internationally acclaimed action film "District B13," Morel had previously directed with a vast amount of choreographed martial art fighting styles which Besson wanted to incorporate into Taken.
Taken was finally rated as an age 15 movie due after the surrounding controversy due to its explicit violence & drug use
Slide 4- Developing Finance
The main production company for Taken was EuropaCorp which is co-owned by the film’s co-writer and producer Luc Besson, europacorp takes on a range of production activities like film distribution in France, DVD distribution, sales of French TV rights, and producing advertisements.
From this europacorp also had many other French television channels that it worked alongside to produce the film such as M6, TPS star and Canal+.
It also had the help of American production company Wintergreen Productions.
EuropaCorp working alongside all these minor French production companies and Wintergreens productions is called a synergy and doing this means that expertise and costs can be spread and also to ensure a larger effect than if they were to act independently.
Because of Taken’s French origin it was working with EuropaCorp and other minor TV production companies but also one of the big six film studios which was 20th Century Fox to produce the film, even though the film had a small budget of only $25million and lacked in any special effects and collection of big Hollywood stars, the synergy between the companies helped the huge success of the film in its production.
The main production company for Taken was EuropaCorp which is co-owned by the film’s co-writer and producer Luc Besson, europacorp takes on a range of production activities like film distribution in France, DVD distribution, sales of French TV rights, and producing advertisements.
From this europacorp also had many other French television channels that it worked alongside to produce the film such as M6, TPS star and Canal+.
It also had the help of American production company Wintergreen Productions.
EuropaCorp working alongside all these minor French production companies and Wintergreens productions is called a synergy and doing this means that expertise and costs can be spread and also to ensure a larger effect than if they were to act independently.
Because of Taken’s French origin it was working with EuropaCorp and other minor TV production companies but also one of the big six film studios which was 20th Century Fox to produce the film, even though the film had a small budget of only $25million and lacked in any special effects and collection of big Hollywood stars, the synergy between the companies helped the huge success of the film in its production.
Slide 5- Script Development
Taken was an original script by French film-maker Luc Besson and American screenwriter Robert Kamen.
Taken was an original script by French film-maker Luc Besson and American screenwriter Robert Kamen.
Slide 6- Production
As said before the film was produced by Luc Besson's production company EuropaCorp.
Taken was mostly filmed in Los Angeles, California but also in Paris, France at the Studios Eclair which is the main filming studio in France that works closely with EuropaCorp.
There are three different versions of taken altogether, The first is the International Cut, released as an "Extended Cut" which is unrated on dvd in the US and also as an "Extended Harder Cut" (with an "18" classification) on dvd in the UK. The second is the UK Cut, which is nearly identical to the International Cut, with the only exception being the torture scene where the clamps are attached to the chair in the UK Cut, but in the International Cut, they're attached to spikes which are stabbed into the man's legs. Obviously this is much more graphic and concludes why this version is unrated in the US and was cut in the UK to secure a "15" classification rating, however this cut was shown at cinemas in the UK. And finally, the third version is the US Cut, edited by 2-3 minutes to receive a PG-13 rating in the US, this cut was forced by the US distributor 20th century fox, and was eventually shown in cinemas in the US.
The main distributors for Taken were Europacorp and 20th Century Fox, who distributed the cinema & home media versions of the film in France the US and the UK and also many other countries worldwide.
As said before the film was produced by Luc Besson's production company EuropaCorp.
Taken was mostly filmed in Los Angeles, California but also in Paris, France at the Studios Eclair which is the main filming studio in France that works closely with EuropaCorp.
There are three different versions of taken altogether, The first is the International Cut, released as an "Extended Cut" which is unrated on dvd in the US and also as an "Extended Harder Cut" (with an "18" classification) on dvd in the UK. The second is the UK Cut, which is nearly identical to the International Cut, with the only exception being the torture scene where the clamps are attached to the chair in the UK Cut, but in the International Cut, they're attached to spikes which are stabbed into the man's legs. Obviously this is much more graphic and concludes why this version is unrated in the US and was cut in the UK to secure a "15" classification rating, however this cut was shown at cinemas in the UK. And finally, the third version is the US Cut, edited by 2-3 minutes to receive a PG-13 rating in the US, this cut was forced by the US distributor 20th century fox, and was eventually shown in cinemas in the US.
The main distributors for Taken were Europacorp and 20th Century Fox, who distributed the cinema & home media versions of the film in France the US and the UK and also many other countries worldwide.
Slide 7- sales
There were three different trailers for Taken; an official trailer, an international trailer and a teaser trailer. There were also two different TV spots released in the US for the film.
There were three different trailers for Taken; an official trailer, an international trailer and a teaser trailer. There were also two different TV spots released in the US for the film.
Slide 8- Marketing
Taken had the usual marketing techniques of posters on buses, in magazines on billboards etc, TV, cinema and DVD trailers. But because of the release of the film in so many different countries all this advertising and promotion work was done in four different languages (English, French, Albanian and Arabic). Altogether Taken released three trailers and two tv spots, however some controversy was created as it was revealed Neeson’s character killed 35 people altogether throughout the 90-odd minute film.
Taken had the usual marketing techniques of posters on buses, in magazines on billboards etc, TV, cinema and DVD trailers. But because of the release of the film in so many different countries all this advertising and promotion work was done in four different languages (English, French, Albanian and Arabic). Altogether Taken released three trailers and two tv spots, however some controversy was created as it was revealed Neeson’s character killed 35 people altogether throughout the 90-odd minute film.
Slide 9- Exhibition
Taken was released in French cinemas on the 27th February 2008 and on the 28th September 2008 in the UK. In its opening day in America the film grossed $9.4 million, and scored the best opening day ever for Super Bowl Weekend, and in the overall weekend it made over $24,000,000 worldwide and was shown on approximately 3,183 screens all over the world. The film has grossed a worldwide total of over $226,000,000.
Taken was released on DVD in the UK in May 2009 and as of march 2011 over 4 million copies of the film had been sold worldwide generating over $68,000,000 in sales. Taken was released on a blu-ray version of the extended and original cut and a DVD version of the extended cut and the original film.
Taken was released in French cinemas on the 27th February 2008 and on the 28th September 2008 in the UK. In its opening day in America the film grossed $9.4 million, and scored the best opening day ever for Super Bowl Weekend, and in the overall weekend it made over $24,000,000 worldwide and was shown on approximately 3,183 screens all over the world. The film has grossed a worldwide total of over $226,000,000.
Taken was released on DVD in the UK in May 2009 and as of march 2011 over 4 million copies of the film had been sold worldwide generating over $68,000,000 in sales. Taken was released on a blu-ray version of the extended and original cut and a DVD version of the extended cut and the original film.
Slide 10- Other Windows
Family Guy released an episode called ‘Leggo My Meg-O’ in May 2012 which is based on the film taken.
Taken was nominated for three awards in total and won one of the three.
It was rated 7.9/10 on imdb and it was rated on Rotten Tomatoes at 83%. In November 2010, 20th century fox announced the production of Taken 2 would begin in October 2011 and it was released earlier this month on the 3rd October 2012, the budget for the sequel was triple the first film’s budget at $80 million dollars and its box office opening weekend made over $49,000,000.
Family Guy released an episode called ‘Leggo My Meg-O’ in May 2012 which is based on the film taken.
Taken was nominated for three awards in total and won one of the three.
It was rated 7.9/10 on imdb and it was rated on Rotten Tomatoes at 83%. In November 2010, 20th century fox announced the production of Taken 2 would begin in October 2011 and it was released earlier this month on the 3rd October 2012, the budget for the sequel was triple the first film’s budget at $80 million dollars and its box office opening weekend made over $49,000,000.
