Materials Required

Refer to:

Carson & Gray, Chapter 2, Case 2.2: Film Prioritization: Class Case Study Exercise

Detailed Instructions

Read the Case Study associated with the specific unit carefully, then proceed as follows

This unit case study will be completed in class and submitted on Moodle.

While there is no formula for analyzing case studies, the following guidelines are recommended:

Define the outcomes and objectives for your analysis. What questions are you trying to answer and what issues are you trying to resolve?

Skim through the case study and get a sense for how it has been structured.

Read through the case study with paper and pencil and make notes as you go along.

Company Mission

The mission for the firm:Our overriding objective is to create shareholder value by continuing to be the worlds premier entertainment company from a creative, strategic, and financial standpoint. The film division supports this mission by producing four to six high-quality, family entertainment films for mass distribution each year. In recent years, the CEO of the company has advocated that the firm take a leadership position in championing environmental concerns.

Company ''Must'' Objectives"

Every project must meet the must objectives as determined by executive management. It is important that selected film projects not violate such objectives of high strategic priority. There are three must objectives:

All projects meet current legal, safety, and environmental standards.

All film projects should receive a PG or lower advisory rating.

All projects should not have an adverse effect on current or planned operations within the larger company.

Company ''Want'' Objectives

Want objectives are assigned weights for their relative importance. Top management is responsible for formulating, ranking, and weighting objectives to ensure that projects support the companys strategy and mission. The following is a list of the companys want objectives:

Be nominated for and win an academy award for Best Animated Feature or Best Picture of the Year.

Generate additional merchandise revenue (action figures, dolls, interactive games, music CDs).

Raise public consciousness about environmental issues and concerns.

Generate profit in excess of 18 percent.

Advance the state of the art in film animation and preserve the firms reputation.

Provide the basis for the development of a new ride at a company-owned theme park.

Film Proposals

Project Proposal 1: My Life With Dalai Lama

An animated, biographical account of the Dalai Lamas childhood in Tibet based on the popular childrens book Tales from Nepal. The Lamas life is told through the eyes of Guoda, a field snake, and other local animals who befriend the Dalai and help him understand the principles of Buddhism.

Probability	80%	50%	20%
ROI	8%	18%	24%

Project Proposal 2: Heidi

A remake of the classic childrens story with music written by award-winning compos- ers Syskle and Obert. The big-budget film will feature top-name stars and breathtaking scenery of the Swiss Alps.

Probability	80%	50%	20%
ROI	2%	20%	30%

Project Proposal 3: The Year of the Echo

A low-budget documentary that celebrates the career of one of the most influential bands in rock-and-roll history. The film will be directed by new-wave director Elliot Cznerzy and will combine concert footage and behind-the-scenes interviews spanning the 25-year history of the rock band the Echos. In addition to great music, the film will focus on the death of one of the founding members from a heroin overdose and reveal the underworld of sex, lies, and drugs in the music industry.

Probability	80%	50%	20%
ROI	12%	14%	18%

Project Proposal 4: Escape From Rio Japuni

An animated feature set in the Amazon rainforest. The story centers around Pablo, a young jaguar who attempts to convince warring jungle animals that they must unite and escape the devastation of local clear cutting.

Probability	80%	50%	20%
ROI	15%	20%	24%

Project Proposal 5: Nadia!

The story of Nadia Comaneci, the famous Romanian gymnast who won three gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. The low-budget film will document her life as a small child in Romania and how she was chosen by Romanian authorities to join their elite, state-run, athletic program. The film will highlight how Nadia main- tained her independent spirit and love for gymnastics despite a harsh, regimented training program.

Probability	80%	50%	20%
ROI	8%	15%	20%

Project Proposal 6: KeikoOne Whale of a Story

The story of Keiko, the famous killer whale, will be told by an imaginary offspring Seiko, who in the distant future is telling her children about their famous grandfather. The big-budget film will integrate actual footage of the whale within a realistic ani- mated environment using state-of-the-art computer imagery. The story will reveal how Keiko responded to his treatment by humans.

Probability	80%	50%	20%
ROI	6%	18%	25%

Project Proposal 7: Grand Island

The true story of a group of junior-high biology students who discover that a fertilizer plant is dumping toxic wastes into a nearby river. The moderate-budget film depicts how students organize a grassroots campaign to fight local bureaucracy and ultimately force the fertilizer plant to restore the local ecosystem.

Probability	80%	50%	20%
ROI	9%	15%	20%