Case Study:

Sherlock Holmes 2: Game of Shadows (2011)

Director: Guy Ritchie Writers: Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney (husband and wife) and inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is the 2011 sequel to Guy Ritchies original 2009 film. Both the initial Sherlock Holmes film and the sequel were written by Kieran and Michele Mulroney, inspired by Arthur Conan Doyles characters of Sherlock Homes and Dr. John Watson and influenced by his short story, The Final Problem.

Casting and Star Appeal

In addition to Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law who continue as Holmes and Watson respectfully, the cast is extended by additional characters. American actor Robert Downey Jr., was a child actor, appearing in both TV and films since the age of five. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Downey Jr. rose to fame in films associated with the American Brat Pack (young actors who appeared in youth / coming of age films) and in bigger films, like 1990 Air America, 1991 Soapdish, 1992 Chaplin (where he received an Academy Award for Best Actor) and Natural Born Killers in 1994. After this time, he was in the press due to frequent drug-related charges and he even spent time in prison in 2000. A court-ordered drug treatment saw the end to his relationship with drugs, and his career took off again between 2003-6 with The Singing Detective, Kiss Kiss Bang, Bang, A Scanner Darkly and Gothika (where Joel Silver apparently held back some of his salary as insurance due to his wild behaviour).

His characters have always been fast talking with a dark edge, which suited his casting of Iron Man in 2008. This role has enabled him to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (see Thor Case Study). He was also nominated for the Academy Award of Best Supporting Actor for Ben Stillers Tropic Thunder (2008 American action comedy). As the famous British Detective, Downey Jr. speaks with an English accent. Not being new to voice work, he was the voiceover announcer for Nissan (2012 link) and has sung on many of his films soundtracks. He is now set as the most Valuable Star in the box office, mainly due to his title role as Iron Man. This is set to be the highest grossing film franchise of all time. His star image is as a funny, quickwitted, dark humoured and handsome man. His personal history of drugs, and failed marriages all add to the characters he presents audiences with, and his acting ability is awarded by fans and critics alike. This likeability is seen in the marketing for the film, with Downey Jr as the lead / focus point of the posters, interviews and images. This was the case worldwide, including the UK, where both the director and supporting actor (Jude Law) are both celebrities in their own right. Jude Law is also an A list celebrity, due to his filmography (including The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1999 and Cold Mountain 2003), his work in theatre (including the award winning portrayal of Hamlet in 2009), advertising campaigns (including Dior and Dunhill worldwide) and his charitable work (from the Young Vic in London, working with the UN in Afghanistan to Make Poverty History).

He has also been in the press due to his marriage / divorce with Sadie Frost and their children and his on / off relationship with actress Sienna Miller.

His role as Londoner Dr. John Watson is not the first as he played the icon Alfie in 2004. His star image is as a ladies man, smooth talking and very handsome. The role in Sherlock Holmes is more physical and violent than audiences would be used to for Law. Swedish actress (of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fame) Noomi Rapace plays Simza, British TV and film actor Jared Harris plays Sherlocks nemesis Professor Moriarty. Jared Harris casting was hyped as the film makers did not release his name to the press initially. Harris is also an interesting choice as a villain, as the British star is known more for playing an English man in the US hit television show, Mad Men. In the October 2011 edition of Empire magazine, Downey Jr. says choosing Harris was not event casting. In the same way that Holmes does not wear a deerstalker in the films (he wears an American classic, the Stetson = see below), the character of Moriarty was initially mysterious, with no long winded speeches of his motives or plans. Selecting the lesser known actor Harris enabled the film to see more independent. On the same note, Canadian actress Rachel McAdams played Sherlocks love interest and is seen as more of a cameo (hers is a brief appearance in the first act) rather than a lead role as you would expect. Also the very funny, intelligent English star of TV, Stephen Fry is cast as Holmes brother, rather than an A List film actor. Director Guy Ritchie is associated with his low budget initial films, although he is able to bring in the big guns (like Brad Pitt as the incomprehensible Irish fighter in Snatch). Ritchies marriage / divorce to Madonna was a focus for the UK tabloid press and his involvement in her music videos and their film Swept Away was a career low for him. Following RockNRolla and a Nike commercial in 2008, Sherlock Holmes saw him back on top again with many cinematic features being praised.

Ritchie, Law and Downey Jr. were cited as strong friends at many of the press engagements they had and many interviews about the films are joint. Ritchie stated the reason that they went forward with the sequel was due to the relationship between the two stars. In terms of the public, they enjoy the relationship of the three men, and the camaraderie they share.

Genre
The relationship between Homes and Watson is similar to a buddy cop film. They argue and bicker, but ultimately have a strong friendship and would put their life on the line for one another. This adds a spin on the conventional crime drama, as the period style backdrop of 19th century London means

that many fans see this film as a murder / mystery or detective film first. However it is this buddy element which makes the film relevant to modern audiences, along with the contemporary script, acting and SFX.

Production
There was an approximate budget of $125 million (with an estimated $15 million going on Downeys salary alone). After the success of the 2009 film, Guy Ritchie pulled out of working on Lobo and Robert Downey Jr. left Cowboys and Aliens. There were rumours about McAdams who confirmed that she would be in the sequel but it wouldnt be a big part. The films narrative was set as a year after the first films events and not as a sequel - so you could watch the film in isolation or as a stand-alone film. The film had a working title of Sherlock Holmes 2 and was filmed between late 2010 and early 2011, mainly in England. Downey, Jr., and Law were seen rehearsing a scene in Richmond Park (South West London) and the steamship the PS Waverley was chartered for filming. In addition, Didcot Railway Centre had an action scene filmed there (with green screen) and there was another railway scene at Victoria Bridge, Worcester. Hampton Palace and Greenwich also saw further scenes filmed. Principal photography was also captured in France at the Strasbourg Cathedral.

The film uses the Phantom camera which allows the film maker to captured fast paced action but playback in slow motion. This enables the audience to digest the fight scenes (where Holmes illustrates his logical fighting technique and Ritchies bare-knuckle fighting style as seen in his other films) and in chases (where bullets are used or the speed moves, seemingly, too fast for the audience). Another camera, called the Spider Phantom camera, is able to record action moving up to 70 mph. These sequences not only are conventional for modern action films, but are also associated with Ritchies films. Ritchies signature cinematic touches include voice-overs, humour, innovative frame rates / lenses and staging. This is evident in both his high budget films, like Sherlock Holmes, but also in his low budget movies (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RockNRolla for example). There were initial discussion about the film being released in 3D, but it was decided that this wasnt the correct position for the film.

Score
The soundtrack was composed and organised by Hans Zimmer. Both Zimmer and Ritchie researched the authentic Roma gyspy music and travelled to Italy, France and Slovakia. Zimmer brought in two Romani bands to add an authentic feel to the film and also create opportunities for the people. As

part of this travel, Ritchie was struck by the poverty he encountered in Central Europe and a portion of the soundtracks proceeds is directed for the Roma to help with basic necessities. Zimmers daughter (a fashion photographer) documented several of the Roma settlement and this led to the Deserve Dignity exhibition.

Producers

Joel Silver: USA Owner of Silver Pictures = distributed by Warner Bros. and its subsidiary, New Line Cinema Susan Downey (US film producer and wife of Robert Downey Jr. Was both Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment and Executive Vice President of Production of Silver Pictures - see above. After the 2009 Sherlock Holmes, the Downeys worked together on 2010s Iron Man 2 and Due Date before Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. In June 2010 Robert and Susan Downey announced their Warner Bros-based production company, named Team Downey. Lionel Wigram: UK - producer and screenwriter. Wrote comic that inspired 2009 Sherlock Holmes Dan Lin: American Hollywood film producer (born in Taiwan). CEO of Lin Pictures, worked at Warner Bros between 1999-2007 before setting up his own company which is based at Warner Bros.

Studio

Village Roadshow Pictures: Australian motion picture producer and publisher, cofinancier and producer with Warner Bros. Also released Sherlock Holmes. Silver Pictures: American production company owned by Joel Silver. Warner Bros. distributes their films with New Line Cinema (also American)

Exhibition and Distribution

The film was released on the same day in Canada, the US and the UK - 16th December. Then on the 25 December in all other countries bar Australia, Poland and Spain which was released on the 5th January 2012. It gained a box office figure of $543,848,418 worldwide. This is made up from $186,848,418 in North America and was the 12th highest worldwide grossing film of 2011 (against films including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1) and 9th highest grossing in the US alone. This ranking was below figures for Cars 2, Puss in Boots and The Smurfs. It did gain mixed reviews, and it also had a much lower opening gross that the first film - $14.6 million on its opening day in North America compared with $24.6 million. The weekend figures are also much lower with $39.6 million compared with $62.3 million with the predecessor film. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 61% out of 200 critics and an audience rating of 78% or 3.9/5 with over 110,000 ratings (at the time of writing). Metacritic gave it 48/100 based on 38 reviews.

Awards
TBC at the end of 2012. Currently up for Teen Choice Awards (Action Movie, Actor (Robert Downey Jr.) and Actress (Noomi Rapace): Action

Home Media

It is vailable on Blu-ray and DVD, both with a digital download so the purchaser can install it on their computer or personal device. There is an iPad App which syncs with the Blu-ray movie; his includes interactive scene breakdowns, script excerpts, and character profiles.

Online
The Warner Bros. website immediately plays the trailer and then initially leads you to purchasing the DVD or Blu-ray forms of the film. The other sections are an About area with a synopsis, film maker and cast information and production notes (a press release). Special features leads you to the special features on the Blu-ray, DVD and digital download. You can then access Sherlocks Greatest Case which takes you to another page and the Facebook page for the movie. A Videos page includes the trailer, a number of TV spots, a Behind the Scenes film, and two Recording the Music sequences (please note you cannot pause / play these at will). There is a sizeable gallery of images from the film, link to (Flicksters) Ultraviolet that enables you to stream the film and download to your mobile device. Downloads include wallpaper and icons for both iPad and iPhones. Interestingly on the Partner page, JVC are offering a prize linked with the Facebook page of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and a web-link to the hat makers, Stetson. An interesting page for fans is Soundtrack, which allows enables immediate links to Hans Zimmers work on both Amazon and iTunes. You are able to listen to extracts embedded in the page and there is a link to the Video page for the Recording the Music sequences.