Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service

1. Industry/Marketing

   • Release
     • 20th Century Fox
       • Official Trailer Published on 21 May 2014
       • Official Trailer 2 Published on 22 Sep 2014
       • Official Trailer 3 Published on 9 Dec 2014
       • Official Red Band Trailer Published on 12 Dec 2014
     • Premiere: The film's premiere was held in London on 14 January 2015
     • Released in cinemas in the UK: 29 January 2015
     • Released in cinemas in the US: 13 February 2015
     • Released on DVD/Bluray: Digital HD on 15 May 2015 and on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on 9 June
   • Finance
     • Budget: $94 Million
     • Box office: $414.4 Million
   • Exhibition
     • It was released in 2D and IMAX 3D in select international territories only, using DMR
     • Distributed by 20th Century Fox
   • Producers
     • Matthew Vaughn
     • David Reid
     • Adam Bohling
   • Ad Campaign
     • The trade paperback collecting the comics miniseries was released on 14 January 2015.
     • Vaughn teamed up with luxury retailer Mr Porter to create a 60-piece clothing line based on the film.
     • The collaboration is the first of its kind, making Kingsman: The Secret Service the first film from which customers can buy all of the outfits they see.
     • The film also includes significant product placement for Adidas Originals
     • Listed the three most well known actors on the posters to the exclusion of Taron Egerton.
       • Attract fans of those actors rather than having an unknown actor who won't have a large fanbase

2. Audience

   • Demographics
     • Fans of the graphic novel
     • Fans of the genre
     • Fans of the actors/actress’
       • Colin Firth
       • Samuel L. Jackson
       • Michael Caine
       • Link with how Taron Egerton was excluded from name credits in promotional media
     • Fans of Matthew Vaughn (director)
   • Media 2.0
     • Audiences will watch film, make reviews of it, attracting more audiences
   • Psychographics
     • Younger working class audiences will relate with a character like Eggsy and want to want it.
     • British audiences with relate with the characters as they feature british characteristics
     • Upper middle class audiences will relate with characters like Harry like aspire to be them and also relate with parts of their character.

3. Narrative

   • Narrative: Two-Strand equilibrium narrative
     • Converge after 2nd halfs
       • Harry Hart and the Kingsmen
         • Equilibrium: Agent Lancelot goes on a mission to rescue Professor Arnold
         • Disruption: Lancelot is killed
         • Recognition: Harry and the Kingsmen look into who did it, whilst finding a replacement.
         • Attempt to repair: Harry meets Valentine and Hart learns of Valentine's connection to an obscure hate group's church in Kentucky. He goes to it and is killed by Valentine.
       • Eggsy Becoming a Kingsman
         • New Equilibrium: Eggsy, Roxy and Merlin stop Valentine from culling the major of the Earth’s population.
   • Action Codes
     • The Death of Lancelot: Makes the Kingsmen start investigating and gives Eggsy an opportunity to join the Kingsmen.
     • The Dinner with Harry and Valentine: Leads Harry to the church where he is killed.
     • Harry’s Death: Makes Eggsy go back to the Kingsman base and stop Valentine

4. Genre

   • Intertextually
     • Often spoofs the Bond films
       • Gadgets
         • Bulletproof umbrella
         • Watch that fires darts
         • Pen that contains poison
       • Characters
         • The elderly man in charge of the agency (dispatcher)
           • Bond: M
           • Kingsman: Arthur
         • The tech guy (helper)
           • Bond: Q
           • Kingsman: Merlin
         • The Villian with a convoluted plan
           • Bond: Blofeld
           • Kingsman: Richmond Valentine
         • The Middle aged charming gentleman spy
           • Bond: James Bond
           • Kingsman: Harry Hart
       • Alcohol
         • Knowledge and love for complex alcohols
           • “Martini. Gin, not vodka, obviously. Stirred for 10 seconds while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth. Thank you.”
   • Countertype
     • Protagonists dies at the end of the second act
     • The villain
       • Hates gore
       • Wears a tracksuit and snapback hat
       • Speaks with a lisp
     • Roxanne (the female agent Eggsy is friends with) doesn’t get with Eggsy at the end
   • Conventional
     • Different locations around the world
       • The Middle East
       • Snowy area, alps?
       • London
       • Kentucky
     • Iconography
       • Explosions
       • Guns

5. Representation

   • Female
     • Gazelle (Sofia Boutella)
       • Henchwoman
       • Strong female character
         • Prosthetic legs
           • Blades
         • Is able to kill a Kingsman agent at the beginning
           • Throughout the rest of the film we are told how good these agents are.
         • Countertype to gender stereotypes
           • Link with Judith Butler
         • Takes down the Princess of Sweden’s bodyguards
         • Has no issue with killing
           • Unlike Valentine
     • Roxy (Sophie Cookson)
       • Helper character
       • Another strong female character
         • Successfully passes through the Kingsman training
         • Becomes a kingsman agent
         • Doesn’t get with Eggsy at the end
       • Weakness
         • Fear of heights
           • Which she deals with in the climax
     • Crown Princess Tilde of Sweden (Hanna Alström)
       • Conventionally attractive
         • Camera lingers on her behind in the last scene in the film
           • Male Gaze
       • Damsel in distress
         • Need Eggsy to help rescue her.
     • Michelle Unwin (Samantha Womack)
       • Eggsy’s mum
       • Needs to be told to lock her baby in a bathroom so she isn’t hurt
         • Damsel in distress
           • In post credits scene Eggsy saves her from Dean and asks her to go live with him.
       • Weak character
         • Falls for Dean, a violent character.
           • Unable to stop him when he is about to beat Eggsy
           • Later in the film we find out he beats her.
   • Male
     • Harry Hart (Colin Firth)
       • Kingsman agent
       • Strong character
         • Able to take down Dean’s henchmen
           • Much younger than him
       • Polite
         • Cares about etiquette and manners
         • “Manners maketh man”
     • Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson)
       • Countertype
         • Hates violence
           • After killing Harry: “That felt f##king awful”
         • Dresses like a youth
         • Speaks with a lisp
     • Dean Baker (Geoff Bell)
       • Violent
         • Pins Eggsy to a wall and threatens to kill him
         • Beats Eggsy’s mum
   • Age
     • Harry Hart (Colin Firth)
       • Middle aged yet active
         • Is able to beat up a whole gang of 20 year old without any struggle
         • Kills the majority of the people in the church while under the influence of Valentine’s SIM card
       • Wise
         • Gives Eggsy advice throughout the film
     • Chester King (Michael Caine)
       • Old dispatcher character
       • Seems to be a wise character
         • Turns out that he has starting working with Valentine
         • Tries to kill Eggsy
           • Gets tricked by him when he tries to poison him
     • Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson)
       • Man in his 60s
         • However acts as a person much younger
         • Dresses like Eggsy
           • Countertype to age stereotype
       • Weak
         • Hates the site of blood
   • Class
     • Upper Class
       • Shown as the richer people
       • Setting and colour - Upper class areas in the film are vibrant and quite regal looking, historical type building.
       • The Kingsman
         • All upper class
         • Live in a mansion
         • Speak very posh, polite. They often state that “Manner Maketh the Man”. All of the Upper Class characters are in Kingsman. They know a lot about drinks, clothing and manners.
           • Harry, Arthur and Lancelot
         • Wears expensive suits
       • These characters could be seen a facade. When Eggsy kills Arthur just before he dies he starts to speak in a working class cockney accent and also when Eggsy becomes a member of Kingsman and puts on the suit, he acts in a more upper class way.
     • Lower Class
       • Shown as being the poorer people.
       • Overall shown as immature and more unintelligent group of people
       • Setting and colour - Working class areas in the film are dull and gloomy looking, council flats
       • Eggsy
         • Uses slang, swears.
         • Wear hoodies, snapback hats and tracksuits
         • First scene we see of the main character Eggsy he’s stealing a car and going on a joyride
       • Michelle Unwin
         • Before father’s death Eggsy’s home appeared to be fairly middle class
           • Mother dressed and spoke in a middle class way
         • 17 years later, mother now dressing and speaks in a working class way.
           • Husband is working class