RUSH

RUSH - a Working Title film

Set against the sexy, glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing in the 1970s, the film is based on the true story of a great sporting rivalry between handsome English playboy James Hunt (Hemsworth), and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Austrian driver Niki Lauda (Bruhl). The story follows their distinctly different personal styles on and off the track, their loves and the astonishing 1976 season in which both drivers were willing to risk everything to become world champion in a sport with no margin for error: if you make a mistake, you die.
- Written by P. Morgan (Source)

The Trailer

Production Technique

The advert consists mainly of shots that last only for a second or two, making it seem a lot more fast paced (links to the subject of racing).  Jump cuts are used in the higher tension sequences, such as at ~1:22-1:28, and blackouts and fades often juxtapose these.  A descending sub-bass SFX also gives the viewer a sense of foreboding and doom just before the crash occurs.

The camera also jumps to a shot in line of the crashing car, designed to make those watching jump and become, yet more uncomfortable.  The fades (1:29-1:32) along with a distorted lens (1:34) allow a dreamlike quality to the sequence, as though the viewer themselves also had been involved in the crash, and the 'clanking' SFX at the end of the advert relate to what it may sound like in a malfunctioning car - adding an even more immersive dimension to the experience.
(More on production here, all credit to Ian Failes and FXGuide.)





Marketing and Mainstream Appeal
Rush was packaged to appeal to a large amount of people in a number of ways, including:

• Rush, being about racing, already has a very large, very established fan base.  Knowing that a large % of these people will go see the film, they already had a safety net in the case of the film not doing as well as assumed with a mainstream audience.
• Working Title already had tested the waters with the racing scene, by previously releasing a lower budget film of a similar topic (Senna, 2010 - link to IMDB here), which was successful with a budget far less than $10m, and generating nearly $12m.
• The main actor, Chris Hemsworth, was also extremely relevant after jumping to Hollywood stardom off the back of the Avengers movie.
• James Hunt, the main protagonist is portrayed as an upper class, aristocracy character.  This is generally seen as the British stereotype, which other countries seem to love - by doing this it draws in viewers from other cultures.
• By adding a sub-plot between the characters James and Suzy, fans of romance films and not just racing fans are catered to, allowing for a larger spectrum of potential viewers.