How has technology changed the film industry?

How has technology changed the film industry?

Production

New digital cameras have the ability to capture images with a much higher pixel count which enhances the experience of watching the film on the big screen. Technology has dramatically reduced the physical effort of editing by making all the editing digital on computers which are a non linear form of editing.

Distribution

The marketing of films has changed a lot. To appeal to an audience which is constantly on their phones, the distributor needs to advertise in a way that will capture their attention. This can be done by using social networking sites as a location for adverts, producing a website is an absolute must, and making ‘apps’ which are related to the film is a good way to engage your target audience. Another good example of how to use phones as a distribution tool is using the network: Orange Wednesdays are exclusive half price tickets to customers on Orange.

Exhibition

Digital projection means our cinema experience is much clearer with higher resolution screenings. The change from VHS to DVD has greatly improved the quality of the films we watch at home.

Piracy has always been a big issue for the film industry, it can impact figures and sale of tickets and DVDs/Blu-rays greatly and can even result in the collapse of companies who are at a loss. A way to combat this is worldwide releases, which reduces the lag in release dates between different countries. Another method to reduce piracy is 3D films; to get the full experience of watching the film in 3D, you have to go to the cinema, pirate copies just don’t cut it.

Marketing Campaign for Cowboys & Aliens

Marketing Campaign for Cowboys & Aliens

Universal Studios

Universal Studios

Universal Studios was founded in 1912, it’s parent company is NBC, who’s parent company is General Electric.

Cowboys and Aliens (2011)

Production companies:

Universal

DreamWorks SKG

Reliance Entertainment

Relativity Media

Distributor:

Paramount Pictures

Producers:

Brian Grazer
Ron Howard
Alex Kurtzman
Damon Lindelof
Roberto Orci
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg

Writers:

Roberto Orci (screenplay) & Alex Kurtzman (screenplay) & Damon Lindelof (screenplay) and Mark Fergus (screenplay) & Hawk Ostby (screenplay)
Mark Fergus (screen story) & Hawk Ostby (screen story) and Steve Oedekerk (screen story)

Stars:

Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde

Budget:

$163,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$171,222,396

Paul (2011)

Production companies:

Universal

Relativity Media

Working Title films

Big Talk Productions

Distributor:

Universal Pictures International

Producers:

Nira Park
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner

Writers:

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg

Stars:

Nick Frost, Seth Rogen and Simon Pegg

Budget:

$40,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$97,591,665

Get Him to the Greek (2010)

Production companies:

Universal

Relativity Media

Spyglass Entertainment

Apatow Productions

Distributor:

Universal Studios

Producers:

Judd Apatow
Joshua Blake
Nicholas Stoller
David Bushell
Rodney Rothman

Writers:

Nicholas Stoller, Jason Segel

Stars:

Jonah Hill, Elizabeth Moss and Russell Brand

Budget:

$40,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$91,390,982

Green Zone (2010)

Production companies:

Universal

Relativity Media

Studio Canal

Working Title Films

Antena 3 Films

Dentsu

Distributor:

?

Producers:

Tim Bevan

Eric Fellner

Lloyd Levin

Paul Greengrass

Writers:

Brian Helgeland, Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Stars:

Matt Damon, Jason Isaacs and Greg Kinnear

Budget:

$100,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$ 94,882,549

Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Production companies:

Universal

Ghost House Pictures

Producers:

Grant Curtis
Robert G. Tapert

Writers:

Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi

Stars:

Alison Lohman, Justin Long and Ruth Livier

Budget:

$30,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$90,842,646

Big Talk Productions

Big Talk Productions

Big Talk Productions was established in 1995 by Nira Park. It is an English film and tevelision company that had produced films such as Scott Pilgram vs the World (2010), Paul (2011), Attack the Block (2011), and coming soon Sightseers (2012).

Scott Pilgram vs the World (2010)

Production companies:

Universal

Marc Platt Productions

Big Talk Productions

Closed on Mondays Entertainment

Dentsu

Distributor:

Universal studios

Producers:

Edgar Wright
Marc Platt
Eric Gitter
Nira Park

Writers:

Michael Bacall (screenplay) & Edgar Wright (screenplay)
Bryan Lee O'Malley 

Stars:

Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Kieran Culkin

Budget:

$90,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$47,664,559

Paul (2011)

Production companies:

Universal

Relativity Media

Working Title films

Big Talk Productions

Distributor:

Universal Pictures International

Producers:

Nira Park
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner

Writers:

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg

Stars:

Nick Frost, Seth Rogen and Simon Pegg

Budget:

$40,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$97,591,665

Attack the Block (2011)

Production companies:

Studio Canal

Film4

UK Film council

Big Talk Productions

Distributor:

Optimum Releasing

Producers:

Nira Park
James Wilson

Writers:

Joe Cornish

Stars:

Jodie Whittaker and Nick Frost

Budget:

£9,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

£3,442,302

Life cycle of films

IdeaA producer will find an idea for a story to be made into a film. This idea may be inspired by a book, a true event or an original script.

Pre-Production
The producer will identify a theme/underlying message. In some cases a script will be developed after the story has been decided. The script will be altered and rewritten many times to improve it. In this stage, every step of creating the film will be carefully planned.

Funding
A film pitch will be prepared which will go on to be presented to potential financiers. These financiers will typically be a major film studio, film council or independent invester. If the pitch is success, then the film will be given the 'green light'. After this, the producer will hire a film crew, the size of which will be dependent on the budget on the film

Production & Post-Production
In this stage, all the scenes of a film will be shot. This can be a long process, with workdays often lasting 14 to 18 hours, with very little minutes of material being produced each day. After this, the film will go into post-production. This is where all of the material that has been shot will be reviewed and the best scenes will be selected for the final cut. This process involves the editor who puts the scenes together.

Distribution & Marketing
This is the stage where the film companys aim to raise public awareness of the film. This will involve releasing a trailer, a small preview of the film along with film stills. The stars of the film will give various interviews on television, magazines and radio. Film critics who write for papers or magazines will get an early screening and write a review for the film. Another feature in the marketing stage is that a website for the film will be set up. The website will usually include the film's trailers, television adverts, clips from the film, stills and the opportunity to pre-book tickets

Exhibition
The exhibition stage is the final stage in the life cycle of a film. The film will be released to cinemas (big budget films will be released to cinemas across the world, while independent films will be shown at independent cinemas or at film festivals) and the amount of money the film makes in it's first weekend can affect the success of the film. This is because if the film has good opening numbers, other people will believe that the film is good and go and see the film, therefore giving the film studio more profit. If the film doesn't get good opening numbers, it will most likely be pulled early from cinemas and released to dvd quite early. Usually after a couple of months the film will be released on dvd and also made available on pay-per-view channels such as Sky Box Office. Eventually terrestrial channels such as Channel 4 or BBC One or Two will get the rights to screen the film.

Primeval - Representation of Gender

In Primeval a wide shot is used to show the blonde woman who is driving a digger truck. This is our first view of the swapping of gender identity. Constructive work that requires the use of diggers is usually associated with strong men, but the fact the she is driving the truck indicates that she had a strong gender identity that is more masculine.

A high angle shot is used as the man running from the sabre-tooth tiger comes closer runnign to the tree which makes him look very vulnerable. Shot reverse-shot is used when the chase between the sabre-tooth tiger and the man begins as he is climbing up the ladder and the tiger climbs on the tree. This increases the intensity of the chase scene.

A close up is used when he is in the tree to show the emotion on his face. He is fearful of the dangerous animal. There are many angles of him as he slides down the rope holding onto the tie to show the disorientation he feels.

An establishing shot shows that the scene has changed to the man digging with his hands in the hole. This ‘dirty work’ is more typical of a male character; it is almost a metaphor for him regaining his masculinity after being a damsel in distress type character being chased by a big scary monster.

Shot reverse shot is used again later in the extract when the farmer character is being pressured by the feminine lady when they are having a conversation. As the conversation gets more intense the shots become closer together.

In terms of editing, the chase scene is quite fast paced, which is an important device in creating an overall intensity for the scene and the escalating threat of the tiger.

Sharp cuts are used when the tiger is fighting the digger. This is to disorientate the viewer and create an effect of tension for the audience. The sabre-tooth tiger is the most obvious aspect of editing, as they do not exist in the modern day.

Another interesting use of editing in this extract is the slow motion part in the barn when the feminine lady is thrown onto the hay, this is an anxious moment for the character and it is effective to use slow motion to exaggerate everything happening in that one moment. She is very weak and vulnerable at this point, which is typical of a damsel in distress character in her situation which is more expected of females. By this point the Drama has portrayed both a female and male character as defenceless.

When the hand is discovered sharp soundtrack is used, to make it more shocking, this is non-diegetic sound. The soundtrack when the tiger is approaching uses bells. This is significant because it is like the chiming of a clock, which indicates the danger is getting closer; their time is running out, making them both vulnerable.

Sound effects used in the extract include the roaring of the tiger, the sound of the tie moving along the rope at speed and gun shots. Ambient sound is also used when the group has come together and they are figuring out the story and that the feminine lady has gone to the barn. This is also important for establishing a diegesis, and to make their location near the forest more credible.

A sound bridge is used to carry suspense to the next frame, and when the camera cuts to the subsequent shot, a crashing percussion sound is the climax of the soundtrack.

In the forest, natural light is used to enforce to outdoors atmosphere. In the barn scene some natural light is used, and there is low key lighting as it is quite dark. This lowers the tone of the scene and reinforces the lady’s vulnerability when she is thrown on the hay. She wears a dress which makes her seem more feminine, and once she is saved she seems more concerned about her coat than the fact that she could have been killed.

In contrast, the blonde woman wears black leather effect clothes which make her look more masculine, however her bright blonde hair makes her look feminine, her overall costume makes her look confident.

The farm man wore clothes typical of a farmer, dull clothes, which would be used to work in. The man who was being chased wore casual clothes, the sort of thing that a man would wear that he doesn’t mind getting dirty, but the neutral colours create conflict about his gender identity, because at one point he was vulnerable, and at another he was being masculine.

Sound in Secret diary of a call girl

The first piece of dialogue we hear is quite awkward. The girl’s sentence becomes slow and trailing at the end questioning who the unexpected man is. The fact that there is no sound is a little bit uncomfortable and quite noticeable. The lack of sound means we can clearly hear footsteps and the sound of the wheels squeaking on the wheelchair which also makes the audience feel more awkward.

The characters sound quite weak in their voices, making the dialogue a contributing factor to the representation of disability because it enhances the awkwardness. They are also using short sentences, which usually remained unfinished and in a question format, so there is no flow of conversation, which is important for us as an audience to feel comfortable.

Sound effects used to emphasise the sound of the locks on the door being locked up are used to make clear the discomfort Blake feels. Again, dialogue shows us that the characters are still feeling awkward as the girl is unable to finish her sentences. At this point there is no dialogue from Blake to show he is feeling uneasy.

Asynchronous sound is used to accentuate that the music does not suite his mood, and at this stage nothing will. A series of jump cuts including sound effects show how awkward the dad feels, having to wait. A sound bridge is used to move on to the next scene. The music played is quite sad sounding, and a harmonica is used to create a blues feel. The reason that this is done is to make the audience feel pity towards Blake because he is disabled and will never get to experience life as a normal boy of his age. This is common representation of disability in British TV and film.

Representation - Disability in Secret diary of a call girl

Eye-line match shows awkwardness. First she looks at the dad, then Blake, and the dad is looking at the girl then Blake, and then the shot cuts to Blake emphasising the use of eye-line match making the pace of scene slower. He doesn’t know what to do; he has to be told by Blake to get the envelope accentuating the awkward atmosphere. It takes longer than necessary for the dad to shuffle through the bag to find the envelope and Blake pulls an uncomfortable face.

The action match is fluid, as he is picked up and put down in the same foetus shape which illustrates his vulnerability. They are both feeling uneasy sharing a father son moment which led them to the situation they are currently in. The frame hard cuts to the girl walking in on their moment, and going to walk away, but she is seen, which makes the scene feel more tense so she stays, and the awkward silence followed by the difficulty striking conversation continues to add awkwardness.

As his dad leaves she clears her throat, a sign of discomfort, and a shot-reverse shot is used after she has locked the door to display his vulnerability; the uncomfortable expression is a sign of this to her, and the conversation is also quite awkward.

Long takes are still being used to slow the pace and make the encounter more uncomfortable which is emphasised by the lack of sound (we would usually expect to hear a soundtrack). Eye-line match is used again.

Eye-line match also shows the dad looking at the pent house then a cross cut is used to show what the dad is getting up to, while waiting, he has lots of time and a series of jump cuts show how awkward he feels while waiting.

Non diegetic sound (music) is introduced and the atmosphere becomes slightly less awkward however the verbal and non-verbal communication shows elemets of unease still. The mastershot is privileged over individual shots, but the girl is higher in the frame than Blake to show she is in control.

Camerawork for Monarch of the Glen

The first scene begins with a dolly shot which shows us men working with manly tools and moves onto an establishing shot where the camera pans to follow Amy, and spots with her on mid-long shot. This is done to show the audience her clothes as they are significant in us realising that she is young. A close up is used to show that she is confused when in the car, as she has been asked to drive and she doesn’t know how. This lack of knowledge results in a crash which is shown to us using an establishing shot, which also shows that the scene has changed.

A mid-long shot shows the clothes of the head teacher which compared to the mid-long shot of Amy, shows he is very old. In this shot he is in the background, behind the car crash, which could be representative of the conflict in the scene. While Amy’s true identity is revealed, we see a shot reverse shot to catch what everyone is saying and see the reactions of the characters to the news.

The camera pans down from the man to Amy’s eye level, and then we seem to stay at her eye level from quite some time. This is done to show how young she is, and how small she feels. It also helps to get the audience to identify with her.

And establishing shot shows the scene has changed to the two men in the old looking room, and while they converse we see a close up shot reverse shot used in their conversation. A wide shot shows the change of scene again and then a montage is used to show the skills the men are using in a condensed version of time.

A tilt reveals the goodbye note and then pans to the next note. The camera pans the room and zooms into the photos which are all done to show she is young. The camera shows the window from the outside to represent that Amy. Medium close up shows that the woman has moved back to the man’s eye level.

Mise en Scene for Monarch of the Glen

In the first shot we see many middle aged men using tools, these tools connote age because they require hard work and skill to use. The men are wearing work clothes which are mostly dull colours, which shows they have the knowledge not to wear decent clothes when working, and the dullness is also representative of age. The younger characters however wear more casual clothing, and the girl in particular wears bright clothes which imply she is young. When asked if she can drive the girl says she can, because it is assumed that everyone on the farm can drive, but since she is too young, and doesn't want to be found out she lies. Her confusion about what to do in the car is displayed by her non-verbal communication (using a confused expression) and verbal communication (talking to herself to assure which pedals do what in the car). After a hesitant start, she drives off but then crashes. Her reaction to the crash is hiding behind the man, but this is the same reaction a child would display, therefore we assume again, that she is young.
The headmaster shows that he is old with his full-face beard, and tweed jumper, which we might assume has leather elbow patches. These are connotations of an old fashioned teacher, which is why we can draw a conclusion that he is old.The office room is a very mature looking which indicates ‘oldness’ by the wooden  panelling on the walls, the dark coloured furniture and pretty much everything in the room. Oldness is further confirmed when the man offers the headmaster Brandy, not from a bottle, but from a decanter which is very old fashioned. Also in this scene low key lighting is used.
Her body language when being told off seems to indicate how young she is with a pleading look in her face. The man then starts to point and wag his finger in her face as if she is a child being told off. Here we notice that we are at Amy’s eye level when looking at her, and it is as if we are also looking up at the man, which makes the audience feel intimidated, or as if they are in Amy’s shoes. Finally once told she has to leave, Amy makes a really childish gesture of throwing her hands down and running off.
Props used in Amy’s rooms, such as the teddy bears, magazines, pink lanterns and even her girly handwriting on the goodbye notes are representative of Amy’s youth. Her action of running away is the type of thing you expect a child to do.

Representation - Ethnicity in Eastenders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Mw34Nf61oUk

In this scene we find a black girl (Mercy) and a mixed race boy (Fatboy), both teenagers, in a chip shop in the E20 area of London. The owner of the chip shop, a white man (Ian) is serving customers. In the clip, Mercy asks "We'll have some chips," using a hand movement as body language representative of black girls, while fatboy continues her order with "And two lamb paties please." Giving a subtle wink as he finishes his sentance. The camera cuts to Ian explaining in a neutral tone "Paties? I'm sorry we don't do those here" and smiling to the customers, who look shocked. Fatboy questions "You don't do those here (using a 'd' to pronounce the 'th') ? Oh I see how it is" pointing his finger at Ian, trying to gain the power in the situation. To which Ian replies "What you talking about?" As the tension is rising Fatboy rhetorically asks Mercy "How can he not do lamb paties?" Then turns to Ian "Are you open for the BNP bruv, your a wasteman"  the language reinforcing the sterotype, while Mercy begins to explain to Ian "What he means is that you should cater for all people who live in your area" Fatboy rants "He ain't gonna do dat, the mans a blatant racist" staring him up and down. Offended business owner Ian answers with "You what!" Fatboy interupts, "Ah just gimme the chips man" while Ian defends "Nah 'old on a minute mate, I am not a racist" Then Fatboy storms off saying "You know what, just save it for the judge".

Media Key Concepts

Four key concepts of AS media are media language, representation, audience, and institution.

Media language refers to cinematography, for example shot types and angles. Editing, which includes transition and speed of cuts. Sound which can be diegetic (which the characters and the audience hear, such as speech) or non-diegetic (which only the audience can hear, such as a soundtrack), and Mise en Scene, which is everything in the shot, an example is lighting.

Representation refers to people or groups who are represtented by the show or film. Examples of what can be represented include age, gender, sexuality and so on.

These two concepts are the content included in exam part A. Media language is tested by the analysis of a five minute clip from a British TV Drama. Representation is tested by a textual analysis (essay style format).

Audience refers to how why and where people see films, an institiution refers to the producers and regualters of the media. These two concepts are the content for exam part B. They are tested by making an in depth and detailed analysis (known as a case study) prior to the exam, in order to answer the relevant section in the exam.