I really like the way in which the opening scene starts. It starts off with the characters playing a dice game and shows little glimpses of it taking place. These shots were used to engage the audience into what is going to happen next and who are these characters playing. There were a lot of steadicam shots of Tstsi as he is walking (normally in the centre) and the camera focuses primarily on his facial expression and this convey the audience the feelings in which the character feels.
Dialogue:
The dialogue used was of a foreign African language which was hard to understand although there was subtitles at the bottom. This was because the characters would speak long sentences and it would be difficult to keep up with the pace of reading while the scene transitions (not giving the audience time to understand what the character had just said).
Music/Soundtrack:
The song choice used fits very well with the scene as well as filming general. The films is set around a black ethnic gangster group and the music choice is of African music which is parallel to the characters as well as to the scene. The songs were non-diegetic as the characters within the film can not hear the song playing in their world.
Sequences:
One of the best scenes through out the film was the opening scene of when the gang squad move from their hut to the train station. One reason why I like this sequence was because the establishing shots as well as the shots of the street members were done really well. In addition, the song choice really helped deliver the tone of power and dominance through the main characters (Tsotsi) movements as he walk's with his crew down the urban area.
Overall opinion:
I think that the general plot line was told very well and didn't seem to turn away my attention. Moreover, the actors portrayal of these characters really help deliver the sympathetic element from the audience and helps the audience to interact with this character through the acting the actors have done. Acting plays a key part in film as it helps the audience to understand the type of character he/she is and possible links with the storyline as well as audience relation.
BBFC Research- How films are rated and what do they do. (Status: completed)
Focus Group Write up- Written version of focus group and feedback that was given during the focus group that can be implemented in to our film. (Status: completed)
Target Audience- The demographic that the film will aim to target. (Status: completed)
Storyboard- Brief appearance as to what the scene will look like. (Status: completed)
Shot list- All shots that are going to be used when filming.
Institution Task- Arthouse film industry and the independent film production.
Film Pitch- A brief layout of the many factors that create the final product e.g. 30 minute narrative and 3 minute sequence.
Any incomplete pre-production tasks
The film schedule needs to be completed.
Next steps/Action plan
Begin filming the actual film- Exposure
Complete and finalise the schedule
Complete the print research as well as the drawing stages.
Date filming will be complete
The filming will planned to be completed in 10 days. (starting on the 20th).
1) The 12 Key Conventions of the 'above' BFI festival programme cover:
Title of publication- The title of the programme/booklet cover is clearly see visible in a thick and large font size.
Central Image- The central image isn't as visible as intended. The central image is seen behind the text ad is somewhat transparent through the text. The image visible is of a persons face which takes up the space of the text, so that there is no 'white' spaces visible.
Colour Scheme- The colour scheme used in this programme booklet is mostly of the 'persons face'. The persons face seems to give off a variety of colours drawing the consumers attention to both the text and the picture. Other colours visible in this programme cover is black. This colour is seen to be used primarily for the central colours (of the persons face' to grab the attention the most- to make the background colour look insignificant.
Language- There is text written on the front page of the cover and is written in English language e.g. of text 'in partnership with'.
2) Examples seen in other film brochures:
This film brochure has a running theme present on the pages. I like the way that the theme of wheels and colour patterns are consistent to the cover page. Moreover, the use of having the writing structured in the way it is conveyed in the image above is a very nice representation of the way I may like to use for my own programme.
I really like the use of an image to be placed ion the front cover. The way that the image above has used the idea of a 'film strip' as the main attraction for viewers to see fits nicely with what the programme is about- film. I could use the idea of having the film strip as the main image on my cover, however instead of having random images on them (like the image above) I will put a picture of everyone's (from my class) film as a feature for the programme.
One thing that I will take from this cover is the use of different colours. The use of different colours doesn't make the cover look unattractive. I was a bit concerned with the level of colours that I wanted to use for my programme colour, however this BFI programme festival cover clearly shows how such variety of colours can look appealing.
One thing that I like from this cover (from a BFI film brochure) is the use of having partnerships labelled at the bottom of the cover page. As you can see from the bottom of this cover, there is a large amount of partners as well as associates that are linked with the BFI. I could implement this idea into my own work as I could place small names and logos of companies that are linked or helped with 'The Little Picture House'. Moreover, I really like the font in which the word 'Flare' is written in. I wanted to use standard font e.g. calabri or ariel, but this cover page shows how different fonts can look really pleasing and attractive on the front page and would love to implement this in my own work.
Finally, one thing that I will take on board when designing my own programme cover for The Little Picture House is the use of having a 'possible' central image. The way that this cover has portrayed the 'space women' in the front cover can be very useful as I can feature a character from my film as a replacement. Moreover, I really like the special effects used in the editing of this cover page. The text is designed to match the theme of space as the text has stars in them. In addition, the use of bright colours really contrasted the tone of which the cover was delivering; the theme of space.
3) Five contents page that would come in great use for your own contents page:
One thing that I will definitely take into consideration is the use of the 3 step rule. This contents page delivers a great example of both what I want to create (in terms of structure), as well as aesthetics. This cover page really delivers on the portrayal and use of the three step rule (the division of the page into three). This contents page can help me identify how to structure the contents page such as, where to place the pictures/images or text.
One reason why this contents page really captures my attention is the use of featuring other films. In my contents page I would like to feature one image from each group (in my class) and feature them in my contents page. This is very useful because when a reader views a contents page, the y would like to know what other sources of entertainment are on offer and I would like to deliver this to the reader.
I really like the use of small portion of text on the contents page. Everything is condensed in to what the reader 'must' know and not throwing too much information at them. I can use brief descriptions (including images) of each film on the contents page with a brief description of what each film is about. Furthermore, I like the use of a background image on the contents page as I would not like to have a plain background on mine as it will make the contents look uninteresting.
This contents page is full of unique ideas and creativity that is used in a very different way to what I expect.First of all, this contents page is filled with many pictures and acts like a collage of some sort which makes it all the more interesting and beautiful. This creative contents page can be used as a way to grab the readers attention due to the many images on the page and of how beautiful its appearance is. In addition, the use of having the text slanted along side the collaged images makes it more effective as it forces the reader to tilt the book and engage in what is being presented.
Finally, this contents page has a very unique style in the way it presents its words and images. The images have been put along side the text but has been positioned in a slanted way, so that the main focus is on the text rather than the images. My intention for the contents page is for there to be images, but not to be the prime focus as the text is the most important part to the reader.
Introduction of what the focus group involved:
The focus group involved me and my group discussing our ideas for the short 3 minute film that we want to make for the Arthouse brief. Not only that, but we discussed major points and segments that all add up to make the film. These include:
Title and tag line of the film
Topic chosen from the brief
Genre that the film fits best in to
Sentence that sums up the film
The narrative structure for the full 30 minutes of the film (what's going to happen in the 30 minutes)
Main protagonist/character
Target audience that best suits the film
What is the 3 minute extract going to include (what is the audience going to see) and where is this scene going to be taken place.
When me and my group have gone through these points, we will allow the group that we are projecting our ideas to, to give us feedback about their thoughts on our ideas. We also used a sound recorder to record the feedback that was given to us based on our focus group presentation.
Key quotes from the focus group recording:
"That was really, really comprehensive and really good ideas"
"I think the story line is really strong, there's a lot going on, but I think maybe I wouldn't compress all these things happening into three minutes"
"The ideas are very strong and the narrative is very strong...they can still get the initial idea across to the audience"
"I like the film. I think the narrative is very strong they planned it really well, they know exactly what they want to do"
"That confidence really came across"
"They need to be organised in the way they are going to shoot"
"...i wonder how they are going to film the gun scene"
"Its increasingly become a problem with any media productions that involve weapons. So, you need to make sure that, that entire sequence is filmed in one of your houses.. so anything involving crime or weapons, you have to be incredibly careful where you film it, or a member of the public will call the police.."
"The three minute clip seems a bit too action packed, like lots of things are happening at the same time"
"I like the narrative but I was wondering where are you going to get the costumes?"
" Normally in a Mafia movie the characters are often older"
"highlighted the massive bit of feedback that I was going to give which is that..I just worry whether it is possible to film that without much older actors and therefore, whether you need to change that storyline a little bit to reflect the kind of actors you have available..."
"you need to build into the idea that this is a young gang, and therefore the police need a young police officer to infiltrate the gang who area similar age to the gangster"
"If you watch the TV show called the 'wire', the gangsters are all sort of late teens/early twenties... so in a modern noire it could work..."
"...if you got people who look sixteen or seventeen who are trying to play senior police officers, you run the risk of creating something that's accidentally funny which is just going to kill your noire feel"
" I just think you need to work on the ages and the actors to make sure that it fits and feels right and feels convincing..tagline needs a little work"
"Simplify the storyline a little bit, so that it is easier to tell..."
What have you learned from the focus group presentation:
I have learned many things during the discussion part of the focus group, both positive comments and improvement comments have been of great value to me and my team. One of the major feedback that was received was the use of young actors playing an adult role. I will take this feedback on board as a main concern that the group has with the film. This feedback of having young actors will be improved by making changes to the storyline. I will make the use of having young actors by implementing this age group within the storyline, so that the actors and character ages make sense within the storyline. Another thing that In have learned from the focus group discussion was that the three minute extract seemed to have a lot going on and that this would put off the audience. This will be taken into consideration when filming and doing the shot list. I think that the scene of Tony's wife being killed should be scraped from the final cut of the film as this scene is too much as can disconnect the audiences connection with the film. Finally, I have received a lot of the same comment stating that the film has a very strong narrative. One way this will affect the final product is by allowing me and my team to identify what the audience enjoys and loves abut the story and what they do not. This form of feedback can be used to a large extent as we get a better indication of what type of feel and style that the audience like to see in a noire style film.
New improvement added to the narrative: Bantino Luceros has been killed by the police 5 years ago. He owned a powerful and deadly Mafia gang that has ruled the streets of London for many years, but has been secretly doing their crimes without the notice of police or even societies awareness. They traffic alcohol and drugs into the streets of London and this business allows the Mafia group to gain extreme amounts of money and power. After the passing of Bantino, his son- Benny has taken the mantle of his fathers role within the Mafia family. Benny is in his late teens and early twenties. He will try his best to make is mobster population grow as widely as possible in honour of his fathers work.
Breakdown of target audience:
Due to the violence and references to drugs and graphic nature of the film, this film is still targeted for a 15+ age demographic.
Gender: 75% Male and 25% Female
Mafia style films are targeted mostly towards a male genre due to the sheer violence and the use of majority of the characters being male. However, me and my team have come up with a way to attract a wider audience instead of just males only. We believe that the narrative contains specific segments that can introduce a female audience to watch the film. The film is about how a young man has lost his dad due to a gang. This type of story can really attract a lot of female audiences due to the emotional connection it can deliver which female audiences really get attracted to. Furthermore, the majority of the audience will be targeted towards a male audience due to the genre of the film and the main protagonists being male.
Age: 15-50 (years)
I think that the ages stated above is a clear representation of what demographic we believe the film will attract. The brief clearly states that the film 'has' to be appropriate for a 15 age certificate and we have built our storyline and narrative based on the certificate provided. Not only this, but we also believe that we can attract many teenagers to watch this Arthouse film as many of the characters are based around the same age. Moreover, due to the violent nature and references to drugs etc. it is clear that this film can attract an older age group as well as they can relate and understand the things that are going on in the film. Finally, ages from 40-50 are targeted to watch the film as a Mafia/Noire film has been seen as a classic genre and style of film which an older demographic would feel comfortable to watch.
Education/Employment:
Due to the film having a 15 certificate it is evident that most of the audience would be in education as teenagers now days tend to view more action and violent films. Furthermore, the older age groups would more likely be middle class and upper class. This is because the style of the film is based on current society and the secrets it holds which can attract a middle class citizen. Moreover, Mafia films are traditionally related more towards money and men dressed in suits. This type of appeal can really attract an upper class audience due to similar connections between the characters in the world of the film and of the people watching them.
The British Board of Film Censors was set up in the year 1912 and was functioned to work as an independent body to bring some form of classification of films nationally. They are responsible for many things that are linked to films and how they should be received to the consumers meaning via age or if it is appropriate for a certain age group etc. The BBFC reject, banned and even waiving cuts to films ensuring it is appropriate to be released and available for the consumers to view.
How it is funded:
BBFC is only funded through the fees through the fees it charges for its services, by running the times of films (that they view) and also DVD's or videos that are submitted for classification from the BBFC. The BBFC is not organised to make a profit and the fees required can be adjusted to cover its costs. When a producer or distributor sends off the film to be classified through the BBFC, they have to pay a fee in order for the classification to go through and be official.
Links with the government:
The way in which the BBFC is linked with the government is through their financial affairs. The BBFC's financial affairs are administrated by the Council of Management. The members who are within the Council are drawn from both the manufacturing and servicing sections of the film industry. and many more. Council of Management are excluded when it comes to classifying decisions of content such as films as well as poly making. Furthermore, the Council of Management are also responsible for the senior appointments at the BBFC.
Guide to how films are rated:
Examiners would normally view the content whether that is a movie/film or a DVD. The examiner normally would view a DVD on their own- this is known as 'solo viewing'. Content that are eligible for solo viewing would often be TV series as well as work aimed at young children. Works that seem to hold controversial opinions would be viewed to more than one individual so that the outcome is diverse opinions. With each content they view, examiners look out for the following when deciding:
General context of the content- plot point (storyline)
Bad language, sexual or drug related references
Timings of key moments- type of camera shots used
Issues raised when classifying a film:
When the BBFC come to a conclusion on their decision for placing an age rating on a film, they determine of several principles:
Is the material given (for viewing) in conflict with the law or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence.
Whether the target audience wanted is not suitable with the material that is witnessed on the film such as bad language.
Whether the film can cause any harm to the age rating concerned. This can mean two things. One possible harm could be the behaviour of potential viewers to the effects of the violence shown on screen,but can also moral harm can also be affected with what may be shown on screen.
Who is likely to watch this film, who is the film 'speaking' to?
The overall tone and style (as well as feel) of the movie effects the overall decision of the movie.
The Dark Knight issue:
The Dark Knight was considered not to be rated correctly in correlation with the action the film was showing. The film has gotten a rating of '12a' and this has mislead people (the public) into thinking that this film was eligible for their children to go an watch the film. However, the public has complained to the BBFC claiming that the film was not rated accurately due to the violence seen and was considered 'too strong' to be placed in the 12a category.
I think that the Dark Knight movie shouldn't of been given a 12a certificate as the film does peruse a lot of violence that a 12 year old audience may not feel comfortable watching. Scenes where 'the joker' slams the bodyguards head into a pencil and claims it to be a 'magic trick' is seen to be more graphical than anticipated for a 12a film. Although the style of the film is based around a superhero, this doesn't necessarily mean that it will automatically be for a young demographic. I think that this film should have received a 15 certificate as this seems like an appropriate audience that can view this type of content. Guidelines for a 15 certificate:
The 15 age certificate symbol means that people who are under the age of 15 cannot view or rent/buy a film from anywhere. The certificate clearly means that the film is not suitable for children younger than the age of 15. There are specific content that a film would have in order to be classed as a 15 age certificate, these include:
strong violence
portrayals of sexual activity
drug taking
sexual nudity
Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
Strong language
Chosen 15 rated film:
Chosen film: Attack The Block
BBFC Rating: 15
When examiners viewed the film they already had noticed that the characters, the tone of the film and the general address it had on the audience, that it had a strong appeal to older teenage viewers. The film contains frequent strong language (e.g. f***) throughout the film. Under the BBFC guidelines, infrequent strong language would be classed as a 12a, the film was automatically a 15 age certificate within the first viewing.
WWW: There are some clear positives to this evaluation
with some detailed discussion of particular shots and transitions and their
impact on the audience. You use media terminology confidently in the section on
strengths.
EBI: One massive problem: no reference to the brief at
all. The evaluation guidance asked you to outline the brief at the beginning of
your evaluation but you haven’t done this. More worryingly, you haven’t
discussed the fact that your group did not meet the brief at all. Considering
this was the most significant criticism of the work I’m very surprised this
does not feature in your evaluation. In addition to this, written English is
poor in places – read over the beginning of your second paragraph. You simply
need to improve your written English and attention to detail if you want to
access the highest grades at A Level. Finally, the reflection on the lack of
effective planning is honest and this is something you definitely need to
address for the real coursework.
LR: Copy and paste this feedback into a new blogpost and
write three specific aspects you will look to improve for the real MEST2
evaluation in March.
1) One thing major that I will add to my evaluations in the future is the use of repeated mistakes that were present in my preliminary exercise. One thing that I missed out was the fact that my preliminary exercise didn't follow the brief and should of added this as one of the main concerns with the viewers points.
2) I will improve the quality of my written communication when trying to address a specific issue or topic related to the exercise. Moreover, this means that I deliver my opinions and thoughts in a much clearer and simpler way rather than complicating my evaluation.
3) I will also make sure that my evaluation doesn't reflect greatly on my opinions but also other peoples. This is because I can justify certain things as well as giving actual evidence of peoples thoughts and opinions of the exercise.
Focus Features- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Holdup Films-Girlhood
FilmDistrict- Drive
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)- Point Blank
Warner Bros- Goodfellas
2)
Focus Theatres- The Theory of Everything, The Boxtrolls, Suffragette and Race
Holdup Films- Parade, Acrobat and Beyond Apartheid
FilmDistrict- Pompeii, Looper, Wer and Red Dawn
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)- The Proud Ones, Executive Suit, The Band Wagon and Marching Along
Warner Bros- Man of Steel, Godzilla, Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings and Space Jam
3) Most Successful Movie releases for each institution:
Focus Features- Brokeback Mountain and Burn After Reading
Holdup Films- Girlhood
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)- Wizard of Oz and Skyfall
Warner Bros- The Dark Knight and Harry Potter
Distribution: Independent film distributors
1)
Scene one: Scene one focuses on how films create and work with the audience. Moreover, it talks about how the audience is the key feature of a film as it helps people to access or even escape from their lives. The importance of films is vital with everyone who watches them on the 'big screen' as it expresses many emotions to the viewer watching the film, emotions such as, inspiration or love. These expressions show how the film reflects on peoples lives. A director previously said "As a filmmaker, I know only too well that films do not exist for their own sakes... they only exist when they are being experienced by an audience." This quote shows how films are very much reliant on the audience as it has been built for them to enjoy and experience.
Scene two: Scene two focuses on the impacts of the films on audiences and the role of the distributor. The role of a distributor is not always easy as they have to look into many segments before promoting a film and deciding if it is worth the investment. There are many other substitutes other than watching a film and this can be seen as a challenge to distributors as their prime focus is gaining the attention of their audience to view their content. In addition, there has been rapid changes to digital in cinema have not resulted in a change in format but in succeeding 35mm presentation. The use of digital has changed the way that films (and up coming films) are released, promoted and consumed to the audience/consumer.
Scene three: In scene three, the main topic that this scene is about is the role of the distributor and what they do towards promoting an upcoming film The role of the distributor is to bring each and every up coming film to the market place,and this is done by:
Taking in to consideration why consumer/public will go and see the content/film.
Identifying the contents/film audience (who is more likely to be interested in watching the content).
Being able to convert as much interest and attention to cinema visits.
Persuading cinema operators (e.g. Vue or Odean) to play the film.
Being able to develop plans and partnership to build awareness of the film.
The films are in fact 'product driven' which means that it is the produce, in this case, the film making people purchase cinema tickets. And therefore, it is up to the audience whether they will go watch a certain film or not.
Scene Four: Different countries have different film distributors and in the UK there are 6 film distributors which are:
20th Century Fox
Warner Bros
Paramount Pictures
Lionsgate
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Universal Studios
Scene five:Scene five is based mostly on how distributors get their films and who from. The UK distributors acquire the films they release from various sources such as:
Parent Studio (who provide a continuous flow of new content)
Third-part sales agent (this actors of behalf of the producer of the film/content).
Studio or production company.
This scene goes on to talk about how larger studios are interested in investing in upcoming films and this investment can go towards production and even studio shooting. When investing into a high-budget film, the distributor would find ways in which money can be found and used during the production of the film. Moreover, the shear power and importance of a film festival is also stated. This is an event where distributors, directors and film distributors come to meet and view a short fraction of an up-coming film and this is where distributors can persuade and gain aid from those who can truly help out the production of a film. The film Festival allows critic to give opinions and feedback on the what they have seen and the outcome of this can generate big film companies.
Scene six: Scene six is about the distribution deal and how the distributor gets around picking the best possible way to deliver its deal/contract. Distributors sign a formal contract with the producer stating the rights they hold in respect to the title (in this case, film). This contract primarily is based on the rights to release the film in the country (the UK cinemas) and to promote the film in all type of media such as, print or via the internet (through advertisements.
Scene seven: In scene seven the rime focus is around 'planning the release'. The scene discusses how the distributor needs to be aware of the directors, casts and storyline potential in order to go fourth with signing on to be apart of the films production. Sometime, producers know what they are getting into and do not hesitate to sign the contract, however distributors mostly need to get to grips with the story-line, potential cast members and also the director in order to make a solid decision.
Scene eight: Scene eight is primarily about the what, when who and how to deliver the content to the consumers.
What kind of film is it- Can the film win awards nominations? Could the film lead to reviews of that weeks new releases? What certificate ill the film have?
When should it go out- Which films are other film distributors going to release during that week? Is the film for a holiday period? Are there any sporting event or big events taking place? These events can keep audiences entertained for weeks and so they my not want to leave the house to watch a new movie and rather watch the sports match.
Where should it go- The films created can be placed in cinemas across Ireland and the UK? They could send the film via hard drive or through satellite? This form of communication and transmission is known as DCPs.
How is the film going to be released- The distributors will plan out the entire budget on how the film is going to be released. This is where many of the releasing availabilities will come into account.
Scene nine: Scene nine is primarily about film marketing and how it functions towards production. If a film has not real good marketing to promote the film then there isn't going to be much people watching the film as the films promotion was set incorrectly or didn't attract the audiences attention like the planned to. Therefore, those who are in charge of the marketing side of the production such as the distributor, it is up to them to promote the film successfully in order to gain as much media attention and possibly attract a large amount of audience. Due to the current generation revolving consistently around technology, there should be the availability and vast amounts of advertisements and poster coverage on the film as a way to help promote the film to a wide audience and to raise its awareness.
Scene ten: This scene is primarily about distributors licensing films to exhibitors. Distributors should think, where should film go, how will the film achieve it maximum impact and which screens are most suitable. The exhibitors supply the screens and the distributor supply the film for the screens, to be viewed on.
2)
Distributor of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Focus Features
Distributor of Girlhood: Strand Releasing
Distributor of Drive: Icon Film Distribution
Distributor of Point Blank: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Distributor of Goodfellas: Warner Bros
3) How many cinemas did the each of the following film open in?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Opened in 1,353 theatres
Girlhood: Opened in 5 theatres
Drive: Opened in 2,886 theatres
Point Blank: Opened in 37 theatres
Goodfellas: Opened in 1,328 theatres
4) How much money did each film make? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-
Budget: $20,000,000
Gross: $70,000,000
Profit: $50,000,000
Girlhood-
Budget: N/A
Gross: $60,000
Profit: N/A
Drive-
Budget: $15,000,000
Gross: $76,200,000
Profit: $61,200,000
Point Blank-
Budget: $3,000,000
Gross: $3,200,000
Profit: $200,000
Goodfellas-
Budget: $25,000,000
Gross: $46,800,000
Profit: $21,800,000
5) Who is the Curzon Artificial Eye and what do they do?
The Curzon Artificial Eye has been releasing "critically acclaimed films" since its foundation launch in 1976. They release fantastic films to the UK audiences from fantastic directors who produce them. They have released more Cannes Palme winners than any other UK distributor. Curzon has opened its doors to cinema fanatics since 1934 at the Curzom Mayfair and now has opened 11 cinemas nationwide. They have also made the possibility for home cinema entertainment, where people can watch the film at home when the film releases in the cinema.
6)
One thing that I will take forwards from viewing this trailer from the Curzon Artificial Eye Channel is the use of cinematic tone and fell that the trailer gives off. The style and visuals of the film seem very clear and crisp making the visuals of both the setting and the characters appear in more of a cinematic tone. Moreover, the colours that are contrasted to make the characters seem as f they are actually at that location was done effectively. I would like to do a similar style of colour that will reflect the character and the location in which the characters are in e.g. having a violet blue colour scheme as the background is set in a futuristic lab.
One thing that I have learned and will take on board with my media film from this trailer is the use of flashbacks to convey the storyline. This style of editing and directing was done really well as it contrasts what's about to happen and delivers the past events to the audience. This gives the audience a more engaging feel towards the film as they are eager to find out what happens next.
One thing that I will take on board with what I have learned from this trailer is the importance and the unique way in which this films delivers its dialogue in a conversation. The film creates immersive connections through the dialogue they express. Moreover, I would like to make my dialogue as effective as this trailer has done. This is because it creates a really great tone and connection to the audience through the conversation as if the audiences are passive observers of the entire conversation. This use of duologue will come effective when trying to convey and express emotional speech with the audience of my film's characters.
Exhibition: Arthouse cinemas
1) Electric Cinema- located on Kinds Road.
2) This cinema puts on mainly mainstream films such as Spectre, however it does put on Arthouse films such as 'Carol'. The three main films that are being shown this week are, Bridge of Spies,Carol and The Lady in the Van. One way that the Electric Cinema is different from other big chain cinemas is because of its appearance. This is because the Electric Cinema don't have ordinary seats for the public to sit on, but instead they have sofas as well as beds to comfort the audience and to allow them to experience the film as comfortability as they can.
3) The Electric Cinema seems to attract an older age group and not attract a younger audience such as teenagers. This is because arthouse films may not appeal to a younger audience and therefore, they are less likely to visit an arthouse cinema even when there is comfortable seats available. The website on the other had targets themselves to attract an older audience, however they are re-branding themselves to attract a younger audience.
A case study in independent film production: Film London and Microwave Film 1) Film London contributes mostly towards the media and in film. They help fund up-coming movies for aspiring film makers to help them become successful in the industry. They not only range entirely around film but also the following:
Artists Film
British Film Commission
Business Development
Growing Audiences
Locations
Production
Film London brochure
Showreel
Careers
Newsletters
The Small Print
It is said to boom the global hub for content which clearly states its important within the media industry. They revolve all sorts of media as listed above. Moreover, they do specialise more into film such as supporting aspiring directors and giving them the funds to help carry out their project.
2) Microwave Film not only fund the projects that are short listed but also provide mentoring to up coming people. Moreover, they give development to the teams that they work with to help intensity their strengths. After this, 12 teams are then shot-listed and under-go intensive training at the Microschool along with exclusive mentoring and development funding. Finally, they will add to production funds and pay for the distribution funding for films.
3) London Calling allows people from all sorts of backgrounds and ethnicity to get specialised training and support for films. They award aspiring film makers £15,000 for making 5 short films along with this, they will receive training and mentoring as well as, match funding. A reason why this scheme as encouraged independent film making is because it allows people from different backgrounds the opportunity to become better at what they do and also it proves a financial incentive to those who may use it for their production. The use of awarding money is not used as an incentive but as a way for film makers to use that money to help better their films and projects and improve their production.
4)
Freestyle
My interpretation of the synopsis: Freestyle is about a man who is inspired to become greater in his talent; basketball. He encounters a competition held by an organisation. A representative of the competition organisation seeks potential in the man but further on, he encounters another group of potential candidates for the competition. The young man is determined to win the competition and beat the female opposition. However, during his journey to wining, he falls in love with the group leader of his basketball teams rival group.
This brief synopsis of the film fits into an Arthouse film as it brings a new and different style of genre to the usual cinema genre. This is because, current cinemas target a mainstream audience and this trailer seems to target a specific segment of that demographic. Arthouse cinema is best known to not attract a mainstream audience but a smaller percentage of them as they are interested in showing a different style of film and this film fits in to this category.
Target Audience: 13
This is because this film seems to be based around romance and therefore, it is not suitable for an audience younger that the age of 13 (could be PG 13) as this can put them off or they may not be interested in the romantic parts of this film. Furthermore, freestyle basketball is a sport that mostly teenagers (and over) mostly play and therefore, this film can attract a teenage audience.
Borrowed Time
My
interpretation of the synopsis: This film seems to be about a homeless boy who
seeks protection and guidance on what he should do to get better from his
current situation. His former friends have suggested that he’d sell drugs as a
way to receive quick money and so he does. However, when he tries to sell it
the customer doesn’t pay him and the boy gives up on this method. Finally, his
friend finds another way to help his friend, which is to break into an old man’s
house. The boy agrees to doing this job and when he does, he gets caught by the
old man. The old man threatens the young boy; however the boy sees potential in
the old man. The boy goes on a journey to change his and the old man’s life.
The boy’s friends feel betrayed by this as they wanted a share of the goods
that the boy was meant to steal and so they chase after him. The boy tries his
best to get the old man’s life back on track and also to improve his own.
One
reason why this is an Arthouse film is because this films seems to attract a
certain type of audience. Non-Arthouse films generally attract a wide audience
and this makes the cinema seem to be attracting a mainstream audience. This
film doesn’t seem to be attracting a mainstream audience, instead, its
attracting a certain segment of the public. The film is about a boy who is
homeless and this synopsis doesn’t seem to attract a wide audience and so it
would most likely attract a smaller audience which is what Arthouse films do.
Target
Audience: 15
I
would rate ‘Borrowed Time’ as 15 because in the trailer there seems to be strong
language that the characters will be using during this film. As a result, the
film wouldn’t be suitable for and audience younger than the age of 15.
Moreover, there is the use of drugs and a gun. These props don’t seem to be
right for the younger age group as these objects are not known to them.
Ill Manors
My
interpretation of the synopsis: This film seems to be about a young man who has
come under the influence of a crime lord who has corrupted the area in which
the young man is from. The young man seems to have no source of income coming
in and so he turns to crime. The crime lord gives the young man a job to do
which seems to be selling drugs to other people who live in a similar area. The
crime lord is seen to abuse and beat up other members of his gang and this
makes them turn out to be aggressive and abusive to one another. The young man
dislikes the decisions that the crime lord is doing and so he tries to persuade
his friends to rebel against the crime lord and put things right as he found
himself in a tricky situation and by overpowering the crime lord, will fix his
incomplete life.
This
film is an Arthouse film as it isn’t suitable for a mainstream audience.
Cinemas such as Vue and Odean put on films that are primarily targeted for
viewers in the ‘mainstream’ demographic. However, this film does not. A
mainstream audience is a selection of people in society who share and value
similar opinions on the product or idea they are viewing. This film seems to
counter that idea. People are not going to agree that this film is based on
truth and therefore, isn’t a mainstream film. This film is about youth culture
and the difficulties ‘some’ members go through in their day to day life. This
film seems to attract people who are from a different demographic rather than
the traditional mainstream audience. Arthouse films are designed to attract
certain members of society as the films they produce often connect with certain
audiences.
Target
Audience: 18
I
would give ‘Ill Manors’ a 18 age rating due to a lot of violence and drug
related activity. There was a lot of violence seen in this trailer as well as
some scenes showing graphical content (blood etc). Moreover, there were drugs
and guns used in this trailer. These are items in which a younger demographic aren’t
used to seeing, or are not associated with these type of things. Furthermore,
there seems to be prostitutes seen in this trailer which again doesn’t meet the
requirements for a younger age group.
5)
A great story defines the audiences interest in the film they are watching. A great story is the base-point of a great film. Make the film's story unique and different from other films- make it stand out.
Another thing I've learned is to focus less on a big cast or location but develop the story around central characters, characters that have a major effect on the story line as well as having an impact on the audience.
If you create a story or film that is ready to show to an industry, be prepared to answer questions and accept to criticisms. Criticism is built into the production of producing a fantastic piece of art. If I learn from my mistakes and from the feedback that the viewers have given, this can ultimately lead to a better film/content.
Know your audience from the beginning of the project. This is crucial as both the storyline and the film itself is trying to gain the attention from the audience and those two variables are equally important in making the audience interested. These two variables has a major link with the audience as the audience are the ones that are going to feel a connection and understand what is happening and that is why knowing the audience of your film is important at the beginning.
