‘Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences’ Too what extent do you agree with this statement?’

‘Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences’ Too what extent do you agree with this statement?’

 To me looking at this statement I think that it is safe to say that I agree with what is said because of the money that global institutions have they can spend a lot of it on marketing and on advertising the product to people all over the world which means that they will be selling the product to at least a nationwide audience if not a worldwide audience.

Money is a massive part of the film industry, without it no films would be made to a very high standard. The companies that have access to a lot of money to make their films usually dominate in sales and box office figures. This is because of the large amounts of time and money that they spend on the advertising and marketing of the film through many different media windows, such as, TV advertisements, radio slots, interviews, internet sites and many others. They are also able to do this all around the world because of the money that they have access to. Sometimes large advertising campaigns aren’t always a good thing because spending lots of money on advertising can sometimes hype up the film to much meaning that when the actual film comes out viewers might be disappointed with the result because the campaign hyped it up to be amazing when maybe it actually wasn’t. A good example of this advertising is, in the marketing campaign for the film ‘Prometheus’ (made by 20^th Century Fox), there was a video of a future TED talk with Peter Weyland, the owner of the fictitious Weyland Corporation. There is also a website set up for Weyland Corporation. To make these two things, a large amount of money would have been needed. The result of the two created a lot of hype and meant that the film was advertised to a very large amount of people, this is known as viral marketing.

Smaller companies struggle to find money to afford to do all the advertising they would want to do for the film they are making and because of this usually don’t do as well with making the money they did spend on the film back and making a decent profit out of making the film which is really what it is all about. Without making good profits from their films, smaller companies such as Marv or working title would struggle to find the money to make films in the future. This is why smaller film companies try to spend less money on advertising the film they have made and more money on actually making the film to try and maximise the amount of profit that they will make from the film being good quality and not just from good advertising campaigns. An example of a smaller companies advertising campaign is the one for the film ‘Attack the block’ (made by studio canal and film4). They only had a very small amount of money to make film and because of this didn’t have a lot left to spend on making lots of different things for their marketing and advertising. They only had one or two very simple and quite short television trailers and also conducted interviews to promote the film. Because of the very small amount of advertising that went into the campaign not a lot of people knew about the film and so not a lot of people went to see it and so didn’t make that much money in the box office and was labelled as unsuccessful. The film didn’t do that well

Another point is that when a big name writer has written a script, he will probably only pitch it to a top company, one of the big six. This means that the smaller companies won’t even get a chance to work with many big name people and so won’t be able to sell their products to a nationwide audience because the films that are made by the big six will always steal the best scripts, writers, directors and actors, which are some of the main things that attract people to go and watch or buy a film.

Also the larger film companies can make their films in 2D, 3D or even in 4D because they have the money to do so, these ways of making the films will generate more ways for people to see the films and make the film companies a lot more money that the smaller companies who can only usually afford to make them in 2D and only have one way of them being seen by film fans.

To conclude, I do believe that media production is dominated by global institutions as they have the most money and can pay for the highest quality resources when it comes to making the actual film and also advertising and marketing the products that they are making and selling to the public. Because of the small amounts of money that smaller companies have they cannot compete with the larger global companies such as the big six, meaning that the big six will always dominate and sell their products to national audiences.  

‘Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of media in your chosen media area’

‘Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of media in your chosen media area’

In the film ‘kickass’, the film was financed by Marv (Matthew Vaughn) and Plan B entertainment (Brad Pitt). The film was fist financed personally by Matthew Vaughn and had a budget of only $10 million, but after pre-production started and the script for the film was written, Brad Pitt and his company Plan B entertainment became interested in the film and contributed a further $20 million to the project to make up the budget of around $30 million. Some issues that were raised were that they only had a relatively small budget to make the film, a budget of around $28 million. To make a film to the full potential and make it as good as possible you would need a much bigger budget that this one that they had. Because of this small budget they encountered a few problems when making the film. The first of these being that they couldn’t afford to higher lots of big name Hollywood actors, because of this they turned to a lot of British actors who had only been in small films and in small TV shows in the UK. The most notable actor in the film was Nicholas Cage, who has been in a lot of high budget Hollywood blockbusters. When making the film he wasn’t paid a lot of money like he usually is to be in a film but instead worked for the S.A.G actors minimum wage, this is the minimum amount of money that an actor can be paid to act in a film of a certain budget. The next biggest actor in the film was British actor Aaron Johnson. His most notable role previous to this one was playing a young John Lennon in the film ’Nowhere Boy’ which is about his early life. He was also in the chick flick aimed at teenage girls called ‘Angus thongs and perfect snogging’.

Apart from not being able to attract big name actors to star in the film another problem that they encountered was the amount of money they had to spend on special effects. This was a problem because the film is supposed to be a sort of action/comedy cross over and there are some scenes where special effects such as CGI would have been needed but they didn’t have the money to do a lot of this on computers.

Also there was a problem with the script. Because of the graphic nature of the story they had to distribute the film as a 15 age rating. As the film was about superheroes it would have attracted many people under this age but because of the rating the could not see it and so Marv and Plan B maybe couldn’t make the most money possible from the film because of the small audience they had to distribute to. The film then ended up as a cult film as it couldn’t be watched by the massive target audience that are interested in this type of film.

I think that if the film hadn’t had these issues and problems then the film and film makers may have made a lot more money as the film had a lot of potential and could have been much more successful than what it eventually was.

What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?

What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?

The continuing development of many different types of media means that many different windows that the film can be seen by and enthusiastic fans will pay to see all of the different types of the film because they are big fans and will do anything to see the film.

One of the most popular types of digital technology is films in 3D. This is where you wear special glasses and things seem to jump out of the screen in front of peoples eyes. Lots of people prefer seeing films in 3D as it is a more realistic, fun and exciting experience for the viewers of the film. The film ‘Avatar’ was mainly shown in 3D in UK cinemas and used a lot of this technology throughout the whole movie to make it more exciting and lifelike for the film’s audience. There is also an adaption onto 3D which is called 4D. This technology has the same basic principles as 3D, making the film watching experience more exciting and lifelike. The difference between 3D and 4D is that in 4D you sit in special seats that move around, different smells are released into the room and small amounts of water are sometimes sprayed onto the audience and into the room. All of these things make the viewer feel like they are in the same place where the film is set and creates a more lifelike experience for the audience of the film. 4D also uses 3D in the cinemas to enhance the viewing of the films. Not many cinemas actually do 4D; these screens are usually found in amusement parks as an extra sort of ride and are quite rare even in this sense. 3D is more common although still not as common as normal 2D cinema screens. These days most large cinemas in the UK have at least one or two 3D screens in each cinema, these screens are usually always full in every viewing as a lot of people will pay good money for the chance to see their favourite films in 3D. Both of these different windows are an adaption of the old fashioned 2D films. 2D films are still very popular and the majority of people prefer 2D because it is cheaper than 3D and 4D and is more enjoyable as you don’t have to wear a pair of special glasses which a lot of people don’t like wearing and find annoying and off putting when trying to watch the film.

Another development into media viewing technology is IMAX. IMAX cinemas are special in that they can project a larger and much higher resolution image onto the cinema screen than in a usual cinema and because of this increases the viewing quality for the film fan. IMAX first opened in 1971 in Toronto, Canada and since then has opened cinemas all around the world. There are now around 700 IMAX theatres in 52 different countries around the world. Lots of people use IMAX to view their favourite films because of the high quality images of the movie and the overall better enjoyment of the film. It is however more expensive because of this but film fans are usually willing to pay for this as it makes for a better viewing of the film.

A lot of modern films use new digital techniques to enhance the movie and make it more exciting, such as using explosions etc. a lot of these things would be very expensive to do and could cause some notable damage. Because of this most films use computer generated imagery (CGI) for things like explosions, landscapes and buildings. A good example of this CGI usage is in the film ‘Prometheus’. When they land on the alien planet, the mountainous background and dome type building that you see are all created my computers as it is a fictitious place and needed to be created for the setting of the film. The computer imagery creates a lifelike image of something reasonably cheaply. CGI is not only used in action and sci-fi films but in many genres of film and also in TV. It helps to create and do things that would be impossible or expensive to do in real life filming.

I think that without the continued development of digital media technology, film fans might become a bit bored with the same old techniques used in every film and as new ways of filming and distributing films are developed film audiences will grow as they will be attracted by the new techniques and excited by the thought of something new to see rather than just the boring old techniques. New ways of distributing and exhibiting films will also create more money for the film  industry as more people going to see the films means more money made and also means more money to keep on developing new ways of digital technology in media.

The infidel prezi

Warp Films

Warp Films

Warp Films is an independent film production company based in Sheffield & London, UK, with a further affiliated company Warp Films Australia based in Melbourne, Australia.

Warp Films was established by Warp Records founding partners Rob Mitchell and Steve Beckett. It was initially created with financial support from NESTA and had a remit to produce a number of short films.

The first film, Chris Morris' My Wrongs#8245-8249 & 117, was shot in 2002. It won the award for Best Short Film at the 2003 BAFTA Film Awards and became the first short film DVD single in the UK market.

Warp Films breakout success came with Shane Meadows’ This Is England, the story of Shaun, a boy who is adopted by a local skinhead gang after his father is killed in the Falklands war. Since its release in early 2007 it has gained many awards including the Best Film at the British Independent Films Awards, the Special Jury Prize at the Rome Film Festival and Best British Film at the BAFTAs.

Warp Films 2010 television production for Channel 4, Shane Meadows' This Is England '86, was a continuation from the 2006 film. It aired over four weekly episodes and received numerous plaudits, including a BAFTA award for leading actress Vicky McClure. It achieved record viewing figures for Channel 4.

Doctor Who Representation

    

How does the text construct representation of gender in the extract?

In this scene there firstly is a mid-shot of the woman entering the room with some non-diegetic music playing in the background to put emphasis on her walking into the room. This puts all the attention on her and makes the audience pay special attention to her, as she is the main part of the shot. This mid shot lets us see the sort of facial expressions that she has and could give us a good idea of what she is thinking. I thought that she looked quite concerned or anxious about entering the room. As the mid-shot tracks the woman across the room it shows her glancing at one of the men in the room, he then tries to move towards her but is stopped. This is used by the director to show the woman as weak and needing protection from whatever the threat in the room is. The woman the looks up towards another man who is up some stairs looking down at her. He tells her to ‘kneel’. This is also used to show the male dominance in the scene and to portray the woman as weaker.

The camera is then directed at a low mid-shot facing up towards the man up the stairs from the prospective of the woman who is kneeling down on the floor. This shows that at this point the man is in control as he is at a much higher level than her, showing more examples of male dominance. The man at the top of the stairs then has a speech, in which he acts very confident showing his dominance over all the others in the room. When the man stops talking the woman who is still kneeling down starts to speak and tells a story which builds up a more positive and dominant force towards her. Her facial expressions change and she becomes a more confident individual who seems to take charge of the scene and take away the male dominance from the man at the top of the stairs who after hearing what the woman has said seems less confident about being in control and his facial expressions change to being very nervous and agitated by what the woman has said. While this is happening the non-diegetic music in the background changes and becomes more positive showing more power is being shifted to the woman. The woman is also now standing up at a more even level with the man on the stairs and seems to be matching his dominance with hers. This shows more female dominance in the room.

The camera then shows a close up of the doctor in his cage and then switches to a mid-shot of him breaking out of the cage and becoming young and tall again. The shot then shows him glowing and floating in the air, which could portray him as being a sort of god like man or having magical powers. This switches the dominance in the room over from the man on the stairs to the doctor and gives him the most power. The final shat that we see is of the man on the stairs falling to the floor with a very scared and concerned look on his face as the doctor moving towards him. This shows that the doctor has now gained all the power and is the most dominant in the room. This switches the scene back to being more male dominant but the males being a good force instead of a kind of evil one.      

X-Men Origins Wolverine Prezi

X-Men Origins Wolverine on Prezi

Kick Ass

KickAss

Lionsgate announced yesterday that Kick Ass “proved dominant across all revenue channels this past week.” The film debuted in the number one position in DVD and Blu-ray sales – as well as the top movie download on iTunes since its release August 3rd.

The critical success of Kick-Ass hinted at the potential for excellent performance in home entertainment sales. While it wasn’t a huge surprise, for many of us, it offers a welcome sense of validation. Those of us who believed in the film’s potential for ‘cult’ success were rewarded with quantifiable proof this week.
Last April, there was much ado about nothing with regard to the film’s “failure at the box office.” In fact, the film was only a “failure” when measured against the inflated projections for opening weekend numbers – numbers that were based on perceived “audience awareness.” What these projections failed to consider was that the perceived awareness was isolated to a powerful, but segmented, fraction of the population at large – meaning an improper sampling. The blogosphere often becomes a self-cannibalizing entity and the response to Kick Ass illustrates that trend beautifully. 


There was (an understandable) fan boy and girl fervor in anticipation of the film. One which lead credence to the notion that Kick Ass would strike it big opening weekend – and by big I mean projections forecast a $35 million open weekend – for a film that cost $25 million to make.

There was also an enormous influx of trailers, videos, and other marketing materials prior to the release of the film – a tactic that could have backfired, positioning the audience to rail against a film – as a result of overexposure. When the film failed to perform as projected, the blogosphere (unsurprisingly) jumped at the opportunity to write a bunch of snarky articles outlining the film’s financial shortcomings. To put that in perspective – remember the film cost $25 million and went on to make $96 million worldwide.



Here is what those projections failed to account for:

1. As mentioned, the “audience awareness” sampling came from a community predisposed to be aware of, and interested in, a film like Kick Ass – as well as its source material. Without a recognizable name attached, or broader brand appeal, that awareness wasn’t representative of the general movie-going audience.
2. Much of the target audience for Kick Ass was not old enough to take themselves to an R (hard R) rated movie, and this film is not an easy sell to parents. “Oh yes mom, can I please go see this film that features an adorable mass murdering twelve year old who makes liberal use of the ‘C’ word? Yep, it’s the very one Roger Ebert called ‘morally reprehensible’!”
3. How hopelessly square Americans really can be (this feeds off of number two on the list). Now, don’t misunderstand, I like Roger Ebert. I don’t always agree with him, but I like him. However he asked in his review if his response to Kick Ass made him “hopelessly square.” My response is – yes, yes it does.
4. Misinterpretation or rejection of the film’s central characters and story lines. Again this is a follow-up to number three on the list. I will use Mr. Ebert as the singular representative to a broad stick in the mud reaction to the film.

Many felt that the film was morally bereft due to its depiction of an exquisitely violent little girl. Emphasis on little girl. I contend that Hit Girl’s gender played a powerful subconscious role in some people’s negative reactions to her. Further, people felt that the film lacked a broader social message. To that I would ask: What kind of message would you like? A lie? Would you like to be told that good triumphs over evil every time and all is really simple and neat in the end?

I would follow those questions up with another: Is a film under an obligation to deliver a standard ‘moral of the story’ which is easily digestible by all? An idea already broadly accepted that adds nothing new to our cultural discussion? Or can it not simply be tons of fun and wickedly entertaining? I did myself the favor of steering clear of all the videos released for Kick Ass prior to its open. As a result I was both delighted and surprised with Chloe Moretz. I found Hit Girl’s action sequencesalone enough to justify a trip to the movies.

However, I would argue that the film does in fact have a moral and societal message. A very simple message perhaps, but a clear one imbued in every moment of the movie. The message is this: You, even you, ordinary, non special “regular Joe” you who is just like ordinary, “regular Joe,” non special me can do something – so why don’t you? Why do you, do we instead just sit back and watch?
We see this in the character of Kick Ass himself. This perspective is clearly laid out in his “YouTube treatises,” but can also be seen in everything he tries, fails and succeeds at doing throughout the film. We see this theme play with Nick Cage as the  hilariously overzealous Big Daddy – crazy, but committed. We see this in Kick Ass’s love interest Katie who takes the more traditional social action route. We particularly see this in the character of the “bystander” who watches, but does nothing – and is eventually shot for it.



What Kick Ass does so beautifully is set itself up as a film that is going to be the “anti-comic book” movie, the one that breaks all the rules – and pokes fun at the accepted tropes of the genre. Then at a certain point (around the time of Big Daddy’s confrontation with his ex-partner) the film takes a turn and fulfills every aspect of a standard comic book tale. Kick Ass tells you it is making this turn by visually propelling us into the comic book world of Big Daddy’s creation. This is some fun and outstanding filmmaking.
Kick Ass felt like a film that was destined to be misunderstood in its initial release and then appreciated by a large cult audience as time progressed. The kids who could not get their parents to take them to the movie can now buy the DVD. Those who balk at $10 in the theater seem okay with $15 spent on the more permanent DVD or $25 for a Blu-ray.

“Word of mouth” has had a real chance to spread to the general population. Many “non-traditional” films have followed this same trajectory to cult film success. Some notable selections include;Blade Runner, Office Space, Fight Club, TV series would include Firefly, Freaks and Geeks andArrested Development.

What do you think the future holds for Kick-Ass?

Attack The Block

Attack The Block

In an interview with Joe Cornish, he says that the movie is based mainly on film about aliens, gangster films and also fantasy films.

The main problem that he was faced with when making the film was the extremely low budget he was faced with and with the money he had Cornish could not afford to use lots of technology and film the movie in 3D so he was faced just to record in 2D and also use older editing techniques to try to save money.

Joe Cornish's views on the British film industry was that not enough young break though actors were being cast in films and he wanted to change this so he auditioned for 11 actors all under or around the age of 16. this also made the story seen more realistic as the actors were actually playing characters their own age and not trying to pull of being different ages which would have been more difficult and would not have worked as well.

The soundtrack for Attack The Block was written and recorded by the electronic dance group Basement Jaxx, 20 songs were recorded for the whole movie in total. Having this type of music made the movie seen more real because it fitted well with the stereotype of all young people  that live in city suburbs listen to hip hop and electronic music.

The movie was promoted by showing adverts on TV and also by having lots of posters up everywhere, for example having them on the side of buses lets lots of people see the add. the bigger characters and also the directors and producers would also have done interviews to promote the film. 

Working Title

1. Who were the co-founders of Working Title? -  The company was founded by Tim Bevam and Sarah Radcyffe.2. When was the company founded? - Working Title films was founded in 1983.3. Where is working title based? -The company is based in London but has other offices located in Ireland and Los Angeles.4. Who are the co-chairpersons of working title now? - Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are now joint owners of the Working Title.5. What awards have Working Title won? - Working Title have won two Academy awards for, "Atonement" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age".6. How many full time staff does Working Title employ? - Working Titlt currently employ 42 full time working staff.7. What is Working Title's philosophy? - They aim to make european films feature to a worldwide audience.8. List 5 box office hits that Working Title have made. - Shaun of the dead, Tinker tailor soldier spy, Johnny English reborn and Hot Fuzz.9. List 5 flops that Working Title have made - Thunderbirds, Green Zone, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, The Boat That Rocked, Wimbledon.10.  What is Richard Curtis’ relationship with Working Title? - He has directed many of Working Title's films that have been produced and became a success.11.  List 2 famous directors that Working Title have worked with? - Kirk Jones and Richard Curtis.12.  What is Hugh Grant’s relationship with Working Title? - He has worked with Working Title on numerous occasions and starred in many of their films, mainly romcom's, as he believes there is something about the company that sets it apart from all others.13.   Find out about the Coen Brothers (films, genres, status) and what do they have to do withWorking Title? - The Coen brothers are American filmmakers. They write, direct, and produce their films that are known for their dry humour and amazing visuals. They have worked with Working Title on numerous occasions, on their films.14. Who owns 67% of Working Title films? When did this happen? Why did this happen? - Universal Studio's own 67% of Working Title, as PolyGram films was merged and sold to Universal Studios in 1999.15.   List two of Working Title big blockbuster films and find out their budgets. - Notting Hill - £46 million. Bridget Jones' Diary £26 million.16.  What genre of films is Working Title most famous for? - most famous for comedy films.17.  What other genres do Working Title films like to make? - family, romantic, action, comedy.18.  Find out as much as you can about WT2? (when established, films made, budgets, awards) - WT2 is a subsidiary company to deal with low budget titles, and since 1999 has been run by Natasha Wharton and has made films such as Billy Elliot and Ali G In Da House.19.   What information can you find out about Working Title through their web page? - you can find out various information such as their upcoming movies and their trailers, and news.20.  Find out one other interesting fact about Working Title that you would like to share with the class. - working title have a budget of £35 million to work with, if they need more they have to ask universal for it. 

Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audiences - The Film Industry

Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audiences - The Film Industry

Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audience

An institution (in the film industry)

Definition: any company or organisation that produces, distributes or exhibits films. The BBC makes films with their BBC Films arm; Channel4's Film Four produces films, Working Title also produce films, as does Vertigo Films, etc. Some institutions need to join with other institutions which distribute films. Vertigo Films is able to distribute its own films, Channel Four distributed Slumdog Millionaire through Pathe. Working Title's distribution partner is Universal, a huge US company which can make, distribute and show films. The type of owner ship within an institution matters as, for instance, Channel 4 and the BBC are able to show their own films at an earlier stage than other films made by other institutions. They are also better placed to cross-promote their in-house films within their media organisations. Use you work on Film Four as the basis for most of what you write, Moon is a good cross comparison as Duncan Jones had to create his own institution just to get the film made.


Distribution and Marketing

Definition: the business of getting films to their audiences by booking them for runs into cinemas and taking them there in vans or through digital downloads; distributors also create the marketing campaign for films producing posters, trailers, websites, organise free previews, press packs, television interviews with the "talent", sign contracts for promotions, competitions, etc. Distributors use their know-how and size to ensure that DVDs of the film end up in stores and on supermarket shelves. Distributors also obtain the BBFC certificate, and try to get films released as the most favourable times of the year for their genre, etc.


Examples:
Universal distributed Working Title's The Boat That Rocked; Pathe distributedFilm4 and Celadors' Slumdog Millionaire after the original US distributor, Warner Independent went out of business. TRONwas heavily marketed across a variety of mediums, Moon struggled to get press attention and Duncan Jones had to really push the film  in obscure places like Popular Mechanics etc. The Kings Speech was distributed by Momentum (a susiduary of Aliance films) who are a major independent film distributor.


Exhibition
Definition: showing films in cinemas or on DVD. Media attention through opening nights and premieres How the audience can see the film: in cinemas, at home, on DVD, through downloads, through television, including premieres, the box office take in the opening weeks; audience reviews which includes those of the film critics, ordinary people, cinemas runs; awards in festivals, The Oscars, BAFTAS, etc.


Examples:
Slumdog Millionaire almost never got distribution. Its early US distributor, Warner Independent was a victim of the economic downturn and went out of business. The film's makers then struggled to find a distributor! Then Fox Searchlight stepped up and "the rest is history". The 8 out of 10 Oscarnomination wins ensured that the film has been the greatest British success in awards and in box office for nearly 60years.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/boyle-reveals-slumdog-millionaire-was-nearly-never-made-1331821.html

Motherhood took just £86!
Moon. Initially Sony Pictures Worldwide were due to distribute the film but they specialise in straight to DVD features. Following positive reaction following its Sundance film festival the rights were acquired by Sony Classic Pictures who gave the film a limited release in the US in Cities like New York and LA.

Exchange

Definition: The unintended use of an institution’s media text (i.e. a film) by OTHER PEOPLE who use the film or parts of it to form new texts. What happens to a film, etc. after the public get their hands on it using digital technology.  

Examples:
People unconnected to the institution/ film using WEB 2.0 applications such as YOUTUBE, Blogger, Amazon film message boards, TWITTER, Face-Book, discuss the film or edit parts of together to form a new text which the may then put a new soundtrack to and publish on YOUTUBE, etc. When you add a trailer from a site like YouTube on your blog you have been engaging with exchange. Look back to MArk Kermodes video regarding piracy and the new release strategies for films like Ken Loach's "Route Irish" (Loach has reportedly steeled himself for a frosty response from critics and anticipates an underwhelming box office, noting the difficulty he faced securing a distribution deal. Though pragmatic in his view that “people don’t make films to communicate; they make it as a commodity”,an unorthodox release strategy utilising Sky Movies Premier - which will place the film (and by extension, its subject matter) in a wider public sphere than it might otherwise have reached – suggests he hasn’t given up on pedagogy entirely.) or the Jack Ass 3 release on DVD and Sky Box Office.


Vertical and Horizontal Integration

Definition: Absorption into a single firm of several firms involved in all aspects of a product's manufacture from raw materials to distribution.


Example:
Vivendi Universal have integrated film, music, web and distribution technology into the company, including owning big stakes in cables and wires that deliver these services. Therefore they are vertically integrated because they own all the different companies involved in film, from production to distribution to exhibition. They are also horizontally integrated because they have all the expertise for producing media content under one roof – films, TV, magazines, books, music, games thus being able to produce all the related media content for one film under the same roof (see synergy). This is important for the control the institution has over their product/film.


Synergy/Synergies  

Definition: The interaction of two or more agents (institutions/companies) to ensure a larger effect than if they acted independently. This is beneficial for each company through efficiencies in expertise and costs. 

 

Examples:
Working Title know how to make films and they have formed a business partnership with Universal, a massive US company, who have the experience and size in the marketplace (cinemas, stores, online, etc.) to distribute them. (They create the marketing campaign to target audiences through posters, trailers, create the film’s website, free previews, television and press interviews featuring “the talent”, drum up press reviews, word of mouth, and determine when a film is released for the best possible audience and the type of release: limited, wide, etc.) Channel Four’s Film 4 and Celador Films(Celador also produce Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and films, too) benefited by pooling their know-how, experience and expertise to jointly produce Slumdog Millionaire. These companies formed a business relationship with France’s Pathe to distribute this film. In the UK Pathe helped create the poster, trailer, website, etc. In the USA the film found another distributor after being nominated for the Oscars.


Viral Marketing

Definition: A marketing technique aiming at reproducing "word of mouth" usually on the internet and through existing social networks. YouTube Video pastiches, trailers, interviews with cast members, the director, writer, etc. You can find interviews of “the talent” trying to gain publicity for your case study films on YouTube. Find some clips from the films we have studied to help you in the exam.
Guerilla MarketingDefinition: The use of unconventional and low cost marketing strategies to raise awareness of a product. The aim is usually to create “buzz” and “word of mouth” around a film. Unusual stunts to gain publicity (P.R.) on the film’s opening weekend, etc.

Examples:
Sasha Baron Cohen created “buzz” before the release of his film “Borat” by holding fake press conferences. The studio also accessed the popularity of YouTube by releasing the first 4 minutes of the movie on YouTube, a week before it’s release, which can then be sent virally across the nation. At a special viewing of “Bruno” Cohen landed on Eminem “butt first” from the roof MTV Awards venue, dressed in as an angel outfit with rents in the rear end.


Media Convergence
Definition 1: Convergence of media occurs when multiple products come together to form one product with the advantages of all of them. 

 

Examples:
More and more films are being marketed on the Internet and on mobile phones. You no longer need even to buy the DVDs or CDs as you can download films and music directly to your laptop, Mac or PC. Blue Ray DVDs can carry more features than ordinary DVDs and can be played on HD televisions and in home cinemas for enhanced/cinematic picture quality. You can save films on SKY digital, Free-box digital players, etc. You mobile phone has multiple features and applications. With media and technological convergence this is growing year on year. Play-Stations, X-Boxes and the Wii can can connect with the Internet and you can play video games with multiple players.


Technological ConvergenceDefinition 2: The growing interractive use of digital technology in the film industry and media which enables people to share, consume and produce media that was difficult or impossible just a few years earlier.

Examples:
For instance, the use of new software to add special effects in editing; the use of blue-screen; using new types of digital cameras like the one Danny Boyle used in “Slumdog Millionaire” (The Silicon Imaging Camera to shoot high quality film in tight spaces); you can use the Internet to download a film rather than go see it in the cinema; you can watch it on YouTube; you can use special editing programs like Final Cut Pro to edit bits of a film, give it new soundtrack and upload it on YouTube; you can produce illegal, pirate copies on DVDs from downloads and by converting the film’s format; you can buy Blue Ray DVDs with greater compression which allows superior viewing and more features on the DVD; distributors can use digital software to create high concept posters; cinemas can download films to their projection screens and do not have to depend on a van dropping off the film! The is also the Digital Screen Network. There are tons of ways in which technological convergence affects the production, distribution, exhibition and exchange by prosumers. ( A prosumer is someone who not only consumes (watches films) but also writes about them the Net, blogs and make films out of them, often uploading them on sites like YouTube, etc.

A Mainstream Film

Definition: A high budget film that would appeal to most segments of an audience: the young, boys, girls, teenagers, young people, the middle aged, older people, the various classes in society. Distributors often spend as much or more than the film cost to make when distributing mainstream films that are given wide or universal releases.


Example:The Boat That Rocked was a mainstream idea and was given the mainstream treatment on wide release. The film flopped at the UK box office on release ( and has not done too well since mid November 2009 on release in the USA. This was mostly because of its poor reviews, particularly from “Time-Out”. However, when young and older audiences see the DVD they generally like the film because of its uplifting storyline and the well-chosen soundtrack.


Art House Films

Definition: A low budget independent film that would mostly appeal to an educated, higher class audience who follow unusual genres or like cult directors that few people have heard of. Therefore it is usually aimed at a niche market. Foreign films often come under this category.


Examples:
The low budget film, Once (2007) which found a specialised, boutique distributor in Fox Searchlight fits this label. (FOX the mainstream company usually distributes big budget film and blockbusters); So does “Juno” from 2008 which began as a low budget film about teenage pregnancy that the big studios thought too risky to touch – but it found popularity through its touching storyline, engaging music and its Oscar nomination for best script. Like “Slumdog Millionaire” the film crossed over between art-house cinemas and audiences to mainstream ones because of the recognition it received from Canadian film festivals and award ceremonies like Britain’s BAFTAS and the Hollywood’s Oscars.


Ratings bodies BBFC - The British Board of Film Classification

How your institutions films are rated will affect audiences in so far as WHO can see them. Remember that sex scenes, offensive language, excessive violence, the use of profanity, etc. can affect the rating and certificate the film receives and therefore affect who is able to see the film.

Male Gaze

The Male Gaze

In our lesson last week we learnt about the male gaze. We were asked to find the definitions for these looks.

Marjorie Ferguson (1980) identified four types of facial expression in the cover photos of British women’s magazines:

Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.

Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera. Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.

Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown. Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.


Romantic or Sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’

In a study of advertisements in women’s magazines, Trevor Millum offers these categories of female expressions:

Seductive: similar to the cool/level look in many respects - the eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile. 

Carefree: nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning. 


Practical: concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back. 


Comic: deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness. 


Catalogue: a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed.

Representation.

REPRESENTATION

In media we were set a task to say what we thought of 3 images, we had to say who they were, that they did and what their story was. This is what i said.

Image 1

At a first glance i thought that this was just some old man standing in the street in a city smoking a cigarette. I noticed that he looked very different to all the other people around him. He is wearing what looks like some old trousers with patches on them, an old looking cardigan, a checked shirt and a beanie hat. He is also unshaven and has a beard. All of these features stood out to me and i straight away assumed that he was a homeless person living on the street in a big city. I then thought a bit more and had an idea of him being some sort of street performer or something like that, but neither of my conclusions were right.

The man's name is Doug Bihlmaier and he works as a designer for large fashion companies all around the world. His job is in interior design and he decides what the inside of the shops he works for will look like and what different individual things they will have in them to make them different from all the other shops. The clothes he is wearing isn't some kind of joke or act, this is his own style. The patches on his trouser legs are in fact dead in line and look as if they are meant to be there and are not actually an authentic patches used for fixing holes in trousers. Bihlmaier is well known for his style and deffinatly stands out in a crowd.      

Image 2

Looking at this picture my first impressions were that it was an intelligent man with a job in law or something similar. I thought this because of his clean cut look and that the clothes he is wearing are quite formal. In the picture he is holding a few pieces of paper and also has in front of him what looks like a few books. this made me think that he was intelligent and also that he could be involved in law or some other high paid academic line of work. Because of his clean cut look i assumed that he was just a normal respectably man.


The name of the man is Ted Bundy and he was a serial killer during the 1970s. when i found this out i was very surprised as this image was not the image i had thought of as a serial killer. to me he looked t clean cut and innocent to be a serial killer. Between the years of 1974 and 1978 Bundy admitted to killing 30 people. This has shown me that you shouldn't always stereotype people and put people in different categories just on what they look like.

Image 3

My first impressions of this image were quite mixed, i didn't really know what to think. I had some idea of the woman being some kind of weird model for a rather wacky clothing line, or that she was a crazy old woman that just wore really odd clothes everywhere she went trying to draw lots of attention to herself and the items that she was wearing.

Her name is Anna Piaggi and she was a fashion designer who worked with bug name companies such as Italian Vogue and some other big name brands. She is renowned for her individual style and is known for never wearing the same outfit twice, so this would explain the crazy outfit. She sadly passed away a  few years ago, taking with her, her epic sense of style and individuality.

From doing this task it has made me think more carefully about judging people just by looking at what they are wearing and how they look and has defiantly taught me not to judge a book by its cover!