Monday, 3 October 2016

La Haine- representations

6 images that represent the issues;
Image result for religion
Image result for flag of france
Image result for americanisation
Image result for drugs
Image result for media
Image result for social class


6 words that represent the issues
  • Liberty
  • Fraternity
  • Equality
  • Class
  • Race
  • Corruption

Scenes of poverty;




Image result for la haine car
Image result for la haine drugs

Scenes of power;
Image result for la haine hospital
Image result for la haine police station





Scenes of conflict; 
Image result for la haine roof scene
Image result for la haine art gallery scene

Thursday, 28 April 2016

How important is film marketing in attracting audiences?

Film marketing is a very important aspect of attracting audiences to films. Aside from actors, many people find movies through various different marketing campaigns created by the production companies. The success or failure of the marketing campaigns of films will have a large influence on the success of the film overall, impacting the box office success of the film. These marketing campaigns include things such as trailers, posters, contests and many other ways to reach out to potential viewers before releasing the movie. 
The trailer(s) of a film is vital for focusing the intended audience’s initial attention towards the film. Trailers use various enigma codes embedded within the video clips to grasp the attention towards certain aspects of the film, yet giving away small details of the film to draw them in even more. As there are many other trailers, each one uses various different designs in order to seem unique, selling the film to audiences before they have even seen the movie itself. 
Media advertising is another way by which companies market their films as it reaches wider audiences across more platforms, whether it be advertising the movie posters on billboards or sharing interviews on social media. In the modern day, marketing films using the internet is a widely used strategy; the marketing campaign for the third movie in the Taken franchise, Taken 3 used the internet to market the film. To market this film, 20th Century Fox created a YouTube video of the star actor Liam Neeson in character asking viewers to follow a link which then takes you to the movies LinkedIn page where they could enter a competition by following the page. This strategy is successful in marketing the film as it uses a variety of popular platforms to promote the movie, as well as giving something to the fans. 
The US Blockbuster Inside Out also used media advertising to attract audiences in many effective ways. Prior to releasing the movie, the production companies teamed up with companies such as Sky TV and Animal Planet, releasing advertisements promoting the movie as well as showing clips that are not a part of the movie. These advertisements were shown on many platforms, from advertising on the TV to on pages of the internet- attracting a wider audience to watch the film. Another way in which this movie was marketed was through real-time weather reports. To help market the film, characters from the movie were featured in weather advertisements in Singapore, using the different emotions to portray the weather. 
However, some strategies to promote films are not as important as others due to the negative outcomes of them, such as word of mouth often creates a bad stigma for a movie. One example of this is from the movie Taken 3 as word of mouth created a bad stigma for the movie- with many reviews openly stating that the film had lost its originality. Many fans of the previous two movies speculated the outcome of the third, asking whether or not the same ‘family member gets taken, main character rescues them’ plotline would appear in the third movie. With these questions and reviews, this movie was not as successful as it could have been due to many fans being put off of the third movie. This can also be found from Item 1, showing how word of mouth affected the film in negative ways. 
In conclusion, film marketing is very important in attracting audiences as it gives them an idea as to what to expect from the movie, as well as keeping them intrigued as to how good the movie will be overall. 

Monday, 11 April 2016

Exam Case Studies



US Blockbuster- Inside Out


  • Budget= $175 million
  • Director= Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen
  • Stars= Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Bill Hader (Fear), Lewis Black (Ager), Mindy Kaling (Disgust)
  • Genre= Animation, Adventure, Comedy
  • Box Office= $851.5 million
  • Production Company= Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
  • Certificate= PG
  • Release Date= May 18, 2015 (Cannes), June 19, 2015 (US)
  • Reviews= 8.4/10 (IMDB), 94/100 (Metascore), 5/5 (The Guardian)
  • Marketing= 
    • Used a Sky TV ad (popular, well known company) to promote the movie before coming out in cinemas 
    • Used real-time weather ads in Singapore to promote the film
    • Ad for Animal Planet's "Puppy Bowl"

Sadness_Rain disney singapore
Weather ads promoting the film in Singapore

Other facts: 
  • Only 45 animators worked on the movie, half the size of previous movies
  • Original idea- used Docter's daughter as the main inspiration as she aged through adolescence alongside his own experiences
  • Took 5 years to complete- the first pitch was in June, 2009
  • The film was storyboarded over 2-3 years
  • Seven versions were produced before the film went into production

UK Production- The Theory of Everything


  • Budget= $15 million
  • Director= James Marsh
  • Stars= Eddie Redmayne (Stephen), Felicity Jones (Jane), Charlie Cox (Jonathan)
  • Genre= biographical romantic drama
  • Box Office= $122.9 million
  • Production Company= Working title films
  • Certificate= PG 13
  • Release Date= 7 September 2014 (Toronto International Film Festival), 1 January 2015 (UK) 
  • Reviews= 7.7/10 (IMDB), 72/100 (Metascore), 4/5 (The Guardian)
  • Marketing= 
    • interviews with the cast, clips while filming, meeting Stephen Hawking
    • The fact that this movie was based on the true story of Hawking, this helped to promote the film in a massive way, making people interested in knowing the personal side of his life. 
Other facts
  • Took 3 years to convince Jane to make a book adaptation
  • Redmayne spent 6 months researching Hawking's life
  • The voice of Hawking is his actual electronic voice he uses

US Independent- Whiplash


  • Budget= $3.3 million
  • Director= Damien Chazelle
  • Stars= Miles Teller (Andrew), J.K. Simmons (Fletcher)
  • Genre= Drama
  • Box Office= $49 million
  • Production Company= Sierra/Affinity, Bold Films, Blumhouse Productions, Right of Way Films
  • Certificate= R (restricted, under 17= parent accompaniment) 
  • Release Date= 16 January 2014 (Sundance), 10 October 2014 (US)
  • Reviews= 8.5/10 (IMDB), 88/100 (Metascore), 4/5 (The Guardian)
  • Marketing: 
    • Facebook page for the movie
    • Cast members facebook and twitter accounts
    • Twitter account for movie 
Other facts:
  • Original concept- inspiration from the directors past jazz band
  • Fletcher was based on his past instructor, but the attitude was pushed further than in real
  • 15 pages of the original screenplay was turned into a short film to attract investors  
  • First time director
  • No well known stars 
  • plotted & shot as thriller 
  • Shot in 19 days with 14 hours filming per day


World Cinema Production- Taken 3(France)


  • Budget= $48,000,000
  • Director= Olivier Megaton
  • Stars= Liam Neeson (Bryan), Forest Whitaker (Franck), Maggie Grace (Kim Mills)
  • Genre= Action, Thriller
  • Box Office= $326.5 million
  • Production Company= EuropaCorp, M6 Films, Ciné+, Canal+
  • Certificate= PG 13 
  • Release Date= 
    • 16 December 2014- Germany (premiere) 
    • 8 January 2015- UK
    • 9 January 2015- USA
    • 21 January 2015- France 
  • Reviews= 1/5 (The Guardian) 
  • Marketing= 


Other facts:
  • Was originally R rated but was edited down to become PG 13 for theatrical release 
  • Many reviews say that this movie uses many of the old worn down aspects of the other movies, producing nothing new of this film
  • Liam Neeson said that he would only do the movie if 'nobody gets taken' 

Thursday, 7 January 2016

FM1 Creative Project

Aims and context


  • Genre- Action
  • Target Audience- 18-25 year old, both genders
  • Using the common convention of low-key lighting

Tuesday, 8 December 2015

Section A Practice Question

“What are some of the main factors that influence different kinds of film production today?”

There are many things that influence the type of films that get produced today; these include the production companies, actors, certifications and funding of the film.
       Referring to Item 1 of the resource material in Part A, the article shows how the five studios worked together to produce a variety of movies, using what’s popular and creating films around that. The two studios which produced 2015’s “Inside Out” were Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, both of which came together to produce this movie. These well-known production companies are an example of how studios influence what type of films are produced as they are well known for animated movies which help to influence the types of movie which they would create.
       Another factor that would influence the type of film that is made is the actors involved in the film. Linking to Item 2, the report talks about how the film “Dallas Buyers Club” would not have been created if it weren’t for Matthew McConaughey joining the film. The article talks about how the film was declined and rejected 137 times before finally being made. The leading actors Léa Seydoux and Adéle Exarchopoulos in the film “Blue is the warmest colour” were cast almost instantly as the director thought they suited the roles.  Another example of this was from Disney’s “Inside Out” as animators based Anger off Lewis Black who eventually did voice the character. The actors who are involved in a film are an important factor in film production today.

            

Tuesday, 20 October 2015

The Shining Analysis

The Shining Analysis


The bike scene shows Danny riding his bike around the hotel, many of the rooms seen throughout this scene have been used throughout the film- some of these include the kitchen hallway, main lobby area that Jack uses to write and the hallway where Danny finds the room 237. A tracking shot is used here to follow his movements as he travels through various hallways and rooms of the hotel, this is a common convention in the horror genre as is allows the audience to follow the characters movements. Danny can be seen to be wearing a red jumper with blue overalls- this has been done as the bike itself is blue and red- showing the link between Danny and his bike as the bike is his own. Another reason as to why these colours have been used is based on the common convention of this genre as they are often used to represent hot and cold- in this shot Danny is wearing both, showing that he is a mixture of the two. The only sound shown at the start of the scene is diegetic as the source of the noise- this being the wheels of the bike as it travels across various floors, is visible on the screen. This noise changes as Danny moves onto different floor types, from being most noticeable on the wooden and hard floors to being the quietest on the carpets that Danny rides across. The editing then cuts to a shot of Danny riding through the kitchen which is seen later in the scene before cutting once again to a hallway- the carpets used in these hallways are designed to disorientate the viewers, causing them to become thrown off by where in the hotel Danny is going until he is there. As Danny rides down one of these halls, he comes across room 237 where he stops- high pitched non-diegetic noise is used here in order to create tension in the audience- the noise that can be heard relates to water droplets, a common convention in the horror genre. As Danny reaches room 237, he stops at which point a low angle is used to show him looking up at the door number- this shot shows how powerless Danny is in this hotel and how he is subject to the things that are happening in the hotel.


A close up of Danny’s face is then used to show the fear in his face before cutting back to the low angle where a long shot is then used from behind Danny to show him attempting to open the door of room 237. The noise that is played here then changes to a low pitched noise as the editing cuts to a quick shot of two girls standing in a hallway, this relating to the visions that Danny has throughout the film. At this point, Danny returns to his bike and quickly rides away from the room. The next hall that Danny is seen in is the kitchen once again where the sound changes again to a high pitched sound that quietens and soon stops. The camera is still tracking Danny but in this shot it is at a slower speed, allowing Danny to ride out of the kitchen and out of the camera shot. The next shot is of Danny turning into a hall that isn’t seen in the film at any other point- a panning shot is used as he turns the corner to show the two girls previously seen as Danny tried to open the door to room 237. The noise in this shot is low as before, yet this time is like a gong being struck, giving a sense of suspense in the audience. As the girls speak, a close up of Danny’s face is used to show his reaction to the girls being in the hotel- this reaction shot is a common convention of the horror genre as it shows how the characters are feeling in a specific scene, allowing the audience to relate to how the characters are feeling.



The bar scene is seen later on in the film, it starts with a long shot of Jack walking down a hall mumbling angrily using a backwards tracking shot to follow what Jack is doing. A mixture of high and low non-diegetic sounds are used in this shot- the high

pitched sound allows the audience to become aware that something may happen, however the low pitched sound creates mystery as to what will happen. Used a lot in the horror genre as well as this film, the colour red has been used to paint the walls- this gives connotations of both anger (as Jack can be seen to be) as well as death (as can be seen throughout this movie). As Jack walks into “The Golden Room”, a panning shot is used to follow him into the room. A high pitched noise is heard which decreases as Jack moves further into the room as a side shot and a medium long shot is used to show him walking towards the empty bar that is directly opposite the entrance. You are able to see the rest of the room as Jack is walking, there are multiple chairs placed in the room as well as a small stage with a piano on it- this shows the audience what the room would be used for if the hotel was open- this can also be seen later on in the film as many more people are in the same room. There is another low, sudden non-diegetic noise as Jack leans over the bar that creates a false tension in the audience, making it seem as though there is something about to happen in the shot. When Jack sits down, he references God saying, “Do anything for a drink, give my God damn soul- just a glass of beer” which is another common convention as it pairs the supernatural and paranormal with God. There is a constant background sound as this scene continues, this noise sounds like wind, showing the isolation of the hotel and the people inside.


When Jack sits down, a medium shot is used to show Jack from what the position of the mirror- at this point, he says “Hi Lloyd”, suggesting that somebody is on the other side of the bar even though in the last shot the bar was empty. Another medium shot is used in the next shot but this time positioned next to Jack where it shows that there is a bartender standing there with the bar full of alcohol. Through this conversation, Jack complimented Lloyd by stating “I like you Lloyd, I always liked you- you were always the best of them…” This implies that Jack had previously met Lloyd at another time, however due to the hotel being shut and all of the staff gone, unless Jack had been to the hotel previously (which is never stated in the film). A medium close up is used behind Lloyds left arm as Jack is speaking about being accused of hurting Danny. Jack references God twice in this conversation, saying “I never laid a hand on him God damn it” and “I wouldn’t touch one hair on his God damn little head”- this allows the audience to grasp the type of character that Jack is, showing his true nature towards his family. Another way that the audience can see Jacks nature toward his family as he is talking about his wife, stating “I love the little son of a bitch” and “that bitch...” This shows how little Jack thinks of his wife- showing that he does not love her as he is continuously calling her a bitch. After a medium shot of Lloyd listening to Jack, the editing changes to a close up of Jack where he looks around him (which is ironic as the hotel is empty) before telling Lloyd how he had hurt Danny in the past.