Sunday, 11 December 2011
Only Fools and Horses- Class and Status representation
From the clip we can see instantly that the people are working class. They live in a rough part area of London in run down flats. This instantly shows that they are not wealthy as the flats are not very well kept and the rooms in the flat are very small.
From the inside of the flat you can see that there room is very basic, small living area and kitchen which have very old decor. Worn out chairs, peeling wallpaper and odds bits and bobs that Del buys and tries to sell for a higher price.
There jobs are to see stuff they they buy, and they're out on the streets every day trying to sell them. This shows that they don't have a stable job with a stable income, some days they could do well and other days they might not. This is seen as the usual with a working class family.
There are just the three men living at home, Del Rodney and Uncle Albert, Rodney works for Del and Uncle Albert doesn't have a job so this shows that they don't live off a lot of money, yet they still go down the run down pub which again is quite stereotypical of a working class family
Monday, 28 November 2011
How to structure a response
AO1 - argument - 25 marks
AO2 - examples - 25 marks
45 minutes to produce a response
Introduction:
- brieftly express your opinion
- identify your film institution
Main:
- US v UK - link to me
Disney vs momentum, film4
Four quadrant
Pre production- Licensing
Production- When they start making it
Distribution- how many screens, wide release
Exchange- how i can buy or watch it)
Conclusion:
What does the future hold?
- Tech becomes cheaper
- Watch at home or on the move
AO2 - examples - 25 marks
45 minutes to produce a response
Introduction:
- brieftly express your opinion
- identify your film institution
Main:
- US v UK - link to me
Disney vs momentum, film4
Four quadrant
Pre production- Licensing
Production- When they start making it
Distribution- how many screens, wide release
Exchange- how i can buy or watch it)
Conclusion:
What does the future hold?
- Tech becomes cheaper
- Watch at home or on the move
Monday, 14 November 2011
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Summary of Key Theory and Terminology
1. Representation.
Represenation is split in to 7 different areas which are Gender, Age, Ethnicity, Physical Ability/Disablity, Class and Status, Sexuality and Religious Identity.Each different area of representation can be talked about and evaluated when analysing any piece of text. TV programs include each single one of these in every episode.
Gender is one of the most obvious ones to anaylse, either Male or Female. However it isn't either just Male or Female, every person has different characteristics to define them as a person, therefore stereotypes are made to put people in to different catagories. Some typical stereotypes for Males would be the herioc, brave type. And for Women, it would be the typical pink makeup and fancy hair do's.
Age is also fairly simple to break down, different age groups starting from the youngest working up the eldest. Again, there are very brash stereotypes that don't apply to everyone, but because of the media everyone is connected to a stereotype. For age, it would be teenagers being rude, noisy and disobediant, and for the elderly it would be boring, harsh, and very opinionated.
Ethnicity is a harder area to analyse. Ethnicity links with Regional Identity as they are both about race, religion and where people are from. Both of these can sometimes be portraid as rasict as its catergoriing people to groups they most likely don't belong in. For example, stereotyping that the English always drink Tea and eat fish and chips, and for the Irish to be drinking all the time and being rough.
Physical Ablility and Disablity is another area that can be stereotyped, for the disabled people on Tv they are usually represented as being vulnerable and weak, and for the Physical Ablility they are usually represented as being the best at everything and owning an extra power that makes the more important and special than everyone else. Everyone always looks up to figures on TV that are represnted with having a Physical Ablity because the audience always want to be them.
For Class and Status this is usually split into 3 different classes, Lower class, working class and upper class. Lower class are represented as living in rough areas in run down cities with not many jobs. Working clas are represented as being just the normal average family, family home in a town with a mum and dad both working. And Upper class are represented with having everything, being nobby because they are better than everyone else and being rich.
Finally, sexuality is represnted in many different ways, there's straight, gay, lesbian, bi sexual and the list goes on. Most gay men are repsented as being very feminine, and less dominant compared to straight males. And lesbians are seen as tougher than the normal straight women.
2. Media Language.
There are many different aspects to the language in media.
Camera Shots and Angles:
Extreme Close ups are used to capture the emotion on someones face.
High camera angles are used to make it look as if that person is inferior as the camera is looking down on them. It can also show smallness and in most cases Women are usually the ones to use this camera angle asit makes them look smaller compared to men.
Low camera angles are used to make people look bigger and more superior. For example used on Superheros to make them look powerful.
Sound:
Asynchornus sound is sound that doesn't match what you can see on the screen.
Contrapuntal sound is sound or music that seems strange in comparison to the scene we are seeing.
Editing:
There are many different editing techniques such as Action Match which is the continuation of a scene in a different shot. It allows the audience to see smooth action despite a cut in the shot.
Continuity editing aims to present the text in to chronological manner to emphasise the real time movement of the narrative.
There is also such a thing as a montage. This is a series of shots edited together to show time pasing and something happening in that time
3. Genre
Genre links in to representation as one area of representation can be stereotyped with an area of genre.
There are hundreds of different genres such as Action, Romance, Horror, Bollywood and Thriller.
For example, Action can be linked with the representation Gender, as for a male it's stereotyped for them to be a heroic, manly figure that takes lead and wins the fights in the Action films. But, it can also be linked with Romance as the typical woman is portrayed as being very girly and romantic which suits the typical Romantic film.
Also, Bollywood films will be associated with the representations of Ethnicity and Regional Identity.
Represenation is split in to 7 different areas which are Gender, Age, Ethnicity, Physical Ability/Disablity, Class and Status, Sexuality and Religious Identity.Each different area of representation can be talked about and evaluated when analysing any piece of text. TV programs include each single one of these in every episode.
Gender is one of the most obvious ones to anaylse, either Male or Female. However it isn't either just Male or Female, every person has different characteristics to define them as a person, therefore stereotypes are made to put people in to different catagories. Some typical stereotypes for Males would be the herioc, brave type. And for Women, it would be the typical pink makeup and fancy hair do's.
Age is also fairly simple to break down, different age groups starting from the youngest working up the eldest. Again, there are very brash stereotypes that don't apply to everyone, but because of the media everyone is connected to a stereotype. For age, it would be teenagers being rude, noisy and disobediant, and for the elderly it would be boring, harsh, and very opinionated.
Ethnicity is a harder area to analyse. Ethnicity links with Regional Identity as they are both about race, religion and where people are from. Both of these can sometimes be portraid as rasict as its catergoriing people to groups they most likely don't belong in. For example, stereotyping that the English always drink Tea and eat fish and chips, and for the Irish to be drinking all the time and being rough.
Physical Ablility and Disablity is another area that can be stereotyped, for the disabled people on Tv they are usually represented as being vulnerable and weak, and for the Physical Ablility they are usually represented as being the best at everything and owning an extra power that makes the more important and special than everyone else. Everyone always looks up to figures on TV that are represnted with having a Physical Ablity because the audience always want to be them.
For Class and Status this is usually split into 3 different classes, Lower class, working class and upper class. Lower class are represented as living in rough areas in run down cities with not many jobs. Working clas are represented as being just the normal average family, family home in a town with a mum and dad both working. And Upper class are represented with having everything, being nobby because they are better than everyone else and being rich.
Finally, sexuality is represnted in many different ways, there's straight, gay, lesbian, bi sexual and the list goes on. Most gay men are repsented as being very feminine, and less dominant compared to straight males. And lesbians are seen as tougher than the normal straight women.
2. Media Language.
There are many different aspects to the language in media.
Camera Shots and Angles:
Extreme Close ups are used to capture the emotion on someones face.
High camera angles are used to make it look as if that person is inferior as the camera is looking down on them. It can also show smallness and in most cases Women are usually the ones to use this camera angle asit makes them look smaller compared to men.
Low camera angles are used to make people look bigger and more superior. For example used on Superheros to make them look powerful.
Sound:
Asynchornus sound is sound that doesn't match what you can see on the screen.
Contrapuntal sound is sound or music that seems strange in comparison to the scene we are seeing.
Editing:
There are many different editing techniques such as Action Match which is the continuation of a scene in a different shot. It allows the audience to see smooth action despite a cut in the shot.
Continuity editing aims to present the text in to chronological manner to emphasise the real time movement of the narrative.
There is also such a thing as a montage. This is a series of shots edited together to show time pasing and something happening in that time
3. Genre
Genre links in to representation as one area of representation can be stereotyped with an area of genre.
There are hundreds of different genres such as Action, Romance, Horror, Bollywood and Thriller.
For example, Action can be linked with the representation Gender, as for a male it's stereotyped for them to be a heroic, manly figure that takes lead and wins the fights in the Action films. But, it can also be linked with Romance as the typical woman is portrayed as being very girly and romantic which suits the typical Romantic film.
Also, Bollywood films will be associated with the representations of Ethnicity and Regional Identity.
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Spiderman 2
Production Costs
Before the film was even made they'd spent $30m. This was spent on:
Script and Development ($10)
The script budget on a film is usually around 5% of the total budget. 5 writers were used and 2 of them were prize winning novelist Michael Chabon and David Koepp who netted an eight figure pay day.
Licensing ($20)
Marvel own Spiderman, whoever Sony bought the movie rights in 1999 so there has been some conflict between both of the Hollywood big 6's which pushed the licensing price up even further.
Stan Lee who is the co-creater of the Spiderman comic chaacter acts as executive producer. Marvel pays him a sallary of $1m
During the shoot they spent $100m and this money was given to the stars, the directors and the producers and they are paid a weekly wage throughout the shoot. These are called above the line costs and these are made before the cameras start to roll.
Producers ($15m)
Spiderman 2 has two producers, one co-producter and three executive producers
Director ($10m)
For spiderman 1 the Evil Dead director Sam Raimi was used and he was well known for not keeping the costs down.
Cast ($30)
Tobey Maguire landed the title role after the first choice, Heath Ledger, passed away. His pay ($4) jumped up to $17 for the sequal.
Kirstin Dunst was paid an estimate pf $5-$6m for Spiderman 2
Below The Line ($45)
The photography on Spiderman 2 began in New York where they shooted various shots and different locations.
Below The Line costs are the physical production expenses of the shoot including the crew fees.
After the shoot they spent $70m and this including the editing costs
Special Effects ($65)
This is one of the spends that is growing fast
Music ($5)
Danny Elfman composed the music for spiderman 2 for a fee of $2m
The Sell ($75)
Prints and Advertising
These aren't included in the production budget
Before the film was even made they'd spent $30m. This was spent on:
Script and Development ($10)
The script budget on a film is usually around 5% of the total budget. 5 writers were used and 2 of them were prize winning novelist Michael Chabon and David Koepp who netted an eight figure pay day.
Licensing ($20)
Marvel own Spiderman, whoever Sony bought the movie rights in 1999 so there has been some conflict between both of the Hollywood big 6's which pushed the licensing price up even further.
Stan Lee who is the co-creater of the Spiderman comic chaacter acts as executive producer. Marvel pays him a sallary of $1m
During the shoot they spent $100m and this money was given to the stars, the directors and the producers and they are paid a weekly wage throughout the shoot. These are called above the line costs and these are made before the cameras start to roll.
Producers ($15m)
Spiderman 2 has two producers, one co-producter and three executive producers
Director ($10m)
For spiderman 1 the Evil Dead director Sam Raimi was used and he was well known for not keeping the costs down.
Cast ($30)
Tobey Maguire landed the title role after the first choice, Heath Ledger, passed away. His pay ($4) jumped up to $17 for the sequal.
Kirstin Dunst was paid an estimate pf $5-$6m for Spiderman 2
Below The Line ($45)
The photography on Spiderman 2 began in New York where they shooted various shots and different locations.
Below The Line costs are the physical production expenses of the shoot including the crew fees.
After the shoot they spent $70m and this including the editing costs
Special Effects ($65)
This is one of the spends that is growing fast
Music ($5)
Danny Elfman composed the music for spiderman 2 for a fee of $2m
The Sell ($75)
Prints and Advertising
These aren't included in the production budget
Monday, 24 October 2011
Cinemas
Purdey
Where: The Vue, Leicester
Why: Took her neices and newphews, closest cinema near them and the cheapest
What she saw: Mr Poppers Penguins
How much: Kids AM ticket, £1.25. Bought one large bag of popcorn, £5
When: 10.30am
The screening was full, lots of kids. Had to sit right at the front. Thought it was funny.
Luke
Where: Cneworld, Rugby
Why: Wanted to see the film as it was a childhood favourite
What he saw: Lion King 3D
How much: £5, took his own 3D glasses, 1 bag on m&ms, £2.80
When: 5pm
Got the bus which cost £5 for a return from Lutterworth, enjoyed the film a lot and thought the 3D was good. Lots of families in the audience, enoyable film for everyone
Laura
Where: Showcase Cinema DeLuxe, Leicester
Why: Wanted to see the film, closest to her
What she saw: Footloose
How much: £6, didn't buy any food or drink
When: 4.30pm
Thought it was OK but not great, wouldn't buy the DVD. Wasn't very busy.
Luke B
Where: Doesn't accurately know, somewhere up north
Why: Went to visit his nana and it was the closest cinema to him
What he saw: Johnny English
How much: £3, he drank some water
Very small cinema, only 3 staff. Fell asleep half way through the film so doesn't have a very good judgement on it. 2 screen in the whole cinema and he went with his family.
Average spending around £10
Where: The Vue, Leicester
Why: Took her neices and newphews, closest cinema near them and the cheapest
What she saw: Mr Poppers Penguins
How much: Kids AM ticket, £1.25. Bought one large bag of popcorn, £5
When: 10.30am
The screening was full, lots of kids. Had to sit right at the front. Thought it was funny.
Luke
Where: Cneworld, Rugby
Why: Wanted to see the film as it was a childhood favourite
What he saw: Lion King 3D
How much: £5, took his own 3D glasses, 1 bag on m&ms, £2.80
When: 5pm
Got the bus which cost £5 for a return from Lutterworth, enjoyed the film a lot and thought the 3D was good. Lots of families in the audience, enoyable film for everyone
Laura
Where: Showcase Cinema DeLuxe, Leicester
Why: Wanted to see the film, closest to her
What she saw: Footloose
How much: £6, didn't buy any food or drink
When: 4.30pm
Thought it was OK but not great, wouldn't buy the DVD. Wasn't very busy.
Luke B
Where: Doesn't accurately know, somewhere up north
Why: Went to visit his nana and it was the closest cinema to him
What he saw: Johnny English
How much: £3, he drank some water
Very small cinema, only 3 staff. Fell asleep half way through the film so doesn't have a very good judgement on it. 2 screen in the whole cinema and he went with his family.
Average spending around £10
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Cineworld
Number of screens:
9
Facilities:
Arcade which held over 10 different games to play on, two sets of mens and womens toilets, the stand where you buy your cinema ticket and the food is at the same stand so that you can purchase them together
Staff:
3 people working on the stand for the tickets and food, staff working in the toilets and waiting to clean the cinema after a film has been watched
Number of films:
They are currently showing 20 films
These are..
Paranormal Activity 3
Contagion
3D The Adventures of Tin Tin Secret Of The Unicorn
Johnny English Reborn
3D Lion King
2D The Adventures of Tin Tin Secret Of The Unicorn
2D Lion King
2D The Smurfs
2D Dolphin Tale
2D The Three Musketeers
3D Arthur Christmas
3D The Three Musketeers
Footloose
Monte Carlo
Reel Steel
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Help: Cineworld Unlimited Exclusive Show
The Twilight Saga Part 1- Breaking Dawn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Twiathlon Screenings
The different types of genres are childrens, horror and drama
9
Facilities:
Arcade which held over 10 different games to play on, two sets of mens and womens toilets, the stand where you buy your cinema ticket and the food is at the same stand so that you can purchase them together
Staff:
3 people working on the stand for the tickets and food, staff working in the toilets and waiting to clean the cinema after a film has been watched
Number of films:
They are currently showing 20 films
These are..
Paranormal Activity 3
Contagion
3D The Adventures of Tin Tin Secret Of The Unicorn
Johnny English Reborn
3D Lion King
2D The Adventures of Tin Tin Secret Of The Unicorn
2D Lion King
2D The Smurfs
2D Dolphin Tale
2D The Three Musketeers
3D Arthur Christmas
3D The Three Musketeers
Footloose
Monte Carlo
Reel Steel
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Help: Cineworld Unlimited Exclusive Show
The Twilight Saga Part 1- Breaking Dawn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Twiathlon Screenings
The different types of genres are childrens, horror and drama
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Disney
The first animation that Disney made was Alice in Wonderland and he planned to use it as his "pilot" film to sell a series of these Alice Comedies to a distributor. On October 16, 1923, a New York distributor, M. J. Winkler, contracted to release the Alice Comedies, and this date became the formal beginning of The Walt Disney Company.
<div class="yt-alert yt-alert-error yt-alert-player yt-rounded "><img src="//s.ytimg.com/yt/img/pixel-vfl3z5WfW.gif" class="icon master-sprite" alt="Alert icon"><div class="yt-alert-content">You need Adobe Flash Player to watch this video. <br> <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/">Download it from Adobe.</a><br /> </div></div>
Alice visits an animation studio, where the animators show her various scenes on their drawing boards. A few of them: a cat dancing to a cat band; a mouse poking at a (live) cat until it moves; a couple mice boxing, while the animators crowd around cheering and acting as corner-men. That night, she dreams of taking a train to cartoon-land, where a red carpet reception awaits. She appears in live action. They have a welcoming parade, with Alice riding on an elephant. The cartoons dance for her, and she dances for them. Meanwhile, the lions break out of the zoo. The lions chase her into a hollow tree, then into a cave and down a rabbit hole. Finally, she jumps off a cliff and awakes back in her bed.
The Walt Disney Studios distributes motion pictures under Walt Disney Pictures - which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and DisneyToon Studios - Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures.
The top ten highest grossing films for Disney are:
1) Finding Nemo (2003)
2) The Lion King (1994)
3) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
4) The Incredibles (2004)
5) Monsters, Inc. (2001)
6) Toy Story 2 (1999)
7) Aladdin (1992)
8) Toy Story (1995)
9) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
10) Tarzan (1999)
The Genre in which most Disneys films are is Childrens. Most films are child friendly and mainly based for that audience, however the story lines are suitable for adults also, as they have deep meanings that adults would enjoy as much as the children.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Cars 2, Winnie The Pooh and Prep and Landing are all released on DVD and Blue Ray right now.
The different software that Disney use are..
Ptex: Ptex is a texture mapping software
SeExpr: SeExpr is a language used to provide artistic control and customisation
Reposado: Reposado is is a set of tools written in Python that replicate the key functionality of Mac OS X Server's Software Update Service.
Partio: Partio Partio is an open source library for reading, writing and manipulating a variety of standard particle formats
Munki: munki is a set of tools that, used together with a webserver-based packages and package metadata, can be used by Mac OS X administrators to manage software installs
Dynamica: Dynamica is a plug-in for Maya that provides an interface to the Bullet rigid body engine.
Pythoscope: Pythoscope is a unit test generator for programs written in Python. It's open source, licensed under the MIT license.
The Walt Disney Studios distributes motion pictures under Walt Disney Pictures - which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and DisneyToon Studios - Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures.
The top ten highest grossing films for Disney are:
1) Finding Nemo (2003)
2) The Lion King (1994)
3) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
4) The Incredibles (2004)
5) Monsters, Inc. (2001)
6) Toy Story 2 (1999)
7) Aladdin (1992)
8) Toy Story (1995)
9) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
10) Tarzan (1999)
The Genre in which most Disneys films are is Childrens. Most films are child friendly and mainly based for that audience, however the story lines are suitable for adults also, as they have deep meanings that adults would enjoy as much as the children.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Cars 2, Winnie The Pooh and Prep and Landing are all released on DVD and Blue Ray right now.
The different software that Disney use are..
Ptex: Ptex is a texture mapping software
SeExpr: SeExpr is a language used to provide artistic control and customisation
Reposado: Reposado is is a set of tools written in Python that replicate the key functionality of Mac OS X Server's Software Update Service.
Partio: Partio Partio is an open source library for reading, writing and manipulating a variety of standard particle formats
Munki: munki is a set of tools that, used together with a webserver-based packages and package metadata, can be used by Mac OS X administrators to manage software installs
Dynamica: Dynamica is a plug-in for Maya that provides an interface to the Bullet rigid body engine.
Pythoscope: Pythoscope is a unit test generator for programs written in Python. It's open source, licensed under the MIT license.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Kick Ass
Kick Ass, directed by Mark Vaughn is a superhero comedy film based on a comic book that has the same name. Vaughn co-produced the film with the famous actor Brad Pitt, and co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman.
The film is based on a comic book also titled Kick Ass by Mark Miller and John Romita Jr, and it's published my Marvel Comics. The comic is very similar to the film whoever in the film there are some slight alterations
The Kick Ass producers and marketing producers decided to release a series of posters presenting the individual characters also displaying the name of the film and who was playing each character. After this a second batch of posters were made which also focused on each individual superhero. This showed them each posing and the posters show a URL which was each characters individual website when it actually took you straight to the Kick Ass official website. The one more poster which was a theatrical poster which was released two weeks before the first screening, this showed the title in large letters with the superheros jumping through.
Then, Kick Ass released their extended movie trailer soon before the first screen and this involved many more scenes from the movie to entice the audience in to watching it even more. The producers also released short clips about the individual characters apart from Kick Ass. They released one about Hit Girl which showed some of her main scenes to show the audience what they're going to get when they see the film.
Michael Vaughn thinks that the UK Film industry are world class leaders in making movies but they don't have an industry. He thinks they should build an industry.
The budget of the film was $28 million but the film went over the budget by $10 million. This was mostly because of advertising costs but the final edit was a great success in the Box Office.
Kick Ass was a low budget film, they tried to keep the costs down as much as they could and they did it by using different techniques. For example, Kick Ass is set in Manhattan in the USA but it was actually filmed in London, as the director preferred to shoot there. Also in Manhattan it could be quite problematic for scenes such as fighting and gunfire, so they built a set in Elstree Studios with a large green screen. They got high resolution shots of Manhattan and imported them into the Media Composer which created an incredibly realistic outlook.
There was a lot of controversy surrounding this film due to the fact that Hit Girl who is around 10 years old used lots of swear words. Parents didn't think it was right for a child of that age to be using that kind of language and started protests which in theory generated more publicity for the film anyway. There is also a lot of violence, the girl kills lots of men very violently which caused a lot of controversy.
The music for the film was composed by four great names, these are John Murphy, Henry Jackman, Marius De Vries and Ilan Eshkeri. John Murphy has done work for Danny Boyles 28 Days Later and Sunshine. The music at the end as it builds up to an action packed finale is Murphys.
The film is based on a comic book also titled Kick Ass by Mark Miller and John Romita Jr, and it's published my Marvel Comics. The comic is very similar to the film whoever in the film there are some slight alterations
The Kick Ass producers and marketing producers decided to release a series of posters presenting the individual characters also displaying the name of the film and who was playing each character. After this a second batch of posters were made which also focused on each individual superhero. This showed them each posing and the posters show a URL which was each characters individual website when it actually took you straight to the Kick Ass official website. The one more poster which was a theatrical poster which was released two weeks before the first screening, this showed the title in large letters with the superheros jumping through.
Then, Kick Ass released their extended movie trailer soon before the first screen and this involved many more scenes from the movie to entice the audience in to watching it even more. The producers also released short clips about the individual characters apart from Kick Ass. They released one about Hit Girl which showed some of her main scenes to show the audience what they're going to get when they see the film.
Michael Vaughn thinks that the UK Film industry are world class leaders in making movies but they don't have an industry. He thinks they should build an industry.
The budget of the film was $28 million but the film went over the budget by $10 million. This was mostly because of advertising costs but the final edit was a great success in the Box Office.
Kick Ass was a low budget film, they tried to keep the costs down as much as they could and they did it by using different techniques. For example, Kick Ass is set in Manhattan in the USA but it was actually filmed in London, as the director preferred to shoot there. Also in Manhattan it could be quite problematic for scenes such as fighting and gunfire, so they built a set in Elstree Studios with a large green screen. They got high resolution shots of Manhattan and imported them into the Media Composer which created an incredibly realistic outlook.
There was a lot of controversy surrounding this film due to the fact that Hit Girl who is around 10 years old used lots of swear words. Parents didn't think it was right for a child of that age to be using that kind of language and started protests which in theory generated more publicity for the film anyway. There is also a lot of violence, the girl kills lots of men very violently which caused a lot of controversy.
The music for the film was composed by four great names, these are John Murphy, Henry Jackman, Marius De Vries and Ilan Eshkeri. John Murphy has done work for Danny Boyles 28 Days Later and Sunshine. The music at the end as it builds up to an action packed finale is Murphys.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Moon
The film 'Moon' directed by commercial directer Duncan Jones is a film written specifically for the actor Sam Rockwell. Duncan Jones is the son of David Bowie. Being the son of a famous musician, it opened up a lot of opportunities for him to start in the film industry. He co-wrote the script with Nathan Parker.
The film Moon only took 33 days to film. This is unusual a most films take months or even years to produce. This shows how tight of a budget that Jones was on making the film. He used 'Below The Line' This means that he just targetted publicising to a specific audience. For example, because the film is about science he went to NASA and did interviews for popular science magazines. However, this does drop his audience by quite a lot because not everyone reads science magazines.
The budget for Moon was 5 million dollars. This is a very small budget for a film considering some films spend 100s of millions just publicising the film. However, Jones took steps to minimise the cast such as using one main actor the whole way through. This actor was Sam Rockwell. CGI was used to create more than one of him because in the film he has clones. They spent most of the CGI money filming one scene where he was playing ping pong against himself.
It was produced in Shappertone Studios which is in London. Filming in a studio yet again saves more money as filminf out side would mean that it would have to be weather permitting. If it rained it would mean there would be hours lots which would cost more money so filming it in a studio meant that they could get everything done when it needed to be done.
Kevin Spacey who was the voice of Gerty, didn't agree to be the voice over until the film had actually been produced. Because he didn't trust that the film would be good, he decided to wait until he agreed to be the voice. The same happened for the person that created the music soundtrack. He didn't agree to do the music until the film had been produced.
The Film won a Bafta but didn't get put in for an Oscar as it would have cost them too much to send out copies of the film to every judge on the panelling board.
The film Moon only took 33 days to film. This is unusual a most films take months or even years to produce. This shows how tight of a budget that Jones was on making the film. He used 'Below The Line' This means that he just targetted publicising to a specific audience. For example, because the film is about science he went to NASA and did interviews for popular science magazines. However, this does drop his audience by quite a lot because not everyone reads science magazines.
The budget for Moon was 5 million dollars. This is a very small budget for a film considering some films spend 100s of millions just publicising the film. However, Jones took steps to minimise the cast such as using one main actor the whole way through. This actor was Sam Rockwell. CGI was used to create more than one of him because in the film he has clones. They spent most of the CGI money filming one scene where he was playing ping pong against himself.
It was produced in Shappertone Studios which is in London. Filming in a studio yet again saves more money as filminf out side would mean that it would have to be weather permitting. If it rained it would mean there would be hours lots which would cost more money so filming it in a studio meant that they could get everything done when it needed to be done.
Kevin Spacey who was the voice of Gerty, didn't agree to be the voice over until the film had actually been produced. Because he didn't trust that the film would be good, he decided to wait until he agreed to be the voice. The same happened for the person that created the music soundtrack. He didn't agree to do the music until the film had been produced.
The Film won a Bafta but didn't get put in for an Oscar as it would have cost them too much to send out copies of the film to every judge on the panelling board.
Hollywood- The Film Industry
Major studios are vertically, horizontally and laterally integrated. This means that vertically is usually pre production, porduction and then cinema. Horizontally integrated means that sound, equipment, studios andpublicity are also included.
Oligpoly-This means that they own everything,for example the big 6. The Big 6 are:
- Disney
- MGM
- Sony
- Paramount
- Fox
- Universal
These include sequals, prequels, remakes or can be based upon a book a TV program or video game. This increases the proft.
Distribution Window- This is the best time to distribute the film
- DVD/Blueray
- TV
- Internet Downloads
- Soundtracks
- Video Games
- Merchandising
Conglomerates will try to use syngery within sectors of thecorporation to maximise profit. It's where multiple products and services are created on the basis of a successful brand within the same corporation
Below The Line- More money is spent upon marketing and advertising a major studio film than previously the case. It's efficient and cost effective for targetting a limited and specific group. This can take the form of tie in's with other products and companies
Above The Line- this is a type of advertising through media such as television, cinema, radio, print, web banners, and web search engines to promote brands. This type of communication is conventional and considered impresonal to customers.
Oligpoly-This means that they own everything,for example the big 6. The Big 6 are:
- Disney
- MGM
- Sony
- Paramount
- Fox
- Universal
These include sequals, prequels, remakes or can be based upon a book a TV program or video game. This increases the proft.
Distribution Window- This is the best time to distribute the film
- DVD/Blueray
- TV
- Internet Downloads
- Soundtracks
- Video Games
- Merchandising
Conglomerates will try to use syngery within sectors of thecorporation to maximise profit. It's where multiple products and services are created on the basis of a successful brand within the same corporation
Below The Line- More money is spent upon marketing and advertising a major studio film than previously the case. It's efficient and cost effective for targetting a limited and specific group. This can take the form of tie in's with other products and companies
Above The Line- this is a type of advertising through media such as television, cinema, radio, print, web banners, and web search engines to promote brands. This type of communication is conventional and considered impresonal to customers.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Narrative and Todorov
Narrative
How the story is constructed eg. beginning, middle, end.
Linea: Story is told in the order in which it happens
Non-Linea: Manipulated narrative/flashbacks/order is changed
Todorov
Equilibrium: State of Normality
Disruption: A disturbance to the normality
New Equilibrium: A new normality as a result of the disruption
Todorov believe that there are the same character roles in every film we watch. These character roles are...
The Villain - Struggles again the hero
The Donor - Prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object
The (Magical) Helper - Help the hero in the quest
The Princess and her Father - Gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Noted that functionally the princess and the father cannot be clearly distinguished
The Dispatcher - Character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off
The Hero or Victim - Reacts to the donor, weds the princess
False Hero - Takes credit for the heroes actions or tries to marry the princess
How the story is constructed eg. beginning, middle, end.
Linea: Story is told in the order in which it happens
Non-Linea: Manipulated narrative/flashbacks/order is changed
Todorov
Equilibrium: State of Normality
Disruption: A disturbance to the normality
New Equilibrium: A new normality as a result of the disruption
Todorov believe that there are the same character roles in every film we watch. These character roles are...
The Villain - Struggles again the hero
The Donor - Prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object
The (Magical) Helper - Help the hero in the quest
The Princess and her Father - Gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Noted that functionally the princess and the father cannot be clearly distinguished
The Dispatcher - Character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off
The Hero or Victim - Reacts to the donor, weds the princess
False Hero - Takes credit for the heroes actions or tries to marry the princess
Barthes
Enigma Code: Puzzles/Questions/Mysteries that the text creates for the reader to solve. For example,
Who is the killer? - Crime/Drama
Who is the Father? - Soap Operas
Will they fall in love? - Romantic Comedies
Action Codes Prepares the audience for something that is about to happen
eg. Picking up keys = leaving
Letters through post box = something important arriving
Who is the killer? - Crime/Drama
Who is the Father? - Soap Operas
Will they fall in love? - Romantic Comedies
Action Codes Prepares the audience for something that is about to happen
eg. Picking up keys = leaving
Letters through post box = something important arriving
Monday, 3 October 2011
British Film Industry
BBFC:
An independant non-government body which classifies and cencors film, video as well as computer and console based games released in the UK
British Acadamy of Film and TV: Pormotes understanding and appreciation of Britains ricyh film and television heritage and culture.
BFI: Aims to support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image.
British Film Council: The oficially UK agency for international cultural relations. It's film departments promotes new British films (features and shorts) internationally principally through fesitval and showcases
UK Film Council: Government backed lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad.
Main British Production Companies
Pathe: Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, Jeepers Creepers
Film 4: Finding Eric, 4 Lions
Working Title: Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Dead
Momentum: Longest Yard
BBC Film Network: Damned United
An independant non-government body which classifies and cencors film, video as well as computer and console based games released in the UK
British Acadamy of Film and TV: Pormotes understanding and appreciation of Britains ricyh film and television heritage and culture.
BFI: Aims to support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image.
British Film Council: The oficially UK agency for international cultural relations. It's film departments promotes new British films (features and shorts) internationally principally through fesitval and showcases
UK Film Council: Government backed lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad.
Main British Production Companies
Pathe: Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, Jeepers Creepers
Film 4: Finding Eric, 4 Lions
Working Title: Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Dead
Momentum: Longest Yard
BBC Film Network: Damned United
Monday, 26 September 2011
Audience Theory
Blumer
Blumer believed in 4 stages.
Firstly, it's membership may come from all walks of life. However there is a problem with this. this is not true because different films have different target audiences.
Secondly, he believed that is was all anonmous individuals. There is also a problem with this, as not everyone wants to go and watch a film by themselves. Also offers are available for people to go in groups and get discounts so many people take up the offer.
Thirdly, he believes that little interections of experience between members of the mass takes place. This is also wrong, as no one goes to a film and doesn't talk about it with someone, especially if they went to watch a film with another perso or in a group. There are many different types of media for people to talk about the film such as texting, Facebook and Twitter.
And fourthly, the mass is very loosely organised and is not able to act with the unity of the crowd.
Uses and Gratifications
1. The need for information about our geographical and social world news and drama
2. The need for identity by using characters and personality to outline our sense of self and social behavoir
3. The need for social interaction through experiencing the relationship and interection of others
4. the need for diversion by using the media for purposes of play and entertainment
There is a hierarchy of needs. these can be in any order and are:
- entertainment
- identity
- information
Entertainment is just to entertain. Identity is to watch stuff and then realies that it relates to you, or makes ou think about yourself and information is to be informed. To learn something new.
Blumer believed in 4 stages.
Firstly, it's membership may come from all walks of life. However there is a problem with this. this is not true because different films have different target audiences.
Secondly, he believed that is was all anonmous individuals. There is also a problem with this, as not everyone wants to go and watch a film by themselves. Also offers are available for people to go in groups and get discounts so many people take up the offer.
Thirdly, he believes that little interections of experience between members of the mass takes place. This is also wrong, as no one goes to a film and doesn't talk about it with someone, especially if they went to watch a film with another perso or in a group. There are many different types of media for people to talk about the film such as texting, Facebook and Twitter.
And fourthly, the mass is very loosely organised and is not able to act with the unity of the crowd.
Uses and Gratifications
1. The need for information about our geographical and social world news and drama
2. The need for identity by using characters and personality to outline our sense of self and social behavoir
3. The need for social interaction through experiencing the relationship and interection of others
4. the need for diversion by using the media for purposes of play and entertainment
There is a hierarchy of needs. these can be in any order and are:
- entertainment
- identity
- information
Entertainment is just to entertain. Identity is to watch stuff and then realies that it relates to you, or makes ou think about yourself and information is to be informed. To learn something new.
Sunday, 25 September 2011
The Big Bang Theory - Gender Representation
Here, in The Big Bang Theory the gender representation is shown very clearly. They are all dressed up, about to do to a New Years Eve Fancy dress party. Every man is covered up with thick outfits not revealing anything, but Penny (the only women) is wearing very minimal clothing and has been made to look very attractive and appealing to men.
The long hair, lots of make up and little clothing contrasts with what the men wear and it's a little ironic as those men don't really see her dressed up like that, hence why they are all shocked when she walks in to the room.
They make snide remarks about what she is wearing (or the lack of it)
Monday, 19 September 2011
Presentations
Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson had directed 8 film. These are:
- Bottle Rocket
- Rushmore
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
- The Darjeeling Limited
- Hotel Chevalier
- Fantastic Mr Fox
- Moonrise Kingdom (set to be released in 2012)
Anderson includes British Rock music and Folk music in his films. He likes using washed out colours such as beige to give his films a natural effect. These are prominently used in The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore. Anderson uses very symmetrical and extreme close ups. The close proximity shots creates a sense of claustrophobia which he likes to include in his films. He is also a fan of using the same actors in his films. Bill Murray and Owen Wilson have had parts in every film he has directed.
Anderson is a very profound directer, He thinks the type of people that watch his films are 'outsiders'
His style really appeals to me. After watching a short clip of the Royal Tenenbaums in the induction lessons I then went home and bought it on DVD and I thoroughly enjoyed it. After researching him, I have also purchased The Darjeeling Limited and hope to build up a collection of his work.
Shynola
Shynola is a collective name of group made of 4 men, Chris Harding, Jason Grooves, Richard Kenworthy and Gideon Baws who passed away in 2008.
Syhnola formed in 1994, and are famous for making music videos and title sequences.
They noatbley made a title sequence for the popular film, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and also made the opening title for the English comedy program, the IT Crowd.
The style that Shynola mainly focus on are lots of bright colours. They really pop out of the screen and make you focus. They also use lots of animations, they don't use physical actors.
They won an award in 2002 for the Best New British Animation, and they mostly got their ideas from comic books. They have directed music videos for Coldplay and Blur.
Shynolas style does appeal to me, I\ve seen Scott Pilgrim vs The World many times, and I am also a fan of the IT crowd.
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonzes primary audience is mainly teenagers and young adults. This is because he usually directs funny and stupid things, which attract people of that age. For example, his most renowned films are the Jackass films, which include many dangerous and stupid stunts.
However, a more recent film he directed is 'Where The Wild Things Are'
He made this film (and made a big jumo in the style that he usually directs) is because when he first made Jackass, it was young adults that watched it. Now that they have grown up, they could very well have children of their own, and these children would watch where the wild things are, and the adults would watch it because 'it's the guy that made Jackass'
He is associated with Skateboarding, and a lot of the stunts on Jackass included skateboards. He uses very unnatural colours in his films and likes to be eccentric.
Arcade fire influenced the making of Where The Wild Things Are.
Spike Jonze does appeal to me, but not as much as the others. I have seen and enjoyed Jackass, and I would like to see Where The Wild Things Are because I really like Arcade Fire, but I'm not really into skateboarding.
Michael Bay
Michael Bay is famously known for directing the film Transformers. But he has also directed many other films such as Pearl Harbour, The Island and Friday The 13th. He is very well known in the business but tends to experience mixed reviews.
Some people like his films and others don't, ont of the main complaints is that he always includes women but they usually always either get killed, are shown to be wearing just about no clothes and shown in a sexist way. For example, he did an advert for Victorias secret which basically include women in their underwear with cars and explosions.
Bay's trademarks are massive over the top explosions, slow motion and attractive women, which are usually included in most of his films.
He even went to the extreme and payed $25, 000 for an explosion in the film Bad Boys.
He has also directed a music video for the well known rock band Aerosmith.
His films don't appeal to me. The only film I've seen that he has directed is The Island, but his style doesn't make me want to watch his films.
Anton Corbijn
Anton was born in May 1955 and is mostly famous for directing music videos and being a photographer.
Alothough one film he has directed called The American starred George Clooney.
He has photographed celelbrities such as Clint Eastwood, and is known for shooting close shots usually in black and white, looking very moody.
He has photographed for the rolling Stone magazine.
He's directed music videos for bands such as Depeche Mode and The Killers.
His trademark is mainly using washed out colours which appear in lots of his photography and music videos.
He kind of appeals to me. I really like the Killers and the song he directed, and I am into photography and really like the close up shots he takes. But I wouldn't watch the film The American as it's not my taste.
Wes Anderson had directed 8 film. These are:
- Bottle Rocket
- Rushmore
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
- The Darjeeling Limited
- Hotel Chevalier
- Fantastic Mr Fox
- Moonrise Kingdom (set to be released in 2012)
Anderson includes British Rock music and Folk music in his films. He likes using washed out colours such as beige to give his films a natural effect. These are prominently used in The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore. Anderson uses very symmetrical and extreme close ups. The close proximity shots creates a sense of claustrophobia which he likes to include in his films. He is also a fan of using the same actors in his films. Bill Murray and Owen Wilson have had parts in every film he has directed.
Anderson is a very profound directer, He thinks the type of people that watch his films are 'outsiders'
His style really appeals to me. After watching a short clip of the Royal Tenenbaums in the induction lessons I then went home and bought it on DVD and I thoroughly enjoyed it. After researching him, I have also purchased The Darjeeling Limited and hope to build up a collection of his work.
Shynola
Shynola is a collective name of group made of 4 men, Chris Harding, Jason Grooves, Richard Kenworthy and Gideon Baws who passed away in 2008.
Syhnola formed in 1994, and are famous for making music videos and title sequences.
They noatbley made a title sequence for the popular film, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and also made the opening title for the English comedy program, the IT Crowd.
The style that Shynola mainly focus on are lots of bright colours. They really pop out of the screen and make you focus. They also use lots of animations, they don't use physical actors.
They won an award in 2002 for the Best New British Animation, and they mostly got their ideas from comic books. They have directed music videos for Coldplay and Blur.
Shynolas style does appeal to me, I\ve seen Scott Pilgrim vs The World many times, and I am also a fan of the IT crowd.
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonzes primary audience is mainly teenagers and young adults. This is because he usually directs funny and stupid things, which attract people of that age. For example, his most renowned films are the Jackass films, which include many dangerous and stupid stunts.
However, a more recent film he directed is 'Where The Wild Things Are'
He made this film (and made a big jumo in the style that he usually directs) is because when he first made Jackass, it was young adults that watched it. Now that they have grown up, they could very well have children of their own, and these children would watch where the wild things are, and the adults would watch it because 'it's the guy that made Jackass'
He is associated with Skateboarding, and a lot of the stunts on Jackass included skateboards. He uses very unnatural colours in his films and likes to be eccentric.
Arcade fire influenced the making of Where The Wild Things Are.
Spike Jonze on Prezi
Spike Jonze does appeal to me, but not as much as the others. I have seen and enjoyed Jackass, and I would like to see Where The Wild Things Are because I really like Arcade Fire, but I'm not really into skateboarding.
Michael Bay
Michael Bay is famously known for directing the film Transformers. But he has also directed many other films such as Pearl Harbour, The Island and Friday The 13th. He is very well known in the business but tends to experience mixed reviews.
Some people like his films and others don't, ont of the main complaints is that he always includes women but they usually always either get killed, are shown to be wearing just about no clothes and shown in a sexist way. For example, he did an advert for Victorias secret which basically include women in their underwear with cars and explosions.
Bay's trademarks are massive over the top explosions, slow motion and attractive women, which are usually included in most of his films.
He even went to the extreme and payed $25, 000 for an explosion in the film Bad Boys.
He has also directed a music video for the well known rock band Aerosmith.
His films don't appeal to me. The only film I've seen that he has directed is The Island, but his style doesn't make me want to watch his films.
Michael Bay on Prezi
Anton Corbijn
Anton was born in May 1955 and is mostly famous for directing music videos and being a photographer.
Alothough one film he has directed called The American starred George Clooney.
He has photographed celelbrities such as Clint Eastwood, and is known for shooting close shots usually in black and white, looking very moody.
He has photographed for the rolling Stone magazine.
He's directed music videos for bands such as Depeche Mode and The Killers.
His trademark is mainly using washed out colours which appear in lots of his photography and music videos.
He kind of appeals to me. I really like the Killers and the song he directed, and I am into photography and really like the close up shots he takes. But I wouldn't watch the film The American as it's not my taste.
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Monday, 5 September 2011
About Me
I have chosen to study media because I have a big interest in photography, music and film. I enjoy working with Photoshop and editing and mucking around with pictures, so I thought taking media would be a good opportunity to practice these skills.
I am also studying Physics, Biology and Psychology because I also really enjoy learning about sciences.
My favourite bands are The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, The Beatles and Queen and my favourite solo artist is Julian Casablancas (who is the lead singer of The Strokes) They are my favourite band because I've grown up with them since I was little because my brother used to play their first album 'Is This It'. About a year ago I started listening to their other albums, and this was when I discovered that Julian had a solo album.
My favourite TV programs are Family Guy, My Name Is Earl and The Big Bang theory.
My favourite films are Anchorman, Wizard Of Oz, Pulp fiction and Donnie Darko. I like the director Quentin Tarantino as I like both the Kill bill films but I've yet to watch Jackie Brown.
I read NME magazine and sometimes the celebrity magazines if I'm bored and there's nothing else to read. I use tumblr and I read the NME website if they've missed any stuff out in the magazine.
I am also studying Physics, Biology and Psychology because I also really enjoy learning about sciences.
My favourite bands are The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, The Beatles and Queen and my favourite solo artist is Julian Casablancas (who is the lead singer of The Strokes) They are my favourite band because I've grown up with them since I was little because my brother used to play their first album 'Is This It'. About a year ago I started listening to their other albums, and this was when I discovered that Julian had a solo album.
My favourite TV programs are Family Guy, My Name Is Earl and The Big Bang theory.
My favourite films are Anchorman, Wizard Of Oz, Pulp fiction and Donnie Darko. I like the director Quentin Tarantino as I like both the Kill bill films but I've yet to watch Jackie Brown.
I read NME magazine and sometimes the celebrity magazines if I'm bored and there's nothing else to read. I use tumblr and I read the NME website if they've missed any stuff out in the magazine.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)