The Film Industry

- study ownership shifts
- big companies vs. small ones

Digital Technology

Production

• audience 
• 3D, HD, Bigger screen- AVATAR
• home cinema
• - other outlets
• cinema
• mass 3D
• indie films- e.g. MONSTERS- using cheap digital cameras- smaller crew- smaller production team- locations more diverse

Marketing

• Institutions- net, social web, blogs, < cost and saturation
• HUNGER GAMES- trend- fandom (audiences flow, interact, communicate)
• mobile devices- syndication
• apps- creating a hype
• SYNERGY- things that sell other products- e.g. hunger games game or hunger games merchandise

Distribution

• digital prints VS. 35mm 
• digital prints are cheaper
• satellite streaming- cinema
• home market- gone from VHS video to dvd to blue ray to netflix/love film AND tv to satellite to on demand services to internet streaming (but its better to have good technology in place so they can stream easier) 
• some huge production companies have rights over everything including distribution etc. which is why independent have to go to them for some things e.g. if they want a big release.

Exchange (relates to above)

• cinemas need to keep up to date with production companies- no point filming something in HD or 3D if the outlet isn't good quality. 

When answering- make reference to these things and more in relation to question and case studies. 

Revision Notes

How are films funded-

• Going straight to producers- digital technologies help to do this
• Scriptwriter would write up film/script and have a budget to develop it- then the production team would assign that to a director. 

General notes

• The film 'slumdog millionaire' -warner independent failed but after its success in film festivals, it was distributed by another company instead. (look up which ones)

Why cinema's could be in trouble...

• Netflix- people can watch films all month for only £6 a month, whereas cinema's change around that much for one film alone.
• more people have home cinema's as television screens are becoming bigger.

Why it could be improving...

• Last year the british independent film industry had the highest gross
• social media- networking sites and digital media improving- easier to make films.

Audience

• the hypodermic syrynge model- this is when beliefs and ideas are almost injected into an audience and the ideas are copied e.g. if the film is Chucky and a child behaves like him. 
• Argument that the audience have their own interpretations of the film- they all see it differently so it is almost owned by the viewer.
• not all audiences behave in the same way
• the cultivation theory- over time, watching something could make you less sensitive e.g. swearing- they don't mind it as much. violence- they don't find it as bad/shocking as much. 

• Identification- when violence in the media releases tension and desires through identification (look into)- 
• Sensitisition- when films make things so shocking that people are put off violence, 

Critisism of mass audience theory

• doesn't take into account individuals.
• generalisations are made that everyone follows what is popular

Uses and gratifications (why they would watch something and what they gain from it)

• Katz and Mcquail - two of the people who made the theory

• Information
• Personal Identity
• Integration and Social interaction
• Entertainment
• Escapism

Revision Website

http://www.alevelmedia.co.uk/page25.php

Avatar Facts!

Director

James Cameron

Budget                      £237,000,000 Worldwide Gross

$2,147,483,647

Rating

PG-13

Awards

Total Won 3 Oscars & Another 25 wins & 56 nominations, nominated for nine Academy Awards, won the awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects.

Past Question (part 2)

Answer the question below, making detailed reference to examples from your case study material to support the points made in your answer.

2 “Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices.” To what extent would you agree with this statement, within the media area you have studied?

Candidates must choose to focus on one of the following media areas. You may make reference to other areas in your answer.

• Film • Music • Newspapers • Radio • Magazines • Videogames.

Link To Past Papers/Exam Reports

http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/amlw/media_studies/documents/

Section B: Institutions and Audiences TIPS AND REVISION NOTES!

"successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices' to what extent would you agree with this statement, within the media area you have studied?"

choose one area. make reference to others:

• film
• media 
• music
• radio
• magazine
• video games

• Read questions properly- don't just go on about the case studies, but actually APPLY them to the question!
• Balanced view on statements- good/bad point BUT ... 
• don't have to stick to our case studies in particular- can use other films/products as examples
• discuss types of distribution that have changed over time
• MARKETING- adverts/social media/word of mouth/radio broadcasting or interviews/ having reviews being written up e.g. hunger games- massive on tumblr, twitter and facebook- people generated marketing.. generates sales for the cinema
• avatar- creating your own avatar (big on photoshop- still popular) 
• SYNERGY- *look up word* reinforcing film/idea without being direct, made by fans or outside people not paid to do it
• Avatar- various trailers e.g. love story, sci-fi moments, fighting- targets different audiences. THE SUN wrote about love story, technology magazine spoke about the animations.
• ALWAYS ABOUT COMPARISONS e.g. digital/anologue marketing e.g. buses and billboards compared to television adverts and youtube videos/ big producers/smaller producers, ways of distribution.
• Film festivals- a good way to get people interested in low budget film
• CONVERGENCE, SYNERGY (things that link to film and market it), HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL INTEGRATION. (look these terms up)

Film Industry

• Assumptions that the U.K has a low cinema attendence. could be because of, for example.... netflix- massive for distribution rights, streaming straight to you, fairly new- illegal downloads/piracy.
• YOUTUBE- used a a distribution AND marketing tool- people can be discovered this way. 
• Technological convergence- being able to watch films using different products e.g. watching a film on your iphone, internet televisions, youtube. makes people able to learn, watch and take part in the whole process- SUPPORT WITH EXAMPLES!!!
• media convergence- lots of digital outlets that lead to the same products
• specifically say how iphones, ipads, blueray, downloading, sony psp's etc. links to film for example, if there is a game involved. 
• Movies- freely available online (sometimes illegally) however distributors aim to promote the 'cinema experience'. 
• VIRAL CAMPAIGNS! (research films)

A Touch Of Frost- Disability Representation

In this extract, the way the disabled character Billy is represented is quite stereotypical. This could be because the show the clip is from 'a touch of frost' is generally targeted at an older audience; primarily middle aged males and females. The way that Billy is represented shows how people of this age e.g. frost, or older usually talk to people with disabilities. When frost says 'yes we know' in a very slow and calm voice, it almost seems as if he is trying to get Billy to stop repeating himself because he is making himself look silly, when really you could relate to Billy's repetition because of the fear he is under.

In the beginning when the police spot Billy in the forest, the camera is filming from next to where Billy is standing so that you can see all of the flashlights turn towards him at the same time. What makes this interesting is that they are also standing on higher ground than him. You know that even when he runs, he has no chance because he is outnumbered. This creates sympathy for him and the camera angle which is looking up at all of these police men helps to show how helpless Billy is in this situation. This links to the fact that he is disabled because you can physically see the deformation of his face which indicates his downs syndrome. If we didn't see his face, then we probably wouldn't feel as sorry for him.

Another camera angles used, the over the shoulder shot, helps the audience focus on one character at a time so you can see their facial expressions properly and their reactions to each other. This also highlights their differences, both in speech, expression and physical appearance. For example, the fact that Frost is dressed smart and looks clean and well is a contrast to how vulnerable Billy looks with his simple clothing and wounds from when the police hit him. He is made to look 'simple' physically which also makes him seem simple minded.

The Hunger Games- Case Study

Production

•     The film started off with an initial budget of $75 million,however the final budget was reported to be between $90 and $100 million, which was then reduced to $78 million after subsidies.
•     The movie was shot on film as opposed to digital due (in part) to the tightness of the schedule; as Ross (director) said in a interview with the New York Times, "I didn’t want to run the risk of the technical issues that often come with shooting digitally — we simply couldn’t afford any delays.
•      Lions Gate Entertainment acquired worldwide distribution rights in March 2009 with Nina Jacobson's production company Color Force
•      Collins (author) adapted the novel for film herself, and her script was revised by screenwriter Billy Ray.
•      Gary Ross became the director in November 2010
•      In the United States, the movie was granted a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America(MPAA) for "intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens".
• ·      The film has been rated 12A by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) in the UK for "intense threat, moderate violence and occasional gory moments". To achieve that rating, Lionsgate had to cut or substitute seven seconds of film by "digitally removing blood splashes and the sight of blood on wounds and weapons.

Gary Ross- Director

Marketing

•       
A Twitter account was created for The Capitol, referencing the central city in the story. According to Forbes, the account @TheCapitolPN acted as a "welcoming site to Panem, the Capitol, and its 12 Districts."
•      Often tweeting stories, warnings and encouragement in character.

"Hunger Games" have been mentioned about 1 million times just in the last month on Twitter, according to real-time tracking site Topsy.


•      The Tumblr site Capitol Couture was created to blog the style of characters in the film, as well as inspirational designs. There's even a guide for what to wear to a fictional Hunger Games.


•       The film and television check-in app GetGlue offered stickers for the 13 districts, characters and opening weekend. Stickers are unlocked by checking-on opening weekend.

•    The Hunger Games is one of those rarities now referred to as a “four-quadrant” film: a motion picture destined to appeal to women aged 25 and over, women under 25, men 25 and over, and men under 25. It is first and foremost a great story about survival and rebellion featuring young characters (appealing to the under-25 crowd). It features thrilling action (male audience appeal), a love triangle (female audience appeal) and a fascinating and enthralling plot that transports audiences to another world (broad over-25 appeal). Lionsgate recognized areas of crossover and then fine-tuned certain initiatives to each of those four quadrants.

Distribution

The distribution company for The Hunger Games is LIONSGATE.

Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution. New channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning "Mad Men", "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie" along with the comedy "Blue Mountain State,"

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as THE LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, THE LAST EXORCISM and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®. With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Comany now has the two leading young adult franchises - the blockbuster TWILIGHT SAGA, which has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office, and the HUNGER GAMES franchise, whose first film will be released on March 23.




Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

Consumption

•  The hunger games was shown mainly in 2D cinema’s- all multiplex cinema’s seeing as though it was a huge blockbuster film. Although it did not have a budget as big as most other blockbuster films, it was a long awaited film which had a lot of speculation and there were high expectations for it to do well in the box office.

• It was also shown in very few IMAX theatre’s to gain a 3D experience. This was not widely available in many countries.

• The U.S premiere was at midnight. The film made $19.7 million overnight to make it the highest-grossing midnight opener ever for a non-sequel.

• It made $15 million from pre-ordered tickets.

• Overall, it made $155 million in the opening weekend worldwide and at the midnight screening.

• As the film is still in the cinema, I cannot state what its overall takings were however it has already topped many records.

Practise Exam- 'Monarch of the Glen' Age Representation

In this extract, camera angles are used to show which character is superior or inferior to the other during an exchange. For example, when the young girl and the man are arguing, an over the shoulder shot is used, looking up at the man and down at the girl. This shows that despite what they are saying and the fact that he is already physically bigger than her, his age gives him authority as he is looking down on her.

In regards to sound, a majority of the extract contains country music to match its surrounding, however when the teenagers are shown in the clips, the music becomes more tense. One time this happens is when the girl is in her room about to run away. This is a huge contrast to the sounds  used only seconds later when the men are working. This shows that the adults are stable and almost happy with their lives and surroundings whilst the teenagers are unstable and are creating drama or trouble between or for themselves.
For example, when the young girl and boy are having an exchange at 0.18, the music changes to something more intense.

The cutting of certain events when it comes to the teenagers, shows that the worst is expected of them and that they are unreliable. Two examples when this happens is between the time the girl gets in the car and crashes because the crash is not shown but the audience is prepared for it because of how she handles the car before she begins to drive. Her inexperience shows her immaturity and age because she is trying to imitate something that adults do but fails.
Another time when this happens is when the girl and the man of the house argue and she runs away. It doesn't show her running away, but we see her leaving stuff on the bed and looking into the mirror before leaving through the window indicating that she left through it. What the editing does is represent the unreliability and mystery behind what the younger characters do and how they react to certain situations. This is a contrast between the scene in the office between the girls head teacher and the man of the house. The conversation is clear and the issue is dealt with in a mature manner.

Where the extract is set is in a countryside. The adults fit in well with this background in their denim jackets and rugged dirty work clothes, however the younger characters are wearing a more generic form of clothing worn by most teenagers e.g. jeans and hoodies. The younger characters do not look like they 'belong' in regards to their surroundings, in what they wear and also with what they do as they are doing jobs such as sweeping and driving to places etc. They aren't working with the adults and doing what they are which shows the divide between the two generations.
Another time where mise-en-scene indicates someones age is in the girls bedroom where there is a lot of pink, a messy dressing table and photos stuck onto the mirror. In contrast to this, the mans study along with what is shown of the rest of the house is very grand and in dark colours with rich textures and what generally looks more serious and neat to suit the liking of an adult.
Between the man and the headmaster, the clothing worn also shows the difference between a middle aged and older man as one is in work clothes whilst the other is in more smart attire, clean clothes, tie on, and in pastel colours often associated with elderly people.

In conclusion, the main age differences represented are between teenagers and adults, however there are elements of age differences shown between middle aged adults and older ones. The mise-en-scene, I believe has attributed to representing age the most and the elements used such as the acting itself, e.g. when the young boy shouts "sixteen!" in an exaggerated manner and when the girl shouts 'I HATE YOU!". This is what is usually expected of people their age and other features such as what they are wearing and their posture for instance add to all of this.

Notes- Exam Practise 'Monarch of the Glen'

Camera

• girl looking up to man- over the shoulder shot. shows power and who's older.
• man looking down at girl, makes her look inferior.

Sounds

• music is mostly country music and that which represents sadness. 
• around adults it is country- they fit in in their surroundings, whilst the younger characters are shown using more tense music.

Editing

• didn't have to wait for girl to crash- didn't actually show her crashing but you know its going to happen. inexperienced driver. teenagers and how the worst is expected from them- or waiting to happen.
• when she runs away the same thing happens- nothing is shown but is expected of her.

Mise-en-scene

• the girls bedroom is the stereotypical pink with teddy bears etc. shows the difference between her room and the rest of the house which is wooden and huge like the office of the man.
• the clothes they wear- adults in dirty, worn out looking clothes which suit the farm like environment whilst the teenagers look like city kids to an extent and aren't in the same attire- this shows age because adults adapt to environment whilst the younger characters are all the same even when their in these different environments.
• girls hand writing on cars on the bed- love hearts and swirly writing usually done by younger people.
• the father and the old man- difference in clothing, one in work clothes and one in a smart outfit. 

'MONSTERS'- Marketing, Awards & Reviews.

Gross

Total Lifetime Grosses

Domestic:	$237,301	5.6%
+ Foreign:	$4,005,677	94.4%
= Worldwide:	$4,242,978

Marketing

In the weeks leading up to the UK release date of 3 December 2010 a marketing campaign using social network Foursquare was announced.

As well as this, Vue Entertainment and Cineworld Cinemas set up 'infected locations' which gave users access to exclusive Monsters content and the chance to win random on-the-spot prizes. Many fans turned up for this and the unique marketing strategy was appealing. 

Awards

Monsters was nominated for six British Independent Film Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, and eventually won the Best Director, Best Technical Achievement, and Best Achievement in Production awards.At the 2011 BAFTAs, Monsters was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Director, but ultimately lost to Four Lions. It won Best Independent Movie at the 2011 Scream Awards, and was nominated for Best Science Fiction Movie but it lost to Super 8.

Reviews

Here are a range of reviews from a range of people, from different countries, and status within the film industry. 

'MONSTERS' - The Budget.

The film was made using a budget of $15,000 which was basically the cost of the equipment. This didn't include the crew/casts wages and flights or hotel rooms which totalled to just under $500,000. There was a lot of media speculation (mostly online) and disbelief once the film became more popular as hollywood movies which 'MONSTERS' was deemed as on par with, usually cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions of pounds.

Gareth Edwards, the director, mentioned during the production process of the film that having to much time or money to perfect scenes and put every minute detail in place, made films look unrealistic at times and this is something he didn't want to do. 

Even with the special effects and CGI, they wanted all of the signs to look as realistic as possible whilst not making the actual monster too weird so that the audience could slightly recognise elements of it and see its resemblance to squid/octopus/crab.

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'MONSTERS' Film Notes (Independent/Low budget)

'Monsters' is a low budget, independent movie that consisted of a crew/cast of 7 people in total. They wanted to explore how they could make a hollywood movie using modern technology that they could have in their bedrooms and carry around with them on location. It took a lot of hard work and dedication from all of them to fulfil the 'vision' that they had. Allan Niblo and James Richardson of Vertigo Films worked as producers on the production.

- 3D visual effects were done on a very low budget, so the producers were curious to see if the director and crew could pull the idea for the film on with such amateur equipment. They had a limited amount of equipment and a lot of what they filmed was on a small camera that isn't usually used by professionals.

- The film was basically made up as they explored 6 countries. The crew and actors worked with what they had and improvised throughout the whole process. They would find settings that they thought would fit into the film and start filming. By doing this, they ended up with around a hundred hours of footage that the two man editing team had to sift through to edit it into a one and a half hour sequence.

- They cast/crew had a brief idea but no set script or scenes planned for the film. Even the vision of the 'monster' was being drawn up as they filmed, and there were dozens of ideas as to what it should look like and how realistic or close to nature it should look so that the audience can almost familiarise themselves with it.

- The actors had to pretend that there was something there and react to it as realistically as possible which in the making, they said was extremely difficult, however the director never described the creature in too much depth.

- Computer generated imagery (CGI) is not as easy as it looks according to the crew. Director had a vision and the producers trusted this even though there wasn't much pre-production done in relation to scripting etc.

- When signs were needed in the films e.g. 'infected zone' were all done on computer rather than making signs and taking them on location. This saved them money and as the director had the experience to do this effectively, he put his skills to use.

- They couldn't be in the same place for too long so they effectively had to get the scene done in one shot  or near enough that without detailed instructions on what to do.