Monday 21 November 2022

The HORROR - box office gold?

Wiki

Even the very biggest 'horror' hits (the term is used VERY broadly in tables by leading sites) are nowhere near challenging the very biggest all-time box office hits, BUT the genre offers some advantages ...

> budgets tend to be low due to ...
- lack of stars (usually); teen fodder getting killed!
- lack of costly IP/franchise (and yes, there are obvious exceptions: IT, Halloween, but they're typically originals)
- limited CGI costs
> the genre itself has a fanbase
> strong female roles (final girl) boost appeal
> offers a visceral cinema experience

 

CNN

It has been fairly common for Indies to strike distribution deals with the majors (the current big 5) too, though 'mini-major' Lionsgate showed it may be possible to challenge that club (and arguably Dimension Films, though Disney bought it in 1993 before selling it again in 2005 after its Scream/Scary Movie peak), but horrors offer a healthy budget to box office multiple - so the lower total figures still match up well.

LA Times

Starting with your own initial analysis of a sample of 10 horror films from this century, use the following links to create your own guide to the industry context of 'horror'. Include detail on...

> key production companies (being clear which are Indie/subsidiary)
> typical budget range
  - BUT note exceptions: low, micro-budget productions (including British examples) + the high end (put even these into context with 'tentpole' budgets)
> age ratings (focus on BBFC, MPAA) - include analysis of key themes, and compare to a typical top 10 to put into context
> box office and distribution: budget x3 is the likely break even point as marketing (distribution) spend typically equals the budget (though can be MUCH higher for found footage productions) and then the cinemas take their slice too. What kind of multiples (budget to box office) did you find? Does the Gant Rule seem to apply? What about China? Any distributor names stick out?

Make sure you incorporate some UK examples. Warp (Dead Man's Shoes) and Warp X (Donkey Punch, Kill List** etc) have produced many. Eden Lake is a good example. Here's my Ghost Stories analysis (Warp)  **Warp Australia subsidiary

My blog on Ghost Stories

...

SOME LINKS

I've posted frequently on this, eg: DISTRIBUTION getting micro-budget movies released.

ScreenRant: 2022 shows horror hitting box office gold

Similar analysis from LA Times; Entertainment Weekly; CNN... and here's a more UK-focused analysis from The Guardian (2019)

Collider: 10 highest-grossing horrors of past 10 years (from 2012)

Wiki: highest-grossing horror films ever

MovieWeb: highest-grossing horror franchises

Friday 10 June 2022

Summer task and some media language resources

Your summer task is intended to get you thinking about what YOU might do for YOUR film opening. 

Thats the brief for the AS Media coursework - you create the opening 2 mins of a new feature film, including idents (see below) and titles. What the exam board will see, so what the marking is entirely based on, is a blog like this one, in which you can add video, PowerPoints, Word, pdf etc. You can see previous student blogs here.

As required for all A-Level choices, there is a task for you to complete over the summer. 
I don't expect a high level of technical language/terms to be used (yet!!), though you could access some of the resources below to learn some of these ahead of starting the course...

PAST STUDENT FILM OPENINGS
This playlist should help you with some of the tasks, especially thinking about company names (they're often a play on students' own names, but sometimes simply more abstract, something they had a clear visual concept for!).


HOW DO I PRESENT MY WORK?
You can present this task as either a PowerPoint or a blog post using blogger.com (this site!). If you're really keen you could also present your findings as a video, something you will learn to do early on in the course!

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SUMMER BRIDGING TASK?! FIVE FILMIC FEATURES...
I'm glad you asked ...
Basically, you will find/select and view any 5 feature film openings and note 5 points about each before summing your very initial idea of what we expect to see in a film opening! Then start thinking about rough ideas for your own film opening!
The opening of a typical feature film sets the scene before starting/resuming a titles sequence or just clearly moving on in the plot. While your task is to create the opening 2 mins most openings go on longer than this.
You can add further detail if you wish - researching the media language of film openings is a fundamental part of your coursework; YOUR text will be judged on how realistic it is, how well it reflects the conventions of film and the genre/s you have chosen.
You should be able to share these film openings, either as digital files or (much easier) YouTube links (that you can later embed to be playable from your own blog).

FIVE STEPS... 
Find/select 5 film openings.
Note 5 things about each one: how they work, what they include. That can include music, titles, idents, editing and plot/narrative (do we meet the hero? is there some mystery at first?), shot types, genre signifiers (clues).
Summary part 1: List 5 things you expect to see in a typical film opening.
Summary part 2: No matter how rough or basic, give a brief outline of one or more ideas for your own film opening, including a working title. This certainly doesn't commit you to any idea: you will each work on and develop a detailed pitch after learning more about media language on the course!
Ident mini-task: you will use your own film company name for your blog address and will create an ident (eg the short video with the Disney logo at the start of their movies) for it. Your simple task: come up with your own film production company name! You can see above what past students came up with!!

NEED HELP WITH WHAT TO LOOK FOR/THINK ABOUT?
Remember, you're not (yet!) expected to be using technical language/terms. Even so, you may be unsure of what sort of things to make notes on, so try making use of this blog (there are multiple examples of film opening analysis) and student blogs!

This post should help: it breaks down film opening content and conventions into 8 big areas you'll eventually research and analyse, 3 more than you need for now!!

This is an old version of a lesson resource I use to teach the basic shot types and angles ...
This is a quick reference guide to some key terms you'll learn at the start of the course!! ...



Monday 19 April 2021

Analysing film openings

This post is a work in progress. I've done multiple highly detailed posts on this, but I aim to simplify this major element of coursework in this post - with links for further material on some of the themes I'll highlight.
...

THE 5 BASIC THEMES OF YOUR COURSEWORK
Showing knowledge/understanding of filmic conventions, and making clear you've APPLIED research into these, is one of 5 fundamental strands of your coursework and its assessment:
  • AUDIENCE
  • INDUSTRY + TECHNOLOGY
  • CONVENTIONS
  • PRE-PRODUCTION/PLANNING
  • REFLECTION - PRESENTED CREATIVELY USING TECHNOLOGY
THE BASIC CONVENTIONS RESEARCH IS SPLIT IN TWO...
You need to first research the general conventions of film openings ... generally!!
If you are channel surfing, and VERY quickly unconsciously assessing what format you're seeing (that's news; soap; sitcom etc), you are processing media language clues or signifiers. Your challenge in coursework is to identify the media language that immediately identifies a text as belonging to a certain format - in this case not just film, but film opening.
You'll analyse a number of film openings from different genres, then summarise your findings with at least 1 vodcast backed up with additional posts on specific parts of the media language (eg idents, titles).

Once you've pitched and settled on a fixed idea, you'll repeat the process, this time focusing on GENRE, not GENERAL, examples. What media language enables an audience to quickly recognise a film opening as horror, rom-com etc? Again, you'll summarise your findings in at least 1 vodcast + further posts.

KEY FILM OPENING THEMES TO DISCUSS
There are infinite elements of the media language of film openings you could focus on, and you could spend days drilling into every single shot in a single film opening.
You are free to split the following themes into smaller topics, but this is my suggestion for helping you make links and comparisons between your opening analyses; organise your evidence of learning; and to set out clearly how this research has impacted your work/thinking. I will say more on each below.
  1. IDENTS, COMPANIES, PRODUCTION CONTEXT
  2. TITLES
  3. SOUND; GENRE SIGNIFICATION
  4. 1ST SHOT
  5. CENTRAL PROTAGONIST + NARRATIVE
  6. MISE-EN-SCENE FOR EXPOSITION
  7. TRANSITIONING TO MAIN FILM
  8. AUDIENCE/REPRESENTATIONS + OTHER POINTS
As with any attempt to break down a general point, there is a lot of potential overlap between these, but focusing your research and analysis in this way should help.

THEME 1: IDENTS, COMPANIES, PRODUCTION CONTEXT
How many idents do we expect, how long are they, are they simple/complex, is there a specific order, do they use music...
This is a simple task, requiring limited use of terms/theory, but clear + specific research is key: look at a good range of openings, calculate the total running time of idents, and use this as a basis for estimating a typical number + duration.
NOTE: You will see some with none or only one; note those, but make clear they aren't typical
How many idents do you expect to see? (3-4, but sometimes 1 or none!)
How long is a typical ident? (varies! typically 6/7 secs?)
Are idents typically complex or simple? (mostly simple?)
Do most have sound (jingle/music)? (yes, but look at audio bridge point)
Do we see any difference between studio/subsidiary + Indie movies on this? (studio idents often longer)
Is there any particular order (reflecting company role or size)?
Are they all for production co's, or also for distributor/s?
Is this the same order as in titles?
Is an audio bridge, starting the film audio, common over 1 or more ident? (you'll often see WT or Warp's ident with the film sound starting over it)


THEME 2: TITLES
Careful consideration of the number, duration, sequencing, design and selection of titles.
THE 3 CATEGORIES OF TITLES:
CAST
CHARACTERS
COMPANIES
(plus THE MAIN TITLE!)

Number of people/company names in titles:

Start/end time of main titles: 0:02-1:01
Running time of main titles: 1min
Titles in order using exact text (including case) [see this eg]


4 THEMES TO STRUCTURE TITLES RESEARCH + ANALYSIS
See below for some further pointers.

THE RAW NUMBERS:

  • how many titles do you expect to see?
  • provide counter-examples with very few or no opening titles
  • what total running time is typical?
  • again, note exceptions


THE SPECIFIC WORDING + ORDER:
Look carefully at the precise wording for each of these:

  • companies (presents, a ... film/production, in association with...)
  • director (auteur theory reflected in TWO credits - a ... film, directed by; where do these come in the order?)
  • actors (introducing, starring, featuring, co-starring ...)
  • technical roles (you need to be clear on which you will include; look for specifics eg director of photography or cinematography by?)


THE DESIGN
Look at use of these aspects and how they are used to distinguish/denote relative importance:

  • (sans-)serif (consider to what degree titles connote genre here)
  • size (names usually bigger than role, by etc; bigger stars bigger title?)
  • colour
  • case (UPPER, lower, Sentence case, maybe mixed)


FX, ANIMATION
Some titles are simply static, but often there's some form of movement...




  • animation/movement/FX?
  • transitions or straight cuts? fade to/-in from black?
  • intertitles? (over black screen)


THE COMPANIES
State how many companies were credited, and use your earlier research to discuss why/what different terms were used for different companies. This is very important detail for creating convincing titles.
Look out for companies/institutions like Film4/BBC (often commission a film to be made), or BFI, National Lottery, UK Film Council, Screen Yorkshire, EM Media (etc) - who more often finance productions.
Try to use terms such as Indie, subsidiary, conglomerate, big six to denote the types of company.

ROLES
How many specific roles were given a title? How were actors roles split up? Are you surprised at how many/few there are? You could have a look at IMDB's full credits listing to get a sense of how selective these opening titles are!!!
Which ONE person gets TWO credits for the same role? Detail precisely the order/wording of this.
You must provide a complete list, in appropriate order + with appropriate wording, of titles you intend to use as a result of the research on roles + companies.

GENRE/NARRATIVE CONNOTATIONS
Denote (describe in detail, illustrating with screenshots) the design of the titles: font (Georgia is a serif font; Helvetica is a sans-serif font), colour, case (UPPER, lower, Sentence), size, positioning, any movement/animation, any additional graphical elements.
Discuss the probable preferred reading: what the filmmakers are trying to symbolically communicate to the audience. Do the titles/their design connote/signify the genre and/or anything about the narrative?





THEME 3: SOUND; GENRE SIGNIFICATION
How is sound used to provide narrative exposition and/or genre signification? This is also a key exam question!
MUSIC (not necessarily non-diegetic; eg Baby Driver). Music genre usually helps to signify a likely genre (and audience), eg jazz: older (25-44+ or even older), upmarket (ABC1); heavy metal: youth (15-34+, older if an older band, youth if a cover version of an older band), downmarket (C2DE), possibly more male.

Consider editing of the sound: continuous (unlikely)? Any fading in/out (likely)? A mix of a main track and incidental music? pre-existing music or incidental music composed for the movie? Any obvious 'influences'/intertextuality? Its not uncommon to see some music video-style cutting to the beat...

AMBIENT SOUND/FOLEY SOUND: With the possible exception of social realist movies, much of the audio in film + TV is typically recorded separately from the main shoot, in post-production ('Foley sound'). The great Sergio Leone recorded ALL of his films' sound in post-production. Look at how sound creates verisimilitude
Is there a voiceover (VO)?
Foley sound and successful ambient sound are key to achieving verisimilitude and continuity editing.

You will also consider use of audio bridges over idents and as part of the transition to main film; you could make a brief note of that here. 










THEME 4: 1ST SHOT
How much/little is usually revealed through shot 1, and what media language is common (eg ELS/ES?)?
Look not just at what basic shot type is most common, but also the balance of narrative enigma and exposition from the 1st shot.

This is England is a great example of a long take which has plenty of exposition through the mise-en-scene and radio audio, and even inter-titles to give the date, BUT lacks immediate dialogue to reveal accent (denoting likely location) and slowly builds to a reveal of the initially unseen central protagonist.


Psycho and Submarine are more typical, classic examples, using a series of cross-fading ELS to gradually settle on/reveal one location and a character(s) within. Psycho is the archetype of this approach, Hitchcock's editing here (starting with a cityscape and gradually cutting to a building then a window, and moving through it with a crane shot ... to reveal the scream queen archetype Marion Crane!) being widely referred to as the 'hand of god' technique. Its as if we the audience are seeing the fickle finger of fate picking out one un/fortunate character, with the subliminal message of it could be you adding impact to the film.

Low budget Warp X production For Those in Peril is a template of what not to do! We immediately see the face of our protagonist, the very opposite of using OTS, worm's eye shots of feet, variable focus and more to build narrative enigma around a/the central protagonist.









THEME 5: CENTRAL PROTAGONIST + NARRATIVE
How do filmmakers signify to audiences which character/s are the/a central protagonist/s? How much of the Todorov model do we see within the brief span of an opening (consider openings duration!)?
This point requires a good amount of denotative detail, and is potentially excellent preparation for your exam (TV drama question).
Use the handout below to help with these


WEIGHING ANCHOR
Consider, detail the techniques used to signify, probably anchor, a character (may be plural) as the central protagonist, eg: 

  1. framing, rule of thirds; 
  2. tighter framing than other characters (especially within shot reverse shot sequences), eg MS/MCU v MLS/LS; POV shots!!!
  3. angles; 
  4. cutting back to them while others are speaking and/or OTS while others speak to keep them in frame; 
  5. tracking/panning shots; 
  6. voiceover; 
  7. building, maintaining initial narrative enigma over their identity, possibly including avoiding revealing face; 
  8. variable focus, shallow field of focus, focus push/pull (not necessarily focus on them initially - to keep their features obscured)
  9. distinctive colour, especially from birds eye (HA) ELS, crowd scenes

TODDLE OFF
For some of the above, its likely you can make reference to basic narrative theories of Propp (character archetypes expected in all drama), Levi Strauss (binary opposites). 
Narrative enigma (Barthes) is key to the above (and your shot 1 analyses) - you could look at other 'codes' Barthes suggested too.

The 'narrative' part of this is especially focused on Todorov, however. Which stage/s if any of his basic 5 part narrative structure do we see? The initial equilibrium is very quickly disrupted in some; in others the disruption is very slow to emerge. Perhaps the order is different from Todorov's? Memento is a famous example, Goodfellas another - starting with a flashback (which works, to the audience, more like a flash forwards - a technique Breaking Bad made famous use of in TV drama). Nowell's book is great on this; I did a very short summary here.
In your possible influences on this one be very clear on which example/s will help guide you given your restrictive brief (the opening 2mins including titles). Perhaps you will leave your opening essentially incomplete, fading out as it continues?
You need to state the length of a range of openings, then propose a typical running time for this, and which Todorov component/s it covers.

GUIDES + THE MONOMYTH
For convenience, I've added below a worksheet on (1) narrative theory and (2) the A2 exam theory pack. You should reference content from (1) and might dip into (2) for more. The screenshot is from the A2/Q1B exam theory pack; Campbell's theory actually helps make more sense of both Todorov and Propp...













THEME 6: MISE-EN-SCENE FOR EXPOSITION
This is where you need to go deeper into your semiotics: how do skilful directors employ mise-en-scene (costume, make-up, body language, setting/set-dressing, props...) to inform the audience rather than rely on dialogue/voiceover and/or titles?

Again, This is England is an excellent example of this. You will have focused on its first shot, so now consider the bike in the garden; the subway with its Screwdriver* graffiti, the prefab hut (actually a church!) with Maggie is a Twat grafitti; Shaun's trousers (which, along with that picture of his dad, are props that are used to drive the narrative of that opening sequence). *80s neo-Nazi 'Oi' band, actually spelt Skrewdriver, so maybe a point there too about the intelligence of the hypothetical grafitti writers...

Sometimes it won't seem so obvious - Four Lions is a good example; you have to think about the wealth of information and hints provided non-verbally. You could consider the extent to which dialogue is/n't used. 
Feel free to voice strong clear personal opinions in your writing - if you think a director is showing genius or laziness, say so!!!
I've highlighted this as an area because if your work is to be sophisticated it must shine in this regard.
For any example precise denotation is key - and this is a skill often lacking in AS exam work. The what/how and why are equally important. 









THEME 7: TRANSITIONING TO MAIN FILM
This is a short aspect you're examining: how specifically we move from the opening to the main body of the film. Video clips/gifs will be especially useful for this. Horror/slasher films often either cut sharply to a main title and fade in from black (to a relative of the person just killed) or, a more common approach across all genres, fade to black and back in again, with main title and titles sequence over this post-opening phase, not the opening itself.

Even if you don't get to include this in your own production, it is part of what you need to show you have (a) researched; (b) have knowledge and understanding of - (c) applying this will depend on your idea. It may be preferable to fade out from your opening while the action continues - exam board reports often criticize closed narratives as short film-like.

Again, clear, specific denotation is crucial, especially on editing techniques, but also looking at common narrative/plot devices.









THEME 8: AUDIENCE/REPRESENTATIONS + OTHER POINTS
This is partly your catch-all topic: everything else we noticed but which didn't fit clearly into other themes!
You could use this partially to focus on the 'bad' examples you noted; how not to do it.


AUDIENCE/REPRESENTATIONS

This sets you up for quality audience research. The exam board frequently point to audience research + analysis as being a relative weakness in both coursework and exams (globally, not StG). If you can provide a sharply defined target audience, then back this up with research, while also keep referencing this as your idea/production/edit evolves, you'll avoid that trap!
There is overlap here with work on narrative/protagonists.

AGE RATINGS (INDUSTRY AND AUDIENCE AND CONVENTIONS!)
What commercial (impact on box office) impact does a high rating have?
What commercial (impact on box office) impact does a low rating have?
What do the controversies over This is England and (also social realist but not Warp) Sweet Sixteen, compared to the treatment of The Dark Knight (not WT) and World's End (WT) suggest about the BBFC's treatment of Indie and studio productions respectively?
You should create a 4-column table with WT/Warp films + age rating  + UK box office + global box office, ordered from low age rating to high (U, PG, 12, 15, 18).

CAST + CHARACTERS; REPRESENTATIONS
Consider how the range of protagonists, main supporting characters, and antagonists and how the character is portrayed, plus the actual cast (look at posters as part of this) helps to denote the likely primary and secondary audiences. Can you find a clear four quadrant example? Is there a link to budget (and therefore ownership?)? Are stereotypes or countertypes more likely to boost commercial (box office) potential, especially for British productions seeking international distribution? Use my points below to help with this.

ISSUES: SOCIAL CLASS; NATIONALITY, ETHNICITY, REGIONAL ACCENT
Consider the social class of typical Warp/WT protagonists. Contrast the complex working-class protagonist of Tyrannosaur with the crude stereotype of Grimsby. Go a step further - why did Grimsby still fail internationally? Did The World's End have any similar problems?

Why did WT2's Mickybo and Me flop while the very similar narrative of Son of Rambow succeeded on a lower budget? Can you identify 5 WT rom-coms that use white, Southern English, middle-class protagonists and London/rural southern England settings (note their box office)? Use screenshots from Bridget Jones' Diary. Compare with Warp/Warp X's Submarine, She a Chinese, '71, This is England, Four Lions, noting their setting, protagonist's accent/regional identity and box office.


How does this actor/character help to widen Submarine's appeal to an older, secondary audience?
What theory does that make you think of?!

ISSUESAGE/GENDER + INTERTEXTUALITY
Which characters/cast did Warp use to strengthen the secondary adult, 35-44+ appeal of their teen/youth rom-com Submarine?  
Which characters/cast did WT use to strengthen the secondary adult, 35-44+ appeal of their teen/youth rom-com About Time? How does this also demonstrate potential (Stuart Hall's preferred reading concept...) intertextuality? (hint: the cinematic atrocity that is Love Actually)
How can the OST of The World's End help explain its relative failure to attract a four quadrant audience in contrast to the preceding Cornetto Trilogy movies?
Can you apply the uses and gratifications theory to show how 1 film may have succeeded and another flopped?
BTW, I simply combined these 3 images in Word + took a screenshot rather than have 3 scrolling images!

Friday 11 September 2020

Thursday 12 December 2019

Age ratings

The BBFC (UK) + MPAA (USA) age ratings are always useful context to note when blogging on a film.

Do this consistently and you'll see a clear pattern (not a rule, there are always exceptions in the film industry):

  • Indie productions tend to have higher ratings (15/18)
  • big 5, studio productions tend to veer lower (12/15 and lower)
There is an argument that this is partly down to bias towards the conglomerates by the BBFC + MPAA, which, after all, are industry bodies. The contrasting decisions on This is England and Sweet Sixteen compared to Dark Knight and World's End are quite telling. The BBFC has some useful detail on their website on all movies they've rated, but also case studies ... including 2 of those...

You can find out a lot more by using my mediareg blog, especially using the BBFC tag (same for my cinema blog, or using individual movie tags such World's End)

There's a LOT on my mediareg blog...

What would your 'POSSIBLE INFLUENCES' be from this?

You should simply reflect on your likely rating as an Indie producer:
  • set out your intended rating, and break this down with detail of the BBFC guidelines on 12/15/18
    • 12 is likely to be restrictive in terms of content you can feature
    • 18 is likely to dramatically limit your potential audience, assuming your primary target audience is 15-24+
    • you should also reflect on the impact of digitisation though: 'underage' viewing is likely to be significant, especially beyond the cinema (but including some there too - is YOUR experience that cinemas are STRICT in TIGHTLY enforcing age limits?
    • provide multiple examples that help indicate this is a realistic rating to aim for - but also others that show that there is variety in this (12s, 18s). You could always do a basic global box office comparison to evidence the impact of 18 ratings
As well as the very useful BBFC entries, IMDB has a 'parental guide' section (its UGC) which often gives multiple international age ratings and (user) guidance on age-sensitive content.

BBFC detail

IMDB user-generated guide

Thursday 14 November 2019

THEORY postmodernism deconstructionism intertextuality and simulacra


Argues that all the 'isms', eg capitalism, communism, are now meaningless - the meta-narratives no longer have the power to explain the world or reality. It is of course self-contradictory: postmodernism is an ism!
Strinati argues there is a collapse in the high/popular culture divide - all are now equally valid.
Such notions lead to playfulness.

DECONSTRUCTIONISM
The ironic use of existing conventions in a knowing way; the audience is assumed to be in on the irony. EG: in Scream the Matthew Lillard character cries out dramatically "I'll be right back", an old horror trope being that this denotes a character will be killed. The other teens at the party respond with that in mind, in a scene where they're sat watching Halloween. Craven is poking fun at, or critiquing, the very genre he helped to create with 1972's The Last House on the Left.
(scene where the rules are discussed, ending with 'I'll be right back')
This occurs across all media - this Depeche Mode video is a classic example, deconstructing the band's poor, tawdry image and the male gaze.

INTERTEXTUALITY
A simple but profound concept originating with Kristeva - the preferred reading (Stuart Hall!) of two texts are linked; the viewer needs knowledge of the earlier text to be able to follow the preferred reading of the newer text. TV shows like The Simpsons are built on this, and there is a strong vein of this running through the slasher genre
To help generate cheap publicity for his 1978 proto-slasher Halloween, director John Carpenter cast the daughter of Psycho's scream queen!
In Scream, the characters are watching Halloween!

SIMULACRA
Scary Movie exemplifies the ideas above - it takes intertextuality to a new level: Scream had the working title of Scary Movie, and this film is a satirical remake, quite literally signposting the conventions (eg the Carmen Electra scream queen sees a sign giving the options for either death or safety ... and runs up the stairs where the death sign points to, as the dumb scream queens tend to).
These movies have been much analysed, not least for gender representations. Baudrillard might argue that this leads nowhere as there is no ultimate meaning behind an endless sea of signifiers; Scary Movie is an expression of many existing ideas or signifiers, which cannot be tracked back to any concrete 'true reality' or meaning.
Ideas like encourage playfulness, as seen in these two films.

Friday 25 October 2019

PITCH DEVELOPMENT - BUILDING A CHARACTER

You need to be really clear on (especially, NOT exclusively!) the fictional protagonist (or Proppian archetype of the hero... Campbell's 'hero' who, reflecting the 'monomyth' - and to a degree Todorov's theory of narrative structure [NEW equilibrium...] will go on a quest, the hero's journey...).

A moodboard will help enormously with this, which can be a mix of objects, people and more. Try this simple exercise...

List 5 films/TV s/he watches; 5 gadgets; 5 items of clothing; 5 places s/he's been to; 5 drinks/foods they like; 5 random further details (eg family, friends, quirks, talents, job...).
Now add any 3 images which represent their binary opposite (which might help start developing further characters + flag up things to avoid in costume, body language, mise-en-scene generally...)

NOW can you sum up the character in a couple of sentences?

SUGGESTED POST TITLE
NARRATIVE - visualising the characters [or a sep post for each main character]

FORMAT/PRESENTATION
A Ppt could be a convenient, quick way of doing this (1 heading, 5 images per slide), though adding images into a single Word doc without any accompanying text as an ADDITION would be simply smart - killing two birds with 1 stone, with apologies to our avian friends...

REFLECTING KNOWLEDGE/UNDERSTANDING OF THEORY
Note my brief usage/application of basic narrative theories above - the more you do this, the simpler such concepts will become for you. I only learnt them myself through repeated application!!!

THEORY CHALLENGE
Can you further apply more advanced theory like Hebdige's concept of subcultures, or (and these link together well!) Pierre Bourdieu's notion of cultural capital?

CHARACTER COMPARISON
As you review each set of answers, have a go at expressing the ideas as 1+ existing people/characters (eg the Mr Robot lead with a dash of Graham Norton - a brooding, ultra-talented (area?) individual with a camp side, fondness for pop culture as well as 'high culture'. Can you now create an additional moodboard?

Wednesday 28 August 2019

INDUSTRY RESEARCH quick guide to initial work

You're going to do a series of simple posts researching key production and distribution details on a range of Warp (Indie) and Working Title (studio/big 5 subsidiary) films - then sum up your findings in a post.

We will come back to add more over time, eg the Gant rule, the release window + release window, editionalising etc.

For now, for each of the 6 films named you'll use some combination of rottentomatoes.com, boxofficemojo.comthe-numbers.comimdb.comBBFC, ... and Wikipedia!! Film Wikis can be great for quickly finding key info - though the figures given aren't always accurate alas.

You may find differing figures in the 2 box office sites - use your judgement on which to use.
Films with a zero or no entry are likely to have failed to have gained 'theatrical' (cinema) distribution at all, other than possible festival appearances.

To speed this up, I've provided some sample figures + commentary/analysis for Warp (just taken out 2 film names...), + sample WT figures. You can refer to any of these in your summary. The google download price or lack of would need checking again!

SUB-HEADINGS TO USE IN EACH POST
Again, you don't need to write much, just enough to show some understanding of what the figures mean in context (as ever, ask if stumped!). Provide screenshots for at least some of these sub-headings (no need to do that for all). You can copy/paste my list below + just edit the text! The Wikis and BOMojo will provide most of the detail you need, if its not already given in my handouts.

MY SUMMARY
Complete the rest + come back to this. Use sentences and/or bullet points for all writing in these posts.

BUDGET
Usually stated in $. Round off, eg $14,555,365 = $15m. k for thousand, m for million, bn for billion.

BBFC/MPAA
An 18/NC17 are considered box office death, and certainly kill off any hopes f a four quadrant strategy... This is England's age rating of 18 was highly controversial - the BBFC have written about this (and I challenged them about this on a school trip...).

MAIN PRODUCTION CO/S

IMDB, Wiki etc (not to mention titles in the film) will often credit quite a few 'production' companies. In reality, many are financing and/or TV co's, while many stars and directors have their own production label through which their take might go. For Warp, note Warp + any UK TV co + any of the film funding agencies like Screen Yorkshire. For WT, its them + 1 other main co-production partner, usually Universal or StudioCanal, but it varies.

MAIN DISTRIBUTION CO/S

As above, but this time you're especially looking at the BOMojo 'foreign' table for theatrical distributors to note US (from the main 'domestic' screen/box, as that = USA) + UK distributors.

DIRECTOR
Name and simply try their wiki - are they a 'big' name in terms of having directed any hits? Or perhaps an auteur (serious filmmaker with a known style; possibly explores social issues). Just try reading a few lines from their Wiki to help make a judgement.

STARS
Are there ANY stars? A-lister/s? Use your judgement/use Wiki!

BOX OFFICE (UK, US, China, global)
We'll explore later how Charles Gant has suggested a way to predict UK box office of a US studio hit. For this note these figures, including $0. You won't find any Warp films with a China figure - it has a strict foreign quota system, only around 50 Western productions are allowed to be released in cinemas each year. Think about why Warp don't get theirs released here, the world's 2nd biggest film market - look at what you've noted above!

# OF COUNTRIES
Remembering to add +1 for USA (= domestic, ie home, market for sites like BOMojo), count the # of countries it got a theatrical release in. Indie productions most often manage zero!

YT, GOOGLE OR AMAZON DL £
Is it available as a DL (download) for a fixed price? Don't spend too long on this, its just useful to embed the idea of new modes of distribution.

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Friday 14 June 2019

CIE BLOG GUIDE Coursework journey in 10 steps

Below I break down the ten steps involved in your journey and copy in the assessment criteria. Scroll to the end for four Word guides; two more are here and here.

**More detailed breakdowns with suggested post titles etc are embedded at the end of this post**


STEP 1: INITIAL RESEARCH - OPENING CONVENTIONS; THE INDUSTRY
Initial research into the conventions of the film opening format (general) and the film industry

STEP 2: APPLY RESEARCH - PITCH, GROUPS, REVISE IDEA
Apply this and initial genre research to develop and pitch an idea; possibly form groups; revise the idea following feedback/collaboration

STEP 3: GENRE, AUDIENCE
Genre specific research, and audience research/analysis. It is CRUCIAL that you keep making reference to research (format, genre, industry, audience) throughout the process right up to the point of final cuts.

STEP 4: PRE-PRODUCTION
Pre-production: casting, costume, props, make-up (clear evidenced reference to your research into existing examples is crucial); location scouting; sample/test shoots - audience feedback, reflection; updates on the idea as it evolves. Setting up social media profiles [for your company and/or film] is an option (helps to evidence appreciation of marketing and engaging with audience). Clarify the final idea, and storyboard this - its almost certain to change a lot, but its important to make the concept very clear. An animatic [animated storyboard] is a useful means of demonstrating your concept. Begin regular/frequent short podcasts (shows [often details!] organisation, engagement with audience, marketing + a grasp of how the industry works; also a use of tehnology).

Setting up new blogs

You will need a gmail account to complete this.
Your task is simple: carefully following the instructions below, set up a new blog and start adding to it with the tasks at the bottom of this post!

We'll follow these simple steps:
1: sign in to blogger.com with your gmail details 
2: click create new blog 
3: name the blog - think of it as a film company; do not use your full name 
4: create the URL/address, which should be short + based on the blog/company name 
5: select the template + set layout 
6: adjust widths. So long as you all use the same template + set widths to be the same you can share (copy/paste) posts within a group without any need for further editing. Roughly 1000/300 
7: change hyperlink colour; time setting; word verification to off; add email + comment moderation note: 'Please note ALL comments are moderated'. 
8: email the blog link to me 
9: Create your 1st 2 posts + comment on others' 
10: Follow this + other blogs
8: 

Read the following carefully; take the time to think of a brief and memorable URL:

PREVIEWS OF THE BLOGGER SCREENS:

Wednesday 27 February 2019

CIE EVALUATION overview with UK comparison guide

NOTE: This is formally named the CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTIONYou are marked not just on answering the question, but also for:
  • creativity in how you do so
  • using critical theory and self-critiquing
  • use of technology to do so
In practice, you should take 1 of 2 approaches:
  1. Create one SUBSTANTIAL creative text for each answer, AND/OR...
  2. Recycle a format or spread it across multiple Qs so you've got multiple creative approaches for each Q.  It makes sense if you've spent any time on creating a set!
These often won't be ideal for actually answering the question, so make sure you fill in any gaps with some combination of well-illustrated:
  • PowerPoint/Prezi
  • blog post content
  • video/vodcast
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This is a 'hub' post for BOTH the CIE version of the AS Media Evaluation AND the UK (OCR) spec on which its based.  Use the hyperlinks below to find specific posts/guides on the 4 CIE/7 OCR questions. See here for CIE blog guide.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS POST:
  • The 4 CIE AS Evaluation ('creative critical reflection') questions
  • A suggestion to split both Q1 and Q2 into two (though presented in one post for each full question)
  • Comparing the UK OCR and CIE Evaluation questions so you can make use of past students' responses to get pointers and inspiration
  • The 3 'AOs' (assessment objectives): how its marked
  • The level descriptions (L5 = A, L4 = B/C, L3 = D/E)
  • A list of some terms/concepts you could try to include somewhere within your evaluation
  • Ideas for 'creative' presentation and for evidencing/using a range of technologies (linked to marks!)

THE FOUR CIE AS EVALUATION QUESTIONS


In practice I will consider these as SIX questions, splitting Q1 + Q2 into two; in short (click hyperlinks for individual guides): 

Q1a: how you used or challenged CONVENTIONS
Q1b: REPRESENTATIONS of social groups/issues
Q2a: how you engaged with AUDIENCES
Q2b: how might it achieve DISTRIBUTION
Q3: DEVELOPMENT of production skills throughout the entire process
Q4: how you integrated TECHNOLOGIES (software, hardware, online) in the project
 


THE UK OCR + CIE AS EVALUATION QUESTIONS COMPARED with hyperlinks
So you can grasp how these will link with your FOUR questions I've plotted below how these link. In time there will be more CIE blogs to compare with, but for now UK OCR blogs are a key resource for you

SUMMARY COMPARISON (= means very similar to!)
CIE Q1a CONVENTIONSOCR Q1 CONVENTIONS
CIE Q1b REPRESENTATIONS = OCR Q2 REPRESENTATIONS
CIE Q2b DISTRIBUTION = OCR Q3 DISTRIBUTION (+ exam links post)
CIE Q2a AUDIENCES = OCR Q4/Q5 AUDIENCES
CIE Q4 TECHNOLOGIES = OCR Q6 TECHNOLOGIES
CIE Q3 DEVELOPMENT = OCR Q7 DEVELOPMENT



OCR Q1 CONVENTIONS: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

- CIE Q1a 'how does your product use or challenge conventions'



OCR Q2 REPRESENTATIONS: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

- CIE Q1b 'how does it represent social groups or issues'



OCR Q3 DISTRIBUTION: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

- CIE Q2b 'how would it be distributed as a real media text'



OCR Q4 AUDIENCE: Who would be the audience for your media product?
OCR Q5 ATTRACT AUDIENCE: How did you attract/address your audience?

- CIE Q2a 'how does your product engage with audiences'



OCR Q6 TECHNOLOGIES: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

- CIE Q4 'How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware and online - in this project?'



OCR Q7 DEVELOPMENT: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

- CIE Q3 'How did your production skills develop throughout this project?'