Homework

In this clip ethnicity is represented through camera shots, sound, mise en scene and editing.

The mise en scene represents a contrast between the ethnicity of the chefs through the clothes that they are wearing. All of the English chefs are wearing the white traditional chef costume where as the other ethnics are dressed in a a black chef costume. Therefore this is suggesting that there is some sort of rivalry between the different ethnicity with the kitchen.

 Also at the beginning of the clip, the fact that the two men have the same colour skin suggests that they are of the same ethnicity. We can tell that Ben is shocked to see Tel by this body language and his facial expression, he also looks around to see if anyone is around as he doesn't want anyone to see him have this conversation.

Ethnicity can also be shown through sound such as dialogue. The two men at the beginning are talking about each others appearance which suggests that appearance is a important factor due to their ethnicity.Also Tel uses words such as 'bro', 'blood' and 'ganja' we is associated with a west Indian background. Tel seems to have a stronger regional accent compared to Ben who would appear to be more English. Over all we can tell that Tel has kept his ethnicity where as Ben has changed it to be appropriate for the environment that he is working in. The two women cleaners are shown to be of the same ethnic group due to them having the same accent. The fact that they are both cleaners could be suggesting that to be cleaner, it is a normal job within their ethnic group. Also the fact that they are cleaners is portraying them to be not well educated otherwise they would have a better job than a cleaner.

In a long shot, you establish the two women cleaners. This is shown by the uniform that they are wearing, However they begin to strip which obviously is not what they are meant to be doing. we see a shot of one of the cleaners face looking at the money which the man has left. This is portraying that money is more important to her than her having self respect.Also in this scene , a Chinese man is sitting on the bed, which then leads to a close up of his money which is going to pay the maids to strip with. This is representing people of a Chinese ethnicity to be wealthy enough to spend there money on what they want.

 Through a over the shoulder shot during the conversation between Ben and Tel, we are able to establish that Ben is feeling uncomfortable due to his facial expression. Also in these shot we can see that Tel that dread locks which is a stereotypical west Indian hair style, in contrast to this Ben has a a closely cropped hair style which could be seen to more 'English' rather than West Indian. When Tel mention the past, we can see from a close up shot that he uncomfortable or embarrassed about his past and would rather not talk about it.

Ethnicity can also be shown through editing, there are several eye line matches and action matches throughout the clip. One action match is when we see the Italian chef take out a knife and then we we see both chefs look down at the knife which is representing neither of there ethnic groups to be the better chef. Also there are continuous eye line matches between Ben and Tel as Tel is trying to persuade Ben up have a party like the old days 

Homework- 13th Feb

“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 film area.

 You may make reference to other areas in your answer. • Film • Music • Newspapers • Radio • Magazines • Video games.

Within the film industry the importance of marketing and distribution paired with good production practices are vastly recognized and appreciated. We can witness first-hand in the film industry how production and distribution can influence a film's success, and the link between which is more important can sometimes vary from film to film. We can see, however, that both are extremely important factors for companies to take into account when trying to create a popular film.

An example of a large film company is Disney; Disney's marketing and distribution skills are incredibly vast and play a key role in contributing to the success of their films. Disney was founded in 1923 and since has produced over 158 feature films. The company grew into a popular household name when it released its first animated classics such as the Lion King and Robin Hood. These films became timeless and as the target audience is young, the stories were suitable for children across the world, Disney's 'Robin Hood' was translated into over sixteen different languages, a clear example of how wide Disney's distribution tactics have stretched.

Disney also uses a wide variety of Horizontal and Vertical marketing to ensure wide distribution of its productions. By owning their own studios, record labels, shops, clothing brands, radio stations and TV channel, Disney have a wide scope to advertise with as they own these companies, they are able to distribute through them with ease. An example of this is Disney's High School Musical, which was premiered on the Disney Channel and had its own soundtrack released. Disney also use a variety of Viral Marketing to appeal to their audience with an online presence, by doing so they can keep their young target audience up to date with new releases and teasers and are keeping their own company up to date with the developments of technologies and trends. Disney released its own fan pages on social networking sites such as Facebook for 'Loyal Followers of the Red Queen' and many other aspects of the film. By creating fan groups for films, Disney allows for an even wider audience and can use these pages to spread awareness and introduce people to the films.

Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' is an example of a typical Disney film aimed to become hugely successful. With names of popular stars such as Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton the film already creates a wave of people who want to see it just due to the people involved in the film. The budget given was $200,000,000 When comparing this to the 'King's Speech' made by Bedlam with their low budget of $15,000,000 with help in funding from the UK Film Council, we can see how even with a small budget a film can become a huge success due to its quality and production practices.  We can see a clear rift between the power and wealth of the two companies, however, we can also see that this does not build a direct correlation between power and success of films as 'The King's Speech' was nominated for twelve Oscars, four of which it won, and 'Alice in Wonderland' won half this number with two Oscars.

When regarding Disney as a whole we see that it has received over two hundred Oscar nominations, but has only won just over fifty of them, when comparing this to the 'The King's Speech' alone whilst taking into account how many films Disney has made in comparison to Bedlam Productions it becomes clear that even with a vast array of marketing and distribution chains at your disposal you cannot guarantee the response to the film. Indeed marketing and distribution are highly important in getting people to want to see the film, but if the film lacks in quality then the success will be short-lived. Quality films such as 'The King's Speech' are films that become timeless through their appeal. Films such as these are living proof that although marketing and distribution is important, it can lose all of its worth once the film has left cinemas as nobody will want to see the film again or buy the DVD to a film they dislike. I therefore conclude that good production practices hold more wealth over distribution and marketing techniques as they guarantee a lasting success for a film as opposed to a short-lived one.

Homework

2) To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied? Candidates must focus on the following media areas: Film

Distribution can be divided into three stages: licencing, marketing and logistics.In 2005 this was when the distributors started to move towards digital distribution.Digital technology is seen is offer a most cost effective and logistics-light alternative to the tried and trusted 35mm print distribution.

Digital distribution betters the consumption of film.A film can be consumed via cinema or DVD. Cinemas only show a film for a short period of time due to the bettering of the logistics. Therefore films have to be sent to cinema very quickly. However due to new technology, distributors are able to do this through an electron system compared to sending a tape like they used to. This is therefore much cheaper for the distributors, On the other hand a DVD can be consumed much quicker due the cinema only showing films for a short period of time. However the making of the DVD is an expensive process.

The fact that films are sent via a electronic system this does not mean it is always safe. If the film was to become unlocked or hacked, this would then been seen illegally therefore people would not pay to see it in cinema or buy the DVD. This would leave the companies with a loss in money.

Digital distribution bettered the marketing of film as they are able to advertise films in more ways than before. For example people are able to view trailers of films on the internet via YouTube. This is opening the marketing of the film to wider audience. Therefore the film is more likely to be a success as more people will know about it.

Digital distribution can also market the film a way in which celebrities comments on the film can be recorded and played on air. This would therefore promote the film as people are easily persuaded if a celebrity they like, said that they loved the film. This would therefore gain the film more viewer and therefore more money. However someone may say a bad comment on the film therefore the film will loss viewers and money.

Overall digital distribution can help promote films to a wider audience and make it consumption a lot quicker however there is always the risk of the electronic system not working which would leave the film companies with a loss in money.

Harry Brown

The companies responsible for making 'Harry Brown are UK Film Council, Marv Films, Framestore and Harway Films
The year of release was 2009
The classification is 18
The revenue of the film:
Budget:$7,300,000
World Wide Box Office:$6,294,860
Loss of $1.005,860



Brief synopsis of 'Harry Brown'
Harry Brown is a ex marine who lives on a estate. The estate used to be peaceful but now it will full of gangs and violence. After the death of Harry's wife, the only person that he had was his friend Lee. Lee tells Harry that he is scared of the gang and shows him a knife that he has in his coat. Later that night a fire is started in Lee's home and he knows that it is the gang. Next Harry is told that Lee is dead. All of the gang members are arrested however when they are being interviewed all they say is 'No comment' which leave the police with no evidence to arrest them for murder. During the interview this is when we learn that Noel's dad is in prison and he is just following in his footsteps. Next harry is in pub(drunk) when he reveals money in his wallet which another character sees. When Harry is walking home, the man threatens Harry with a knife and tell him to give him his money. Unexpectedly Harry stabs the man and runs away. He is mortified by what he has done so he throws all the clothes away that he had on. The police officer comes round to ask for more information about Lee as they believe that Lee was carrying the knife he was stabbed with and that the gang where defending themselves. This angers Harry as he knows that nothing will go to court like the police officers said. Then Harry goes back to Lee house and see the gang member beat up a couple so this is when he realized that he had t take matters into his own hands rather than just sit and watch this happen. Harry gradually begins to kill the members and drug supplies of the gang. When he eventually kills Noel and his uncle the whole of the estate goes back to be peaceful and the amount of crime is reduced massively. Children could play in the park and the walk through has been painted back white and has no graffiti on it.

Throughout the film, the youth are being portrayed as violent and self centred. They are also all wearing 'hoodies' which carries a connotation of bad behaviour. The lighting through out the film is natural which make it look realistic. A hand held camera is used at the beginning of the film which puts the audience in the perspective of the  youth and makes it look realistic. The titles at the beginning are very small and simple. Even though Harry Brown is the main character, he name is the same size a everyone else which is representing him as the same as everyone else in society, also the fact that it is so small shows that he doesn't stand out from society despite him begin the main character. When Harry brown is in his flat, there are several close up which shows everyday activities such as making tea, wiping up crumbs, make toast and wash up. This again is representing Harry Brown as an ordinary person and he is no different from us.

Gender Homework

I

Gender can be represented through four different areas: camera shots, sound, mise-en-scene and editing.

Firstly gender is being represented through camera shots. A medium close up establishes the women wearing make-up which is suggesting that to be feminine, you take care of your appearance. This is then followed by an over the shoulder shot which is showing the male character looking down at the female character. This is then portraying masculinity to be more powerful than femininity. A medium close up then shows the other female character looking over at the women as she is unable to afford the dress. This is suggesting that feminine  judge each other. The next scene in the clip starts with a a medium shot of two male characters sitting at a bar. From this shot you can see them drinking what looks like whiskey. This is then suggesting that it is masculine to drink spirits rather than feminine. Further on in the clip there is a another medium shot which shows a male character fixing something. This is then suggesting that it is a masculine job to fix things. Lastly there is a medium long shot which shows the female character wearing a backless dress which is suggesting that to be feminine you can wear revealing clothes! Also in this shot you can see the make character who is wearing a suit! This is then in comparison to the female character as he all of his body is covered up unlike the female character in the clip.  

Gender can also be represented brought the use of sound. When the female character has lost her ring, an up beat asynchronous is played which is portraying feminine to become stressed quickly during situation. In comparison when the male character gives the female character a solution, the asynchronous sound become more gentle and relaxed! This so therefore portraying masculine to be relaxed and calm during situation like in the clip. 

Gender can be represented through mise-en-scene. The male characters are wearing suits which is portraying masculine to be more powerful than femine. However one of the female characters are wearing a suit which could be suggesting that she is just as powerful  as the masculine characters. Also the fact that both female characters are looking for new clothes to make them look good is suggesting that to be feminine you like to take care in what you look like and are always out to impress. The setting of the clip is in women's dress shop, this is portraying a femine. atmosphere therefore it is calm and relaxed.  

Lastly gender can be shown through editing. An eyeline match shows the female character looking up at the male character. Therefore this is suggesting that feminine figures look up to masculine  figures and also they masculine in more powerful than feminine. 

Overall gender is being shown in various ways to suggest the different elements of masculine and feminine 

The history of British film

Early history of British film

• The cinema as an entertainment industry emerged from a series of innovations in the late nineteenth century, mostly in the United States, France and the United Kingdom.
• In the UK, filmmakers established small studios to produce short films for use by travelling showmen and in music-halls. 
• In the first decade of the twentieth century, more than 30 film studios were established in and around London.
• British films rapidly established a substantial share of the market at home and abroad, including some 15 per cent of the American market by 1910
• This initial success rapidly faded as American production took off with expensive and heavily marketed feature films
• Film production was waning, cinema going flourished as a pastime of the British public
• In 1908 investment in cinemas surged, with the finding of many new companies wiht investment of £1.5m (£140m at current prices) 
• The Government recognized the potential of the film industry, initially as a source of revenue, when it included cinema, together with other entertainments, such as music hall and theatre, in the Entertainment Tax, introduced in 1916. 
• The rate, which was initially set at between 25 and 50 per cent of the price of cinema tickets, was reduced in the 1920s and then raised during the Second World War however it was finally abolished in 1960

First Government support

• By 1925, British film production had declined
• Fewer than 40 feature films a year were being made, compared with over 150 in 1920.
• The vast majority films shown here were American.
• May 1925, lord Newton raised the issue in the house of lords, 'industrial, commercial, educational and imperial interests'.
• In 1927, the government recognized the importance of film production to the British economy.
• The Cinematograph Films Act 1927 recognized the interdependency of production, distribution and exhibition, and sought to encourage home production by setting quotas for British-made films to be met by both distributors and exhibitors.
• The act was successful in the sense that production of films in the UK doubled.
• It also established several new production companies, including British international Pictures at new studios in Elstree, Warner studios at Teddington and Fox's studios at Wemberly.

The challenging of American film export

• The Government was quick to recognise the domestic importance of the film industry
• the American authorities were even quicker to recognise its importance as an export industry
• American missions abroad were reporting on foreign film market opportunities as early as the 1910s.
• In 1926, Congress appropriated $15,000 to set up the Motion Picture Section within the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce of the Department of Commerce
• This collected market information through 44 foreign offices and 300 consular offices.
• The section also appointed a trade commissioner in Europe.
• Harvard business school started to offer seminar series in the business and management of the film industry and several other American business schools and universities followed.
• Domestically the film industry was responsible for about 2 percent of overall US.
• The hollywood studios generally broke even on the American market and derived their profits from export revenues.

The 1930's boom and bust

• The arrival of "talkies" in 1928 had a positive effect on British film production.
• Their films were projected in the home market and, unlike the French and German film industries, able to compete with American sound films without the need for dubbing.
• The result was that the industry experienced a boom.
• The most successful British film production company was London Film Productions, founded by an immigrant from Hungary, Alexander Korda.
• By the late 1930s, the boom in British film production came to a sudden end.

Homework

What constitutes a British film?
There are different aspect that constitutes a British film, these are cultural context, cultural contribute,cultural hubs and cultural practitioners
The constitution of a film or where it is seen to be made is important in many ways. It can be cost effective, better marketed, more well known or just result in an rush of viewings. It involves classification to decide on  whether the film should be allowed to be classed as being from that country. Particularly for British film, to get your film classified as British it must pass through the rules given by the UK film council. The UK film council is a government run organisation which aims to improve and promote the state of film within this country.

What are the various methods of marketing a film?
There a several methods of marketing a film such as:
360-degree marketing- marketing activities which take into consideration brand identity and take an inclusive approach so that the brand is presented at all points of consumer contact. 
In theaters - trailers, posters, slideshows and standees(freestanding paperboard life-size images of figures from the film)
Television and Radio- TV commercials, product placement(mention of the film on dialogue of programme or on set posters of the film)
Internet- free distribution of trailers on movie-orientated websites  
Print- paid advertisement in newspapers, magazines and inserts in books
Merchandising-promotional giveaways
Promotional tour- film actors,directors and producers appear for TV, radio and print media interviews 


What are the different ways a film can be exhibited or consumed?
Films cam be exhibited in various ways such as:
Cinemas
TV
Internet
DVD
Blue ray
Love Film
Netflix
3D
YouTube
Film can either be rented or purchased and either through streaming or video on demand. As technology has increased the various way of consuming a film has grown.