Tuesday, 14 January 2014

History of British film industry

Early History:

The Cinema being an entertainment industry in the late nineteenth century in the United States, france and the UK. Filmmakers from the UK established small studios that would produce short films. In the first decade of the twentieth century more than 30 film studios were found in and around london. As Americas success took off the UK's rapidly faded. This was due to the expensive and heavily marketed featured films that America had. 



Cinemas had many new companies and investments of £1.5 million in cinemas in 1908 alone. This made the government recognise the potential of the film industry.

First Government support:

By 1925 British films had come to a point where fewer than 40 films a year were being made comparing this to over 150 films that were made in 1920. The issue was raised in May 1925 when Lord Newton mentioned it in the House of Lords. The Cinematograph Act 1927 helped recognise the importance of production, distribution and exhibition. The Act was a success in the sense that production companies including British International pictures at new studios in Elstree. 
For example: 


-Warner's studios at Teddington  



-Fox's studios at Wembley 


The Act also blamed for creating a market for poor quality, low cost films. 



The challenge of American film exports: 

The government was quick in recognising the importance of the film industry but American authorities were even quicker in recognising the importance of the exporting industry. In 1926 congress appropriated $15,000 to set up the motion picture Section within the Bureau of Foreign offices and 300 consular offices. This also appointed a Trade Commissioner in Europe. Harvard Business school started to offer seminar series the business and management of the film industry, several American business schools followed. This meant that film industry was responsible for about 2% of overall U.S GDP- growth and about 3% overall productivity growth between 1900-1938. 

The 1930's Boom and Bust:

The arrival of 'talkies' in 1928 had a positive effect on british film production.The films were protected in the home market and was 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 Production, founded by Alexander Korda. 

Present day:

In 2012 647 films were released- more than 12 made per week. 

Saturday, 11 January 2014

Homework

What constitutes a British film?
- The different categories that make a British film are:

  • cultural content
  • cultural contribution
  • cultural hubs
  • cultural practitioners 

- The constitution of a film/where it is seen to be made is very important for many different reasons. For example: 
  • Cost effective
  • Better marketed
  • More well known
  • Results of viewings
- Constitution of a film involves the classification of films. This will be decided on whether or not the film is classed as being from that country. For a film to be classified as British it must pass through the rules given by the UK film council. The UK film council is a government run organisation that improves and promotes the state of film within britain. 


What are the various methods of marketing a film? 
- There are a number of ways that film marketing can be done. Overall the film has to be advertised. This can be done through many different methods. For example:

  • Trailers- allows the movie to be shown all around the world. Includes the main parts of the film to make the viewers want to watch the film. 
  • Viral videos- similar to a trailer, helps to broadcast the film, created by a film based website.
  • Promotion tours- interviews from actors around the world, on television or radio ect.
  • Merchandising- products that are given away that are related to the famous actors. for example: Tops, books and posters ect.

- 360-degree marketing is a way in which a films promotion surrounds the world with their film. The film promotion is a way of getting the audience to engage in the film promotion and get them to want to watch the film. the In the 350-degree method, marketing hits the viewers/audience from all different directions and for a long period of time. 

What are the different ways a film can be exhibited or consumed?
- The main way a film can be exhibited is through Cinemas. However there are also many other ways of consuming a film now. For example: 
  • At home/television
  • Theaters 
  • Internet
  • Apps
  • You tube
  • Love film
  • DvDs
  • Tablets
  • x-box
- Films can either be watched through Streaming or Video on Demand. Films are also either rented or purchased.
- It is up to the exhibitor to send the movies to the Cinemas. This is still the case, however over time as technology has developed many people do not use the cinema as much and there are a number of different ways a film can be exhibited and how the audience/viewers can consume films.

Thursday, 9 January 2014

Further film distribution notes

Film Distribution:

The audience has the greatest power within the business. For example: if the audience likes a certain star then Hollywood are forced to use this star. This then makes the star extremely powerful. This statement is from Tony Angellotti from Hollywood. 
In another statement made by Toby Miller said that the industry that doesn't rely on waiting, licensing and responding to what the audience wants, then delivering them that. This industry relies on knowing which parts of the world and the media needs its products and will pay for them.

It is critical not to see Film distribution as a helpful stage in the life of film. The big companies that control much of the industry, control distribution in their own products. Films are loaned out to cinemas for a certain period of time and release deals are done. Within these deals it secures assess to a certain number of screens at a time. In the UK film marketing and increase in the quantity of screens showing films has not made an increase in the number of films that are shown.

There are five major distributions that dominate the UK film industry. These are

  • United International Pictures
  • Warner Brothers
  • Buena Vista
  • Twentieth Century Fox
  • Sony
Nine of every ten films seen in the UK are viewed as a result of these distributors. In most cases these distributors are linked to Hollywood production companies.


Prints:

producing physical copies of a film for cinema and home release and also finding exhibitors/retailers to see the film.

Marketing:

Raising audience awareness and anticipation of a new release.

A distributor may:


  • Be a part of the same parent company as the producers company.
  • Have a long term arrangement with a production company and provide financial assistance for many of their productions.
  • Provide financial assistance for a single film by a production company.
  • Acquire a film after it has completed production.
A film is likely to have different distributors for:

  • Releases in different countries
  • Cinema releases
  • Home video release.
360-degree branding:

Film promotion seeks to surround us with their brand, multi platform, media forms. This kind of marketing is never intrusive and very inexpensive.


Wednesday, 8 January 2014

Distribution

What is distribution?

Distribution is the third part of the film supply chain. Also known as 'invisible art'. This is because only the people within the industry know about it. However distribution is the most important part of the film industry. Distribution is where completed films come to life and connect with the audience. During the process distribution is all about releasing and sustaining films in the market place.

Licensing:

The process of which a distributor acquires the legal right to exploit a film. Licensing can take place on two different levels. These are: international distribution- Ensures that films find their way to the market 'territories' around the world. The major US studios have their own distribution offices in all major territories. Local distribution- this involves the distributor acquiring the license to release and exploit the film in a particular country. the distributor will pay the producer a guarantee for the license.

Marketing:

The marketing of a film release revolves around two key questions- 1: when? 2: how?
The schedule for forth coming releases is coordinated and published by the film distributors association. A distributor will assess the schedule to make sure only a few films are scheduled for release. After setting a release date the distributor will work towards theatrical release, investing in materials and marketing campaigns to support it.

Points and advertising:

The quantity and production of release prints and trailers: specialised films released with fewer than 10 prints into key independent cinemas, toured over a 6 month period in all parts of the UK.

Press materials, clips reels, images, press previews and screener tapes: Favourable press responses are key in developing the profile for films.

Design and printing of posters and other promotional artwork: Poster designs are highly effective in packaging the key attributes of a film for potential audiences. Other poster campaigns are used, such as: underground advertising and billboards.

Advertising campaigns-location, ad size and frequency: Advertising in magazines, national and local newspapers used to cover the awareness of release by the press.

Press campaign: Hire a press agency to run pre-releases campaign. Distributors bring over key talent for press interviews to support the release.

Arranging visits by talent from the film: The director and/or lead actors wins significant editorial coverage to support a release.

Other preview screenings: 

A distributor will consider the use of advance public screenings to create word-of-month and advance 'buzz' around the film.

The logistics of distribution:

Distributors will enter into an agreement with the cinema to screen the film on certain play dates. Its up to the distributor to transport the film to the cinemas.

Case study- Bullet Boy: 

Low budget film made in the UK, featured Saul Dibb as the director of the film. Stars Ashley Walters the rapper who was playing a young man who has shortly just been released from prison. He was involved in a violent gang. This film was the first film to tackle gang and gun crime in Britain's inner cities. The film had popular insights.

Digital Distribution:

By the end of 2005, the UK distribution and exhibition sectors where starting to use/move towards digital distribution and exhibition. 
The advantages of digital distribution:

  • More cost effective
  • logistics-light alternative to the tried and trusted
  • much cheaper
  • less stressful
  • easier to send films as computer files than to transport tins in a van.
Digital distribution and exhibition has started to appear in certain parts of the world. In the UK digital technology has been embraced by the non-theatrical sector. Digital distribution gives distributors more flexibility.

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Money behind Avatar & Trainspotting

Avatar.



Production Budget:
  • $425,000,000
Domestic Gross:
  • $760,507,625
Worldwide Gross:
  • $2,783,918,982
Profit made:
  • $2,358,918,982

Trainspotting.



Production budget:

  • $3,100,00
Worldwide gross:

  • $72,001,785
Profit made:

Comparing.
Avatar names lots of other films that the same director had made before. Whereas Trainspotting mentions one film made by the same company. Also Avatar uses animation through out and trainspotting does nnot. Therefore by Avatar being animated it makes it look more expensive & is the reason why its expensive. Trainpotting used ordinary characters and Avatar uses aliens. Hollywood film industries effect UK film industries because the UK industries can not compare to Hollywood, UK does not have the same amount of money and can not afford all the major actors.


new media technology

Which new media technology are used by the following?

Newspaper industry:

  • Apps
  • Internet
  • Social networks

Magazine: industry:

  • Internet
  • Apps
  • Social networks

Film industry: (Push marketing: film industries telling you to watch the film & pulling marketing: where you go to watch the film)

  • Television
  • Internet- Youtube & film websites
  • Apps- love-film(streaming & VOD)
  • Phone
  • Cinema
  • Magazines
  • Electronic Bill boards
  • Posters
  • DvDs (Rented or Purchased)
  • X-Box
  • Tablets
  • 3G
  • Social networks (Promotion)

Music industry:

  • Cds
  • Itunes 
  • Internet
  • Youtube
  • Computer
  • Phone
  • Ipod/Ipad
  • Apps
  • Laptop
  • Online radio

Television industry:

  • Internet
  • Television 
  • DvDs
  • BBC iplayer
  • ITV player
  • You tube
  • Phones
  • Laptops
  • Live stream 

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

representation of gender



Editing:

There are straight cuts used from one scene to another. The main cut that shows masculinity was the picture of the man who had be tired up around the mouth. This supports the idea of the masculine role played by the character who has just smashed through the door because he is tough enough and strong enough to do that to another man. Throughout the clip there are a number of action matches. Representation of gender is shown through the action matches by portraying either a masculine or feminine character. For example: when the man knocks on the door he does it very gently and then closes the door very slowly and calmly behind him. This shows that the character is not portrayed to be masculine at this part of the clip because he is very elegant as a feminine character would be portrayed. Whereas the masculine character towards the end of the clip is shown smashing the door open, this shows he is a masculine character because it makes him seem aggressive which is stereotypically how a masculine made would be viewed.

Camera shots:

At the start of the clip there is a over the shoulder shot of the women when in conversation, you see that she walks away from the man she is talking to. This shows she has control and plays a masculine character. On the other hand this could also be seen a feminine because she's not capable of giving a answer because she is weak and feminine.
Following this shot there is a medium close up of the women telling the officers what they each have to do. This suggests that the women is portrayed as masculine because she is the boss and has the power to tell other genders what to do.
There are a number of close up used on the man when he is looking at the photographs. It can be suggested that he is a detective and therefore shows him to play a masculine role because stereotypically a detective would be a masculine character. Also he is shown to be masculine because he is wearing a black suit and he is dealing with crimes which are associated with men. He is also portrayed to be clever in these close ups because he is working out evidence. Therefore he can not be feminine because the stereotype of a women would be thick/not capable.
To support the idea of feminine women not being able to cope there is a medium close up of the women struggling to look after her child and getting stressed about going to work. Due to her being at home in this shot and looking after her child it also shows traditional feminine ways.
There is a establishing shot of the abandoned house which shows that the characters will be masculine because they would be strong enough and brave enough to live in a derelict house.
When the masculine character walks into the house there is a tracking shot that follows him around the room for a few seconds. In this tracking shot you see the empty bottles and mess around the room which shows there is not feminine role in the house to clean.
There is a medium close up on a new character laughing at the extent of one of the characters getting there head smashed through a wall. This shows him to be a masculine character because be finds it funny. Whereas a feminine women would find it scary and uncomfortable to watch.
After there is a medium long shot of the child and the man character. This shot shows the man to be feminine because he can not control or fix the popcorn machine. A masculine man would be able to fix anything.

sound:

There are diegetic and non-diegetic sounds used in this clip. There is the background music when the man dealing with the crimes is portrayed to be masculine. The music supports this because it's tension music. There is also the should of the car which shows that the car is driving very fast in order to make this noise. This shows that the person driving is masculine because masculine characters are portrayed to have fast cars. There is also the loud smashing noise when the character smashes the door open, this shows he is masculine because he is very angry and violent.

Mise-en scene:

The main two masculine characters are wearing all black suited clothing which can suggest the idea of them because masculine because a stereotype of masculine is to wear suits. Wearing black is also associated with criminals and criminals are normally aggressive masculine men. Therefore this could also support the idea of the characters being masculine because one character deals with crime and the other is a criminal. The women is shown to have a important job. It can be suggested that the job is part of the police industry. This therefore shows her to be masculine because the police are stereotypically police men. The women is also shown to be feminine because she is worried about where her child is going to stay when she has to go to work and because she is wearing make-up it also suggests that she is feminine. When the man is looking after the women's child it can be suggested that he is then portrayed to be feminine because he becomes very interested in the child's feelings, this wouldn't be the case if he was portrayed as masculine because its the feminine characters that are the loving ones that listen to their children. By the way that the character in the long black coat speaks the viewers can tell that he is portrayed as a masculine character because he has a deep/harsh voice.

Overall from watching this clip the masculine roles are shown through aggressive and violent characters and the feminine characters are shown through being weak, not capable but loving and caring about the family.