Ethnicity

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following: 

• Camera shots - angles, movement and composition
•  Editing
•  Sound
•  Mise en scène
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Camera Shots


At the start of the clip there is a long shot of the coloured man, wearing a suit walking, from the way he is walking he comes across quite camp and shows he has a feminine nature. This wouldn't normally be associated with the ethnicity group he is from. This is supported when the coloured man in the suit says to the dreads man that he 'looks good'. However there are a number of over the shoulder shots between the two coloured men.


During these shots you can hear their conversation and during this conversation the coloured man with the dreadlocks is talking about weed which is associated with coloured people and their ethnicity group but the man in the suit disagrees with the man with the dreadlocks and he comes across very nervous when weed is mentioned this shows that although the two men are from the same ethnicity groups they both have different jobs and lives now even though they had the same background. These shots also allow you to see that they have the same colour skin. This could therefore then mean that they are from the same ethnicity group because they are of the same race. Just after this shot you see the typical hotel cleaners in their uniform. However in the long shot you can see that the cleaners are staring to strip for the man on the left. Just before this long shot there is a close up of the money on the table. 

Therefore these two shots are linked to show the importance of the money because it shows that the two girls are from the same ethnicity group. The cleaner on the left hand side in the picture then begins to stop stripping, this then shows that they are from two different ethnicity groups because one believes what they are doing is right and the other believes its not. The audience will know that the cleaners are from the same ethnicity group because they have the same accent. The audience will also then know that the cleaners are foreigners due to the way that they are speaking during the close up of them when they are first introduced speaking about the man in the room paying double for double.

• • 
    
  Mise en scène

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The setting of the first scene being a swimming pool/ spa area supports the idea of the coloured man in the suit having a feminine side because women would normally be associated with spa areas. The lighting used is also very bright and fun showing that it is also feminine because a masculine setting would be dark and spooky.



The chefs towards the end of the clip are seperated with different chef costumes, one group has white and the others have black. This could suggest that the people in the white chefs uniform are all one ethnicity and the people in the black are another ethnicity, meaning that they are split into different ethnicity groups. During the conversation at the start of the clip the man with the dreadlocks has a very strong Jamaican accent therefore showing clearly which ethnicity he is, where as the man in the suit hasn't really got an accent but because in the conversation the man with the dreads talks about how it used to be it suggests that they are from the same ethnicity because they were brought up together. When the cleaners start to strip for money it suggests that they come from a very poor ethnicity group as they are willing to strip for a man they do not know just to get some money. 

Sound

Dialogue throughout the clip represents the different ethnicity of each character. The two mean at the start are both talking about their appearance which could show they are from the same ethnicity group. However the man in the suit is portrayed to be posh, whereas the other man comes across quite common. This shows that they may be from the same ethnicity but have different backgrounds and different life styles. The two cleaners have the same accent, meaning that they are from the same ethnicity. The music playing while the cleaners are stripping shows to be a different ethnicity group to both the cleaners and the man sitting on the bed. This is because the cleaners accents are different to the peoples accents in the music and even though you do not hear the man sitting on the bed accent due to him being Japanese his accent would also be different to the music. Towards the end when the two chefs speak, the one in the black has a different accent to the one in the white. This shows that they are from different ethnicity groups because they speak differently. The man at the start of the clip with the dreadlocks uses a lot of slang words and says the word 'ganja' which is a stereotypical word associated with his Jamaican ethnicity group. 

Editing 

There is a shot reverse shot at the start of the clip, allowing the viewers to see the two men are from the same ethnicity group because of the colour of their skin and also because the shot reverse shot keeps the conversation flowing the viewers can see that they are also from the same ethnicity group because they are talking about the past and what they both used to get up to. During the shot reverse shot there are eye line matches  which supports the idea that the two men in coversation are of the same ethnicity but now have separate lives and jobs. 

13th February- Homework

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. For example: 

• Film 

• Music

• Newspapers 

• Radio 

• Magazines

• Video games.

In the film industry marketing, distribution and good production practices are massively important. Marketing, production and distribution are ways of making the film popular, if this is not done correctly then the film will not be very popular. Therefore this is a very important factor that companies have to take into acount when making a film. It can be said that successful media products depend on all three(marketing,distribution and production companies) in a equal way as they are all as important as another but it could vary. 

A well known large film company is Disney. When making Disney films marketing and distribution are the key to making the film a success. The film company Disney has made over 158 films since it came about in 1923. When the first animated films were made, For example: The lion king, Disney became very popular. As the audience for Disney films is children it has more of a wide range audience because all children will like animated films and the films will stay popular for a very long time as children are born. Disney films then became available for children all over the world. For example: Robin Hood was a wide world film as it was shown in sixteen different languages. This shows just how important distribution of a film is. 

Marketing for Disney is very easy because they have their own shops, television channel, clothing and radio station. Therefore films can be can be advertised on the Disney channel which is watched all over the world, as the channel is there own company the distribution of the film is easy. Disney use viral marketing as they promote their films online making it appeal to their audience and allow people/children to see from everywhere as its on the internet. This is a reason why Disney are so popular because it allows the audience to be up to date with new films as they are advertised all across the internet. 

Although Disney shows that distribution and marketing of the film is a highly significant reason for films becoming a success the producion practices could been seen as more important. This is due to the fact that the better production practices the film has the better the film will be because of the budgets the production practices will have. Therefore the quality of the film will be massivly better and the film will become more popular as more people will want to watch a very good quality film. Also using well known/higher level production practices can make your film more popular because the viewers will know about previous popular films they have made and want to watch the new films because they know the films will be good and will appeal to them. 

Overall a good, quality, well known production practicies are more important when it comes to successful media products depending on marketing, distribution and production practices. 

Digital distribution- Homework

Question 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?

Digital distribution is a very positive affect of the marketing and consumption of media products in the media. This is due to the fact that there are many advantages when using digital distribution. The main advantage is the alternative of sending film files over the computer instead of carrying 20-25 kg tins of film to cinemas. Another advantage is its cost effective by being cheaper in the long run and overall digital distribution makes the process a lot quicker and a lot less stressful. 

Main actors/actresses/characters or the directors of the film can be interviewed on air, on television, on the internet or even shown on movie news channels. This will increase the amount of consumers because if people like a certain character they will want to go watch the film because he/she is in the film. This is because it will create excitment for the viewers if they like one of the actors/actresses.  

Marketing the film is also affected by digital distribution. For example the development of the internet has allowed film trailers to be promoted all over different websites. Such as: YouTube. This is a positive affect for the marketing of films because it allows the film to be seen more worldwide and gets more of the public wanting to see the film as it will be advertised more frequently all over the internet. Trailers are also advertsied on Television through adverts, this also gains more public wanting to watch the film. The marketing being done in this way allows loads of people going to watch the film because they want to know what happens and then as a result of this people will start to spread the word, known as 'word of mouth' to friends and family, making them watch the film or trailer and then increases the number of 
consumers watching. 

On the other hand there are also a limited amount of disadvantages with digital distribution. For example when the films are sent by files insstead of be delivered by tins of film, it is possible for the files to be hacked. In this case films are then put online illegally/on illegal film websites. Therefore this will decreadse the companies profit of the film because people will watch the films online, illegally instead of paying to watch the films at cinemas. Since the development of digital distribution producing DVD's it is currently a lot easier and faster to download films illegally and upload them all over the internet. 

Harry Brown Homework

Questions:

• Year of release: 2009

• Classification: 18 years old

• Companies responsible for making the film: 

- Uk film council
- Marv Films

- Framestore
- Hanway films

• Distributed: Lion Gate UK

• Revenue the film took: 

- Budget: 7,300,000

- Domestic gross: 1,818,681

- Worldwide gross: 6,294,140

- Profit: - 1,005,860 = no profit


http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2010/HBRWN.php



Brief Synopsis: 

The film Harry Brown is based on a estate that used to be peaceful until the gangs formed. The film contains a number of violent scenes involving the gangs and very strong language is used frequently throughout the film. Harry Brown is the main character and his friend is murdered on night by his own weapon by the gang. Harry is told by the police that his friend was murdered and Harry's reaction is very different from others who live on the estate. He decides that enough is enough and he is going to do something about it by finding the killer. Whereas others who live on the estate just let the gangs get away with everything. Although Harry Brown is an elderly character he has a military background and therefore is very capable of catching the killer of his friend. During the film you see drug taking and sexual scenes. The ending of the film shows present day after Harry Brown has killed the killer. During the ending scene you see Harry Brown walking through the subway where is friend was murdered because the estate is now safe because the killer is dead. The film is set in Marks Gate, London. 

The characters involved in the gang are portrayed as violent and use very strong language. They are all shown wearing hoodies/jumpers because this is one of the conventions when portraying crime. The lighting used through out the whole film is very nature. This is to make the scenes look normal, as if they have not been set up. For example when you see the scene of the gang members beating a man in the middle of the estate, the lighting is very nature, just street lighting. The titles at the start of the film are very little and the main characters name 'Harry Brown' is also very small because it is showing that he is just an ordinary man. The first scene of the gang is filmed on a hand held camera, this puts the audience in the perspective of the youth. There is a shot when the police officers have just come down the estate stairs, in this shot you can see the rubbish on the floor, dirty walls and the car with no wheel trims. This shows that everything in the shot has been put there for a reason, nothing in the shot is there by accident. When the gang members are being questioned,  there is a specific shot showing the lawyer and one of the gang members with a very big gap between them, this is done to show the different status between them because of where they come from/background. Some of the members in the gang are real actors and others are real gang members who live in the estate, this is to show real life. At the very start Harry Brown is shown making tea and cleaning up, this is done to show ordinary life tasks.

Gender

Mise-en scene

Mise-en scene is used throughout the clip to show the representation of gender. This is shown through many different conventions. For example: setting, lighting, make-up and costume. 
In the first scene both of the women characters are trying to impress someone. This shows that the two females are both feminine because stereotypically feminine women feel the need to impress everyone. The costume of the characters show masculine and feminine. This is because the men are wearing suits which ca suggest they are masculine and the women are wearing skirts that then suggest they are feminine. The main setting of the clip is in the clothes shop. This is a feminine setting as you would relate a cloths/dress shop to a feminine women. Throughout the clip the lighting used is very bright, this could also support that the setting is feminine because bright, bold lighting would be associated with feminine scenes. Whereas in masculine scenes the lighting would be very dark and mysterious. The make-up that the young women is wearing shows that she is feminine because it makes her look elegant, gentle and sweet. In the scene when the alarm goes off, the man covers up the alarm in order for the person on the phone not to hear that he can not fix the alarm and is having trouble. This can suggest that the man doesn't want to be seen as if he can not cope because that would then make him become feminine. When the younger man character is introduced into the shop, he 'finds' the ring and then leaves the shop with it. This shows that he is masculine because he has control over the other man and doesn't listen to what he is saying, he just does what he wants to do. When the ending is reveled it shows that the who situation of the ring going missing was the women's plan, this makes her a masculine women because she has the power over the young man. This then makes the young man character who was portrayed as masculine before seem to be feminine. 

Camera shots

A variety of camera shots are used to show the representation of gender through this clip. 
The first shot used is a master shot. This shot establishes that the shop owner is a man which shows that he must be feminine in order to own a clothes shop. A over the shoulder shot is used between the shop owner and the elderly customer. This shows that the shop owner is masculine and the women is feminine because the man is looking down on the women and stereotypically men have a higher status then women. There is a close up used on the women's ring. This then draws the shop owners attention. Therefore this shows that the man is feminine because he is interested in jewelry and fashion. A tilt shot is used on the women. This shot shows she is a feminine character because she is wearing a long, expensive, elegant dress. There is a medium long shot showing the new men characters when being introduced. In this shot it shows the men drinking whisky, smoking and speaking about business, this then makes these characters masculine because drinking whiskey is associated with masculine men. A medium close up is used of the women panicking, getting stress and upset, this shows she is feminine because stereotypically feminine women are not able to cope is hard situations. There is also a close up showing a similar meaning of the man who can not fix the alarm, in this show it shows him to be stressed and unable to cope. This makes him then seem feminine. A long shot is used of the two men characters in the shop, this shot allows the viewer to see the man picking up clothes off the floor while the other man stands and looks at him cleaning. This makes the shop owner look feminine and the other man character masculine. 

Sound

Non-diegetic and diegetic sounds are used throughout the clip to show the representation of gender.
When the masculine men characters are introduced in the bar, you can hear their deep voices. This shows that they are masculine because deep voices are associated with masculine men. When the women is in the shop she says "my husband will kill me" when she has lost her ring. This shows that she is a feminine women because her husband has control over her. Another thing that the women says is "hair dressers appointment" this shows that she is feminine because she is getting her hair done. When the women is panicking about her ring the shop owner says "can I make a suggestion" this shows that he's masculine because he's taking control of the situation and telling her what to do. When the alarm sound is introduced it shows the man character to be a feminine man because he can not cope and fix the alarm. The background music throughout the clip shows both masculine and feminine. When the feminine women are in the scene the music is calm and innocent. Whereas when the masculine men are in the scene the music is deep and more up beat.

Editing

A number of editing techniques are used in the clip to show the representation of gender.
There is a shot reverse shot used between the shop owner and the young women. In this shot you can see the women's make-up that she is wearing. This makes her a feminine women as make-up is stereotypically associated with feminine women. There is a fade to black editing techniques used in the start of the clip when the scenes change over. The mens deep voices are introduced before the men are actually introduced. This makes them seem masculine before you even see what the characters look like because you hear them before you see them. The same editing technique is used with the women, the sound of her unzipping her bag is introduced before she is, this makes her seem feminine before you see her because bags are associated with feminine women. 

Overall the representation of gender is this clip is shown through mise-en scene, camera shots, sound and editing to portray characters as masculine men, masculine women, feminine women and feminine men.

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. 

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.