Sunday 30 September 2012

Friday 28 September 2012

The Seven Areas of Assessment

The Seven Areas of Assessment


The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice

The issue with the British film industry is that we are “poorly organised” and have to get help from American film industries, such as The Weinstein Company which The Kings Speech used. Because British film companies are underfunded, they get “dominated by multinational media companies” in America, making the films we would release become under looked compared to an American film release as they can afford better publicity.
The British film companies lose a lot of money when they join up with an American film company as they will take a high percentage (85-90%) share of the profit, whereas if Britain sorted out the problem themselves they would be able to keep the entire profit.
For example if they hadn’t gotten help from America to help fund the Harry Potter films and instead just got a loan and took a risk, they could have made an increasingly higher profit for themselves.

Another issue that was raised was when the films production company knew someone who lived 12 doors down from Rush and then posted the script through his door “Rush's management wrote the film makers a furious email for their impertinence. Despite this, Rush accepted the role of Lionel Logue, the King's speech therapist.” This shows that when using there initiative (although maybe not in the most professional way) they managed to get the actor they want.

The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing

Because the British film industries are so small they felt the need to come together with The Weinstein Company, it would produce a lot of publicity in America. Although if they risked it and just took out a loan they would have easily made enough profit to pay them back and take some for themselves. But with the help of Weinstein they managed to show the whole America just how British their film was going to be, so by joining with them it probably helps a large amount when promoting in America.
By joining with other companies they are then able to cover a large range of advertising techniques, such as trailers, posters, possibly games, phone apps or wallpapers, each bringing an idea to the table and then using it in different countries and getting different responses and publicity as it leads up to the film release. Also releasing shot clips of the film will create excitement in people as they will want to know why that scene happens and what happens after it, building up the tension for the premier and then the first release date for the film.
They would create many trailers to encourage the viewers to want to come and watch the film, trailers such as these:









They can even get free publicity  due to peopole creating their own spoof trailer of the film, trailers such as this:




The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange

3D films have recently been introduced into the world of cinema bringing in more money due to the people who want a real life experiences with things flying out the screen at them or people looking so close to real that they are actually standing in front of you.
Although the equipment to make a 3D film would be high film producers could possibly quite easily make up the money and profit. If they simply only showed the film they were producing in 3D at cinemas then people would have no choice but to watch that screening, but due to the high amount of people who want that 3D experience they could probably make up the money by doing a 3D screening and a normal 2D screening.
You can market the film in a more wide variety of ways due to all the new technology, people can watch trailers on their phones, rent films, people even make their own trailer for the film which is helping them promote and I nice and free way with no expense to them. Because technology is is increasing all the time you'll always find new ways to go about seeing something or hearing about something.

The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences

Its good that people are now able to use their phones to find trailers or information about films they wish to see, and if the film companies make the right setting so their page is able to be viewed on phones then their publicity could rise by an increasing rate. The more and more people walking about on their phones everyday could be seen to them as walking money, the possibility that they could then watch the trailer on their phones that their mate told them about for example and then thinking yeah lets go see that, this could increase the viewing rate by a large amount.
This is why its ideal for a film industry to create phone enabled page so people walking around every day searching whatever come across on their phone will be able to access their page without any problems increasing their publicity.
Now online renting has become common it would also make sense for film industries to sell their film to the websites such as 'LOVEfilm' to make an easier way of watching a film without going out to buy it but paying a fair amount of money for the rental anyway. Doing this will increase the audience as people will just think when they come across it oh yeah I heard about this let’s see what its like, the amount of people that could be like that would give the film rental companies quite a high figures of money, with a percentage of that going back to the film company.

The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences


(can you think of examples of how different technologies have come together to help the film industry?) 


The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions

When the British film companies came together with The Weinstein Company in America, the company would have taken on the film because of how British it would have appeared in the script. And as America love the stereotypical British nature such as our 'posh accents' and that we always drink tea and have a King or Queen to run our country they seem to like this. With the film being very British as its about the King and the old fashioned British culture of the 1900's The Weinstein Company would have known that this would popular with America and would collect a wide audience assuring them that they would get profit out of the film. The film producers would have though the screenplay through to assure that they would get American support for a British film, so by making a film about the war in Britain and how everyone came together with the help of the King, they knew this would be something that America couldn't turn down as it lived up to their stereotypical view of Britain.


The ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour


Its good that technology is evolving because the more things we are able to get done quickly and efficiently helps us, but on the other hand many people will think that its effecting the younger generation, as it is causing them to use technology more often and not going out into the world. Technology is something everyone comes in contact with every day, due to this we are becoming more and more unable to do things without it, which I why people may be against the amount of technology used in the world as it is taking over the majority of lives that live with technology.

Monday 24 September 2012

Work done in lesson for Mrs Hammond

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGs-yzWrjdI
How important is the use of music?
The music at the end of the scene suggests that the film will be a comedy as it has a quite cheerful and jolly song playing straight after they just finished killing someone. Playing this type of music gives the impression to the audience that the film they are about to watch might not be as serious as their first expectation would have been from the film cover.
The music also puts a lightener on the fact that they just killed someone and gives the impression to the audience that it’s not bad to kill someone, it makes you laugh at the fact that the music makes the characters appear as if they are not effect from killing someone.
From the dialogue what do we learn about the narrative?It starts off quiet which makes the first scene a little suspicious as you don’t know what’s happened and what’s making the characters in the scene so tense. Also the last sentence at the end of the scene “as far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster” gave the impression to me that this was going to be a comedy type of film. That I would be preparing for a mafia type film with the comedy edge by the fact that they don’t seem to care about killing people and get influenced by the music.

Monday 17 September 2012

The Kings Speech analysis questions


How is the information structured? What would you say about the balance between image and text?The information is structured so it appears quite hard hitting, a page sized image with very few words on top shows that whoever is in that image must be of high importance in the film. With the Colin Firth poster its almost as if he’s reading out the poster to you with his eyes, his eyes being sharp and focussed on you as you read it, giving the impression that he’s there telling you what to do.
Taking both posters together, consider how elements such as colour, message, image and layout give the viewer a sense of the films subject matter, genre and style: 
The bold words and lack of them shows that it is getting straight to the point, it is hard hitting to the audience.
The fact that the font is in the style of the "keep calm and carry on" posters from world was 2 shows the importance that the poster must be trying to et across.
The images gets straight to the point of showing you that this film is serious, the lack of emotion and the concentration in the Colin Firth poster gives the impression that this film is pretty serious and you should respect it. This relates very much to the fact that the film is about the British King and it is a serious matter.

Explain the role of the films synopise, posters and trailer in the overall marketing campaign for the film:

They have made the film in a more formal way to fit in with the genre and the fact that the film is to do with the King, so everything is to be treated as if it is almost real.
The trailer shows a very formal side with the way people talk - upper class. The posters showing how concentrated the King must be

Identifying and explaining the connotations based on the GHD advert

The GHD advert could take quite a religious root as the connotations with suggest: There are 3 men in the advert poster, all of which are bowing down to the lady who is the main character in the poster. This could connotate that the 3 men are in fact the 3 wise men bowing down to the virgin mary. 
Babies that look like cupids are flying over the woman while holding a halo over the woman's head, the same type of halo you can find above the virgin mary in some paintings.
The men are worshipping her like she is their religion, like her hair and the products she used to style it should be a new religion, relating back to the advert when it reads "a new religion".
The woman looks like she has just walked down from somewhere into this grotty landscape, this could connotate that she has just walked down from heaven into the depths of hell.
The 3 men praising her are possibly pleading her to take them back up to heaven with her.
Connotating that with the hair she has, she is seen as a goddess, an angel, she still looks good no matter where she goes.
You can connect the title "urban angel" back to the advert by saying how the setting is in an urban landscape with skateboarders just minding their own business when suddenly this woman comes along and they are mesmerised by her beauty.
"Made, not born" connotates that just by using this product this woman has been made into this goddess, suggesting that this product makes you into your own goddess.
The fact that the men are wearing skull and cross bones backs up the heaven and hell theory even more, connotating that they are evil,they want this product to make them into something beautiful like it has done for the woman.
The woman is standing quite confident, like this product has made her feel more superior than the men, she looks down at the men as if showing authority over them. Because they don't have this product they are weak.
The woman's dress is red which could connotate that she is dangerous, but because of this product she is still seen as a goddess and is still accepted into heaven.

Saturday 8 September 2012

The Kings Speech info


8th September 2012               The Kings Speech

Director =
Tom Hooper

Studio(s) =
UK Film Council
See-saw Films
Beldam Productions

Distributor =
The Weinstein Company

Budget =
£8 million

Box Office =
£250 million

Actors/Actresses =
Colin Firth
Geoffery Rush
Helena Bonham Carter

Awards =
BAFTA's
-7 awards
-7 nominations
Oscar's
    - 3 awards
    - 8 nominations

Reviews =
Colin Firth is the stuttering monarch and Helena Bonham Carter the future Queen mother in a richly enjoyable drama – The Guardian

Although it doesn't cut quite as deep as it might, Tom Hooper's films is fraught and fascinating with some excellent performances - Telegraph

Sunday 2 September 2012

Why have you chosen to study media?
The course description interested me and i am interested in films, mainly horror, as i would like to persue in media make-up and work on film sets related to the horror genre.
What other subjects are you studying?

English liturature, maths and sociology.
Who is your favourite band(s)/artist(s) and why (embed a YouTube video)?

Kids In Glass Houses and my favourite band, i only came across them a couple of years ago and i straight away enjoyed their music just because it wouldnt always be the same, some songs would be heavier than others. The way they mix up their music and because its catchy to me is the reason why they are my favourite band.





What are your favourite tv programmes (embed pictures)?
Spongebob Squarepants










What is your favourite film/who is your favourite director (embed a YouTube video)?


Iron Man would be be my favourite film but Transformers would be a very close second.


What magazines do you read?
Occasionally read Kerrang.

What websites do you read?