Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Inspiration For Opening Sequence (Beachcombing)


What I like about this picture is how vibrant the colors are, also this is something I strongly believe relates to British social realism as it is graffiti which is vandalism and a crime however it is artistic in its own way which I find admirable. Also 'Dreams' is something in British social realist films which all protagonists have and this keeps them going its something they work and strive to achieve.  

Inspiration For Opening Sequence (Beachcombing)



I decided to go to www.postsecret.com and view some of there material and secrets, I came across this one which I believe would work extremely well as a British social realist opening sequence as well as a film mainly due to the fact the main issue in this piece of text in alcohol, which I believe is something that is a serious problem in Britain and would not only emphasize the effects of alcohol but also show how it can damage relationships a person may have and overall raise awareness. 

Monday, 30 January 2012

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Fish Tank Case Study

Themes & Situation
There are many controversial issues raised in the film which are highly taboo and others which are common to people in Britain but are very rare in other countries. An insider viewing this film may find the themes very startling whilst Brits viewing the film may also feel the same but will not be as alarmed. One of the many themes in the film would be love, the fact Mia is attracted to her Mother's Boyfriend shows that she wants what she cannot have and is unaware of the limits and naive, this is a situation that some people have or have not been in, none the less is an accurate depiction of how difficult life can be, having said that another serious issue that is evident half way through the film when Mia and Connor become intimate would be pedophilia. The fact that Mia is 15 and Connor is in his early 30s is a controversial issue and would not be mentioned in a Hollywood film, the fact the film is mainly focuses on this forbidden relationship suggests how there is no limit and does not varnish or sugarcoat the story, that is how the films conforms to British social realism. (1) Another theme that is evident in the film would be poverty as the main character Mia and her family live in a run down estate surrounded by  dilapidated homes shows how they are struggling, this is confirmed when Mia is stealing money from Connors wallet, it shows us the hardship of life and how these working class people survive on a day to day basis.


Representation
The representation of the (2) mother is not one we are used to seeing everyday, the fact she is very young and is violent towards her daughters e.g. by calling Mia a 'cunt' and slapping her across the head is shows that she is not maternal and has a very similar attitude to as teenager. The mother also wears very revealing clothing signifying that she would like to be young again and her daughters are preventing her from doing so. This representation of a mother challenges the ideologies that all mothers are caring, loving and supportive. The fact that the mother doesn't show any care to the daughters and is constantly drinking has a bad effect on them, it conforms to the Social realism movement as it shows how these average people live their lives and is transferable onto real life. Another representation constructed by the film is (2) Mia who at times can be an average 15 year old as she likes boys and enjoys dancing, however she is portrayed as a character who does not take care in her appearance as an average teenager would and she also has a soft side, this is evident when she is stroking the horse and comforting him/her. I believe that the representations constructed in the film are accurate and have validity as they challenge ideologies in an attempt to educate people, this is a way that I believe it shows how Britain is. I personally would aim to drift away from stereotypes as Britain is full of diversity and I believe that the more I attempt to breakdown these stereotypes the more realistic and representative my opening sequence of British social realism will be.  


Mise En Scene
The location of the film is in (3)Barking which is an urban, working class area, and majority of the film is shot in the area an example would be when Mia is walking around to the shops, this and shows the audience how and what real life is, the film is not set in a huge studio that been man made, its real life which contributes to the aesthetics and heightens the verisimilitude.
The location contributes greatly to British social realism as we able to see how run down and raw these areas are and how they are very boring and mundane. Throughout majority of the film a natural lighting system is used as this emphasises what is going on. An example of where a low key lighting system is used and plays a vital role is when Mia and Connor are in the living room and there is a streak of light coming through the blinds which looks very artistic and gives an impression that what is about to happen is very dark and sinister which once again fits in with the social realism movement. The actors used in the film are not famous and some have been especially casted due to their posture and manner of talking and example would be the protagonist Mia who was casted when she was spotted having a row with her boyfriend. This appeals to a niche British audience who enjoy watching a film with a well developed and written storyline as opposed to a high concept film loaded with special effects. The colour pallet used in the film is varies from setting to setting, when we are in the home there is a lack of colour and it is very bland and simple, however when we are in the more rural areas there is a more natural colour pallet. In my opening sequence I would like to use some of the colours as seen  in the movie as it reinforces how gritty, bland and mundane some parts of Britain are. The location is key as it will set the atmosphere and ambience for my audience and will be an indication as to what to expect.


Music, Sound and Dialogue
The music used in the film is a variety of songs such as Eric B. & Rakim and Ja Rule. The music used in the film is not mainstream music majority of these songs were previous number ones on the charts. Having said that a majority of the music was made in the late 80's and mid 90's. It can be said that the music is what fuels Mia and gives her hope she even carries around CD's a cassette player and speakers with her. This tells us how important music is close to her. She listens to very upbeat music that is very outgoing but as the film progresses she begins to listen to romantic and calm music, this is due to the influence of Connor. One song that stands out for me and underlines British social realism would be Bobby womack- California Dream as it is about a dream, one can say that it is about how mundane life is and how it seems to pass us by, others have suggested that it is about how we do not cherish life enough, taking these ideas in to consideration I believe they tie in with the idea of British social realism. There is lot of diagetic sound of people swearing and children shouting which is an indication as to how educated the people who live there are. It is an accurate depiction of how life is in these areas, an example would be when Mia is on the balcony drinking cider and you are able to hear voices of children and boys talking to each other. The dialogue is important as it ties in with the British social realism movement as the language is rough as there is constant use of the word 'cunt' , 'fuck' and 'slag'. This is an indication as to how they are unable to express themselves properly and lack that eloquence which is realistic.


Camera Work & Editing
The (4) camera work in the film is very simple and basic and there is a very handheld effect throughout the film. An example of this would be when Mia is being harassed by the free runners there is only one camera that is constantly moving and capturing the action. There is a use of continuity editing which heightens the verisimilitude, the editing is very basic and simple once again, there is a frequent use of eye line matches which makes us feel like were looking through the characters eyes. I would use simple camera techniques as it would give my opening sequence a raw, gritty and unvarnished look which I strongly believe will look fantastic.


Audience
The audience that would find this film intriguing would be a highly intellectual person who understands the issues raised in the film and would be able to absorb the information and form their own opinion, they would be British and would watch the film in a different perspective they wouldn't watch it as a spectacle but more as a piece of art. This audience would employ the uses and gratifications theory as they will use the film to gain information about life in other places of Britain and for personal identity as they may compare their lives to the characters.


Institution Background
The film is funded by BBC films, The UK Film Council, Limelight Communication, Content Film and Kasander Film Company who were responsible for producing and distributing. The film was shown in 47 screens in the UK and made £103 and in the US is was showcased in 2 screens and it made $373. The fact that there were so many companies funding this film suggests that they were unable to get their budget from one film company as they were not confident they were going to make a profit and therefore only gave a limited amount of money. 


Marketing Strategy
One way that the film was marketed would have been by taking the film to various festivals and has won many awards and won the Jury prize at the Cannes film festival, it also won a BAFTA and was nominated for best actress, best director and best film at the European film festival and has been featured in many film festivals e.g. Jerusalem film festival

Audience Profile Task


Areas of the film industry

1a.Development
This is were every films begins its journey, the development stage is concerned with obtaining the finances to produce the film and getting the right crew to produce the film. In this category it is broken down into  more categories which are as follows: 
  • Every film has a motive, a message or emotion they want the audience to feel. In order to do so there needs to be a source of inspiration, whether it is a real life event, a remake or an adaptation . Many films such as  The PianistSchindler's List are based on the horrific events of World War 2 . Some ideas come from newspapers or some are original, the issues that may occur with an original idea is protecting it from copyright, producers take our insurance policies so that they are protected if they are sued. 
  • Producers such as Steven Spielberg, Jerry Bruckheimer and many more play a significant role as they decide whether the film is appropriate and see if there is an audience for that kind of film. Producers are involved with all aspects of the film including financial and creative side. It is there responsibility to ensure that the film makes it to the big screen, they have to ensure that the story line is something that can be financed. A producer will usually co-operate with the writer to improve the story line or they will obtain the rights to the story line and employ a writer. Producers need to be highly educated in all aspects of the film industry and need to be good strategists and have a good business acumen.  
  • The Director is more involved with the creative development of the film and works with the producer to develop the idea further into something that can be captured by camera. They have more of an insight as to how they want the final product to look like. It can be said that the director is the bridge between the creativity and production. The role of Director and Producer is not always two people, in many cases the Director is the Producer or the Writer such as Steven Spielberg. 
  • The Writer is the the final component in the development of a film, once there is a Producer, Director and Writer the process of idea development can commence. The writer is a vital element as he is responsible for the characters and the plot. The Writer is responsible for the treatment a process were the writer will explain and describe the characters and the plot of the film. The writer must ensure that it fits a certain genre e.g. Horror, Comedy or Action, and the reader should experience the feelings of that specific genre. 
  • Another stage in development and on of the most important is the Pitch. This is were all the information that pertains to the film is gathered and analysed and will be showed to the financiers who will pay for the film. It will tell the financiers the genre, market , the people involved in the project a rough budget and a  brief synopsis. The funding is needed to aid the producer and writer, this is known as development funding. The Producer will go to different pitches and attempt to convince different potential funders that the idea will be a success and will urge them to invest in the idea.
1b. Development Finance                                                                                                                                               
This is were the rough idea is taken and the idea if finalized and is also at this stage were the Producer goes to different production companies to gain funding from a production company. 
  • Production companies may offer development money to develop the script in return production companies ask for the rights to be involved in the production of the film and a percentage on the profits.
  • Sales companies also offer development money if they feel that the project has potential and will help sell and advertise the film. The Producer can then tell the Production companies that they already have a sales company backing them and this will persuade them to fund the film. 
  • A Producer can also pitch their idea to the UK Film council, a public funding body. They are responsible for improving scripts and one can say expose many controversial issues and discover raw talent. 
  •  Private investors are similar to production companies but are harder to persuade as they are more independent and in return they demand a large cut in profits and are very much involved with the making of the film. 
1c. Script Development 
Once the Producer has obtained the development funds its now time for the script to receive some attention and the writer now has to deliver the product.  
  • A Synopsis is a very brief outline of the film, play or a novel, and explains what will be shown on the screen it helps the writer and producer see that they have the significant parts in the story. The producer and the writer must be on the same wave length and both acknowledge what kind of film they are making. 
  • Some writers use a step outline to assist them when writing this process features short descriptions of the scenes, how the characters develop and progress and many important elements are wrote down to create a picture in the writers mind and shows what is going to happen in chronological order.
  •  Film scripts contain more than the dialogue they feature the actions, events that will be seen on the screen. All the scripts a writer produces must be formatted and all have a specific text, font, page layout and terminology and these must not be changed. In order for a first draft to be successful it must describe what will appear on screen. Once the writer has finished writing the first draft it is sent off to the financiers who will analyse it and have there own idea they would like to incorporate, this is were the script editor comes in to assist the writer in any problems they may encounter 
  • Once the Director, Producer and writer are pleased with the script it becomes a final draft and  it is ready for the next stage. The writer is then paid a fee for the delivery of the final draft. The Producer writes a sales treatment that is based on the final draft script and is sent to potential financiers, it acts like an advert that sell the film to them. once the producer has a sales treatment he is able to create a rough budget, this is a rough estimate on how much funding they require. 
1d. Packaging 
Here is were the Producer begins to add more elements to the project to make it more appealing to possible financiers, because at the moment all that  is present is a final draft, a sales treatment and a rough budget.
  •  One way Producers make a film more commercial is by getting famous stars to feature in the film. This makes the film more commercial. They can be very expensive and can blow the whole budget of a film.  Producers have to ensure they have the right actors, if they do not this can result in the film not being made. 
  • Before anything is filmed or made the producer needs to work out how much the film is going to cost exactly and how long it will take to shoot the film. The budget will tell the producers how and what he will spend money on. 
  • Once all this information is gathered and completed the producer has a complete package. Now he must produce this to potential financiers. 
1e. Financing
  • The producer must travel to secure an investment, now he has the complete package he is able to attract financiers
  • Once investors are interested contracts are drawn up to negotiate the profit and the percentage that will be taken by the production company or private investor
  • After all the funding and insurance is secured and sealed the Producer is given the 'green light' and  is able to begin filming. 

2a. Production
Now all the finances are secured the actors and crew are all hired and filming can now begin. 
  • The cast director will begin to select who they want to feature in the film.On average they are usually around thirty characters in  a film. 
  • Storyboard artists are employed to map out how and what will be shot, it is vital that what is drawn is exactly what will be seen on the final product. 
  • Production designers are responsible for how the set will look and what will be on set (Mise En Scene) and hire people to create the sets for the shots. Sometimes not all the sets need to be built for this there is a location manager who goes around looking for ideal sets to film. 
  • There is also special effects planning which is done using physical and digital technology (green screens) and uses models and animatronics.
2b. The Shoot 
  • It is here were the funding is released and the key moment when the film is about to be filmed. On set will be the gaffer, sets up the lighting, the producer, the insurers who will monitor the progress of the shooting a photographer, the director, the sound and lighting team and paramedics in case of any injury and finally the property manager who is responsible for all the props. 
  •  When filming the visual effects there is a supervisor who ensure that the shot goes according to the Pre-production plan and everything is in position properly.  
2c. Post- Production
Post production begins as soon as the first day of shooting commences and visual and audio are available.
  • The assistant editor puts all the footage together and makes it available for the editor and the director can see if a scene works or need to be filmed again. if the shots work sound effects and music are added. 
  • A composer works with the director to write a musical score to go along with what is happening on scene. Then a sound editor takes all the music mixes it, adjusts all the levels and creates an arrangement that is then solidified and mastered. 
  • Digital effects are added (CGI) to emphasis to their performances.
  • Finally the credits are added by a digital compositor.After this the Tecline director a.k.a the Colorist ensures that all the shots have the same composition and grade. 
  • Once the film is complete it is ready for duplication and the sound mix is synchronized with the picture. 
3a. Sales
  • Now the film is complete it is ready to be sold, the producer will take the film to a sales agent who will be working in-between the producer and distributor and will asses the product. 
  • To sell the film to the audience a trailer is released, if a trailer looks appealing it will guarantee a good opening weekend. In order for a trailer to be successful  it must contain all the key elements of the story
  • A sales agent will produce a sales  and will predict how the film will perform in the box office based on the advertising and sales strategy they have used. 
  • Th stars of the film are always the most marketable part of a film package and are constantly being interviewed and are used to raise film awareness
  • After this is complete the producer can go and negotiate deals with distributors. 
3b. Marketing
  • To help sell the film to distributors, the producer obtains a sales agent and they begin to decide how to market the film and come up with different methods of marketing e.g. posters, trailers, guerrilla marketing, viral marketing, word of mouth and many other methods.
  • It is important that the marketing team know who their audience and are able to target them specifically to do so they create a 'heat' over the film by advertising on television, newspapers, teashells and on radio, these are known as the more traditional and conventional ways of marketing.  
4a.Exhibition
  • The celebrities are a huge advantage when it comes to selling films and have many fans who enjoy watching and viewing their films. 
  • Data is collected on the film and analysed to see how well it performed in the box office. If It has performed poorly it is cancelled. 
  • Most of the money goes to the exhibitors who screen the film. 
  • After the distributors have been paid the financiers are able to recover their profits. 




4b.Other Windows
  • If a film does well in the cinema it is then open to more lucrative channels such as DVD/Video and gaming
  • After the film has made its profit back the main people who created the film are able to take their share of the profit. 

Independent Vs. Hollywood

The two films I have selected are Harry Brown and The Mechanic, they are both action based films, The Mechanic is made and funded by Americans and Harry Brown is a British film.


Actors/Characters
Although The Mechanic is an American film the main character is Jason Statham who is British and  well-known for all Transporter films and many other action packed films. Harry Brown again also features a well- known character, Micheal caine who has featured in some of the biggest films such as Batman. The audience for both of these films are similar as they include lots of violence and are for people who are adrenaline junkies. I would say that this film is aimed at male teenagers who enjoy a fast paced film with huge explosions. The uses of these films would be for entertainment, could possibly be used for information as Harry Brown portrays how gangs are percieved in britain. I also think that Harry Brown is specifically aimed at a more active audience who are able to interpret the story in their own way and come to their own conclusions.


Sound/Dialogue
The Mechanic music features a lot of FX sounds that enhance the atmosphere of some of the scenes. the use of synthesisers and drums and crash cymbals and the effects such as, reverb echos and the panning from left to right give the film a more dramatic feel to it, I feel that these effects add a more commercial element to the film. Having said that the dialogue used is also very tantalising as each scene draws the audience into the film and makes them part of it. Harry Brown on the other hand does have some similarities FX wise but the music in the scenes have a more old-fashioned style using brass instruments, possibly to give the Micheal caine a more regal status in the film. Harry Browns soundtrack is made my Plan B who is also in the film. The dialogue used in the film is much more colloquial and people who live in London are able to interpret what image the director is attempting to portray.


Camerawork
The camerawork used in Harry Brown is to some extent very good and advanced and uses a variety of different shots as well as angles but the camera movement in my opinion is very limited, were as The Mechanic has a very dynamic feel to it and very hollywood, were as Harry Brown has moments which are very static and stationary. 


Editing & Finish
The editing used in The Mechanic looks very expensive as the stunts in the film use green screens and extravagant elements which give the film the Hollywood glossy finish. Although Harry Brown had a smaller budget than The Mechanic it still had a high quality finish and in my opinion really had a compelling, gripping storyline. Where as the The Mechanic still had a very interesting storyline it tend to focus more on the effects and on the overall look of the film.





Evaluation Of Continuity Excercise

Final Continuity Editing Video

First attempt at continuity editing

Representation Of Brtishness Task


What makes a film British? A question that has been asked since the beginning of time. Personally I think that a film that has a very realistic, raw and uses British characteristics and mannerisms makes it British and a bit of vulgar language,sexual connotations and racial stereotypes wouldn't go unnoticed. 

I think one film that is good representation of Britain would have to be Anuvahood for various reasons one of them being it if funded by British money, features British characters and last but not least gives us a rational view of what south-east London is like and the trials and tribulations young teenagers face such as peer pressure, underage sex and drug abuse. The film is set in a dilapidated council estate which reinforces poverty, which many areas in London suffer from. So in that sense it is realistic also the fact that the characters are young, immature and naive is an accurate depiction of the youth in London. In conclusion I would say that the film is aimed at young teenagers between the ages of 15-18 mainly due to the content and language used as they can relate to it.

Having said that I would say that Harry Potter latest and final film , 'The deathly hallows' is an unrealistic depiction of Britain. although they use an all British cast they give an impression to the world that all seventeen year old boys who wear glasses and are secretly wizards and carry wands. Having said that the shots that are filmed in the train stations are realistic as they show how congested and hectic trains can be. Also the fact that 'Hogwarts' doesn't really exist it takes away the realism and gives the film a more varnished and polished image. It doesn't have the same intensity of reality and rawness like Anuvahood does and does not provide us with an insight as to how life in London really is. 

BSR Timeline