Sunday, 3 July 2011

Busted (What I Go To School For) Remake - Evaluation of Skills and Conventions

As our groups created a near exact copy (in terms of shot types and editing timings), we have used the conventions of music videos in this preliminary task.
   To begin with, we have used conventions throughout the pre-production stage because we have analysed the shot types used in the original. The shot types that we used when storyboarding are long shots, mid shots, close ups and over the shoulder shots. There were many varieties of these shots that we used in the actual shooting stage of the production such as extreme close-ups and also zooming was used in some of the shots when no lip-syncing was required.
   One of the planning requirements that I needed to complete was a storyboard. These were vital for the production stage (shooting) and post production stage (editing) because organisation is a key skill for filmmaking – as I learnt when doing my film opening coursework last year. As I was directly copying the shot types from the original, I was able to right down a lot more detail on the storyboard for me to use while filming (such as the lightning direction, any panning or zooming required etc.)
   Another planning method that we used was a shoot schedule (with information about every shot including props and cast members). To summarise all of this information so that we could use it as a check list for the shooting stage, I also completed a Production Schedule that I could use throughout. As I was chosen to be the director by the class, I wanted to make sure that I was as organised as I was for my film opening. I therefore quickly created a simple laminated A4 sheet with each shot number and the take number that we could use when editing because we didn’t film the shots in chorological order.
   Lip-syncing was another convention that we as a class really tried to get right while shooting and editing and as the director, I tried to make sure that the footage that we had contained enough choice to use to edit with in terms of the actors lip-syncing the words correctly. As we used IMovie to edit the footage with during post-production, it was quite difficult as I had never really used the software before (only for the prelim task in Year 12) as so I learnt editing skills through the editing of this task – such as splitting a clip into two and being able to really fine cut the shots so that the lip-syncing was correct to the soundtrack.
   In terms of technology that we used for this task, we have developed our skills with the camera and what shot types work well with a music video to represent the band members correctly. Also, IMovie has become clearer to us all in terms of the possible editing software package that we could use for our coursework. The skills that I think that I need to personally develop are being more confident in the directing of people because when I am making my own music video, I will need to be more confident in my own work to make it the best that I possibly can do and hopefully will then encourage the cast to be more confident in their performance.

Busted (What I Go To School For) - Our Class Remake

Saturday, 18 June 2011

Risk Assessment - Busted (What I Go To School For)

There are a few risks that could occur during the shooting process and it is the responsibly of the production crew to ensure that risks are kept to a minimum. Here are a few risks that could happen during shooting and the likelihood of their occurrence:

Risk
Likelihood of Occurrence
Prevention Methods
The cast/crew tripping over the tables and chairs on set.
Medium
Ensuring that when chairs are not used, they are under the tables and that clear walkways are shown to the cast/crew for them to use throughout shooting.
That cast members cause injury by falling off of chairs.
Low
Ensure that cast members know to keep all four legs of the chair on the floor when sitting.
Accidents occurring by the use of props.
Medium
Ensure that all props are safe and secure to use by the cast and that the cast know how to use a prop properly before use (such as using a guitar prop requires correct holding to prevent dropping).
Accidents occurring by the use of the technical kit.
Medium
Ensure that all the crew members know how to use the technology properly (such as using a tripod requires the knowledge of how to support the camera correctly to prevent collapsing of the tripod).
Also ensure that the equipment is safe and that cast/crew does not trip over the technical kit.
Steps being used could cause injury if the cast/crew falls off.
Medium
Ensure that the steps are safe to use and that the cast/crew are aware of any risks that could occur during usage of them.

Production Schedule - Busted (What I Go To School For)

Shoot Schedule - Busted (What I Go To School For)

Storyboard - Busted (What I Go To School For)












































































Thursday, 16 June 2011

Lip Sync - Busted (What I Go To School For)

This lip syncing activity has developed my knowledge on the effort that is needed to mime an existing song and try to make it convincing. It has also improved my editing skills with IMovie because I did not use IMovie for my Film Introduction Coursework for AS (I used Premiere Elements).

Monday, 21 March 2011

This is England - Case Study

·         Optimum Releasing (2006) (UK) (theatrical) was the main distributor for This is England (2006). Optimum Releasing have distributed many films and are a Studio Canal Company (French).
·         The UK release date was 27/04/07.
·         Hot Fuzz (WT) was released a week previously.
·         £207,676 (UK) (29 April 2007) (62 Screens) – Opening Weekend
·         35 mm (blow-up) - Printed film format; a grant from the UK Film Council (of around £90,000) allowed Warp to generate about 60 prints and distribute them to over 20 territories.
·         Warp is only a small institution and so they would have made the film with a low budget (therefore making it a grass roots event) and would have had a low budget marketing campaign; mainly depending on the below the line advertising methods (mouth of word, reviews etc.)
·         The main publicity that would have been created for the film would have come from the fact that it was based around the director’s experiences and people’s experiences that would be recognised (social realism genre).
·         The main targeted audience were suppose to be 15+ but because of one scene, the classification of the film was raised to 18 and so the initial targeted audience (teenagers) was lost.
·         The budget of the film was around £1,500,000 (estimate).
  ·         The film posters clearly show the genre of the film because they are all standing in a line posing; which portrays the skinhead theme and the social realism genre. If it was an action film, then a striking image (key frame in the film) would have been used to attract the audience. The spray-painted text behind the character also insinuates the genre and the time period that it is set in (80’s). The audience will then be drawn towards the poster because of the culture (skinhead) that would appeal and interest them. The bright blue coloured background would attract the audience as well because it is vibrant and stands out. If it was a big theatrical poster (in a cinema) then it would be really clear and stands out to the audience, making them acknowledge it and maybe go to see it if the genre appeals to them.
·         The trailer really shows the audience because it would have been only viewed after the watershed (TV) and when showing a 15/18 film (cinemas); because of the language. There is a montage of related clips from the 80’s that introduces the time period of the film before the main character is introduced (Shaun). The music portrays the skinhead culture as well and keeps the trailer flowing. The trailer is broken down by the review comments to create tension and keep the audience interested. Also, the title has the British flag colours to stand out and relate to the film.

Distribution - Case Study

Sunday, 6 March 2011

Film Distribution Questions

Film Distribution Worksheet

1.       A film studio makes money by the percentage of royalties that it has for every DVD, VCR and Cinema ticket sold. Merchandise and pre-sales can also be a method of gaining money for a studio after the film has been produced.
2.       The money mainly comes from the audience themselves, which is why an institutions needs to make sure that their film is suitable for the targeted audience and that their advertising is sufficient. If not, then the film will not be sold and profit will not be made.
3.       The producer is the person that has the idea for a film, but it is the director and financers that carry the project ahead.
4.       Financing can be one of the most difficult stages of film production. Many methods to raise funding can be done such as: pre-sales, money from the parent company (if in a conglomerate), government grants, tax shelters or individual investors.
5.       If for example Working Title were to produce a new idea for a film, they can gain funding by using the profits from a previous successful film and carry that money over to the next project. This method would ensure some money because they know exactly how much they have made previously and also can use the film’s success to judge which ideas work best for the targeted audience. It would be a better idea to have more than one investor/funding source so that one investor does not own a too large percent of the film and so that if one drops out then the production can still fall back onto the remaining ones.
6.       In the 1920s and 1930s, some studios started achieving vertical integration by constructing theatre chains. Paramount, Warner and Fox were some of the studios that owned the “Big-Five” theatre chains.
7.       In 1948, these chains were broken up due to the US Supreme Court’s antitrust case called the United States V. Paramount Pictures, Inc. case.
8.       The studios make money from DVD and Video sales by the percentage of royalties that they get from each sale. Each product is given extra value as it goes down the chain of production (manufacturer of product – studio royalty – shipping and transport – place of retail’s profit). That is why if the audience by a DVD from Amazon, they can get it for a cheaper price as the product is sent straight from the warehouse to your address via a currier rather than it being sent to the shops. The laws revolving around copyright surround DVD rentals so that they cannot be copied – because this does not give the studio any money for what they have produced.
9.       The main way that a studio can ensure that they make profit from a film is by pre-sales and making sure that their advertising is good enough to promote a film. Also, including famous cast/directors gives the film extra promotion to the audience. Creating a moral panic can also promote the film to the audience by using the hypodermic needle model (like 2012 did through billboards).
10.   Studios can also make money by using synergy methods (like Orange Wednesdays) or creating merchandise associated with the film. Film awards/festivals can also promote the film because the audience will be able to see which films are worth going to see. Toys could be created (for children’s films such as Shrek) in order to make extra money and profit for the studio because of the copyright of the idea/characters.

Monday, 28 February 2011

Types of Marketing (My Experiences of Marketing)

My Experiences of Marketing:
-        Orange Wednesdays
-        Billboards
-        YouTube
-        Bus Adverts
-        Posters
-        TV Trailers
-        Film Trailers (In Cinema)
-        Embedded Adverts (Websites)
-        DVD Trailers
-        Facebook/Mouth of Word
-        News (Talking about Success/Failure)
-        BAFTAs/Oscar Awards – promotes films
-        Merchandise (McDonalds promotions etc)
-        Radio Adverts/Reviews
-        Magazine Reviews
-        Emails

Successful/Unsuccessful Films

Successful Films
Unsuccessful Films
-        Titanic
-        Avatar
-        The King’s Speech
-        ET
-        Toy Stories
-        Hot Fuzz
-        Shaun of the Dead
-        Bridget Jones’ Diary
-        Harry Potter Series
-        Lord of the Rings
-        Star Wars
-        Blade
-        Batman Series
-        Superman Series
-        Social Network
-        Pirates of the Caribbean Series
-        This is England
-        Twilight Series
-        Scary Movies
-        Shrek Series
-        Green Zone (Made a Loss)

Distribution and Marketing

Distribution and Marketing:
-        Introduction
-        Logistics
-        35mm to Digital (DSN Sites)
-        Release Dates/Blanket Release
-        Marketing/Advertising
-        Synergy
-        Merchandise/Soundtracks
-        Viral
-        New Tech
-        Festivals/Awards
-        Opening Weekends/Premieres
-        Quotes – from Industry.