Print Research and Planning

Research

2) There is a title of publication present at the centre of the cover. This would differ in comparison to a magazine cover since the text is presented at the centre rather than at the top which would be the general place for a title to be in magazines. The central image is also seen merged with the text that would make it a lot more visually interesting for the readers to be intrigued about the content that is inside the promotional material. The colour scheme is of a pink-black colour scheme with variants of pink used in the picture that would then be used to make the image look interesting and not look a little off in the sense that it would make the imagery look bad or unappealing to the viewer which would make it harder for the promotional booklet to reach it's audience as it would receive a bad impression on the audience. The language used in the cover is mineralised to ensure that the brochure could attract an audience. It is limited in text which would make sure that it isn't dull looking as it would be seen as having to make sure that the cover looks interesting and can attract a reader with minimal words. The date is placed below the logo with a white on black contrast to make the date stand-out but not as visually appealing as the main text that is presented.  

3) 

This cover has some artistic elements that would make it seem quite unique. This would also highlight that this is an institution which is based on an arthouse cover. This would also look to have the logo since this would be seen as quite good.

In a majority of "The Flare" covers, these would show an artistic feature that would allow it to look unique. This cover has a black background with a contrast from the picture to make it look quite professional and have the focus point of the cover on the picture where the title is present.

This is another cover that was introduced in the same year as the "BFI Flare" cover which could suggest that the use of a black background and bright text in front makes the visual point the brochure. I could also implement a similar technique with the black background and the contrast to make the text the visually appealing factor of the cover.

This cover takes the theme of the text standing out in comparison to the dull red background that is used. This could make the text look more presentable. And especially since this is an art-house film festival cover, this would use artistic values to promote their festivals so that they look appealing to an audience. From the four covers that i have currently looked at, the four all use a single colour background that would then be used to be contrasted by the text that would be present.

This over goes against the norm that I would be expecting with the backgrounds since this has reversed role. This has reversed in the sense that now the visually interesting feature of the cover is now the background. In comparison to the previous that I have looked at, this cover makes the background as the visually interesting since this would be seen as the element that could attract an audience. As well as that, this could also make the different covers seem different in comparison which could present an element of being unique. I might take the background element of the cover for future for when I'm creating the actual product.

4)

 

The use of pictures that surround the contents page can attract a reader. Pictures of the topic can give audiences a visual impression as to what they should expect prior to reading it. The size of pictures could also present the different films and their significance in the magazine that they are about to read.

This contents page and the ones upcoming aren't related to art-house film however there is some aspect of having to try and make it look appealing. This can be evidenced with the picture of that main character that will be talked about or featured the most in the magazine. However I can't really use the "collect them all" segment that is featured bottom left as since the one that I'm bound to create is an art-house based film, this would mean that I can't feature something that suggests that this is promotional material for the other magazines.

What makes this contents page look quite unique is the use of pictures. The use of pictures dominate the amount of pictures that are available to the reader to look at and suggest that they are relevant to the issue is presented with the links that the numbers have on each topic that would be talked about in the pages. I could do something similar with the numbers as I could implement the same technique to make it easier for an audience to try and locate specific stories.

This contents page uses a monochrome colour scheme which is also present with the genre that I'm working on which is a noir film. This is also present with the use of photos at the side that could be used as a guideline for what the contents page could look like. The use of font also presents the contents page in a suitable manor as there shouldn't be font that looks a little off from the theme of the film/cover.

This contents page is also presented with picture dominance. This factor could be useful for when I'm creating my contents page, I should be cautious and make sure that the text doesn't overwhelm the pictures. This would therefore be the main focus of having to try and making a visually appealing contents page.

Planning and sketching

1) Target Audience Interests:

• Suspense.
• A good narrative.
• Interesting characters.
• Protagonist motives correlate to the character
• Serious tone through out.
• Antagonist who seems evil and that the audience would want to hate rather than not care about. 
• Presenting the control of the gangsters and what makes them fearful.

4) Features of the Contents Page:

• Feature Film.
• Highlight other films that would be included.
• Other pages.
• Pictures that relate to the contents page.
• Fonts that relate to the theme of the cover. 

Photoshoot

1) The main character will be Tony Bantino with his covert suit on as the blue suit.

2) The images required would be the images of the diffrent productions that are also being created to create some other photos to look at besides the Exposure pictures.

3) The big image would be the shot of Tony Bantino but expanded further to cover half a page so that there can be space for quotes from the film to add in.

5) The costume would be the blue suit that will be worn in the 3 minute scene as there would be some synergy between both cover and three minute extract. 

6) There will be contact with the different members of "Exposure" to talk about the essentials an if they are ready or not. 

MEST 2 Progress Report - 20 January

Work completed since 6/01/2016

The Pre-Production tasks that have been completed are as follows: 

Mise-en-scene: Completed by Taranjit with details about what the film should look like. However there aren't many pictures to show the destinations as well as the casting. 

Project Schedule: Under construction as the group hasn't talked about times in detail for the Project Schedule to be completed.

Script: Complete but needs to be printed. Mainly has the dialogue that has required. This would also include the scenery that would be expected in the extract.

Storyboard: Completed and set in folder

Shot list: Completed on two separate documents. One being the concise shots. However there are some shots that would act as back up for the film just in case there isn't much time into the film with the concise shot list. Both shot lists will be recorded though if in any way that the film will be a little short.

Action Plan

The project schedule would need to be completed so that there can be a confirmation of times and days that filming will be done. Schedule would need to at least have some work completed for it to be complete. The work would include 

Filming also needs to be completed by the end of of the month. Planned to have the filming start on 23/01/2016. However this could be sidetracked in the sense that there may be some alterations in the schedule. 

Date of Filming Completion: Approximately 02/02/2016

Requirements for the Photoshoot

Costume would be required to present the film's character. Ideally there should be a suit to be worn. This would have synergy with the extract as this would be the same suit that is worn during the montage of the protagonist getting ready for the operation. 

Focus Group Feedback

In this task, the group had to discuss the 3 minute segment that was included as a part of the film. The discussion also included having to talk about the film's narrative and how the 3 minute segment fits into the story. As well as that, this included other factors of the movie which included the Tag-line, Actors, and the Characters included.

Overall Opinions from the Class

• If you watch the TV show called the 'wire', the gangsters are all sort of late teens/early twenties... so in a modern noire it could work
• You need to build into the idea that this is a young gang, and therefore the police need a young police officer to infiltrate the gang who area similar age to the gangster
• I just think you need to work on the ages and the actors to make sure that it fits and feels right and feels convincing..tagline needs a little work
• Normally in a Mafia movie the characters are often older
• Its increasingly become a problem with any media productions that involve weapons. So, you need to make sure that, that entire sequence is filmed in one of your houses.. so anything involving crime or weapons, you have to be incredibly careful where you film it, or a member of the public will call the police
• The three minute clip seems a bit too action packed, like lots of things are happening at the same time
• Simplify the storyline a little bit, so that it is easier to tell

Overall the feedback had mainly talked about the age and the actors. This would be used to try and find actors who would further suit the role. Some comments would also talk about the feature of friends that would be seen as  giving a funny tone since fellow classmates would recognise the actors and might find it funny if the actor outside the film is perceived differently than in the film. This could change the tone of a serius matter in the film and so this could be a downfall to the scene. Therefore we would avoid having to make sure that we get actors who aren't recognised. 

Target Audience

Age Rating: 15- This could be due to the swearing that would take place through out the actual film. However the swearing won't take place in the 3 minute segment. As well as that the social class of the film would be targeted at a wide range. And lower class viewers might also be interested in the film since they would relate to the film's setting and so this could intrigue them to watch the film as it has an aspect of crime that a male audience would find interesting.

BBFC Institution Research

1) It is responsible for regulating and rating films dependent on the content that the film offers. It is a non-profit association which would rate the films with an age rating to provide people some guidance as to what they must watch and what they can't. It is funded by the fees of it's service as it would examine a film and classify an age rating for it. Its association with the government is through the 

2) Examiners are given the film in DVD platform or other. They then look for specific sections of the film which would could include the plot and the characters that are involved. This will also include bad language, sexual content, or drug references  which relate to an adult theme.

3) The debate talks about whether ratings are good as they wouldn't want to make their viewers desensitised about the content as it may compromise their morality. This can factor into the representation of the issues and the tone that it has which make controversial content seem acceptable to an audience.

4) The Dark Knight has a controversial scene with a pencil trick that an audience could infer that he may have been killed from the trick.

5) Strong violence  portrayals of sexual activity  drug taking sexual nudity  Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence Strong language.

6) Adulthood was rated a 15. This was due to the violence that was included that may not be appropriate for a younger audience. Other factors that would make it 15 is that there is strong language used that may also be seen as more appropriate for a 15 rated audience. As well as that, there is some sexual scenes that is also present in the film. However there wasn't much nudity as it is kept in the minimum.

Arthouse Film Institution Research

Production: Independent film studios

1) Boyhood: IFC Productions, Detour Filmproduction.

It Follows:  Animal Kingdom, Northern Lights, Two Flints.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Focus Features, This Is That Productions. 

The Falling: X-Filme Creative Pool, BBC Films, Independent, BFI.

Lilting: London Film Productions, Microwave.

2) IFC Productions: Tale of Tales, Asthma, The Salvation, Time out of Mind, Outpost 37.
Detour Filmproductions: Bernie, Bad Mews Bears, SubUrbia, Before Sunrise.
Two Flints: I'll See You in My Dreams.
X-Filme Creative Pool: Hangover in High Heels, We are Fine, The Dark Valley, 4 Days in May
London Films Production: Sideshow, The Scarlett Pimpernel, Lady Chatterly.
Focus Features: The Zookeepers Wife, Fifty Shades of Grey, The Theory of Everything, Anna Karenina

3) IFC Films Success: Phoenix 
Detour Filmproductions Success: Before Midnight
Two Flints Success: It Follows 
London Film Productions Success: Lilting 
Focus Features Success: A Theory of Everything

Distribution: Independent film distributors

1) Scene 1: Audience is an important factor as it is based on their emotions. This can also act as a form of escapism since an audience would want to follow a story.

Scene 2: Films can have an impact on both commercially and socially with people's lives as they gossip about films. And how films try to target a mass audience.

Scene 3: Distribution is the most competitive business as they would need to make suer that an audience would enjoy the film and hope that it meets expectations for their audience. 

Scene 4: Distributors who have a connection with Hollywood or not has various ways to distribute films even with films made outside of Hollywood.

Scene 5: Studios would sell rights to the distributors. And then the Distributors would consider their target market for the content that they are about to distribute. And then they earn money from the film's earnings.

Scene 6: Distributors sign a contract with the producer, sales agents, or a studio for the rights that they hold to the film that they are distributing.

Scene 7: The distributors consider what to do with the film and judge what to do along the lines of experience from the director and the performance of the cast.

Scene 8: They try to find an opportune chance for the film to gain some success. They would go for who it is targeted at, what kind of film it is which could dictate what sort of cinema would suit it's genre which links onto where it should be distributed as it could be accessible to people on line as well as other formats such as physical discs. How it could be released which could mean the cost for it tom be distributed in cinemas so that they can estimate a good decision for the release of the film.

Scene 9: Methods that would be used to market the film. This would include techniques such as trailers, billboard adverts, posters, and exit polls which make paid screenings of the film to an audience who would give it a fair judgement and if the feedback is positive, then these can be spread through word of mouth or featured in their trailers. 

Scene 10: Licensing the film to the distributors is the last part and so they would distribute the film. The film would need to be classified by age rating in accordance with the BBFC and so they would do tasks such as  subtitling the movie for a foreign film as it should compensate for the large population of people who speak English. They would also need to make sure that they can get Box Office Returns as well to ensure the success of the film.

2)  Distributors: Focus Features: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotlesss Mind 

Universal Home Entertainment: Boyhood

The Weinstein Company: It Follows

Metrodome Distribution: The Falling

Artificial Eye: Lilting

4) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: £1,045,501 (UK)

Boyhood: $43,237,465 (Worldwide)

It Follows: $10,100,000 (Worldwide) (4 April 2015) 

The Falling: £359,082 (UK) (24 May 2015)

Lilting:  $1,567 (USA) (28 September 2014)

5) Curazon is the leading UK independent film distributor.

6) Arthouse films tend to take real-life stories which take a realistic take most of he time. They are also mainly narrative driven which would suggest that these films would be more focused on viewers who are vigilant. There is also some foreign films which are also an aspect of the arthouse genre which could be implemented in the short film.

Exhibition: Arthouse cinemas

1) Electric Cinema located at Notting Hill.

2) They would show Arthouse films However recently they have been screening some mainstream films. In comparison to Vue, they wouldn't show many mainstream films that revolve around action but rather are story driven.

3) The audience would generally be of an ABC1 audience as the venue has a luxury style in the theatre as well as having featured sofas rather than seats which could dictate the price being quite expensive.

A case study in independent film production: Film London and Microwave Film

1) It's a film and media agency.

2) Microwave Film funds films. They give development and mentorship support to all of the short-listed projects.

3) This is a competition thst could fund independent films if they would win.

4) 

Lilting

This film can attract viewers as itn has a realistic story and has a strong narrative that not many mainstream viewers would want to watch.

iLL Manors

This is based on a story of those who live in a low social class that could attract people into watching the film of their struggles and how they would cope with it. As well as this, they also include the story of gangs in London which could attract an audience od C2DE as it is a story that is based in their local area.

Shifty

This is quite similar to iLL Manors in both setting and theme as both relate to gangs. Therefore this would be seen as having a similar target audience. Their ideal audience would be C2DE as well since they are basing stories around their area. This could also attract a male audience as it has some action codes such as drugs that may interest a male audience.

5) What I've learnt is that in order to create a good story, I would need to present both sides. This could then make things more interesting and present the antagonist as a larger threat than in comparison to just having a single sided story. You mustn't add too much into the script as it may demotivate the actors who are portraying the clip as they may be confused as to how to act it. Therefore the script should have a concise structure that can be followed on by the cast. 

Existing product research

Boyhood

The establishing shot used at the start of the clip presents a school that the child character would be going to. This could also connote to the audience that this is where they are currently located as establishing shots would tend to present where characters are.There is also an American flag that is present on the school that could also suggest to the audience that the school is located in America This clip mainly features medium shots of the character to suggest that body language maybe used to emphasise emotions in this scene. Also, the pacing on this clip is at a slow pace which could also show that both characters aren't in any danger or are in an action sequence. This scene also has some high key lighting as there aren't many shadows present in the scene. The camerawork has the background being blurred around the characters to show that they are trying to focus all their attention onto the characters. This film is rated a 15 under the BBFC. I think that it would be rated a 15 because it is a story that is filmed in 12 years presenting the life of a 6 year old boy growing into an adult and so this could be related to the target audience. Although it may not be for everyone that is 15 and up as it may seem boring since there isn't any fighting or form of combat that would be appealing to others. This could be entertaining to those who have a high education as they may find documentaries quite interesting and so this film acts quite like a documentary as it presents the life of a young child growing up. This could therefore be targeted at an audience of ABC1 as they may find it interesting to see the life of a young child grow up.

The Falling

The mise-en-scene shows that there are female students who are in a trip with the teacher being in the first shot of the clip. Since she isn't wearing a uniform that matches the others and the commands that she gives could also suggest that she is a teacher. The camera is slightly tilted downwards to make the teacher look a little superior but while not making her look intimidating as she isn't about to attack anyone. The location is near a lake which could be inferred as a peaceful place. This could suggest that this isn't an action film as the background music behind it also enforce that it is a film that is based around students. There is also a use of a fade which transitions from one setting to another. In this case the audience was looking at the envisioning of the poem that the character is reading out loud to a class. There are also some medium paced cuts to show the characters who are listening to the poem which could suggest that they are significant characters as they have more screen time in comparison to the other students. This film is rated a 15 as it has some content that is regarded as inappropriate to a younger audience. According to the BBFC, this film contains sexual content. This could be one of the primary reasons as to why it would be rated 15 as well as a class of ABC1 as they are more likely to watch art-house films. It could also be mainly tailored for females as the protagonists of this film are female students and so they might be interested in a film like The Falling. The setting is also based in a school and since those who are allocated at ABC1 are mainly seen as interested in educational themes in movies.

It Follows

The camera-work shows the panning shot which establishes the location of where the protagonist is at the current moment of the film. It is slow paced which could suggest that this isn't an action sequence but rather a neutral scene with the protagonist for the first minute or so. This pacing later changes as the protagonist glares at the demon that is following her. The cuts during this segment speed up slightly as this would add up to the tension that are typically found in horror films. The cuts get faster as the demon closes in on the protagonist which adds onto the tension that an audience would be engaged in. The track that was used during the demon's movement to the protagonist is also adding to the tension as it gets louder as it approaches her. In the segment of the clip where the protagonist says "Hello", the pace is slowed down to suggest the impact of the reaction that is being made by her which can also support the overall theme of tension that is playing. And just as she is about to exit the premise, the track becomes louder at the same time that the demon is getting closer which can impact the scene greatly for a dramatic event for viewers to gain tension from. This film has an age rating of 15 which can be understandable due to the sexual references that have been made. This film could attract to many with an approximate social class of ABC12 which can be enforced by the fact that it is a horror film that would appeal to a wider audience for an arthouse film. In my opinion it could have a higher percentage of males to females by 60/40 as horror films tend to be more linked with males due to the action, suspense and sexual content that may intrigue them to watch it. However this doesn't have to hinder a female audience as the protagonist is female which might attract them to watch the film.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This clip start with a character drawing a picture with then has a match shot which closely resembles the drawing. The track that has been picked depicts a neutral atmosphere since there isn't any form of tension being built up but rather a progressive conversation which is supported with the track. The editing is also slow paced which could suggest that there are some details that would be important for a viewer to focus on this conversation if they want tot follow the story. This clip also follows the 180 degree rule which can be noticed as the side of the train can be used as guidance for the rule to be fulfilled. This can therefore make the conversation look natural and with the cuts that edit together wouldn't make the scene look disorientating. The mise-en-scene shown here presents the characters as starting a relationship as friends as seen with the body language that doesn't suggest any sort of violent engagement. Throughout the entire scene, this has had steady camera work which had focused on the emotions of the characters as they both could be suggested to become partners since they take most of the screen time during this scene. This film has been rated 15 according to BBFC due to its realistic story that a younger audience may not find appealing as they would most likely go for a fantasy adventure film. In my opinion this could most probably be more favoured to women with an approximate divide of 70/30 as it has the romantic genre presented with this clip  with the conversation that has been made. This could also link with social class of ABC1 as the film takes a realistic story that those in a higher up may understand. However it could be argued to go down to C2 as it isn't necesarilly there for ABC1 as this narrative can also appeal to them. 

Lilting

This clip starts slowly with the reaction form the mother of one of the characters who seem to be talking about a delicate situation. There isn't any music that plays throughout this whole clip which can further enforce the serious tone that this film is giving to its viewers. The shots looks to be close-ups which can suggest that emotion is a strong factor with this clip. The slow pacing can also support the serious tone as the pacing can solely focus on the reactions that are present with the characters. The lighting is of a high key lighting that could suggest the overall tone of the movie. Also having high key lighting is essential as they would want to focus on the reactions of the characters for when they would be talking about serious matters such as scattering ashes of a best friend as portrayed in this clip. The film has been rated 15 with accordance with the BBFC as it does cover a serious topic about losing a friend and where they would want their ashes to be scattered. This film also covers an element of romance that isn't heavily featured but does drive the narrative forward. This aspect would most likely make it that would make more tailored towards a female related film. This can be due to the serious tone and real=life scenario that has been given. This may not attract males as in general they would want to see genres such as action and adventure. In my opinion, the divide for female to male is 70/30 as it does cover a topic that won't appeal to a male audience. Also, this film would probably have social class of ABC1 as this is a serious tone story with the age rating suiting the film. The high range of social class is due to the narrative that it provides that may not make it appeal to social classes that are under that range.

Preliminary Exercise evaluation feedback

Evaluation mark: 5/10

Grade: D

WWW: A reasonably solid evaluation that does use media terminology effectively in the middle paragraph. You’ve been honest and highlighted the weaknesses accurately. You’ve also acknowledged that you needed to contribute more to the group which is a brilliant lesson for the main coursework to follow.

EBI: For the top grades, you lack the detailed analysis of key shots, edits, sounds etc. and the possible interpretations for the audience. The beginning of your middle paragraph (‘The panning shot…’) is what you need more of – but you also need the depth to the analysis too. You never have more than a sentence of analysis on each aspect. The weaknesses focus heavily on process rather than film analysis – aside from the dialogue issue which you could have made more of.

LR: Copy and paste this feedback into a new blogpost and write three specific aspects you will look to improve for the real MEST2 evaluation in March.

• For starters I'd like to try and focus more on shots, edits, and sounds and explain the effect that it has on the audience.
• I should also add more into what I talk about so that there is more depth into each topic that I talk about. This could mean talking about the effect on the audience which has previously been mentioned. 
• Next time I should probably focus on film analysis which would mean that I haven't implemented some film analysis which is something that has been taught and including this could improve on the actual evaluation.