Editing 4:

This lesson I have had to take the first lesson of the two we have today and at break to edit in the new shots that I took on Wednesday last week. I’ve had such a problem with it due to my actor as he wasn’t free a lot of the time due to his schedule, so I had to work around him and take off the morning to film with him.

I’m happier with my new shots however because they look a lot better and are less jerky and clearer. It won’t take long for me to edit in the shots but it’s been a bit frustrating having to re-shoot. I am looking forward to getting feedback however because I know there are several bits of my film that I’m very unsure on so I need to get people’s ideas on it.

I still need to fix a few bits of audio and I have already put my music on but still need to fiddle around with them because I’m unsure if I still need to put some music together and how that will sound.

I’m looking forward to finishing it however.

Textual Analysis:

Textual analysis has 4 main parts to it, and these are:

• Camerawork
• Sound design
• Mise-en-scene
• Editing

A lot of terminology is involved with media and these are the type of things I will need to know for my textual analysis exam.

Camerawork:

Focal Length:With focal lengths you have 3 main areas. The focus pull which focus’ on something in the foreground and then goes to the background, which therefore the audience noticed the change as it is like a human eye. Then you have a deep focus, which is a focus on more then one thing at a time in order to manipulate the audience. The last is a shallow focus, which had only one thing in focus at a time.

Camera angles: There are low and high angle shots to possibly show dominance within the scene. There are birds eye shots so the look from above the characters, also the eye level shot which is of course at eye level with a character.

Camera movements: First is dolly, which is a track on the floor when the camera can move along and then you can get the same shot every time you do it. It’s also more smooth and you can control the movement. Handheld, where the shot can not be recreated and it can be incredibly shaky, however it is versatile. Third is zoom and tied in with that is pan. Pan is where you can swivel the camera from left to right. Steadicam is when the person with the camera has it attached to them on a harness and the weight is counteracted by a weight on their back. The last is the crane shot, shot on a crane of course.

Camera shots:Camera shots have the over the shoulder shot Framing is tied with the rule of thirds, it is supposed to make the shot more realistic to it’s audience. The last is distance shots: where you have a close up, extreme close up, long shot, extreme long shot and mid shot.

Sound design:

Diegetic:this is sound that purports to originate in the world of film, so not only can the audience hear it, the characters can too.

Non-diegetic:this is sound added in post production in order to manipulate the audience and the characters can not hear it.
Along with this you have 2 types of score (soundtrack):
i) composed score- which is made for the movie which fits with the images or it is given to the composer for inspiration.
ii) compiled score- which is pre existing music.

Mis-en-scene:

Lighting: Is in reference too how much light is in the scene and the overall mood of the scene.

Colour: Is in reference to the colour of props, costumes and background within the scene.

Setting: Obviously the place at which the place is set. Sometimes it is easier for companies to film in places that already exist as it is cheaper. It also refers to props used and decoration of the set.

Actors: This is associated with the characters gestures, if they’re blocking someone else, their dialogue and how the character is stood and dressed.

Editing:

Montage:this is a series of thematically linked clips put to music which compresses time an it is used to establish time and place.

Juxtaposition:2 contrasting shots to highlight difference.

Post production:visual/ special effects, filters and colour correction.

Transitions:wipe, dissolve, fade- fade in or out.

Pace: the speed at which shots occur.

Narrative editing:This is split into three parts:
i) contiguity editing: this is where two events are happening at one him but the shots are going back and forth between the two.
ii) continuity editing: this is a sequence of shots in the order in which they happen, to show the order of events.
iii) temporal editing: editing techniques to show time passing or how fast time passed. Therefore speed up or slow down (time lapse).

“New Technology” Essay:

June 2010: What significance does the continuous development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?

The continuous development of media technology has had a big significance to media institutions and audiences because it is now easier for the institution to transport their product in a digital form for platforms to receive and deliver the film to the audience as well as the film being more accessible to the public. Also considering the constant development of technology it is easier to make movies for a smaller price due to the reduction in cost of technology.

The development of Video On Demand and DVD (Blu-ray) has had a big significance for the institute and audience as they make it easier for people to access the movie. This is because DVD’s are sold in lots of supermarkets and stores like HMV and the bigger institute will buy vast shelf space in order for the movie to be seen and sold to customers. Also VOD has allowed easier access for customers; people can watch a movie on the go and play and pause it whenever they like, it fits in well with people who have busy lifestyles. A Field in England by Ben Wheatley, being an independent movie, has taken advantage of this in order to get their movie across to their audience. Smaller movies have less of a chance of advertising their movie therefore creative innovative ways are needed to get their product to the consumer. Considering A Field In England was fully financed by Film 4, screening of the movie took place on their TV channel, which allowed people to watch the movie easily by switching on the TV. Also the movie was put on VOD which allowed a wider range of customers to access the movie and Ben Wheatley’s large fan base in the UK attracted the audience to watch it. Pride directed by Matthew Warchus is another example of this. Pride is an independent movie, therefore having the same problem of creating a vast revenue. However, due to the writer Stephen Beresford obtaining an interview about the movie and his life at the 2014 LGBT pride festival, it allowed a sort of advertising campaign amongst this group of people, who would go watch the movie to see how the issue of being gay was dealt with within a very temperamental era. The development of technology allowed this interview to go viral, as the interview was of course broadcasted at the event but a video was put on the internet which allows anyone access to it.

A Field In England allowed the consumption of the movie on a wide range of platforms. The day and date release meant that people could go see it in cinemas, on TV and it was also released on DVD and Blu-ray all on same day so different fans can easily access it from any platform to fit their life style.Day and Date release allowed the product to be consumed on different platforms and cater to its audience. The cinemagoers who are loyal to the director can go the cinema, others who have a busy life style, at home and others who like the cinema in their front room feel, obviously had blu-ray and DVD that catered to their needs. However credit needs to go to social media due to the advertisement of it on Ben Wheatley’s twitter feed. Due to Ben Wheatley’s 20.5K followers, word was spread rather quick on the social media which allowed hype for the movie.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is also a good case study to use in respect of digital technology as the movie was put on TV. This is because considering the older audience target it was easily accessible to them as the generation isn’t as tech savvy and it was also put on VOD which can be accessed on any platform, therefore by using this cross media convergence, it allowed consumption of the product on tablets, mobiles and laptops.

Due to the development of digital technology, it has allowed new ways to attract audiences to watch movies in cinemas or buy the DVD. The idea of 3D movies is very attractive to customers, this is because it draws them more into the movie which is even more of an experience as audiences will feel more included in the movie and develop more of a connection to characters and the story being told. Prometheus was released on Blu-ray in a 3D format, this allowed people to stay in the comfort of their own home and watch the movie as well as have a 3D effect without going through the hassle of going to the cinemas. This attracted audiences who were part of the global sci-fi fan base as the experience would seem more real and therefore more enjoyable.

The continuing development of digital technology therefore has a great significance to media institutions and audiences. This is because as the internet is open to anyone it is easier to share trailers and teasers amongst people, as well as for institutes to keep consumers updated with information about the movie. Also it allows people to have a more enjoyable way to view a movie as 3D allows audiences more inclusion. It has a great significance because it allows easier access for customers because several different platforms are open to audiences and therefore they can choose how and when to view the movie, therefore due to these, digital development has had a massive significance upon media institutes and audiences.

“New Technologies” Essay Plan:

June 2010: What significance does the continuous development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?

Introduction:

–> Big significance: easily access the product.

–> Easier for institute to make movie for a smaller price— attract audience.

• Own multiple platforms- a field in England- fully financed by film 4- screened on film 4- day and date easier to get money after being shown as people will by DVD or VOD to watch it again.
• Independent movies- Hard for independent movies to release movies and earn money, have to compete, marketing strategies (get creative) A FIELD IN ENGLAND- get creative- day and date releases, independent movies, large percentage of their revenue further down the line from VOD and DVD. PRIDE- independent- cannes dilm festival and writer interview
• Traditional “Hollywood” model, as opposed to modern ‘Hollywood’ model: studio film–> ticket sales at theatre–> profit. (Traditional) Studio film–> ticket sales theatre–> video rentals–> TV.
  Modern model= Studio movie–> theatre–> DVD—> VOD (in parallel)
  Examples of digital distribution and how it is consumed—> cinemas, word of mouth. Consumed on several different platforms= cinemas, DVD, Blu-ray, VOD (Netflix, love film etc.)
• 1) A Field In England- Consumption on a wide range of platforms- day and date release- people could go see it in cinemas, on TV and released on DVD and Blu-ray- all on same day so different fans can easily access it from any platform to fit their life style.(Day and Date release allowed the product to be consumed on different platforms and cater to its audience. The cinemagoers who are loyal to the director can go the cinema, others who have a busy life style, at home and others who like the cinema in their front room feel=blu-ray and DVD.)
• 2) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel- the movie was put on TV as considering the older audience it was easily accessible to them and it was also put on VOD which can be accessed on any platform e.g. Iphone, tablets. (Cross media convergence).
• New ways to attract audiences- prometheus 3D- blu-ray.

Conclusion:

The continuing development of digital technology therefore has a great significance to media institutions and audiences.

Short Of The Week!

I have a slight obsession with short movies as most of you will probably already know! However, after informing my media teacher of these, I have decided to blog about a few of my favourites!

1) Breathe:

Breathe is the story of a boy who invites his friend to a barn in the middle of nowhere, as he says he has a surprise for him. However, he doesn’t realise the extent of the danger that he is in.

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2015/02/09/breathe/

2) Tim Minchin’s Storm:

Tim Minchin rants on about his hate of people who believe in spiritual stuff that has no reasonable logic to it and believe that star sign can define the person you are and the fate you have.

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2011/04/08/tim-minchins-storm-the-animated-movie/

3) Record/Play:

This simply broke my heart. A love can last as long as time in this short and the emotions are very well displayed in a short 11 minutes. The self sacrifice and true words will keep you entangled within the story the whole time.

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2011/04/08/tim-minchins-storm-the-animated-movie/

4)The Pavement:

This film noir interpretation of a love betrayed and a brutal fatality will have you gripped until the end.

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2015/03/02/pavement/

“Media Ownership” Essay plan:

We did our brainstorm a a class…  As well as doing our own independent brainstorm…. Our question was: What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audience in the media area you have studied?

Plan: Introduction: There are several formats at which you can consume films, for example, at the cinema, Video On Demand and TV. This has changed the way the population consumes films and the ownership of this media due to the several different formats.

Paragraphs:

• BIG SIX- conglomerates-control over distribution. Dominate screens and shelf space and have a constant flow of products—-> independent movies don’t get a look in. They can spread losses due to different movie not achieving and some going over expected. The different conglomerates release movies on different days to fill schedules. (Difficult for anyone outside the BIG SIX to release a movie and do well) PROMETHEUS-BIG SIX MOVIE- EASIER TO GET MONEY.
• Independent movies- Hard for independent movies to release movies and earn money, have to compete, marketing strategies (get creative) A FIELD IN ENGLAND- get creative- day and date releases, independent movies, large percentage of their revenue further down the line from VOD and DVD. PRIDE- independent- cannes dilm festival and writer interview.
• Vertical integration-  BIG SIX- do everything themselves which is harder for smaller companies to earn money.
• Own multiple platforms- a field in England- fully financed by film 4- screened on film 4- day and date easier to get money after being shown as people will by DVD or VOD to watch it again.

Conclusion:

Media ownership has a massive impact upon the range of products available to audiences,this is due to the fact that the BIG SIX conglomerates take up shelf space and space in cinemas due to the companies being bigger therefore having more money and less likely to fail. Independent movies therefore can’t compete with these companies therefore our range as an audience is limited.

“Media Ownership” Essay:

January 2013:What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audience in the media area you have studied?

There are several formats at which you can consume films, for example, at the cinema, Video On Demand and TV. This has changed the way the population consumes films and the ownership of this media due to the several different formats. The Big Six conglomerates control 80% of the media that you have access to due to their superior stand point with in the media.

The Big Six conglomerates which are Time warner, The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, Sony, 21st Century fox and Viacom, release big movies and therefore dominate the cinema. This makes it easier for these companies to achieve their profit margins as the movie will have more advertising and have more hype. They dominate shelf space in stores as well as cinema screens as they have a constant flow of products because they are constantly making movies. This therefore means that independent movies outside of these global conglomerates find it harder to get as much money due to the bigger competition, it is harder to build up a movie on a small budget and fight against a conglomerate with a budget a lot bigger to which it can use it to advertise. The Big Six also therefore can spread their losses across the movies that they release so it’s not as big of a deal to them, some may do worse or better than they expected therefore there is no problem. These conglomerates also all have an understanding, none of them release a movie the same day as another conglomerate, this is so that none are in competition with each other as the opening weekend is important to profits. For example, Prometheus, released by one of the conglomerates, found it much easier to earn money with this movie because then advertising of the movie was everywhere in trailers and social networking therefore people chose to go see the movie based upon this as well as the reputation of it’s director, Ridley Scott.

Considering the Big Six conglomerates do dominate our screens, it mass it increasingly harder for independent movies to release a movie and do well with it. This therefore means that marketing strategies need to be adapted for them and they need to get creative with their release in order to make any money. A field in England, directed by Ben Wheatley, most certainly did this. They released the movie as a day and date release, which therefore means the movie was launched in 17 independent Picturehouse cinemas, released on film4, due to them fully financing it and released on VOD and DVD. Independent movies like A field In England that come up with these innovative strategies expect most of their percentage of revenue to come later down the line at VOD and DVD. Pride, another independent movie directed by Matthew Warches, used another tactic to appeal to a wider audience and advertise their movie. A interview was done with the writer Stephen Beresford at the LGBT festival in 2014, which speaks about how his own experiences has affected his writing. This meant that anyone involved within this festival would see the interview and watch the movie to see how he has gone about addressing the topic with in the movie. It was also later put on TV by BBC films, allowing people to access the movie easily.

The Big Six also use vertical integration which is where they buy smaller companies at different levels and tie it into one big company, which is a massive advantage. This means that they retain their profit because they do everything themselves. Whereas independent movies have a smaller amount of money to reinvest into their next movies because they have to pay other people to distribute, advertise and screen their movies.The Big Six also tie advantage of cross-media ownership. Cross-media ownership is the term given to when companies grow and can then diversify into more sectors of the media. This strategy allows wider distribution and less risk to the business as they have other sectors to stay afloat. 

Media ownership has a massive impact upon the range of products available to audiences,this is due to the fact that the BIG SIX conglomerates take up shelf space and space in cinemas due to the companies being bigger therefore having more money and less likely to fail. Independent movies therefore find it impossible to compete with these bigger movies as they simply do not have the funding to do it. This means that the big six is therefore allowed to dominate the media we consume so as an audience,our range as an audience is limited.

My Summer Favorites!

I think everyone tends to have particular songs they love to listen to in particular seasons, I know i have my winter, summer, fall and spring favourites. As it’s coming up to summer I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my favourite summer songs! I’ll only do the top ten because the playlist is pretty big!

1. George Ezra- Budapest:

I love George Ezra anyway but this song is one of my favourites! I find it incredibly uplifting and one of those songs that you can dance and sing to with friends.

2. Sam Hunt- House Party:

I love this song! It’s a new favourite of mine, by a an artist which is new to me. It’s kind of a country song but it’s also kinda not, it’s a good mix! Definitely a summer song it’s one that you would play from speakers full volume with your friends sat sunbathing.

3. MKTO- Classic:

This is a summer favourite of mine as I went to Portugal a couple of years ago and all my sister and I did was dance and sing to this by the pool! It brings back great memories for me. It’s still in my playlist for summer as it never gets old!

4. James Bay- Hold back the river:

As some of you might already know, this is my favourite song, no doubt about it, so of course it is in the playlist!

5. James Bay- Best fake smile:

Another one by my favourite artist! This is such an uplifting, fast pace, get you on your feet song and I utterly love it, I have memories of my friends and I dancing to it in our common room at school, embarrassing, but a memory I hold dear to me!

6. Vance Joy- Riptide:

I remember this song from last summer! My friend and I did work experience together at a local farm which doubles as a sort of petting zoo and it played on the radio a lot and it was the only thing keeping us going!

7. Jess Glynne- Hold my hand:

I’ve grown to love this song lately and it’s definitely one that makes me happy when I hear it so it’s on the list!

8. Jennifer Hudson and Iggy Azalea- Trouble:

A relatively new song that came out this year that I simply cannot get enough of! It’s a strange collaboration that works incredibly well, it’s a catchy song which is a sort of 60’s style with a twist on it! It’s also really catchy!

9. Dillon Francis and DJ Snake- Get low:

I discovered this song when i went to go see the latest Fast and Furious movie and loved it instantly. When it started playing my sister turned to me and smiled and we both knew it would become a favourite song between us!

10. Pitbull and Ne-Yo- Time of our lives:

This song I was introduced to about a week ago, and I instantly loved it! Ne-Yo is one of my favourite artists and I thought it was an interesting collab! So, it definitely qualified for the list.

“Digital Distribution” Essay:

January 2012: To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area that you have studied?

Cinema and film have always followed a particular model which has changed over time due to the advancement of technology and the ways you can distribute the product. The traditional ‘Hollywood” model started at the studio where they made the film and then it went to theatre’s and the ticket sales equated to the profit that the studio received from the movie. However, overtime this has changed due to the influence of modern technology. The modern model is that it starts at the studio making the film and then goes to theatre, just like the old model. However, all in parallel to the theatres, the product can also go to DVD and Video On Demand. This allows the product to be digitally advertised on several different platforms, therefore consumed on different platforms.

Examples of this would be within cinema, word of mouth is a beneficial way to achieve free advertising as people will go see the movie based upon the review from people they know, wether it’s positive or negative. Then VOD is useful because of technical convergence; it allows people who have a busy life style to use their phone, TV, tablet or laptop to consume the media product where ever and whenever they want to.

Prometheus was very well marketed within the media to achieve the amount of hype which it did receive. The movies target audience was at the teenage sic-fi fan base and so it was marketed greatly on social media sites. Ridley Scott, the director, is hugely recognised due to his popular Alien movies, therefore the sci-fi fan base exploded when it was heard that Prometheus would be coming out. A trailer for the movie was released but the two biggest advertising campaigns achieved the hype. The first was the Wondercom TED talk that was based in 2023 depicting the character of David speaking from the future about the expedition. The fan base shared this amongst the sci-fi world and the video itself and word of mouth caused the advertising for them. The second was the website. The website(www.weylandindustries.com) allowed interaction and information about the movie and allowed a more in-depth explanation of how the expedition came around and why the characters were doing it.

Pride was marketed equally as well but in a different way to achieve connection to it’s niche market. For one Pride went to Cannes film festival, a niche audience attended this festival and so the word got out about it. Another way it achieved marketing was the fact that the writer of the movie Stephen Beresford did a interview at the 2104 LGBT festival, which got the movie popular amongst this group of people as obviously with in the movie, it follows a character who is gay and how he struggles with coming out into a world which doesn’t accept it. this therefore made this available to this group of people who would be interested in the representation of someone like themselves.

A Field in England by Ben Wheatley was easily consumed by the potential audience due to the day and date release. Considering it was on a wide range of platforms, the movie was easily consumed amongst different age groups and followers of Ben Wheatley. The movie was open to cinemagoers, it was released DVD which is good for people who don’t enjoy the cinema experience. As well as Blu-ray which allows a cinema affect from the comfort of your own home.Day and Date release allowed the product to be consumed on different platforms and cater to its audiences lifestyle.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was targeted at an older audience and therefore the appropriately advertised film made consumption easier. This is because the older generation aren’t traditionally tech savvy so it was released on Cinemas to begin with, as this is the generation at which the cinema flourished so it was easily accessible to them. Also it was released on DVD which is good for people who do like to collect hard copies of the movie. However added onto that, it was also released on VOD so it was easily accessible for anyone who went to go see the movie.

To a large extent digital distribution does affect the marketing and consumption of a product due to the ways in which things can widely be advertised on different platforms to target their audience. As these different platforms do target at different audiences and so by allowing the distribution onto different devices boosts the people who will watch it and how they watch it is up to them. Consumption is easier then ever in this day and age as the convergence of products such as an xbox, where you can play video games, watch DVD’s and have access to Netflix, allows people to decide how they want to watch it, where they want to watch it, on what device they choose and always allows freedom of choice as VOD is available on smart phones, tablets etc. Also the internet has allowed digital distribution to flourish massively and allows a wider market to advertise on and therefore leads to online watching and downloading of the media product on the internet or by renting the movie from software like iTunes. Digital distribution has had, to a very large extent affected the marketing and consumption of media products to audiences.

Digital Distribution Essay Plan:

January 2012:  To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area that you have studied?

We were asked to brainstorm this question with a partner and this is what my partner and I came up with.

Then we contributed our ideas towards the class discussion brainstorm.

Then we looked at the mark scheme and saw how we could achieve marks on what we had written.

Bullet point essay plan:

• Traditional “Hollywood” model, as opposed to modern ‘Hollywood’ model: studio film–> ticket sales at theatre–> profit. (Traditional) Studio film–> ticket sales theatre–> video rentals–> TV.
• Modern model= Studio movie–> theatre–> DVD—> VOD (in parallel)
• Examples of digital distribution and how it is consumed—> cinemas, word of mouth. Consumed on several different platforms= cinemas, DVD, Blu-ray, VOD (Netflix, love film etc.)

(Digital distribution affected by this as it is now quicker and easier to consume the product and on different platforms which is directed at all age groups as every one can access it some how.)

• Marketing:

1) Prometheus- Marketed in several different ways- The movie was marketed by using social networking. Sci-fi fan base exploded evidently due to the recognition of Ridley Scott. Trialer was released and a Wondercom clip was released; TED talk 2023. Website set up (www.weylandindustries.com) set up for the fan base to look at insights to the movie and give background to the idea.

(Marketing as several different ways to look at things for the movie. The website allows interaction and information. The video allows hype for the movie.)

2) Pride- Cannes film festival- marketed at niche audience. Stephen Beresford (writer) interview at 2014 LGBT festival, market to the LGBT organisation to go see the movie due to the topic of gay people and treatment of them at the time. Loyal following fan base.

(Able to target a particular audience and make it available to them.)

• Consumption:

1) A Field In England- Consumption on a wide range of platforms- day and date release- people could go see it in cinemas, on TV and released on DVD and Blu-ray- all on same day so different fans can easily access it from any platform to fit their life style.

(Day and Date release allowed the product to be consumed on different platforms and cater to its audience. The cinemagoers who are loyal to the director can go the cinema, others who have a busy life style, at home and others who like the cinema in their front room feel=blu-ray and DVD.)

2) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel- the movie was put on TV as considering the older audience it was easily accessible to them and it was also put on VOD which can be accessed on any platform e.g. Iphone, tablets.

(Cinema- they started in this generation and they can go and watch it easily due to the advertisement on TV. Then VOD is on TV’s and tablets so tech savvy or Netflix lovers can use it.)

• Conclusion:

To a large extent digital distribution does affect the marketing and consumption of a product due to the ways in which things can widely be advertised on different platforms to target their audience and how consumption is easier than ever due to the products we have and the new technology allows the digital distribution to flourish.