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Friday 25 November 2011

Merchandise HW

Film Marketing is the practise of promoting a film to increase publicity and anticipation within the public audience before the film is released. This phase in the production cycle is extremely important because it maximizes success for the films general interest within the public, consequently gaining more money from the film.
There are many different sources of marketing, these cover Cd's, Games, toys and clothing.
However any merchandise has to be made suitable to the target audience, for example a certificate of U would be promoted using a range of toys which fit that age group whereas a 15 would be targeted to an older group, meaning that video games and T-Shirts would sophist.

Monday 25 April 2011

Inception 3-5 minute Micro Essay

The scene begins with slow zooms developing into a close up which clearly show the raw emotion on both Cobb's and Saitos face.The editing is used to help the tension build by creating pace between the cuts inevitably making it more intensifying for the audience. This creates dramatic tension within the audience. The mise en scen in this scene is juxtaposed between the two, Cobb clothing is all torn and rough howevor young symbolizing he has been through alot, Whereas Saido weres a suit which represents his nobility and wealph. Howevor his old wrinkled face and heavy eyes represents hes mortality. Cobb also carries a face of confusion and shadowed as he talks to Saido about their agreement. The mise en scen suggests that he does not talk because he knows what too say but almost as if this piece of information is stored in his head automatically. The scene then develops to showing the totem spinning endlessly on the wooden table, this shot encourages the fact that it is all a dream. A non-diegetic soft, quant melody starts growing from the background setting an eary howevor a mood of resolution. The music plays uninterupted until the end of the sequence. The blank look that both of them give eachover within this scene givesw the impression that they know eachover howevor in a different lifetime. The camera then shows a close up on Saitos hand as he slowly reaches for a gun. Within seconds an extreme close up is present on Cobb as he flickers his eyes. This again is a method of realization for the audience how it was all a dream.

He wakes up in the aeroplane where he once started his journey. The camera then shows Fisher, he stutters while taking the imigration forms, he then sits confused and blankas if he is completely unaware of what has happened. It then cuts to Cobb as he looks sharply at the other characters. The camera then pans right revealing everyones exhausted and confused faces. The editing is utilizeed well here as the camera swithces from face to face with a slow action showing the reactions on the peoples faces aswell as finally creating tan overall message to the audience that the job is done.

It then skips to the airport where Cinematography is key. It fuzzes out all faces of the people except for Cobb and Eames. This gives the remarkable essense of a dream, where nothing is clear. It then shows an over the shoulder shot where an officer accepts Cobbs passport. In a moment of relief Cobb looks over too Ariadne who smiles prosperously back at her. The camera then shows Cobb take his luggage and walk on. The camera keeps swithcing from behind and infront of Cobb, its purpose is to show the importance of this moment for Cobb, how he is finally home. Fisher than is given a mid shot and he shows a double take,its purpose was to create a sense of de ja vu. It then shows a first person shot of Cobb. This is to put the viewer in his shoes, to gather emotion and realization for the viewer. This scene works out so perfectly, and carries minimum Diegetic sound that it even brings up queries of weather it was a dream. From the moment they wake up them characters have know dialogue between eachover and very few shots, this opens the viewers interpretation to one preception. Time is slowed in this scene also, strenthening the perception of the dream world.

As Cobb walks into his house, paint brushes and paper are left on the table like a perfect picture, this element of mise en scen is used to show how everything is how he left it, this again strenthens the thought of it being a dream.He spins the totem on the table, and the camera slowly tilts down wards in order to see wheather it is a dream. The camera then shows Cobbs children, using slo-mo to show the importance of the moment. The camera then pans left showing the never ending spin of the totem. The camera zooms in on the totem as it jolts and then in the final few seconds of finding out the truth, the screen goes blank with a sharp non- diegetic noice playing in the background.

Sucker Punch Review

I have now seen this film on two occasions in the cinema and although movie reviewers have slated it for its lactation of emotional core and a killer plot which inevitably does not cohere as a fully satisfying film, i believe it to be fashioning, impressive and carries distinctive visual constructs from rich source materials. Its one of my latest guilty pleasures. Directed by Zack Snyder and casted by a stunning line up of beautiful actresses are honestly the reason why i went to the cinema in the first place. However once 20 minutes into the film i started to realise its potential and started enjoying it for its unique style and ambitious like quality. With Sucker Punch, though, i finally got to see what Snyder can make with self-mined ore. In some ways, this is his own Inception.



In the 1950s, a 20-year-old girl nicknamed "Babydoll" (Emily Browning) is institutionalized by her stepfather at the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane after she is blamed for the death of her younger sister. Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac), one of the asylum's orderlies, is bribed by Babydoll's stepfather into forging the signature of the asylum's psychiatrist, Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino), to have Babydoll lobotomized, so she can neither inform the authorities of the true circumstances leading to her sister's death, nor reclaim her recently deceased mother's fortune. Faced with unimaginable odds, she retreats to a fantastical world in her imagination where she and four other female inmates at the asylum, plot to escape the facility. The lines between reality and fantasy blur as Baby Doll and her four companions, as well as a mysterious guide, fight to retrieve the five items they need that will allow them to break free from their captors before it's too late... 

Once Babydoll’s perception has mentally tweaked her grim surroundings from asylum to bordello, we have a faintly titillating milieu of mascara and fishnets giving way not to inventive song-and-dance numbers, but to the fast, furious action sequences which throw just about every fantasy/sci-fi/war cliche at the screen. This happens almost literally: each set-piece is framed within a dance, which begins with Emily Browning’s Babydoll stiffly swaying her hips as we dive into her eyeball and the action, then pulls out again to find her sweaty and exhilarated while her astonished male audience pant almost post-coital. Although i enjoyed this experience when you sit back and thoroughly think about the content of Sucker Punches coerced action it feels less like stream of dream sequences and more like a series of preposterously overblown music videos.


I do believe that If as much attention had been lavished on the characters themselves as on their combat training and costume design it would be a much more successfull film. The story really,as it  turns out, is so dizzied by the artifice of its construction (be that Snyder’s film-making technique or Babydoll’s fevered Rabbit Hole-digging) that we’re encouraged to treat nothing as real, and thus feel no sense of jeopardy — only urgency. Unlike, say, The Matrix (you die in The Matrix, you die in The Real) or Inception (you get killed, you get trapped in Limbo), there’s no reason to fear death in Babydoll’s battlegrounds.


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Wednesday 20 April 2011

Source Code Review

Duncan Jones the 39 year old British film maker has just followed up his remarkable 2009 debut Moon with yet another piece of Sci-Fi brilliance. The film takes us into the troubled mind of a man who believes himself to be a US army Captain Colter Stevens, played by (Jake Gyllenhaal)

Believed to be a US army soldier he awakes with a jolt, finding himself on a train heading for Chicago shortly before 8am on one idyllic spring morning. Before he has time to question hes wherebeing a beautifull young woman named Christina played by (Michelle Monaghan) sitting opposite him says, "I took your advice." A series of questions arise from this short piece of speech, who is she? what advice has she taken? The coversation then develops leading towards Colter questioning hes own identity. A succession of odd incidents occurs before he goes to the lavatory. There he discovers he's carrying ID identifying him as Sean Fentman, a schoolteacher, and that the face in the mirror isn't his own.This is a classic film noir amnesia plot, brilliantly handled. He is then aware that he is in someone else's life going through someone else's morning commute. Shortly after with the skyline of Chicago looming in the near distance an express train zooms by on the opposite track making the train jolt furiously, bomb explodes, seemingly killing Colter and all the other passengers. Its truly a brilliantly edited opening to a film which is high in suspense and carries extroadinary thriller like elements.

Colter than wakes up in an isolation chamber, strapped to a seat, and wearing his military flight suit. He still has no idea what's happening, except that he's being spoken to by mission controller Carol Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), who calmly recites a series of memory questions to which Colter is shocked to realize he knows the answers. He learns that he's part of an operation called Beleaguered Castle, but before he can progress any further, Goodwin starts up the machinery and suddenlyColter is back on the train, at exactly the same time he first appeared there, once again speeding through Chicago with the same group of commuters.

Source code however, is not a film noir but a sort of sci-fi conspiracy movie, and while there are many twists and much additional information still to come right until the final minutes, the dramatic donnée is revealed immediately. Captain Stevens is the subject of a top-secret military experiment called "Source Code", conducted by a Dr Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), a somewhat sinister government psychologist who communicates to Colter through US air-force officer Captain Colleen Goodwin played by (Vera Farmiga) Souce code is a highly technological breakthrough inwhich properly wired deceased people can relive the last stored 8 minutes of the victim aslong as they have the same physical match. In this case Colter and Sean.

 Howevor the viewer becomes aware that the device on the train is merely a forerunner of what is to come in downtown Chicago. Stevens's patriotic task, therefore, is to locate and neutralise the madman preparing to detonate it. This he'll do by reliving Sean's last moments in a succession of eight-minute bursts until he's identified his quarry.

Saturday 16 April 2011

Marketing and Merchandising

Film Marketing is the practise of promoting a film to increase publicity and anticipation within the public audience.This phase in the production cycle is extremely important because it maximises success for the films general interest within the public, consequently gaining more money from the film.

Trailers are a main stray of film promotion because they are delivered directly to the audience. They generally reveal the genre and storyline of the movie in a highly condensed fashion compressing maximum appeal into two and half minutes.
Another form of advertisement is through Posters, film posters are usually tailored to attract a target audience, and they use tag lines, main actors, the director and many more pieces of information to create a general understanding of the films narrative and genre. This automatically creates appeal and sometimes disses appeal throughout the audience. Film posters are also success full because it can be placed anywhere and are cheap to produce.
The internet also being a widely utilized advertises films through websites where people look for information on the film at will. However I do not believe it is as effective as a poster, because website browsing requires the population to go to the website thus not as popular as a poster which is seen everywhere.

Merchandise is a form of cross-promotion used primarily to generate additional income from that property and promote the visibility of the film. Ti-in film merchandise ranges from releases such as video games to fast food toys.



Thursday 10 March 2011

What is a Film Pitch

A film pitch is the overview of a film idea presented in a way that would attract the interest from investors.
This pitch should intentionally include the following:
  • A basic idea of the films Narrative
  • A logline
  • Comparisons to other films
  • Idea of budget
  • Idea of suitable cast
  • The films genre

Film Production Cycle

The film production cycle consists of pre-production, production, post production, distribution and exhibition

Pre-production:
During pre-production, the script is broken down into individual scenes and all the locations, props, cast members, costumes, special effects and visual effects are identified. An extremely detailed schedule is produced and arrangements are made for the necessary elements to be available to the film-makers at the appropriate time. Sets are constructed, the crew is hired, financial arrangements are put in place and a start date for the beginning of principle photography is set.The pitch is also presented.

Production:
In this stage the film is filmed.

Post-production:
Post-production includes editing the picture, editing soundtrack, adding visual effects, adding sound effects and transferring the film to video.

Distribution:
The distributor is a company or individual whom is responsible for the releasing of the film to the public either theatrically or for home viewing. They are also responsible for the promotional qualities of the film, they advertise the film by organising a future franchise, using product placement and creating tie-ins.

Exhibition:
Exhibition is the stage in which the film is unveiled to the audience/public. If a distributor is working with a theatrical exhibitor, the distributor secures a written contract stipulating the amount of the gross ticket sales to be paid to the distributor by the exhibitor.

Sunday 27 February 2011

Film Pitch

Logline- A washed up superstar is forced to prevent the destruction of an alien planet and cosequently Earth from an evil race of red martians.Aswell as finding publicity redemption he is torn between his hearts desire between two woman.


Pitch-
Chuck Norris vs Martians is an action Comedy which in itself is unique and fun for a majority of audiences, it carries qualities like its primitive humour and its fast paced action sequences.The film will carry key stars such as Ben Stiller playing as the lead role, Seph Rogen formally renown from his latest film "the Green Hornet" and Megan Fox. These star roles give this film potential to grab the audiences attention.The film would ideally be directed by Jon Favreau who has clearly shown in the past that he is adept at directing action with comedic elements as shown in the Iron Man films. The film will be made on a budget of £150 million and by being released in the summer on a 12A/ PG-13  rating would maximise viewership with kids and adults. The film could be shot at the salt flats in Utah and Britain’s Pinewood Studios for the Mars sequences and we could film on location in Manhattan for the scenes in New York City. The film would need a combination of costumes and make up to create the Martian characters, and cgi would need to be used to make some of the film sequences involving Martian landscapes and spaceships.  

Thursday 10 February 2011

Film Studies: Creating a Pitch

Production Name:
Blue Peeks Entertainment  

Genre-Action:
Themes: Danger,Revenge,Terrorism,Espionage,Desperation,Time,
Characters: Villain/Antagonist,Hero/Protagonist,Support,Damsel in Distress
Narrative: Ticking Clock scenario against Time,Good vs Evil,Master full Plann (the villains plan provides as the catalyst for the heroes adventure),Big Set Pieces,Narrative drives plot, not so much characters
Props: Guns,Explosions,Cars,Body armour(in some films)
Setting: Urban,City,
Style: Fast paced music,(Editing)





Within the first few seconds you are already introduced to the codes and conventions of the genre, it clearly shows to the public the common props used in an action film. Fast paced car chases, guns and explosions are utilized to represent Bad Boys as being an action film. The trailer also introduces the common themes and styles commonely shown in an action genre, Danger, the race against time and the big scaled set pieces.

The trailer represents the urban background and also implements the characters of the narrative. The Protagonist (Will Smith) and the Damzel in Distress (Gabrielle Union)are already clear.This gives the audience further indication of the films genre.

Thursday 27 January 2011

Film Studies: I Am Legend Section 4





                                                                           A.O.Scott

On the 14th December 2007 A. O. Scott posted a review of  I am Legend on the New York Times website. He gave a positive view towards the film stating how Will Smith is the best of the three actors to embrace the life of the last man on Earth, the likes of Vincent Price and Charlton Heston, he called the overall performance of the film "There is something graceful and effortless about this performance, which not only shows what it might feel like to be the last man on earth, but also demonstrates what it is to be a movie star." However Scot also quoted that as the film progressed it lost its unique essence."Once they begin swarming, “I Am Legend” inevitably loses some of its haunting originality, since they look a lot like the monsters in “28 Days Later” (and its sequel, “28 Weeks Later”). They also represent a less compelling application of computer-generated imagery than all those empty avenues and silent buildings." 



                                                                   David Dylan Thomas                                                          

David Dylan Thomas also posted a review on I am Legend,on the website, FilmCritic.com gave the film a reasonable 6 star rating. He Thomas explained in his post how he thought that " I Am Legend maintains the power to awe. The production design by David Lazan and Naomi Shohan is nothing short of amazing", I agree with his review, except that later on in his review he criticised how as the plot develops queries are shown of faith and humanity, however as the final moments draw closer the information given back is rushed ultimately creating an anti-climax, he said that the result of these signs are underwhelming.I disagree with this opinion, for the plot is made intense and overall entertaining because it plays its genre well, the ending creates tension because the inevitable overrun by zombies was not foreseen, this complements the thrilling enticing events that create the codes and conventions of a horror genre.It is unstable and unthinkable.

The film had a budget of $150,000,000, grossing$77,211,321 on its opening weekend in 3,606 theaters, averaging $21,412 per venue, and placing it at the top of the box office. This set a record for highest grossing opening for a film for the month of December. The film grossed $256,393,010 in North America and $585,349,010 worldwide. The film was the sixth highest grossing film of 2007 in North America, and as of April 2010 stands among the top 100 all-time highest grossing films both domestically and worldwide.

The film was released on DVD on March 18, 2008 in two editions: a one-disc release, including the movie with four animated comics ("Death As a Gift," "Isolation," "Sacrificing the Few for the Many," and "Shelter"), and other features; and a two-disc special edition that includes all these extras, an alternative theatrical version of the movie with an alternate ending, and a digital copy of the film. Blu- Ray disc was released on 8th April 2008, and on December 9th 2008 a three-disk Ultimate Collector's Edition was also released.The film has sold 7.04 million DVDs and earned $126.2 million in revenue, making it the sixth best-selling DVD of 2008. However, Warner Bros was reportedly "a little disappointed" with the film's performance on the DVD market. 

Monday 24 January 2011

The Core Q and A

The Core (Jonn Amiel 2003)
How is the fact that this is a disaster film foreshadowed in the opening of the film?
In the beginning scene of the film it shows the Earth's Core automatically publicising the film name, The thrilling sharp music than complements the sequence. This brings up the first grant of information on the films genre. Most of the codes and conventions of a disaster film mostly follow out of the ordinary events which eventually form a climax, films such as 2012, and the day after tomorrow both utilize this. The first insight on the films genre is shown in the first couple of scenes. First it showed a glance of danger when a pigeon was found dead on the floor, this than escalates to a flock of birds committing suicide, busting there heads on shop windows and attacking the public. This scene than follows up with NASA guiding the path of a ship which crew contains, Thomas Parsel and Rebecca Charles.Once entering the atmosphere their navigation controls were momentarily disabled causing them to crash land in the middle of an interstate.

The 8 main characters in the film are:
Joshua Keys
Serge Lawas
Bob Wosen
Thomas Parsel
Conrad Zhinsche
Rebecca Charles
Brass and Finch

In the spaceship landing scene the music creates an emphasised loud tune in the background gaining tension, This gives a sense of unease whilst watching because of the sharp non-diegetic sound. This sequence uses stretched time using editing, this makes the sequence longer which adds to the tension.

The ellipsis is presented by the use of Keys voice which talks over the silence of the scene, he is not witnessed during this scene however you can hear him through the non-diegetic sound playing. A faint tune begins giving it a type of heroic pace, as if they are the only chance of Earths survival.While these play in the background the pace of the film is changed, using editing time is going faster skipping things that do not play a great need in the films interest, however still keeps interest and understanding within a viewers mind

The mise en scen during this sequence uses dramatic tension by harnessing the destruction of landmarks such as the Colosseum as the lightening storms target, this creates an emotional response from the audience for it could be a landmark of personal and specific importance or it could be that it is a national heritage that the audience carry. Cinematography also plays a key role in the scene, the camera zooms then uses an extreme long shot. This is intended to let the audience whiteness the magnitude of the problem at hand.

Thursday 13 January 2011

Film Studies: I Am Legend Section 3

Distribution
I am legend has been given many promotional qualities which present itself to the public, One of the main publicity and promotional attractions is because of the role of Robert Nevil played as Will Smith. Fans of one Mr. Smith may be enticed by watching Will Smith in a new film,because of his earlier succession. This creates allot of enthusiasm of the films release.Also Will Smith is lately renown for starring in films of heroism that show him as saving the world, this could attract allot of attention because people know of hes quality. Will Smith gaining this role is also expanded through the media with things such as interviews trailers and posters.I am legend also gained much hype for it had been adapted from the novel by Richard Matheson, a 1954 horror fiction which was then adapted to films, the last man on earth and then the omega man. This attracts even more viewers from the old book or film fans.There are also the fan pages that increases the buzz about the film. I am legend was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros also distributed the original Omega Man which folows as one of the three i am legend films.
A tie-in comic from DC Comics and Vertigo Comics has been created, I Am Legend: Awakening.The project draws upon collaboration from Bill Sienkiewicz, screenwriter Mark Protosevich, and author Orson Scott Card. The son of the original book's author, Richard Christian Matheson, also collaborated on the project. The project will advance from the comic to an online format in which animated featurettes (created by the team from Broken Saints) will be shown on the official website.
In October 2007, Warner Bros. Pictures in conjunction with the Electric Sheep Company launched the online multiplayer game I Am Legend: Survival in the virtual world Second Life. The game is the largest launched in the virtual world in support of a film release, permitting people to play against each other as the infected or the uninfected across a replicated 60 acres (240,000 m2) of New York City.The studio also hired the ad agency Crew Creative to develop a website that would be specifically viewable on the iPhone.


Merchandise
The certificate of I am Legend is a 15 so it is not suitable for advertisement in McDonald's, reason being McDonald's is a child friendly environment.Merchandise vary from I am legend t shirts and jumpers to action figures and i am legend golf balls.The action figures of Sam and Robert are exlusively produced by Hasbro. All of this merchandise promotes the film.

Premieres and Release 
At the premiere of the atisipated i am legend all stars were accounted for including Tom Cruise and jada smith occampanying. The premiere in London was on the 19th december 2007 with the US having their premiere on the 11th of december 2007.