Cross Media Convergence and Synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of a media product to audiences. To what extent do you agree in relation to you case studies?

We are living in a society where technology is all around us. This has increased the potential for more companies to work together to help make a film successful. In this response I will argue that cross media convergence and synergy are a vital process in the marketing of films as they help to market and distribute films more directly. However, synergy and cross-media convergence are used in different ways depending on the budget of a film.

Warner Bros. Pictures is one of the 6 major conglomerates in the USA with many subsidiary companies such as Warner Bros Studios. This means they set high budgets for each film and therefore they are able to use the use of synergy and convergence in a number of ways.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (2012) was filmed with IMAX cameras for 72 minutes of the film. Christopher Nolan doesn’t believe in the idea of 3D. However he wanted his films to be of a high quality. This highlights the increase of IMAX as in ‘The Dark Knight’ there was also a scene shot in IMAX. In January 2012, six months prior to the film's release, tickets for midnight IMAX showings in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles went on sale and sold out immediately.

More and more films are being marketed on the internet and through mobile phones with Apps. The official website for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ was released in May 2011. The website introduced a viral marketing campaign which was similar to Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’. The website also revealed the first official image of ‘Bane’; this highlighted the use of New Media Technology.

The social networking site ‘Twitter’ was created where the target audience created a hashtag for the film ‘TheFireRises’, this allowed the film to get more noticed and well known to the audience.

As Warner Bros. Pictures set a high budget for the film, they were able to distribute the film to their target audience in a number of different ways. When the teaser trailer was released, they had competition with ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2’, which was also a big success in the box office. The theatrical trailer was released with ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ was shown again with the release of ‘The Avengers’. Warner Bros released many different types of trailers which advertised to the audience the new release of the film where the audience where then reminded about the tickets are now on sale.

The interaction between Warner Bros. Pictures and the American international Toy Fair, Mattel unveiled figures of Batman, Bane and Catwoman. This ensured that the film was being marketed correctly to its target audience. This is beneficial for each company through efficiencies in expertise and costs. Warner Bros also partnered with Mountain Dew to do a cross promotion that included a special paint scheme on the No. 88 Chevrolet Impala owned by Earnhardt, Jr in the NASCAR sprint cup series. In July 4, 2012, Warner Bros. Studio signed a deal with Formula One team Lotus F1 to have the films logo appear on the Lotus E20s. Similarly, Warner Bros had done a similar promotion in 2088 British Grand Prix, when promoting ‘The Dark Knight’.

However when distributing and marketing ‘The Inbetweeners’ box set of the series 1,2 and 3 to help them purchase the Samsung Galaxy Ace mobile at Phones 4 U stores, but also to celebrate the release of the new ‘Inbetweeners’ film.

They  used the cross-media publicity to get their target audience attention to remind them about the new release by going to talk to ‘Absolute Radio. For people who missed this on the radio they had an opportunity to download it on iTunes and subscribe to Podcasts.

Another way in which they marketed their film was by placing an advertisement on ‘The Nations Noodle’ box. They also released a Year Book and started a completion for their target audience.

Due to them being an independent they didn’t have a lot of money to spend on advertising. Therefore they set up a Facebook and Twitter account where members from the movie spoke to their target audience. The E4 website released the official trailer for ‘The Inbetweeners Movie’.

In today’s society we no longer need to buy DVDs as we can download them online or watch them on YouTube. Blu-Ray DVDs carry more features than the original DVD and it can be played on HD TV. The Inbetweeners Movie was released on Blu-Ray which included features and an extended cut of the glim that restores approximately 4 minutes of material omitted from the theatrical release. You could also rent the film on 4OD and on LOVEFiLM. There was a prediction that the release of the DVD for ‘The Inbetweeners Movie’ was going to be successful due to the success in the series of The Inbetweeners, this gave an advantage for the company as they knew that their target audience was going to be interested in this new release.

In conclusion depending on which type of company is producing the film, for example an independent or major company, the budge of the film will be different. The independent will have a low budget and the major will have a high budget. This will vary on how successful each film will be due to the amount of money spent on marketing the product. 

January 2013: ER – Age

The clip ER is representing age; this suggests to the audience that the older you are, it doesn’t make you wiser. This representational issue is shown through camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene.

The clip begins with a mid shot of two doctors outside a patient’s room where you can hear the sound of phones ringing. The audience can tell that they are doctors by the uniform they are wearing; white coat. The first scene the audience can clearly see a role reversal between the doctor and the little boy; this is because the little boy knows a lot of things for his age which indicated to the audience he is quite mature. As the doctor goes into the room, the boy immediately says ‘so it worked’ and then the doctor questions the little boy about his strong knowledge. This highlights the issue of age and that it doesn’t matter how old you are as you can still have a mind of an adult.

Many close ups are used to highlight the seriousness in the shot reverse shot. This helps the audience to identify with the characters and understand the meaning of the message. The audience can see this through the dialogue “would you like me to be there”, this is because they boy hasn’t told his mother about the disease he has been diagnosed with, this also highlights the change of roles as he is more worried about his mum than himself as normally you would see the parents worrying about their kids. The low key lighting helps the audience to sympathise with the little boy as it highlights that the boy knows exactly what’s going to happen to him.

The next scene consists of many patients sitting in the waiting room; the3 audience can see a long shot of these patients with the non diegetic sound of the phones always ringing and people speaking. There is a contrast between this boy and the little boy who is in the waiting room in scene 2. This is because the boy has been bitten and is crying about it which what you would usually see compared to the other boy who has been diagnosed with an illness and isn’t crying about it.

In the next scene the audience can see that they are in a surgery room due to the equipment being used and the low key lighting. There is a long shot of the surgery room and the representational issue is highlighted through dialogue and sound. There is a loud beeping noise from the equipment which gradually gets louder as the scene gets tenser. Also there are quick jump cuts between the lady trying to help the patient and the doctor talking to her but she doesn’t really care as she believes she knows what she is doing. This is because the doctor said something and she replied back saying ‘but I’m sure you’re going to tell me’, this suggests to the audience that just because he is older, he knows more but at shown at the beginning of the clip this isn’t true. There are also quick jump cuts and close ups to highlight the conversation.

Towards the end of the clip there is a lot of tracking of the camera in the waiting room going left to right and right to left. Also at the end as the doctor comes out of the elevator the audience hear the elevator opening. This is because there is a close up of the woman and as the doors open there is a pan towards the elevator. As the woman walks with the doctor to the room, half of her face darkens and a black shadow is on the face, this suggests to the audience her dark side and that she may have something to do with the missing bullet. This is also shown through a zoom into the female doctor’s face as she says ‘vanished’. The lighting in this scene is a lot darker compared to the rest of the clip, this may signify that she knows something about it and doesn’t want to say anything. 

Wordle for my case studies

Waterloo Road - Barry Tries To Force Kacey To Be A Girl - Camera Analysis

The clip begins with a close up of the door lock, this highlights that Kacey is still trapped with her identity and cant escape. There is a lot of shot reverse shots between Kacey and her brother, this is done from a distance. This indicates to the audience that Barry is scared of her identity and doesn't know what to do. This is shown from the mid shots between the conversation. As Barry gets more and more frustrated close ups are used to highlight Kasey's facial expressions. This indicates to the audience that she is scared of her brother and scared of what to do with her life. Throughout this conversation there is a lot of shot reverse shots with zooms which indicates to the audience that Barry is really annoyed with Kaceys situation. A close up of Barry and Kacey is used to highlight that the situation is getting more tense and more problematic. As they are talking there is a close up of Barry going into a bag and getting make up and another close up is used to illustrate to the audience that Kacey is being forced to be someone who she isn't. This helps the audience to sypathise with Kacey.

Waterloo Road - Kacey wins the football match - Sound Analysis

The clip begins with the non dietetic sound of a crowd clapping and cheering. The audience can easily identify that they are at a football match. The PE teacher is clearly helping his team and giving advice to make sure that his team win the match. The non diegetic sound of the whistle as the other team score indicate to the audience that Waterloo Road are losing, this is because the director has used close ups to highlight to the audience that they are losing. Throughout the clip the audience know that Kacey is the main character in this episode, by her sister saying "Come on Kacey", indicates to the audience that Kacey has people supporting her. As the match begins again there is a non diegetic sound of a soundtrack which is placed on top of the crowds cheering and the teachers wishing the team luck, this is played until the final of the match as Waterloo Road win the match. It then fades out as soon as Kacey is kissed by another girl.This is to highlight that something big has happened. This is because Kacey's brother says "Get your filthy hands off my sister". This has caused two big problems for Kacey as the other team didn't know that Kacey was a girl. The director has used pans and close ups to highlight the teams facial expressions to this problem. The clip then ends with depressing soundtrack which highlights Kacey's feelings to be sad and lost in the world as she says "I need to go".

Waterloo Road - Kacey wins the football match - Camera Analysis

The clip begins with a pan from left to right, this highlights the fact that there is supporting event happening as there is a group of young teenagers clapping there hands and cheering.There is a lot of jump cuts going on when playing on the football pitch. This helps the audience to stay in contact with the football. Throughout the clip there is a lot of quick jump cuts between the football pitch and the crowd. When Waterloo Road begin to lose there is a close up of Waterloo Roads facial expression which indicates to the audience that they are not doing too well in the game. The director has placed the camera behind the football goal, the goal appears to be in line with one of the main characters in this scene. This highlights the fact that she is trapped and doesn't know what to do as she is having a few problems and is scared to tell the world about them. A high angle shot is placed highlighting the pitch. In this shot the audience can see that there isn't many Waterloo road players on the pitch, this could be why they are losing. As Waterloo road score to highlight that they have won the match the director has used many close ups to highlight the crowds emotions and how happy they are. There is then a zoom into the score board to highlight to the audience that they have won the match. The director then uses another pan from right to left where Kacey is kissed by another girl and then a pan from right to left as Kacey's brother stops them. As Kacey s problem is revealed in front of her school there is a few close ups of Kacey and her closest friends's faces highlighting how shocked they are. Also of the other times faces, this is because Kacey has been hiding her identity as she is a girl and is not supposed to be playing on a boys football match. The director then uses a tilt to highlight the PE teacher as he had gone against the headteachers order as Kacey wasn't supposed to be playing. As Kacey walks off the pitch the camera is in deep focus, this helps the audience to sympathies for her. 

The Inbetweeners Movie Video

The Dark Knight Rises Video

Waterloo Road – Kyle Stack sets his dog on Bex Fisher

The clip begins with a long shot of Kyle Stack and his mother and his dog, the camera is behind to what seems to look like some bars. The audience can clearly see that this is a school playground as Kyle is in school uniform and the audience can hear the sound of teenagers talking in the background as they make their way to lessons. The director uses a tilt to highlight the dog; this is significant as it portrays what’s to happen later on in the clip. The audience have a little glance to what type of dog it is and that it is quite dangerous. This also emphasises the time of people they are – trouble. “Oh yeah”, this diegetic sound that Kyle says highlights his toughness and that he doesn’t want to be messed around with. A close up of his dark barking highlights that his dog is important to him. This also foreshadows the next scene as the dog barks away at the other boys.  There is a few shot reverse shots that highlight the facial expressions of sacredness on the boys face and the annoyed face on Kyle. Close ups of the boys faces are used, this builds up tension to what the boy is telling Kyle as the audience know that something bad is going to happen. The non diegetic sound in the background gradually gets louder and a zoom is used to highlight that Kyle is going to explode. An over the shoulder shot of Kyle’s mum talking to him as Kyle walks away a long shot is used to highlight that he is now in his own world. The diegetic sound of all the screaming girls’ builds up even more tension as the dog barks at Bex, a close up of the dark barking is shown once more. A lot of shot reverse shot is used towards the end of the clip to highlight how everyone is scared of the dog and what might happen. The bars on the windows highlight that Bex is trapped inside and can’t escape.

Waterloo Road - Connor Tells Imogen He Started The Fire

The clip begins with a panning shot set in the middle of the woods with Connor walking through. The non diegetic sound in the background highlights that he is upset and sets the mood of the conversation he is about to have with his girlfriend Imogen. A tilt is then used to highlight his movement in being quite quick, this suggests that he has something important he wants to tell her and wants to get it off his chest in order to start fresh – with no lies. A long shot is then used to emphasis his arrival when he reaches Imogen, who is already waiting for him. “Sorry for what?”,  a close up is used to highlight Connors facial expressions in being sad as he is really sorry for what he has done. Throughout this conversation, they follow the 180 degree rule where the camera is cutting from one side to another as they speak. Another close up is used to highlight Connors sad emotions, this again highlights that he is sorry and wants to be honest with her. The non diegetic sound then fades back in again as she runs away, this highlights Connors feelings that he is sorry for what he has done. Throughout this clip, the audience can hear the non diegetic sound of birds in the background; this also tells the audience that they are out in the open air.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBFJGf38Fys

“Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences, within a media area you have studied (film)”

In this essay I will be discussing the ways in which ‘The Dark Knight’ was produced and distributed to the audience. The film industry is a very successful industry within media, whether you make a film in Britain or Hollywood, they both have the same process. The process consists of; pre-production, production, distribution, marketing and exhibition.

In 2008, director Christopher Nolan released his sequel to ‘Batman Begins’ titled ‘The Dark Knight”. It is the first live action Batman film without the word ‘Batman’ in its titles. Christopher Nolan wasn’t willing to jump into a second ‘Batman’ movie without first being convinced there was a compelling reason to a sequel. After tossing around ideas as to where the story would go, David S Goyer and Christopher Nolan and his screenwriting partner Jonathan came up with the basic ideas of ground to cover in ‘The Dark Knight’. The screen writer David S Goyer created two sequels which introduced the Joker and Harvey Dent before the release of Batman Begins. The cast stayed the same from the previous film and as the first film was very successful, the actor’s wages would have increased. The film was shot within the budget, £185,000,000 and made gross revenue of £1,001,413,744. This indicated to the audience the success of the film, as it was shot in budget and made a lot of profit. Filming took place in Hong Kong from November 6 to 11 2007, at various locations. This included the International Finance Centre; this is Hong Kong’s tallest building. This scene is for where Batman captures Lau.

The studio which produced the film was Legendary Picture, a subsidiary company to Warner Bros Picture. The studio is very well known due to the many classic and most successful movies of all time, Warner Bros Pictures is a leading motion picture studio. Also Warner Bros Pictures distributes New Line Cinema and DC Entertainment releases. ‘The Dark Knight’ is based on the DC Comics character Batman from May 1939 by ‘Detective Comic’. ‘Batman’ also had an animated television programme which was quite successful. They have become one of the world’s biggest franchises due to all the toys and books and movies. Warner Bros Pictures, decided to produce the next sequel due to the success of the pervious film.

The film is dedicated to two star actors Conway Wickliffe and Heath Ledger. In September 2007 whilst planning a stunt with the Batmobile in a special effects facility in England, Conway Wickliffe was killed when his car crashed. A month after in London, there was a 200-foot fireball filmed for an opening sequence; they received calls from local residents who feared a terrorist attack on the station. Heath Ledger dyed from a toxic combination of prescription drugs which lead to intense attention from the press which made newspaper headlines.

‘The Dark Knight’ was produced, distributed and marketed by Warner Bros Pictures, they are one of the top five studios, this highlights that they are a very successful company. There were a few trailers made for the movie. There was one main trailer and a few short trailers, this highlighted different clips that were in the movie, this created suspense for the audience. However the short trailers only include basic features such as the name of the film ‘The Dark Knight’ and the stars involved and the release date with short clips. These trailers are used in Cinema’s when viewing another movie and on TV shown as adverts to distribute the movie.

Another way in which they got ‘The Dark Knight’ well known to the audience was the posters that they created. These posters came out before the release of the film, this is because it then grabs the audience’s attention straight away and encourages them into wanting to watch the film when it’s released, and this is also because many people know that the previous Batman was a successful movie and raised a lot of money.   Also there were various print advertisements, they were found in newspapers and magazines to give further publicity to the film. Word of mouth is an excellent way to get the film well known; this is the use of technology as we have social networking sites which help to get the film well known. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are a great way as you can RT certain tweets about ‘The Dark Knight’. This could include Synergy, which is interconnected marketing and distribution of media products across a range of platforms and sectors.

Moreover, the online marketing campaign included a website for ‘The Dark Knight’, they website allowed the audience to see updates, email newsletter and special chats with Batman, the director which DVD owners could get involved with. They could also order the film on demand through the official website and download on the go. Not only could they download on the website but they could download the free iPhone app which they could also watch and download the movie. The app consists of many video clips and scenes from the movie. ‘The Dark Knight’ has many freebies such, wallpapers, phone wallpapers, ringtones, sound clips, buddy icons for MSN, Skype, Facebook Twitter icons. All these freebies highlight that they believed that the film was going to be successful. This is another way of getting the film known to the audience.

‘The Dark Knight’ had a guaranteed audience due to previous movie therefore they knew they were going to make a lot of money. Therefore the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audience is through the same process of pre production, production, distribution, marketing and exhibition. All of these stages are important for a movie to be successful. If you don’t have a good marketing campaign then you are likely to have poor reviews as you haven’t aimed your product to your target audience. This is by showing different ways of marketing. For example social networking sites in order for word of mouth to be spread. 

The Dark Knight - Group Case Study

Video - The Dark Knight

Case Studies - Section B

- No less than 2 years old 
- Chose 1 large, 1 small 
- Good Casts, New technology
- Not as successful 

Production:
-invest money on idea

Distribution - The role of the distributor: 
- Brings movies into market
- Warner bros, Disney, Sony
- Find USP of a firm 
- Finds a line to explain the whole movie
- Target audience - 15 - 24 years
                      - teens
                               - students 
                               - family groups
- When to release the firm (kids movies - during holidays - big audiences) 
- Christmas blockbusters
- Competition on when movies are released on the same day 

Reseach:
- Show the movies to particular groups
- In advance for posters etc and to spot mistakes
- Is it meeting the peoples expectations 
- Listen to the comments
- Questionnaires 

Budget: 
- Make a high but suitable budget 

Advertising: 
- Advertising - TV, media, billboards, buses etc
- Promotions - Radios, award shows etc 

Distribution - The campaign: 
- Create a marketing campaign to make their movie stand out
- Trailer: Most important
               Graphics/sound revealed to the audience
               Teaser trailer - before production
               Short trailer - in cinema watching another movie
               Main trailer - on TV - Cast - Release Date
               Thriller - Caption
               Comedy - Sound 
- Posters
- Magazines
- Bus shelters 

Tracking film
Word of mouth - I.e. not having a good time watching the film - the word is out and business has                      
                   bad reviews

Opening weekend - more money so it's successful 

Exhibition:
- Multiplex cinema 
- Cinema Location: If people like movies they don't mind travelling to them 
- 3D Digital Cinema 

Out of home entertainment experience  

Exam Notes

Formal Paper
Don't use first person until last paragraph 
Write in the third person – ‘the audience’ not ‘we’ or ‘you’
Don't use contractions - Brackets
Don't use abbreviations
Don't use sub headings
Use media language - Binary oppositions - Good vs. Evil
Connotations & Denotations 
Use wardrobe, props etc
Don't say 'the camera is doing' say 'the next shot' or 'the director set up' 
Mention 'For instant' or 'For example' 

Layout
First paragraph: introduction – representational issue and the clip 
Second paragraph: camera
Third paragraph: sound
Forth paragraph: mise-en-scene
Fifth paragraph: editing
Sixth paragraph: conclusion

Hotel B Analysing Notes

Camera:

- Camera looks through the cage barriers. The immigrants are caged in and treated like animals  Creates suspense. 

- Room of lockers and key - emphasises the immigrants being locked up. Locking the lockers highlights the end of Abraham's life. Images on the lockers highlights his past. 

- Pan across different races in canteen - illustrates separation between races even through they are all outcasts.

Sound:

- Digetic: Jackie warns the immigrants - she is the leader - higher authority

- Non digetic: music foreshadows that something bad is about to happen and it builds tension 

Mise-en-scene

- Receptionist - angelic connotations of her white clothes. She warns the immigrants to hide - saves them. She is also 'pure' as she is not an immigrant. 

- Confined room - they are trapped and isolated.

Editing:

- Cuts between shots. - Fast pace of clip highlights tension.

- Zoom into cleaners face - the inspectors close in on him, this highlights his emotions

Class/race:

- When the cleaner faints, Jackie kneels down so that they are on the same level

- Uniforms represent jobs: Receptionists white uniform, angelic/heavens - higher authority. 

Stereotypes

- Stereotypes are characters in a media text who are "types rather than complex people. 

- Stereotypes are often defined by their role such as "bad cop" or "nice old lady". 

- Children's media texts often uses stereotypes so a young audience can identify quickly

with the characters. 

- Stereotypes are usually negative representations, considered to be too reductive. Many

are considered offensive, such as a "drunken Irisman" or a "fanatical Muslim" or an "over

emotional woman".

Hegemony

Hegemony

- Hegemony is the way in which those in power maintain their control. 

- Dominant ideologies are considered hegemonic; power is society is maintained by

constructing ideologies which are usually promoted by the mass media. 

Examples of hegemonic values

- The police are always right 

- It is important to be slim 

- A money is a desirable status symbol 

- Mass immigration is undesirable 

- The poor are lazy and deserve their hardship 

- Men are better drivers than women 

- It is important to wear fashionable clothes 

Dominant Ideologies

Some Dominant Ideologies

•Capitalism. The production of capital and consumption of surplus value as a life goal.

•Patriotism. To love, support and protect one’s country and its people.

•Marriage and family. The “right way” to live is to marry an opposite-sex partner and have

children.

•Male superiority. Men are more suited to positions of power, and more suited to decision

making at work and at home.

Dominant Ideologies around the world

Many dominant ideologies are extremely culture-specific. For example:

- Christian fundamentalism as a political force in the USA 

- Religious law in some Muslim countries 

- The principle of individual freedom in Western nations 

Dominant ideologies are central to people's belief systems. It is often difficult or

impossible to challenge them effectively

Types of Representations

• Age 
• Disability 
• Gender 
• Socio-economic grouping 
• Race 
• Nationality 
• Sexuality 

5th September 2012

Disney to write off over $50m as film cancelled, this is all because of cancelling a film project. They had been shooting the film since last summer and they said that the film "just wasn't coming together in a manner that pleased the studio". Earlier in the year the company admitted that it might lose $200m due to the disappointing performance of science-fiction epic John Carter, some in the industry say that this is because of poor marketing. The film was expected to come out in cinemas in October 2013. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/sep/14/disney-henry-selick-film-cancelled 

12th September 2012

Toronto film festival 2012 opens with host of aspiring Oscar winners

For its 37th year the Toronto film festival kicks off with the sci-fi movie Looper, starring Bruce Willis, and, above front, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Paul Dano, left. 

The sci-fi thriller Looper kicks off the proceedings; the following 10 days look set to reveal many award winners. Venice did secure the first screening of Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, which is already odds-on to win the best picture Oscar, but it is Toronto that will fill out the nomination slip and indicate the winners in other categories.

The Canadian festival benefits from an increasingly squeezed release schedule – so studios are keen to launch their films as late in the season as possible – as well as from the disinclination of LA players to fly further from home than necessary (Toronto re-screens Venice's key titles just days after their Europe premiere).

This year the films angling for Academy glory with a Toronto launch include End of Watch, a gritty police drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Seven Psychopaths, which reunites Martin McDonagh and Colin Farrell after the success of In Bruges, and The Place Beyond The Pines, Ryan Gosling and Derek Cinefrance's followup to Blue Valentine.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/06/toronto-film-festival-opens-36th

17th September 2012

Movie Industry Hopes 'Finding Nemo' Comes to Its Rescue. Finding Nemo is going to be coming out in 3D as it was such a successful movie. Finding Nemo is the highest-grossing Pixar film outside of Toy Story 3. Every Disney film that has been made has always been very successful. 

“Finding Nemo 3D” follows similar re-releases of “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” Bock predicted that it will top the box office with $25 million, while the fifth “Resident Evil” movie will follow behind with $23 million. However, MovieFanatic.com’s Joel Amos gave a slight edge to “Resident Evil.” 

“It’ll be a close race,” MTV Next Movie’s Kevin Polowy said. “I see ‘Nemo’ swimming closer to the haul of ‘Lion King 3D,’ which was about $30 million, than the less successful 3-D re-release of ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ which made $17 million. 

“The numbers from the previous ‘Resident Evil’ movies say there won’t be much of a dip,” he added. “These sequels average about $24 million opening weekend. The last one was the highest grossing ever, with $26 million."

Heres's the trailer for Finding Nemo 3D:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPHfeNgogVs

http://atlantablackstar.com/2012/09/15/movie-industry-hopes-finding-nemo-comes-to-its-rescue/ 

19th September 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/sep/20/avengers-missing-extras-home-video

Purchasers of the new DVD and Blu-Ray release of the blockbuster comic book movie took to Amazon to chastise the Hollywood studio, with some threatening to return their copies of the film. Others said they would not be buying the current edition. "Was fully intending to get this until I noticed that all the special features have been cut out,"  The UK release also features a different shot of a key death scene, reportedly the result of an error in production. The Avengers took more than $1.5bn at the global box office earlier this year, making it easily 2012's highest grossing film. It also stands as the third highest-grossing film of all time behind the James Cameron films Avatar and Titanic. In the UK, it took some £49m, making it the second biggest of the year after The Dark Knight Rises.

26th September 2012

'Family guy creator casts himself as Mark Wahlberg's teddy bear' wasn't the most encouraging headline. But we were wrong to doubt Seth McFarlane.

http://movies.uk.msn.com/reviews/review-ted

03rd October 2012

Eunice Gayson - the first "Bond girl" - reveals how she helped calm Sean Connery's nerves on Dr No.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19756033

08th October 2012

Almost £500m is to be spent on the UK film industry over the next five years, focusing on investment outside London. Money will also be spent on education and boosting audience choice. The largest proportion of investment - £44.2m annually - will be made in "education, learning and audiences" between 2012 and 2017. This includes a new partnership with Samsung for a TV application that aims to give audiences access to exclusive BFI content, including behind the scenes reports from the London Film Festival.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19798531

10th October 2012

The UK film industry contributed more than £4.6bn towards the UK GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 2011, according to an independent report. The number of UK films has grown from an average of 43 in the 1980s to 136 in the 2000s, according to report author Oxford Economics, a global forecaster.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19623067

01 November 2012

Freddie Starr was arrested by police investigating Jimmy Savile scandal. He was detained at his Warwickshire home on suspicion of committing sexual offences.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/01/freddie-starr-arrested-jimmy-savile 

01 November 2012

Disney to buy Star Wars production company Lucasfilm for $4bn - Deal will pave way for release of new series of Star Wars feature films from 2015, with George Lucas as creative consultant. Disney has announced its purchase of Lucasfilm, the maker of Star Wars, in a $4.05bn (£2.5bn) deal that will pave the way for a new series of Star Wars feature films.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/oct/30/disney-lucasfilm-star-wars-deal

14 November 2012

Skyfall Breaking Almost All UK Box Office Records:

It had the biggest ever UK opening weekend, with £37.2 million, and was the fastest film ever to reach £50m. It’s the biggest grossing film of the year in the UK, giving the Dark Knight’s bottom a sore walloping. And finally it’s currently the third biggest ever hit at the British box office with £74m after 3 weeks – Titanic(with £79m) and Avatar (with £93m) look well within reach.

http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=23945 

05 December 2012

What does the next 12 months look like for British films? 

I think next year we will have a success year in the British Film Industry. This is due to the fact that there are many great movies being released. For example we have Monsters Inc 3D, Finding Nemo 3D, Scary Movie 5, The Fast and the Furious 6 and many more. These are successful movies that have come out in the past and have made great sales in the UK box office. 

In a few days the film U.F.O will be released. It is an upcoming science fiction film about an alien invasion. It is written and directed by Dominic Burns (British film maker). They have budgeted the film at $2.5 million.  The film stars Bianca Bree, Sean Brosnan and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Jean-Claude Van Damme is best known for playing the voice of Master Croc in Kung Fu Panda 2 last year. 

The premiere of the film Les Miserables was a few days ago in London and the film is set to be released in the UK on 11th January 2013. It is a British musical drama film. The film is directed by Tom Hooper, starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmaybe, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Tveit also star in supporting roles. A well known actress to me in this film is Amanda Seyfried as I have watched many films she has been, she's a great actress. The film is budgeted at $61 million. 

Below is a link to a website that will show you the different types of films that are going to be released next year. 
http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/2124/uk-film-release-calendar-january-march-2013#may_2013 

16th January 2013

Skyfall tops UK all-time box office
The latest James Bond film, Skyfall has become the highest-grossing movie in UK box office history after just 40 days. Globally, the film has earned $870m (£540m) in box office sales,  trumping both Casino Royale in 2006 and Quantum of Solace in 2008, which both achieved $599m (£372m).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20605962

Mise-en-scne

Mise en Scene

OCR G322 - Dr Who (Gender) Jan 2009

OCR G322 - Dr Who (Gender) Jan 2009

Mise-en-scene Analysis

The clip begins with 3 people walking out of what looks like an escalator, the use of the flashing lights in the escalator highlight that the men at the back are a lot taller than the girl at the front. This emphasises that men are stereotyped to be the bigger person. The audience can clearly see that this is set in some sort of laboratory due to all the technological devices. The use of the stairs being in white and the man standing next to them highlight that he is an important person and acts all innocent. All the security guards around the room are all dressed in black and standing straight with guns, this also highlights that they are the bigger person and they are in charge and if the other people do something wrong they will be shot. The man in a smart suit which indicated to the audience that he is an important person to the scene as he tells the girl to kneel down, this again highlights the issue of gender as men are stereotyped into being the boss of things; therefore all females have to do what they say. Whereas the other men are dressed in casual dirty clothes this may indicate to the audience that they are worthless and can’t help the girl. There is a blonde girl in a red dress; she appears to be on the man’s side, the connotations of red highlight danger, therefore foreshadowing something bad to happen. The countdown clock is shown numerous times; this builds tension to the scene. As the bright light begins to brighten on the cage of the Doctor, the music becomes louder and creates tension as the audience don’t know if he is going to survive or not. Everyone apart from the man that appeared to be the boss says ‘doctor’ and is happy as the Doctor appears, he then uses some sort of laser and attempts to kill the doctor but doesn't work and then goes to kill the others but the doctor takes the laser a way from him

OCR G322 – Dr Who (Gender) Jan 2009

OCR G322 – Dr Who (Gender) Jan 2009

Camera

The clip begins with close up of a man, his facial expressions highlight to the audience that he must be of a high class. This is because he is in a smart suit and has a smug look on his face. The camera is focused on him and in the background the audience can see that three people are walking in. As the camera cuts to a mid shot of the lady walking, the music in the background emphasise that something is going to happen. This is highlighted by the amount of jump cuts highlighting everyone’s facial expression – worried. A camera movement of a tilt is used as the lady gets the teleport devise out. The representation of gender is highlighted in this scene, as the man orders the woman to kneel down at him. A high angle shot is used to highlight that he is important and that everyone should respect him.

As he sets the clock counting down the seconds left, a zoom is used to highlight some of the people’s facial expression. Also as the first zoom is used, the audience can see that not only are ships going to explode but also if someone makes a move they may get shot. This adds tension to the scene as the audience don’t know what’s going to happen. A close up of the man’s face highlights that he is happy that in 3 minutes he should get what he wants. A close up of the countdown is shown to highlight that not long left till he explodes the ships around the world.

A high angle shot of the Doctor in the cage highlights that he is worried; the audience can tell this by the look in his eyes. Also as it is a high angle shot this suggests to the audience that everyone is afraid of what this man will do. A low angle shot is used as he says “this one’s useless, bowl your head”, this highlights the issue of gender as women are stereotyped into being useless and not as strong as men.

180 degree rule is used as the woman and the man start talking, the close ups used brings tension as they are speaking in short sentences. “I’ve got her exactly where I want her” again this highlights that he thinks he has power over everyone. Throughout this conversation as the woman speaks a high angle shot is always being used with flashbacks backing up her point, the man begins to get worried as he knows she’s right as he sits on the stairs at the same levels as her. A close up of the countdown is shown again, bringing more tension to the scene as only 60 seconds are remaining.

As she realises that she’s going to win the argument, she rises and the camera movement of a tilt is used. Jump cuts are used to highlight the other people in the room as they start to believe in what she is saying. A close up of the countdown is shown again but this time with a zoom as only seconds remaining.

A mid shot of the doctor becoming human highlights to audience and to the people in the room that what the woman was saying is true. The diegetic sound of ‘Doctor’ was constantly being repeated and that doctor became human. A close up of the TV screen showing thousands of people outside saying “Doctor”, this highlights that woman are exactly the same as men as they can also have power. The camera pans from right to left as the people in the room say “Doctor”.  A close up of the weapon he tried to kill the people with, highlights that he no longer has power.

Cutting It Extract

Cutting It Extract

Through the representation of gender, the clip starts with an establishing shot of two characters in the back of a taxi, this indicates to the audience straight away that the clip has been taken from the middle of a TV episode due to the fact that we didn’t see the characters entering the taxi which means that we don’t know where they are going. The audience can see a mid shot of the character talking, by the woman leaning on the man’s shoulder indicates to the audience that they are in love and that she wants to feel protected. The audience then sees a clear mid shot of the man taking the woman’s hand and kissing it, this shows a clear indication that they have a close relationship. Medium close ups are used a lot when the characters are talking, them seem to be apologising about the past, these medium close ups emphasises the seriousness in the conversation. In the next scene there is a clear close up of the woman’s hand where you can see a wedding ring; this highlights the relati0onship status they are in. However through diegetic sound the dialogue emphases that there has been cheating in the relationship which may foreshadow something happening as the close up is quite long.

As the characters get out of the taxi a wide shot is used to highlight the street that they are at, in the background the audience can see an ambulance. This indicates to the audience where they might be at, or that something is going to happen and they may need an ambulance. Over the shoulder shot of the woman talking to the man highlights the man’s face as he is worried and wants to go with the woman, big close-ups and two shots emphasis the seriousness in the conversation. As she leaves the man she kisses him and a wider shot highlights her crossing the road towards the hospital, a quick close-up is used to emphasis his anxiety.

A high angle shot is used in the consultant’s office, this highlights that it’s something important which may be quite significant in the rest of the clip. The director cuts in between the consultant’s office and outside where the man is waiting for the woman, close-ups are used to highlight the relationship as the man stares at his wedding ring smiling. A POV shot highlights to the audience what the man is looking at, which in this case the woman is walking out from the hospital with a tearful smile. This questions the audience as to what has actually happened as the audience cannot hear the dialogue in the consultant’s office. The woman walks towards the edge of the road where she yells out ‘Guess what’, the director cuts straight back the man’s face as he just watched his wife being run over, a close up is used to highlight his feelings. Slow motion/long shot is then used as the man runs towards the woman where she is lying on the floor. A close up high angle shot is used when he puts his hand on her face and lies on the ground with her.

The clip uses narrative continuity editing that is typical of British TV Dramas, slow opening shots; these shots highlight the scenes when the characters are showing their love for each other and how much they care. However this changes when they begin to talk about what they did in the past, for example cheating, this becomes more or a shot reverse shot. Towards the end of the clip a lot of fast cross-cutting is used, this builds up tension to what’s happening also by having the slow motion after the woman gets run over also builds more tension as its taking longer to see how she is.

The diegetic sound in the cab does confuse the audience for a bit as they don’t know what’s happening due to the clip starting in the middle. “I know about Melissa”, this highlights to the audience that they’ve cheated on each other. Non-diegetic sound is used as the woman enters the hospital, this changes the tone of the scene which draws the audience more into the scene as they can’t hear any dialogue. As she leaves the hospital the music begins to fade and the audience begin to hear street noises of cars etc. This foreshadows the accident, the non-diegetic sound emphasises the squealing of the brakes and the shattering of glass.

The audience can tell that the clip is middle class; this is because the beginning of the clip is set in the back of a cab. During the cab drive, the characters looked out of the window every now and then which illustrated to the audience that it was an urban setting. By the woman paying the cab driver indicates to the audience that she is in control of this situation as the man didn’t know where he was going. The man was in a smart suit and the woman had make up and nice hair and expensive looking coat over a dress, this suggested to the audience that they could afford expensive things which portray them to be in a high class. In the consultants room it is quite dark, this may suggest to the audience that this is a place of drama and tension; this is also because of the fact that the audience cannot hear any dialogue in this scene. 

 

Mock Exam - Re write

Mock Exam - Re write 

In this extract the representational issue of ability/disability is represented in the contrast between the main speaker and Ben. The clip begins with a fade leading into a high angle shot of the boys room. The audience can see that the room has been clearly divided into two, where on the left you see lots of toys and colour and on the right you see a mature adult look room where its jut simple with dull colours. This instantly represents Ben as more childlike. The diegetic sound of ‘last summer I decided to kill my brother’ highlights that their relationship has many problems/difficulties. The audience notice this as a panning shot from right to left is used to highlight David’s emotionless expression.  This is used with a close up which clearly emphasises his hate for him. As he talks about Ben a mid shot of Ben sleeping in his bed is shown, the audience here can notice that he may have some sort of disability, this is due to him appearing to look like a teenager but has the mental ability of a child as here the audience can see toys by his bed. 

The next scene fades to a black and white montage of different images imitating evolutions. Whilst these images are being shown it is accompanied with a loud explosion and David talking.

                                           

There is then a cut to an establishing shot of a block of flats; this allows the audience to understand where the characters are. As this shot is shown non diegetic sound ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ is playing quite loud in the background and begins to fade out very quietly as it plays on the radio in the kitchen.  A long shot is used to highlight that they are all having breakfast together like a ‘normal’ family. However David is always complaining about Ben, this emphasises that David doesn’t really like having a brother with disabilities. A close up of Ben holding a spoonful of food, this also highlights his reaction when David attempts to take some of his cereal. “No!” the audience notice that Ben has problems with speaking; also this shows the audience that he may be selfish.

As mum leaves to go to work a close up and the camera movement of a tilt is used to illustrate that she pays more attention to him than David as she kissed Ben on the head. A close up of David highlights that he’s sad and dishearted. The diegetic sound that stood out the most is “I need a poo”, this is because Ben doesn’t realise that these things are not supposed to be said. Also Ben’s dad tells David to go with him which highlights the representation of disability as he can’t do things himself. David moaned about going with Ben and dad gave him a simple answer of “because he’s your brother”, the audience notice again that he doesn’t care about him. David continues to moan about Ben behind his back and refers to him as not being a normal child as he needs to be read books and play with educational toys. A high angle from bens POV is shown of David up in a tree getting the kite down, this suggest that Ben looks up to him. A low angle of Ben eating an ice cream indicates to the audience that he has a child mind and likes to do things children do.

In the next scene a long shot of the boys walking to the bus stop with the camera movement of panning highlights the area that they live in. many straight cuts are used to highlight the times that they have had at the bus stop where the audience can see that Ben cant be left alone. A long shot of many groups of boys at the bus stop also highlight why be left alone.

A long shot of the classroom is used to highlight the different abilities this is because many people where on their phones or listening to music. A high angle shot from Bens POV of him drawing highlight his distraction, however he has the ability to listen in class even when distracted. Whereas Gary had a childish attitude when David proved he was listening.

As David and Connor walk to the playground, Connor tries to convince David to go to a party. “Just complicated”, this clearly highlights the theory of binary opposites as he needs to take his brother home and he can’t go by himself due to his disability.