Friday 11 December 2009
Week Three - Planning: General Plot for Teaser Trailer
The genre of the film that I will produce a teaser trailer, poster and magazine cover for is that of a horror. It involves the main characters of two teenage girls, who are best friends. One of the girls is confident and outgoing, which means that she likes to try new and different things in her life. The other is more innocent, vulnerable and can be easily influenced. The confident teenager has a background in witchcraft and has become a new age witch, although, the audience will not fully know about this point until the story develops further on. However, it is hinted upon within the teaser trailer to give the audience an idea of her character. This is due to the confident girl, visibly having a tattoo of the Pentacle, which is the most recognised symbol for witchcraft, on the back of her shoulder. This can be easily seen when using over the shoulder shots and quick flashes of this particular tattoo, which will show that it is relevant to the film’s story. Witchcraft and supernatural acts are also portrayed through the girl carrying out a tarot card reading on her friend, which is the main focus of the film. This is because the reading shows that the future for the innocent girl is in danger when the card of death is seen. This event leads to the character becoming possessed and later killing her best friend. They carry out the act of tarot card reading in a a typical girl's bedroom while they are at a sleepover. This portrays a sense of normality as most teenage girls take part in sleepovers with their close friends. To produce an eerie atmosphere throughout the film, we will use a variety of lighting which includes candles so that the room will still be dark but it produces enough light so that the audience can see what is happening. The candles will also be used as the ending to the teaser trailer. This is because there will be a close up of the candle, which will then be blown out to reveal a black screen with the film’s title and date of release on.
Week Five - Research: Teaser Trailer Questionnaire
The following questions are from my questionnaire that I asked ten people on teaser trailers.
1. What certificate of films do you normally watch?
PG 12 A 15 18
2. Which particular genre of film to you regularly view?
Comedy Romance Action Thriller Adventure Horror Drama Musicals Sci-Fi
Other ……….
3. Have you seen any of the following horror films? Please Circle
Exorcist The Omen The Exorcism of Emily Rose The Ring Halloween Psycho
The Shining A Nightmare On Elm Street Friday the 13th Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Gothika Poltergeist Amityville Horror Final Destination
4. What is your favourite horror film?
………………………………………………….
5. Do the films that you watch, have a majority of:
All Female Characters All Male Characters Evenly Mixed Between the Two Genders
6. In the films that you normally watch , mainly contain:
Children Teenagers Adults A Variety of Age Groups
7. Out of the following examples, which is your biggest fear?
The Dark Spiders Clowns Ghosts Witchcraft Snakes Death Other ……….
8. Do you recognise any of the following images and know their meanings?
Yes No
10. Do you regularly watch teaser trailers for films?
Yes No
11. Where would you expect to experience a teaser trailer?
Television Cinema The Film’s Website Radio
12. What would you expect to be included within a teaser trailer?
Characters from the Film Scenes from the Film Music Dialogue from the Film
Title of the Film Release Date for the Film Website for the Film
13. Do you look at the posters for films?
Yes No
14. Which of the following points would you expect on a movie poster?
The Main Character
A Majority or All of the Characters within the Film
Backgrounds Relating to the Film
Plain or Block Colour Background
A Still for the Film
An Image Specifically Taken for the Poster, Which Would Not Be Found Within the Film
Title of the Film
The Date of the Film’s Release
The Names of the Actors that are Within the Film
15. Out of the following movie posters, put in order of your preference and explain the reasons for your decision.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
16. Do you regularly read film reviews and interviews within film magazines?
Yes No
1. What certificate of films do you normally watch?
PG 12 A 15 18
2. Which particular genre of film to you regularly view?
Comedy Romance Action Thriller Adventure Horror Drama Musicals Sci-Fi
Other ……….
3. Have you seen any of the following horror films? Please Circle
Exorcist The Omen The Exorcism of Emily Rose The Ring Halloween Psycho
The Shining A Nightmare On Elm Street Friday the 13th Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Gothika Poltergeist Amityville Horror Final Destination
4. What is your favourite horror film?
………………………………………………….
5. Do the films that you watch, have a majority of:
All Female Characters All Male Characters Evenly Mixed Between the Two Genders
6. In the films that you normally watch , mainly contain:
Children Teenagers Adults A Variety of Age Groups
7. Out of the following examples, which is your biggest fear?
The Dark Spiders Clowns Ghosts Witchcraft Snakes Death Other ……….
8. Do you recognise any of the following images and know their meanings?
Yes No
9. Do you know what a teaser trailer is?
Yes No
Yes No
10. Do you regularly watch teaser trailers for films?
Yes No
11. Where would you expect to experience a teaser trailer?
Television Cinema The Film’s Website Radio
12. What would you expect to be included within a teaser trailer?
Characters from the Film Scenes from the Film Music Dialogue from the Film
Title of the Film Release Date for the Film Website for the Film
13. Do you look at the posters for films?
Yes No
14. Which of the following points would you expect on a movie poster?
The Main Character
A Majority or All of the Characters within the Film
Backgrounds Relating to the Film
Plain or Block Colour Background
A Still for the Film
An Image Specifically Taken for the Poster, Which Would Not Be Found Within the Film
Title of the Film
The Date of the Film’s Release
The Names of the Actors that are Within the Film
15. Out of the following movie posters, put in order of your preference and explain the reasons for your decision.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
16. Do you regularly read film reviews and interviews within film magazines?
Yes No
Week Three - Research: Film Posters
A film's poster is used to visually promote a recently released film to attract an audience. This is achieved by using information such as stills from the film or the characters that are within it to give its viewers a better understanding of what the film includes. A poster also contains vital information such as the film's title, tagline as well as the names of the actors within it. These points are used to make the film known, which will also help it to attract an audience. This is because if an individual was to see the name of their favourite actor on a poster for a new film, then they may be more likey to go to see that film so that they can view that actor within it.
I have researched film posters within the horror and thriller genre because that is the type of film the my teaser trailer will be. I first looked at the film 'Final Destination', which was released in the year of 2003. The poster for this particular film includes the five main characters. They are shown with one half of their faces missing. This looks similar to a skull because the left side is hollow. This effect makes the poster look sinister and unordinary. It also makes the audience question why the characters appear in a dead like manner, which would add intriuge as well as helping to give the audience a clue to the plot of this particular film. There is light shone onto the other side of their faces, which would enhance the difference to the other, darker side of their faces as well as giving the image a sense of normality to that area.. The blue lightening against the black background, behind the characters, gives the impression of danger, which would then create a link to why part of their faces look like skulls.
I have decided to create two different posters for my teaser trailer so that I can use a variety of ideas. On one poster I will use an image of the main character. This will be placed in the foreground and in the centre of the poster to draw attention as well as showing that she is indead the main character within the film. I will then use the example of 'Final Destinatin' by having half of her face darkened and missing. This is to represent the part of the film when she is possessed and is therefore a dark moment. I will also make the image look more unordinary as well as enhancing the supernatural force that is within the film by changing the colour of the girl's eyes to a silvery
/blue glazed look as though her eyes are unfocused and that she is not in control of her own body. As my film contains the pentacle symbol I will then use an image of it within the title, which is 'Tarot' instead of the o. This will make the title more interesting as well have enhancing the inclusion of the supernatural within the film.
I have researched film posters within the horror and thriller genre because that is the type of film the my teaser trailer will be. I first looked at the film 'Final Destination', which was released in the year of 2003. The poster for this particular film includes the five main characters. They are shown with one half of their faces missing. This looks similar to a skull because the left side is hollow. This effect makes the poster look sinister and unordinary. It also makes the audience question why the characters appear in a dead like manner, which would add intriuge as well as helping to give the audience a clue to the plot of this particular film. There is light shone onto the other side of their faces, which would enhance the difference to the other, darker side of their faces as well as giving the image a sense of normality to that area.. The blue lightening against the black background, behind the characters, gives the impression of danger, which would then create a link to why part of their faces look like skulls.
I have decided to create two different posters for my teaser trailer so that I can use a variety of ideas. On one poster I will use an image of the main character. This will be placed in the foreground and in the centre of the poster to draw attention as well as showing that she is indead the main character within the film. I will then use the example of 'Final Destinatin' by having half of her face darkened and missing. This is to represent the part of the film when she is possessed and is therefore a dark moment. I will also make the image look more unordinary as well as enhancing the supernatural force that is within the film by changing the colour of the girl's eyes to a silvery
/blue glazed look as though her eyes are unfocused and that she is not in control of her own body. As my film contains the pentacle symbol I will then use an image of it within the title, which is 'Tarot' instead of the o. This will make the title more interesting as well have enhancing the inclusion of the supernatural within the film.
Week Three - Research: Film Titles and Taglines
The title and tagline of a film are two of the most important things that a film requires, especially before it is released. A film's title can be used when promoting the film to give it definition and stand out from the many other films that are released in the cinemas every week. Taglines, which can also oftenly be called slogans, are catchy, short phrases used by marketers and film studios to advertise and sell a film while also helping to sum up the plot, tone or themes of it. They can be used to entice an audience as well. This gives the audience a clue towards what might happen within the film. which will entrigue them and will make the viewer want to understand what the tag line means by watching the film. Many films have multiple taglines and are normally located on corresponding posters and trailers for its specific film to reinforce what the film is all about. Some taglines are quite obscure, which makes them unforgettable and therefore helps the audience to remember that particular film.
Some examples of taglines from films that have already been produced are, "No Accidents. No Coincidences. No Escapes. You Can't Cheat Death." This tagline comes from the film, 'Final Destination', which was released in the year of 2003. By looking at this tage line I can see that within my own teaser trailer's tagline I should use short, sharp bursts of words. They should also be worded in a way so that the audience can ask themselves a question, which in this case is about whether or not it is possible to escape the grasps of death. Therefore, through this research I have developed the tagline "You Can't Change the Future", which I believe uses these points.
Some examples of taglines from films that have already been produced are, "No Accidents. No Coincidences. No Escapes. You Can't Cheat Death." This tagline comes from the film, 'Final Destination', which was released in the year of 2003. By looking at this tage line I can see that within my own teaser trailer's tagline I should use short, sharp bursts of words. They should also be worded in a way so that the audience can ask themselves a question, which in this case is about whether or not it is possible to escape the grasps of death. Therefore, through this research I have developed the tagline "You Can't Change the Future", which I believe uses these points.
Monday 23 November 2009
Week Two - Research: General Ideas for Teaser Trailer
Research:
Tarot Cards
The Tarot is a deck of cards that originated over five hundred years ago in northern Italy. Although the Tarot was first used in a game called Triumphs, it was quickly adopted by societies such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The early Tarot symbolism was deeply rooted in Medieval and Renaissance Europe but over many centuries it has grown to include everything from Astrology and Kabbalah to Runes and the I Ching. In today’s period of time, tarot cards are the most popular tool for spiritual examination in the West. Our film focuses around the act of using tarot cards to help predict the future of an individual, which in this case is that of the innocent character. An example of the tarot card that we will use is that of death, which represents a change that is both painful and unpleasant as well as a refusal to face the fear of change or change itself. This will then produce agonising periods of transition and mental, physical or emotional exhaustion. Therefore, by seeing this card in the teaser trailer, the audience then know that this character will experience this points throughout the rest of the film and could lead on to other events, such as her best friend’s death.
Tarot Cards
The Tarot is a deck of cards that originated over five hundred years ago in northern Italy. Although the Tarot was first used in a game called Triumphs, it was quickly adopted by societies such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The early Tarot symbolism was deeply rooted in Medieval and Renaissance Europe but over many centuries it has grown to include everything from Astrology and Kabbalah to Runes and the I Ching. In today’s period of time, tarot cards are the most popular tool for spiritual examination in the West. Our film focuses around the act of using tarot cards to help predict the future of an individual, which in this case is that of the innocent character. An example of the tarot card that we will use is that of death, which represents a change that is both painful and unpleasant as well as a refusal to face the fear of change or change itself. This will then produce agonising periods of transition and mental, physical or emotional exhaustion. Therefore, by seeing this card in the teaser trailer, the audience then know that this character will experience this points throughout the rest of the film and could lead on to other events, such as her best friend’s death.
Pentacle Symbol
The Pentacle is probably along with the pentagram the symbol of witchcraft most recognised by the general public. The five points represent earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, which are the five factors needed to sustain life. The circle symbolises eternity and infinity, the cycles of life and nature. Overall it represents spirit and protection as well as symbolising perfection in all things that exist on earth. It is also a protective device and in ritual, the pentacle is used to evoke spirits. By using this symbol as a tattoo on the confident girl, it will represent the point that she is a new age witch and has beliefs in witchcraft. Therefore, she would be confident in using the tarot cards correctly to be able to look into her friend’s future. However, her best friend is not completely sure on the idea as she is nervous about what the consequences of it could be for her. Eventually, she agrees to take part in the tarot card reading, although she lives to regret this decision. This is because the main card that appears is that of death and she later becomes possessed. As the story develops, the audience learns that the confident character had already foreseen what w
ould happen to her friend but knew that she would not have been possessed because of the Pentacle on her shoulder. This is because it would protect her even though it does not prevent her friend from later killing her.
The Pentacle is probably along with the pentagram the symbol of witchcraft most recognised by the general public. The five points represent earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, which are the five factors needed to sustain life. The circle symbolises eternity and infinity, the cycles of life and nature. Overall it represents spirit and protection as well as symbolising perfection in all things that exist on earth. It is also a protective device and in ritual, the pentacle is used to evoke spirits. By using this symbol as a tattoo on the confident girl, it will represent the point that she is a new age witch and has beliefs in witchcraft. Therefore, she would be confident in using the tarot cards correctly to be able to look into her friend’s future. However, her best friend is not completely sure on the idea as she is nervous about what the consequences of it could be for her. Eventually, she agrees to take part in the tarot card reading, although she lives to regret this decision. This is because the main card that appears is that of death and she later becomes possessed. As the story develops, the audience learns that the confident character had already foreseen what w
ould happen to her friend but knew that she would not have been possessed because of the Pentacle on her shoulder. This is because it would protect her even though it does not prevent her friend from later killing her.Friday 20 November 2009
Week Two - Media Studies Teaser Trailer - Research: Example of Teaser Trailers
Examples of Teaser Trailers
Within my media studies class we watched a variety of recent teaser trailers. This task was to give our group ideas of how to produce this particular type of trailer. Some examples of films that we watched teaser trailers from are that of “New Moon”, “2012” and “Toy Story 3”. By watching these examples, we were able to discover that the main convention of a teaser trailer is that the film’s title and date of release is seen at the end of it. However, it can be created in a number of ways with different concepts. An example of this is that Toy Story 3 uses the regular animated characters that are easily recognisable from the previous films to build the name of the latest film in the series. However, this trailer does not use actual footage from the film so that it does not give any evidence or information about it away. Whereas the teaser trailer for 2012 is similar to that of a music video. This is because it contains a man singing the film’s theme song, which is centred on love while walking through a city, which is being destroyed. Therefore, this gives the audience a clue that the film will be based around the destruction of a city, although this is the only information that can be taken from it. Finally, the teaser trailer for the New Moon film uses a voice over of a conversation between two of the main characters, which are Bella and Jacob that is actual dialect from the film. This means that the audience of it can have a greater idea of what happens in certain sections of the film. By looking at these examples that have already been produced, I have decided to use short clips of actual footage of our film so that the audience know what to expect before they watch it. Therefore, my film teaser trailer would be most like the New Moon example because I will use scenes from the film itself to give hints and clues to the audience.
Within my media studies class we watched a variety of recent teaser trailers. This task was to give our group ideas of how to produce this particular type of trailer. Some examples of films that we watched teaser trailers from are that of “New Moon”, “2012” and “Toy Story 3”. By watching these examples, we were able to discover that the main convention of a teaser trailer is that the film’s title and date of release is seen at the end of it. However, it can be created in a number of ways with different concepts. An example of this is that Toy Story 3 uses the regular animated characters that are easily recognisable from the previous films to build the name of the latest film in the series. However, this trailer does not use actual footage from the film so that it does not give any evidence or information about it away. Whereas the teaser trailer for 2012 is similar to that of a music video. This is because it contains a man singing the film’s theme song, which is centred on love while walking through a city, which is being destroyed. Therefore, this gives the audience a clue that the film will be based around the destruction of a city, although this is the only information that can be taken from it. Finally, the teaser trailer for the New Moon film uses a voice over of a conversation between two of the main characters, which are Bella and Jacob that is actual dialect from the film. This means that the audience of it can have a greater idea of what happens in certain sections of the film. By looking at these examples that have already been produced, I have decided to use short clips of actual footage of our film so that the audience know what to expect before they watch it. Therefore, my film teaser trailer would be most like the New Moon example because I will use scenes from the film itself to give hints and clues to the audience.
Thursday 19 November 2009
Week One - Analysis of AS Level Coursework
Skills for Digital Technology
Whilst carrying out my practical media coursework piece within year twelve, I used a variety of digital technologies to aid me in completing it to a high quality. To film the scenes that were used in my thriller opening, I used a Panasonic DV camera. This type of video camera was compact so that it meant that I could easily transport it to different locations, such as to the dance and drama studios within the school site. Within my group, I filmed the scenes of when the main character is captured. I feel that I successfully carried this out because I used a tripod to make sure that it was not shaky and used a number of different camera angles such as a worm’s eye view, a close up and a point of view to clearly display the character’s panic of being trapped. Therefore, I believe that I would achieve a score of five out of five for my use of the camera for this section of filming. After it was finished, I uploaded the footage onto the Pinnacle program on the computer to be able to edit it into a two minute opening. This was easy to use and enabled my group to delete small amounts of footage that was unnecessary, add transitions to move from one scene to the next and add titles that are required to display our chosen name for the film, which was “The Unknown”. Whilst editing it, I also experimented with the system of Cubase that was linked to a keyboard to produce background music, which we unfortunately did not use in our final product. This is because I discovered music on the pinnacle program that was not copy righted and was appropriate for the genre of my film instead. However, next time I would produce my own music to make the opening more unique and make each area of it individual to me. This is because no one else would have the particular music that I would make and use within my film. Therefore, I think that I would have a score of two out of five because even though I did not use my own music, I did experiment with the process of doing this so that I know how to complete it in my next filming attempt. Finally, I used an Edirol to capture the director’s commentary for my film once it had been completed. I then uploaded it on to the computer and added it to my thriller opening. I did this by pausing sections of it to lengthen the piece so that all of the audio footage would fit in time with the film as it was played. I believe that I would reach a five out of five for this point because I managed to record a commentary, which explained my film in depth and then included it to the footage by pausing a number of sections of the opening that I felt was appropriate and in time with what was being spoken so that they both fitted with each other.
Creativity
To create the atmosphere, which was eerie and mysterious for my thriller, I used creepy music that had previously been created so that I knew that it was well made. I also used a small amount of lighting within the scenes in which the character is captured so that the audience does not exactly know what is taking place. When viewing my coursework I can see that if I was to complete it again, I would use more artificial lighting within the darker scenes by using objects such as torches and lamps. This is because the use of natural light alone meant that it became difficult in places to see what was happening so it needed to be brightened. Therefore, I think that I would reach a four out of five for my creativity used within my film because I used different methods to create the atmosphere even if they were not fully successful.
Research and Planning
The research that I carried out before planning was by watching openings to a variety of previously produced films, such as “Donnie Darko” and “Seven”. This helped to show the types of conventions that needed to be included within my own film as well as ideas for different storylines and the target audiences that they attract so that I could decide what age range to aim my film towards. However, next time that I carry out a piece of coursework, I would ask for audience feedback in the form of a questionnaire, once they had watched it. This means that I could make any improvements to it that they had been suggested before submitting it as my final product. This means that I would rate myself a three out of five for my research because even though it helped to look at other films to give me ideas for my own work, I needed to know exactly what the people watching it would think to make it appropriate for my particular audience. As well as using research for my coursework, I also planned the footage that would be shot. I did this to make sure that I knew exactly what I had to do to complete all of my coursework as well as making sure that I used the time and resources available to their fullest. This meant that I managed to reach my deadline in time. I did this by drawing storyboards and writing a script for the dialogue of the two characters so that everyone within my group knew exactly what they had to do by the time we had to film the scenes, which saved time. The next time that I carry out a piece of coursework like this, I would take still photographs to experiment with the mise en scene of my scenes, such as the lighting and costumes to be able to clearly see which points are successful and work to show a clear portrayal of the characters within the film. Therefore, I would give myself a four out of five for the planning of my opening because even though I planned the filming of the scenes in detail so that it ran smoothly and took place in time, there were other means of planning such as the photographs that I did not use this time, which would have helped to develop the film’s storyboard.
Post Production
Whilst editing the footage for my coursework in post production, I added transitions to make sure that the scenes flowed smoothly to each other as well as showing a change in time. I also added titles to show the audience exactly who was in the film and to give them an idea of what it involved through the name of it even though the title of this particular film was vague to increase intrigue. I then included background music, which was a part of the Pinnacle programme. This made the footage more interesting and eerie than simply having the sound of the character’s dialogue. When looking at my finished coursework, I can see that if I was to complete it again I would make sure that the background music faded whilst the scenes of dialogue was being used. This is because the music drowned it out so that it was hard to hear what the characters were saying, which made it less important and less focused upon while the music was dominant. Therefore, I believe that I would achieve a four out of five because although the music was slightly too loud for the piece, the other points that I added to the film in post production were successful and improved the overall product once it was completed.
Using or Challenging Conventions
Within my thriller opening I used conventions that are typical of the genre and that had all been used in some way within the opening to the films that I had watched as part of my research before the project had begun. The conventions that I used are that of a black background and a white font for the film’s titles to make them boldly stand out, eerie background music to put the audience on edge, a variety of unusual camera angles to disorientate its viewers and finally, cross cutting from the past and present periods of time to make its audience members think more closely about what is happening to the characters within it and to help them to try to work out what is taking place in the present day by finding out information about the past. I would therefore reach a score of five out of five because I had used a large amount of the popular conventions of thrillers to obviously show what genre it was a part of.
Whilst carrying out my practical media coursework piece within year twelve, I used a variety of digital technologies to aid me in completing it to a high quality. To film the scenes that were used in my thriller opening, I used a Panasonic DV camera. This type of video camera was compact so that it meant that I could easily transport it to different locations, such as to the dance and drama studios within the school site. Within my group, I filmed the scenes of when the main character is captured. I feel that I successfully carried this out because I used a tripod to make sure that it was not shaky and used a number of different camera angles such as a worm’s eye view, a close up and a point of view to clearly display the character’s panic of being trapped. Therefore, I believe that I would achieve a score of five out of five for my use of the camera for this section of filming. After it was finished, I uploaded the footage onto the Pinnacle program on the computer to be able to edit it into a two minute opening. This was easy to use and enabled my group to delete small amounts of footage that was unnecessary, add transitions to move from one scene to the next and add titles that are required to display our chosen name for the film, which was “The Unknown”. Whilst editing it, I also experimented with the system of Cubase that was linked to a keyboard to produce background music, which we unfortunately did not use in our final product. This is because I discovered music on the pinnacle program that was not copy righted and was appropriate for the genre of my film instead. However, next time I would produce my own music to make the opening more unique and make each area of it individual to me. This is because no one else would have the particular music that I would make and use within my film. Therefore, I think that I would have a score of two out of five because even though I did not use my own music, I did experiment with the process of doing this so that I know how to complete it in my next filming attempt. Finally, I used an Edirol to capture the director’s commentary for my film once it had been completed. I then uploaded it on to the computer and added it to my thriller opening. I did this by pausing sections of it to lengthen the piece so that all of the audio footage would fit in time with the film as it was played. I believe that I would reach a five out of five for this point because I managed to record a commentary, which explained my film in depth and then included it to the footage by pausing a number of sections of the opening that I felt was appropriate and in time with what was being spoken so that they both fitted with each other.
Creativity
To create the atmosphere, which was eerie and mysterious for my thriller, I used creepy music that had previously been created so that I knew that it was well made. I also used a small amount of lighting within the scenes in which the character is captured so that the audience does not exactly know what is taking place. When viewing my coursework I can see that if I was to complete it again, I would use more artificial lighting within the darker scenes by using objects such as torches and lamps. This is because the use of natural light alone meant that it became difficult in places to see what was happening so it needed to be brightened. Therefore, I think that I would reach a four out of five for my creativity used within my film because I used different methods to create the atmosphere even if they were not fully successful.
Research and Planning
The research that I carried out before planning was by watching openings to a variety of previously produced films, such as “Donnie Darko” and “Seven”. This helped to show the types of conventions that needed to be included within my own film as well as ideas for different storylines and the target audiences that they attract so that I could decide what age range to aim my film towards. However, next time that I carry out a piece of coursework, I would ask for audience feedback in the form of a questionnaire, once they had watched it. This means that I could make any improvements to it that they had been suggested before submitting it as my final product. This means that I would rate myself a three out of five for my research because even though it helped to look at other films to give me ideas for my own work, I needed to know exactly what the people watching it would think to make it appropriate for my particular audience. As well as using research for my coursework, I also planned the footage that would be shot. I did this to make sure that I knew exactly what I had to do to complete all of my coursework as well as making sure that I used the time and resources available to their fullest. This meant that I managed to reach my deadline in time. I did this by drawing storyboards and writing a script for the dialogue of the two characters so that everyone within my group knew exactly what they had to do by the time we had to film the scenes, which saved time. The next time that I carry out a piece of coursework like this, I would take still photographs to experiment with the mise en scene of my scenes, such as the lighting and costumes to be able to clearly see which points are successful and work to show a clear portrayal of the characters within the film. Therefore, I would give myself a four out of five for the planning of my opening because even though I planned the filming of the scenes in detail so that it ran smoothly and took place in time, there were other means of planning such as the photographs that I did not use this time, which would have helped to develop the film’s storyboard.
Post Production
Whilst editing the footage for my coursework in post production, I added transitions to make sure that the scenes flowed smoothly to each other as well as showing a change in time. I also added titles to show the audience exactly who was in the film and to give them an idea of what it involved through the name of it even though the title of this particular film was vague to increase intrigue. I then included background music, which was a part of the Pinnacle programme. This made the footage more interesting and eerie than simply having the sound of the character’s dialogue. When looking at my finished coursework, I can see that if I was to complete it again I would make sure that the background music faded whilst the scenes of dialogue was being used. This is because the music drowned it out so that it was hard to hear what the characters were saying, which made it less important and less focused upon while the music was dominant. Therefore, I believe that I would achieve a four out of five because although the music was slightly too loud for the piece, the other points that I added to the film in post production were successful and improved the overall product once it was completed.
Using or Challenging Conventions
Within my thriller opening I used conventions that are typical of the genre and that had all been used in some way within the opening to the films that I had watched as part of my research before the project had begun. The conventions that I used are that of a black background and a white font for the film’s titles to make them boldly stand out, eerie background music to put the audience on edge, a variety of unusual camera angles to disorientate its viewers and finally, cross cutting from the past and present periods of time to make its audience members think more closely about what is happening to the characters within it and to help them to try to work out what is taking place in the present day by finding out information about the past. I would therefore reach a score of five out of five because I had used a large amount of the popular conventions of thrillers to obviously show what genre it was a part of.
Thursday 5 November 2009
What are the Social Implications of Different Media Representations of Different Groups of People?
It can be difficult to investigate the social implications of the representations of youth culture that occur throughout a variety of mediums, such as British films and soap operas. This is because the particular culture can be interpreted to its audience in a number of ways, which would then produce different outcomes and reactions. The examples that can be used within this essay are that of “A Clockwork Orange” and the “Harry Potter” series as British films, which different genres can provoke certain social implications through the representations that it contains. However, these examples can be compared to British soaps, such as “Emmerdale”, which is main stream so that it has to appeal to a greater audience with a soap like “Hollyoaks” that is aimed at a more specific age range.
The 1971 film of “A Clockwork Orange” portrays a negative idea of the youth culture of a broken Britain, set in the future. It shows the bad aspects of the lives of teenagers and young adults within that particular social group because it includes a number of criminal acts such as rape that is committed by the film’s leading character of Alex. When Alex is finally arrested for his crimes and goes to prison, it does not completely punish him because once he is released he eventually turns back into his old ways by the very end of the film. This shows the audience that even if they do carry out dreadful crimes then they will not necessarily suffer the full consequences of it or may reoffend afterwards so it may influence the people of the youth culture to complete these types of actions. Also, Alex does not respect authority figures such as his parents or the police. This is because he does not follow their rules or laws but does exactly what he likes, such as not going to school and instead going to the Korova Milk Bar to drink milk laced with drugs to give him energy for his nights spent carrying out his criminal acts. Therefore, this shows that the youth culture do not have to obey or do what they are told to do and instead can carry out what they want even if it means hurting other people. Another point is that there are a majority of male characters in dominant roles with high powered careers within “A Clockwork Orange”. Whereas, the women are mainly seen as objects that can be controlled and used for sex. This means that they normally do not have important careers apart from one doctor and psychologist that are seen within the film for short spaces of time. This may be due to the period of time in which the film was produced because even in the 70’s, women did not have jobs with a large amount of power like police officers. This could influence the male viewers to not respect women or see them as not being as important as themselves. It can be proven that this certain film contains an excessive amount of serious, hard hitting issues because in the year of 1973, its director, Stanley Kubrick decided to ban the film from Britain because the styles of violence that is included within it were being copied by other people and it was therefore seen as being too dangerous. This means that the film was influential because it helped to give its viewers ideas on ways in which to commit acts of violence.
Unlike “A Clockwork Orange”, the “Harry Potter” series of films portrays a positive aspect of youth culture. This is because Harry Potter learns from the older characters that are around him such as his teachers like Dumbledore. These characters help him to learn and develop into a young man. This shows the young people who watch the films that they can have role models that of an authority figure such as their parents or teachers, who they can look up to and can be taught life lessons by so that they can be good, moral people throughout their adult lives. Another positive representation that is used within the films is that he only surrounds himself with friends that mainly follow the rules of their society correctly as they try to defeat evil with good. This point can show its viewers that it is good to have friends and family close to you because they will always keep you on the right path and support you to carry out the correct actions even when times are difficult. Harry also has to learn how to face his fears and find his inner strength to do so. Therefore, members of the youth culture can be influenced by this to find strength from within them and discover who they really are as they grow into adults.
When examining the representation of youth culture in soap operas, such as “Emmerdale”, a positive portrayal of youth culture can be seen by its audience members. This is because it shows a realistic angle of the lives of teenagers and young adults within today’s society. This is due to the fact that a majority of the characters within this certain television programme have a job and care about their future by training and developing skills within careers that they can progress in and receive a great deal of money from. An example of a character that is similar to this description is that of Debbie Dingle. This is because she has her own garage as a mechanic that is the only one of its kind within the village that it is located in. This means that it is constantly busy and earns Debbie a great deal of money even though she is only twenty years of age. While owning a business, she also cares for her four year old daughter, who she named Sarah. This shows the soap’s audience that people within the social group of youth culture can be successful in life and earn their own money to support themselves even if they have a teenage pregnancy. This means that they should not be ashamed of being a teenage mother, which is becoming a popular issue as the number of pregnancies of girls of this age group rises across Britain.
Another example of a soap opera that includes representations of youth culture is that of “Hollyoaks”. However, unlike “Emmerdale”, which is targeted at all ages and contains storylines that are suitable for a majority of the British public, the television programme of “Hollyoaks” is mainly aimed towards the youth culture. Therefore it contains a majority of people between the ages of sixteen to thirty. This means that it focuses on the issues that people of that age group face within society. However, these issues are normally about more risky topics than other soaps because it does not have to be as appropriate for all ages due to its specific audience. An example of an issue that this soap has recently contained is that of bullying by the new character of Gaz. Within the storyline, he is nearly killed by the other teenagers that are in the programme, such as Newt, in a wooded area. They do this to seek revenge on him for trying to terrorise them and making all of their lives in the previous months a hell. This portrays a negative view of this age group because it shows that they bully each other and that those who are suffering from the bullying do not prevent it from happening in a suitable manner that does not contain violence. However, Newt is arrested for attempted murder, which shows the audience that people who try to commit crimes are prosecuted. Therefore, this point may stop them from carrying out these types of criminal acts within their own lives because they have witnessed the consequences that they could face by watching the soap.
By looking at this essay, it can be concluded that the different negative and positive social implications that are found within these examples of films and television programmes can have an effect on the teenagers and young adults that regularly watch them. This shows that even though the audience have their own minds with a variety of opinions, they can still consume the topics that are included within these examples. Therefore, their behaviour can be influenced in a good way by watching films like “Harry Potter” and soaps like “Emmerdale” or in a bad manner by becoming an audience member to films such as “A Clockwork Orange” and television shows like “Hollyoaks”.
The 1971 film of “A Clockwork Orange” portrays a negative idea of the youth culture of a broken Britain, set in the future. It shows the bad aspects of the lives of teenagers and young adults within that particular social group because it includes a number of criminal acts such as rape that is committed by the film’s leading character of Alex. When Alex is finally arrested for his crimes and goes to prison, it does not completely punish him because once he is released he eventually turns back into his old ways by the very end of the film. This shows the audience that even if they do carry out dreadful crimes then they will not necessarily suffer the full consequences of it or may reoffend afterwards so it may influence the people of the youth culture to complete these types of actions. Also, Alex does not respect authority figures such as his parents or the police. This is because he does not follow their rules or laws but does exactly what he likes, such as not going to school and instead going to the Korova Milk Bar to drink milk laced with drugs to give him energy for his nights spent carrying out his criminal acts. Therefore, this shows that the youth culture do not have to obey or do what they are told to do and instead can carry out what they want even if it means hurting other people. Another point is that there are a majority of male characters in dominant roles with high powered careers within “A Clockwork Orange”. Whereas, the women are mainly seen as objects that can be controlled and used for sex. This means that they normally do not have important careers apart from one doctor and psychologist that are seen within the film for short spaces of time. This may be due to the period of time in which the film was produced because even in the 70’s, women did not have jobs with a large amount of power like police officers. This could influence the male viewers to not respect women or see them as not being as important as themselves. It can be proven that this certain film contains an excessive amount of serious, hard hitting issues because in the year of 1973, its director, Stanley Kubrick decided to ban the film from Britain because the styles of violence that is included within it were being copied by other people and it was therefore seen as being too dangerous. This means that the film was influential because it helped to give its viewers ideas on ways in which to commit acts of violence.
Unlike “A Clockwork Orange”, the “Harry Potter” series of films portrays a positive aspect of youth culture. This is because Harry Potter learns from the older characters that are around him such as his teachers like Dumbledore. These characters help him to learn and develop into a young man. This shows the young people who watch the films that they can have role models that of an authority figure such as their parents or teachers, who they can look up to and can be taught life lessons by so that they can be good, moral people throughout their adult lives. Another positive representation that is used within the films is that he only surrounds himself with friends that mainly follow the rules of their society correctly as they try to defeat evil with good. This point can show its viewers that it is good to have friends and family close to you because they will always keep you on the right path and support you to carry out the correct actions even when times are difficult. Harry also has to learn how to face his fears and find his inner strength to do so. Therefore, members of the youth culture can be influenced by this to find strength from within them and discover who they really are as they grow into adults.
When examining the representation of youth culture in soap operas, such as “Emmerdale”, a positive portrayal of youth culture can be seen by its audience members. This is because it shows a realistic angle of the lives of teenagers and young adults within today’s society. This is due to the fact that a majority of the characters within this certain television programme have a job and care about their future by training and developing skills within careers that they can progress in and receive a great deal of money from. An example of a character that is similar to this description is that of Debbie Dingle. This is because she has her own garage as a mechanic that is the only one of its kind within the village that it is located in. This means that it is constantly busy and earns Debbie a great deal of money even though she is only twenty years of age. While owning a business, she also cares for her four year old daughter, who she named Sarah. This shows the soap’s audience that people within the social group of youth culture can be successful in life and earn their own money to support themselves even if they have a teenage pregnancy. This means that they should not be ashamed of being a teenage mother, which is becoming a popular issue as the number of pregnancies of girls of this age group rises across Britain.
Another example of a soap opera that includes representations of youth culture is that of “Hollyoaks”. However, unlike “Emmerdale”, which is targeted at all ages and contains storylines that are suitable for a majority of the British public, the television programme of “Hollyoaks” is mainly aimed towards the youth culture. Therefore it contains a majority of people between the ages of sixteen to thirty. This means that it focuses on the issues that people of that age group face within society. However, these issues are normally about more risky topics than other soaps because it does not have to be as appropriate for all ages due to its specific audience. An example of an issue that this soap has recently contained is that of bullying by the new character of Gaz. Within the storyline, he is nearly killed by the other teenagers that are in the programme, such as Newt, in a wooded area. They do this to seek revenge on him for trying to terrorise them and making all of their lives in the previous months a hell. This portrays a negative view of this age group because it shows that they bully each other and that those who are suffering from the bullying do not prevent it from happening in a suitable manner that does not contain violence. However, Newt is arrested for attempted murder, which shows the audience that people who try to commit crimes are prosecuted. Therefore, this point may stop them from carrying out these types of criminal acts within their own lives because they have witnessed the consequences that they could face by watching the soap.
By looking at this essay, it can be concluded that the different negative and positive social implications that are found within these examples of films and television programmes can have an effect on the teenagers and young adults that regularly watch them. This shows that even though the audience have their own minds with a variety of opinions, they can still consume the topics that are included within these examples. Therefore, their behaviour can be influenced in a good way by watching films like “Harry Potter” and soaps like “Emmerdale” or in a bad manner by becoming an audience member to films such as “A Clockwork Orange” and television shows like “Hollyoaks”.
Thursday 8 October 2009
How Do Contemporary Media Represent Nations, Regions and Collective Groups in Different Ways?
The term youth culture means the ways in which teenagers and young adults establish a difference between themselves and other cultures that are outside of their social institutions and communities of family, work, home and school. They are able to do this by having their own distinct styles, behaviours, and interests, which can be shown through their choices in clothing styles, social activities, music genres and dialect. Therefore, the collective group of youth is the area in which I will focus on for this essay by discussing how the different contemporary films of “Adulthood” and the “Harry Potter” series represent the youth culture of Britain in a variety of ways and how these two films in particular contrast over this theme.
The film of “Adulthood” is a social realist film that was directed by Noel Clarke and was his first major feature film to be screened within cinemas across the United Kingdom. This is because the film’s prequel of “Kidulthood” was only shown in selected cinemas. He also wrote it by basing it on his own life growing up in London and starred within it as the character of “Sam”, who had first appeared in “Kidulthood”. This particular film was awarded £520,000 worth of lottery money by the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund as well as being backed by the Pathé film company. The UK Film Council's Fund that invested in “Adulthood” has £15 million to invest over three years in British filmmakers, writers and directors throughout the country’s different regions and ethics minorities. This is a way in which to encourage unique and creative film projects to be created using different methods within the British Film Industry so that there is a mixture of films that have the ability to attract a range of audiences.
As the film is completely British due to it being funded by the UK Film Council as well as its director, production team and all of its cast within it being from Britain and growing up within the country, it allows the film to be more realistic and gritty. This is because it included Noel’s own experiences and views of the youth culture within the capital city from his point of view so that displays serious issues that are common within today’s society, such as how gang crime is increasing within the urban cities of the country. This shows that the nation’s law is not abided by a majority of lower class youths that live within those particular areas, who are normally within a gang that carry out crimes but do not care about the consequences of committing them.
“Adulthood” represents the positive aspects of youth culture by showing its audience that there are teenagers and young adults that care for their parents, for example the main character of Sam missed his mother while he was serving his sentence in prison and that they have a great deal of respect for their elders within their gangs, for example by “not raising their voices” to them. It also shows that when youths are members of gangs, they are united and loyal to their friends because they are willing to commit crimes to protect one another or even kill people in rival gangs. However, this particular film does also portray the negative points of youth culture. This is because it represents a majority of youths as being criminals as the teenage characters within the film are drug dealers or take drugs as well as fighting with each and carrying weapons such as knives and guns to gain respect from others. The characters within the film show that many teenagers and young adults will do anything to gain money as well as respect because they are seen carrying out actions such as dealing drugs or killing people so that they do not care about the consequences of their actions and that they do not care about hurting others. The youths within it can also be seeing as racists because they have carried out racial attacks, which shows that they are not understanding of other cultures. Therefore, by looking at these points that I have made within this paragraph it can be used as evidence that “Adulthood” represents the ethnic diversity of the youth culture within London today and how they fight for power and social acceptance amongst each minority and gang that they are a member of.
The films prequel of “Kidulthood” was only shown in selected cinemas because of its controversial content that would not be suitable for a wide audience. This meant that its target audience was focused on teenagers and young adults that were the only age group to appear within the film. However, “Kidulthood” became popular within this age group and began to increase into a broader number of viewers. This meant that its follow up film of “Adulthood” was able to be screened in all cinemas as it had an increasing audience following. Therefore, this made it Noel’s first feature film to be widely released across the country. The audience who watched this particular film thought “that Adulthood is a good way of showing what life in Britain is like as well as telling us that violence and other crimes are wrong and dangerous” and that it “is very well made by Noel Clarke. He is an amazing director and writer.” Therefore, the audience thought that it fitted its genre of social realism well because it portrayed the lives of teenagers within Britain’s capital city realistically and believable by focusing on issues such as gang crimes that affect them in today’s society. However, the reviews of people within the film professions thought that that the film “paints a depressing view of young London” and that “Noel has neglected his responsibility when raising these issues” because there is a very big problem with gang culture which needs to be sorted and glorifying it will not help.” This means that “Adulthood’s critics thought that the film over exaggerated the serious issues that it contains so that it made the film overly gritty and depressing as well as glorifying these particular issues instead of highlighting them and showing that they are wrong. Therefore, there was a mixed overall review on the film between its critics and its actual audience members, who pay to watch and enjoy it at the cinema and on DVD at home. This point can be seen as evidence towards the film’s success because a majority of the general British public who gave their hard earned money to the film’s company approved of it.
Another contemporary film that I am able to compare this particular film to is that of the “Harry Potter” series. This is because it is an extremely popular franchise that has made over $5.4 billion worldwide. Even though it is based on wizards and a magical realm, which makes the genre of it a fantasy, it also focuses on issues and themes such as friendship, love, death, prejudice and fitting in within your peers. The film adaption of the original literary stories was funded by the film company, Waner Brothers. Therefore, it is considered to be only a partial British film because it was financed by Waner Brothers, which is an American production company. However, it can still be seen as being British because it contains actors and members of the crew such as a number of directors that originate from that nationality, such as David Yates who is a BAFTA- and Emmy Award-winning English film and television director.
It is hard to show a true portrayal of Britain and its many regions within these series of films because they are not completely British due to the company it was funded by so that they may see a different view of the country and may want to show it in a different way to many other films that have been a product of the British Film Industry. It may also be hard to successfully do this as they are not continuously based in the real world so that it does not contain many locations of Britain to be able to represent the country clearly. However, when the main character is staying with his aunt and uncle as well as when he is travelling to Hogwarts for another year of study there, it can be seen that Britain is a historical country. This has helped to increase the tourism within these particular areas that it was filmed, such as Gloucester Cathedral, whose visitor numbers have risen by fifty per cent following the release of the first “Harry Potter” film. This shows that the area of film making is far reaching because after people have seen certain films, it can give the audience an interest in the location in which it was set so that they may even wish to visit it afterwards.
The representations of youth culture can be seen within the “Harry Potter” films because Harry Potter is someone who learns from his elders, who are his teachers that are around him such as Dumbledore, as he develops from a boy into a young man. This is similar to teenagers within real life because their role models can be those of an authority figure such as their parents or teachers that they look up to and can be taught life lessons by. He also has to learn how to fight his fears and carry out morally good actions by discovering his inner strength. Members of youth can relate to this point because they are drawn to characters that have to find strength from within themselves because it is something that all teenagers go through to discover who they are while trying to live an appropriate life by not carrying out actions such as criminal acts. While Harry has to find his inner power, he also lacks self-confidence. This is because he worries about what others will think about him and his actions as well as being picked on by boys who are more aggressive than himself and lacking the security and love of parents as he became an orphan when he was just a baby. Teenagers can relate to Harry because of this as they all feel some form of low self-confidence at some point while they progress into adulthood and try to fit in with society and their peers. This may lead to pressure from those around them. Harry Potter is a suitable role model for the youth culture because he only surrounds himself with friends that mainly follow the rules of their society correctly as they try to defeat evil with good. However, these series of films cannot completely represent the youth of today because the teenage characters within “Harry Potter” are wizards that are struggling to protect the magical world from the evil wizard, who is known as “Lord Voldemot”. However, the teenagers and young adults within reality would not have to face those kinds of tasks, which mean that the main plot of the series is unrelatable to the issues that they would occur in their everyday lives.
It can be seen from my essay that it is easier to truly represent Britain and its regions if the company that a film is funded by as well as the cast and crew that are contained within it come from the same country because they are able to bring together their own views and experiences of their time in Britain to make it more realistic. Also, it is easier to represent youth culture by including characters that are within that particular culture because they will have to experience the same issues as the young audience that enjoy watching them and help to make the films money.
The film of “Adulthood” is a social realist film that was directed by Noel Clarke and was his first major feature film to be screened within cinemas across the United Kingdom. This is because the film’s prequel of “Kidulthood” was only shown in selected cinemas. He also wrote it by basing it on his own life growing up in London and starred within it as the character of “Sam”, who had first appeared in “Kidulthood”. This particular film was awarded £520,000 worth of lottery money by the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund as well as being backed by the Pathé film company. The UK Film Council's Fund that invested in “Adulthood” has £15 million to invest over three years in British filmmakers, writers and directors throughout the country’s different regions and ethics minorities. This is a way in which to encourage unique and creative film projects to be created using different methods within the British Film Industry so that there is a mixture of films that have the ability to attract a range of audiences.
As the film is completely British due to it being funded by the UK Film Council as well as its director, production team and all of its cast within it being from Britain and growing up within the country, it allows the film to be more realistic and gritty. This is because it included Noel’s own experiences and views of the youth culture within the capital city from his point of view so that displays serious issues that are common within today’s society, such as how gang crime is increasing within the urban cities of the country. This shows that the nation’s law is not abided by a majority of lower class youths that live within those particular areas, who are normally within a gang that carry out crimes but do not care about the consequences of committing them.
“Adulthood” represents the positive aspects of youth culture by showing its audience that there are teenagers and young adults that care for their parents, for example the main character of Sam missed his mother while he was serving his sentence in prison and that they have a great deal of respect for their elders within their gangs, for example by “not raising their voices” to them. It also shows that when youths are members of gangs, they are united and loyal to their friends because they are willing to commit crimes to protect one another or even kill people in rival gangs. However, this particular film does also portray the negative points of youth culture. This is because it represents a majority of youths as being criminals as the teenage characters within the film are drug dealers or take drugs as well as fighting with each and carrying weapons such as knives and guns to gain respect from others. The characters within the film show that many teenagers and young adults will do anything to gain money as well as respect because they are seen carrying out actions such as dealing drugs or killing people so that they do not care about the consequences of their actions and that they do not care about hurting others. The youths within it can also be seeing as racists because they have carried out racial attacks, which shows that they are not understanding of other cultures. Therefore, by looking at these points that I have made within this paragraph it can be used as evidence that “Adulthood” represents the ethnic diversity of the youth culture within London today and how they fight for power and social acceptance amongst each minority and gang that they are a member of.
The films prequel of “Kidulthood” was only shown in selected cinemas because of its controversial content that would not be suitable for a wide audience. This meant that its target audience was focused on teenagers and young adults that were the only age group to appear within the film. However, “Kidulthood” became popular within this age group and began to increase into a broader number of viewers. This meant that its follow up film of “Adulthood” was able to be screened in all cinemas as it had an increasing audience following. Therefore, this made it Noel’s first feature film to be widely released across the country. The audience who watched this particular film thought “that Adulthood is a good way of showing what life in Britain is like as well as telling us that violence and other crimes are wrong and dangerous” and that it “is very well made by Noel Clarke. He is an amazing director and writer.” Therefore, the audience thought that it fitted its genre of social realism well because it portrayed the lives of teenagers within Britain’s capital city realistically and believable by focusing on issues such as gang crimes that affect them in today’s society. However, the reviews of people within the film professions thought that that the film “paints a depressing view of young London” and that “Noel has neglected his responsibility when raising these issues” because there is a very big problem with gang culture which needs to be sorted and glorifying it will not help.” This means that “Adulthood’s critics thought that the film over exaggerated the serious issues that it contains so that it made the film overly gritty and depressing as well as glorifying these particular issues instead of highlighting them and showing that they are wrong. Therefore, there was a mixed overall review on the film between its critics and its actual audience members, who pay to watch and enjoy it at the cinema and on DVD at home. This point can be seen as evidence towards the film’s success because a majority of the general British public who gave their hard earned money to the film’s company approved of it.
Another contemporary film that I am able to compare this particular film to is that of the “Harry Potter” series. This is because it is an extremely popular franchise that has made over $5.4 billion worldwide. Even though it is based on wizards and a magical realm, which makes the genre of it a fantasy, it also focuses on issues and themes such as friendship, love, death, prejudice and fitting in within your peers. The film adaption of the original literary stories was funded by the film company, Waner Brothers. Therefore, it is considered to be only a partial British film because it was financed by Waner Brothers, which is an American production company. However, it can still be seen as being British because it contains actors and members of the crew such as a number of directors that originate from that nationality, such as David Yates who is a BAFTA- and Emmy Award-winning English film and television director.
It is hard to show a true portrayal of Britain and its many regions within these series of films because they are not completely British due to the company it was funded by so that they may see a different view of the country and may want to show it in a different way to many other films that have been a product of the British Film Industry. It may also be hard to successfully do this as they are not continuously based in the real world so that it does not contain many locations of Britain to be able to represent the country clearly. However, when the main character is staying with his aunt and uncle as well as when he is travelling to Hogwarts for another year of study there, it can be seen that Britain is a historical country. This has helped to increase the tourism within these particular areas that it was filmed, such as Gloucester Cathedral, whose visitor numbers have risen by fifty per cent following the release of the first “Harry Potter” film. This shows that the area of film making is far reaching because after people have seen certain films, it can give the audience an interest in the location in which it was set so that they may even wish to visit it afterwards.
The representations of youth culture can be seen within the “Harry Potter” films because Harry Potter is someone who learns from his elders, who are his teachers that are around him such as Dumbledore, as he develops from a boy into a young man. This is similar to teenagers within real life because their role models can be those of an authority figure such as their parents or teachers that they look up to and can be taught life lessons by. He also has to learn how to fight his fears and carry out morally good actions by discovering his inner strength. Members of youth can relate to this point because they are drawn to characters that have to find strength from within themselves because it is something that all teenagers go through to discover who they are while trying to live an appropriate life by not carrying out actions such as criminal acts. While Harry has to find his inner power, he also lacks self-confidence. This is because he worries about what others will think about him and his actions as well as being picked on by boys who are more aggressive than himself and lacking the security and love of parents as he became an orphan when he was just a baby. Teenagers can relate to Harry because of this as they all feel some form of low self-confidence at some point while they progress into adulthood and try to fit in with society and their peers. This may lead to pressure from those around them. Harry Potter is a suitable role model for the youth culture because he only surrounds himself with friends that mainly follow the rules of their society correctly as they try to defeat evil with good. However, these series of films cannot completely represent the youth of today because the teenage characters within “Harry Potter” are wizards that are struggling to protect the magical world from the evil wizard, who is known as “Lord Voldemot”. However, the teenagers and young adults within reality would not have to face those kinds of tasks, which mean that the main plot of the series is unrelatable to the issues that they would occur in their everyday lives.
It can be seen from my essay that it is easier to truly represent Britain and its regions if the company that a film is funded by as well as the cast and crew that are contained within it come from the same country because they are able to bring together their own views and experiences of their time in Britain to make it more realistic. Also, it is easier to represent youth culture by including characters that are within that particular culture because they will have to experience the same issues as the young audience that enjoy watching them and help to make the films money.
Sunday 20 September 2009
The Funding of 'Adulthood'
The film ‘Adulthood’ was directed by the award-winning writer and actor, Noel Clarke. It was his first feature film and as well as directing the film, he also wrote it and starred within it by bringing back his character of Sam, who first appeared in ‘Kidulthood’ and is now just out of prison. As well as featuring Noel it also included an up-and-coming cast and was produced by George Isaac and Damian Jones for Cipher Films, who had both worked on the prequel, ‘Kidulthood’.
As well as being backed by Pathé, the film was awarded £520,000 worth of Lottery money by the UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund, which funds new British film writers and directors including Noel Clarke's directorial debut. Noel is one of many filmmakers whose projects have been supported by the New Cinema Fund such as, the award-winning director, Kenny Glenaan, with acclaimed films like, ‘Yasmin’ and ‘Derailed’.
The following quote is from Lenny Crooks, who is the Head of the New Cinema Fund when talking about Noel Clarke directing ‘Adulthood’, "We want to support distinctive filmmakers in developing and sustaining their work at every stage of their career, from making shorts through to first and second features and beyond. As an actor moving on to becoming a director Noel Clarke is on a fast trajectory with an awareness and resourcefulness to match.”
The UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund has £15 million to invest over three years and is in partnership with Film4, EM Media, Screen Yorkshire and Optimum Releasing. The fund encourages unique and creative ideas and methods to be used within the British Film Industry to produce a mixture of films that connect with a range of audiences. The fund has a strong responsibility towards supporting work from filmmakers across the nation’s different regions and from black, Asian and other minority ethnic filmmakers. The fund also encourages digital technology in the production, distribution and exhibition of films. The New Cinema Fund has supported films including, Shane Meadows's ‘This is England’, Ken Loach's ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’, Andrea Arnold's ‘Red Road’ and Paul Greengrass's ‘Bloody Sunday’.
As well as funding feature films, the New Cinema Fund invests in a range of short schemes including Cinema Extreme, the Completion Fund and Low Budget Digital Shorts, which has produced more than hundred and twenty films so far, to encourage directors, producers and creative talent to explore new means of storytelling in the area of short film making. It also helps to fund the Warp X Low Budget Film Scheme that offers filmmakers development support, production finance and theatrical distribution within the United Kingdom.
As well as being backed by Pathé, the film was awarded £520,000 worth of Lottery money by the UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund, which funds new British film writers and directors including Noel Clarke's directorial debut. Noel is one of many filmmakers whose projects have been supported by the New Cinema Fund such as, the award-winning director, Kenny Glenaan, with acclaimed films like, ‘Yasmin’ and ‘Derailed’.
The following quote is from Lenny Crooks, who is the Head of the New Cinema Fund when talking about Noel Clarke directing ‘Adulthood’, "We want to support distinctive filmmakers in developing and sustaining their work at every stage of their career, from making shorts through to first and second features and beyond. As an actor moving on to becoming a director Noel Clarke is on a fast trajectory with an awareness and resourcefulness to match.”
The UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund has £15 million to invest over three years and is in partnership with Film4, EM Media, Screen Yorkshire and Optimum Releasing. The fund encourages unique and creative ideas and methods to be used within the British Film Industry to produce a mixture of films that connect with a range of audiences. The fund has a strong responsibility towards supporting work from filmmakers across the nation’s different regions and from black, Asian and other minority ethnic filmmakers. The fund also encourages digital technology in the production, distribution and exhibition of films. The New Cinema Fund has supported films including, Shane Meadows's ‘This is England’, Ken Loach's ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’, Andrea Arnold's ‘Red Road’ and Paul Greengrass's ‘Bloody Sunday’.
As well as funding feature films, the New Cinema Fund invests in a range of short schemes including Cinema Extreme, the Completion Fund and Low Budget Digital Shorts, which has produced more than hundred and twenty films so far, to encourage directors, producers and creative talent to explore new means of storytelling in the area of short film making. It also helps to fund the Warp X Low Budget Film Scheme that offers filmmakers development support, production finance and theatrical distribution within the United Kingdom.
Thursday 17 September 2009
Comparison of Hollyoaks and Coronation Street
Within this post I shall compare two popular British soaps, which are Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and Coronation Street that is broadcast on ITV1.
Firstly, Hollyoaks is targeted towards a younger audience of teenagers and young adults up to the age of thirty. This is because the programme focuses on storylines that are representative to this age group of today, such as studying at school and receiving their GCSE exam results. It is also aimed at this age range because the characters within it are of a close age to their audience members and are going through similar life events as them so that they act as role models. Whereas, Coronation Street is aimed at a much wider audience range and therefore contains characters of different ages with a variety of themes to represent the many age groups. However, the soap does contain a majority of older characters, who have worked on the show for many years. This means that even though it is a programme for everyone, it is mainly targeted towards the older generation who can relate to the characters that they watch because the main storylines are that of working life, marriage and divorce, which would not concern younger audience members.
To entice the younger viewing audience that it requires further, Hollyoaks uses popular chart music throughout each episode because they would listen and be interested in this type of music more than any other generation. The production team of this show also use special effects and fast paced , sharp editing, which make it dramatic so that the audience does not become bored of a repetitive concept and will continuously watch every episode that is broadcast to see how it changes. Coronation Street does not need to do this though because it has a successful concept that has been working for over forty years and still is today that already attracts such a large audience. Therefore, they do not need to use expensive effects to bring in a high number of viewers, which then makes it easier to watch.
Another way in which Hollyoaks has become popular with a younger generation is that it can be increasingly risky and daring with serious issues that it regularly focuses on, such as rape or drug addiction because it provides information that its younger audience want to find out about as they have not been through this issues within their own personal lives themselves. Coronation Street limits the types of topics they use because it is for all ages, which includes much younger viewers that these issues would not be appropriate for. However, they do allow these type of issues to be included within the soap because people want to see difficult topics being raised and made widely aware of even though it is not approached as frequently as Hollyoaks.
Finally, Hollyoaks tends to focus on individual storylines that contain a central popular character within the programme and then other characters that have connections to that person. However, Coronation Street uses story lines which normally involve many people and tend to gradually build up over a few episodes across many weeks so that they can develop each character within the story line. This means that its regular, loyal viewers carry on watching the programme to discover what happens next.
Firstly, Hollyoaks is targeted towards a younger audience of teenagers and young adults up to the age of thirty. This is because the programme focuses on storylines that are representative to this age group of today, such as studying at school and receiving their GCSE exam results. It is also aimed at this age range because the characters within it are of a close age to their audience members and are going through similar life events as them so that they act as role models. Whereas, Coronation Street is aimed at a much wider audience range and therefore contains characters of different ages with a variety of themes to represent the many age groups. However, the soap does contain a majority of older characters, who have worked on the show for many years. This means that even though it is a programme for everyone, it is mainly targeted towards the older generation who can relate to the characters that they watch because the main storylines are that of working life, marriage and divorce, which would not concern younger audience members.
To entice the younger viewing audience that it requires further, Hollyoaks uses popular chart music throughout each episode because they would listen and be interested in this type of music more than any other generation. The production team of this show also use special effects and fast paced , sharp editing, which make it dramatic so that the audience does not become bored of a repetitive concept and will continuously watch every episode that is broadcast to see how it changes. Coronation Street does not need to do this though because it has a successful concept that has been working for over forty years and still is today that already attracts such a large audience. Therefore, they do not need to use expensive effects to bring in a high number of viewers, which then makes it easier to watch.
Another way in which Hollyoaks has become popular with a younger generation is that it can be increasingly risky and daring with serious issues that it regularly focuses on, such as rape or drug addiction because it provides information that its younger audience want to find out about as they have not been through this issues within their own personal lives themselves. Coronation Street limits the types of topics they use because it is for all ages, which includes much younger viewers that these issues would not be appropriate for. However, they do allow these type of issues to be included within the soap because people want to see difficult topics being raised and made widely aware of even though it is not approached as frequently as Hollyoaks.
Finally, Hollyoaks tends to focus on individual storylines that contain a central popular character within the programme and then other characters that have connections to that person. However, Coronation Street uses story lines which normally involve many people and tend to gradually build up over a few episodes across many weeks so that they can develop each character within the story line. This means that its regular, loyal viewers carry on watching the programme to discover what happens next.
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