Lightlng Types

Lightling Types:

Key Lighting - The purpose of the key light is to highlight the form and dimension of the subject. The key light isn't a rigid requirement. Omitting the key light can give off a silhouette effect. Key lights may be placed in a scene to illuminate a moving subject at opportune moments.


Fill Lighting -

Fill lighting is a secondary source of light designed to go against the harshness of the key light. Fill lighting is shined on the object which the key light is focused on at a contrasting angle to the key light. It removes shadows while still allowing for contrast. This is accomplished by making the fill lighting softer than the key light and at a different vertical angle.

Back Lighting - A backlight is usually placed behind the main object in the view of the audience to create a silhouette effect, the background can be colourful and bright while the foreground stays dark.

High Key Lighting -

A style of lighting for film that aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. This was done partly for technological reasons, since early film and television did not deal well with high contrast ratios, but now is used to suggest an upbeat mood. It is often used in sitcoms and comedies. High-key lighting is usually free from dark shadows.

Rim Lighting - Rim lighting is often used when making profile portraits.  Rim  lighting  is  the  same  as  backlighting, where the subject is lighted from behind causing the facial features of the profile to be highlighted.

Chioroscuro Lighting - Used in film to show definite splits in low key lighting between light and dark.

Pinewood to invest in British film industry

The film studio Pinewood Shepperton hopes to grab a share of the profits of successful British movies, such as The King's Speech, by investing in small budget British films.

Pinewood, where the James Bond and Harry Potter films are shot, said it plans to invest as much as a 20 per cent stake in up to four films a year with production budgets of about £2m.

It is the first time that Pinewood has planned this type of investment since it was making the Carry On films in the 1970s. Ivan Dunleavy, its chief executive, said that while it "did not rush into these types of initiative", The King's Speech had been the latest in a long line of hit British films, citing other successes including Slum Dog Millionaire. The King's Speech only cost £9m to produce and has so far taken more than £150m at box offices globally.

Closure of the UK Film Council

With the closure of the UKFC all of its assets and responsibilities are being transferred over to the BFI and Film London.

What functions have transferred from the UK Film Council to the BFI?
From 1 April 2011, the British Film Institute (BFI) has become the lead body for film in the UK. Most of the UK Film Council's core functions have transferred to the BFI - including the distribution of National Lottery funding for the development and production of new British films, as well as audience development activity through supporting film distribution and exhibition.
The BFI also takes over responsibility for the certification of UK films (which enables filmmakers to access the UK film tax relief for film production); film education; the Research and Statistics Unit (contingent on alternative funding being found post July 2011); overseeing support for film in the English Regions; liaising with the National Screen Agencies in the devolved Nations; funding skills development for the film workforce in partnership with Skillset; and supporting First Light and MEDIA Desk UK. In addition, the work of the UK Film Council's Business Affairs, Monitoring, Strategic Development and UK Partnerships teams have moved over to the BFI.
The BFI is taking a partnership approach for promoting British film internationally, working with BBC Worldwide, BAFTA, Film London and, over time, others.
The responsibility for oversight of the BFI itself, previously held by the UK Film Council, has now transferred to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

What functions have transferred from the UK Film Council to Film London?
From 1 April 2011, the UK Film Council's role in encouraging inward investment into the UK has moved across to Film London in a public/private partnership with Warner Bros., Pinewood Studios Group, the Production Guild, UK Screen Association and others.

British Film Institute to partner with the British Library

The beginning of a new partnership between the BFI and British Library. In order for more people to access a wider range of what is considered a "vital part of our heritage".

The partnership, which will be managed by a joint steering committee, will focus on ways of “collecting, preserving and providing contemporary and long term access to their collections in the digital age for the benefit of research and the wider public".

Amanda Nevill, director of the BFI, said she was “delighted to be developing this key partnership with one of the world-leading custodians of our UK heritage. Partnerships such as this are crucial as we explore new ways to increase access to our collections across a range of different media and platforms in the digital economy and ensure we maximise our combined knowledge, expertise and resources.”

Full Article

Latest film news: US cinemas threaten not to show films in video on demand dispute

I thought this was linked to what Tim Bevan said about the ways that they are trying to combat pairacy with a Video on Demand service.

US cinema chains are threatening to banish some films from their screens in response to a contentious video-on-demand plan by several Hollywood studios to allow new releases into living rooms within weeks of their big screen debuts.

Four of the six major film studios – Universal, Sony, Warner Bros and Fox – plan to make new releases available to rent online just two months after their cinema debut. New releases will be available to rent for $30 (£18) under the premium VoD proposals, set to be introduced in the US later this month.

Sony's Just Go With It, a comedy featuring Adam Sandler, will make history as one of the first films to be offered on the new on-demand service, according to the US entertainment trade magazine Variety.

Film studios have long wanted to reduce the four-month period of exclusivity enjoyed by cinemas. It is seen as a way to offset a decline in physical DVD sales, while also helping to combat internet piracy and initiate a radical change in film buffs' viewing habits.
Paramount's opposition could give it the upper hand when it goes head to head with rival studios this summer, with big-name releases like Transformers 3 and Super 8 set to go up against the final Harry Potter and Fox's X-Men: First Class. Disney, the other Hollywood major, has yet to reveal its hand over the premium VoD plan.

What is a British film?

Activity 1:

The King's Speech:
Story and plot - In 1925, the Duke of York is stammerer and has troubles to speak to the public. His wife Elizabeth seeks the treatment of the speech therapist Lionel Logue that follows unconventional methods and relationship, and Bertie gives up the treatment on the first day. However, after listening to the session that was recorded by Lionel, the Bertie returns to the treatment. In the mid 30's, the Duke of York is forced to assume the throne of England as King George VI due to the abdication of his older brother King Edward VIII. Immediately after, there is a crisis in the government and England declares war to Germany. King George VI needs to make a speech to his compatriots, and his friend Lionel helps him using an unorthodox technique.
For obvious reasons this is in my opinion a very british film as it was filmed n the UK, and is also most obviouly about Britain's history as a naton.

Actors - I think all of the acotrs in the this film are British, and also there are tars such as Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffery Rush.

Director - The director of this film was Tom Hooper who is also British and also directed The Damned United another very British film.

Style - It's hard to say what the style of this film is when I haven't seen it myself.

Genre - The genre of this films looks like it's more of a historical drama, it's just a bit too young to be called a period drama.

Production Company - Made by See-Saw Films which is a British company.

Distribution - I think that it was distributed by Bedlam Productions which is also a british film, company.

Exhibition - The film was released on the 7th of January 2011.

127 Hours:
Story and plot - 127 Hours is the story of Aron Ralston, a climber/adverturer who becomes stuck in a crevasse with his arm lodged under a boulder. Over the next 5 days he looks at his life and his sourroundings and finds a way to free himself from his prison but at a cost.
The film is about an American, in America, getting lodged under a boulder in the desert. This film has nothing mildly British about it in its subject matter.

Actors - All of the actors in this are also American with the big name of set being James Franco, a well known but American star.

Director - Director Danny Boyle is British though, but seems to have a habit of making films in foreign countries, for example Slumdog Millionaire.

Style - The style of the film seems to be biographic in the sense that the camera for 90% of the film is just on Aron (Franco) and doesn't take a vew on anyone else unless it's in a flashback.

Genre - The genre of the film looks like an Adventure/Drama crossover, it cannot really be called an action film because there is only one very obvious "action" scene but this obviously isnt enough to class the entire movie as it.

Production Company - Pathe, and Everest Entertainment. As far as I am aware Pathe is a British production company.

Exhibition - the film was released on the 7th January 2011.

Another Year:
Story and plot - A married couple who have managed to remain blissfully happy into their autumn years, are surrounded over the course of the four seasons of one average year by friends, colleagues, and family who all seem to suffer some degree of unhappiness. This film seems traditionally British with an all British cast and traditional British location.

Actors - Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen are the main characters who are both British. While not as high profile as Tom Cruise they are still popular among many people.

Director - Mike Leigh, a British Director who also directed other films such as Vera Drake, a very British film.

Style - It is hard to say what kind of style the film has having not seen it before.

Genre -  The film appears to be a cross between Drama and Comedy.

Production Company - Thin Man Films and Film4, Im assuming both of these companies are British as Film4 is linked with the now disbanded British Film council.

Exhibition - The film was released on the 5th of November 2010.

4 Lions:
Story and plot - Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce. In a storm of razor-sharp verbal jousting and large-scale set pieces, Four Lions is a comic tour de force; it shows that-while terrorism is about ideology-it can also be about idiots.
 While set in Britain the film is also spread across a different culture entirely. So this film could very easily be classed as a British film.

Actors - The film uses Kayvan Novac, Nigel Lindsay and Riz Ahmed, three British actors, to portray three foreign wannabe terrorists the most famous of these three in my opinion is Kayvan Novac who most people know as the "Fonejacker".

Director - Christopher Morris a British director who has had his first popular film with the Four Lions seems to also just make British Films.

Style - It is hard to say what kind of style the film has having not seen it before.

Genre - the film is a comedy drama crossover.

Production company - Film4, which is again heavily involved with the Uk Film council.

Exhibition - 7th May 2010

Made In Dagenham:
Story and plot - A dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination. This film is similar to The King's Speech in that it is part of the history of Britian as well as just being set there.

Actors - Sally Hawkins and Bob Hoskins are both big British stars that are two of the main roles in this film.

Director - Directed by Nigel Cole a British director who was also involved in Calendar Girls another classicly British film.

Style - As this is a dramatization the film looks much more like a historical event than a piece of entertainment.

Genre - In my opinion this film fits into the characteristics of three genres which are comedy, drama and history.

Production Company - Audley Films and BBC Films, it seems the finance came from BBC Films as Audley Films sound like a much smaller (and British) production company.

Exhibition - Released on the 1st of October 2010.

Working Title Trip

Dear Blog

5:50am: I woke up, it was incredibly early, and I was very tired.

5: 57am: I had a shower and as a dried my hair I smacked my head against the ceiling. Ow. I then recover and get dressed.

6:10am: I go downstairs and have breakfast, Kellogs Crunchy Nut® as per usual.

6:17am: I walk down the road and wait for Miss Purser. I wait for 7 minutes and still no car. I hope she hasn’t forgotten, that could prove problematic.

6:25am: Miss Purser turns up finally and we go to college with a near death count of: 1 Pigeon.

7:45am: We get on the bus and I find a seat at the back not much leg room quite disappointing.

11:30ish am: Arrive at Working Title Pictures and greeted by Deborah Hayward. She led us to a theatre room where we talked to Tim Bevan. At first he described the role of Working Title in the film industry, All funding for staff and development of the projects comes from Universal Pictures their partner companies. WT often have over 50 projects “on the slate” at any one time and make averagely produce 3-4 pictures a year.

One of the first things he said was “Film is big big f@*£ing business.” This was in response to a question about piracy and what was being done about it. He said that they were looking into a new type of online film viewing service which reasonably priced could help the film industry with the issue of piracy.

He talked about what it was like working between films of two very different styles which was entertaining but occasionally had difficulties.

He talked about his favourite part of the process being both at the start of the production when the script has been written the cast are all on board and until that moment the film has the possibility to be the best film…until it starts.

We then talked to Sarah Jane Wright who was in charge of production, and one of the projects that is being worked on at the moment is Anna Karenina a film with a budget of around £17,000,000. She talked about how they need to be able to keep the cost down so instead of lying all over the world and doing the scenes on location, they filmed in Hungary. Hungary has the ability to look like many places across the world, for instance they can film in Budapest for scenes that take place in Italy or London. Also there is up to a 20% tax rebate in Hungary if the filming costs are kept under £20,000,000. So again this makes it much cheaper to film.

We also talked to Steve Hally. He has been in charge of the theatre room we were in for 16 years. And it was interesting as he has seen the change that had occurred over the time he was there from 16mm film to digital, and when instead of spools and reels of film he has to now use a computer to play these films.

We then got a chance to talk to one of the interns called Harriet Spencer (No second name was provided) who talked about how she first discovered she wanted to be in either film of theatre at university. She took a year off and became involved in different parts of the film industry, but afterwards applied for a job as a runner at Working Title and after a month’s unpaid work she was offered a full time job there and has been working on research recently for new television programmes which are being released or “Ones to watch”. I felt the information was useful because becoming involved in film as a career is something that interests me.

1:15pm: We left the studios after an impromptu and very entertaining talk by the writer of Borat, Bruno and Ali G. Who spoke of slightly strange and nostalgic times working on set. I got chicken teriyaki for lunch, it was quite expensive but I was full after and it tasted great.

1:30pm: We realised we were lost in the depths on London, scared and worried we had no way out. So Johnny asked for directions.

2:15pm: We arrived at the Wallace Collection and had to wait for teachers who were slightly late (tut-tut). We walked around looking at paintings and the underlying messages from them. Also trying on armour along the way.

3:10pm: After trying to make friends with some locals we discovered the natural hostility that somewhere like Hackney provoked. We were attacked from the left flank and had to defend ourselves, our main defence was to close the curtains but after realising that a traffic jam was impeding out escape we had to take the beating even after some pillow fumbling issues and some unnecessary provocation they launched a second attack, after a high speed chase and a high dosage of paranoia we were safe.

7:40pm: We returned to college, battered and bruised but alive, we did lose some good people that day but they shall never be forgotten.

How was Englishness represented in Midsomer Murders?

(N.B. I had this ready for the day it was due but I thougt we were handing it in not blogging it as I thought it was part of a test).

Midsomer Murders has recently been reprimanded for its lack of ethnical diversity in its cast resulting in the suspension of one of the main producers. This has drawn to light how obvious the ways are that the show tries to show Englishness.
Camera:
For our clip of Midsomer Murders we chose the very first part of the first episode and series. This could arguably be the most “English” part with it being in more of an era where it was less normal to have a ethnically widespread cast. The first significant shot is a wide panning shot which shows you the cottages and the surrounding area. This is utilised because it gives you a sense of where you are (in this case the countryside). This view is after a view of a sign which reads “Best Kept Village”. This is quintessentially English as it’s often what’s done in many villages in England. There are several close ups after this, these show the different types of people that live in these sorts of village and the variety that are there. Another shot shows two older women talking together which although is not just limited to England is one of the things that people think of when they hear village.
One of the next camera shots to be mentioned is the shot of the old woman locking up her bike. The shot is seen from a low angle giving it the appearance of a voyeur shot, meaning that you’re not supposed to be there. This is replicated in the next shot which is a long shot of the woman walking through the forest. This also gives the idea that she is being watched unknowingly. More shots follow in the same manner, also the way in which the shot looks like it’s being filmed with a handycam makes it seem as if you are seeing this as a P.O.V. (Point Of View) shot.
Mise en Scene:
The first shot is of a woman riding her bicycle through a village, the bicycle in this sense tends to be a very English method of transportation especially through the road with cottages, also a very English image. The next clip features an obviously old car which looks to be very “English”. You also see horses which in the English countryside it’s a very common sight to see horses sharing the road with cars and tractors.
You also see the “Post Office” which has always been a traditionally English thing with the red sign being recognised throughout the country. Also seen are the fly screen which are usually seen in English butchers shops. Also featured is a Walls ice cream sign which is another quintessentially English brand. The clothing of the characters seen is also English in appearance with bright summer colours worn along with the bandanas worn in the style of the working women posters from the war. Also seen is a garishly patterned cardigan which has always been a fault of the English wearing those but they do represent us as a nation.
Props seen that are very English include the wicker baskets that all of the women carry in this clip at one point or another. Also included are the old style English camera that the woman uses to take a photo of the flower. Next the idea of the “Peeping Tom” of the neighbour out of the window, which in itself make her look like she’s trapped behind bars. Also English is the idea of the “Beehive Cottage” all of the cottages being given names.
The combination of the old style telephone which has been used for years in Britain and is also very English, also with the cup of tea which has always been English, just as the coffee has been to the French and also alcohol to the Scottish.
Sound:
Throughout almost the entire clip there is non-diegetic sound playing in the background. This follows the mood of the clip as it goes along. For instance, at first when everything is calm and the old lady is cycling down the line of cottages the sound is calm and happy, this carries on for about a minute and a half, in which time there is also diegetic sound playing, this includes the car as it comes around the corner, but most noticeably the village dweller’s voices which for the most part are very upper class English, in other words posh. Also the sound of the horse’s hooves on the road which is heard around many parts of England.
When it gets to the scene where the woman is in the woods the non-diegetic background music fades out which helps the audience focus more on what’s going on in the show and also hints that the content may be beginning to get slightly darker. All you can hear is the rustling of the leaves underfoot and in the wind and also the birds in the trees, all examples of diegetic sound. The next sound you can hear is of a man panting in the background, (thankfully) we cannot see what he is doing, the birds begin to flap distracting the man long enough to stop. The non-diegetic background music comes back but this time it is much deeper and slow in a way. Immediately giving the idea of trouble but then again nothing particularly English about it.

Research on: Issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media. 2) The importance of cross media convergance and synergy in production, distribution and marketing. 3) The technologies that have come out in recet years.

1) The idea of comparing illegal music downloads and to purchasing songs to buying bottled water when we can still get it free is very clever and easy to understand.
Victor Keegan said "If music executives sold bottled water, they'd be calling for a ban on tap water downloads. But their industry is proving resilient" this point truly reflects his opinion and makes a lot of sense.

Young people and especially teenagers do download illegal music although are prepared to pay £3 for a ring tone of their phone. Keegan stated that the reason for this is because it was an easier payment option and if companies had spent more time thinking of easier ways to pay then more people would pay for the songs.

He also said that people these days tend to download in single tracks rather than downloading the album as they may not want other songs they don't like or don't want.
However money can still be gained as this particular audience are prepared to spend a large amount of money on going to their favourite artists gigs and on merchandise.

Keegans point truly highlights where the big music companies have gone wrong and the ways in which they could have stopped illegal downloading or reduced it. "If the big music companies had spent their energies dreaming up a payments mechanism for web downloads instead of suing their customers they could have swept all before them. Instead they were like the crew of a sinking boat that blames the sea instead of trying to mend the leak."

Also to purchase on itunes you have to have an itunes account which could be inconvenient for some people so they seem to resort in getting the music for free. Surely if the music companies focused on creating other and easier ways to pay people may decide to purchase it.

Researched from Media Blogging Websites

2) James Cameron plans another innovation for his next "Avatar" installment: shooting at double or more the film speed that has been Hollywood's standard since the 1920s, a move he says will greatly improve 3-D images.Cameron, whose 2009 sci-fi blockbuster raised the bar for digital imagery and put the 3-D craze on the fast track, said Thursday that "Avatar 2" would be shot at 48 or 60 frames a second to reduce an effect called "strobing" that can blur moving images, particularly those in 3-D. For more than 80 years, the norm has been 24 frames a second.

In a demonstration for theater owners at their CinemaCon convention, Cameron played 3-D footage he recently shot at 24, 48 and 60 frames a second to show the better quality of high-speed filming.

The footage of medieval dinner and fight sequences shot at 48 and 60 frames a second were noticeably superior.At 24 frames, blurriness was very evident when the camera panned or dollied along the dinner table and when two knights dueled with swords. The fuzzy images greatly diminished at 48 frames and virtually vanished at 60 frames.

"I was stunned when I saw it, at how clear and crisp it was," Cameron said. "If 3-D is like looking at reality through a window, we've taken the glass out of the window."

New digital projectors rapidly being installed in theaters can handle the higher frame speeds with no more than a software upgrade, said Cameron, who wants faster filming rates to become the standard for 2-D and 3-D movies.

Reasearch from: hitfix.com

Working Title Questions

How do you decide what film projects to start production and which not to?

If a film that you have invested in does not make the return you were expecting, how would you normally attempt to regain your investment?

What are your thoughts and possible ideas about the new wave of 3D movies being released?

Guardian Article

Hollyoaks Scene Evaluations

Serious
Camera:
The shots in the more serious scene are very un-dramatic and very slow moving. They are mid shots of four people sitting on two sofas. These shots could be used to represent the two sides of the argument that is being had, with on one side the two sisters who are needed by the long lost dad on the other side with their other sister. This obviously is made less complicated if you watched or have watched this program before.
The angles of the camera never changes except from the penultimate shot where on of the sisters walks out of the house and the shot looks as if its been taken from a camera set in the corner of the room , this gives the impression that you’re spying on them and are not supposed to be there.
There is no actual camera movement in the clip except from when the first shot is taken and the camera moves up from behind one of the sofas to face the other one, this is also tied into and over the shoulder shot of the father also giving you the impression that you’re there.Editing:
One of the mentionable aspects is about how the shots between the light-hearted and serious scene were bridged, the only noticeable thing was that immediately with the sound of the slamming door the shot changed to the man in the wheelchair wheeling himself across the grounds of the school.Sound:
For this particular scene there are no sound effects or music which works well I think works well in keeping the tone serious.
Most of that sounds that you can hear are just sounds of traffic in the background. Also the sound of a kettle boiling, this could signify the way in which the conversation is about to “heat up” into an argument. This keeps it serious but also engaging.Mise en scene:
The way in which the actors portray themselves in the scene is a much more calm but also in a much more “concentrated” way, the characters are very quiet but you can tell they are in no way timid about showing their feelings.
The lighting in the serious scene is obviously much darker than in the light-hearted scene.
This gives the effects that it’s a much darker time for the family.
The colour looks much more toned down in the serious scene than in the light-hearted one as well.Light-hearted
Camera:
In this scene the shots change more frequently which means that the scene seems to be much more lively and you get to see more of what’s going on.
The main opening shot is of the man wheeling his chair across the playground and the girl standing by the windows, this is a long shot which also give you a better idea of what’s going on around them.
The shots are mainly over the shoulder which is interesting given the height difference between the pupil and teacher and the feelings of power or fear.Editing:
There are only very basic amounts of editing in this scene as there are no transitions which are more than just a split second switch from one shot to the other. Sound:
There is only one noticeable sound effects used in this that isn’t something like children running about or cars on the road.
This is when the pupil sees a set of speakers through a window in which a yodelling sound is played, this probably has some sort of link towards something that she does later in the show.
Most of the sound is just the pupil and the child talking, you can also tell it’s a more light-hearted scene from the way that jokes are made.
　Mise en scene:
The way that the people act and deliver their lines definitely supports this being a less serious scene to follow the other obviously more serious scene.
The lighting of the scene is much more bright than the serious scene which helps keep it from being serious.The colour of the scene is also much brighter which travels well when you look at it across from the less serious scene.

TV Drama : BBC

What do the following reveal about the importance of TV drama for terrestrial broadcasters in Britain?

BBC trailers like "The One For Drama" (Now "The One To Watch")
- The changing of the title suggests that the channel is trying to open itself up to a much wider audience, this is done by not just sticking itself to one paticular genre but making it available to more of an audience, for people who like comedy or horror and thriller.

Promotion of Autumn schedules
- People may be more likely to watch television in the autum as it's cold and nobody wants to go outside, so watching TV may seem like a better idea.

I'd like to point out that I didn't get as far as I could have was it not for HANNAH WINTER TURNING OFF MY COMPUTER!!!!

Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 can be defined as a new 'wave' of websites that are designed far more with the user in mind, The users are farmore inergrated into the running of the website. User can now add t he websites or share their views on it. They have become 'Procumers'.

There are several examples of websites wit the new 2.0 style. One of these is 'Digg'. Digg is a website that hosts many of what the user considers he bet news stories and articles across the web. The way in which the user orreader is involved is a simple idea. There is a link under certain pieces of the internet which you can click. Thi is known as a 'Digg', possibly referencing to whether you "dig" the story or not.

This is Firebox.com. Under it's products it has a variety of options to share this page, including Digg, this is the main example of sharing on Digg.

The next example is arguably the most popular Web 2.0. designand it's Facebook. Almost all of the content is user generated. The only parts that aren't is the advertisments. Which interetingly are also tailored to the users internet and Facebook viewing habits.

Facebook allows the user to share videos that they themselves have made, or that they have found on such other websites as YouTube. They can share news articles, products (as above the firebox product) but they can also comment on statuses and pictures that people have uploaded. They created within themselves their own online community. Some more examples of Web 2.0:

How does the skins promo trailer create representation for young people?

How does the skins promo trailer create representation for young people?

  When it comes to the editing of the trailer it fits in really well with the idea of being out of control. It cuts sharply from shot to shot giving the impression that it's much more fast paced than other shows. But it also fits in with the music which is also very fast paced (Standing In The Way Of Control – Gossip). This also agrees with the main idea of teenagers at this age being wild and rebellious. The whole trailer was filmed over what was supposed to be one night of the same party. The way it is put together from start to finish shows how at the beginning everyone is having a good time and enjoying themselves, but as the night goes on it gets worse. People start breaking things and the main couple starts to argue. This is a good way of showing how things can change so quickly when kids are let loose with themselves when they are causing chaos.

 The main thing to talk about with the camera angles is that all of the shots are made by using an unsupported camera to walk about the party. This gives a really good effect that you are a person at the party, helping you understand how and why the kids are behaving as they are. From what I saw most of the camera shots nearer the beginning were from a lower angle making them look bigger, more powerful and like they're having a great time.

 But, as the night and trailer goes on the characters are starting to be viewed from a higher angle making them look smaller, so for when the scenes of throwing up are happening it makes them look smaller and more insignificant. Helping with the idea of the end of the night being “messier” than the beginning.

 

When it comes to things inside the mise-en-scene such as the costume, all the costumes denote that they are from a similar are an social standing. This is deceiving as it is a very different situation in the actual TV show. But this also means that it may be deceiving in the way that it shows teenagers. Especially if we compare it to the extract we have watched. Again when it comes to the mise-en-scene and we think about the location, the party is set in just a normal house which adds to the realism of the program as it is a normal "house party". Not a club in a VIP area which would be much less realistic.

When it comes to props there is a very large variation of types of props from bear suits to bongs. This is supposed to help it be beleiveable that these kids are normal people. A lot of the pictures show them engaging in recreational drug use and sexual activities which ignores the usual "taboos" of these subjects again showing that they are normal teenagers.

Explain, using specific examples, how the expansion of digital media has been an improvement for audiences.

Over the years there has been a huge amount of ways that media ca be taken in thanks to new digital media developments. The main one has been focused on viewing films online. This has changed the way people think about films in many ways. Although different forms of media have been developed and thereby perhaps have split up fiom-viewing audiences, certain expansions have been a certain improvement for audiences in order to move with the times. Most of the emphasis has been on viewing films online. There are so many ways to watch online, it has opened it up to new audiences for instance if there was an audience that didn't have a TV, or didnt own a DVD player then you can watch yor movies online, Using such internet services as the new LOVEFILM online service which means you can watch new releases online. It has also created a whole new viewing base for other genres as there are so many new film and media genres that can be viewed online and ar open to so many more people.

Other programs that can be used online incude Sky Player, which allows people to catch up on and watch new film releases online for no extra cost than the subscription cost. Another example is BBC iPlayer which allows you to catch up on recently aired television. So with all of these new ways to watch movies people can watch many different types of films that wouldn't usually be shown. For example there are some cult movies that I enjoy to watch online.

It's not just computers that can be used to view films. for instance the Sony PS3 now allows people to stream movies directly from LOVEFILM to their console, it acting as a "computer". The same with Microsoft's Xbox 360 which uses a "Zune" application to let owners to watch films on the console. Sky has also teamed up with Microsoft and allowed the SkyPlayer to be used in conjunction with the console.

Narrative Structures

Vladamir Propp

Vladimir Propp used the Russian Formalist approach to form his ideas of narrative structure. This means that sentence structures were made to be broken down into elements that could be easily analysed, and Propp used this method to analyse Russian fairy tales.

After the first situation is laid out, the tale takes the following order of 31 functions:
1) Absentation
2) Interdiction
3) Violation of interdiction
4) Reconnaissance
5) Delivery
6) Trickery
7) Complicity
8) Villany or Lack
9) Mediatation
10) Beginning counter-action
11)Departure
12) First funcion of the donor
13) Hero's reaction
14) Repciet of a magical agent
15) Guidance
16) Struggle
17) Branding
18) Victory
19) Liquidation
20) Return
21) Pursuit
22) Rescue
23) Unrecognised arrival
24) Unfound claims
25) Difficult task
26) Solution
27) Recognition
28) Exposure
29) Transfiguration
30) Punishment
31 Wedding

Characters:
He also concluded that all the characters could be resolved into 8 broad character types in the 100 tales he analyzed:

1. The villain — struggles against the hero.
2. The dispatcher —character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
3. The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
4. The princess or prize — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. the hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain.
5. her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.
6. The donor —prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
7. The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
8. False hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

Toderov's Theory of the narrative

Claude Levi-Strauss:

Thought about narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. Binary oppositions are sets of opposite values which look at the structure of media texts and other examples of media. Examples include Good and Evil, Hero and Villan and Day and Night. Levi-Strauss was less interested in looking at the way in which events are arranged, but the themes arrangement and how they affect the things around them.

The "Hot-Box" Gameshow

We have decided to make a game show called 'The Hot Box', which is a mix between popular game shows 'Deal or No Deal' and 'Take Me Out'. We have converged these two ideas and come up with a different approach, by changing the prize from money to people. We have decided to use a similar idea of Deal or No Deal by having a system of 20 'prizes', but instead of having a jackpot prize in each box, we will have a girl or boy. The 'date' will be rated via the internet, pressing the red button, and by the live audience, and the girl who receives the most votes will be the one which the competitor will want to win, and the one with the least votes will be the one he/she will want to avoid.

The object of the game is more the competitor to leave the show with the best (Or most attractive)date and also to win a good destination on the 'Wheel Of Dates'. But, different members of the audience may want to change the competitor’s fate and vote for the least attractive or most annoying date or destination, therefore making the show more interesting and less predictable, or if they like the competitor, they may want to help him/her have the best date possible.

This type of convergence will allow the audience at home to be a part of the outcome of the show, and will make the audience more interested in what will happen on the show. If a member of the audience votes for a date, then they will be cheering that date on. We have decided that by introducing more technologies for the show, there will be a greater audience, meaning a larger amount of people the show will appeal to. For instance "Take Me Out" is all about men trying to find a women, but it still appeals to both genders.

We have also decided that we would bring out an iPod and/or Android app, where players can play the game themselves but through a non-real system. A computer game and X-BOX 360 or Playstation 3 versions will also be available for the audience, where they can be a part of the show but on a different technology. With these different technologies, our show will appeal to a variety of members of the public. By keeping up to date with the latest technologies, we will appeal to the younger generation, while at the same time being available for the television for those who know little about technology. Watching the show on a different technology will make a different experience for the viewer, which may make them appreciate the show more.

Members of the audience who vote will also be able to live stream the show on their computer or iPod as a reward for voting. This will encourage more people to vote on the show, while at the same time increasing the number of people watching the show.

The Male Gaze

While the ideas behind the gaze were present in earlier uses of it, the introduction of the term “the male gaze” can be traced back to Laura Mulvey and her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” which was published in 1975. Mulvey states that in film women are typically the objects, rather than the possessors, of gaze because the control of the camera (so basically the gaze) comes from factors such as the as the idea of heterosexual men as the normal target audience for most film genres. While this was more true in the time it was written, when Hollywood protagonists were overwhelmingly male, the concept of men as watchers and women as watched still applies today, despite the growing number of movies targeted toward women and that feature female protagonists.

The "Male Gaze" is basically used not just in film but also in advertising, but is also targeted at females aswell nowadays. This may have been so they could expand thier audience and make mre money. But the male gaze is still mainly used in film to appeal to the genders, because it may sound cheesy but "Sex Sells".

Evaluation - Final

1)  In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Costume: When we thought about the different types of costume and props, we looked at different films that have had similar character types, with out antagonist we wanted to use a figure which would be easily recognisable at the “bad” guy. So we looked at other films such as SCREAM and Inside Man which was incidentally one of my own case studies. With both of these the figure was simply dressed in dark clothing which hid their face and would make them unrecognisable under normal circumstances. So we also chose to utilise this and decided to have plain dark trousers, hooded leather jacket, sunglasses and neck mas which covered from the nose downwards. We felt this added an air of mystery. It's similar to the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho which shows only the shadow of the killer. (Clip from Psycho).

With our Protagonist Alex's costume we wanted something completely normal that would simply blend in. We wanted nothing that would single him out as a possible target for our killer.

Location: For our location we wanted to use an urban are with a telephone box, this is because our whole film is based around the idea of the telephone box and how communication can offer anonymity. With most films the location is set in a normal are. We also mainly chose our location as it offered the most simplicity in travel for us. But also an urban area has been a proven way of showing that an attack like this can happen anywhere it doesn't always have to be somewhere important like an office building where all the worlds leaders are gathered. It also offers a sense of surprise as no-one would expect it to happen in such a setting. This is similar to The Strangers where a couple is attacked by some strangers in a country house setting.

Soundtrack: Our soundtrack is simplistic. Along with a few basic sound effects (Wind, door creaking) we only have two prominently featured music tracks. The first we hear is the sound which is shown as coming from Alex's headphones (Clip of Alex walking with music). This can show how oblivious he is to the situation which is around him in that he is being followed. This also shows how sound can envelop us and make us unaware of our surroundings. For instance, Psycho, the shower scene the woman is oblivious to the danger which is so close to her mainly because of the sound which drowned out the man's footsteps. The second music track is a dark and suspenseful. Obviously this helps build the tension and makes you very aware that something is about to happen that will change the story dramatically. In this case Alex's potential death.

Camera Angles: Our camera angles were mostly simplistic. Most of our shots were done with the stand, this was mainly to look more professional. With most of ours shots we included a part in which Alex walks away from a certain scene and then the antagonist will appear from nowhere. This works with the audience to add mysteriousness to the character, it may also add scare value which in turn keeps the audience interested as it isn't just an endless reel of shots where Alex is walking. One shot that I feel stands out particularly is the shot where Alex is walking along the road but the camera is being hand held, it is similar to a P.O.V. Except that we are looking at Alex not seeing everything from his point of view. This distinguishes what Alex is seeing hearing from what is actually going on around him.

2) How does your media product represent particular social social groups?

There are very few social classes that are represented in this as there are only two characters which also are both male. But the protagonist Alex, is shown as a normal teenager. You could say that he represents teenagers as normal people who are almost oblivious to the world around them. You don;t really see him act as if he is under any particular threat, this means that we cannot particularly tell how Alex as a male or a victim is represented, but so far he is shown as a normal student who just goes around his business, to college just like a normal person.. The Antagonist is represented as a male who looks like he has psychotic tenancies, he chooses his victims by using a public telephone.

I beleive that because there are no women in this production, you cannot tell how they would react in this situation. Therefore we cannot compare it to a males reaction. Another point which could possibly be argued is that as there are no women, they are smart enough to stay out of a situation. They possibly wouldn't hav picked up the phone. Only the males would be careless enough to do so.    

3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I feel this film is quite mainstream, so if it was a full length feature I think it would be good if it was released into traditional cinemas or multiplexes. This is because I don't think the audience of an art house could completely appreciate the potential violence, I believe art house films are mostly about emotions and feelings, although I may be wrong. If this film were to go straight to DVD I don't think it would get the recognition that would suit the film. I would also rather that the film would be put on a service which would generate less money and have better recognition that vice versa.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

To answer this question we must look at our audience research which we recorded with questionnaires. When we asked our age groups these question we discovered that the older generation wanted more scripted and dramatic productions with a complex plot which is tricky to follow. What the younger generation wanted was almost the opposite; they wanted a film was plenty of action and violence with a simple but elaborate plot line also. So for instance the older generation would be watching Frost the younger ones would be watching Ultimate Force. Both have much differing levels of action and violence. And as we found out, most younger people would like lots of action. These are the main reasons that we feel that our film would be much more suitable for a younger audience.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

We attracted our audience with our opening. So we wanted to include a small part of everything. For instance we included confusion for when Alex was talking into the public phone. Anger, when Alex is woken up by his phone ringing in the middle of the night. Fear, when he sees the black covered figure and the flickering light. So our main tactic to attract them was to keep them interested and to try not to let the story ever get too boring. We made our production thirty seconds too long, which turned out to be a blessing when we had edited it down because we found that the story flowed much more smoothly and there was less time when there was very little camera action. When we addressed our audience we wanted to have the bare minimum time without sound that was possible which also helped keep the pace of the film up. And the only times where we didnt have sound was when we were using the silence to help keep the suspense up. When we were looking at connecting the main character wirth the audience we didnt use any first person voice roles, but instead we were looking at making the audience feel pity for Alex, and empathising with him, he has no idea what is going on until the final moments but the audience knows exactly whats going on.

6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this?
When it came to using the video camera it was a situation where we made mistakes and learned from them. We started out having no major problems, a few issues with uncharged batteries but all the same normal, but the problems came when we started trying to look back at our work on the camera. The tape began tpo mix up and put pieces of filming in different places causing large problems when we thought we had lost a lot of our work, but after recovering it we then knew that we should only check sparingly with our camera and waitr until we had a computer available to check. The most of what we learnt with the technologies came from the editing process. For our preliminary product we used iMovie. And we were supposed to move onto Final Cut for our main product. After we switched over we had problems with sound as none of it was transferred to Final Cut. Also our transitions had just been turned into black slides about 5 seconds in length. So we made the decision that we would much rather that we could easily make our video to the standard that we desired than have difficulty making it but have the possibility of a few more features. So we made the right choice in turning back to iMovie as we discovered simple is better. When is came to other sides of editing we soon knew that you should nevewr leave anything so that it was "Just okay", always make sure everything is perfect when you make it. After all we realised that mistakes become much more noticeble when you watch the film from start to finish which can become annoying especially when it only takes five minutes to fix. When it came to putting shots in the right order there wasnt too much trouble as the main issues usually come with scenes with a lot of talking. But as we were very low on this type of sound we had no real issues. But the ending changed three times before we decided on something that was suitable. So when it comes to filming there is nothing wrong with being a perfectionist.
7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? 

When we first started making our preliminary project we really wanted to experiment to see how far we could go in our video. We were thinking about using camera angles and even the possibility of using special effects for an apple throwing scene in our video. So my first criticism would be that we were possibly too ambitious with our filming and we may have bitten off more than we could chew. So the first thing we learnt was to keep it simple. Some simple camera shots and sound effects can create a much stronger image than a badly done, more complicated scene. Another main thing we learnt which saved us a lot of difficulty which was that we shouldn't look back too much on the shots we have taken, on the camera. This saved us lots of time when it came to importing the video. We also learnt that if you want a certain look a certain shot can make this look much smoother. For instance, if you want a shot where it looks like you are walking as a normal person or a P.O.V. Shot, holding the camera by and instead of on a tripod or a dolly. It makes it look jerky yet still professional as you can tell the shot isn't supposed to be a smooth shot. This worked well with out walking shot with Alex. Sadly we had to edit over 30 seconds of our video so the shot isn't quite how we would like it. This leads me onto my next point. When we made our first video we made the video with all the editing complete and then worried about the time. This is something we tried to rectify in our main video This I felt was our biggest problem.