Complete the following film pitch in time for your audience
research focus group in class.
Title and tagline: La
Sombra
‘I’ll pay for the mistakes I’ve made, but not with my life’
Topic from brief (e.g. Modern-noir, Urban Life etc.):
Modern-noir
Genre (and sub-genre if applicable):
Logline – one sentence that sums up the film and hooks
people in (25 words or fewer):
A fatal mistake proves to be the game changer, and now it’s
the hitman with the target on his back.
Other successful films that are similar to yours:
Sicario, Agent 47, red,
Narrative structure for full 30-minute film – what happens
and in what order (max 100 words)
Takes shot of vodka, and kills people on hit list- to
emphasise drinking problem (in Mexico).
Also in secret relationship with Cartel bosses daughter.
Learns of accountant taking bribe from police to sell out
the cartel and go on the run to Europe.
(3 minute extract)
After failed mission, using skills acquired over time to
stay on the run and stay in the shadows from the cartel whilst fighting against
‘demons’ (drinking problem).
La sombra meets with secret lover, Cartel bosses daughter
but still isn’t aware of this. Plans to run away with her and is ready, waiting
on boat to ‘disappear’ for good and waiting for Maria to come. After waiting
for hours Don Javier comes on to the boat with his entourage and holding his
daughter at gun point. La sombre realises and must choose which one of them
dies.
Main protagonist,
their desires, the conflicts they encounter etc.:
la sombra-the shadow. Money is irrelevant, to a man who
takes so much. The thrill is the drive and the money is the bonus. ‘Silent’
protagonist doesn’t talk throughout film but has independent narrative and
thoughts in his head.
Other characters and their role/audience appeal:
Don Javier Sanchez -Cartel
boss who orders the killings of his enemies.
Accomplice to Don Javier- Eduardo Sanchez-loyal to a fault –cousin
to Don Javier
Victim (intended) Arne
Schafer – Angered cartel boss, Former cartel accountant
Maria Angel - Daughter of Don Javier but took mothers name
Target audience for your film (age, gender, social class,
interests etc.):
Young adults 18-45, middle class, people who travel-
The three-minute extract you will make and where it would appear
in the film:
This will appear just after the beginning scenes in Mexico.
La sombra waiting on beach in England and picks up phone
buried on the beach, Don Javier on phone giving orders about next
kill-accountant. Breaks phone and throws into the sea.
Heads to location to pick up tools and more information
about next kill.
Heads to location of kill and realises it is a mask party,
don Javier is also attending the party.
La sombra kills wrong person by mistake and accountant gets
away and now La sombra goes on the run.
The BBFC was made to classify films into specific age
ratings so that it can be aimed at certain age groups in cinemas based on how
violent and what references it has in the film. They get their funding from the
distributors that pay them to review the film.Normally DVD's are submitted and
are viewed by one single person in a room set up to be like a home to
understand the home viewing feel. If it is a foreign language film a translator
will be called in to help but films are usually viewed alone. If issues are
raised then it is debated at weekly meetings. Issues could include-general
context- plot, characters, outline of individual scenes timings of key moments,
including camera angles, type of shots, on- and off-screen moments bad
language, sex and drug references and so on Issues raised over classifying a
film are as follows; Violence, Sex, Sexual Violence, Drugs, Horror, Imitable Behaviour, Discrimination, Language.
The dark knight was hit by a lot of controversy because of
its 12A age rating which many people thought was too low. This was because of
its excessive violence. 12A guidelines allow moderate violence as long as it
can be justified by the context. However, many people thought that the dark
knight should have been a 15 age rating or even 18.
Guidelines for a 15 rated film:
strong violence
frequent strong
language (e.g. 'f***')
portrayals of sexual
activity
strong verbal
references to sex
sexual nudity
brief scenes of
sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
discriminatory
language or behaviour
drug taking
Sean of the dead;
This title was given a 15 age rating because of its strong
bloody horror and strong language.
This film was made by flower films and other films made by this company include 'duplex' and 'fever pitch' probably the most successful film released would be 'Charlies angels'.
Boyhood:
This film was made by the institution-IFC productions, other films include 'Ash Wednesday' and 'Dead and Lonely'. One of the more successful films from IFC would be 'paper chasers'.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind:
This film was made by the company 'focus features' other films made by this company include 'sinister 2' and 'The limits of control', a successful film would be 'The theory of everything'
Girlhood:
This film was made by 'hold up films' and other films made by this company include 'parade' and 'tomboy', a successful film would be 'L'avocat du diable' which was more successful in France.
The falling:
This film was made by the BFI and other films made by this company include 'hear my son' and 'the answer to everything'. A successful film produced by the BFI is ;Night will fall' which was lost footage shot by Alfred Hitchcock from the second world war.
Summary of film distribution:
1) This is the 'brainstorming stage, in which the creators have an idea and choose which direction it is going in.
2) This stage is scoping out a target audience to distribute the film to but there are many things to consider: 'digital' as films are being promoted in different ways.
3) This list is what the distributors actually do: identifying its audience considering why they'd go and see it estimating the revenue potential across all the formats of its release persuading exhibitors (cinema operators) to play the film developing plans and partnerships to build awareness of and interest in the film aiming to convert as much interest as possible into cinema visits
4) The distributors are companies within a country but usually associated with Hollywood, some examples are; Altitude films
-Arrow films
-Lionsgate
-Paramount pictures UK
5) The following list will say how the distributors get their films: a third-party sales agent, acting on behalf of a producer a continuous flow of new content from a parent studio a studio or production company with whom the distributor has negotiated an output deal covering a slate of titles a single title acquired at any stage before, during or after production
6) Making a distribution deal consists of the signing of a formal contract with the producer.
7) Planning the release starts as soon as the signing is complete
8) There are several questions that need to be answered before release:
-who is the film for?
-How strong is the cast?
-When were they released?
9) FILM MARKETING
1)FILM ARTWORK
posters, websites, quote posters etc.
2)TRAILERS
most cost-effective marketing technique
3)DIGITAL MARKETING
online advertising
4)PUBLICITY
Attention created to promote the launch and this could be done with movie premieres.
5)PROMOTIONS
Promotions can come from the media with posters on buses and in tube stations, also through merchandising products.
6)MEDIA AND ADVERTISING
'Search engine optimisation (SEO)' and editorial coverage and social networks such as twitter and facebook can help to do this.
7)RESEARCH AND TRACKING
This is important for distributors as it allows them to find what the people like and are interested in.
10) this involves 'selling' the film through its distribution to the exhibitors.
Distributors of films already researched:
Boyhood-IFC
-Ifc main distributor but universal pictures international distributed within the uk.
-Budget-$4million, earned $25 million
Donnie Darko-Flower films
-This was distributed by Pandora cinema
-It made $1.2million (unable to find budget)
Girlhood
-This film was distributed by Pyramide distributors
-This made a total pf £1.7 million at the box office (couldn't find the budget)
The falling-BFI
-This film was distributed by metrodome uk
-The budget for this film was £750,000 but only made £320,000 at the boxoffice.
Curazon artificial eye:
This institution is a uk based independent film distributor. Founded in 1976. It has also opened 11 independent cinemas nationwide.
Trailers from curazon Ice and sky: This film is a documentary on the effects of climate change and aims to educate and open peoples eyes to the fact that the world is changing and changing for the worse, things to take from this are the fact that it is in a foreign language but with english subtitles. Also it is narrated over with clips from the past and present.
Red army great nation: This is also a documentary on the soviet union and its strengths, This could be useful because its shows a mix between interviews, pastime clips and animated pieces of propaganda.
Art house cinema in London: Arthouse crouch end-in london shows on this week, Black mass,cartel land and bridge of spies. They are also showing 'of mice and men' starring james franco which also being screened at larger cinemas nationwide. But the film black mass has subtitles so this is a foreign film. other films being shown include; spectre and snoopy+charlie brown which are films being shown in major cinema companies across the UK.
The audience that attend here are partly student because there is an option to purchase a student membership but largely the audience is going to be 30+ and middle to upper class as the memberships available are quite expensive and have a lot of 'premium' things on offer.
Case study: what film London does
The capital is a hotbed of creativity in moving image art - home to artists including Jane and Louise Wilson, Kutlug Ataman and Isaac Julien as well as recent Turner Prize winners Laure Prouvost and Elizabeth Price. Film London supports this vibrant area of filmmaking in London through FLAMIN, Film London's Artists' Moving Image Network established in 2005. Through FLAMIN we support moving image artists in a variety of ways, including: FLAMIN Productions, a financing and training scheme for moving image artists The annual Jarman Award Training and support programmes
3 Clips- Art house film trailers
-Ice and sky
One thing I want to take away from this trailer is the incredible colour grading done in post production. It really changes the way we view the film because the saturation of the colours and the contrast between light and dark really explains the emotions that the character is feeling along with the music and voice-over. The grading is spot on and focuses on the landscape of the scene but is not over done which is something I aim to do in my production. A tender and serene atmosphere has been beautifully created in this trailer, which I would love to achieve in our production. This can be achieved through non-diegetic music, like in the trailer, which is parallel to the clips in it. What attracted me to this trailer was the use of cinematography, which is quite beautiful. The long shots are particularly stunning, which is why I will use a variety. The manipulation of focus is also very beautiful, which I would love to apply to our production.
There are themes exposed in the trailer such as drug dealing, prostitution and gangs give the audience an insight into life like on the streets of the capital. The hybrid genre of crime thriller defiantly suits this film and then this therefore fits the profile for an independent film. The plot of this film carries a multi stranded narrative with different sub plots that eventually influence the overall plot.
The scene above is from the film 'Donnie Darko' and immediately noticeable is the sound bridge from jumping on the trampoline to sitting in what appears to be a psychiatrists office. Also non-diegetic music is played at the beginning which makes it surreal and more like a flashback.
Throughout the rest of the clip diegetic sound is used through speech between the protagonist and the psychiatrist. In terms of the cinematography the over-shoulder shots when both are speaking are a medium shot but as time goes on the camera gradually zooms in and becomes a medium close up which helps the audience to identify with the characters and understand whats going on. This also allows the audience to see the emotions of the characters and what they are feeling.
Moreover, the mise-en-scene fits that of counselling session in which the counsellor is dressed sophisticatedly and the person being counselled is dressed in what ever they could find. The room is also appropriate for whats going on as its quite dull with a few paintings hanging on the wall and dated furniture.
BBFC:
Age rating-15 contains strong language, this films is more appealing to a younger audience, teenagers because the majority of the characters are quite young.
The scene above is from the film 'boyhood' and is the final
scene in the film, theres a constant non-diegetic sound with the cricket noises
emphasising how isolated this place is. Also, the echoes in the persons voice
who is shouting reinforces how isolated the area is but means everybody is
together. Furthermore, the majority of the shots are straight cuts and just get
straight to the point and goes along with the simplicity of the scene.
Moreover, there is a long shot of the two people starring at a large boulder
which then cuts back to the medium close up of the two people having an awkward
conversation, the medium close up allows the audience to see the facial expressions
of the protagonist and the other character which reveal that they may admire
each other but are too embarrassed to say anything.
The landscape is
rugged and isolated but also relaxed as the lighting is low-key giving it a
natural feel and with this being the end scene and with the sun setting in the
background it represents the ending of the film but its an ending on a positive
note.
BBFC:
Strong language, sex references, drug use - 15, In my
opinion, I think people who like this film will be predominantly young adults
from around the age of 18-20 to those who are middle-aged. This is due to the
fact that it may provide them with a sense of nostalgia as they think about
parts of their childhood as they grew up, and maybe draw parallels between
their growth as well as the growth of the main protagonist.
In this scene from ‘Eternal sunshine’ we are seeing one of
the protagonists memories, Most of the
shots appear to be tracking shots from behind the bookcases, the mise-en-scene
tells us this is a flashback as again the protagonist Jim Carey has changed his
hair colour, so the mise-en-scene of the clip suggests that is being shot as
a flashback. Another aspect of the
mise-en-scene helps to set the scene, as you can see in the background this
scene is shot in a Library, this is show by the there being a vast amounts of
books, the setting in the library may also be significant as it could help
explain the narrative. Libraries are normally associated with serenity and
quiet.
The cinematography in this clip and the whole film isn't
filmed with hi-tech equipment that can eradicate camera shake, by the looks of
it the majority of the film was done by a handheld camera. This is unusual for
a film to be produced like this, however it does look quite good and this is
why it is such a highly rated film. The effect the hand held motion has is that
it makes the audience feel more engaged and as if they were there as the shot
could be said to be in the POV shot. The shot also tracks/follows the actors
when they walk down the book isle, this could have been used so that the
audience can follow the conversation, that is more of a literal observation as
it makes it seem much more realistic and natural.
There wasn't much editing used but when there was it showed
a slower pace as there were very few
cuts in this scene. This could be because like early the connotations of a
Library are for it to be quiet and tranquil so by there being a slow pace it
makes the whole scene more natural.
BBFC:
Contains strong
language and moderate sex references-15 this would be typically for a female audience
in their 20’s onwards but not that much younger.
This scene from ‘Girlhood’ successfully uses mise-en-scene
in this clip and allows us to see where this particular scene was filmed, this
was shot on a train as we are able to see the girls hanging onto a bar and other
people in the background of what looks to be a carriage. Also we could make an
assumption based on what sort of clothes they are wearing that these girls may
come from a poorer background and take pleasure in ‘little things’and may be
considered lower class in their community. If you were to look at the narrative
of this film you would know that these girls are part of a street gang so the
way they dress is important to their body image and that is how an audience can
recognise or sympathise with them as you may not normally see a Girl gang
dressing smart.
It is also worth noting that the sound in this clip is all
dietetic, for example the music played throughout the whole clip comes from a
mobile phone, this gives the whole clip a more realistic feel and it works well
in contrast with the sound of the train which could be non-dietetic but we
aren't left any clues that it is. Also the non-diegeitc sound of the train also
adds to the natural feel.
The cinematography of the clip is also significant as the
camera has a lot of sway which in understandable as this clip is being
filmed on what we are led to believe a
moving train. It is all filmed as a medium close up as all we see of the girls
dancing is their shoulders and above, all though we see the background it is
out of focus so therefore unimportant.
There is also very few cuts so we know the pace is slow and this could
be because it may be trying to show a developmental moments in the plot as we
see the protagonist learning how to dance.
BBFC:
strong language, violence, drug use, this film would appeal
more to teenagers and more specifically females because all of the young actors
are female.
This scene from the falling uses a lot of cuts when editing
at the start of the film but also lacks effects at certain parts, this is done
to emphasise what is going on at that specific time and to grow attached to the
characters, and the sounds that were used were from the events that were taking
place such as the bell ringing. There is a voice over of a girl’s voice at the
start of the film which links back to the fast cuts and edits to indicate that
they’re flashbacks that the protagonist is having. It could also be due to the
fact that the girl is reading a book which could account for this happening as
she stops reading and decides to look away from her book. Also many of the
shots are medium close ups allowing us to further identify with the characters.
The scene then cuts to a diegetic noise of the bell ringing
in the school.The scene started off at the girl’s house and was then cut to the
school where the students were dressed in uniforms and were all girls
indicating that it is an all-girls school. There is also a lack of editing
through this scene so that the audience can identify the main characters so
that they can grow attached to them.This type of film would appeal more to
females than males. This is because the film is seen to interest women more
having more females and having a female protagonist, the film is also a
psychological horror which would be more likely to interest those of a higher
class as they’ve been to university and usually films that are educationally
interest them.
An exchange of a suitcase between two people in a seaside setting perhaps gone wrong - could play on the whole idea of Levi-Strauss' theory of binary opposition
Urban Life
A video detailing the life of a sixth form student, potentially as a way of providing an alternative and arguably more accurate representation of life as a teenager as oppose to the more dominant ones
A drama based around a group teenagers, all attempting to make it big in industries that they aspire to become part of e.g. music, fashion, technology...
A more comedy-oriented film based around a gang who's main source of income emanates from the exchange of books whether they be novels or revision guides to name a few.
