Institution research

Donnie Darko:

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. 

Existing product research

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.

BBFC:

Age rating 15 strong sex

Media group

Group:

• Callum
• Mamduh
• Ra'eesah

Film topic possibilities:

• Modern-noir

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.

Evaluation

The biggest complication we had when creating the shot list, storyboard and script is that there wasn't much communication between us and this made it difficult to create a shot list without knowing what was in the storyboard. Nevertheless, the storyboard, script and shot list turned out okay and seemed to work well when filming but for next time we'll have to communicate more when creating the thing we need for post-production. Also, the preproduction should be completed and uploaded to all of our blogs sooner rather than later just to avoid the hassle of doing it after.

Strengths:

Everybody had a role to play in the making of the clip; actor or director and it was helpful having four people in the group because this made the whole process a lot quicker and a more efficient use of our time. Also, the plot to the film was good and along I believe with were within the conventions of an interrogation clip but also had an element of comedy and kept it within the 21st century and people laughed so we hope that’s a good sign. Also, the music played at the beginning suited the film really well and added to the suspense as to why the person was there and added to the seriousness of the situation which turned out to be not so serious. Furthermore, the man behind the mirror worked well as an enigma code as the audience had to guess what was going to happen next. We also importantly stuck to the 180 degree rule which made the film look more professional.

Weaknesses:

Our greatest demise was the lighting, although it seemed to be bright when recording and when it played on the ‘vlc’ player was too dark at some points to see what was going on. Despite the darkness and the solitary lamp fulfilling the criteria of an interrogation it was notably too dark and this is something we’ll have to consider for next time. Moreover, one or two of the cuts were of poor quality and didn’t look up to standard, so before we shoot and edit the next film I’ll have to play around with the editor to get accustomed to it. Furthermore, the framing could have been better as the audience didn’t really get a chance to identify with the characters as their faces weren’t clearly shown and too much of the background was instead.

For our production the mise-en-scene could be changes because we need to take lighting into more consideration when filming. The props that were used worked well especially with the already cracked phone and the (not so) serious interrogation tool. The setting was also good as we were able to use the false mirror looking onto a dark room. Sound was also used well as it was clearly heard. However, the attention to detail could have been better as the CCTV template was photo shopped instead of moving with time. The cinematography was also good because we had a wide range of shoots with the security camera shot working well with the conventions of an interrogation. 

                                                                                                                     

Preliminary task.

planning

Shot List – 4L4

4L4

Shot No.	Shot	Filmed?
1	High angle shot of interrogator entering room and approaching table with victim.
2	Birds eye view of table showing hammer and ‘in-tact phone’.
3	Over shoulder shot from interrogator looking at confused victim.
4	Over shoulder shot from victim looking at interrogator speak.
5	Over shoulder shot from interrogator listening to victim speak
6	Over shoulder shot from man behind mirror looking at victims reaction to phone being smashed
7	Close-up of smashed phone.
8	Close up of victims face.
9	Over shoulder shot of man behind mirror leaving.
10	Security camera being turned off.
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19

“404”

Written By

Abayomi, Callum, Mamduh and Abdi

        

        1.

INT. CLASSROOM/INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY

In the middle of the classroom lies Abdi, who is staring around the room in confusion and almost squirming as he wonders why exactly he’s been strapped to a chair with a plastic over his head, sitting by a table with another seat opposite him.

Before shutting the door behind him, Mamduh walks into the room and proceeds to remove the plastic bag from Abdi’s head.

ABDI

(gasping for air)

What is this?

Mamduh then places a hammer on the table and lays both of his hands on it while looking down at Abdi.

MAMDUH

(in a gruff tone)

You know what this is about.

Abdi continuously, yet slowly shakes his head at this claim.

Mamduh slaps the table in anger.

MAMDUH

(angry)

We are not going to play this game! You know exactly why you’re here! You know downloading songs illegally will wind you up in places like these!

Abdi continues to shake his head at the dialogue of the interrogator.

ABDI

(whimpering)

No… no…

MAMDUH

(in discontent)

That’s it.

Mamduh grabs the hammer he placed on the table earlier and looks at Abdi directly.

MAMDUH

(quite malevolently)

Look at the phone.

Abdi looks directly at the phone but within a second, Mamduh smashes it using that same hammer he grabbed and he [Abdi] goes on to start screaming.

A man behind a mirror observes from another room as all this takes place and then gingerly walks out of the room as Mamduh goes on to turn off a security camera.

CUTS TO BLACK

Media awards

My first choice will be 'Tribulations'

This clip was good because it had a non-linear narrative which entices the audience to watch more of it and throughout the clip non-diegetic and parallel music is played which adds to the seriousness of the clip and situation going on. Also there is some dialogue towards the middle of somebody talking on the phone which allows the audience to understand whats going on. Furthermore, the constant use of medium and long shots allow the audience to see the whole picture and whats going on. Also, the scene is of a normal house which makes the plot of a kidnapping seem very suspicious. I like this film because it was swift and and although montage editing was used it all went together nicely. Moreover, the costumes went well with the scene as the men in suits were the 'bad guys' and the props used were fitting of the scene with a basic van and planted phone.

My next favourite clip is 'The Experiment'

The use of extreme close up shots at the  beginning of a planning board adds suspense which makes the audience want to connect the dots as to whats going on with the planning board. Furthermore, the clip uses several panning shots which allow the audience to see the whole picture. I particularly like the fact clips of the main character were used from the past to give a brief background and that the narrative voiced over by the protagonist is also a sound bridge. The clip also uses montage editing which is a nice feature as there are a often a lot of different things involved with an experiment just like the clips. The tracking shot of the main character running gives the audience a brief glimpse of what the opposition is seeing. Moreover, natural lighting is used throughout the clip and this makes it more realistic.

Good presentation:

. Lots of planning involved with a detailed story board

.Sort out whos playing what part 

.Make sure the group you're working with has good communication 

.Dont make it look 'amateur' with too many cuts or fade aways and try to make professional