WWW: The great strength here is your confident use of
media terminology – it really shows your knowledge and passion for film. This
will be important for your full MEST2 evaluation as well and is a real
top-level signifier.
EBI: I’m concerned that the evaluation isn’t a lot more
critical. Although there were technical strengths to the production, there were
also glaring errors that I feel you gloss over here. A top evaluation needs to
be honest and accurate – I don’t think you made nearly enough of the fact that
this didn’t meet the brief nor could the audience make out the dialogue. These
are major flaws. Along similar lines, I’d like to have seen more reflection on
your leadership – from my perspective it didn’t look like you delegated much if
any of the project to your group. Surely you need to reflect on this,
particularly as the production didn’t meet the brief or succeed with the
audience?
1) Manage my production team better and make sure everyone has an understanding of the film brief to ensure that we are working towards a successful final product.
2) Make sure my evaluation is more critical in the actual evaluation as I need to highlight more technical aspects but also be able to identify problems and how I solved them
3)Make sure my production is not only technical but has a good story that the audience understands it.
Production: Independent film studios Boyhood (2014):
IFC Productions
Detour Filmproduction
IFC Productions has many successful arthouse films. They recently released 'The Emperor's New Clothes' staring Russell Brand which is a political film and also a romantic comedy 'Sleeping with other people' which got an official selection by Sundance Film Festival.
Detour Filmproductions have produced films such as 'School of Rock' and 'Before Sunset'.
It Follows (2014):
Northern Lights Films (presents)
Animal Kingdom (production)
Two Flints (in association with)
Animal Kingdom's previous success is 'Short Term 12' released in 2013 which grossed over £1m in gross with a budget of only £50k. The company is also producing 'Louder Than Bombs' which is to be released in 2016.
Borrowed Time (2012):
Parkville Pictures
Film London
BBC Films
Film London worked on films such as the successful 'The Iron Lady' and Parkville Pictures production company worked on several unrecognised Art house films
Whiplash (2014):
Bold Films
Blumhouse Productions
Right of Ways Films
Blumhouse Productions has a history of making succesful art house films with some of them having several sequels such as Paranormal Activity, Ouija, Sinister and The Purge.
SCENE 1/ INTRODUCTION: Films are made to inspire, to convey strong emotions and to express what people want to say and the best way to view them is in a cinema with a large audience.
SCENE 2 LORD PUTTNAM ON THE ROLE OF DISTRIBUTORS: Distributors job is to deliver the largest audience possible for a film. Tailor-made, audience focused distribution focuses on all aspects of a particular film and tries to reach people that are appropriate for the film. Also the end of 35mm film has changed the way in audiences are found because digital film making is different in style. Audiences still choose to go to a cinema to watch a film because of the immersive experience.
SCENE 3/ SO WHAT EXACTLY DO DISTRIBUTORS DO?: In order to reach the right audiences, distributors have to identify the films, consider why people will see a particular film, estimate the revenue, persuade theatres to screen the film and also work with advertisers to reach mass audiences.
SCENE 4/ WHO ARE THE DISTRIBUTORS?: There are 6 major film distributors for Holywood films and several independent ones which focus on Art-house films. (Viewed here)
SCENE 5/ HOW DO DISTRIBUTORS GET THEIR FILMS?: Distributors get their films from : 3rd party companies, parent studios, production companies or from a single title acquired at any stage. Many times the rights to film distribution will sold off to the actual distributor so they can generate thier own income rather than relying on the studio to fund them. An example of this Harry Potter which its rights belong to Warner Bros Distribution and they're responsible for the marketing and products of the film. An independent distributor will market the film on a lower scale such as film festivals and online.
SCENE 6/ MAKING A DISTRIBUTION DEAL: Distributors sign a formal contract with the producer, sales agent or studio, specifying the rights they hold to the title and also they regions they can distribute in.
SCENE 7/ PLANNING THE RELEASE: Once both parties reach an agreement and sign all the necessary contracts the distributors will work closely with the production team to make sure they reach the right marketing strategies. They prepare all the plans needed while working with the script of the film and applying their work to the genre and storyline of the film.
SCENE 8/ WHAT, WHEN, WHO, HOW?: Then the distributor will do research about how relate-able the genre is to audiences and will ask questions like 'Who is this film for?' In addition this they will find out how much profit they film is likely to earn because of course their goal is to make a profit.
SCENE 9/ FILM MARKETING: "Marketing needs to lead a horse to water and also persuade it to drink." - Marketing can be done online, on publication or digitally/ socially, eg: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Marketing is always about visibility and about getting the best billboard placement and the amount of views a trailer gets.
SCENE 10/ LICENSING FILMS TO EXHIBITORS: This basically legally covers the film in terms of where it can be shown. Examples of exhibitors are: Vue, Odeon, Cineworld, Independent Cinemas, Film4, BBC Films, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and just generally TV or streaming services.
Distributors of the films I've researched and additional information:
Curzon is a UK Distributor of art-house films and has 11 cinemas nationwide. They also launched a new product called Curzon Home Cinema which allows people to watch Art-house films on their release date at home for small fee. They have distributed films such as 'The Class' and 'The White Ribbon'.
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.
This clip really inspired me because I have the technical ability but not written and therefore will rely on other people to write a story that I can work with and this clip displays how a story can be told without any dialogue and just by presenting the perspective of the photographer while he overlooks the African tribe when they do their rituals and cook their food. I find this inspiring as it is so powerful yet no word is said. The cinematography has a range of wide and tight shots while the music plays in the background and the whole atmosphere just feels right which is something I hope to explore in my own production.
This film is explicit and throughout it the theme of colours and lighting is red and yellow. The lighting is quite unusual for a club scenario as you'd expect there to be a range of neon lights flashing everywhere but this scene is shot beautifully as the lighting creates a silhouette of the characters but shows enough highlights for us to recognise the characters. Films that are well lit such as this one bring an emotional connection with the characters and the audience and I want to have a range of colours which make sense in my film that apply to certain locations. Exhibition: Arthouse Cinemas:
1)Electric Cinema, located at: 191 Portobelo Rd, London, W11 2ED 2)This cinema shows mainly Arthouse films with the exception of some films if they are highly anticipated or are directed by a highly rated Director such as Spielberg. Some of the films they are currently showing are: Carol, Black Mass, Bridge of Spies, The Dressmaker and Brooklyn. Electric's Cinema programmes differ completely from mainstream exhibitors because they are very thoughtful with the films they screen to their audiences. By the looks of it they usually just screen once of twice a day in the evening which makes sense as the demographic for the cinema is middle class working people therefore it makes sense for it to be late. However an exception is make for Star Wars as it screens 3 times a day after its release date which is something the distributors and exhibitor must have agreed on as its the movie of the year and has already sold out on most days. 3)The Electric Cinema's website is very modern and has a black and white colour scheme which is oppositional to Vue's website which is colourful and appeals to a younger audience unlike Electric's which appeals to adults and middle/upper class working people. From my own experience attending the cinema I can say it is rather luxurious and therefore I can easily say their target audience is 25-60 year olds.
A case study in independent film production: Film London and Microwave Film: 1) What is Film London and why does it exist? Film London is a media and film agency which helps to promote and develop films which are filmed in London. It is a non profit organisation which is supported by the BFI and the Mayor of London. It's aim is to help filmmakers with all sorts of budgets to achieve their films. They are experts in location scouting and organising a film shoot. Their website is a great resource for filmmakers who need to find contacts from different industries. It exists so that London film making can be managed easily and become a collabrotive process with people of different backgrounds. 2) What is the purpose of Microwave Film?
Microwave scheme allows first time film makers to receive a micro-budget of £150,000 for a chance to have a feature film with a theatrical release and distribution budget. It's for film makers who have experience with film already and that have a production team established. One of the films they have helped to produced is 'Borrowed Time' which I have analysed and wrote about previously.
3) What is the London Calling project for Film London and how does it encourage independent filmmaking?
London Calling provides a low budget for filmmakers in London Boroughs. 15 short films with a maximum of £4000. And for filmmakers with more experience the 'London Calling Plus' offers £15,000 for 5 short films.
I think this is great as it encourages young film makers to start projects with a budget and get real world experience. This is something I'd definitely would want to do myself in the next 3 years.
4)
This film fits to be an art-house flm because all the characters are adults firstly so it fits in with an adult audience demographic. Secondly the protagonist is homosexual and this is considered a strong topic to present in a film and therefore the older generation shall take this storyline more seriously and take more understanding then supposedly a younger audience. Also the story is about recovery and therefore this subject is also relate-able. The main point is that the film is purely dialogue driven therefore it makes sense for an art-house film. Target Audience it might attract: 25-45
This film has an adult like approach to story telling and highlights the life of 20-30 year olds which is the age where adults would become more mature and stop doing exciting things- this film explores the fun that people can have together but also has a storyline about a relationship therefore it would attract a female audience more as that's what women usually want to see - romance/drama. Target Audience it might attract: 27-37
This is an arthouse film which appeals to a younger audience. I would say somewhere around 13+ which is not the typical audience for an arthouse film. The film focuses on achievement and how to get there. Target Audience it might attract: 13-25
Representation behind the camera is just as important as in front of the camera - Make representation apply to the real world and not over exaggerate unless it's really needed.
Don't over complicate the story-line on a micro budget film. Instead focus on individuals or deepen the actual meaning instead of having multiple events happening at once.
Focus on 'Is this film important and what message is it trying to deliver to the audience' before doing anything else.
Cinematography: We begin the scene with a point of view shot of the the protagonist, Mason so the audience gets an idea on what he is doing in the darkroom. Although the shot is shown very fast it enables us to understand that he is dipping a photograph in some type of liquid. Straight after this we see a panning shot to reveal the teacher walking up to Mason. I believe the pan gives in to the realism and anticipates the fact that someone just walked in. The panning shot turns into an over the shoulder shot to reveal the 2 characters speaking and after this we see a range of medium close ups of both the characters speaking throughout the scene. However at 0:57 seconds in as the dialogue intensifies we see a much 'tighter' framing of the camera which suggests that what the character is saying is now more important. But at 1:16 the camera is a wider medium shot so we can see the teacher's hand and fingers. The scene continues with the same medium shots between the characters until 2:28 minutes in where an over-shoulder-shot is used which connotes that the teacher is still dominating Mason in the conversation and then at 2:55 minutes we see the same camera pan we saw at the beginning but this time it is used to show that a character is leaving the location. Target Audience: Certificate: UK 15
It Follows
Editing:
At the beginning we see the protagonist screaming and trying to run away. The first 10 seconds of this scene are shown at a high frame rate (slow motion) which can be said either editing or cinematography but for this case I will use it as an example for editing and therefore this was done in editing to imply the moment that is happening and therefore show the audience in more detail how the character is feeling and the things that are happening around her. First we see her facial expression more due to the slow motion and then when she starts running and knocks out a few objects with her hands we see that in more detail to.From the start to end there is no transitions and only straight cuts are used. This fits in with the situation as it is a fast paced scene and therefore having slow type cuts doesn't make sense. At 0:22 we see a straight cut looking at the room door. This is a POV shot and this cut was used for 2 seconds and then cut back to the girl to show where she is looking at and also wants the audience to know that she is waiting for the door to open. This cut occurs at 0:39 seconds once again and cuts back to the protagonist.
Target Audience:
Certificate: UK 15
Borrowed Time
Mise-en-Scene:
The whole scene takes place in a old man's house and we are presented with a boy dressed in casual clothing holding a vintage style lamp which suggests the time period of the film or was simply used to give the cinematic feel of the film. At 0:15 seconds in we see the boy turn around and face a stuffed animal. This gives an impression that the owner of the house is old, has a love for animals or is an animal hunter. The scene continues with the perspective of the boy and we see some sort of broken down bits on the surfaces and again at 0:25 seconds we see a stuffed cow in the scene. The whole environment and room is very gloomy with the only source of light being the lamp and maybe an additional moonlight from a video which plays a role in the situation that the boy is in however challenges the genre of the film as it is a comedy/drama than a horror instead. At 0:42 seconds into the scene the household lights are turned on by the old man and we see he is dressed in his pyjamas and is seen holding a shotgun. The audience finally sees the character and all the objects seen in the house now make sense because his shotgun could potentially be the one that he uses for hunting. We also see the stairs chair in the scene which moves slowly but creates tension between the 2 characters. Target Audience: Certificate: UK 15
Whiplash
Sound:
In this scene we are introduced with a very loud sound of a student playing a drum-kit which is quite alarming to the audience but 10 seconds later we here the antagonist, Fletcher shouting at the student and telling him to get off. The following student sits down to perform and Fletcher once again uses a harsh tone towards him and presents his frustration because he just wants one person to get the tempo right. The 2nd student begins to play and is disturbed once again by the teacher about 5 seconds later and we hear his voice through the sound of the drums. Now as the 3rd student, Nieman, who is the protagonist sits down we see a change in tone from the teacher which suggests the emotion that Fletcher has for this particular student. In fact his whole objective is to make Nieman the greatest drummer in the world and therefore he is less harsh on him at the beginning . I find this interesting as Nieman starts at the wrong tempo than both of the other students but Fletcher doesn't stop him suddenly like them which shows that he wants to give him a greater chance and that he also believes that he can achieve the needed tempo. While Nieman is playing the wrong tempo, Fletcher brings a cowbell next to his ear which connotes his frustration with sound instead of his voice. However later he keeps shouting at him and throws multiple musical objects which the audience hear minimally smashing into the walls because the sound of the drums is overpowering them. At 1:45 we hear Fletcher say "Keep playing" instead of previously "Faster". This gives an impression that Nieman already reached the desired tempo but Fletcher wants to push him to the limit and see how long he can go on for. From 1:29 to 1:55 we hear a non diegetic sound of some sort of string instrument playing in the background which gives in to the intense atmosphere and the struggle that the student is having. When Fletcher signals him to stop we see 10 seconds of silence and he is told that he got the part. Target Audience: Certificate: UK 15
Brief: Your preliminary exercise involves filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. Planning process and pre-production: I've decided to take lead on this production as I wanted to demonstrate my skills in terms of cinematography and exploring different types of shots. We looked over the brief and knew that we were able to execute the 180 degree rule and the exchange in dialogue but we went against the fact that a door needed to be open and characters needed to be sat down. I would never challenge the real brief as of course I want maximum marks for my production but this was just a practice task so I thought it would be fun to make something completely random from scratch. By having a discussion with my team we didn't have an idea for a story however after a while we basically concluded to take heavy influence from a few film-makers and go with the subject of 'time'. After the initial discussion I have assigned everyone to tasks and at the end of it we had a storyboard, shot list and script. In terms of preparation for filming, it was an easy decision for us as we knew that we wanted to use a camera dolly for this film because we never really used it properly and this gave us the opportunity to get really cinematic, smooth shots. In addition to this, my choice of lenses was the 35mm f1.8 as it was important that we achieved the depth of field and necessary amount of light to the camera sensor which played a massive part as we relied at all times at the lighting provided in the building. The actual most important part of the planning was to use a slate reference when filming but also that this appeared along the side of the shot list labelled correctly so when we actually started rolling it was easy for us to get exactly every shot. I assigned Taranjit to be my clapper loader and Rehan to manage the production by making sure we contained continuity and had every shot. Rehan and Taranjit communicated together to make sure the slate was right before each shot - This made post-production fantastic for us when editing. Strengths and Weaknesses: The main strengths of our production were that our planning was excellent which made the filming easy for everyone working on this film. The range of close ups at the beginning of the film contributed the hallucinative storyline and made the audience feel confused but also worried for the character. Although we couldn't really deliver and emotional connection to the characters as this was a very fast paced film and I was worried about the pacing from the start because I was unable to tell the story that I really wanted. Everything in the film happened so fast and even then this was over the 30 second limit that the brief gave us. I believe strongly that if we were given a 5 minute running time that this story would be better understood by the audience. The feedback given from our screening told us that the audience didn't understand the story and that the script was either too short and or wasn't understood clearly. I believe the use of the composed song by Ryan Taubert gave the final piece a great exciting feel with all the dolly shots spinning around the character and matching with the pacing of the music. This was one of the things that set our film apart from everyone else's. On the topic of sound, the final sound design was rather complicated with many layers having to match with the camera shots. For example: At 0:14 seconds in we have a high pitched sound notifying the audience the change in transition which is a sound bridge and also suggests the initial flashback that occurred. Overall I believe we did a great job on the production being that we filmed in under 5 hours and edited this whole video in 1 week. We have learned a lot things that will be carried towards the real film.
28 = C WWW: You make excellent points in every question.. the trick now is adding the depth to get the mark you deserve. EBI: You must use paragraphs for each point.. this will help you add depth and remain focused on the question. - Make sure you are using media terminology, particularly in mise-en-scene question. LR: Rewrite Editing Question.
EQUIPMENT: Nikon D3200 35mm 1.8 70-300mm 3.4 Manfrotto Video Tripod w/Fluid Head Newwer Tripod Dolly Rode Videomic.
SLATE REF
SHOT TYPE
DESCRIPTION
1A
CU
Participants face is shown in distress as he’s lying on the floor
1B
ECU
Participant’s eyes are shown with a blur over them.
1C
ECU
Participant’s clock is seen still with its seconds not moving at all.
1D
CU > MS
He stands up with medium pace as the dolly pulls back from the ground
to a standing position.
2A
MS
As the participant stands there he visualises the past events that occurred
before he woke up. As his visions start to end we hear footsteps getting
louder and we see the framing normally once again.
3A
MS
This shot continues from the previous one. We now drag with the dolly
to reveal the characters where the participant is facing.
4A
Pan + MS
Paul and Larry confront the participant. Camera pans when Paul
finishes speaking and focuses on Larry.
4B
CU
The participants reaction is seen
5A
LS
We see the characters together in the shot.
6A
MS
We see the participant give his short speech, he takes out a strange
metallic object, presses his fingers against it and disappears – FADE TO
BLACK.
Storyboard:
Script: INT. OFFICE BUILDING FADE IN: A YOUNG MAN, 17, IS SEEN LAYING ON THE GROUND WITH GREAT DISCOMFORT, BODY HALF SHAKEN, EYES TWITCHING AND SWEAT RUNNING DOWN HIS FACE. HIS CLOTHES ARE CASUAL BUT HIS WATCH IS NO LONGER TICKING.
PUAL
PARTICIPANT 429... WONDERFUL.
LARRY
THERE IS NOWHERE OUT, DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR A COME WITH US.
PARTICIPANT
YOU'RE WRONG. (STUTTER) THERE IS SOMETHING, SOMETHING WE AS HUMANS SIMPLY UNDERSTAND - TIME.
Whiplash (2014) - Final Scene *I'll be analysing this scene from 4:04 mins to the ending,*
Walking off the stage in embarrassment, Andrew fails to perform on stage and walks towards his father to give him a hug. This is where we see a straight cut into Andrews face to show his emotions, back to his father and again to Andrew. These cuts are done at a medium pace but inform us that he is not giving up and therefore this was used to present the silent communication he gave to his father, he questions him straight after he walks off.
We see many straight cuts between Andrew and Fletcher as the Director obviously enabled the audience to see the brutal relationship between the 2 characters: Fletcher being cruel by not giving Andrew a chance and then Andrew trying to prove himself to Fletcher by walking back on to stage believing that he's capable of playing. The pace of these cuts varies in speed but as we cut back to Fletcher, we are interrupted by the drums and it is at this point that the pacing really speeds up and we can see this when we get 3 cuts getting closer to Andrew in a row and then another 3 of the situation before we see Fletcher again.
From 5:10 - 5:50 the camera only cuts when an instrument in the music becomes more apparent or more amplified in volume. From this point we see 8 cuts from Andrew's drums. This is because he is the protagonist of the story but more importantly because it these cuts can be said to be from Fletcher's point of view. We see his focus on Andrew throughout the scene and the way he studies his every move which is why the editing highlighted this.
From 7:40 mins the pacing drops in speed and we see a shot of Fletcher nodding his head and smiling which informs the audience that he's accepted Andrew walking back on stage. The pace becomes faster once again but it is at 8:40 that no cut was used to show both the characters emotions. Instead the camera whips back and forth 10 times before it cuts! From my opinion it seems like this shot is what individualises the two characters from everyone else on stage and this clever editing choice not to cut has allowed us to identify this.
It is from 10:45 that we realize how Andrew is feeling at the moment. The camera cutting to his drumstick, face, sweaty shirt, sweaty ear, to his closed eyes and constantly to his drums and then suddenly outside the stage into his father's face - the moment that he realizes his son's real potential (being the person that encouraged him to go home when he came to hug him) allows us to see how much music really means to Andrew. In this situation the straight cuts is all that is needed to prove this to the viewer.
Towards the ending we see Andrew perform his drum solo and we see Fletcher frequently as he guides Andrew with the pace. I would say it is at this point we see that after all the struggle and hate Andrew had for him, Fletcher dominates him right until the ending of the film and we see a range of straight cuts between them.
