G322: INSTITUTIONS and AUDIENCES

In Section B of your examination, you answer a long essay question on aspects of the film industry and processes of production, distribution, marketing and consumption. 

We focus on specific studios/production companies that target British audiences (e.g. Hollywood, UK film). 

We consider contemporary film distribution practices (digital cinema, DVD, HD-DVD, downloads etc) and how these affect production, marketing and distribution. 

In the words of the specification, we will study:

• 'the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice' = who makes, owns, funds and distributes specific recent films; the difference between the way in which the 'Big 6' function (Dalecki's 5 S megafranchise model found here) and the British film industry
• 'the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution & marketing' = technological convergence is the way in which technologies and institutions come together in order to create something new. My games console Xbox 360 is a platform on which I access multimedia: as well as playing games (including multi-player games), I watch films on Netflix, listen to music, surf the internet using apps such as YouTube and Facebook. I contribute to viral marketing Facebook Spoderman The iPad represents the convergence of photography, videos, music, newspapers, books, TV, maps, the internet and the mobile phone. Marketing convergence and synergy is the way in which a product  a film) is marketed / advertised / promoted in a range of ways. Use the Disney film Avengers case study HERE as a case study read this. View this.
• proliferation in hardware and content for institutions & audiences
• how national and British audiences are targeted by film institutions
• how your own experience illustrates wider trends

CASE STUDY: MR TURNER

Mike Leigh's biopic of the great English romantic painter J.M.W.Turner is currently in post production in London. Screen Daily feature here

EVALUATION QUESTION 3: DISTRIBUTION

The Film Distributors Association website explains the film industry, distribution and marketing. We study three presentations. Today, INSIDE FILM DISTRIBUTION: PART 2 THE CAMPAIGN Launching Film site here
You watch the presentation again for PREP and write a detailed post in which you present your understanding of the campaign process, ready for your evaluation question number 3. Follow the steps in the presentation; use your own words to present your points but quote where necessary. Give your source (the person and their job title).

RESEARCH: THRILLER CODES & CONVENTIONS

In a blog post, define what the genre's codes and conventions are. Make another ScoopIt! like mine HERE to show where you sourced your information.

NME TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE

Today we make an audience profile for our thriller films. We model this on professional practice, the way that NME creates an infographic of their target audience Look at what IPC advertising created for NME HERE.

• What films and TV programmes are your target audience watching now?
• What platforms do they watch programmes on?
• What social groups do they relate to?
• What issues might they be interested in?

RESEARCH / PLANNING: ENIGMA, SUSPENSE & JEOPARDY

(Use this as a model for your post)
I have identified certain shot types, camera movements, visual and sound codes that I find inspiring. In the caption to each shot I explain why I have drawn attention to it.

From Inspector Montalbano: A wide, high angle shot that functions as an establishing shot conveys the location, crime and personnel quickly to the audience.

From Lewis: A high angle shot positions two detectives moving rapidly through a crime scene and talking rapidly on the phone. The audience can share their haste and sense of urgency; the mise-en-scene of the grand surroundings is established effortlessly.

Smoke moves across the screen during the title sequence of Silent Witness, creating mystery and secrecy by half obscuring the letters. The graphics suggest what might be seen through a microscope slide, in keeping with the forensics of crime detection.

RESEARCH: SCOOPIT!

(Use this as a model for your post)
Here is my ScoopIt! where I am collecting the crime drama that I plan to investigate. ScoopIt! is an online curating tool that collates my research (like a magazine) as well as offering useful interactive features (offering suggestions that I might like to 'scoop'.) Sign up HERE. 

An example of a ScoopIt! on TV crime drama HERE

Class: My example is thriller codes and conventions: yours be film & TV crime

RESEARCH: GENRE CONVENTIONS

(This post models for you what we started in today's lesson and what you need to develop for prep. It will help Georgina and Andrew who area absent today. You will make 2 posts: this one which develops into a ScoopIt! and a second which shows screen grabs of effective work that you find inspirational.)

In order to research genre conventions for the type of film opening that I am planning, I looked at clips from similar productions. I identified visual and sound codes that I would like to use myself.

Group 1
Last lesson, I planned the outline treatment for a crime drama involving a realistic British scenario with a young college student who works part-time on the fish counter of a high street supermarket and who witnesses a stabbing as he leaves work.

I need to familiarize myself with the crime genre as I do not watch much of it; my first port of call was the internet to see what other people watched, as boxed sets are very popular. I found that this is a huge genre ranging from genteel investigators like Poirot and Miss Marple to hard-hitting productions like The Wire and Taggart.

Boxed sets of crime drama reveal the wide range of crime drama

Now, I list some of the productions of British, European and American film and TV crime drama that I intend to investigate. I will create a ScoopIt! page to collate my research.

Sherlock
Inspector Morse BBC

Lewis BBC (sequel)
Endeavour BBC (prequel)
Jonathan Creek
Murder She Wrote
Inspector Poirot
Waking The Dead
The Midsomer Murders
Inspector Montalbano
Young Montalbano (prequel)
Zen BBC
The Inspector Linley Mysteries
Taggart
Wallender
Silent Witness 
Trial and Retribution 

Group 2
Last lesson, I planned the outline treatment for a psychological drama involving a young woman who becomes mentally unstable when she discovers that she cannot have children. The drama unfolds as she becomes obsessively devoted to dolls that resemble babies.

I need to familiarize myself with the psychological genre as I do not watch much of it; my first port of call was the internet to see what other people watched, as boxed sets are very popular. I found that this is a huge genre ranging from ... productions like

PLANNING: HOW TO WRITE A TREATMENT

A treatment is a description in clear English in the present tense setting out what your product / film / video has in it, starting at the beginning in the case of a video which has a linear narrative.

Look at http://www.georgeking-assoc.com/education/vid101c_summer07/how-to-treatment.html

Other sites include  http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Script-Treatment
and http://www.lightsfilmschool.com/articles/treatments/

Here is a sample treatment: 

TV DRAMA

This week we become creative by planning a new television drama series. For your Foundation Production, comedy such as this is one option, so we practise developing ideas and playing them out.

INTERNS exploring stereotypes in film & TV drama (think of Fresh Meat, The Devil Wears Prada, Legally Blonde)

Amber: Caitlin Moran, blunt, down to earth, not easily impressed

Georgina: hypochondriac, health freak, germophobe, obsesses

Sacha: air head

Connie: bossy, assertive

Bryn: sports jock

Andrew: posh

Elliot: wannabe model

Scenario

1.        Interview old person in care home

2.        Survey consumer behaviour in supermarket

3.        Restaurant critic

4.        Meetings with senior staff member

5.        Panic phone call home to mum /dad

6.        Interview local police about local crime