Post Release Tracking- The Hobbit

What: Poster advertising a free film book giveaway
When: 26th December
Where: The Odeon Cinema (Barnet), foyer
Reach: Regular Cinema Goers. Families who are visiting the Odeon to watch a Christmas film. Local people.

What: TV spot trailer
When: 29th December 2013. 16:20
Where: ITV, in the ad break for Star Wars: A New Hope
Who: Fans of fantasy, adventure genre. Families.

Using the internet to promote a movie release in the UK

Case Study: The Hobbit

Example 1

What www.facebook.com/TheHobbitUk
Source Facebook
Above/Below the line
Reach UK fans of the trilogy/genre, any class/age
Valuable how Easily updatable, cheaper than conventional platforms, audience envovlment, viral potential, short form content.

Example 2

What Articles on the SFX
Source Google search results
Above/Below the line
Reach Tech fans
Valuable how Direct reach to specific audience groups

Example 3

What Newspaper article on Ed Sheeran doing the soundtrack
Source The Metro
Above/Below the line
Reach Young adults. City commuters
Valuable how Interactive (video included). Short form content.

Case Study: Kill Your Darlings

Example 1

What Review
Source Screenrush UK website
Above/Below the line
Reach Film fans
Valuable how Direct reach to specific group of people

Example 2

What Online Question- "Will you be rushing to the cinema to see Daniel get it on with another man?"
Source The Mirror website
Above/Below the line
Reach Working class
Valuable how Its interactive- audience envolvment

Example 3

What Competition "Cut up art exhibition"
Source Fan Blog
Above/Below the line
Reach Arty people. Daniel Radcliffe fans
Valuable how Audience envovment. Direct reach to specific group

Kill Your Darlings- Tracking

Week 2

1. 
What Daniel Radcliff on the front cover
When Saturday 23rd November

Where The Guardian Magazine
Reach Middle Class

2.
What Poster
Where Euston Tube Station
When Saturday 23rd November
Who Commuters



Week 3

1. 
What Buzzfeed Article
Where Twitter page
When 28th November
Who Daniel Radcliffe fans
How its effective Entertaining and informing

Week 4

1. 
What Advert
Where The Observers' New Review
When Saturday 1st December
Who Middle Class

2.

What Review
Where Radio 4
When 5th December 2013. 19:45
Who 
Why Release tomorrow. Generate interest
Content 70% Talking about Daniel Radcliffe

The Hobbt- Tracking

Marketing Week 1

What: 3D Trailer
Date: Sunday 17th 4 pm
Source: Swiss Cottage Imax Odeon, film- Gravity
Audience: Families, 3D fans

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug- Research

10 Quick questions

1. UK release date? Friday 13th December
2. Institutions: Production: New Line Cinema & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distribution: Warner Bros Pictures
3. Production Budget? $250,000,000
4. Nationality? United States
5. What kind of production is it?
6. Any connection with other films? Prequel: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Sequel: The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Also connected to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
7. Director? Peter Jackson
8. Cast star names? Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Benedict Cumberbatch
9. Plot? The hobbits continue their quest to reclaim their homeland, Erebor, from Smaug
10. Target audience? Fans of the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books and films. Fans of the fantasy, adventure genre.

Kill Your Darlings- Research

10 Quick Questions

1. UK release date? Thursday 19th December 2013
2. Production and distribution institutions? Sony Pictures Classic
3. Production Budget? Very little, "shoe-string budget"
4. Nationality? United States
5. What kind of production is it? Biographical Drama Film
6. Any connection with other films?
7. Director? John Krokidas
8. Cast star names? Daniel Radcliff
9. Plot? Based on the relationships of the Beat Poets surrounding the mysterious death of David Kammerer, in paticular Allen Ginsberg and Lucien Carr
10. Target audience? Those with an interest in literature and history. Fans of the drama genre.

Papa & Sons- Q&A with director

Things I learnt

1) The Q & A gave me an insight on the marketing strategies of the film. Marcus knew that Greek communities all across London were his prime target audience, therefore directing his release around them by:

• Targeting cinemas in areas with large Greek communities e.g Cineworld Wood Green & Enfield
• Getting the priest to mention his film in Sunday service
• Using Facebook ads to target just those who are have Greek listed as one of their languages

Another potential audiences included fish & chip shop owners, he targeting them by tweeting every fish & chip shop across Britain. This worked, in one case he got a tweet back saying that one fish & chip owner had taken all his family and friends buying thirty tickets on the day of screening. 

With little budget left for marketing, the day before release Marcus actually stood out side of the cinema and handed out leaflets himself. 

2) Independent films often have little budget and not much money to spend on actors, therefore the script is vital to getting the 'big name actors'. Stephen Dillane, who plays Harry Papadopoulus, really liked the script but the shooting clashed with Game Of Thrones. However when his son, Frank Dillane agreed to play James Papadopoulus, Stephen made Game of Thrones re-schedule their shoot for the chance to play an on screen the father-son-relationship with his real son.  

3) The film proved successful in Greece and Germany, this is likely because of its' themes of economic collapse.

4) This was the first film Marcus had directed, he went on a short course before and that was all his knowledge on it. 

Case Study 2- Papadopolous & Sons

Google Definition: Papadopoulos & Sons is a British comedy-drama feature film written and directed by independent filmmaker Marcus Markou and self-distributed in the UK by Markou's own company Double M Films through Cineworld on April 5, 2013.

Double M Films: "Double M Films is a privately held company based in London dedicated to making independent films. It was set up by brothers Marcus and Andrew Markou."


The Papadopolus family are played by:

Stephen Dillane - Harry Papadopoulos
Georges Corraface - Spiros Papadopoulos
Ed Stoppard - Rob
Georgia Groome - Katie Papadopoulos
Selina Cadell - Mrs. Parrington
Cosima Shaw - Sophie
Frank Dillane - James Papadopoulos 

Trailer:

Sweded Project - Titanic

I really enjoyed this project, please watch it here: http://youtu.be/mf3fJ9s0rjQ

Our 4 marketing strategies were:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TitanicSweded

Twitter https://twitter.com/SwededTitanic

Instagram http://instagram.com/swededtitanic

Poster

We also release a teaser trailer that consisted of a montage of out takes

Dexter Evaluation Questions

1. Summarise the conventions of title sequences that were most important to this task.

Title sequences need to show the names of actors, directors, producers in the short space of a few minuets, in the lead up to the film or tv show. They are usually integrated within the shots, which are often montage style and connote theme of the genre and hint at story. They are sometimes exciting and imaginatively placed into the sequence, for us this convention was the most important in this task.

2. How did your group plan to edit the title sequence? (consider timings, industry requirements etc).

We watched through the title-less opening and talked through good opportunities to place titles. We then worked in chronological order, using the programme Live Fonts to create the titles and place them into the clip. When using transitions such as fades and disperse we had to consider timings to make it work best with the footage.

 3. Explain the creative decisions made by your group.

We had to consider how the size and shapes of the titles would fit into the shot; where they would stand out.

4. How does your re-edit compare to the original?

The original has no transitions or effects whereas we integrated these at every opportunity. I think this is because the original has titles in almost ever shot and effects would be distracting for the viewer.

Here is our edited version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnqrXNqtzSI

Sweded Homework

What is a 'Sweded film'

An amateur remake of well known films. Originated from the film Be Kind Rewind, all the videos in a video rental store were erased, so the characters go about remaking them with no budget, upping the price claiming they are imported from Sweden, hence the term 'sweded'.

Characteristics: around 3-5 minuets long, home made props and costume, music and sound effects created with voices, witty and imaginative.

My favourite Swedes




I think this swede is the best because of the use of costume and props.


For our sweded project i would like to try remaking Titanic because I think the setting will be impossible to recreate accurately allowing opportunity to imaginatively produce it.

Preliminary exercise: Evaluation

Brief
Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he exchanges a couple lines of dialog. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse/shot and the 180 degree rule.

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

My group consisted of Vivian, Louis, Seb and myself. Our idea was to have a school child bribing a teacher for exam answers, therefore we chose our actors according to who would look most realistic as these roles- Seb looks the oldest so we chose him to be the teacher, and myself as the school child as I was the smallest. Louis wanted to try camera man and Vivian took the roles of director, assistant director and sound. Louis and I shared the task of editing equally between us. I think next time I would like to challenge myself trying the roles of director or camera man, and be more involved in the technical side of the production.

2. How did you plan you sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try and take into account?

Our first step in the planning process was a discussion, we brainstormed ideas and debated the pros and cons of each, until we came to an idea that we liked, was realistic and complied with the brief. Then we talked through ideas on how we could go about filming, we did a walk through in our chosen setting to help visualize camera shots and where we could fit in the continuity principles required. With this in mind we were able to begin the shot list, and from this the story board. Finally we secured the location.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

The hardware required for shooting: camera( Cannon DVB3), tripod, shot mic and headphones.
We used the tripod to get the shots we wanted that required different heights. The shot mic and headphones ensured us that we had sound recording throughout the shoot.

The software required for editing: Adobe Premier
First we viewed all of our clips by dragging them into the source monitor, we chose the best ones and marked them using the label tool. We worked chronologically dragging them onto the timeline and using the grab tool to cut them down. We used both tracks on our timeline as it came in handy when we were trying to achieve shot/reverse shot in the conversation scene.

4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

Planning: The factor that we considered the most was space. When coming up with a story line we took this into account, in the end we decided to integrate school into our idea as this was easily achievable to create. Then we looked how we would use the space to get the shots we wanted and working around the problems it caused, for this we did a walk through.

Shooting: The first issue that arose when shooting is that all three groups wanted to use the entrance to the media block so between us we had to negotiate timed slots, this meant we were filming in non chronological order. The second issue was with the opening shot which is set out side, the bell went and 180 year 7s came into shot, delaying us. Because we had planned to set it in a school we were lucky with most props as they were all there for us, the white board for example, the only issue with set we had was rearranging the tables so that the characters could sit opposite each other. Also despite doing a walk through the camera crew found themselves squashed at times, for example behind the teachers desk, which is why the size comparison between mine and Seb's head is ridiculously large.

Editing: The main factor we were considering when editing was making it appear continuous- cutting in the right places.

5. How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight what would you improve/do differently?

I think the simplicity of our idea was successful as it enabled us to meet all the demands of the brief, most importantly providing us opportunities to display continuity.

However there are a couple of examples where continuity is broken; the jump between the penultimate and final shot breaks the 30 degree rule, and in the conversation shot/reverse shot isn't followed through consistently, these disrupt the overall flow of the sequence and if done again I would correct.

6. What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework do you think?

I have learnt the importance of pre-production planning, if done thoroughly it will save you a lot of time in the shoot especially if you are on a time limit. I think in the future I will include mapping out a floor plan in this process as I can see it being beneficial in many ways.

Any filming tasks that arise in the rest of my foundation course I will consider and keep to the rules of continuity as I have learnt they are very important to make the footage look correct and suspending the audiences' disbelief.

Art of the Title Grid Activity- Evaluation

1. Summarize your film idea.

Our film has a different take on the horror genre. The idea was that there was a serial killer disguised at a caretaker working in secondary schools. He kidnaps and murders teenage girls, preserves their bodies and then dresses them up as 5 year old children. His name is Clarence, hence the films title. Later in the film more will be revealed about why this psycho killer acts like he does- he lost his daughter when she was a child.

The film opening is intended to fill the audience in on what Clarence does- it shows the process of his preservation; selecting his victims, killing them, and dressing them up. 

2. What kind of information has been included in your film opening
The setting- a school, is established. The main character is introduced and it is revealed that he is a serial killer, the opening also displays how he selects his victims and what he does with them. In some ways it is a mini narrative, focused on one girl in particular- Georgie, showing the beginning and end of her story.

The opening also includes different information such as the actors and directors of the film and also the film title.

3. How do your titles link to the main film idea?

It focuses on the main character on the film, what he does and how he does it. This means the rest of the film can focus on the other aspects of the character- his history and how it has affected him.

4. Summarise the expected audience reaction. What should the audience be thinking by the end of your opening? Is your opening clear or ambiguous?

Audiences might react to this opening shocked, scared and disgusted- what you would expect from a film of the horror genre. I think it is a very clear opening however leaving many unanswered questions for the rest of the film to unveil.

5. Identify three things that you included in your grid that are important in the construction of an opening sequence and explain their role in understanding the film

The titles are important as they tell you a lot about the films genre. They also tell you what actors feature in it and who the director is. All these increase the anticipation for the rest of the film.

I think the shots that establish a sense of setting are important ( shots 3, 4 and 5)

6. How effective is your project as a film opening?

I think it is effective in that in conforms to the expectations of the genre. It follows the pattern of many horror movies that feature a serial killer, where it opens telling the story of one person a victim for example. This the enables the film to focus on another aspect of the story giving the film another layer.

I think there is too much happening, which can be disorientating for the viewer for an opening scene.

The Accident- Continuity Analysis

The continuity practice brief was to create a narrative showing an accident taking place in 6 shots. Our story is about a boy doing hurdles on a school field, and fall over the final one.

Things we did well

- Match on Action
There is match on action in the first 3 shots where the boy is warming up, mainly significant in shots 2 and 3.
There is also match on action displayed from the long shot of the boy jumping over hurdles filmed behind him, to the mid close of him from in front of him coming over hurdles.

Rules We Broke

 - The 180 Degree Rule
 In the penultimate shot where the boy is running up to the final hurdle and falls over, we did not stick by the 180 degree rule, making it look as if he is running back on him self.

Continuity- Fight Club

 

I have chosen to analyse the continuity techniques used in the opening scene of the film Fight Club.

The opening scene begins with a close up of a character looking straight at the camera sweating. Then we are shown this shot from two different angles; first from the side, now we can see that there is a gun pointing down his throat, then from above left. Each shot has a different purpose, the side profile shot to reveal the gun, and the third to create the illusion he is looking up at a person. These close ups appear continuous by keeping to the 30 degree angle rule. It also conforms to the 180 degree rule in the conversation between the two men.

In the shot from above you see the gun removed from his mouth, this action is continued in a mid shot, where Tyler with his back to us, and the narrator looking to the top right. Here the technique match on action is displayed when removing the gun from his mouth. Also throughout the whole sequence you see the narrator look to the top right when referring to Tyler, keeping the same throughout helps the audience follow the positioning of the characters.

In the sequence there is little tracking as there is little character movement. They use establishing shots a couple of times, this helps understand the setting that is confusing at times.

Film Opening Analysis- Quadrophenia

 

•  Genre- Coming of Age/ Drama/ Youth

•  The film takes place in 1965, Britain.

• The first shot is a lone figure standing on a cliff by the coast as the sun sets, he then walks towards us, his face a shadow silhouette. As he approaches us, the camera cuts to another scene in a completely different setting on a road. Here the same character is riding a scooter, this time we can see his face clearly. He is smiling and having a good time, then a group of rockers on motorbikes surround him and mock his scooter. The sequence ends with him pulling off the main road down a street into what looks like a car park.

• The main two scenes in the sequence- the cliff scene and road scene, are distinctly unconnected events. However this is very purposeful to the story telling of the film as a whole. An opinion on the film could be the opening scene is connected to the ambiguous ending on the film, set also on the cliffs of Brighton. The effect of having such an inconclusive opening scene creates a sense of curiosity- the audience want to know why and how he ended up there. The second scene then dives straight into the telling of the story, telling it from the beginning if you like- providing the explanation.  

•  The opening sequence is focused on the character Jimmy, we can tell he is the main character of the film as there is emphasise in the opening shot of him being alone. Also the lyrics to the music playing in the background- The Real Me, could suggest a film about self- discovery, hence emphasis on one character in particular.

•  The opening scene leaves no answers to how the character got there, what he is doing, or why he is there, everything is deliberately withheld. However the second shot, where Jimmy is confronted by the rockers, is a key element of the story line and conflict to come. The stark contrast between these two scenes could in hindsight be seen as representative to the difference between the character before and after events that take place in the film.  

• The start of films should establish either character, setting or genre, to give the audience a sense of grounding and expectations for the rest of the film.  

Home work- Stills Analysis




Chosen Still. Genre: rom-com

Our task was to create film stills that reflected specific genres. To do this we were given a DSLR camera, a portable light and the school. With these limitations we found that using camera angles and the actors' posture and facial expressions were also very helpful ways to connote genre.

Representation of Genre

Characters
The genre is rom com so the focus is on the main two characters, a boy and a girl. Their facial expressions; smiling and eye contact suggest attraction towards each other, which is key feature of the genre. The girls positioning suggests that she is perhaps shy whereas the boys pose appears more confident and out going. These differentiating characters could create drama and struggle in the plot, where being together isn't possible, also a key aspect of rom com genre.

Mise en scene
The shot is set out doors on a field. In the foreground is a tree in which the characters are leaning on, nature is often symbolic of romance as it represents freedom and seclusion from the outer world. The background is bright and the green grass looks vibrant, this suggests a light hearted movie.

How did we achieve this

Initially our idea for the shot was to do a long shot, however when we did that there were too many distractions in the back ground, so we tried a mid-shot. This made it easier to control variables such as lighting, and instantly the shot became more intimate. Using the tree for the characters to lean on makes it seem more natural, adding to the realism on the image.

What is successful

I think the composition of the picture is successful; the tree, the lighting, the character pose, all help it to represent genre. We were very lucky with lighting- it was shady under the tree where we were shooting, but bright in the back ground in the rest of the field.

What could be improved

The costumes could be more representative of character traits, but we were limited with resources and time so we just shot it in what the group members were wearing already. For this we would have to think about the characters personalities and the narrative of the film in more detail, which we didn't as this was not one of the shots we planned in detail, it was a spur of the moment idea.