Research One:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/nov/04/universal-studios-ron-meyer
BT under pressure to block The Pirate Bay
This article was about BT trying to ban an illegal file sharing webstie as it is invaiding copyrights and film industries are losing money. People on the website are sharing files which they would normally have to spend money on for example music, movies and tv dramas, this means that the industry are losing lots of money and merchandicing and bringing films out are becoming less popular.
Research Two:
BT under pressure to block The Pirate Bay
This article was about BT trying to ban an illegal file sharing webstie as it is invaiding copyrights and film industries are losing money. People on the website are sharing files which they would normally have to spend money on for example music, movies and tv dramas, this means that the industry are losing lots of money and merchandicing and bringing films out are becoming less popular.
Research Two:
Paranormal Activity 3 takes possession of the Halloween top spot, A record-smashing opening weekend for the frightful franchise's latest offering leaves its rivals cowering behind the sofa.Last week I carped on about the perils of sequelitis, and while I absolutely, positively stand by everything I said, there are exceptions. Paranormal Activity 3 is one such movie and it deservedly stormed to the top of the North American box office charts. That $54m estimated opening weekend for Paramount and producer Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions marks a new high for any movie launch in September or October and solidifies Paranormal's reputation as the most commercially alluring contemporary horror franchise out there right now.
Research Three:
Universal Studios exec causes stink over 'mediocre' films http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/nov/04/universal-studios-ron-meyer
This article i read was about how films that do not have high budgets are usually not very good and have low boxoffice, this tells me that the film indusry is all about the money and if you have minimal money you will make minimal too despite any creativity or storylines, it also suggests that the audience now go to the cinema to see special effects and explosions and not the storyline of the film.
Research Four:
this week I read this article about the new habits of young people seeking entertainment, in this article it tells us that people would rather spend money on other forms of entertainment rather than going to the cinema, this made me think about the demographic and why, is it because cinemas have got too expensive and there are other forms of entertainment of more value? or is it because filmmakers are making films too similar to eachother and as said in the article remakes of theatres and other films?
Research Five:
This week I was looking around on BBC's film and arts indusrty news and came across a article about banned filoms been given a rating. This one was about the human centipede 2, the article was about how many horror films that were previously banned have now been granted by the BBFC a certificate if there was cuts to the film. A total of 2 minuets were taken off and the makers are pleased but slightly disappointed. This tells me that the film industry are strict on morals and rules but will be able to bend the rules slightly in return of a favour. To see the article, click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15203870
Research Six:
This week I came across a video on youtube posted a year ago about the future of the film industry, he talks about this because he is worried that the amount of free content we are exposed to and if we will end up like music where the public dont pay for the content they are viewing. I found it interesting because he talks about the future and his prediciments. It shows that the film industry have advanced and now showing more 3D films and showing films to more people in more ways.
Research Seven:
There appears to be a shift taking place in audience expectations of movies at the cinema. A recent report in Reuters from the Toronto Film Festival suggests that box office business for more indie, drama movies is getting less lucrative.
In fact, as audiences move onto the web for movie downloads, it is likely that more indie, low budget movies will get their fame outside of the box office as distributors find it harder to market them. How did this happen and what does this mean for the future at the box office?
There will always be a demand for drama, thriller, comedy genres and so forth, but the way marketing is carried out for these movies could be changing because of the web’s influence. Blockbuster films have huge marketing budgets and can practically dominate online as well as traditional advertising placements. When it comes to indie movies, getting an audience buzz around a film tends to start at major film festivals. Big releases like George Clooney‘s ‘The Descendants’ and David Cronenberg’s ‘A Dangerous Mind’ are getting plenty of attention, but perhaps audiences are turning to the web for indie movies, and the theatre for blockbusters.
Because technology is bringing movies into our homes faster, simpler and cheaper, the concept of the theatre may be changing for audiences. People are more intrigued to see an ‘epic’, 3D movie or family release rather than an indie shot on a low budget. The web is still fairly new in the film marketing mix, but it seems that indie movies are getting more buzz online because budgets are low, and the free tools available to promote them are plentiful. Does this mean audiences discover indie movies on the web first, and would prefer to download them digitally rather than see them in theatres?
Research Eight:
Over the weekend I read a article on the guardians website about smoking in movies. They quoted '
The report, produced by researchers from the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, called for movies that feature smoking to attract a similar age classification to those that portray sex or violence. Their study of more than 5,000 adolescents found that 15-year-olds who saw the most films showing actors smoking were 73% more likely to have tried it than those who had seen the fewest.' They say that any films with smoking in it should be a straight rated 18. This suggests to me that if movies are very influential whether it is passive or not passive. This influence whether smoking or anything else is very powerful and it is important for any director to get it right when directing.
Research Nine:
Another article I read was about britians favourite childrens characters companies in debt. They spoke about the debt they were in and the only way to pay it off was to sell them off to American toon companies. This shows that even the most successful characters and shows may be presented as successful but in realtity are atually struggiling to pay off fee's and liabilities. Here is the article http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/20/british-childrens-characters-could-move-abroad
Research Ten:
- 11 employees from cinemas across the UK have been presented with awards totalling £7,000 for their efforts in preventing illegal recordings (so called ‘camcordings’) taking place.
- Matthew Lisett aged 32 years from Fovant, Salisbury was given a two year conditional discharge at Salisbury Magistrates Court (Thursday 16th November 2011) for film piracy.
http://www.filmmakers.com/news/film/article_1361.shtml
Research Twelve:
This week I came across a documentary about how the film harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 was made, It came to my attention that a lot of pre production had taken place to even just build the grounds which they will be filming in, It costs them a lot of money. It then made me realise that blockbusters need alot of money to be funded and this is why smaller independant film companies are struggiling because of the high prices involved with making a blockbuster.
Research Thirteen:
In this article I found one of the problems with the british film industry, this article talks about the synergy of film companies to restore classic films, it is a good sign that they are teaming up but however remaking films is not. We britons are getting bored of the same story lines and feel that we need something new and creative and with the companies being repetitive we as a industry are not able to move on.
http://www.screendaily.com/news/distribution/hammer-teams-with-studiocanal-pinewood-molinare-to-restore-classics/5036688.article
Research fourteen:
http://www.screendaily.com/news/production/youtube-emirates-dangle-500k-carrot-over-your-film-festival/5036631.article
A jury will select the winner who will receive a $500,000 YouTube original production grant and a development deal at Scott Free Productions. YouTube partnered with Scott Free on the documentary Life In A Day, which premiered at Sundance a year ago. This shows the British film industry trying to encourage young directors.
Homework:
What is wrong with the british film industry?
British Film Industry Essay:
Research Eight:
Over the weekend I read a article on the guardians website about smoking in movies. They quoted '
The report, produced by researchers from the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, called for movies that feature smoking to attract a similar age classification to those that portray sex or violence. Their study of more than 5,000 adolescents found that 15-year-olds who saw the most films showing actors smoking were 73% more likely to have tried it than those who had seen the fewest.' They say that any films with smoking in it should be a straight rated 18. This suggests to me that if movies are very influential whether it is passive or not passive. This influence whether smoking or anything else is very powerful and it is important for any director to get it right when directing.
Research Nine:
Another article I read was about britians favourite childrens characters companies in debt. They spoke about the debt they were in and the only way to pay it off was to sell them off to American toon companies. This shows that even the most successful characters and shows may be presented as successful but in realtity are atually struggiling to pay off fee's and liabilities. Here is the article http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/20/british-childrens-characters-could-move-abroad
Research Ten:
- 11 employees from cinemas across the UK have been presented with awards totalling £7,000 for their efforts in preventing illegal recordings (so called ‘camcordings’) taking place.
- Matthew Lisett aged 32 years from Fovant, Salisbury was given a two year conditional discharge at Salisbury Magistrates Court (Thursday 16th November 2011) for film piracy.
- Six market traders suspected of producing and selling vast quantities of counterfeit CDs and DVDs were arrested during a series of raids co-ordinated by Greater Manchester Police as part of a wider initiative to crack down on organised crime.
Research Eleven:
This is an article about the big film company 'Warner Brothers', cooperating with a small independent film company called 'Alliance Media Group Films Inc.'.This is a good example of big companies working with small and how it may benefit the British film industry in the future.http://www.filmmakers.com/news/film/article_1361.shtml
Research Twelve:
This week I came across a documentary about how the film harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 was made, It came to my attention that a lot of pre production had taken place to even just build the grounds which they will be filming in, It costs them a lot of money. It then made me realise that blockbusters need alot of money to be funded and this is why smaller independant film companies are struggiling because of the high prices involved with making a blockbuster.
Research Thirteen:
In this article I found one of the problems with the british film industry, this article talks about the synergy of film companies to restore classic films, it is a good sign that they are teaming up but however remaking films is not. We britons are getting bored of the same story lines and feel that we need something new and creative and with the companies being repetitive we as a industry are not able to move on.
http://www.screendaily.com/news/distribution/hammer-teams-with-studiocanal-pinewood-molinare-to-restore-classics/5036688.article
Research fourteen:
http://www.screendaily.com/news/production/youtube-emirates-dangle-500k-carrot-over-your-film-festival/5036631.article
A jury will select the winner who will receive a $500,000 YouTube original production grant and a development deal at Scott Free Productions. YouTube partnered with Scott Free on the documentary Life In A Day, which premiered at Sundance a year ago. This shows the British film industry trying to encourage young directors.
Homework:
What is wrong with the british film industry?
The film industry is large and it is sometimes hard to pin point the downfalls of it. However there are certain things that stand out. For example the growing trend of members of public now downloading films illegally and watching films online is currently creating a dip in the box office revenues, many people are reluctant to spend a average of £10 a ticket and now spending their time on other leisure’s at a cheaper cost which means that the film industry is loosing money. Another problem the film industry is having is the population of new films, there are too many remakes of classic films and theatres and the same stories being portrayed. Members of the public are starting to become bored and slowly becoming more and more disinterested in going to the cinema and enjoying films. There is also another trend that the only successful films are the ones which have the largest budgets and have the biggest stars audiences are no longer interested in storylines but more interested in special effects and stunts. This makes it harder for independent films to grow and become profitable. These downfalls are making it harder for people who work in the industry to make a living and encouraging illegal downloading and piracy. |
British Film Industry Essay:
The British film industry has exceled in the past couple of years, however recently we are experiencing difficulty in the industry. We have excelled through our iconic films, appealing to a large audience in America, however due to advancing technologies and America’s money and growth the British film industry is become problematic.
One example of a growing problem are the budget cuts in small institutions and government cuts. This is affecting the British film industry because directors are finding it hard to create blockbusting films with limited budgets. They are unable to pay for the best producers, actors, edits, lightings, location or stunts. Resulting in our British films not being as successful as Hollywood films. As we cannot provide the fast montages, explosions, special effects and stunts. Also many British actors are flying over the Hollywood to try and make it big. British films are becoming boring as storylines are being reused and it is become very unoriginal making it un-engaging for the audience.
Another problem in the British film industry is the fast growth of technology. This is resulting in a great growth of piracy and people in the public are able to access and watch films illegally and free, meaning less people go to the cinema consequence in a lower blockbuster. It damages small film companies that heavily reply on the screenings in cinemas.
The advancing technologies can also be a problem for the older generation. They may be acknowledged in the new uses of blue rays, HD and many more. This makes them feel inclined to using old players as it is expensive to buy the new technologies and it could be a case of them not wanting to learn how to use the technology.
Other problems of the British film industry can be the audience, we are now becoming an audience that are constantly demanding better actors, storylines and special effects and we do not appreciate the impacts of the cast and crew which can be very unmotivational. Being a demanding audience means that we are hard to please and that the industry is unable to satisfy our needs and gratifications.
However the British film industry have had moments where we are generating profits and entertaining the audience. We had once appealed to the American audience for example the film ‘Queen’ it was very iconic and had large appeal.
When the British films have success it usually is successful globally and create a large amounts of profits
Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences, within the area you have studied.
In avatar the process of making and distributing the film included many different elements and stages. It started with James Cameron wrote an 80 page script for avatar and after completing Titanic he will complete Avatar which would make use of synthetic and or computer generated actors. The development of the script and designs included working with many different designers, illustrators, professors and artists to generate the initial ideas of the world of Avatar. The preproduction to Avatar included creating the budgets for the film, casting the actors and crew for the film, booking locations and creating the set for the principle photography.
The principle photography began in 2007, they did not have to build a particular set for Pandora as it was a primarily digitalised move, and they recorded live musical orchestra for the scoring of the film. More than a thousand people worked on the production and the cast underwent professional training specific to their characters and received language and dialect training in Na’vi language created for the film. The filming was done by a new virtual camera system which was a new way of directing motion capture film making. This makes it easier to be made into 3D as the camera has two lenses which acts as human eyes and are able to record the different depths of the scenes.
Post production included the digital effects and generation of the movie; over 900 people were hired for post-production. There were lots of sound manipulation, generation of characters and the world of Pandora to make it as real as possible. It also included locking the score into the film and placing it in the right places.
Avatar was distributed in the UK on the 10th of December 2009 which meant the film took 2 years to produce. It was marketed to create awareness and persuade the audience to watch it. It was distributed international and it would appeal to the audience through the special graphics, storyline, sound effects and characters. The gross sales reached $2,782,275,172. They also did lots of promotion such as billboards, trailers, advertisements, games, merchandise and lot of public press.
The public screening of the film sells the experience of the film, it is a large influence whether the film is successful or not. Avatar was screened at a couple international film festivals which guaranteed more profit as there would be a wider interest and potential audience. After the initial couple months that the film is exhibited in cinemas, it was eventually put on DVD and Blue ray to reach a wider audience or people who were fans off the movie. From there marketing continued with games, books and feature magazines to remind the public of the film and encouragement to watch the film again or buy the new products.
