Working title production process

Working title Synthesis

Funding and the influence of Global Ownership
When working title first started out in 1983 they where producing low budget films for example, my beautiful laundrette (1985), they where solely funded by PolyGran and they werent injecting a big enough budget for them to make higher quality films. But when PolyGran was bought out by universal, Working title became part of the Universal Conglomerate. This meant that Working Title where recieving big sums of money to produce the films, this helped Working Title to secure big casts, and meant that they could add in more effects, which made them more succesfull.


Developments of Working Title
Working title started producing independent films early on, they where started up by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radcliffe in 1983. in 1992 then funding was taken over, sole fundeing by Polygran, under PolyGran's funding, they produced films such as "Robin hood" and "Drop Dead Fred". In 1999, Working title got bought out by Universal Studios, they then became part of their conglomerate, and because of this they recieved a massive increase in funds/budgets

In the present day, working title have produced over 100 films, and are now branching out into the 3D film market by producing Nanny Mcphee in 3D. And they will continue to grow as a company as long as they have the financial backing of Universal.

There are many advantages of investment from a conglomerate, such as more of a budget available for your productions meaning you can incorporate new features into your production e.g. 3D technology, special effects, and new cameras such as silicon cameras etc. Another advantage could be Increased avenues when advertising the film, the parent company(in this example, Universal) can advise working title. 

There are also disadvantages to investment such as If you have too many investors, it may result in conflicting ideas, and may disrupt the production, also the investor may try to have too much influence into the production, causing the producer & director to have less control

Examples of Media Theorys

Claude Levi-Strauss (1908 - 2009)

Binary Opposites
Good / Evil
Black / White
Tall / Short
Old / Young  ect.

Vladimir Propp (1895  - 1970)
Charector Roles
1) The hero - the character who seeks something.
2) The Villain - Someone who tries to stop the hero.
3) The donor - who provides an object with some magic property.
4) The Helper - aids the hero.
5) The Princess  - reward for hero - often the object of villians
6) Her Father - who rewards the hero
7) The dispactcher - who sends the hero on his way.
8) The False hero - seems to be heroic intially. Turns out to be evil/ Red Herring

Red Herring:
A character or object that is intoduced as seemingly important. It is left behind/forgotten/never mentioned again. Turns out to have been of no importance.

Tzvetan Todorov (1939 -   )
All stories begin with an equilibrium this is disprupted, then restored. A classic begginging, middle, end narrative structure.
3 part narrative structure:
1. Equilibrium
2. Disruption of equilibrium
3. Restoration of equilibrium or new equilibrium.

Audience Theory

1. Do you think the audiences for most media texts do come from all walks of life´ or do different kinds of people watch very different kinds of programme? Are there any examples of media texts that you can think of that do seem to have audiences of all kinds of people?

It all comes down to personal prefference. For example, if you are a fan of the action genre you tend to stick to the texts that contain a lot of Action, if you like romantic texts then you will lean towards a more romantic storyline. Also age plays a major part, a child is much more likely to want to watch a animated programme than a adult, and an adult is much more likey to be interested in horror and thriller type texts for example `Saw` or `The Godfather`.
There are plenty of examples of media texts that appeal to everyone for example The Simpsons. this example appeals to children because of the children in the cartoon, and purely for the fact that it is animated. Adults like it because of some of the jokes involved that only adults will understand.

2. How much of your media experience occurs when you are on your own and how much when you are with others? 
I think when you are on your own you are far morepassive because you take more information when your aren't being distracted. Then again, you might be more obliged to watch different things if you are with others as there opinions might affect what you watch and dont want.

4. Are there any ways in which you share your experiences of the media with other people who weren't around when you experienced the text? List as many ways as you share experiences (e.g. msn etc)
If you see a programme that you really like, you tend to tell your family and friends via any of the following
- Facebook
- Twitter
- SMS messaging
-MMS messaging
-Phonecalls
- Word of Mouth
-Hearing it on the GrapeVine

Task 2
1. Can you think of any examples where the media have been seen to influence public behaviour or have been blamed for an individuals behaviour? 
An example of media that has influenced people to peform acts of misbehavoir are television programmes such as Skins which portray teenagers as people who frequently take drugs and engange in mysterious sexual acts. Also the Videogame "Hitman" was banned from sale in the UK because of it's graphic violence and the fact that it was influencing small children's minds and making them think violence is OK

Production Documentary notes

The most important part of any production is the Producer. The Producer is more important than the director. his role consists of seeing the film from the very beginning right through to the end.

The Producer also has to  find an idea, find the director, find the right script, and secure the funding. The producer’s job is to protect the director, and let them do what they want, input their ideas into the film. The producer has four different jobs; The development, Raising the money, making it, and then taking it to market.

The next step in the production process is getting the script. When the right script is written, the producer then takes the script to the director. The script is seen as a blueprint for the director to apply their ideas to. The script then gets re-written between 10-15 times, just to make sure that every detail is added in. When the script is finished, the producer and director then start work on casting.

Then the producer has to secure funding for the film maybe from the BBC, Channel 4, Film Fund, Regional Film Fund all of which will usually invest from £3 million-£10 million which is a good sum of money for a british made films. British films tend to focus more on getting the funding rather than how they are to get the profits, whereas the Americans do this the other way around and focus directly on securing a tidy profit.

The producer & director now need to draw up a plan. they need to consider hat has to be filmed – where/when/visual effects, night scenes, hardest scenes, and then put these into a schedule in which they must stick to.

The final part of the production is the marketing, this is the distribution of the film. This is the largest part of the production and can normally cost up to double the budget. This is to advertise the film on posters & adverts like the one shown below.

This is England and This is England '86 Notes

This is England

Made in 2006

Warp Films

£1.5 Million budget funded by National Lottery - Grant of £90K from UK Film council post production

Directed by: Shane Meadows

Produced by: Mark Herbert

Genre: Social Realism

Based on Skinhead Culture through Shane Meadows personal experiences

Shaun, played by Tom Turgoose from Grimsby, had never acted before, a former 'tear-away'

Shane Meadows bought the props off of EBay

Used pre-fabricated sets in Sheffield (based on the 1980's)

Natural lighting

Improvised many scenes, gave alot of actors leaway to allow them for their input

Main reason for the film, is that Shane Meadows is trying to change the perception of Skin heads

18 rating, Shane Meadows says it should be a 15, strong message for teenagers

This Is England 86

• TV drama
• Made in 2010
• £20 Million budget, worked in conjunction with EM Media, Screen Yorkshire, and Channel 4, (who marketed it)
• Production Team: Shane Meadows handed over alot of control to Mark Herbert & Tom Harper for the TV Series, Mark Herbert (Who Produced the film), Tom Harper (directed Skins, and helped with Misfits), and Jack Thorne - wrote the series
• Shane Meadows had many unused ideas after the film that he had wanted to use. He also felt the audience responded well to This Is England
• The TV Drama Series appeals to current audiences due to it features, recession, and widespread unemployment.

Differences to the film:

• Opens with a scene from the film (dock scene)
• Lots more props
• Soundtrack to coincide the 1986
• Much more locations used (pre-fabricated)
• Cinematography - imaginative, and more equipment
• More post-production enhancements
• Follows more characters, other than Shaun
• Much larger cast.

Male Gaze Analysis

This video is of a Rap song by Christopher Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G, this video highlights many of the Gazes that i have spoke about before, this video also points out that women can sometimes be seen as an object and the male as the owner of that object. The video plays around on many of the Male Gaze views for example the Cool/Level look and the Seductive look that B.I.G attempts too pull off many times during the video

Male Gaze Views

  

1. Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.
2. Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera. Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.
3. Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown. Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.
4. Romantic or Sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.

In a study of advertisements in women’s magazines, Trevor Millum offers these categories of female expressions:

1. Soft/introverted: eyes often shut or half-closed, the mouth slightly open/pouting, rarely smiling; an inward-looking trance-like reverie, removed from earthly things.
2. Cool/level: indifferent, self-sufficient, arrogant, slightly insolent, haughty, aloof, confident, reserved; wide eyes, full lips straight or slightly parted, and obtrusive hair, often blonde. The eyes usually look the reader in the eye, as perhaps the woman regards herself in the mirror.
3. Seductive: similar to the cool/level look in many respects - the eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile.
4. Narcissistic: similarities to the cool/level and soft/introverted looks, rather closer to the latter: a satisfied smile, closed or half-closed eyes, self-enclosed, oblivious, content - ‘activity directed inward’.
5. Carefree: nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning.
6. Kittenlike: coy, naïve (perhaps in a deliberate, studied way), a friendlier and more girlish version of the cool/level look, sometimes almost twee.
7. Maternal: motherly, matronly, mature, wise, experienced and kind, carrying a sort of authority; shorter hair, slight smile and gentle eyes - mouth may sometimes be stern, but eyes twinkle.
8. Practical: concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back.
9. Comic: deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness.
10. Catalogue: a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed. (Millum 1975, 97-8)

The Gaze

Freddie Ljunberg

We looked at two images this lesson, the reasoning behind this was to asses why companies pick the models that they do, and how they use the image of the model to sell there product

 The first 'Model' we looked at was Freddie Ljunberg, he was a highly famous footballer who played for both Arsenal and Sweden. This first point to make about Freddie is his haircut, it is cut short to make him look more masculine because the known stereotype is that men with shorter hair are more manly and strong. His short hair also looks tidy and neat, which shows that he pays attention to his appearance. The next aspect is his face, it is well chiseled, with a structured jaw line, again adding to his masculine image. Next we moved onto his lips, they are slightly pouted which could be seen as an invitational gesture, the other thing to note about his lips is that they do not look very manly. His eyes look stern, but we also noticed that he had a seducting gaze and he is breaking the 4th wall by looking directly at the camera and engaging with the audience. The next point is the background colour, it is a deep red which could mean many things, for example it could relate to his current football team at the time, Arsenal. Red is also seen as a very sexual colour which could relate to the invitational and seductive feel of the whole advert. The bar at the top is also not placed there by accident, it could be there to show off his Bicep, also his body is covered in sweat/oil so the bar could be the reason for this, it also indicates strength as his Bicep is clearly on show. His hand is placed suggestivly on the boxers, this could be there because it draws attention to the brand name on the rim of the boxers, but it is also seen as being quite cheeky as he looks like he is pulling down his boxers. This brings us on too his pubic region that is semi on show, it appears to be shaven; this could indicate a sence of cleanliness. The final aspect of the image we looked at is the tatoo on his left hip this is a sign of his perhaps rebellious nature.

 Eva Mendes

The next model we looked at was Eva Mendes who is a famous actress and presenter. This picture is from the Calvin Klein 2009 ad campain. The facial expression that she is pulling is one of lust and attraction, she was evidently told to do this face to make the male viewer attracted to it. The next point me made was the stance she is doing, it is a powerfull stance which could be used for an authoritive. This advert agrees with Laura Mulvey's theory that the woman is often the 'image', whilst the man is the 'bearer of the look'. The unusual point we picked up for this advert is that she is wearing heels with lingeria which is unusual to find outside pornography. This could be to highten the voyeuristic and fetishistic view of the advert from the male perspective. Although this advert could be seen to mainly appeal to men, it could also appeal to women as they are the ones that, most of the time, are going to buying the Lingerie and they also look upon this image with desire as they want to look like Eva and be as attractive as her. She also has a very wet looking skin, this could be seen as being take after a shower, or post coital, which again draws the attention of the Male Gaze.

Warp Films Fact Sheet

Lutterworth AS Media Filming and Editing

Seven Key Area's of Representation

Media as the seven key areas of representation

View more presentations from Jack Colegrove.

Generic Conventions Tv Drama

Generic Conventions  Tv Drama

You will find that TV dramas all have the following ingredients:

Characters – even particular kinds of characters: eg, at its most simple, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters.

Stories – they all tell stories, whether those stories involve adventure, crime or romance and they often, but not always, end happily.

The stories are told against familiar backdrops: – eg, homes, police stations and offices (for crime dramas), hospitals (for medical dramas) – most of which are created in studios. However, most dramas also use outside locations to create particular effects.

Camerawork – particular kinds of shots are used: eg, sequences involving establishing shots followed by mid-shots of characters, shot/reverse shots to show character interaction and, in particular,close-ups to show the characters’ emotions.

Stories use dialogue to tell the stories. Occasionally, monologues are built in (as voiceovers, a character telling a story).

Music is used to punctuate the action, create effects (suspense, tension) and underline emotional moments.

Particular subgenres tend to have items which make them immediately identifiable – police cars, blue lights, operating theatres and scalpels, triage/reception areas in hospitals. Icons of the genre, they symbolise the (sub)genre.

Analysis of the conventions used in the Making of the Magazine Cover

Analysis of the conventions used in the making

View more presentations from Jack Colegrove.

Film Creation

 The Showdown

In class, we where given a target audience- our groups target audience was middle aged men. We where then told to create a film for our target audience and we chose to make an action film. The plot line for our film was, a man's daughter was kidnapped by a gang, he and his brother try to hunt down the gang that kidnapped his daughter before it was too late.

The key selling point for our film was our A-list cast, the lead role was too be played by Samuel L. Jackson who is famous for many films including Star Wars and Snakes on a Plane. His brother was too be played by another A-Lister, Denzel Washington who also has been in many famous films such as the 2010 film "The Book of Eli". The leader of the Gang that kidnapped Samuel L's daughter was Bruce Willis, we decided to cast his due to his experience in the world of action films (Die Hard etc.)

Here are my Original notes on the film making
 The Showdown : Samuel L Jackson's daughter gets Kidnapped, he enlists the help of his brother Denzel Washington and local Gypsy man (Jacky Chan) too go on a vast search for his daughter, the search takes them across country and the showdown begins...

Our tag line to go with the film was "If testosterone could mate with explosion, this movie would be it's offspring" We thought that this Tag line would appeal to the audience.

Financing
We where given a pre sales (which means we are selling the distributing rights to the film before we have made it) budget of $70m from 20th Century Fox, The majority of out above the line budget went on our cast, we calculated that the total cost of our a-list cast would be in the region of $35-40M which is a huge chunk of our budget, we then had to finance a director, who we chose should be John woo, who has directed many successful films such as "Mission Impossible", next we chose our cinematographer Jeffrey L Kimball who was behind the filming of Star Trek so has vital experience when it comes to film making, and finally our editor was Ken Blackwell, who edited "The Expendables" which is also an high-action film.

We calculated our Above the line costs as totaling 65M which is almost all of our budget, the rest of the budget would go on Below the line costs, and marketing our film.

American Beauty (Opening Scene Notes)

American Beauty is a film made in 1999, it is written by Alan Ball, and directed by Sam Mendes. American Beauty tells the story of Lester Burnham a depressed husband and father who is currently going through a mid-life crisis.


In class we watched the opening scene of American Beauty and where asked what our impressions of Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) where. From the opening scene i could tell that Lester was a very depressed man, even in his opening dialog he says "i am 42 years old; in less than a year I will be dead. Of course I don't know that yet, and in a way, I am dead already" The way he says "i am dead already" shows that he hates his life, and he has no ambitions anymore.

He leads a very sad life and is hated by his wife, I can see he is hated by his wife because during the opening scene Lester is walking to his wifes car and she gives him a look of utter hatred. His wife is a very uptight charector and is portrayed as a business woman who is head of the family.

We can see that Lester has no ambition in his life by the way he talks, this could mean that he has already achieved all his goals, for example he has a very nice car, a big house- he looks like a very sucessfull businesman, but this does not stop him from being depressed. Another sign of the boredom and depressing life Lester leaves is what he narrates whilst he is in the shower, he says "Look at me, jerking off in the shower — this will be the high point of my day. It's all downhill from here" This, to me, says a lot about Lester, it shows he has a defeatest attitude and he can be very pessimistic.

Also during the opening scene we where told to look out for the colour scheme of the film, i noticed that the colours used where red, white, and blue- which are the colour of the American flag which could be a sign of patriotism and they link in with the title of the film.

Doug Bilmaier (Stereotypes)

In class we where discussing Stereotypes, and how peoples opinions on others can be constructed within a matter of seconds, based on appearence, body language etc. We where presented with a picture of this man and where told to write down some notes on, who this man was, his appearence, and possible occupations.

 

This is the picture we where shown, the notes i made where "The man looks homeless and very tramp-like, he obviously has a smoking addiction which could possible mean he is addicted to other drugs, alcohol perhaps, which could be why he is homeless.

Here is another image of the man and he quite clearly isn't homeless. We discovered that this mans name is "Doug Bihlmaier" and that my orignal perceptions on this man were completely wrong, he is infact head of the Vintage department at Ralph Lauren, his occupation involves travelling the world in search of artifacts and other items that Ralph Lauren could use, he is an incredibly rich man. This goes to show that Stereotypes that people have in there head could be completely false, i thought this man was a tramp, just because of what he wore, but infact it turns out it is his own style, and that he is quite the opposite of what i thought.

Working Title/Warp Film Research

Working Title Warp Film