Marketing Campaign

BBFC Certificate

BBFC Certificate for Film Opening

When researching about the ageing certificate we came to the conclusion that the certificate should be 15 years of age. We came to this conclusion because our film opening consists of various pictures that may not be appropriate for younger viewers to watch,

Here are the main criteria that BBFC use to judge what films fit into different age ranges.

Discrimination: The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.

Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse (e.g. through instructional detail).

Language: There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

Nudity: There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There may be nudity in a sexual context but usually without strong detail.

Threat: There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to be acceptable.

Violence: Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable.

We thought that our film fitted in with these guidelines and therefore would be given a 15 certificate...

Props Research and List

Props

List of Props

Cigarette - This is used to show in the first scene that the drug dealer is

The Bike - This is used for the character to travel to get the drugs from the dealer and to travel to the station. It shows he is travelling via a bike showing he is moving around many places for this to happen.

'The drugs' used - This is the main key prop which the film evolves around in the opening showing he is smuggling drugs so therefore had to use ' fake drugs' to represent this.

Alcoholic drinks - This prop is used when he is around the table to show he is rough and this is all he has in his life as this is what is taking him through what is happening.

The Candle - This prop is used to create light around where he is sorting out the drugs with the background light off to provide a small amount of light to show the intensity of what he is doing.

credit card - This is used to line up the drugs which he is packaging ready for him to smuggle.

 

The incense stick - This incense is lighted during the packaging scene, we use this prop to create smoke and to also produce a hostile atmosphere

Music Research

Music Research

Song Option 1 

 One song that instantly caught our attention once we had agreed on the idea to create a crime drama is "Blinded by the Light" by The Streets. We feel as this is a very appropriate song to feature as a backing track because the song itself is based on drugs which is already relevant to the narrative in our film opening, and for this reason it would be a suitable pairing.

A scene from the music video from "blinded by the Light"

Song Option 2

Our second song option is "Playing With Fire" by Plan B. This song is very similar to the first option in terms of the message that both songs send out to the audience. In this song especially, the message focuses on the dangers of embarking on life of crime and gang culture. In our film opening it shows the main protagonist ready to trap himself into a world of drug-use and crime because he has nothing else to offer to the world.

Final Decision

Our final decision was purely based on the preference of the songs and this meant that we will use "Blinded by the Light". This song has a good variation between the chorus, sung by a young girl and the separate verses sung by a male rapper. The chorus has a sense of vulnerability because of the soft voice combining with the ambiguous lyrics. This is exactly the effect we desire because we want to show the naivety of the protagonist who is far too inexperienced to perform the smuggling process

Shot List

Shot List

 

Monday 28/11/16:

 

-          Packing of the drugs scenes

-          Antonio riding along on his bike

-          The ally scene (may not have time)

Tuesday 29/11/16:

-          The bathroom shot

-          Train time laps

-          Shots of the high street

Wednesday 30/11/16:

-          The airport shots( train station)

 

       -           Him checking in

 

       -      The police officers looking cautious

 

       -      Antonio getting caught

 

Risk Assessment

Here is the risk assessment form we carried out using the internet. This is a basic health & safety form outlining all the possible danger we may encounter during the process of filming.

Institutions

Institution

 

Our film is independent and we produced on a very low budget, our target audience is specific therefore it doesn't fit the conventions of mainstream film production companies and distributors. Here are the three film production companies founded by Me, Ale and Pip and these will feature in the start of the film opening for Traffic Lights.

 

 

Distribution

 

We researched into various film distribution company and we discovered a company called Focus Features, LLC. We feel our film fits into the conventions of this company because they distribute independent films in America and also internationally. Focus Features recently worked alongside the new film called American Honey. This film is a British-American drama road film which focuses on the journey of a young teenage girl who travels with new friends she meets selling magazines and partying hard. This film is closely related to our film as it follows the life of a young man who is lured into a life of crime, smuggling drugs earning money for his dangerous work.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Representation for film opening task

Representation

 

Our film opening contains various representations, all of which relate to class, age, and region. The protagonist in our short opening is a vulnerable, disengaged man in his mid-twenties. The reason he turns to a life of criminality is because he has no other leads in life, he has no family or friends who can give him some help. The man is presented wearing old clothes similar to someone you would see lying on the streets at night. Contrastingly, the location is a very civilised and suburban area and extremely tranquil, this allows for the audience to see the reality of today's society where criminal activity is inevitable in any place no matter how attractive it may seem.

 

The other main character in the film is a wealthy man who's success has all come from high-risk, illegal activity where he recruits desperate young men to perform these dangerous acts. This wealthy man is dressed in formal clothing juxtaposing with the appearance of the man carrying out the smuggle. The reason we decided to portray a man with huge wealth and success is to tell our audience that he was once a desperate man in need of some care, yet he escapes this situation by offering himself to a life of dealing illegal goods to addicts across the nation.

 

The audience will immediately feel empathetic towards the man because he has nothing left in life and if he performs this act he will break free and re-discover himself and his qualities that he can give back to the world. With this connection between the character and the audience it creates suspense because viewers want the man to escape the authorities and re-build his life. 

 

We chose not to portray a representation of a certain ethnic background, sexuality or disability as it would only cause controversy and some viewers would turn away from our production is they see a negative portrayal of a certain race or someone with a disability. We took out some research into some politically controversial films made in this particular millennium, one film we encountered was 'The Interview' starring Seth Rogan and James Franco. We noticed how this film caused controversy in North Korea as the producers decided to display a contentious image of dictatorship in North Korea. When the film was released it received criticism as it shows a graphic death scene, as a result the film was not released in some cinemas and it gained a bad reputation despite trying to show the reality of living in North Korea

Title Sequences

00:10 – 00:14 seconds

                                                                

00:21 – 00:24 seconds

 

00:29 – 00:33 seconds

 

00:34 – 00:37 seconds

 

00:38 – 00:41 seconds

 

00:46 – 00:48 seconds

 

 

00:50 – 00:53 seconds

 

 

00:57 – 01:00 seconds

 

 

01:02 – 01:04 seconds

 

01:14 - 01:17 seconds

 

01:24 – 01:27 seconds

 

01:45 – 01:47 seconds

 

01:48 – 01:50 seconds

 

01:57 – 02:01 seconds

 

02:02 – 02:04 seconds



 

Audience

Traffic Lights Film Opening - Audience 

Traffic Lights is a drug related drama and therefore the opening sequence is highly intense containing a number of enigma codes for the audience. This suggests that our film can be categorised as an independent film rather than mainstream. Consequently, our target audience is adults who can understand the plot of the film. Initially, we thought our film could attract teenagers above the age of 15, however the number of enigma codes included could make it hard for some younger viewers to understand so they would not be intrigued by the opening sequence. Contrastingly, teenagers at the age of 17 and 18 will have a better understanding of the storyline as they are more mature and more exposed to the world of drug-using so it contains some level of interest as this type of mission happens everywhere and all the time.  

The opening we will create is slow-paced in contrast to other mainstream film openings. It is important for the audience to feel suspense in order to experience the sheer danger of the smuggling process first-hand. Our secondary audience is likely to be friends or siblings of the adults who we aim our film at. Taking this into account, the age range of both primary and secondary audiences will be 18 < 50 year olds.

Finals AS

Day 1

 

On the first day of production of our Film opening task, we researched different film openings to help give us ideas and inspire us for our film opening we will make. We are also choosing the genre for our film opening. This is so we have a clear idea for our film opening.

The films we researched for the film opening were: The Shadow man and Midnight Express. We were intrigued by these films because of the themes of mystery and crime. These themes create the genre of drama and thus there are countless enigma codes which will captivate the attention of the audience.

 

 Day 2

On the second day of production we brainstormed genres and ideas we can have for our film opening. We came up with a few ideas such as: a drama/action film about drug smuggling, a war documentary film. From these ideas it was clear that our intention was to create a drama however it was still a question of should we create a documentary or a reality drama film.

Then we started to plan to produce a presentation for our ideas for our film openings. We figured that producing a documentary would be a challenging task with very limited resources. To create a war documentary we would need to find outfits and a suitable filming location which is too unrealistic.

 

Day 3

In this lesson, we came to a decision to produce a drama film about a young man who embarks on a life-changing mission to smuggle drugs across the border for a huge financial reward. We produced a Prezi presentation outlining our ideas on the opening sequence and the narrative of this. Collectively, we had to plan how the opening sequence relates to the rest of the film. This is essential because the audience must gain an insight of the story however it is important not to overload the audience with information as it could give away the plot of the film.

Independent Vs Mainstream

Film Comparison

Mainstream vs independent film comparison from campoccioantonio

Evaluation

The comparison between my chosen films suggest there are many differences between mainstream and independent films. The largest difference between the two types is budget and money made from the film. Mainstream films are evidently costly to produce therefore it is vital that this money is regained through international ticket sales and home entertainment. Color force, a production company was founded in 2007 and has since produced four Hunger Game films and three Diary of a Wimpy Kid films. These films attract a young target audience from the ages of 8 - 35, implying that mainstream film generally appeal to a younger audience.

On the other hand, the independent film, Kidulthood was produced by Stealth Films which is a private limited company based in London. In result the budget totaled to £600,000 which is less than one percent of the cost of producing The Hunger Games. Stealth Films ltd have also produced one other drama series based in London called West 10 LDN, made in 2008. This suggests that Stealth Films intend to inform their audience about living in the roughest parts of London.

Juno - Task & Evaluation

Juno Task (made in Premiere)

For this task, we were again set in a group of three and we had to watch some footage from the film Juno and our challenge was to recreate this footage to a similar standard using the guidance of Abode Premiere.

Editing Evaluation

Story Board Part 1: This storyboard contains the first eight scenes we had to include. The advantage of creating this storyboard is that we had material to refer to when filming instead of trying to remember the specific shots in our minds. Another useful feature is that we decided to caption each scene with the number of seconds that footage had to last for in order to keep in time with the original piece.

Story Board Part 2: The second addition to our storyboard contains the final four scenes needed in our video. As it is seen above, we clearly labelled the end of the footage and we spent time creating this storyboard including lots of detail as we felt that every angle had to be precise so we could end with a professional and identical product.

Footage Editing on Premiere

Our group edited the footage individually because it is important to see where we could identify each other's strengths and weaknesses by comparing the videos. I felt that it was important to perfect every transition and if we could not add in the identical transition then I replaced it with a suitable alternative. At 0:14 seconds I used a wipe transition because it is exactly what is used in the original. On the other hand, between 0:22 and 0:25 seconds the original shows two clips overlapping each other as a transition into the following scene. However, I was unable to include this effect therefore I opted for a film dissolve transition which is a fairly suitable alternative because it slowly fades the previous scene and the next scene together. At 0:42 seconds we used a pedestal camera movement which at first pictures the legs but then rises to the upper half of the body. This is a movement we had to physically record because there is no pedestal effect on the software.

The Audience

The Audience

Who creates the content the media or the audience?

The media create the content that we see as an audience. The gatekeepers are the final stage on the assembly line and they decide what is shown to us and how it is presented to the audience. On the other hand, the audience has a huge influence on the content that the media produces therefore some may argue it is the audience that controls the content.

Can the media exist/function without an audience? Can an audience (public) exist/function without media?

An audience cannot exist without the media because the media must produce something that appeals to a group, this group becomes the audience. In addition, the media cannot function without an audience because a media production company would step into bankruptcy if they do not gain popularity therefore decreasing sponsors.

Who is more powerful: the media or the audience why/how?

The audience is arguably more powerful because audiences dictate what the media produces. The media will look at the latest trends all over the world and then produce work which will appeal to a large audience in order to gain revenue.

Can the media control an audience? 

In my opinion, the media can influence what an audience wants to see therefore they control the audience to an extent. However, the media must follow latest trends in order to gain an audience in the first place, this explains how social media controls what topics appeal to the audience.

Uses & Gratifications

When looking at this theory we can use an acronym known as 'PIES'. This stands for Personal identification, Information, Entertainment and Social Interaction. One way in which personal identification applies to me is that I must go and watch the latest films or series in order to keep up to date with the latest trends in the media. 

Furthermore, I will sometimes read articles on BBC News online to gather information on the important things that are happening in the world right now. For example, I have looked into the reason behind the ongoing conflict in Syria whereas previously it did not concern me as it is taking place on the other side of the world. 

As for entertainment, I enjoy watching sport related media either on TV or on social media. This is because sport, football in particular, is one of my many hobbies and anything linking with football entertains me. Using social media I am constantly informed with the latest news and rumours via Twitter, Facebook or even the Sky Sports App. 

Finally, in terms of social interaction, it is important for me to know about the latest celebrity news in order to spark conversation between friends at school or colleagues at work. In my opinion, this is important because it gives the opportunity to share interests and opinions on very popular topics at any given time.

Film & You Task

Premiere - Practice

Dancing Animals

Editing

For this task we were introduced to a new type of software, Adobe Premiere CS5. This software allows you to import any video file (.mng) or any audio file (.mp3) and then edit it yourself using the huge variety of special effects.

I used a series of video effects to enhance my first experience of Adobe Premiere. Firstly, is used a colour inversion effect when the tiger scores a basket, i found this effect very useful as it enhances a significant moment in the video, making it stand out from the rest of the footage. Secondly, I decided to use a vertical warp effect when the bear performs the splits, and this effect lasts for one second. Initially, I placed a standard circular warp effect at this time however it disfigured the entire image so it was not suited for this particular scene. Another effect I used was the lightning bolt whilst the bear is free-styling. I chose to use this effect because it represents a striking moment yet it is a subtle way of doing so, therefore it is perfect for this video. One of my favourite effects I installed was the black & white effect. This gives the video a retro style and also captures the fine details in the footage which you would not usually see in an old-style black & white film.

Finally, to end my video I ensured to install the fade out transition to end the footage and then i also used an exponential fade when deciding to end the music. In conclusion, I enjoyed my first experience of Adobe Premiere and I eventually adapted to the different controls in the software. On the other hand, I feel that i could have included more effects in the latter part of the video, yet our time on this task was limited therefore it was difficult to perfect the entire footage.

Film Language

Camera, Editing, Sound and Mise En Scene

Boyz N The Hood

The setting of this film is South Central Los Angeles in a time where the area's gang and drug culture was vastly on the rise. There are several themes that are noticeable in the opening sequence such as racism and crime. We see this when the children walk into a crime scene and also when the school teacher is on the phone to Tre's Mum. The red 'stop' sign is a key icon as it represents the worrying rate of crime and how it needs to come to an end before the next generation becomes hooked into a life of misdemeanor and corruption. The narrative of the opening sequence is displaying a day in the life of a child in South Central LA, starting with a group walking to school and then sitting in a Geography lesson. The final part of this short narrative shows how the young boy Tre, walks home encountering a young man being beaten up and finally entering his house after a long day at school.

When looking at the use of Camera techniques, we need to use three different criteria; frame, angle and movement. The first shot we see is a group of children walking down a street. The producer uses a long shot to picture the entire group of children while using a trucking movement to show how they are walking to school. The next scene is the location of the crime scene involving a shooting, here the producer uses a close up of a poster with bullet holes in it and then transitions this into an extreme close up to emphasise the danger of the children trespassing into this recent crime scene. In the classroom scene, Tre and another boy have a confrontation. A series of high angle and low angle shots are used to show the angry facial expression on Tre's face and then it returns into a long shot when a fight breaks out between the pair. The camera becomes still when Tre is making his way home from school, the producer does this to show how Tre does not take any notice of a man being beaten up behind him, as if it is normal for things like this to happen in broad daylight.

The acronym we use to describe editing in media is STOPS, standing for screen time, transitions, order of narrative, pace and special effects. The most significant character in this film is Tre. In this opening Tre receives the most screen time as he features in every scene in the first six minutes. The transitions of scenes in this opening are straight transitions. Although, there are several fade ins and fade outs especially after the children visit the crime spot and even in between the different drawings that are shown. The last drawing that is shown belongs on the wall in the classroom, therefore the camera zooms out and the classroom becomes the new setting. This same feature also shows how the narrative naturally flows chronologically throughout the day. The pace of the opening is consistent all the way through until the final scene where Tre is shown walking home. The pace slows because Tre may be reflecting on his eventful day and replaying it all in his head in slow motion. Special effects are not used in abundance for the Boyz n The Hood opening, this is intended because the producer wants for the audience to feel a sense of reality and naivety of society in this era. This is achieved because the narrative corresponds to any other child's day at school but it shows how society in LA is divided between gangsters and ordinary civilians.

Mise En Scene can be analysed using the acronym CLAMPS which stands for costume, lighting, actors, make-up, props and setting. Firstly, the costumes used are very basic and casual representing the community as an average working class society. At the start of the film it quotes "One out of every twenty-one Black American males will be murdered in their lifetime" therefore it is clear that the film focuses on black people in society and this is why the majority of the actors are black. There is one prop that stands out due to its ambiguity, which is the long, thin wooden stick that the teacher hands to Tre when he is asked to teach. This prop is ambiguous because it could be interpreted as a weapon or simply just a teaching tool. Notice how Tre becomes increasingly aggressive towards a classmate when he holds the wooden stick. This could represent how a weapon makes young people subconsciously aggressive and it could even tell us how easy it is for a young person to access weapons in a community controlled by gangs rather than  a stable government.

The sound techniques in this film opening vary from in different scenes. The first taste of dialogue is presented almost immediately when the group of children are walking to school and we hear them talking about homework. The accents of these children are typical Los Angeles accents suggesting they are all local characters.When the group take a detour, we experience several non-diegetic gunshots because there are posters with bullet holes pierced through them. This creates an intense atmosphere and it gives the audience a sense that the children are trespassing into a dangerous area. Additionally, there is more use of non-diegetic sound a few seconds after the children first step into the police lined region. Instead, this time the music is sorrowful implying this dangerous place is the location of a very recent casualty.In the final scene of the opening of Boyz n The Hood, Tre is walking home from school and you can hear the non-diegetic sound of a phone call which is also voicing over the surrounding sounds of Tre's  journey home. This conveys to the audience that the phone call is very important in the context of the film and that the sound of violence is less relevant because it is a daily occurrence in South Central LA.

The Matrix

Colour & Binary Oppositions

This scene from The Matrix is played at night and there is very little light throughout. The darkness represents mystery and evil and this is achieved by the producer as there is an intense chase on a woman who holds supernatural abilities. Furthermore, there is one clear opposite portrayed in this clip and is the split of men and women. One woman is trying to escape from a swarm of police officers and undercover agents, yet with her superpowers she is able to escape unharmed. 

Up: Married Life

Sound, Mise en Scene and Camera

In this clip from Disney Pixar's Up, the same music is played throughout, however at happy times the tempo is quick but at sad moments it slows down. For example just as the couple get married the music is joyful which represents excitement for the many happy years to come. Additionally, when the couple hear that they cannot have children the music slows down immediately creating a sense of sorrow for the audience. In terms of Mise en Scene, there is one use of props which is the house the couple live in. At the start, the house is in desperate need of renovation and the couple are seen decorating and re-building the house. At the end when Ellie passes, Carl is pictured sitting on a step in front of the house and is similar to the first image we see of the house. One camera angle, the close up, is used throughout this clip. One significant close up is when Carl's tie changes as each day goes by, this is also key when showing how time passes.

Cape Fear Opening

Camera & Mise en Scene

Immediately, we see an extreme close up of the posters and books on the wall of the prisoner's cell. This implies that this particular prisoner has been an inmate for an extended length of time therefore he needs to keep himself entertained in order to survive. When the scene progresses we actually realise that he is due to leave the prison, this is because the costume that he puts on is very casual suggesting he is returning to a normal lifestyle.

Film Pitch - Feedback

Film Pitch

For this activity, our class was split into three groups and we were sent off to create our own film and to also structure a presentation to pitch it to the rest of the class to see if they would buy the film rights.

The last adventure from campoccioantonio

                                         

Feedback

Teacher Feedback:

Question	Comments	Grade
Relevant/Intriguing/Catchy Film Title?	Relevant + Intriguing	9
Interesting Characters and appropriate cast?	Chloe is well cast but Stacey could be younger?	8
Interest created for the audience? Enigma Codes?	What is her special wish? - Audience is well engaged	9
Narrative Suitable for Target Audience? Will it Attract Customers?	Escapism, making sure you live life to the fullest. Aniston will attract a wider audience.	9
Does the Narrative Fit the Conventions of the Narrative?	Lovely narrative - easy to follow for stay at home audience.	9
Is the Film Different?	Yes, different teen twist	8
Good Ideas for Marketing the Film?	Social Media/ Trailer	7
Would You Buy the Film Rights?	Yes /No                                                                    Total Grade	59

Peer Feedback:

Question	Comments	Grade
Relevant/Intriguing/Catchy Film Title?	Love it - film poster	9
Interesting Characters and appropriate cast?	interesting and all the personalities fit.	8
Interest created for the audience? Enigma Codes?	Yes, I was asking questions throughout, like what happens to the young girl?	8
Narrative Suitable for Target Audience? Will it Attract Customers?	I think it will attract customers because this story line is very intriguing.	7
Does the Narrative Fit the Conventions of the Narrative?	All settings apply appropriately & are well thought out	7
Is the Film Different?	It is different. It is like a mix of different types of films.	7
Good Ideas for Marketing the Film?	Extremely thought out the strategy of promoting and selling this film to the public.	8
Would You Buy the Film Rights?	Yes /No                                                                    Total Grade	54