Peer Assessment Task

Name of student whose blog you are assessing:

Ryan

Name of film they have researched:

Paddington

Have they covered all three platforms? 

Broadcast and Print complete. E-media yet to be done.

Examples they have provided from print platform:

Ryan talked about the effectiveness of these posters being colourful and vibrant in attracting customers during Christmas. Each poster uses colours in attempt to attract the young seekers.

Examples they have provided from broadcast platform:

The red carpet event is similar to SkyFalls. This is as the audience is able to get to know the characters more thoroughly. This is an example of the uses and gratifications indicating Personal Relationships are a way for customers to be attracted to a media product.

Examples they have provided from e-media platform:

X

What institutional information did they find out about the film?

He stated that the movie was produced by StudioCanal and HeydeyFilms who are known for producing the famous Harry Potter franchise.

What issues did they find in terms of representation in the film they studied?

The movie presented British people as being caring people with set morals.However some groups are unfocused when representing them for example when representing old people they had Peter Capaldi play Mr Curry who is a bitter old man who has a hatred for everything in comparison to Ms Bird who is played by Juile Walters who is fun and energetic and loves everyone.

What links or comparisons can you find between this case study and Ill Manors?

DIfferences between the movies could include the fact that British people are presented as being caring in this and British being presented as being heartless and rough in Ill Manors. This could be debatable as 'Riz Ahmed' plays a caring young adult who in the end, quits the life he used to live for a positive life. But other characters such as Ed Skrein are presented as being heartless and tough.

Is there anything you can learn from this case study? What could you add to your own case study after looking at someone else's work?

I learnt to further develop on the representations of certain groups. For example, now I know that I can talk about the differences between how British people are presented in SkyFall and how this differs to the representation of them in Ill Manors using evidence.

Section B: Independent Case Study

Skyfall (£200 million budget)

Skyfall is directed by Sam Mendes and stars such as Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes etc,


Character Theory (Propp) 

The Villain: Javier Bardem/ Ola Rapace 

The Donor: Ben Whishaw/ Berenice Marlohe

The Helper: Naomie Harris

The Princess: Hard drive containing details of undercover agents placed in terrorist organisations 

The Dispatcher: Judi Dench

The Hero: Daniel Craig

SKYFALL premiered in London at the Royal Albert Hall on the 23rd of October 2012 and was released in the UK 3 days later on the 26th of October 2012. SKYFALL is an hybrid fitting into action and a thriller and follows a linear narrative.

The rating that was given to SKYFALL by the audience was a 7.8. 

Broadcast

•  The directors use clips to sum up the brand image of James Bond. 
• The use of a femme fetal also intensifies the image of James Bond being slick.
• All the action is used to re-inforce the action genre efficiently. 
• Villain is shown dominating James Bond as he is tied to the chair causes the audience to become intrigued.

This SkyFall premiere shows us an outlook on the personalities of the characters that play the roles in the movie. It also shows us the generated viewers over the years for the James Bond franchise.

Print

• Blumer & Katz Uses and gratifactions theory is used to continue the relationship between the audience and James Bond. 

''From the opening in Istanbul to the final siege shootout in the Scottish Highlands, this film is a supremely enjoyable and even sentimental spectacle, giving us an attractively human (though never humane) Bond. ''

This quote taken from Peter Bradshaw suggests to us that pro-longed relationship between the audience and Bond has been preserved.

• Central Image on movie poster is of Daniel Craig (James Bond)
  

This poster reinforces the authentic British look to the movie by using British, well-known monuments. The monument is placed as if it is a pen creating a line of blood. The blood is used to create a darker mood through signifying pain and suffering.

The repeated use of black and white through continuity creates the sleek and original look to the movie. It almost makes us remember Jamed Bond's black sleek suit in which most the audience would immediately recognize. The image angle creates a superior look to Daniel Craig as the angle is low and is a long shot.

E-media 

• SkyFall has a high amount of fans on Facebook and Twitter. This would be effective in the follow up to the movie as advertising and promoting would be significantly easier.
• News Feed on Facebook would benefit SkyFall as advertising as posts are immediately promoted.

Audience

• The target audience of SkyFall is complicated to categorise. The demographics are varied but dominated by the BC1 sectors.
• Target audience of 16-30
• Violence levels are high meaning the movie is 12 Rated.
• Psychographics are dominated by reformers and resigned.

Institutions

• SkyFall is produced by Eon Productions.
• Distributed by Sony Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• SkyFall's budget was very high meaning they could afford for it to be distributed by major distributor
• SkyFall's budget was $150-200 million, with a return of $1.1 billion revenue. 
• SkyFall's target audience was anyone who was entertained by James Bond as an individual. As well as this, individuals who enjoy action and fast-pace were prioritised.

Representations

• Representations of British people is dominated by the typical lingo used.
• The main stages of the movie are filmed in London as it is where the main headquarters are located.
• SkyFall shows, what we see as, the better side of London and Ill Manors shows the rundown area. Ill Manors has been created to show the sides that most people haven't seen before.
• SkyFall is a prequel in the James Bond franchise and prioritises using the characteristics of James Bond effectively to re-inforce him as the fan favourite.

INDEX

1) Ill Manors: film review
2) Ill Manors: trailer analysis
3) Ill Manors: TEDx lecture
4) Ill Manors: music video
5) Ill Manors: broadcast platform concluded
6) Ill Manors: print platform (newspaper interviews)
7) Ill Manors: print branding
8) Ill Manors: e-media Tag London campaign
9) Ill Manors: e-media social networking research
10) Ill Manors: official website analysis
11) Ill Manors: institution research
12) A Field In England: reading, research and questions`

Ill Manors: Institutions

Funding and Production Budget

The Ill Manors budget was a total of £100,000. This sum of money came from not only Plan B's savings but also revolver entertainments donations.

1. How did the Ill Manors budget compare to a Hollywood blockbuster such as Skyfall?

Ill Manors' budget was approx £100,000 and Skyfalls budget was £200 million. This means Ill manors was 2000x cheaper to make than Skyfall. 

Film London and Microwave Film

What is Film London and why does it exist?

Film London is London's film industry which focuses on sustaining, maintaining and promoting London's films.

What is the purpose of Microwave Film?

Microwave is Film London's venture which gives individuals the opportunity to improve and develop into the section of filming. It also focuses on distributing new films.

List three other films funded by Microwave Film and embed their trailers in your blog

Distributor: Revolver Entertainment

When was Revolver Entertainment created?

1997

Revolver Entertainment enjoyed a lot of success with the UK urban drama genre. Find three Revolver films that fit that genre, embed the trailers from YouTube and write about why they were successful.

Choose one film distributed by Revolver Entertainment and explain how it compares to Ill Manors (similarities and differences).

Anuvahood is similar to Ill Manors in a way where the location and actors are similar. The target audience of both movies is also similar and reinforces the lifestyles of the young individuals in London.

Plan B's Ill Manors focuses on his values and beliefs whereas Anuvahood focuses on entertaining the audience with funny scenes. The main acton in Anuvahood is Adam Deacon and the main actor in Ill Manors is Riz Ahmed. Both character share a similar age.

Why did Revolver Entertainment go out of business in 2013?

'Reports from a number of recent employees are that the remaining staff have been told not to return as the company wouldn’t be paying them.' The company went through a severe decline in revenue eventually resulting in them being insufficient on certain funds.

How is new technology changing the way films are being distributed?

Technology has been improving over the past few years and allows individuals such as Revolver Entertainment, to attain something they couldn't before. Technology is constantly improving and has helped many business in coming to grounds with their success.

Certification

How does the certification process work at the BBFC?

BBFC control the age ratings of movies. So if a movie contains more than a certain amount of swear words then it will not be suitable for a certain audience. This makes a big impact on the film producers as they are losing out on a massive audience. Many different factors are taken into consideration when certifying a movie.

Think about the certificate of Ill Manors (18 certificate). What is deemed acceptable for an 18 certificate? What is the difference between a 15 certificate and an 18 certificate?

15 rated movies are much different to 18 rated movies. 18 Rated movies include a lot of strong issues including consistent scenes include:

• very strong violence
•   frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’)
•   strong portrayals of sexual activity
•   scenes of sexual violence

15 rated movies include:

Any of the following:

•   strong violence
•  frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
•   portrayals of sexual activity
•   strong verbal references to sex
•   sexual nudity

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages for a film in being given an 18 certificate?

Having a 18 certificate suggests that awareness for younger people is high. Disadvantages include losing customers of this category and may result in a bad result for the movie.

Media Section A LR

LR: Revise Theories (keywords more & practice answers on your blog before the retake)

Narrative Theories:
Todorov - Equilibrium Theory suggests that every narrative has a an disequilibrium (obstacle) that then results in a new equilibrium. Examples of an new equilibrium could include

• Happy Ending
• Positive Resolution
• Characters finding what they were looking for etc.

Audience Theories:

Hypodermic Needle Model - This is the idea of the media injecting us with information that they want us to believe which may/may not be true. 

Uses & Gratifications - This is the theory that suggests the different effects that media have on us. This can include

• Escapism/ Diversion
• Building Relationships with characters
• Personal Identity
• Surveillance

Radio 1 - Plan B Interview

BBC Radio 1 is a close competitor to other radio stations such as Capital and Kiss 100. They are known for their famous series on YouTube and radio called Fire In The Booth presented by Charlie Sloth. BBC Radio 1s total listeners in December of 2014 came out to 53,000+ which is quite significant as it shows us how the decline in listeners has been as a result of more alternatives to radio such as downloading music online on websites such as iTunes or purchasing CD's from stores such as HMV.

The main target audience of BBC Radio 1 is 17-33 year olds. This is because at 17, individuals are allowed to get their license meaning they will purchase a car. The music played on a daily basis on Radio 1 is music aimed at these individuals up until 33. These include Radio 1 playing songs from Chris Brown, Rihanna etc. Also the series, Fire In The Booth is also aimed at these younger individuals as it includes a lot of relation to lives liven by these.

Plan B has decided to feature on this Radio station in order to target these younger audiences who have the same values and beliefs as him in creating a more equal society. Plan B does this by talking about Ill Manors and the values it holds. The build up to the making of the movie was hard for Plan B and he does this by telling us that he owes it all to his crew members who worked hard as ever and for low prices. This shows to us that not only Plan B was dedicated, but his crew was also showing signs of full anticipation for the creation of this masterpiece.

A Field In England

1. How was A Field In England’s release different to typical film releases?

A Field In England was distributed much differently to how movies are broadcast these days. This is because it included them releasing it on many platforms simultaneously. These platforms included:

• V0D (V0D and iTunes)
• Free Broadcast TV (Film 4)
• DVD
• BluRay
• Cinema 

Ben Wheatley, the auteur of A Field In England, suggested that he almost wanted to break the Hollywood model of distribution. In all Ben tried to commit something absurd which he did to influence more viewers into watching his movie. The risk of choosing to do this was high as it was never tempted before. In order for the movie to have hope, the marketing campaign would have to include hefty amounts spent on advertisements. Over half (186 Million in British Sterling) was spent on advertising 'A Field In England'. This included putting posters on billboards and placing advertisements on television etc. to get as many people interested as possible.

2. What are the advantages to releasing the film across all platforms on the same day?

It allows viewers to acknowledge how the distributor has not been greedy and has given the audience the choice to watch it in the cinema or at home for free. This is effective as this has if not ever, hardly occurred before and is absurd to the audience. They may feel they prefer this and would want the same distributing process to occur again so they can have more freedom with how they want to view it. 

3. What are the disadvantages to this approach?

Releasing a movie through this distribution method is a very big gamble for the producers and directors as well as the film distributors. This is because if the movie has no impact on the audience then it will make no revenue. Movies are released every day that no one has ever heard of and make near to nothing on. The distribution sector has to be perfect and directed at the right audience. This will include a lot of research and development up until the release. Even this could go wrong resulting in the movie becoming a flop along with hundreds of other movies.

4. What target audience would A Field In England be aimed at? Demographics and Psychographics.

A Field In England would be aimed at 23-35 year olds as a result of these individuals being more educated and more civilised. The social class of these are ABC1 as these are the most educated and are willing to spend money for the experience in the cinema as a pose to watching it on TV. Advertising for this movie would've taken place on billboards and television because on channels such as BBC1 and ITV1 as these channels have the most viewers.

5.Do you think all films in future will be released across all platforms simultaneously in future?

I believe the following movies that Ben Wheatley produces would be taken into consideration and a lot of money would be spent on research and development for distribution. If they believe they can accomplice what they did for 'A Field In England' again then of course they will use the same distribution method.