Friday, 15 May 2015

Editing Terminology

Parallel Editing - cutting between two scenes which are taking place at the same time.

Pace of Editing - faster editing is more excited or builds tension, slower gives you time to be relaxed and seems calmer

Screen Time - an important character will have a longer screen time or the size in the screen

Shot reverse shot - natural flow in a conversation or can allow to see the contrast between things/people

Continuity Editing - shows an action flowing naturally (verisimilitude)

Montage - edited into a sequence to condense information

Terminology question 2

Denotations - What we can see
Connotations - What can be suggested from what we see
Example - From this shot an empty wine bottle it detonated, the connotations from this could be that the person has drank the whole bottle and could possibly be drunk.

Realistic - use with reference to a character
Verisimilitude - does the storyline appear to reflect reality, does it seem true

High Production Value - looks like it cost a lot to make
Low Production Value - look like it was cheap to make

Narrative - not the story! how the story is constructed/ the way its told

Case Studies

Walt Disney

Subsidiarys - Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Diney Theatrical, The Walt Disney Company India, Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, The Muppets Studio, Disney-ABC Television Group, ESPN Inc, A+E Networks, Radio Disney, Hulu, UTV Software Communications, Marker Studios

Walt Disney Pictures - American film production company and division of The Walt Disney Compny. The division is based at the Walt Disney Studios and is the main producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit. It took on its curet name in 1983. Today, in conjunction with the other units of The Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney pictures is classified as one of the Hollywood's 'Big Six' film studios. Nearly all od Walt Disney Pictures' releases are distributed theatrically by Walt Disney Studios Motion Entertainment and through television syndication by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. (products - motion pictures)

Walt Disney Animation Studios - headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, is an American animation studio that creates animates feature films, short films, and television specials for The Walt Disney Company. Founded on October 16th, 1923, it is a division of The Walt Disney Studios. The studio has produced 54 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 to Big Hero 6 in 2014. It was originally founded as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in 1923 and incorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929, the studio was exclusively dedicated to producing short films until it expanded into feature production in 1934. In 1938, Walt Disney Productions named its live-action film studio Walt Disney Pictures. During a corporate destruction in 1986, Walt Disney Productions was renamed The Walt Disney Company and the animation division, renamed Walt Disney Feature Animation, became a subsidiary of its film division, The Walt Disney Studios. For much of its existence, the studio was recognised as the premier American animation studio, it developed many of the techniques, concepts, and principals that became standard practices of traditional animation. The studio also pioneered the art of storyboarding, which is now a standard technique used in both animated and live-action filmmaking. The studio's catalog of animated features is among Disney's most notable assets, with the stars of its animated stories - Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto - becoming recognisable figures in popular culture and mascots for the Walt Disney Company as a whole. (products - animated films, Parent The Walt Disney Studios, Divisions - DisneyToon Studios)

Walt Disney Theatrical Productions - also known as Disney on Broadway, once billed as Hyperion Theatricals, is a flagship stage play and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a self-contained division of The walt Disney Company. Founded in 1993 as Walt Disney Theatrical, the division has gained a reputation within the industry for creating professional and popular (both critically and financially) performances, starting with the acclaimed Beauty and the Beast in 1994 and most recently Aladdin in 2014. The company is a division of Disney Theatrical Group, led by Thomas Schumacher. (products - productions)

The Walt Disney Company (India) - is the Indian subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company of the USA and is premier entertainment company in India. The Walt Disney Company (India) is a public limited company, which develops and produces motion pictures and videos for children. The company is based in Mumbai, India and operates as a subsidiary of Walt Disney Company. (divisions - Hungama TV, Disney Channel (India), Disney Junior (India), Disney XD (India), Indiagames)

Pixar - is an American computer animation film studio based in Emervville, California. The studio is best known for its CGI-animated feature films created with PhotoRealistic RenderMan, its own implementation of the industry-standard RenderMan image-rendering application programming interface used to generate high-quality images. Pixar began in 1979 as Graphics Group, part of the computer division of Lucasfilm before its spin-out as a corporation in 1986 with funding by Apple Inc. The Walt Disney Company brought Pixar in 2006 at a valuation of $7.4 billion, a transaction that resulted in Jobs becoming Disney's largest single shareholder at the time. (Predecessor - The graphics group of Lucasfilm, Computer Division, Products - Pixar Image Computer, RenderMan, Marionette, Parent - Lucasfilm, Independent, The Walt Disney Studios, Subsidiaries - Pixar Canada)

Marvel Entertainment - is an American entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and Toy Biz Inc. The company is known for its Marvel Comics subsidiary and, as of the late 2000's, its film production from Marvel Studios. In 2009, the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion. It has been a limited liability company (LLC) since then. For financial reporting purposes, Marvel is reported as primarily a part of Disney's Studio Entertainment or consumer Products segments. Marvel has film partnerships with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures, whereas Marvel Studios' films are released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, another Disney unit. Marvel formerly had partnerships with Universal Studios, New Line Cinema and Lionsgate. Marvels characters and properties have since appeared at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions, in addition to licensing agreements with Universal Parks & Resorts extant before Disney's acquisition. (products - comics, animation, film, Parent - The Walt Disney Company, divisions - Marvel Toys, Subsidiaries - Marvel Studios, Marvel Worldwide, Marvel Characters and others.)

Lucasfilm - an American film and television production company based in the Letterman Digital Arts Centre in San Franciscom California. The studio is best known for its films, such as those in the Star Wars and Inidana Jones franchises, as well as its leadership in developing special affects, sound and computer animation for film. Lucasfilm was founded by filmkar George Lucas in 1971 in San Rafael, California; most of the company's operations were moved to San Francisco in 2005. The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 at a valuation of $4.06 billion. (products - motion pictures and television, Parent - Independent, The Walt Disney Company)

The Muppets Studio - is a wholly owned entertainment subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios' special events group, formed in 2004 through The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House assets from  The Jim Henson Company. (products - the muppets, bear in the big blue house, parent - The Walt Disney Studios)

Disney-ABC Television Group - manages all of The Walt Disney Company's Disney and ABC-branded television properties. This group includes the ABC Television Network (including ABC Daytime, ABC Entertainment and ABC News divisions) as well as Disney's 50% stake in A+E Television Networks and its 80% controlling stake in ESPN Inc. While holding the controlling stake in ESPN, Disney-ABC TV Group and ESPN operates as separate units of Disney Media Networks. (parent - Disney Media Networks, Divisions - American Broadcasting Company, ABC Entertainment Group, ABC Owned TV Stations, Subsidiaries - A+E Networks LLC, ABC Family Worldwide Inc, Disney Channels Worldwide Inc.)

ESPN Inc - an American sports media conglomerate based in Bristol, Connecticut. Jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation (which owns a 20% minority share), it owns various sports broadcasting operations, including cable channels, a sports radio network, an accompanying website, and other assets. ESPN markets itself as 'The Worldwide Leader in Sports'. Most programming on ESPN networks consist of live or tape-delayed sporting events, sports news programming, sports talk shows, and original series and documentaries. (Owner - The Walt Disney Company, Hearst Corporation)

A+E Networks - is an American media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the U.S. and abroad. A+E stands for Arts and Entertainment. The company is a joint venture between Hearst Corporation and Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.  (division - A+E Networks International, A+E Networks Consumer Products, A+E Studios, A+E Networks Digital, Subsidiaries - A+E Films, A+E Indie Films, A+E Networks Home Entertainment, Lifetime Entertainment Services.)

Radio Disney - an American radio network that is owned by The Walt Disney Company, under the Disney-ABC Television Group operating subsidiary Disney Channels Worldwide.

Wednesday, 6 May 2015

New Technologies for Institutions and Audiences

Institutions


Production
Digital Storyboards - more accurate, easier to produce, closer to the final product meaning that you can see what the final product will look like
CGI - Toy Story was the first film made using CGI, Frozen was the most successful film made using CGI
Cheaper Cameras - good for low budgets. Ill Manors could afford the recording equipment with a low budget of £100,000
HD Digital Video - mobile, easier, playback option meaning you can watch footage back to check for faults and re-record. Cinderella re-filmed using digital filming

Marketing
Web 2.0 - Cheap way of marketing. Ill Manors could distribute and market online using websites, Facebook pages and Youtube. Skyfall also used web 2.0 for things such as animated posters

Exhibition
New ways to consume, more flexible, easier for exhibition companies
Frozen sing-a-long re-released after the film
Finding Nemo and other films re-released in 3D, some in IMAX and other in BluRay
New ways of improving cinematic experience - IMAX, D-Box chairs, better sound and image quality.


Audiences

New technologies offer consumers:
an improved overall qualititative experience as a result of better sound and/or image reproduction
Enhanced spectacle perhaps through the sheer overpowering size of the screen or the impact on the senses of a surrounding wall of sound

Friday, 1 May 2015

Media Ownership

What is the importance of media ownership

Independent companies - In the film industry it is difficult to make progress and create films that get attention and in turn get exhibited in cinemas unless you are already a large company
Smaller companies and the majority of British Film are given a back seat because of the vast amount of American Blockbusters
Ill manors is an example of a film that tried to push the boundaries through and received relative success, compared to its budget
It was made through a micro-budget feature film-making scheme. Aimed at commissioning the next generation of film-making talent in the capital
Because it wasn't part of a huge conglomerate it could take more risks in terms of subject matter. A bigger company may not be able to do this.
How do they compete?
Viral marketing helped Ill Manors make money, overcoming the mass American film industry; for example their market gave the audience easy excess to information about the film, was packed with Video clips, trailers, pictures and downloads which make the audience feel more involved in the film.
The downloads are a way of free advertising, for example if someone has the background on their phone or a ringtone friends might ask where it was from and it helped spread information about the firm through word of mouth
Ill Manors - It had a small budget of £100,000 but made nearly 5 times that much at the UK box office
The challenge was to attract a core niche audience, with such a low budget, unknown stars, and low production values
its not a big conglomerate so cannot withstand losses
it had to be financed by the Film London, BBC Films and supported by Skill set, the UK Film Council and the Mayor of London
Its advertising (distribution) campaign had to be targeted at specific niche audiences: check whether adverts appeared on digital radio station Kiss FM, digital satellite channel Dave , and Comedy Central, and the Sun/News of the World
Conglomerate - These humongous-sized mammoths are able to use their size and ownership of a wide range of media to cross promote their films (games, toys, Cd's) across their wide media empires/
The success of Skyfall was ensured when the film achieved critical acclaim, since it had the backing of a company that was able to use cross media convergence as it owns companies within a range of industries.
The synergies of cross-promotion that can be created by these media organisations is mind-boggling
For Sony's Skyfall it resulted in a huge amount of 'word-to-mouth' for a big budget film and helped the film become a blockbuster. Such are the benefits of cross-media ownership by these giant institutions.
A big conglomerate such as sony has much more power than a small independent and it can use viral marketing (digital marketing) in a bigger way - with its online website. It was more far reaching and not as targeted in a niche way like Ill Manors.
It has story plts
'videos' with trailers of the film
Extended film clips and exclusive veiideo features that go into the movie's plot and locations
There were wallpapers, Facebook cover photos, twitter skins

Production
Advantages
Able to take more risks when making films (conglomerate)
Wont need to collaborate to secure funding (conglomerate)
Can be more Ambitious with film - get bigger stars, have more special effects, travel to better locations (conglomerate)

Disadvantages
Films often have to satisfy a mass market and creatively film markets cannot take as many risks as so many large companies to satisfy and revenue to achieve (conglomerate)
Less budget so film will be less ambitious with smaller scale cast, locations and special effects (independent)
Often have to secure extra funding and finance (independent)
Case studies 

Distribution
Advantages
Sheer size and power in the industry - more money and better links to related companies i.e. Sony Pictures Entertainment (production company) and Sony Pictures (distributors) and Sony platforms to exhibit film (conglomerate)
Can use synergy and cross promote via games, music, toys etc (conglomerate)
Disadvantages
The film has to do well at the box office
Smaller companies with relatively small marketing budgets and few easy opportunities for synergy
The film is expected to make less revenue at the box office (independent)
Cant withstand losses with box office returns (independent)
Case Studies
Ill Manors - 
received largely positive reviews from critics and fans, with a current 80% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on twenty-five different reviews
Budget was £100,000. It made £453,570 at the UK box office
Sony -
Sony can use its status as a conglomerate. It had a very broad appeal and blanket advertising and publicity were used.
It can use synergy - Tom Ford clothes, CD, Omega watched, Aston Martin cars, Coca-Cola, Jewellry from Swarovski
Exhibition
Advantages
Disadvantages
Case Studies