We are going to revisit CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY as a topic today.
Remember we watched Keanu Reeves, "Side by Side" and you made some good notes (everything you'll need for an essay) for writing about the move from film to digital.
Today we are going to explore technological changes and what impact that has on the film indutstry. You need to be able to comment on CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY AND HOW IT IMPACTS EVERY PART OF THE PRODUCTION PROCESS (production / post-production / distribution / exhibition / consumption)
This article from last week has a lot in it in terms of technological advancements / changes in technology that impact the film industry;
ACTIVITY #1: Due Thursday 27th August 6pm, posted on your blog
- Create around 5 slides of Keynote / Powerpoint on the above process of production.
- Include the following: Definition of cinema exhibition and outline changes to exhibition in the last 5 years.
- Define and use the following key terminology related to this process:
Multiplex, indépendant cinema, conglomerate, Big 5, festivals, film market, geographic location, opening weekend, prints, digital release, release patterns, schedule and box office figures.
- Outline the exhibition process of at least 2 of your case studies and give details as to how it was exhibited and the factors involved in the success or failure of these films.
We are going to move into Institutions and Audiences today!
Remember, you can get a question on ANY 2 of the following topics and you will answer 1 question;
1.The issues raised by media ownership and funding in contemporary media practice
(the Big 5, big budget films vs. smaller indi films, Hollywood bowing to China censorship demands,
2. the importance of cross-media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing
(technological impact on ability to have cross media convergence, ownership and how big corporates own companies through horizontal / vertical integration = benefit,
3. The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and at the point of consumption
(Side by Side doco on most recent move from film to digital, case study examples of all technologies used)
4. Proliferation of hardware & software / the significance of the spread of such technologies for institutions and audiences
(linked to the above - how does this change in technology affect / impact big budget Hollywood vs. Indi filmmakers in processes of filmmaking, how does it impact audiences - more choice (market saturated etc))
5. Audience - the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends in audience behaviour(trends, Gen X, Y & Z / i-gen's, technological factors that influence trends (Netflix & decline in cinema numbers, what types of films are people watching and HOW (consumption))
6. the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences
7. The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences by international or global institutions
ACTIVITY #1
Click here to read the article on DISTRIBUTION (The Art Of the Deal) and then answer the following questions;
1. What are the two different financial models that distribution agreements are based on?
2. Describe what they both entail.
3. What are ancillary rights?
4. What is the definition of the film's 'opening' and what factors are taken into account when making decisions about a film's opening?
5. What does it mean if a film has 'legs'? What factors might determine this?
6. At the time of this article, how many theatres were there across USA and where are they mostly located?
7. What role does a 'buyer' play and what are some of the terms they negotiate?
8. What are the 2 ways a theatre may release a movie? Explain how they work.
9. What is meant by a 'loss leader'?
ACTIVITY #2
Go to your case study notes on the 4 films you looked up information for. Check what information you have about your film's ditribution process.
Today we will watch this through one more time and discuss the elements of SOUND and EDITING for you to take notes.
On Thursday you will set aside a 45 minute block, just like you'd have in an exam and write out your essay. You'll need to post this on your blog for marking by Thursday 6pm.
In class today we are going to refresh our memory for how to structure a representation answer.
Remember, in your essay, you want to have a strong, clear argument which highlights who is being represented and how (what messages are we being given about certain groups)
THEN you want to fill your square blocks with notes on each of the 4 technical areas with evidence of HOW meaning is created with each area.
Another great breakdown of representation through the 7 core groups of society.
1. Blog tidy-up (this means you click preview, go through your blog and make sure font size & colour are all legible, posts are in a consistent style with correct headings and ALL posts are linked to a label that is either Preliminary Task 1, Preliminary Task 2, Foundation Portfolio, Representation or Research)
2. I am giving you today as GRACE to get your CCR's in and spruced up and ready for me to mark tonight.
Here's what you need to check and tick off to be completed with this assignment:
1. Blog tool (a different blog tool for each question, EMBEDDED into your blog)
2. Answer each question thoroughly with details from areas you have studied (e.g. Distribution, don't just talk about what you could do, give examples of companies you may approach, talk about the distribution process and what sort of marketing campaign you'd use etc).
3. Visuals / images (make sure you include lots of photos & images)
4. Label it correctly - heading and label within your blog ('Foundation Portfolio CCR')
5. Presentation (how clearly is work laid out within your blog tool? If I can't read it or it's a whole lot of text pasted on a slide, it doesn't get you marks).
Thanks! I'm looking forward to getting these done, dusted and out of the way so we can focus on exams. please use this GRACE DAY as a day to get yourself sorted so you can hand in high quality work. Remember this was due last Wed so you should have been finished with it anyway.
PRESENTATION is important (check you have pictures/ photos / colours and that the writing and placement of graphics or backgrounds isn't distracting)
BLOG TOOLS - each question needs a DIFFERENT blog tool EMBEDDED into blog
Question 1 How does your product USE or CHALLENGE conventions? How does it represent social groups / issues?
(Think sound, lighting, narrative structure, editing, camera work, symbolism and iconography) - make a list of conventions used, are they conforming to the norm or challenging the normal thriller conventions? - This needs to be at least 5 slides with DETAILS and showing links to clips/ movies you used as inspiration. Do NOT just list things, EXPLAIN them, show photos of what you wanted to achieve as a convention and what you did achieve
Question 2 How does your product engage with audiences? How would you distribute it as a real media text?
(What effect does it have on audiences? What emotions do you evoke in audience members?) - Think about and comment on the following; - Who is your target audience (use demographics research we did in class - GEN Z/ i-gen content. - Why would this appeal to this audience range? - How are you going to distribute this product BASED ON what you know about your target audience? (Do they go to the cinema? What sort of marketing would you use? What examples of viral marketing would you try and copy? What platforms would you make this available on and how?) - characters (what characters did you choose to use? Can audiences identify with any of them? Are they scary / mysterious? Is there a vulnerable character that the audience sympathises with? - narrative - what sort of story line does your film have? Think about narrative structure - are there certain aspects of the story that are revealed at the end? Is there enigma in your story? Is there a cliffhanger? - point of view - is your film made from a certain point of view? - How does the thriller genre in general 'hook' or engage audiences? (do a bit of research) - What editing/ music choices have you used to build suspense and engage audiences?
Question 3 How have your PRODUCTION skills developed throughout the project? (pre-production, production and post-production. What have you learnt to do?
- comment on the learning process. What did you find hard? What did you enjoy doing? What was a challenge and - what were peer revision/ comments on your rough edit? What did they suggest you change? What did you end up changing? - what went well in the filming process that you'll do again? What will you do differently next time? Question 4 - How did you integrate technologies into this project? (Software, hardware and online)
- Photos! List photos, screenshots, videos and explanations of every website, software, Youtube tutorial, camera, sound gear/ microphone etc, you used to plan, write scripts, look up info on sound effects, convert Youtube music to MP3's, edit, after effects etc
