Wednesday 29 April 2015

PEER assessment- INDERA

  1. Name of student whose blog you are assessing: Indera 
  2. Name of film they have researched: Skyfall
  3. Have they covered all three platforms? Yes 
  4. Examples they have provided from print platform: Billboard, film poster, film banner
  5. Examples they have provided from broadcast platform: BBC news skyfall interview, Skyfall youtube interview, Red carpet interview.
  6. Examples they have provided from e-media platform: Official website, I tunes, facebook and twitter.
  7. What institutional information did they find out about the film? Film success, film rating, how the film was distributed 
  8. What issues did they find in terms of representation in the film they studied?  Representation of men and women within skyfall, how representation of Britain differs to the ideologies within Ill Manors
  9. What links or comparisons can you find between this case study and Ill Manors? Similarities between Skyfall, Ill Manors and A field in England include:

    • There are a selection of British actors whom hold leading roles within the productions
    • The films have scenes set in the UK
    • There are elements of action within each film 
    • Skyfall and Ill Manors both had a song to accompany the production which lead to additional success, by current artists - Adele and Plan B
    Differences between Skyfall, Ill Manors and A field in England include: 
    • The narrative's and genre's - Action, Urban teen drama and Historical Drama
    • Target Audiences
    • Price budgets - $200 million, £100,000 and £300,000
    • Institutions - MGM, Revolver and Film4
    • A field in England, was the only producution that released on multi platforms. 
    Good examples of similarities and differences 
  10. 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? There is enough detail in Indera's work to help me for further research, overall she has covered every platform in detail

June 2010 question 2

E-media:
Tag London: involved the audience as they used them to promote the movie and Plan B's ideology's. They did this by using the audience to tag London buildings with tags about politicians to raise awareness about the movie and Plan B himself.

Twitter: not true as the audience can tweet their thoughts about the movie but doesn't really change the outcome of the final product. However by people tweeting things like they enjoyed the movie and getting other people to go and watch it they promote the movie.

Instagram: There is no Instagram page

Facebook: The Facebook page is very similar to the Twitter page as they both use the same way to involve the audience excluding the Tag London campaign.

Broadcast:
Using underprivileged youth in the movie kind of changed the out come as they give the film more of a realism. It also gives the audience more of a genuine personal identity or relationship with the characters as they know

Wednesday 22 April 2015


Consider how imaginative techniques are used by media products from your cross-media study to attract and maintain audiences. Support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms. 

SKYFALL:


  • Imaginative techniques are used in the independent case study I have chosen which is Skyfall as it is promoted in many ways which include, posters, TV advertisements, interviews with the cast and crew etc. For print Daniel Craig (James Bond) has been on the cover of GQ and Empire magazines, this shows how sophisticated he is as a character and actor, Mulveys theory of the female gaze can also be interpreted to this as females will be attracted to him, as he is made to look attractive
ILL MANORS:


     Radio-music, plan
  • Ill manors print work
    Talk about different images of Plan B being shown
    Brands being shown
    magazine interviews
     
  •  Ill Manors E-media
    Tag London hashtags around London
    Instagram twitter and facebook interviews
    Cinema
    DVD/ Blu ray
  • Ill manors Broadcast
    Interviews such as Jonathan Ross
    Ted X talk
    SBTV

A field in England

  • This film was released in cinema and on DVD or online streaming all on the same day, this gives the audience the choice of staying at home and watching it or going to the cinema with friends to watch it, this unique approach created word of mouth therefore more and more people were aware of the film 'A field in England'.


  • Monday 20 April 2015

    MEST1 EXAM PRACTICE

    Audience: 
    The Habbo Hotel news story would appeal to those aged 30+ as they would be the most likely to watch the news,and those of this age usually have children, so they are parents and this would appeal to them as they would want to know if their children are in danger, as John snow said it is 'every parents terror' for their kids to be using the internet in the wrong ways. This is also a threat to UK children, as it used by many kids in the country, this creates a 'moral panic' for parents if they find out that their children are members of the Habbo Hotel video game, John Snow also said that this game is a 'Mecca for paedophiles'.  

    As well as parents teachers, social workers and carers could also relate to this news story, as they have responsibility to take care of the children, and this will have an effect  of them as they will be worried for the children, and will try and protect them from these dangerous video games. This also may be watched by the children who know the site as it would relate to them, and they will also be aware of the dangers.

    The news story could be used as a source of surveillance for the audience. This links to Blumer and Katz theory, uses and gratifications that this news is important to eliminate the dangers of Habbo Hotel. Also the story of Jimmy Seville which was going on for 15 years links to the Habbo hotel story which is also a 'Mecca for paedophiles'.

    Wednesday 15 April 2015

    MEST1 Section B: Independent case study

    Case study research tasks- skyfall ($200m budget)

    The basics

    1) What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?
    The name of the film is Skyfall and is directed by Sam Mendes, the main stars in the film are Daniel craig, Judi Dench, Bérénice Marlohe, Javier Bardem and Naomi Harris

    2) When was it released?
    The film was released on the 23rd of October 2012 in London

    3) What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?
    The film is a crime fiction, thriller, spy film and adventure film 

    4) What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?
    On IMBD the film was given a rate of 7.8 out of 10.


    Broadcast
    1) Write a close-textual analysis of the trailer using the MIGRAIN key concepts of Media Studies.
    The skyfall trailer is full of action and drama, as it is part of a very well known action based franchise 'James Bond'. The trailer starts with the main protagonist being shot, which immediately draws in the audience as they would want to know what happens next. The film is set in many different countries and locations, however the main location is London as most of the characters have british accents, and flags of the UK are shown in one scene. Considering there is a lot of action in the film, this may have more of a larger male audience, however there is some romance shown in the trailer which may attract the females.

    2) Find examples of television promotion on YouTube (adverts, chat shows, ‘red carpet’ interviews etc.) and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.



    This red carpet interview helps promote the film as the main stars talk about why they think the movie is successful and they describe their characters, and how they tried to deliver all the best things in the film.




    This is an advert of an aston martin, however this is also promoting skyfall as the James Bond of the film, Daniel Craig is driving the car with the Skyflall theme song in the background, which almost makes this advert all about skyfall. 



    This interview included most of the main characters, and it promotes the film as the cast is revealing secrets and saying what they think are the best parts of the film, and how they think this is the best possible way they could have made the film.
                                                     
    3) Does the broadcast promotion use stars to create interest in the film?
    Yes, the broadcast promotion does use starts to create interest in the film, as the audience gets a fondness of the character and they talk about all the things they loved about the film, and what their characters are like. The stars let the audience know a few things about the film before they see it, which encourages the audience to want to watch it even more. 



    Print

    1) Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
    Empire: ' 50 years old, still going strong'
    The guardian 'Despite the title, he is a hero who just keeps on defying gravity.'
    Telegraph: 'For better or worse we live in the age of the superhero, and so Mendes’s film is less hardboiled spy saga than blistering comic-book escapade.'

    2) Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.


    These posters are all very similar, as they all almost black and white, which may seem dull, but for a film like this, which is part of the James Bond franchise, these seem perfect as they have that mysterious feel which James Bond has as a character, and this helps them promote the film in the best way.


    3) Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.



    This film poster is black and white, which may seem dull, but for a film like this, which is part of the James Bond franchise, these seem perfect as they have that mysterious feel which James Bond has as a character. The character are all lined in a position where it may show their order of importance in the film, and they are in front of  the famous '007' which is almost shaped like a gun, which creates that action feel for the audience. Their isn't much text on this poster, which highlights the stars of the film more.


    4) How is the film’s brand constructed? What does the brand connote? Does it remind you of any other brands or similar films?
    The film belong to the franchise James Bond, so it is linked to all the previous bond films, the brand is very well known around the world, as most people know what '007' refers to. The brand does remind me of the Aston Martin cars, as Daniel Craig did an Advert as James Bond for those cars.



    E-media

    1) Research the film’s presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. How does the film’s social media presence help promote the film?
    As this is a blockbuster film, social media sights such as Twitter, facebook and Instagram, will have promotional trailers or posters of the film, behind the scenes footage, interviews as millions of people use social networking sights, and they are good ways of promoting films. Celebrities also tweet or Instagram things about the film to engage more of an audience. 

    2) Analyse the official website for the film. How does it use the film’s brand? What examples of synergy can you find with the other platforms?
    The website includes awards, about the film, the gallery, videos, extras, downloads and partners. These are all ways in which the film can be promoted. There is also adverts for the soundtrack on i tunes, which is another good promotional method for the film.

    4) Can you find any examples of the two-step flow theory online – did celebrities or journalists tweet or post about the film in order to promote it to their followers?




    Audience

    1) Who is the target audience for this film? Demographics and psychographics.
    Considering there is a lot of action in the film, this may have more of a larger male audience, however there is some romance shown in the trailer which may attract the females. This would attract ages 16-40+ and the demographics would be B/C1/C2/D/E. This would attract main streamers as they like to catch up on whatevers new, so they would definitely watch Skyfall. 


    2)What audience pleasures does the film provide? Think about the BFI lecture on audience pleasures in British film.

    3)What similar films would the target audience enjoy? Justify your suggestions.
    The target audience may enjoy action films, such as the previous James Bond Franchise, and film such as Die hard, The bourne identity. Also superhero films such as superman, batman and spider man.



    Institution

    1) Which film studio produced the film? What other films have they produced? Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
    The film  was produced by EON productions, a British film production company known for producing the James Bond film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom. They haven't produced any other films other than all the previous Bond movies, so they have a track record for the James Bond audience. 

    2) Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed? 
    This was distributed by columbia pictures

    3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
    They do have a track record of releasing previous Bond films, and other action movies similar to this 

    4)What was the budget for the film?
    The budget for the film was $200 million

    5) How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?
    The film was financially successful bond film as it topped $1 billion in the box office. I think the film was successful as it had high production values and it is a big budget movie.

    6) Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?
    The film was more successful in the UK as it was released here before it was released in the US. The cast in this is also mostly all British

    7) What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?
    The film was given a 12A certificate



    Representation

    1) What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
    People are seen as British, as the cast members are of the same nationality. The film has a change in location in different scenes, so it is not all based in England, this may attract a larger audience, as they may be familiar to the other locations.


    2) What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain?
    Most of the character in the film are British in this film and it is filmed in London

    3) How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors? 
    Ill Manors is about the ghetto side of London whereas Britain as a whole is seen as a sophisticated place, due to having a queen and many  laws etc.

    Case study comparison 

    James Bond is differs from Ill Manors and A Field in England as it is a high budget movie, and is also a franchise which is known world wide as 'James Bond'. Ill Manors and A Field in England have a much lower-budget and the actors aren't very well known as in Skyfall their are blockbuster stars who have won awards, although Ill Manors has a small shot of Plan B at the end. Ill Manors and Skyfall are similar as they have music videos to their soundtrack. Skyfall has grammy- winner Adele singing the soundtrack and Ill Manors has British artist and Plan B singing the soundtrack. Ill Manors has a trailer, as well as Skyfall. A feild in England is completely different as it was released in multiple platforms on the same day.







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