Research Diary Notes

Research Diary-Secondary, qualitative
-2 books
-2 websites
-2 magazines/newspapers or journals

Has to be on your chosen topic. Target audience(help you prove who your audience is).
Analyse other documentaries for the things that they use to hook their audience(pull out specific examples from the documentary that interests the audience i.e. music, images, people, places etc)
Do primary research i.e. interviews, questionnaires.

How to set out your diary
Books
-Get a quote from a book (write the page number and authors name underneath it)
-Summarise what the quote means in your own words
Find a section from a book that was useful to you and summarise it into 3 or 4 bullet points
How useful was this research?
was it:
-Relevant?
-Bias?
-Easy to understand?
-Will it inform your documentary?

Websites-Academic/relevant
Find a section from a website that was useful to you and summarise it into 3 or 4 bullet points
Find a quote from a website(link of the website, title of the page, author of site)
Summarise what this quote means in your own words
How useful was this research?
was it:
-Relevant?
-Bias?
-Easy to understand?
-Will it inform your documentary?

Magazines/Newspapers or Journals
Find a quote(link to the name of the author, title of newspaper/magazine/journal/date)
Summarise what this quote means in your own words
Read a section of the article and summarise it into 3 or 4 bullet How useful was this research?
was it:
-Relevant?
-Bias?
-Easy to understand?
-Will it inform your documentary?

Do you watch documentaries?
Yes-Which do you watch
No-Why not? what do you watch instead?

Treatment-What is in it and how to set it out

1. Who is the target audience for your documentary(age, gender, interests etc)?
-How are you going to target your audience
2. How will yours be better than other documentaries for young people?
3. Plot/Outline-You explain the layout/format (participatory/observational) of your documentary
What will your audience learn? make links to some research from your diary.

Unit 3 Research Diary

Websites-Bullying

http://www.gulbenkian.org.uk/pdffiles/Bullying_The_Childs_View.pdf

Bullying-the Childs View              Lean La Fontaine

• Bullying hotlines-The majority of calls are made by children talking about their own problems with bullying. A small amount of the callers are of friends of the bullying victims reporting their issues, or from parents with concerns about their children being victims.
• Where does the bullying take place-The main atmosphere for bullying to take place is in schools. It can take place in school grounds and the commute to and from school. This means that the child is feeling unsafe where ever they are, which can have a huge effect on the way they function.
• Duration-It doesn't have to be a long period of time for bullying to effect someone. It could be as short as a day that someone could become a victim, it all depends on the severity of the bullying. However if someone is being slightly teased and picked on over a long period of time, although it may only be slight, it will still build up stress and anger in the victim which is just as damaging.

Gender of the Callers

                 Bullying Line                    Boarding School Line

                   no.               %                    no.                    %

Girls           1,355           65                   152                   71

Boys           575             28                    61                    29

No data      144               7                     0                      0

TOTAL     2,054          100                  213                  100

Age of Callers

                   Bullying Line                   Boarding School Line

                              %                                          %

6 yrs & under         2                                           0 

7-10                       18                                         6

11-13                     50                                         58

14 & over              19                                         27

No data                 11                                          9

This information was helpful because it has provided me with lots of useful statistics, and it has taught me about different aspects of bullying.

http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/about-us/our-vision,-values-and-objectives.aspx 

Anti-Bullying Alliance                  National Children's Bureau

• Their aim is to eradicate bullying to create a safe and secure environment for everyone. They want to raise awareness on bullying and help people understand and acknowledge the effects it has on people.
• They want to develop an environment where everyone sees bullying as unacceptable and people are treated equally
• They want to ensure that we all know the correct way to deal with bullying so that we can all help to put a stop to it once and for all

I found this information useful because it talks about the different ways people are trying to put an end to bullying, and it gives you tips on how to deal with the situations.

Magazines/Newspapers/Journals

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-187330/Boy-driven-suicide-bullies.html

Mail Online                                 James Tozer

• A young boy called Thomas Thompson was driven to committing suicide because he was relentlessly bullied by a group of boys in his school. His Headmaster said that the school had only one report of him being bullied, and this was at a bus stop outside school by people from another school. He said other than that they had no idea of any bullying going on in the school as they were never told anything else and they didn't ever see evidence of bullying.
• After this story hit the papers, reports of numerous other young people committing suicide due to constant and persistent bullying from other kids started flooding in.

This article/story has helped me to understand the enormity of the subject, and how bullying can effect someone so much that they're willing to take their own life.

Books

http://cheshirelibraryblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/top-5-non-fiction-books-about-bullying/

Cheshire Library Blogs                                       Cheshire Public Library

 Sticks and Stones : Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy by Emily Bazelon defines bullying and what it is not. This includes when intervention is essential and when kids should be given the freedom to fend for themselves.

http://alternativewiring.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/book-review-sticks-and-stones-defeating.html

• This book talks about all sides of bullying, from the victims point of view, to the bullies, to the parents and to the schools in which it took place. they were even able to get in contact with the Facebook HQ and talk to them about how they deal with cyber-bullying on their site. The book consists of multiple cases of bullying, one of them even tells us about a girl who was driven to suicide.
• In the book the author talks about and explains why bullying starts and the effects it can have on everyone involved in later life.
• She also goes on to talk about schools and communities that are working towards anti-bullying schemes, and how they're helping to eradicate bullying and create a safer, more secure environment.

This book was useful to me by helping me to understand the different aspects and points of view of bullying and how people are trying to fight it.

Unit 3 Understanding Research

In this assignment i will be talking about how i am going to collect research on Bear Grylls and the different ways that i will be doing so.I will be doing a mixture of primary and secondary research throughout.

Research Methods
Primary research is new research. It is when you acquire information from the original source i.e. interviewing a certain person/organisation. If you're looking for fresh information this is the best way to get it because you would be getting a detailed account from whoever you're documenting. However, it could be quite difficult to get an interview with your subject depending on who they are. If its someone local, or a friend/family member, it wouldn't be much of a problem as you could ask them quickly and easily with hardly or no problems, but if the person is famous or has quite a high status, it will be much more difficult to just get in touch with them let alone interview them.
Secondary research is finding out about your subject through second-hand sources i.e. books, internet etc. This is a good way to get started on finding out information about your subject, and getting a little bit of background knowledge so you know who you're dealing with, what they're like, and what to ask them when doing your interviews. This is the easier way to find out information as it is a lot easier and a lot quicker to get hold of your information, but it wont be as detailed, reliable, or as useful as it would to ask the person first hand because its someone else's words, it could be out of date, and some of it might not even be entirely true.

Data

Qualitative-Qualitative data is information of other people I.e. Reviews. This is a good way to find out what people think about Bear and what he does. On the other hand, it is quite you have to be careful when using these types of information in your documentary as they can be very bias, and/or the content of the reviews could offend people.

Quantitative-Quantitative data is when you use numbers and figures i.e. statistics, sales, viewers etc. Using statistics in a documentary is a grape at way to keep your audience interested as they get to see and understand the factual part of the subject. When documentaries have carried out questionnaires, they will use these figures to back up their points and arguments, for example, "More people whatch TV when they get home rather than read. We know this because on our recent survey, 74% of people said they watched TV when they got home, and only 21% said they read! the other 5% said they did other things." 

Purpose

First I will do some secondary research on Bear by looking on the internet and in books about his lifestyle, what people think of him, and what he does. This will be easy as I have free unlimited access to these resources giving me enough time to get as much information as I can. It will also give me an idea on the type of things i would ask him and what would be reasonable questions. I will interview people he knows, and people who he works with to get even more insight to his life. This will be a little more difficult as he is famous so getting the permission to interview him and people who know him Another good piece of information I should get about him are statistics I.e. How many people watch him etc. this will give me a good idea on my own audience because people who like Bear will want to find out about him, therefore will watch my documentary.

I will then do some primary research on Bear, and the best way to do this would be to get an interview with him and find out about his life first hand. I also think it would be good to go on one of his 'trips' with him to fully understand and document what he does and how he does it. I think this would be a very good way of drawing in a big audience as following him round on his expeditions would mace my documentary a lot more interesting and exiting.

Documentary Project Notes

Unit 3-Research Techniques-research you doc
Unit 2-Communication Skills-Communicate the ideas for your doc
unit 1-Pre-production-Plan your doc

How to write Unit 1 Assignment 1
-Write a blog post using headings
-This assignment is all about finding out how a documentary is made
-Use the PPT-answer the questions under each heading

Time
the first heading we have to deal with is time. We will have to answer the questions 'what is a shooting schedule?', 'why is it important to have a shooting schedule?' and 'How long does it take to get clearances for music/clips?'. To get clearance we have to get in contact with the people who have ownership on the songs/clips, the producers.

Personnel
From a documentary/ies of your choice, look at the credits, research the crew members (camera, sound, researchers etc) What have they worked on before, what qualifications/experience do they have?Why is it important to get the right crew?

Finance
Where do you get the money to make a documentary?(if you cant find this out, find out how to get money to make a film!)Roughly, how much is it to get music/clips cleared?

Locations
Where were they filmed? What did they have to do to get permission to film there? Make sure you have commented about why you get permissions.

Facilities
From the same documentary, find out what equipment they might have used, any specialist kit that they needed. What camera, sound, editing equipment will you need to make your documentary, what are the technical specs of these? What are the costs of hiring things like this?

Materials/Copyright
From a documentary you have seen, what archives or materials from other films/programmes have they used? Who would they get the clearance from to use this footage? Have they used popular music, who would they have to get the clearance from? What is a clearance/copyright, and who do you pay to get one?

Materials/Contributors
From a documentary of your choice, find out who the contributors were, who they have interviewed? Were their any specialist advisors they needed to make the documentary?

Types of Audience Research

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b-reXMBkkXHgsAhpVI6bEGJiIt3hXeqjXfZdjPpP-gk/edit?usp=sharing

Unit 26 Assignment 2 MPAA follow-up

Trade
The MPAA is founded and funded by the major film production companies, making it a trades association. They get involved in public relations activities such as advertising, education, political donations etc. Many trade associations are also non-profit organisations.

Hollywood Studio System
The Hollywood Studio System is credited for producing some of the most well known stars past and present.

unit 3 Research Techniques

Types of Research

-Qualitative-Opinions from people i.e. a film review.

-Quantitative-Numbers and data i.e. Audience viewing figures, DVD sales, box office sales.

Comparison

Advantages of Qualitative

Disadvantages of Qualitative

• Can be tricky to get exact results
• Findings are a result of lots of variables(where, who and when)
• Has the impression of being less valid

Advantages of Quantitative

• Easy to analyse(clear results from graphs, charts etc)
• Facts can be used in your favour

Disadvantages of Quantitative

• Results are without detail-binary usually
• Doesn't inform you for future research

Primary Research-Research undertaken by yourself or your group-first hand:

• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Questionnaires

Participating in internet forums Secondary Research-Previous research that had been undertaken by others you can use to inform your own research:

• Reference books
• Archive footage
• Photo library
• Magazines and newspapers

Data Gathering Agencies-Certain agencies are set up to gather and publicise information:

• BARB-TV ratings

Purposes of Research

Production research which includes...

• Content-The story, what its going to be about, what sources of information might you need-interviews?What kind of data will be best for this?
• Equipment-Quantitive
• Crew-Qualitative
• Cast-Qualitative

Audience research which includes:

Audience Profile-audiences can be broken up into different groups

Psychographics

Age

Gender

Sexuality

Race/Ethnicity

Mainstream/Alternative/Niche

Market Research

• Competition-Whats already out there-Successful documentaries already out, documentaries with similar content
• Competitor Analysis-Why were competitor documentaries successful? Content, style, Film maker/presenter?
• Advertising Placement-How should the documentary be marketed? Viral videos, trailers, billboards, this depends on who?

Using Examples

• Why is it a good example(it may not be the first one you find)?
• Is it easy to analyse?
• Why did you choose that example over others?
• How did the example change/confirm your understanding?

unit 26 assignment 3

The Mortal Instruments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc4CiTvQ-YE

http://pagetopremiere.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/calendar1.jpg

The target audience for this film saga are adolescent fantasy fans, aspirers. This film has done well at marketing because there is already a huge fantasy fan base out there which relates to these films, and that is the twilight saga fan base. this series of films is very closely related to twilight in that we have a character who is introduced into this whole new world that they never knew existed. This may open the doors for mainstreamers as well, as they may like the fact that the narrative is very similar, but the difference in plot and backstory is enough to make the film unique and different to twilight. The gender of the fans is mixed with this film. We know this because to keep the male audience interested we have fighting; weapons; mythical creatures and attractive women, and for the female audience they use attractive men and a love story. 

Marketing

http://mysticalvampirevixens.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/29819_387361528007260_1432152376_n.jpg

This poster has two tag lines, 'there is a world hidden within our own' and 'worlds will collide'. These are very effective tag lines as they're short, and they make the audience interested in finding out about this 'other world'. The setting is of the New York sky line, and above it is the unmistakeable rune symbol from the film backed onto a sky of dark clouds, and the rune looks as if its made up of entities. This image will appeal to the sci-fi and fantasy audience. I think that the most suitable psychographic label for this type of poster would be an explorer. I think this because the film is full of new ideas and shows a very different sort of adventure, Which is the sort of things an explorer looks for. The producers have used artists popular in the teenage market for their soundtracks. This is a very good way of marketing the film because now they're drawing in the fans of these artists, which is making them more money, as all these teenage fans will buy the songs because they like the person singing them. The producers have used two different artists to try and extent the fan base even further. The film was also advertised in magazines, telling people what the film's about, when its released, and gives people a bit of back story about the cast and crew. This is a good way to hook people in because the more they find out about the film, the more they want to go and watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc4CiTvQ-YE

This trailer is very clever because it includes lots of different aesthetics which will appeal to a lot of varying audiences.The voice over used in this trailer is a little creepy, but it makes you interested in what is being said. The use of scary looking props, and the excessive use f darkness will draw in the gothic audience. There are a lot of special effects used throughout this film, mainly of magic and mythical creatures, which in turn will draw in the fantasy audience. The use of attractive actors/actresses makes both genders instantly be interested in the film, even they don't like the genre of film or don't understand the narrative,  they'll still go and see it because they want to see the actors/actresses. Teenagers will want to go and se this film based on the trailer because for one, most of the cast is quite young, and two, young people are very much involved in the film i.e. the club/party scenes. It also appeals to young aspirers because they'll want to be like the cast and will aspire to be like them, as they're attractive and cool.

Competitions are a great way to entice people and draw in young aspirers as they love materialistic things and for them to fully enjoy the film, they have to have all the collectables and replicas to make them feel part of the film. We also buy merchandise when we really enjoy films, and what were actually doing is subconsciously promoting the film without even realising by walking around wearing things like t-shirts with the symbols and/or characters on them. This is a very clever marketing technique by introducing the film to audiences that may not know about it, therefore widening their audience and creating more money for themselves. 

Releasing merchandise for the fan base is always a great way to make more money, because if they follow the film, they will buy it. Most of the marketing techniques that film producers use is aimed at aspirers, because they know that they can make easy money off them by releasing things for them to buy so that they can show that they follow the film.

Comparison

I think the best film i could use to compare to the Mortal Instruments would be Twilight. First of all, the trailers are very similar. We have soft, erie music playing at the beginning leading into fast paced, triumphant music, and we see the two main characters meeting each other, falling in love, being intimate etc. Also both trailers use montages towards the end, flashing through the action scenes. This is very effective in getting the audience exited and interested about the films because you're overwhelmed with all this action in such a short extent of time.

These two posters are very similar, we see half of the characters profiles looking very sinister. The images have also clearly been manipulated to make both characters look better. They both have short tag lines but they're completely different, the twilight tag line just says 'forever' which doesn't really tell us anything and seems a little pointless in my opinion because you want it to either tell you something about the narrative, or the character. On the other hand, the tag lines on the MI poster tell you about the character, and give the audience a little bit of knowledge about them. 

They have used similar teqniques because they've been proven to be successful in the past, and the producers know that they'll draw people in and also they'll sell.

Review

Imdb-'This is a movie made for more then just teenage girls and soccer mom's. It's has real action, solid acting, good cinematography, and dwells more on the storyline then romance.

Having never read the Mortal Instruments books, I was a little leery of seeing the movie and being totally lost. My fears were unfounded as the first hour of the show does a solid job of laying out the storyline. The first hour did seem a little long for me, but was well worth it and necessary as it made the last hour understandable and fly by with its non-stop action. This is nothing like what I was expecting after having to endure the twilight films with their horrible acting and cheesy cinematography. As well as multiple one-hit wonders of werewolf/vampire/demon shows that have come out since. This show had legitimate effects, great action scenes, and some really good acting performances. Here's my breakdown:

Effects: From the beginning this film proves it's a step above with cinematography and effects. The demons were gruesome, scary, and awesome! When supposed humans turn to demons, this is done very well. One questionable effect towards the beginning of the show was easily forgotten due to the many excellent effects during the whole show.

Action: Having seen Jamie Campbell Bower on the red carpets just moments before seeing the show, I had serious worries about him being able to pull off a believable action figure due to his skinny frame. Oddly, it was the action scenes where I enjoyed his acting the best and believed he was the main man. On the whole, the fight scenes were very engaging, particularly the ending sequences. There were two times though, I wished they had made the fight scenes a little longer to show more of a struggle to overcome.

Acting: This is where I was most pleasantly surprised. Lily Collins and Robert Sheehan stole the show in terms of solid, believable performances. Jamie did a convincing job and exceeded my expectations, but did fall a little short at subtle times as his skinny frame could not be overcome in the shot. His attempt to be seen as tough when his stature said otherwise caught me at times. I felt like all the performers were engaging though, with the exception of the role of Magnus. I'm not sure if it was his acting or the role they put him in, but it just didn't seem to fit the character he could/should have been. Readers may feel differently here, I was just confused if he was intended to be a tough guy or a joke.

Storyline: Understandably they had to lay the foundation of the storyline, which for the first hour they did. There was a lot of information to take in the first hour and honestly I began to doubt how they were going to take this load of info and tie it all together by the end. I was amazed at how well they did it! The last hour flew by as they did an excellent job of tying in each element and doing it with very compelling drama.

Overall I'd give the movie a B+. Solid acting and action stood out and will make a very satisfying experience for any non-reader who watches the show.'

Fan Forum Responses

-'I've not read the books (they're on my list, but I keep running across other things to read), but nevertheless went and saw the film tonight with my parents and quite enjoyed it.'

-'Personally I thought they could have cut down the Valentine fight a bit. It seemed to go on forever. I've seen a lot of comments about that. (Their is another thing they changed, as well that plays an important part in future books) 

However, I do like the fact it seemed to be more action-packed compared to some of the other YA Books.'

-'I know their was a lot of backlash against Jamie (Jace) when he was first casted, but most of the audience seems to like him now. But people generally like different actors to play certain characters especially for book (and comic book) adaptions. This isn't first time I've seen it, and I'm sure it wouldn't be last.'

Fandom

Fandom is the community that surrounds the book/TV show/film in question. People involved in these fandom communities are usually fan fiction writers, artists, poets, and cosplays. Fan art is a popular way to express fandom with this film/book series. The main focus of the fans is drawing the runes used throughout the film. I see these runes as the iconic symbol of the film and is what most people will think of when they hear about 'The Mortal Instruments'. The runes are either drawn on their own or on the characters.

Fans like these films because they're full of action, drama, excitement etc. The narrative is really interesting which is key, and when you watch, you feel immersed in the film, meaning that fans will keep coming back for more. Fans are also a really big part of the production of the films. By this. Mean that the fans will be included in the cutting or changing of films by reviewing rough versions of the films, and then giving feedback on anything that could be improved, and/or what they think would impact on the marketing of the films. Another big changer of the film industry was the launch of YouTube. This opened up an easy new way of film makers to publish their films to a worldwide audience, and also for fan bases to comment and review films, which can either be very good, or very bad for the film makers. This is because these fan bases are so powerful that they can change people's minds about certain films by how they have reviewed them, so if these films weren't great, and a huge fan base started writing poor reviews, audiences would be going into these films with low expectations and a bad mindset, and intern making them write bad reviews, or the first reviews might change peoples minds about going to see the films in the first place.

Was the Film Successful?
Although the film has generated quite a fan base, and almost all the reviews on it are positive, it only earned $81m worldwide which is known as a box office failure. whats interesting about this is that most box office failures almost never get a sequel, yet the movie producers behind the first mortal instruments film are planning on making the second of Cassandra Clare's book series, 'city of ashes' and hopefully continuing to make each book into a motion picture.

Unit 26 Assignment 3 Notes

1)Pick a film with a fan following

2)Get as much info on fan made vids, merch, interviews with stars, official websites for the film, reviews, fan made websites about the film, sales figures on how well the film did, posters, trailers, competitions, tie-ins with other products i.e. soundtracks with bands; cars; clothing

Film examples:

Lord of the Rings, Star wars, The Hunger games, Twilight, Star Trek, Batman, Ironman, Spiderman, The Mortal Instruments

Psychographics

Psychographics are the labels we give to members of an audience. A target audience for a film can have more than one of the psychographics headings. My job is to prove how the marketing attracts these headings.(Must use the terminology)

In my assignment: 

-tell who the target audience is by genre, rating, gender

What psychographic am i?

-Mainstreamer-Likes structure. Likes to know what they're going in to see. Like big brands/generic.

-Aspirer-Likes materialistic things. Want to purchase the merchandise for films, and want people to know they have it.

Unit 26 assignment 3 marketing notes

Image Manipulation

•Producers will manipulate an image to make the subject look better

They will get rid of anything bad about  the subject I.e. spots, scars etc. This draws in aspirers as they want to be like the character in the picture

Text, Font, Size and Colour

The size and style of a font could connotate certain things for the audience.

Props and Settings

A prop is anything that the actor/model pickup or uses and can provide clues about what genre this product is

Iconography

An iconographic feature is a prop/setting which you immediately link to a specific genre I.e. Gun-action, blood-horror.

tech workshops

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Uw6X6kt6k&feature=youtu.be

Unit 26 Assignment 3 Film Trailer notes

The Mortal Instruments

• Voice over is quite creepy but interesting
• Props used are a little scary, might appeal to the male/gothic audience
• Special effects are clever and exiting
• The use of attractive actresses draws in the male audience
• A lot of club/dance scenes which will appeal to teenagers
• The music used is 'triumphant' and brings emotions to the audience, making them interested and wanting to watch it
• A lot of Action/fight scenes using weapons will attract the male audience
• use of review quotes to pull people in by telling them how good it is
• Fast moving montage of different scenes from the film with fast paced music makes the audience interested and exited about the film

White House Down

• A lot of action scenes that will appeal to the male audience
• Use of attractive actors will appeal to the female audience
• Explosions
• Guns
• Heavy artillery(tanks, choppers)
• SFX are very exiting 
• Music is fast pacing 
• Slight use of comedy throughout, keeping the audience interested(and who doesn't love a bit of comedy?)
• Scenes of panic and riot 
• The scale of the problem, taking over the white house and capturing the President
• Very 'in your face' action

Unit 26 Assignment 2 MPAA article

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_s_LVkV33WTN0JkUnFQWUo5dGs/edit?usp=sharing

Unit 26 Assignment 1 Auteur presentation follow-up

Sound

The use of the soundtrack 'lovely day', when Franco is clearly in a struggle, actually has quite a comedic edge to it. The contrast of the song to the situation is so great, it makes the audience feel more relaxed when watching because of how upbeat and happy it is. It also makes the scene seem less stressful which makes it easier to watch.In Trance, the use of the sneaky, energetic soundtracks make the audience feel on edge, and it creates tension as the audience will now be expecting i.e. an action sequence. These soundtracks will also get the audience exited and they will stay interested in the film.

Why Boyle is an Auteur

Boyle is definitely an auteur. Quite an obvious way of defining him as one is by looking at his use of music. His films tend to link up with the beat and pace of the music he uses, and then hits a sort of 'wall' mid way or towards the end of his films, i.e. in 127 hours, the music all builds up to the amputation scene, in trainspotting, the music used is very fast pacing until it hits that 'wall' when the baby dies. Boyle is a great example of an auteur because of his originality in his films, and because of the fact that he isn't afraid to try something different.

Unit 26 Assignment 2 MPAA Notes

Negatives of MPAA

-Can't speak to them about any problems you have

-They can't always come up with a reason for their rating

-Rated by average parents, and not a professional critic

-Ironic that the rating system is trying to protect children, by acting childish about why they rate certain films

-Studios wont release their films if the ratings are too high

-Positives get from MPAA quotes

Kimberly Pierce
'Boys Don't Cry'
NC-17
"The studio wont release it"

Matt Stone
'Orgazmo'
"Didn't receive any notes"
'South Park'-(Paramount)
"Cut this, this...treatment was a completely different experience"

Kevin Smith
Director
"If you choose not to except the rating, you cant market it"

Ex MPAA Raters
-Jay Landers
"Each member of the MPAA must sign a confidentiality agreement"
"They leave the writing 'fuzzy' so that they can sue an ex-employee"

-By censoring you they are taking away their ability of having a choice.

The MPAA have an ideology. They don't like things that make them uncomfortable, and they don't want anyone else to see it.

-A lot more temperamental about films with sexual content rather than violence

Jamie Babbit

'But I'm a Cheerleader'

If she wanted an R rating, she had to cut out the sex scene between two girls, the MPAA are quite homophobic

Joan Graves

Only rater known to the public

Joanne Yatabe

Her children are between 20-23

The MPAA say the eaters children are between the age of 5-17.

The MPAA are liars

A film was still cut because they said they "don't object to a 'better R' "

The system is corrupt and bias as they came to a decision on a rating, an the film was still cut.

No homosexuals are on the rating board

The board wanted to change America phsyco to an NC-17 because they didn't like the tone of the film.

MPAA is different to BBFC, because the BBFC are more open about sex than violence.

The Matrix is blamed for the 'name of the massacre' massacre, people said that they did it because of what they herd from one of the characters.

Jack Valenti said he wants ordinary people on his rating board, none who have children with behavioural issues.

MPAA are bowed to pressure rather that making ratings that are suitable for certain ages to watch.

They don't know about their own statistics

Some film makers feel that the MPAA hold a grudge

You can appeal your rating but you cannot use another film to defend yourself

They don't like to be challenged about their ratings

The raters were quite old and their children weren't in the 5-17 age range, one of the raters had no children?

They know people with power and they can get away with things. 

The appeals board have most of the major cinema chains that will show your films.

They have priests on the appeals board.

Unit 26

1)What is MPAA?
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA), together with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and MPAA's other subsidiaries and affiliates, serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries in the United States and around the world. 

2)What are the six studios that are members of the MPAA?

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

3)What is the American Film ratings?

It helps parents to determine what films are suitable for their children to watch.

4)What does each rating mean?

• G-General Audience-This rating means the motion picture is safe for all ages to watch as it doesn't include any inappropriate screenplay i.e. bad language, nudity, drug use.

• PG-Parental Guidance Suggested-This means that the film may include some explicit material that may not be suitable for younger children. This rating tells the parents that the film should be inspected before the children can watch it. There might be slight snippets of violence and brief nudity, but nothing too harsh. There is no drug use.

• PG 13-Material Strongly Cautioned-The material in a PG 13 film might only be suitable for a child above the age of 13 to watch. With this rating it tells us that there could be use of drugs, harsh language and nudity. If there is any nudity, it generally isn't sexually orientated. There may be violence in a PG 13 rating, but nothing realistic, extreme, or persistent.-Children under the age of 17 require 

• R-Restricted-Children under 17 are advised to have parental consent-This rating will include some adult material. This would include adult themes/activity, hard language, persistent violence, drug abuse and sexually orientated nudity, parents should take this rating very seriously. Parents are strongly advised to check the content of an R rated film to determine the suitability of the film for their children.

Toy Story 3-G-This is an appropriate rating for this film as the content is acceptable for all ages to watch. It is made for the entertainment of young children, so it doesn't include any inappropriate screenplay i.e. Nudity, drug use, bad language.

Adventures of Shark boy and Lava girl-PG-This film has been rated as a PG because it depicts mild action and some rude humour. This is a sensible rating to give this motion picture as small children shouldn't be introduced to any sort of action or violence at such a young age, and they probably won't understand or enjoy it anyway.

The A-Team-PG 13-There is a lot of intense action and violence in this film which is why it has been given a PG-13 rating. It has some drug usage (tobacco) throughout this film, and although this is a legal drug, it is unsuitable for any young children to see this as they might persevere it as a good thing, as the good guy is doing it. Children 13 or over are a lot less likely to think like this, which is why this is a suitable rating.

About Fifty-R- This is the lowest rating I'd expect to see on a film like this due to the use of bad language, drug use and sexual content. This film shouldn't be viewed by any child under the age of 17 because this sort of content is seen as too harsh and inappropriate for that age group.

Decent-NC 17-This film has been given this rating because it includes a brutal rape which is completely unacceptable material for anyone aged 17 or under to watch. This rating is showing that the content of this film is only suitable for adult viewers which I think is a good decision.

Why do they rate films?

-Movie ratings provide parents with advance information about the content of movies to help them 

determine what movies are appropriate for their children at any age.

Unit 26 Assignment 1 Danny Boyle Auteur Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/alexcollege/danny-boyle

Log and Transfer Window

-Open FCP
-Click on file
-Click on 'log and transfer'
-Click on the Final Cut Pro menu and go to system settings. click on set and save somewhere except the scratch drive

Uploading from Final Cut Pro to Youtube

-Right click on the sequence you wish to upload
-Choose share
-Choose youtube settings
-Select closed destination folder
-Enter your youtube login details
-Click on export

Slate: Used to sync audio and video

Unit 26 Assignment 1 127 hours script

127 hours

Isolation scene

In 127 hours, Boyle tends to move in and out of focus, and uses lots of shaky hand held camera shots to make the audience feel like they're there in this situation with Franco, it also keeps us interested. (Show clip from 127 hours)There are lots of high angle shots used in this scene to show how isolated and unimportant Franco is compared to the vast, barron canyons he is trapped in. at the end of this scene, we have an aerial tracking shot, starting above Franco to show the confined space that hes trapped in, and then rises up into a wide shot of the setting to show the vastness of the canyons and prove how alone and isolated he is. the colour wash used in this scene, and also used in the majority of the film, is a little grainy but uses warm, red/orangy colours to bring out the setting even more.

Trance

In this film, Boyle uses some of the same techniques he uses in 127 hours. In the fight scenes, the camera is hand held and is also very shaky, and he also uses a lot of high/low angles to strongly express the status of the different characters. I notice that he uses a main colour wash throughout this film, he uses a bluey/grey colour wash when  the actors are fighting, or in a torture scene. Also, he uses hard light on the male characters, Vincent Cassel and James McAvoy, and he uses this to cast a strong shadow on half of their faces which makes you untrusting of both of these characters and unable to decide who to follow as the 'good guy', which keeps the audience interested. In contrast to him using hard light on the male characters, he uses quite a soft light on the female character Rosario Dawson. He does this to make you think that she is harmless, when actually she is just as mysterious and dangerous  and she seems as if she's hiding something as much as the other two male characters.

Colour wash

The colour wash used in 127 hours is a little grainy but uses warm, orange colours to bring out the setting and help the audience understand the heat and how uncomfortable the situation is. I notice that he uses a main colour wash throughout Trance too. He uses a blue colour wash when we see the main characters because we can't trust any of them, as none of them seem to have an alibi to go with.

He always has our female character in very clean, white colour washes, which makes us persive her as a good person and innocent, when actually she is just as unreliable and untrust worthy as the two male characters. This is a very clever use of cinematography and he uses this contrast to catch the audience out, and twist their views on her keeping them interested and on edge. Sound

The sound used in these two films are very contrasting. In 127 hours, Boyle uses a contrapuntal soundtrack when Franco is trapped in the cavern. He shows Franco struggling to try and free his arm, and he shows his disparity for a drink and his struggle to try and stay focused, meanwhile the song 'lovely day' is playing in the background. Underneath this song, we can hear the ambient sound of Franco struggling to free himself from the cavern. The soundtracks used in trance are very fast, energetic and sneaky, due to the film being about a heist. You can hear lots of diagetic ambient sound when watching this film I.e. When we are in the gallery and we can hear the crowd of people talking and applauding(show 0:20 to 0:40 of trance clip). This helps us to understand the atmosphere and feel as if we're involved in the film.

Cast away

Cast away is a perfect film to compare to 127 hours. They're both survival films and show a male character completely isolated from any sort of society. In both of these films, the camera angles we see are high angle shots of the characters, showing their inferiority compared to the vastness of where they're trapped. The colour washes used in these films are quite different. In 127 hours, the colour wash is very warm and grainy, and at times it's a little bleached, where as in cast away, the colour wash makes the individual colours stand out which makes it look like a really nice place, when in actual fact it is a very dangerous place to be alone. Both of these films also show how the characters start to loose their minds when isolated alone for a long period of time. 127 hours shows this by using hallucinations of water, and in cast away, they show how lonely Hanks is when he befriends a volleyball.

Unit 38

Sound-Unit 38

Sound Recordist- Has the job of recording the sound on location during production using the boom pole.
Sound Mixer- Mixes (balances) sound during post production.
Foley Artist- Mimics/recreates the sounds that are happening on screen.
Composer/Score writer- The person who comes up with the music.
Sound Designer- in charge of all these job roles.

What do we record?

• Dialogue- Individuals, Groups
• Real World Action
• Background/Atmosphere- Animate (something that moves), Inanimate (something that doesn't move)
• SFX(sound effects)-Foley, Real world

There are two types of sound, sync sound (must be in time with the video so we can understand it) and non sync sound (these sounds don't need to be in sync with the picture for it to make sense)

Sound mixing- Balancing all your sounds

Wild Track-A recording of ambient sound (background noise)

Where you record is important, this is your 'environment'.

How do we control what we record?
shutting out sound: 
-Choosing the right microphone- Lavia (clip mic), shotgun mic- omni-directional, directional-cardioid.
-Mic Position- Has to be above or below the character being recorded in order for the mic to pick up the actor/actress's voice.
-Muffler/dead cat- This is used when filming outside to block out any unwanted access noise i.e. cars driving past or people shouting in the streets.

ADR- Additional Dialogue Recording

Mixers, Recorders & Monitors (Mixers do not record, the mix the sound.)
-Studio mixer
-Field mixer
-Field recorder

Video Editing - Unit 16 & 21

Final Cut Pro - Non Linear Editing
                      - Professional - Video
                                            -  Audio
                      - Non Destructive = FCP doesn't harm the original footage
Linear - In order
Non-Linear - Not in order

Work flow-The order in which you will work

• film (create clips=visual footage)
• Memory Card (drag clips into the blue BTEC drive)
• Ready to Edit (drag the clips to the scratch drive)                        

Danny Boyle research

Danny Boyle-Auteur


“Slumdog Millionaire”, Danny Boyle’s latest film, is in selected theatres at the moment and everyone should make the time to see it. It’s been a beguiling career for Mr.Boyle. He’s one of the most stylishly distinct filmmakers working today. A “Danny Boyle film” is truly that. Going through each of his films provides a unique pathway of the ups and down, artistic consistencies and changes creating a unique body of work for this ‘auteur’ director.

Boyle amplified the cinema language established in “Shallow Grave” creating a blistering assault of music, imagery, violence, sex, drug use, and above all rich British humour. In fact the Scottish accents were so strong an alternate toned down dialogue tracked had to be used for the U.S. release. The film’s opening scene, a rambunctious running chase through the streets of Edinburgh - a device Boyle would reuse in subsequent films – sets the pace early on. Boyle’s ear for music helped make the new wave/Brit pop soundtrack as successful as the film.

Boyle’s works are always positioned from the male viewpoint, yet remain accessible to audiences of both genders. The inclusion of female counterpoints in each effort assists in this regard, ensuring that whilst the lead may be masculine, the overall film is balanced.As commonly occurs in filmmaking in general, Boyle’s films posit a male point of view. Every one of his lead characters are of the masculine persuasion, from Ewan McGregor’s troika in Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary, to Cillian Murphy’s duo in 28 Days Later and Sunshine, and including Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach, Alex Etel in Millions, Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire and James Franco in 127 Hours as well.


Boyle’s collection of creations bear the obvious hallmarks of his influence – in speed, in sound, and in continued collaborations. The constant combination of all three across his resume contributes to his auteur style beyond standard elements of theme and narrative. In functional rather than formative aspects, Boyle’s preference for frenetic imagery, pumping soundtracks and a familiar cast and crew has left a significant impact upon his body of work, linking disparate efforts from Shallow Grave to 127 Hoursacross the last twenty yearsSimilarly, the soundtracks of Boyle’s oeuvre match his visuals, favouring the electronic and rock genres. From Leftfield’s musical stylings in Shallow Grave to the iconic use of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and Underworld in Trainspotting, Boyle’s films each champion absorbing soundscapes. Although the pop-peppered mixes in A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach are similarly striking, and John Murphy’s 28 Days Later and Millions scores are emotive, Sunshine provides a perfect picture of the director’s acoustic arrangements. Courtesy of a hybrid of Murphy and Underworld, the resulting music is so resonant and riveting that it is impossible to imagine the film without it – a feat again achieved with Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman on the subsequent Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours.