What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?

What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media
institutions and audiences?

Throughout films the continuing development of digital media technology has a very big impact in big Hollywood films such as The Dark Knight Rises (distributed by Warner Bros.) as digital media technology such as IMAX, websites, countdowns etc helped Warner Bros and the audience in many ways. For smaller films such as Sightseers, it wasn't such a huge impact as smaller films are distributing (Channel 4) to a smaller audience (Britain in sightseers case), although the development of digital media technology such as newer cameras, and blogs to keep the audience updated allows the audience to stay interested within the film. 

The Dark Knight rises is part of a world wide trilogy, therefore the audience they are setting out to attract is very wide spread, as Warner Bros distributed it to UK, USA, Australia  New Zealand and so on. One of the key things the director of The Dark Knight Rises- Christopher Nolan wanted to focus on was the quality of the film. As he had a huge passion for IMAX, him and his producers came together and decided they wanted more IMAX filming in the film. Going from only using about half an hour of IMAX shooting in The Dark Knight. Nolan wanted the whole film to be shot with IMAX cameras to increase the high definition of the picture. Although the IMAX cameras were too loud to shoot in the dialouge scenes. But from going half an hour from his previous film to now it being just over an hour of the film. This clear development of digital media technology impacted Warner Bros in a positive and negative way, as it negatively cost a lot more, however as it was shown in IMAX cinemas and cinema tickets increased the profit increased dramatically (the positive side to it). And the audience are getting the big high definition to watch the film in to make the film seem more realistic, almost as if they were part of the scene. Contrasting with this however is Sightseers due to the low budget and all of the filming being filmed in the muddy parts of Britain Lake Windermere, (to recreate their childhood caravan holiday) Ben Wheatley (director) focused more on the acting of the filming rather than the quality. The camera was shot in a hand held shot a lot throughout the film, which really emphasized it was a caravan holiday, almost as if someone was filming them. The suited the British audience very well due to most British people can relate to a caravan or camping holiday. The fact that they can actually connect and relate to the film was a bigger quality of the film. And this helped film for because they attracted the audience they set out to attract. 

The internet is a big development of digital media technology and has a big impact on the audience and institutions. For example sightseers main characters Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, both had a blog they wrote on daily during the filming of Sightseers. This allowed the audience to know where they were and what they were doing. Leaving a bit of tension and excitement for the film, so that the audience wanted to instantly go and see the film. And for people who hadn't seen this before the film, they could simply go and research back into the film. This helped Film 4 because not only people of Britain could find out about the blog but other parts of the world could, as Sightseers recently has distributed to New Zealand, Australia, and the USA. The Dark Knight Rises went a bit more extreme with using the development of the internet and set up a whole website dedicated to The Dark Knight Rises, due to Warner Bros being a very big wealthy institution they were able to afford such a big advertisement. The website had a countdown with clues on the film. They also distributed different trailers to different sites to allow the audience to tr and glue the plot together. This had a really big impact on the audience to the excitement of the audience. This led to many fans pre ordering their cinema tickets, so Warner Bros had a nice start with money to sit on securely. This worked very well due to the box office of The Dark Knight Rises being $1,081,041,287.Very popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook helped both of these films with the distribution, due to the quick development of especially Twitter, children and adults of all ages are now using twitter and also Facebook. It is a great way of advertising the film digitally. 

The last way development of digital media technology used in these two films is how the film was distributed, for example by DVD, Blue-Ray, or even streaming. With The Dark Knight Rises the filmed was produced into a DVD, Blue-ray and streaming. On the website of The Dark Knight Rises however you could pre order the film, the advertisement of streaming was advertised. This is a really knew way of watching what film you want on your pc, phone, ipad etc. All you need is to download it. The fact that The Dark Knight Rises shows how ahead of technology they are, Warner Bros is offering all of their customers the best and newest technology around. And for that specific target audience, (superhero, sci fi, people who are into technology) this can be a very exciting thing. Where as with Sightseers, you are only able to purchase the film on DVD or Blue-ray. This is still advanced technology as Blue-ray is higher definition of quality than DVD. Channel 4 as a smaller company couldn't afford or didn't see much point in advertising streaming due to the smaller audience and not really knowing how the film would sell. 

Over all these are all a way to show the development of digital media technology of today. And usually if you a bigger and wealthier institution such as Warner Bros then they can use there wealth and popularity to it's advantage and it always benefits the audience. However with smaller institutions such as Channel 4, although they are restricted to what technology they can afford within the film sometimes, they low budget look may suit the film a lot more. For example using IMAX for a film based on a serial killer couple going on a caravan trip around Britain may seem a little extreme and doesn't fit in with the film. 

How do films get investment and funding so that they can be produced

How do films get investment and funding so that they can be produced?

Made in Dangenham

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Three key elements of project development by Stephen Woolley.

• Bringing different people into the circle of developing the film, as he realised you cannot simply jsut go and make a film. He found his co-producer to produce the film.
• He then went to film four and got hold of a contact for a script writer they all liked.
• Once the script writer has accepted his invite to produce the film, he then went on to research the history of the story line.

FINANCE

What factors do you think motivated the different organisations to contribute to the film's financing?
The script was so well homed, and they worked so hard on it, so it caused great attention. So much research went into the script writing.

Can you name and describe the involvement of different funding bodies?
BBC- Jumped at the opportunity because of the good scripting and wanted to fund the film. 
Paramount- Also loved the scripting, 
Hanway- They brought on Hanway, to pre sell the film to other countries. They chose whether they wanted to  pre buy the film based upon the directors, actors etc.
UK film council- 
Sony pictures classic- Strong great reputation 
All of these funded into the film because of costing of the production and making of the film. Things such as vehicles and costumes etc, so that they can produce a film that is set in the right era/ period of time (1968). They needed the funding because all of the production is very costly. It came to about 6 millions pounds together. 

What impact does the fact that the film is set in the past have  upon the cost of the film?
It ha a huge impact because they practically have to buy a whole different environment. Although 1968 doesn't sound very long ago, it is. Times change very quickly. They have to buy things from different style of shoes to a whole new lamp post. 

What other elements of film making impact on the budget?
Due to new technology the budget of the film can be cut down. This is because of things like editing and colourisation. We can not edit things to show what we do not want to be shown or we do want to be shown. For example for Made in Dangenham, they would have had to edit out satellites/ any new technology that the 1960s/1970s would not have. And colourisation is used for things like wanting to film in West Ham Stadium but not having the funding to pay for it, we can simply edit it and colourise it to allow it to meet today's television standards.

CASTING

What qualities did the filmmakers want to highlight in the character of Rita?
They wanted Rita to be strong. They didn't want her to be stroppy, just fairly ordinary. Ordinary mother with children, who has to multitask. Someone who could multitask without questioning, and happy to multitask her children, husband and job. Very warm and out going. 

How does Stephen Woolley describe Sally Hawkins' star image as having an impact upon casting decisions? 
Stephen Woolley describe Sally Hawkins' as having a warm outgoing personality. Someone you want to protect. A very Generous and lovely person, and can't she cannot stop that from coming out in the role. Sally has innocence within her personality  which helps with the character Rita because she was pushed into what she has to do, wakening from innocence to Ford and male domination. Therefore the character also needed to be very strong but have all these kinda, warm hearted things about her and Sally fit all of these characteristics.

Why is it important for the audiences to identify with the main character and how might this be achieved?
It is important for the audience to identity with the main character because the film is set in such a different time setting, the majority of the audience may not understand how it was in 1968. So this is down to the personality and acting of the main character, so they can express their feelings enough so that the audience can understand and interact with the film.

THE PRODUCER 

What are the key roles of a producer?
A producer does 'everything and nothing'. One of the things you have to be is a catalyst you are the one who takes action with the whole product .They must be independent, good with money/finance and have great control over everything. Usually very hands on. 

What are the challenges faced by a producer?
Money is a big thing that is faced by the producer, money only happens if you're making the film. Therefore the producer needs to take action. For example you have to keep everything going, you can see the money coming from all directions but sometimes you may be short, and may think you have it covered until someone is asking for their money. A producer would have to face this challenge and deal with it by getting that money some how. 



http://www.filmeducation.org/madeindagenham/stephen_wooley.html

How does film classification affect film production and distribution?

Film classification is the rating of DVDs, video's, video games, programmes etc. They decide what rating the film should have depending on what age it is suitable for. An example of film classification is BBFC. This is the British Board of Film Classification and two examiners look through the published guidelines and choose the suitable age rating. 

Film classification can affect film production because the producer of the film has to think what target audience they would like to produce their film for. They then have to work around this and choose specific actors, scripting, language etc.; that would suit their target audience. For example when scripting a 12A  film, you would have to consider if you want strong language used in it; it must be infrequent and not too much of a harsh swear word. If the strong language was either very strong or very frequent the consequence would be rating the film to a 15. This would then not be the original target audience the film set out to produce. This is why it is important to consider the specific age classification for your film when producing it. 

Film classification can also affect the distribution this in a positive and and negative way. A positive way is that without film classifications, when it comes to distribution the cinemas/shops who would like to purchase the film would know what target audience the film is setting out to attract and this will help the cinema choose if the film is suitable for the most popular customers. But also does it help the cinemas/shops, it also helps the parents, as the parents know whether or not the film is suitable for their child due to the rating of the film. 

However a negative affect film classification on distribution is that, if a film is targeted at the rating of a 15 and then the film is not suitable for 15 year olds and above, then the film may not even be able to be distributed because of the wrong rating. And therefore the film will make no money and the shops and cinema etc. will miss out on the option of choosing/purchasing the film to be able to sell. 

Film classification has a huge impact of the production and distribution of the film and it can be negative and positive, however I believe it usually has a negative effect as it can prevent production and distribution. 

Compare and contrast the Bafta and Oscar winners.

Oscar Winners:

1. Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz
2. Animated Short Film: "Paper Man"
3. Animated Feature Film: "Brave"
4. Cinematography: Claudio Miranda for "Life of Pi"
5. Visual Effects: "Life of Pi"
6. Costume Design: "Anna Karenina"
7. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Les Miserables"
8. Live Action Short Film: "Curfew"
9. Documentary Short Subject: "Innocente"
10. Documentary Feature: "Searching for Sugar Man"
11. Foreign Language Film: "Amour"
12. Sound Mixing: "Les Miserables
13. Sound Editing: "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall" (A tie)
14. Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway
15. Film Editing: "Argo"
16. Production Design: "Lincoln"
17. Original Score: "Life of Pi"
18. Original Song: "Skyfall"
19. Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio for "Argo"
20. Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantion for "Django Unchained"
21. Directing: Ang Lee
22. Actress: Jennifer Lawrence
23. Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
24. Best Picture: "Argo"

Bafta Winners:

1. Best film- Argo

2. Outstanding British film- Skyfall
3. Outstanding debut by a British by a British writer, director or producers- Bart Layout (Director), Dimitri Doganis (Producer) - The imposter
4. Film not in the English language- Amour
5. Documentary: Searching For Sugar Man
6. Animated Film: Brave
7. Director: Argo
8. Orginal Screenplay: Quentin Taratino
9. Adapted screenplay: Silver Linings
10. Leading Actor:Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
11. Leading Actress: Emmanuelle Riva Amour
12. Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
13. Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
14. ORIGINAL MUSIC: Skyfall - Thomas Newman
15. Cinematography: Life Of Pi- Claudio Miranda 
16. Editing: Argo- William Goldenberg
17. Production deisn: Les Miserables- Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
18. Costume design: Anna Karenina - Jacueline Durran
19. Make up and Hair: Les Miserables Lisa Westcott
20. Sound: Les Miserables- Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John warhurst
21. Special visual effect: Life of Pi
22. Short animation: The Making of the Longbird
23. Short film: Swimmer
24. The EE rising star award: Juno Temple
25. Outstanding  British contibution to cinema: Tessa Ross
26. The Bafta fellowship: Alan Parker

The comparison between the Bafta and Oscar Winners is:

• Bafta have a lot more awards/winners.
• Oscar pin point one person or film in particular. Where as the Bafta's winners are more specific and tell you who exactly did what.
• The certain awards that both the Oscar's and Bafta have are usually have the same winners. E.g. Visual effect: Life of Pi, Cinematography: Life of Pi.
• The most popular winners are on both the Bafta and Oscars list, and usually for the same awards. E.g Life of Pi, Les Miserables, Anna Karenina.
• 
  

FILM CLASSIFICATION RESEARCH

How are films classified?
Films are classified by companies such as British Board of Film Classification. The films that are awaiting to be released are usually classified by two examiners using public guidelines. 

Why are they classified?
Films are classified to see whether they are suitable and will be watched by the target audience. By looking things like discrimination, drugs, horror, language, sex, sexual violence. They will also look at how the film is will make the audience feel. 

Film classification is a crucial part of film distribution. Why?
It is crucial because it helps consumer make informed choices about the films they see. Also to see whether the film is suitable for a particular age group. 

How effective is films classified classification?
It is very effective in the way that parents are able to decide whether a film is suitable for their child, and also the fact that shops cannot sell the films if the person is under aged.  However people argue that they focus too much on not allowing to show sex that it avoids the violence that may be shown. Also some parents do not actually take interest in the age restriction and buy films and allow their child to watch films which are illegal for them to watch. There are now film sites where you can illegally download films and children/ young teens can easily access the over aged films. This also applies the movie sites, such as Netflix etc.

Have you ever watched films classified 18 when you were below this age?
Yes, only up until recently, now that I am a lot more free and independent. But as when I was a lot younger, my parent would never allow me to. 

Does film classification work for home viewing e.g.DVD, Netflix, LoveFilm, downloads?
No not at all, you have the freedom and no one is there to stop you from watching films unsuitable for you. However on sites such as Netflix and LoveFilm there is available parent control, this would help the age restriction for your child. However I believe that it is unlikely that a parent will go through the troubles in doing this. 

Can parents and guardians be trusted to monitor what children are viewing?
I believe they can be. The parents are their child's parent, it is down to them whether or not they want their child to watch films that are not right for their age. I do believe it is wrong for parents to do this as it is illegal. However I think most parents know their child and know what is suitable and what isn't for their child. 

Should they have this responsibility? How can they effectively monitor their children's viewing?
I think they should definitely have this responsibility. They are still able to use things such as parent control on computers (for online films), and children are not able to buy films which are rated above their age without a parent with them, and even then it is the parents responsibility. 

What do you think the balance between state intervention (film classification) and individual responsibility (no regulation, free choice) should be?
I believe how things are at the moment is the way forward that way there is a restriction on children actually buying films above there age rating, but if the child would like to buy and they have their parents permission then it is up to the parent to make the decision because it is their on child and their responsibility. 

Bafta 2013 Research

BAFTA 2013 RESEARCH
What is Bafta?
The British Academy of Film and Television is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in cinema, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.

What are the awards?
The awards for Bafta are , television, children's, video games, Britannia awards, BAFTA in Scotland, BAFTA Cymru.

Who won what?

• Best film- Argo
• Outstanding British film- Skyfall
• Leading actor- Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
• Leading actress- Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
• Supporting actor- Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
• Director- Ben Affleck (Argo)
• Original screenplay- Django Unchained (Quentin Taratino), Silver Lining Playbook- David O Russell.
• Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer- Bart Layton (director) and Dmitri Doganis (producer) The Imposter.
• Animated film- Brave
• Documentary- Searching for Sugarman
• Film not in english language- Amour
• Cinematography- Life of Pi
• Costume design- Anna Karenia
• Editing- Argo
• Makeup and hair- Les Miserables
• Original music- Skyfall
• Production design- Les Miserables
• Special visual effects- Life of Pi
• Short animation- The making of longbird
• Short film- Swimmer
• Rising star- Juno Temple

How mant 'British' nominees were there?
Film makeup and hair-

• Les Miserables- Lisa Westcott
• Anna Karenia- Ivana Primorac
• The hobbit- Peter swords

Animated films-

• Paranorman- Sam Fell and Chris butler

Cinematography-

• Anna Karinia-Seamus McGarvey
• Les miserables- Danny Cohen

Project X

Project X

Overview:

• Director- Nima Nourizadeh (British-Iranian) commercial and film director and editor. 
• Genre- Comedy, coming of age. (American highschool stereotype teenagers). 
• Production- Producer: Todd Phillips (American) also known for Due Date, The Hangover 1 &2 etc. Filmed in California and Los Angeles. 
• Distributed- Warner Bros (World wide known American media institution). America and UK.

Institutional Factors:

• Target audience- Specifically teenagers but also young adults, boys had more of an interest in the film however. 
• Production values- Sound track, costume, set design.
• Distributions- Warner Bros.

Box Office:

World wide- $100,931,865