Film:
What makes a mainstream film? (Jungle Book)
- High production value - Big budget.
- Lots of advertisement - E.g. trailers.
- Well known producers - E.g. Disney (The big six)
- Well known actors/characters.
- Interesting storyline
- Remake of originals
- High quality music and film production.
- wide market available - Family friendly
- CGI and soundtrack
- Wide/saturated distribution.
What makes an independent film? (I, Daniel Blake)
- Low production value - low budget.
- Low quality
- Small range distribution
- unknown actors.
- unknown producers (not one of the big six)
- Low advertising
- Simple storyline
- political film
- part funded of different industries (BBC, BFI)
- Lack of star marketing
Synergy: Where 2 or more compatible products/organisations sell each other.
Convergence: Where film is available/consumed and can be marketed on a number of cross media platform.
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
- Gangs, violence, police violence - Emotive representations
- Star marketing - Ice Cube, Easy E, Dr Dre
- Elements of mainstream films but very political.
- Hip Hop influence.
- Big Six - Global distribution.
- Younger male target audience
- $50 million budget - Medium production budget.
Tabloids: (Daily Mirror, The sun, Daily Star)
- Restricted language code.
- Emotive dramatic facts.
- High ratio of photo - text.
- Bold headlines.
- Red tops
- Subjective Epistemologies (Ways of telling stories - opinionated)
- Direct mode of address.
- Variation in typography
- Primary male skew
- C2, D, E - Working class, urban/city living, 18-45 mainstreamers.
Mid Market Tabloids - Daily mail, Daily Express etc.
240 local newspapers (mostly owned by Trinity Mirror)
Broadsheets: (Guardian/Observer, Financial Times, The I.)
-Daily Telegraph, Financial times(salmon colour) - Big sized broadsheet
1) What was the task you were given and who were the target audience? As the audience wasn't typical of the product, how did you manage to sell it? What was the name of your brand?
The task was the in groups, we had to make a brand and an advert for a product that we were given for a specific audience that we were also given. My group was given perfume for pre - teens (11 - 13) so we began researching some other brands of perfume that were for that audience which were very uncommon. We started to brainstorm how we were going to sell this to an audience that isn't usually associated with this, so we started to think what girls of that age liked. We came up with the idea that girls of that age like glitter, pink, sparkles etc. and also accessories so we came up with the idea of a bracelet that has perfume inside it that you wear and it sprays every two hours like a timed spray to keep them smelling nice. We called our brand Agent Rainbow with the slogan 'Brace yourself!'
2) Who did you work with and how did you divide the research, planning, filming, and responsibilities?
My group was myself, Molly C, Olivia and Oakley. We gave ourselves allocated roles, I was the Production manager, meaning I helped with filming, editing, planning and also organising, Molly was In charge of research, helped with filming and editing, Olivia helped with filming and editing along with planning shots and the advert. Oakley was in charge of planning, he made the shot list and helped with organising.
3) How did you plan your sequence?
First of all, we talked over the basic storyline and the order of what shots we should do and where we were going to film. After, liv made a storyboard of all the different scenes and shots so we had a rough copy while Oakley made a shot list of all the different shots, where they were going to be and the different angles/movements. In was writing a basic script so that when we got our actors they knew what to do and molly was writing out a props list so we knew what we had to get. After, we were all done, we put all our work together and discussed who could film when, resulting in myself and Molly filming after school Tuesday and myself and Liv filming after school Wednesday. We got our actors by going to a drama club after school Tuesday and asked if anyone wanted to be in our advert.
4) What research and planning did you undertake?
After discussing our brand and product, as a team we looked up similar products that had similar audiences. After, Molly, Liv and Oakley made a profile of 3 different similar brands and I started to organise what we needed, who we needed and I got a classroom for us to work in along with our actors. I also asked our actors what they preferred as they were within our target audience and they said they liked our idea and they would wear it. After all this research we made our storyboard, shot list, script and prop list and after school Monday, myself, Liv and Molly went out to buy our props.
5) What was your initial feedback? what did others say about your production? how successful was your sequence?
After filming and editing our advert, we showed the actors who starred in it and some of the class who said that it was very good and put together very well as it showed the product and what it did. After showing the teacher, our only feedback was to contrast the colours more so it popped and really stood out and also cut out some unnecessary scenes. After doing this, our sequence was very successful as it looked like an advert that would be seen on the TV. We also got the feedback that our advert worked very well in showing the target audience.
6) identify what went well and with hindsight what you would do differently?
I think that overall our advert was very good, with our planning, our filming went smoothly and we got all the shots we needed in a limited time frame. Also, I think our editing was very well as there was 3 of us that would do bits on our own and then sometimes came together to help each other and improve anything. Also I think our team work was very good and made us work quicker and more efficient as there was no arguing. In hindsight, I think we could have managed our time a bit better so that we could get double shots so we could pick the best one and also spend more time on research as we could have developed our idea a bit more.
7) What have you learnt from completing this task?
from this task I have learnt that it does not matter who you work with but as long as you communicate, plan and work as a team, a lot more can get done and the end project would look better. Also, I have learnt more about creative input from planning, when brainstorming, we all had our input and contributed to the end product. I have developed my knowledge of editing and camera shots as in this task I had more practice with this so I feel more confident in editing by myself and using more difficult tools and also when filming, I can use a variety of shots, angles and movements as I had a chance to film in this task.
8) Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing future productions?
In future production, I feel that whoever I am put with, I can work with them by communicating and also work more efficiently by researching and planning before starting straight away as this can help with the end product. Also I think that in the future I can take a lead on filming and editing as I feel more confident in doing this as I have had more practise. Finally, I think that when planning in the future, any contribution may be helpful but even if it isn't then still contribute ideas because it may help develop the product.
Audience - Although this advert features teenagers around the age of 16-18, pre teens around the world still use it. You can tell this by the phrase it states underneath the video " The girls with youthful spontaneity and personality". The continuous shots of all of these three best friends hanging out with each other is what tweens all around the world do, just wanting to laugh and chill with their besties. I also find that placing the video with older teenager girls makes them like role models to the pre teen girls watching this advert, as typically when your young you want to act like the older girls which i feel is why they based it on teenagers. This is an established brand that has been around for ages and its sweet scented fragrances are constantly changing and updating whilst being at affordable prices e.g. buy two get one free. I also know Hollister bases its products around pre teens and teens as the retailer recently debuted a mobile video game for its Hollister California-style clothing brand, so it can keep up to date with current trends. Language - The images presented in this Hollister advert are the sunglasses, beach towels, polaroid cameras, surf boards, bikinis etc. which i think stand out the most and what i understand from these is the strong friendship between the friends and how they could possibly be running away from their troubles and the unity together. The camera shots of the waves, beach, van and photos add a cool laid back summer vibe to the advert. Whilst the vibrant colours of pink, orange, red, purple are very girlish colours which stand out the title at the end of the video. The sound in the background is also very pop/hip-hop, catchy music which tween girls listen to. Also the outfits all three girl are wearing are all stylish and very trendy which is the style girls sometimes like to opt for. This advert immediately catches the attention of young girls just from the setting of the beach and the bright pink colours used. Representation - I think Hollister represents friendship and fun, something all young girls love. Their perfumes present fresh, sweet scents and it is a great first scent for pre teens to use when they first start getting into new things like this. And not just from its perfumes but its clothing ranges and other accessories too which attract and represent all different types of young girls. Plus their advertisement appeals to all younger viewers in a fun, exciting way.
Pink:
Audience -While the brand says Pink is geared toward college-age women, an executive admitted last year that many core customers are teen girls. The strategy makes sense. Teens girls have shown that they're obsessed with having cute lingerie from a already popular brand, therefore introducing a 'sweet scented' fragrance line that is reasonably priced will also appeal just as much. With the PINK brand ever growing more and more kids are loving it which is also fitting in and being loved by the tween audience. Especially the popular and ever growing line of sprays. It is evidently aimed at teens as in their fashion shows they are shown feature balloons, smiley faces, hearts and a variety of bright colours that stand out.
Language - When analysing the PINK VS fashion show they use words such as 'wow', 'omg' and 'love', all popular slang words used by todays tweens. Their outfits are very 'extra' highlighting the use of the popular emoji symbols as well as pink and fluffy clothing items to attract the attention of the younger audience. The brand PINK is seen to be the fun and bright side of the more adult and sophisticated Victoria Secret brand. When a new line is being promoted at the fashion show they use popular hip-hop music whilst modelling the PINK brand, in 2015 Ariana Grande performed as the catwalk artist who is extremely popular with the tween category. The catwalk itself is full of bright colours and fun lighting that flashes and changes throughout the show.
Representation - The brand PINK represents fun and colour; something all tweens love. Their colourful, popular fragrance represents fresh and desirable which is know seen to be owned by most teens and tweens. Their images picture and appeal achieves this representation without needing to use advertisement for everyone to know what it is.
Planning:
Inventing the product The product we had to base our idea off of was perfume for pre-teens. We decided to call it agent rainbow due to the USP point being that the person wears a watch and every two hours it squirts perfume out. The slogan is 'brace yourself' and we decided to give the story line of the advert of how everything is really boring and plain but as soon as the perfume is set off everywhere gains colour and becomes fun. We wanted to make it similar to a music video to draw the attention more of tween girls.
Specific roles Production assistant - Lee Wall Actors - year 7 and 8 students Props - banners, party poppers, party hats, silly string, confetti cannon, party horns, glitter, bracelet, balloons Editor - Liv, Molly and Lee Camera - Molly and Liv Blogger - Oakley
This is a stereotype because it shows that women should cook where as men should go out and work. This is shown by the positioning, the women is leaning on the man showing reliance portraying that women need men.
This is a stereotype because it shows that women should clean by saying that for mother's day they should get cleaning supplies as it is what a women should do.
This ad is a stereotype because it shows that women should have good bodies and they should all be skinny to make people happy.
Countertypes
This is a countertype because it goes against a stereotypical woman because it shows strength and independence which goes against the contemporary stereotype.
This is another modern countertype because it goes it against the stereotypical idea that woman are subservient and weak and this advertisement shows a strong woman with power.
Arab:
Head scarf, hairy, turban, robes, violent, religious.
Stereotype - Media industries use stereotypes because the audience will instantly understand them. Think of stereotypes as a visual shortcut. They're repeated so often that we assume they are normal or true.
Archetypes - This is the ultimate stereotype. For example, the white stiletto wearing, big busted, brainless, blonde bimbo.
Countertype - A representation that challenges traditional stereotypical associations of groups, people, or places.
Gatekeepers - control what is presented to us which is created by producers.
Evaluation:
1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
The Fruitella advert was split into 2 groups since there was a lot of shots in this advert. My group was given the second half of the advert, my group was myself, Dan, Georgia and Emily. We decided that during filming we should team up with the other group so that we could have the same characters throughout and we could all work together. The group we joined up with was Bobby, Calvin, Aimee and Hannah. There were now eight of us to help out with the filming but when we got to editing we decided to split off into out separate groups to edit our half and then join them once we are done. We split the roles as follows; Dan was the main actor in the advert, alongside Bobby, Aimee, and Georgia as the small roles. Calvin was in charge of filming the first half and Georgia filmed the second half. Emily was in charge of props, myself and Georgia took the role of directors /managers. We made decisions on where we were going to film, what camera angles to have, comparing it to the original advert, telling the actors what they had to do and the main tasks behind the scenes with input from the whole group. When editing, Aimee and Hannah took charge editing the first part and Georgia, myself and Emily all had input on editing the second half. I was in charge in putting the two halves together and making them flow. We thought we all worked well together as the end product was very good.
2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use?
First of all we watched the Fruitella advert over and over again. We then counted the number of shots and what angles they were, the camera movements (if any), the type of shot etc. We put this on a storyboard so we could keep referring to it. We also counted how long each shot lasted, it was often between 0.5 - 1 second as it was a quick pace and lots of shots.
3) What theorists do you think you could apply to your task?
I think that Stuart Hall's reception theory could be applied to this task as it is to do with advertisement and how we want to portray the product (Fruitella) to the audience. The end goal of this task is to get people wanting to buy Fruitella when they see this advert because it has persuaded them that it is something they want. Therefore, the advert must make the sweet appealing and this is done through encoding (by the producer). So for example, there is a lot of bright colours in the advert to create a happy atmosphere revolved around the sweet. Also, the advert is basically a big joke and should also make the audience laugh because of the characters actions. So overall I think, if any, the Reception theory is used because it is communication involving producers and audiences.
4) What factors do you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
When planning, you need to take into account; What you need to film, Who will be in the advert, When will your group meet up to film, Where will you film (multiple places), How many scenes will there be, How much footage do you need, How long is each shot, How many shots?
When shooting, you need to take into account; What angle are you shooting from, is it the same as the original advert, How long is this shot meant to be, has everything been covered in the shoot, what camera movements are there (if any), What is the shot size, what/who needs to be in the shot?
When editing, you need to take into account; How long should it be, is it too long/short, how long does each individual shot need to be, is there any effects that need to be added, is there any transitions between shots, do the shots match up with the music, does your advert match up with the original advert?
5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well and with hindsight what would you improve/do differently.
Overall, I think our sequence was very good. Our advert remake was the same length as the original, our audio matched up with our visuals very well so that the lip syncing of the main character looked very effective. Also, I think that when joining both halves of the advert, it flowed from one another very well and looked as if it was all one. I think that because we all worked well as a team and all had our different roles, we made a very good and successful sequence. In hindsight, there are some shots that don't exactly match up with the original advert which we could have done while editing but we didn't have enough time, therefore, time management would be what our group should have done differently. Also, if we were to do anything differently then I would make sure that we have multiple takes of a single shot so that we could use the best one instead of using the first one that we shot.
6) What did others say about our production?
When asking others what they thought of our video once they watched it, our feedback was that it was very funny and it was filmed and edited very well because it looked very similar to the original. People also said that we were very creative when getting around issues, for example, one of the main issues was that in the real advert there was a mouse, but instead of a real mouse, we got creative and improvised by printing out a photo of a mouse and put it on a stick and then waved it in front of our camera. There was some feedback that gave us some constructive criticism such as, we could have matched it up better to the real advert in editing so that they would change shots at the same time. Also that there were some dark scenes so maybe we could brighten some of them up to make it more positive and happy.
7) What have you learnt from completing this task?
Since doing this task I have had more experience in editing and I feel more confident when using the editing software. Also, I have learnt about a variety of different camera shots, angles and movements and how to apply them to a sequence of scenes. I have learnt to take a closer look when remaking things to pay attention to detail.
8) Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing your future productions?
In the future, I will now be quicker at editing videos and using more detailed effects, transitions and tools. Also, I can now look at shots and tell what angle the camera is, the type of shot and if they are using any movements. Looking ahead, if we are given anymore tasks which involve remaking an advert, scene, production etc. I now know how to tackle this task, what we can plan, what factors to consider and what we can focus on.
Overall, I found this task fun, interesting and also challenging as it was our first big task where we work together to create something good and funny.
Curran and Seaton are industry theorists. They theorised the idea that the media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by the logic of profit and power. Also the idea that media concentration generally limits or inhibits variety, creativity and quality. Finally the idea that more socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create the conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions.
Overall, if we had more of a variety of media companies, we'd have more of a variety of texts.
Feedback: What went well? - It was a "clear well prepared presentation". - Lots of "information about all the films". - It was "very factual" of all the genres. - Definitions were "clear" How could we Improve? - Use "less examples" - "Quite repetitive"
