Sunday 26 April 2015
Thursday 23 April 2015
Section B exam question
Consider how imaginative technique are used by media from your cross-media study to attract and maintain audience. Support your answers with reference a range of examples from three media platforms [32 marks]
Through careful examination and analysis of the films Ill Manors, A field In England and Belle, I was able to see their difference and similarities. For example, all industries used imaginative techniques to attract and maintain their audiences.
Ben Drew’s film ill Manors used a variety of imaginative techniques on the e-media platform to attract and maintain his audience. One of the ways to promote Ill Manors besides attract a bigger fan base was the tag London campaign. In synergy with the film’s soundtrack album, Ben Drew’s (also known as Plan B) fans tweeted their opinions on modern Britain along with the hashtag #illmanors. Some of these tweets were recreated by graffiti artist which were projected on London landmarks such as the Tate Britain and the House of Parliament. As Plan B portrayed that the government, especially David Cameron, do not aid young people or those who are less fortunate, projecting the tweets on the House of Parliament was significant. This helped to emphasise the political aspect of the film’s narrative besides draw attention to the film and soundtrack album. The fact that the audience was involved in promoting ill Manors by helping with the campaign made it quite successful. The website that offered links to the audience to buy, watch listen to ill Manors-related products. The graffiti and references to ‘broken Britain’ would appeal to the target audience of ill Manors of young, disaffected, urban people. Although, ‘lines of appeal’ (Dyer) might be ‘art’ (linking to the graffiti) and ‘glamorous locations’ (the ionic London landmarks). This would perhaps attract and maintain the interest of a middle class, left win, intellectual audience. Also the DVD release helped to maintain the audience as ill Manors came out in June but the DVD was released in September. The time gap enabled the audience to still look forward to a release from ill Manors. Another key aspect of the Ill Manors e-media promotion was the use of celebrity endorsement. Ben Drew asked celebrities to tweet and re-tweet references to the film to generate interest around the premiere of the film and the cinema release date. Later, is a great example of the two-step flow theory with ‘opinion leaders’ (celebrities) being use to promote the film to a wider audience which will attract people.
The print for ill Manors was another imaginative technique used to attract and maintain its audience. For example, the audience was attracted by the strong ill Manors brand. On every print platform, whether it was a billboard, poster or a DVD cover, the same font was used on ill Manors which made it recognizable for the audience. The font portrays estate buildings which links with the narrative for the film. In order to maintain but also attract the audience, Ben Drew went on interviews and magazine cover photo shoots. On the Men’s Health front cover magazine, he was photographed with a £1000 jacket. The medium shot of him differed from his usual look and attitude. His old fans who listens to his soundtracks would be surprised at this as his songs are towards the urban side however, Men’s Health magazine is directed towards the higher class social group and overall is a formal magazine. He was interviewed about how he had to lose weight for ill Manors which enabled the target audience to find personal identification (Blumler and Katz) in the article as they would be able to relate to his situation especially seeing is the demographics for the magazine is men aged 20-40 and the magazine promotes how they can lose weight. To attract a larger audience, Plan B was also on the front cover of the NME magazine. This picture was greatly effective but most importantly different from the Men’s Health magazine because he was photographed with his middle finger up and it said “…David Cameron be very afraid”. This depicts Plan B’s whole point about ill Manors and his soundtracks because he targets the government for the reason why there is a ‘broken Britain’. The magazine mostly targets reformers and people in the lower class group, D or E who would be interested to see why there is a threat towards David Cameron. The picture would send enigma codes to the audience and would draw attention to ill Manors as, in the article where Plan B was interviewed, in synergy, he mentions his soundtrack album. These imaginative print platforms helped attract audiences but also maintain as people would have been intrigued to find out Ben Drew’s personal opinion for ill Manors through the magazines.
Another way Ben Drew was able to attract and maintain audiences for ill manors through an imaginative manner was through the broadcast platform. He went on numerous TV chat show, interviews for instance the Tedx Lecture where he explained thoroughly his beliefs and values and why he wanted to create Ill Manors. Plan B explained that ill Manors is an oppositional reading (Hall) because he wanted to contradict the dominant ideology for young people as the media always convey young people as dangerous and as CHAVS (Council House And Violent). Young people in the media are continually associated with moral panic (Cohen) and Plan B wants to contradict this which would appeal to the eyes of reformers and strugglers. Plan B was also interviewed in a different way on the SBTV. Whilst he was editing for ill Manors, one of his unknown actors interviewed him. Even though the interview was informal, it would have help attract and perhaps maintain the audience for ill Manors because everyone is able to see him at work. Plan B is portrayed as a hard worker in this interview because he explains how the editing is going. The comedy of the interview would appeal to the core audience for ill Manors which would be young people as there is also a sense of rebellion in the beginning of the interview. A way in which Ben Drew was able to really maintain his audience was through the music video. His old fans would want to listen and find out how this links with the film but also it would attract new listeners. The music video is in synergy with the film ill Manors because the narrative is similar. However, the music video portrays a more powerful as well as meaningful message which would have been able to spread through YouTube and it was also on the Ill Manors official website. Through e-media, print and broadcast Ben Drew was able to attract and maintain his audience.
A Field in England used distribution as their main imaginative technique to attract audiences. A Field in England is an art house film which differs from a typical Hollywood movie and was made for £300K. The film was known for its imaginative distribution as they released all their platforms on the same day. They simultaneously released the film in VOD, free broadcast TV, DVD/Blu Ray and cinema. Field in England’s audacious approach to distribution certainly generated media interest and debate about the future of the current Hollywood model as it became the number one trending topic on Twitter in the UK. The advantage of doing so was that it attracted a lot of people and many were curious to find out why this film decided on doing such a unique distribution. The only problem that arose was that advertising and promoting the film would only be for a short period seeing how every platform had already been released. However, they film did get people talking and because it was a British film, it attracted the American audience as well as the British.
Lastly, the independent case study I chose was Belle. An imaginative way Bell attracted and maintained audiences is through print work. The main character Gugu Mbatha-Raw was on front covers of magazines such as ‘Rolling Out’ and was on most of all the print platforms used to promote the film. The brand used was effective as it was constructed around the font of Belle as it is a recognizable way to recognize the film. Also the main when shown on print works is in the costume for the film and is posing in a sophisticated and powerful manner. The brand connotes strength and power to the ones who are looked down on but also it connotes the 1700s and how racial opinions were much different than how they are today. Overall, it connotes the settings of the film which brings the powerful meaning behind Belle. This can be said to be similar to Ill manors because the ill Manors brand was also the font of ill Manors and how they conveyed the setting of the film which was estate buildings which then gives more information on the meaning behind the film. The fact that the film’s mise-en-scene was in 1700s Britain and the actors had British accents, which would appeal to the American audience. Another imaginative way in which Belle attracted and maintained their audience was through the e-media platform. On Instagram and Twitter hashtags of #bellefilm was going around and people were linking the hashtag with #12yearsaslave as both movies had a similar narrative. Also on Facebook, Oprah Winfrey stated how much she loved the film Belle and advised her fans to go watch the film. She then uploaded a picture of her with the stars of Belle. This is an example of the two-step flow theory because, as a famous person who has millions of fans that look up to her and listen to her advice besides opinion. Oprah has shown her fan base that she loves the movie. This promotes the film because her fans would be interested to watch the movie and perhaps even love it because Oprah did. Also the picture she uploaded helps to promote the film and the stars as people would recognize them after seeing the picture. Through the print platform, Bell attracted a bigger audience however through the e-media platform, Belle maintained audiences due to the continuous use of hashtags and uploads on social media.
To conclude, all three cross-media studies was able to attract and maintain audience by using imaginative techniques through the e-media, print and broadcast platforms.
MEST1 Section B: Independent case study
Case study research tasks
Belle ($11m budget)
The basics
1) What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?
Name of the film: Belle
Notable stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson.
2) When was it released?
Release date: 2 May 2014 (United States) 13 June 2014(United Kingdom)
3) What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?
Genre: Drama film
You can tell that the film belongs to this genre because of the in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Also the theme of racial prejudice is portrayed throughout the film which is a dramatic theme.
4) What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?
The film received a great reception and was rated 7.4 out of 10 on IMDB.
Broadcast
1) Write a close-textual analysis of the trailer using the MIGRAIN key concepts of Media Studies.
The trailer for Belle clearly shows the audience the time the movie was set due to the costumes that were worn. It was set in England in the late 1700s were racial attitudes has not completely changed compared today. This would attract the American audience as the film portrays the British culture back in the days. The non-diegetic sound helps to create the setting of an old-fashion British lifestyle. The trailer itself helps to promote the film as it would be distributed around social media but also on the trailer, they reveal comments and ratings on the film. The trailer also shows the meaning behind the film, which is to do with racism and it includes the words "I have no idea she would be so black".
2) Find examples of television promotion on YouTube (adverts, chat shows, ‘red carpet’ interviews etc.) and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
This red carpet interview promotes the film because it helps create a buzz about the film Belle. This would be posted on YouTube which would interest people and help bring more interest to Belle.
This interview for the main character Gugu Mbatha-Raw and the director Amma Asante, allows the audience to see the true identity of the main character and the ambitions of the director. This helps maintain the audiences attention toward the film as they would be intrigued to find out more about the Belle.
The chat show between most of the characters from Belle gives the audience some behind the scenes information about Belle. This helps promote the film because it keeps everyone interested and it helps increase the audience for the film as people would pay more attention to it.
3) Does the broadcast promotion use stars to create interest in the film?
Yes, especially the main star as she is not a known actress and it was her first time doing a period drama therefore people are able to develop a personal relationship with her. People were amazed with the way she portrayed her character and so she was in most of the interviews and chat shows.
Print
1) Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
Rotten Tomatoes- "a spirited, good-natured and crowd-pleasing costume drama"
Time Out- "a good-looking and exceedingly polite film"
IMDb- "worth traveling to see"
2) Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
1) Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
Rotten Tomatoes- "a spirited, good-natured and crowd-pleasing costume drama"
Time Out- "a good-looking and exceedingly polite film"
IMDb- "worth traveling to see"
2) Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
This magazine cover promotes the film also because the main character is once again posing in a sophisticated manner. The font used to write the title of the film "Belle" is also similar to the font used for the DVD cover.
3) Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.
Rolling Out is a magazine provides black celebrity news, entertainment, business and politics. Therefore it helps to increase the film Belle's fan base due to the relatable theme and narrative that Belle provides.
Gugu is portrayed in this magazine as a strong representation of women and as someone that all women should follow. This is because the posture that Gugu is posing conveys power and strength. The sell line also states the word "empower" which is definitely the theme that the magazine is trying to depict. The pose and the setting around her is usually how important royal people were asked to pose when having their painting drawn. Since she is in olden time costumer, the magazine might bring enigma codes as people will be confused why a mixed race women would be allowed to pose like that especially if the movie was set in the 1700's. This also gives hints about the narrative of the film because it is a true story all based around a picture where two women were drawn with equal standards despite being different races.
The film brand is constructed around the font of Belle as it is a recognizable way to recognize the film. Also the main character is a big part to the brand because she is always shown on chat shows or print promotions and when she is shown on these print works she is in the costume for the film and is posing in a sophisticated and powerful manner.
The brand connotes strength and power to the ones who are looked down on but also it connotes the 1700s and how racial opinions were much different then then how they are today. Overall, it connotes the settings of the film which brings the powerful meaning behind Belle.
This can be said to be similar to Ill manors because the ill Manors brand was also the font of ill Manors and how they conveyed the setting of the film which was estate buildings which then gives more information on the meaning behind the film.
E-media
1) Research the film’s presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. How does the film’s social media presence help promote the film?
On Twitter, there were a lot of hashtags used for the film such as #bellemovie. This helps promote the film because the more hashtags being used and seen the more people will want to know and see Belle which could make the hashtag go trending.
On Facebook, the Bell page has a lot of people who follow the page and therefore, in order to promote the film and maintain the interest of the readers, videos and pictures as well as statuses about Belle was constantly uploaded so that the audience can gain knowledge about the film.
On Instagram, there wasn't a page for promoting Belle, however, numerous amounts of hashtags of users who enjoyed the film was to be seen. This helps promote the film because more and more people will see the hashtag as well as a picture of or from the movie. This can help expand the fan base for the film.
2) Analyse the official website for the film. How does it use the film’s brand? What examples of synergy can you find with the other platforms?
http://www.belle-themovie.com/#/
The website has a big picture of Gugu, the main character on the website. There are many details that are on the website. The trailer besides other videos are on the website along with pictures from the movie. Links to social media is seen on the website, which is an example of synergy, as well as film review quotes from The New York Times and the Screen Daily. The website uses the film's brand as Gugu is seen in her usual 1700's costume but also the font of Belle is clearly seen at the top.
3) Did the film run any kind of e-media based campaign to generate interest in the film?
There was synergy shown during the campaign on twitter where people would hashtag #belle along side with#12yearsaslave which is a popular movie to do with racism. This would have helped promote the film and make it more known.
4) Can you find any examples of the two-step flow theory online – did celebrities or journalists tweet or post about the film in order to promote it to their followers?
On Facebook, Oprah Winfrey stated: I loved the #BelleMovie so much I invited cast to lunch at my house. GuGu Mbatha-Raw is a rising star! Watch tonite on Entertainment Tonight.
She then uploaded a picture of her with the stars of Belle.
This is an example of the two-step flow theory because, as a famous person who has millions of fans that look up to her and listen to her advice besides opinion. Oprah has shown her fan base that she loves the movie. This promotes the film because her fans would be interested to watch the movie and perhaps even love it because Oprah did. Also the picture she uploaded helps to promote the film and the stars as people would recognize them after seeing the picture.
Audience
1) Who is the target audience for this film? Demographics and psychographics.
The target audience for Belle would be people of the age 24-50 who are reformers and strugglers. They would be in the demographic group of B and C1 so in the middle of the social class group as they would be interested in the setting of the film.
2) How does the cross-media promotional campaign target this audience?
It target the audience through social media and synergy between broadcast and e-media especially with relating the film with 12 years a slave which shares a similar narrative.
3) What audience pleasures does the film provide? Think about the BFI lecture on audience pleasures in British film.
Due to the use of British accents and olden time costumes that was worn in the 1700s, this would appeal to the British audience but also the American audience as they usually enjoy watching films that provide a historical background on Britain. There is also a sense of personal relationship in the film as the audience would feel sympathy for Dido and would taker her side and view her as the protagonist.
4) What similar films would the target audience enjoy? Justify your suggestions.
Films with a story behind it would greatly appeal to the target audience for example 12 years a slave. Other films would be those who send a positive message or a film that displays the change form our generation to the earlier generations.
Institution
1) Which film studio produced the film? What other films have they produced? Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
DJ Films
Isle of Man Film
Pinewood Pictures
BFI
2) Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed?
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Slumdog Millionaire , 12 Years a Slave , and Birdman
3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
The films that they produce can be similar and the target audience is also similar but that is not the case for all the films.
4)What was the budget for the film?
$10.9m
5) How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?
Financially, the film was successful as at box office, it made $15,500,793. This was due to the narrative of Belle. However, Belle's e-media and print campaign helped promote the film and make it more known.
6) Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?
7) What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?
12A because the film has some parts of the film may be too much for people under the age of 12.
1) What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
Representation of black people and white rich people is made here which brings us to what Dyer suggested about people with power stereotype those with less power. Their was representations of the places as their were many big houses and mansions shown which represents wealth and riches.
2) What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain?
The film overall contains a lot of 'Britishness'. You can see this through the british accents used and the costumes that people in Britain would wear in the 1700's. This also applies to the setting of the film as it is set in the late British times.
3) How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors?
Ill Manors represents Britain as 'broken britain' and shows all the drugs and violence that happens on the streets. However, Belle showed the posh and rich side that Britain had.
4) What values and ideologies can you find in your chosen film? (E.g. The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy etc.)
The main ideology and value shown here is about going against the ideology of everyone not being equal. Also the factor of strength and difference is applied to the film.
1) What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.
All the films are filmed and show some sort of British side. They all show some sort of reality and Belle and Ill Manors are both based on some sort of true story but Ill Manors focuses more on social realism.
Pinewood Pictures
BFI
2) Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed?
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Slumdog Millionaire , 12 Years a Slave , and Birdman
3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
The films that they produce can be similar and the target audience is also similar but that is not the case for all the films.
4)What was the budget for the film?
$10.9m
5) How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?
Financially, the film was successful as at box office, it made $15,500,793. This was due to the narrative of Belle. However, Belle's e-media and print campaign helped promote the film and make it more known.
6) Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?
7) What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?
12A because the film has some parts of the film may be too much for people under the age of 12.
Representation
1) What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
Representation of black people and white rich people is made here which brings us to what Dyer suggested about people with power stereotype those with less power. Their was representations of the places as their were many big houses and mansions shown which represents wealth and riches.
2) What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain?
The film overall contains a lot of 'Britishness'. You can see this through the british accents used and the costumes that people in Britain would wear in the 1700's. This also applies to the setting of the film as it is set in the late British times.
3) How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors?
Ill Manors represents Britain as 'broken britain' and shows all the drugs and violence that happens on the streets. However, Belle showed the posh and rich side that Britain had.
4) What values and ideologies can you find in your chosen film? (E.g. The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy etc.)
The main ideology and value shown here is about going against the ideology of everyone not being equal. Also the factor of strength and difference is applied to the film.
Case study comparison
1) What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.
All the films are filmed and show some sort of British side. They all show some sort of reality and Belle and Ill Manors are both based on some sort of true story but Ill Manors focuses more on social realism.
Sunday 19 April 2015
Section B exam question plan
Consider how imaginative techniques are used by media products from your cross-media study to attract and maintain audiences. Support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms
[32 marks]
Introduction
Introduce industry (film), case studies : Ill Manors, A field In England & Belle
Imaginative techniques are used by media products by...
(one sentence to answer question)
Par 1
Ill Manors e-media (what it was)
- Tag london, the publicity that Ill Manors got from it + the websites {brand}
- celebrities [=two step flow theory], twitter. The tweeted there opinions which their fans would support which got people talking
- Maintain - social network, continuously updating, hashtag . keeping people interested with new uploads and details
- June- September (DVD release)
Par 2
Ill Manors Print
- Audience attracted by strong brand. The "Ill Manors" font portraying the estate buildings became familiar
- Magazine interviews/ Men's health £1,000 jacket. Displayed a different side of Plan B which is a different approach to the audience
- NME magazine- political angle. Directed towards David Cameron which attracted the audience due to its imaginative technique.
Par 3
Ill Manors Broadcast
- Tedx talk with Plan B. Audience is able to learn about Ill Manors and Plan B himself
- Radio 1 or SBTV or TV chat show. shows the reality of Ill Manors and the actors especially the director plan b. Once again audience is attracted because they want to know more about Ill Manors
- Music video...(maintain) there would be old fans who listened to plan B who would continue to support him. The music video links well to the film ..
Par 4
A Field In England
- Imaginative distribution- all platforms on same day. Attracts the audience and is an imaginative technique as no one has ever done that before due to the risk of the popularity rate not being long.
- Arthouse film -typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience.
- little money used compared to other hollywood films like Skyfall
Par 5
Independant case study- Belle
- mis-en-scene of Belle. Costumes... Lighting... Actors/Actress... Make-up...Props...Setting
- Oprah Winfrey- America- two step flow theory
- the red carpet interviews
- Americans love watching British films- (British accents used)
Conclusion
Summarise all points considered and reach a logical conclusion/ answer
Wednesday 18 March 2015
Production Targets 18/03/2015
-Mise-en-scene- what's in the background?
-Use over the shoulder shots (shots reverse) for dialogue
-Avoid zooms
-Tighter focus after each edit; medium shot to close up
-Sitting down instead of EBlock scene
-Reduce volume during dialogue
-Instrumental music
-Re-shoot blurred shot of Alison then add surveillance filler/text,etc
-All shots the same frame size
-Opening, more dialogue
-Titles
-Use over the shoulder shots (shots reverse) for dialogue
-Avoid zooms
-Tighter focus after each edit; medium shot to close up
-Sitting down instead of EBlock scene
-Reduce volume during dialogue
-Instrumental music
-Re-shoot blurred shot of Alison then add surveillance filler/text,etc
-All shots the same frame size
-Opening, more dialogue
-Titles
Turtorial Targets 18/03/2015
Front Cover
-fewer fonts& fewer straplines-sale? move circle
-move strap lines right
-most prominent strapline; image
- avoid overlapping image
-make masthead recognizable
-New Fun?
Double Page Spread
-'the scenes'; loose shadow?
-standfirst; reword + justifying
-quotes; same font
-second image; edit?
-paragraphing spacing
Friday 13 March 2015
MEST1 Section B: index
January 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors film review
January 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors trailer analysis
January 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors tedx lecture
January 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors music video
January 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors tedx lecture
January 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors music video
February 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors broadcast platform concluded
February 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors print platform initial tasks
February 2015 > Ill Manors > print platform branding
March 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors e-media tag london campaign
March 2015 > Ill Manors > social media research questions
March 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors official website
March 2015 > Ill Manors > ill manors institution research
March 2015 > A Field In England > mest1 section b field in england.html
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