Audience Tasks part 1

Audience Tasks part 1 - Summary of Bfi statistical yearbook 2012

According to the 2012 BFI statistical yearbook the total  size of film audiences in the UK in 2011 was estimated to be 5.1 billion. Television was accounted for 77% of the total film audience, followed by video which was 14 percent, then downloading and streaming via all sources at 5.5% and finally cinema 3.4%.

A more in depth look at the stats and figures of audience size in 2011

Film by age

The graph above shows age trends in cinema goers from 1997- 2007. The amount of people who go to the cinema aged 45 and above have increased at the expense of younger cinema goers from 1997-2008 and increased again in 2011 following 2 years of decline. According to the BFI yearbook this was caused by the number of box office success aimed at this particular audience of older cinema goers; these films include The kings speech, Jane Eyre and Tinker Tailor soldier spy.

According to the statistical yearbook, family films such as Gnomeo and Juliet and Horrid Henry the movie appealed to the 7- 14 year old audience whereas comedies such as The Hangover part 2 and The Inbetweeners movie and action films such as the Fast and Furious 5 appealed to the 15- 24 age group. Parents and careers of children meant that shares for family films such as Arthur's christmas and Kung fu panda 2 were higher than average. The films Kings speech, Sherlock Holmes: A game of thrones and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy managed to attract a mass audience of cinema-goers in the 45- 54 age group. Furthermore according to the yearbook UK films appealed strongly to the over 55 audience.

Film by Gender 
According to the graph below men preferred action films such as Captain America, Mission Impossible - Ghost protocal, and transformers dark of the moon whereas films such as Bridesmaids, Jane Erye, One Day and the Twilight saga Breaking dawn part 1 had a much greater share in the female demographic.

 Film by social Group
 From the graph below, one can establish that films such as Jane Eyre, Kings Speech, One Day, Senna and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy featured a strong appeal to the AB audience whereas films such as Fast and Furious 5 and Johnny English Reborn were found to be much more appealing to the DE audience.

 
 
 

Representation

Representation in the media and the Male gaze

Representation

Representation refers to the construction of aspects of 'reality' in any medium. These elements of reality include people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be depicted in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures.

The gaze
The concept of the gaze refers to the ways in which the audience view the people presented.
 The male gaze can be traced back to the essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" which was produced by  film theorist Laura Mulvey in 1975.

Mulvey states that women in film are seen as objects of desire.
Mulvey believes that film audience view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male and thus women are seen more as objects.


Three parts of to the Male Gaze

• Men looking at women
• According to Mulvey's theory men are more inclined to look at the 'curvy parts' of the female body. One feature of the male gaze is that cameras tend to be more focused on these 'curvy parts' thus objectifying women on film
•  Women looking at themselves
• Women are made to look at themselves in a negative way, comparing their appearance against the women depicted in the media and finding faults with their appearance. This make women aspire to be like the 'ideal woman' depicted in these texts.
• Women looking at women
• Women are forced to look at other women through the perspective of a 'heterosexual male viewer' therefore women can see the women on screen in a sexual way. However according to the theory they judge and compare themselves to the other women on screen.

How have websites used convergence to increase audience awareness and participation in order to promote and sustain interest in the film?

How have websites used convergence to increase audience awareness and participation in order to promote and sustain interest in the film?

Gangster squad is an American action crime film directed by Reuben Fleischer released in January 2013.

http://gangstersquad.warnerbros.com/

The official website to the film uses a range of features which shows evidence of media convergence.

For example in the lower left hand side of the page there's a link to social media sites such as facebook, twitter and youtube. 

These links link to official pages of the film and increase audience awareness by targeted sites which have a mass audience. Furthermore on the side of these links is a share tab to share the website on theses social networking sites. This as an effect is viral marketing and allows the link to this site spread fast around the internet. Additionally these official pages sustain interest in their audience by releasing updates to these audiences news feed for instance say if one likes the official Facebook page of gangster squad they will be constantly updated with news of the film as well as teasers and sometimes competitions which involve audiences.

The website also features a download page full of free downloads such as wallpapers for desktop and laptop computers as well as ipad, iphone and Facebook cover posters. The purpose of this is to keep the audiences constantly interested for instance say if one were to download a skin for a personal device such as a phone the first thing they would see when they use said product would be essentially a free advert for the company. In addition the downloads are for media products which are widely used therefore audiences are exposed to this "free advert" for a long time. Facebook covers create a new effect however, they have been developed more for the viral marketing side. To elaborate by people downloading and using this cover for Facebook a popular  networking site this creates easy promotion for the film since people will be looking at these covers when browsing their friends profiles.

Moreover the website also includes a sweepstakes tab which audiences by introducing a competition which a grand prize that is very desirable. This will cause mass audiences to sign up to this competition while endorsing the film in the background and thus creates awareness of the film.

In addition the website also offers a link to a page concerning the original soundtrack of the film; within this page features preview sound samples which people can listen to and also share via the facebook like tab on the page. The significance of this is by sharing bits of the soundtrack to the public that can be easily accessed this may get audiences who listen to said sounds in a mood for the film which will generate and or sustain interest in the film, not only this but the addition of the integration of social media will allow people to share their listening experiences with others with a the click of a simple like button. This as an effect creates viral marketing which promotes the film.

Overall the website to the film Gangster squad converges with many social media formats and use many social devices and events to promote and sustain interest in its product for example the share tab located on the websites front page for users to share the website and allow it to be promoted viraly or featuring content that is exclusively used by phones and ipads which are social devices which can easily share this type of content thus promoting the film in a similar manner.

Looper

Looper is an American science fiction film written and directed by Rian Johnson and was released in September 2012.

 http://www.loopermovie.com/site/

Similar to the Gangster Squad website the official site to looper uses media convergence to increase its audience awareness in order to promote and sustain interest in the film.

For example both the Gangster Squad and looper website feature a share tab which link to social media sites such as Facebook twitter and Facebook however the website to looper has a specific hashtag to looper's twitter page. This allows users to tweet and share their opinions about the film while generating search interest in the film looper and thus promoting the film.  Moreover the use of currently popular social media formats which allow people to subscribe to news feeds such as tumblr,instagram allow the producers to share content such as images to a mass audience and generate interest.



Furthermore the website is very interactive with the user offer a non conventional way of exploring the site a navigation system that is very reminiscent in the GUI of many video games. This may generate even more entertainment value by exploring the site, this entertainment value may produce into a sort of word of mouth for the site as users can easily share their feelings about the website via the share tab located on the site. This in turn will help promote the film as the film will gain a mass following as audiences will share the link to the site on popular sites such as Facebook and twitter.

The looper site also includes a downloads page, similar to Gangster squad users can download wallpapers for twitter or for their personal devices such as computers and laptops. The idea behind these free downloads is to create free endorsement for the product for example for twitter by people using these wallpapers for their twitter account many of the people following the account will be exposed to the looper graphic and brand and therefore producers have easily generated audience awareness. Furthermore by including a download page this generates even more interactivity with the audience as it allows audiences to take away something from their experience of visiting the site thus subtly sustaining interest in the film as audiences will are more likely to remember their visit to the site with a sort of sovenier to keep; the wallpaper on their desktop. This evidences how the site is converging with social media platforms and using official wallpapers based on the film to sustain interest.

Another evidence of media convergence is how the site integrates video to promote and sustain interest in the film. The site features a separate tab for video which includes teaser trailers which have been created to tease audiences into gaining an interest in the film with its short highlights of the film. Furthermore on the video tab it mentions you can earn up to 250 sony reward points by watching the trailers. This creates interest in the film as sony reward points allow users to buy vouchers and products using these points therefore by offering this points in such an easy and relaxed way to audiences, viewers are more inclined to click on these links to get the "free stuff" whilst being exposed to the film; this creates easy promotion for the film. Moreover video content is something so ideal for sharing with friends especially with a sony rewards scheme, users will be more inclined to share the news of this video deal thus promoting the film among friends and family.

In addition the site has also converged with the video game medium by including a tab dedicated to web games that have been developed in conjunction to the film. The purpose of these little min games is generate more interactivity with the audience and the website this in turn creates for a more memorable experience and sustain interest in the film. Moreover audiences can share their playing experience via a like tab which links directly to one Facebook feed thus promoting the film on facebook a large social media network.

In conclusion the officail site to looper  uses convergence by using integrated social media devices  just like the gangster squad website to improve its communications with audiences and distribute information easily.However the looper site features many interactive tools such as games and a unique GUI to create a more memorable experience that may sustain interest in the film
 
 

Media studies - exhibition

Media studies - exhibition

What happened in the summer of 2007?

• Cinema attendance rose to its highest point in 40 years

What do exhibitors need and what are the problems facing them in the 21st century?

• what they is
• The problems they are currently facing is piracy and how to deal with the wide distribution of pirated films which are causing the industry to take less risks when developing a film.

What has driven the rise in cinema audiences since 1984?

• The opening of multiplexes and the release of good films

location
Why were the older multiplexes out of town? What did they need? Whats happened in recent years?

• Multiplexes were out of town because of the size of them and also because they were very expensive to build
• Multiplexes need a nice viewing experience to do well, this includes a large screen, comfortable seats, good sound and picture quality and also a well thought out placement of seats.
• Multiplexes have been moving back into town centres in recent years.

Curzon Cinemas/City Screen are niche exhibitors - how do they compete against the majors?

• They would show a mix of blockbuster and art-house films.

Audience
Who are an increasing part of the changing audience of cinema goers?

• The Baby Boomer generation

How do film bookers decide what films go where? How far in advance are films booked? When are their decisions reviewed?

• Films are booked 2- 4 weeks ahead.
• The decide what films go where by working out what film would appeal to the local demographic.
• They make their decision via opening weekend stats.

The vue cinema chain spent millions doing research called mosaic profiling. What did they discover?

• The vue discovered by appealing to a certain ethnicity they can fill their cinemas - showing bollywood films in a predominately Asian area may increase the size of your audience.

How do people decide which cinema to go to? Where does brand tend to be in the top ten?

• People decide on which cinema to go to by taking in such questions into consideration; how am I going to get there, what films are showing etc.
•   Brand names tends to come 8th in the top ten.

How do Curzon cinemas attempt to differentiate between themselves and the majors?

• By screening specialised films.

What percentage of audience leaving a cinema did not know the name or brand of that cinema?

• 75 %

Whats going to happen with the arrival of digital projection?

• It will allow cinemas to show live sports and events or show films based on a simultaneous audience vote.
•  Digital 3D will make film going more like an event

How will the digital screen network help niche exhibitors like Curzon reach a wider audience than their typical 25-45 age range?

• It will allow Curzon to store more films and set up viewing easier.

How are cinemas attempting to differentiate themselves from home entertainment?

• Cinemas are attempting to differentiate themselves from home entertainment by making cinemas much more event like.

Cutting it analysis

 Cutting it analysis

Cutting It is a tv drama series set in Manchester, England, following on the lives of a group of people running a hairdressing salon. It ran for four series between 2002 and 2005. 

Editting

Prezi from wolfgang1

Visual effects

• ring recolouring - the ring has been recoloured with a blue tint furthermore the ring is very bright; foreshadows a bad event that may tear apart his relationship.
• slow motion- in the running to shows the mans futile efforts  to save the woman and to enhance the drama.

Mis en scene
Location

• The interior of the consultants office and taxi are both studio builds
• The cafe and hospital were shot on location
• The cafe connotes a calm environment in contrast to the office which conveys a sense of worry.
• The scenes set in the taxi allows viewers to gain an insight into the relationship between the two characters.  

Objects and Props

• Scattered flowers- symbolise death; flowers reminiscent of flower reaths at funerals 
• Her floral dress also emphasises this link

• Wedding ring -shown  in several symbolic shots, during times of uncertainty, man's ring is the main focus. showing its importance in the show.

 Lighting

•  Light placed away from the taxi - if light is used as a symbol for life it could be suggested they are moving away from life and or leaving it behind.
• The woman's face is slightly shadowed before the doctors appointment - foreshadowing her death.
• Doctors place, unnatural light - emphasise the cruelty of her death

  
Camera shots and movement 

• Two shot in the taxi -frames conveys couples intimacy and allows audiences to make a connection between the two characters.  
• Ariel shot - contrasts with the taxi shot as audiences are distanced from the couple and also conveys the woman's vulnerability.
• Extreme close up of the ring - the man is fiddling with the ring; he is holding onto their marriage. 
• POV shot - creates tension; puts the audience in the drivers seat, we get to feel the shock he is feeling.
• Crane shot of the doctors office - we do not hear any speech nor do we see the full interior, this could interpreted as the woman having an outer body experience because of how surreal her news is.
• Close up shot of the woman crying - the emotion on her face is mixed and conveys neither happiness or sadness; from this we don't know if its good or bad news this as an effect creates tension.
• Establishing shot of the exterior of hospital - establishes location and gives us and idea of where they are going as previously mentioned in the taxi shots.
• Alternating shots of the couple - allows audience to see both characters interacting with each other. In the shots that centre on the man we can see the woman, however in the shots that centre on the woman we cant see the man. Perhaps this relates to her feelings towards the man; shes just not interested in him nor is he even part of her world.
• Close up of them holding hands - reinforces their intimacy.

Sounds 

Verbal Soundtrack

• Dialogue,voiceover,narrations
• The dialogue between the characters shows the viewer the characters thoughts and emotions. This also mixes with background noises.

Soundtrack  

•  Natural Sounds, pauses and silence
  
• Natural sounds -The car skidding shows something bad has happened even though audiences cant see what has happened.

Music Score

•  Stings - an extract of a song
•  Stings - a slow and sombre song played during the cafe and office scenes. This blocks out the dialogue so the audience can't hear whats being said.
• The last line of the song before it fades is "remember what you see"this may hold some relevance talking to the audience to prepare themselves for the "big shock".
• The sound of the heart beat - blocks out his surroundings emphasises his fear.
• When audiences see the man holding the woman body we hear dramatic music which builds the tension.

Ambient Sound

• General background noise
• Dialogue louder than the diagetic sound of moving traffic -sets the scene

What are the key features of certain sub genre dramas ?

What are the key features of certain sub genre dramas ?

Crime Drama

Location

Crime drama' are often set in an urban setting within these settings scene can generally take place within police stations, law courts and crime scenes.

General Plots

Often plots revolve around a crime or a mystery the protagonist has to revolve these crimes tend to differ depending on the type of crime drama for instance a one off crime drama normally focuses on crimes that would create the most anxiety among a viewing audience for example serial killings or murder. Whereas a long running tv drama will have various sub plots over time that builds on character development for example the crime drama "The Bill featured many subplots that focused on the private lives on the police officers.

Key elements and themes

• A mystery that creates tension throughout the viewing type and hooks viewers in ( the mystery is generally established in the first opening scenes i.e  a person covered completely by the darkness murders someone).
• A resolution to said mystery.
• Questions of morality.
• The binary opposition of Good vs evil.
• Struggle in the police department.
• Corruption and betrayal.

Character stock types  

• The troubled detective- this character tends to be a brilliant mind however suffers from a flaw that is sometimes the centre of a plot and the growth of their character e.g the character Monk and his OCD or the character Sherlock and his arrogance and anti- social traits.
• The sidekick - this tends to fill the role of the detectives short comings and serves as a sort of child to the detective e.g. Watson's relationship with Sherlock Holmes in the crime drama Sherlock.
• The crooked cop - this  character tends to be a policeman who uses more unconventional ways of dealing with crime - Detective Gene Hunt in life on mars.
•  The victim -the person who is affected by the crime; these characters serve as a mechanism for the plot to continue and may have a small role in the interaction of characters.
• The criminal -the person who has committed the crime and serves as the main antagonist for the narrative.

Medical Drama

General plots 

Plots based around staff who work in a medical institution and their personal life and relationships. However many character who don't work in the medical field can also be the subject of a plot for example the medical drama causality features many plots that revolve around patients dealing with life threatening disease and implications this may have on their loved ones around them.(This saturday's synopsis of causality is a good example of themes that are conventional to medical drama's)


Themes

• Plots that centre around the medical staff's interaction with each other - two doctors struggling as a couple is very common.
•  Loss - the implications of losing a loved one in the hospital
• Pregnancy - this tends to be a theme revolving around a woman on the verge of giving birth in an awkward location and tension is created here as we see the character hurry her to the hospital
• Terminal illness' or operations- this refers to illness' such as cancer or organ transplant which if not treated right could lead to death. The drama is created here as we see characters worry about losing their loved ones or the implications of living with cancer.
• Drug addiction - the effects it has on family, friends and on us.
• Plots that revolve around the emergency department (Casualty, ER, Holby city, Casualty 1900's) 

 

Fantasy

General plots 
Fantasy drama revolve around characters dealing with supernatural situations. This dramas tend to be set in different time periods such as the medieval like world of game of thrones or depict the present day with some supernatural differences for example the drama being human is set in the modern day however in the being human mythos werewolves, vampires and ghosts are real.

 Conventions

• Mythical creatures that capture the audiences imagination- These creatures tend to be creature from well known texts such as unicorns and dragons and thus allow audiences to easily recognise and identify them.
•  Superhumans or super powers - This theme tends to feature in more modern dramas due to the sudden rise of popularity of comic book figures and themes. An example of shows that feature these themes are the us drama heroes and the UK drama misfits. This serves as escapism for viewers; giving them hope that they can one day achieve said powers featured in these shows and once they do thay can sort out their problems using these powers.
• Magic - This feature is generally used to immerse viewers in the setting and shares a similar purpose with the theme of super powers.
• Good vs evil - a key concept that allows the narritve to continue and engages viewers to see how good will ultimately triumph over evil.

  

Soap

General plots
 Soap opera narratives tend to be open ended and can cross over each other and lead into further developments. An  episode of a soap opera will generally switch between several different story lines that can occur within the same time frame these stories can link and affect one another or may run entirely independent of each other. Each episode may feature some of the show's current storylines but not always all of them. Generally around the Christmas season the years plotlines resolve with new one being conceived as an aftermath of what took place place earlier for example someone dying on Christmas day and in the new year the shows cast must deal with the fallout.

Conventions 

•  Open endings- also known as cliff hangers; aimed at retaining audiences
•  Multiple Plots and Characters - Storyline which are usually interwoven. Scenes and events move
  continuously between different characters and plots.
• Simplified and stereotypical characters - audiences can easliy identify who is who and their role.
• Domestic and social locations - House, pubs, shops and motels can offer a wide variety of situations in which character can interact in. 
•  Stories which allow moral judgement - This allows the viewer to comment on whether what the characters themselves do is right i.e. teen pregnancy and is it right to abort an unplanned child.
•  Strong Female Characters - women shown as relatively powerful either in domestic or
  professional settings e.g. Peggy Mitchel in the soap Eastenders.
• The constant illusion of real time.
• The dominance of digetic sounds .
• Stories that focus on current socail issues e.g coronation streets current storyline on the domestic abuse of men.
• The dominance of two shots and over - the shoulder shots of conversations.
• Highly symbolic costumes and set designs i.e audiences can identify peoples social status can class via the costume they wear - a man wear a suit could connote he is of wealth.    

Youth

General plot 
Youth drama often focus on problems and situations that revolve around teenagers and the youth. This range from dealing with school to gangs, sex, drug addiction and domestic issues.

Conventions

• Social issues of concern - these tend to be issues that generally affect teenagers and allow character to be much more relatable  to their viewing audience. Some social issues include teen pregnancy, crime, relationships and fitting in school.
• Domestic issues and their impact on the youth - This refers to issues such as domestic violence or divorce in the family and how they can impact teenagers. These stories can also serve as aid for teens; showing them that these situations are not uncommon.
• School setting - the school tends to serve as a setting for teen characters to interact, this is also where most of the drama is created.
• Stereotypes of teenagers - These make the character to be easily identified and allow audiences to relate to them easier.

 

Issue Based
General plot
Issue based dramas cover a wide range of topics and contraversial issues that may affect its viewership.

Themes and conventions 

• Debates on ethics and morality
• Political issues - these explore current politcal issues and sometimes political issues of the past.
• Youth issues -these tend to crossover with issues seen in youth dramas. These issues include drug addiction, relationships and teen pregnancy. However in issue based dramas these issues are treated with more care and can sometimes be less sensationalised.
•  Gender representation - the role of men and women in relationships and society. These generally depict inequality and male dominance.
• Social class divisions
• Stereotypes - this helps depict a general idea of certain demographics; these stereotypes can depict certain social groups well but others not so great.