Production and Distribution Companies

The more modern cinemas use a digital format to distribute their new releases. the cinemas use a system called DCP which is like a USB card that gets shipped around in a protective case, this is because it improves the protection of the film from pirates, as each USB only has a certain number of licenses on it. the DCP is signed for by the cinema and then the cinema are given a code to activate the new release. Some cinemas still use the original 35mm projectors but these are usually used for special events. Many cinemas around the world are trying to come up with new technology using a satellite to reduce the cost od distribution which has already decreased loads over the last 10 years. this is where under secure servers the films are downloaded and the film and projectors are accessed by the satellite and are broadcaster on the screens. this method is used by projects such as the national theatre live and opera live and has been very successful. Distribution entails the way in which something is shared out among a group or spread over an area. Distribution is also a way to make a product well known, similar to advertising.

I believe that films are shown to create a larger profit than what would be made from the purchase of films afterwards. For example a cinema ticket is around £10 each whereas a film could be around £5 so they would be making a small profit, but thinking that on a large scale they'll be making hundreds per film that is shown. also if the film is good people usually buy the film on DVD after which is an added profit. They are also shown in cinemas as it has a better atmosphere in a cinema as the sound, screen  is better and it also has special effects such as the 3d and 4d films. This gives the viewer a better experience than what they would get at home.

Small based film companied like UNITEL  do not have as much money like the larger production companies like DreamWorks, warner bros and newline cinemas. this means that the larger production companies can pay for their films to be shown on more screens whereas the smaller companies are only shown on 1 maybe 2 screens. for example in the Mansfield Odeon cinema the film Il Travotore was produced by the small company UNITEL and was shown on one screen in the cinema o one day where as the film Trainspotting 2 is produced by Tri-Star pictures and cloud nine productions is shown on 18 screens in one week. this causes an argument over who gets the most power over cinemas and what film get shown on which screens.

Another argument about who hold the most power involves to BBFC which have the power to see which films get shown. for example if they feel that the scenes are not appropriate for the classification they can cut it off and the film will not be shown to the public. the companies again hold a lot of the power as the more money and bugged they have means that then can control the cinemas and what is shown better. the audience also have a lot of power as they are the ones that watch the films. this means that if the genre or the actors in the film aren't well known they the will get less attention.

Small Uk based companies have other problems like the funding that they need to make produce, develop, broadcast and promote the film. The small companies will struggle to develop and produce a film on half the amount of budget as the larger companies would get. this would mean that the special effects, the sound and other large parts in the film would not be as good, clear or as realistic as the larger companies would be. 

Above the line (ATL) and below the line production (BTL) are two terms that are used in advertising. to quote Michael Baker from the marketing book, the terms came into existence in 1954 with the company proctor and gamble. ATL is advertising where mass media is used to promote and reach out to the target audience. this is advertised and promoted on TV, radio, print, internet and social media. this is the wider spread of advertising and reaches out to more people. BTL advertising is more personal and one to one. it involves the distribution on promotions, leaflets, stickers, banners and brochures. this is used to target a smaller target audience and more one to one situations

film companies use websites as a way of promoting the film and promoting their upcoming films. they are used to attract an audience and to create a profit. I used the website for the Disney film moana,  http://movies.disney.co.uk/moana. this website shows audiences, the trailers and special clips of the film. it also shows cast members and interactive page for children, information advertising other Disney films and also sells merchandise available to purchase. this is a good way for the film to get themselves out their and the show other parts of the film.

Extra investigation into UK cinemas.

I have looks at several cinemas and analysed them, I have looked into Odeon Cinema in Derby, Cineworld in Chesterfield, Odeon cinema in Mansfield, Cineworld Nottingham and

1. 10 screens at Odeon derby with 13films being showed and 8 being showed several times
2. 14 screens at cineworld Nottingham with 23 films being shown and 10 being shown multiple times.
3. 10 at cineworld chesterfield with 12 films being shown and 8 being shown multiple times.
4. 8 screens at Odeon Mansfield with 10 films being shown and 6 being shown multiple times.
5. 11 screens at VUE Doncaster with 12 films being shown and 7 being shown several times.

10 films have been shown at all of the 5 cinemas. including films like beauty and the beast, ghost in the shell, the boss baby, power rangers and smurfs which are all big budget films so they will obviously have there films shown in many more cinemas around the world.

Prelimary task - How we got on?

filming gang:)

After making out storyboard about a month ago for our preliminary task we finally finished editing out short film today. 3 weeks ago we finished our filming which we had quite a few problems with as when we created our storyboard we let our imagination go wild as later on we discovered that it would be quite hard to film some of the scenes so we had to change it around slightly. there was also a slight problem with the actual filming to as some of the scenes did not look right and looked cheesy as we started to edit them so we did a second day of filming which was much more successful than the first. we also had to film a voice over that was to be used in the short film which was quite hard to record as we struggled to come up with a script that made sense and fitted in with the rest of the film scene. we edited the short film using adobe premiere pro which was quite hard to understand at first but once we got the hang of it, it was quite easy to use. I wasn't very experimental at this point as I didn't want to ruin the scenes and make them cheesy looking by adding lots of effects like checkerboard, dissolve and fade so I decided to just use one effect which was fade as a transition between time passing. I hope to be more experimental in the opening scene in the future. I am pleased with he outcome of this project as I feel like the three of us worked well as a group and the ideas we came up with were good. I also feel like the children we filmed with us influenced some of the ideas so we could make the experience enjoyable and safe for them. our parents also influence some ideas when we showed them which helped us eliminate the cheesy parts of the scene.

Premliminary Task

Soundtrack and sound design

What Is sound design and soundtracks?
Sound tracks can be music or songs to fit in to the chosen film, they help to create an emotional effect onto the audience. Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. 
the sound design is important in all films and media as it involves the audience and help create a emotional effect and makes the film iconic and memorable to the audience for example in the film phsyco or jaws.
sound design and music can be used in the editing process to delete natural sound like wind or background noise or to enhance certain sounds like quiet dialogue.

During the analysis of these films I will be writing about the music, the role is plays and the effectiveness of the music.





1- Psycho
the music used in the shower scene is instrumental and has violin discords. the role the music plays reflects the screaming sound as the victims voice is edited alongside the music it also amplifies her screaming and shouting. The music is effective because it is used to make us upset and shock us deliberately .






2-Trainspotting
The music used during the opening scene is upbeat and uses instruments like the drums, guitar and also unusual sounds like tyre screeching and also a voiceover on top of the music. the soundtrack was preformed by Iggy pop. the upbeat music shows the characters music taste and how much they love the music. the upbeat music is showing there lust for life and also shows there addiction to heroin and the music and also there personality's. the action in the opening scene is reflected by the music again as they are being chased and playing football which are both energetic sports and actions. the effectiveness of this music is to make the viewers feel the same way as the characters, happy relaxed and excited.





 
3- Apocalypse Now
the music used during this opening scene is a piece by Wagner created in 1851. the music piece include instruments like trumpets, trombones, clarinets, a tuba , oboes and a full complement of strings. the music is used as diegetic sound which is used to scare the victims of the war and Is used to make the army feel more anger to make the fight and focus better. the upbeat but classical music is used to show the madness and craziness of the war and I think is quite effective as it makes the audience feel tense and on edge as were not sure what will happen and how it will end. it could also be a musical enigma code as it leaves us wondering what the music is for and why they use it which is later revealed. 






4 - Ghost
the music used in this scene is calm and peaceful and uses vocals as well as instruments like drums and guitars. the music is made by the band the righteous brothers with  their song unchained melody. the music is used to show the romance and affection between the two characters and is used to bring back memories for the wife after he husbands death. it is also showing us that she is keeping his memory alive by playing this soft and calm music it is making us as an audience feel for her and what she is going through.






5 - Rocky
the music used during this rocky scene is upbeat and is almost moving to the beat of the character or the his moves and beat is choreographed into the music. the song was preformed by Bill Conti and is called 'gonna fly now'. the sound is very energetic and matches the personality and motivation of rocky in the films when he is trying to achieve his dreams. the energetic music gets you pumped up like rocky and makes you root for the character as you want him to win after all the hard works he's put in.

Codes and Conventions of Post Apocalyptic films

Below is a list of code and conventions that may appear in post apocalyptic films. I hope to use some of these idea in my own Post apocalyptic film opening.

• Abandoned/derelict locations - location is key for any film but during post apocalyptic films the scenes are usually derelict abandoned like desert like in the book of Eli or the road. it could also be set in a derelict city like new York in I am legend. another example could be in a forest or something slightly different like in Armageddon which is set in space.
• Low key lighting- like in the opening scene of 28 days later during the scene with the monkeys
• Physical and mental challenges - physical challenges like in the road and the book of Eli where the characters are travelling long distances by foot which is physically challenges and metal challenges like living in a world without communication with other humans and not being able to eat regularly.
• Tight communities/Gangs - during apocalypses staying in a group or a gang is usually better as you look stronger to other groups and gangs and also it is better to be living in company and alongside other humans to keep you mentally stable during the tough times. this occurs in films like the book of Eli as Eli is a lot stronger person when travelling with Solara even though she is a woman.  
• Dangerous gangs/antagonist - This theme occurs in most post apocalyptic films including the four films I have studied; the zombies/the walking dead in I am legend and 28 days later, in the road it is other people they may come across along there journey and in the book of Eli Carnegie and his gang is the dangerous gang that are willing to kill Eli and Solara and whoever else gets in there way. Also in the book of Eli there are smaller gangs that hijack, attack and rape people that they come across.
• A crisis that occurs - a crisis is usually the main reason that the apocalypse has happened in the film. it creates the storyline and the plot that will interest the viewer. a few examples of crisis' Include a natural disaster (the road), a virus or medicine failure (I am legend/28 days later), war (the book of Eli) ,failure in technology (I, robot) or a Alien/meteor attack (independence day).
• Dark themes - dark themes also occur in many PA films like death, murder, rape and violence.
• Strong male protagonist - a protagonist is key to any film but a strong male protagonist occurs frequently in PA films as I think they obviously need to be strong and powerful to overcome the problems that they cross . the actors playing these character also occur frequently in multiple post apocalyptic films like Will Smith who plays a part in; I Am Legend, I, Robot, independence day and After Earth. Other strong male protagonist used in PA films are Denzel Washington and Viggo Mortensen.
• Death/violence - death and violence occur in most post apocalyptic films as it is a key convention. the 4 films that we have studied all included some kind of death. in the book of Eli there was death and violence all the way through and 28 days later too. The road, the book of Eli and I am legend the main death of the film is the main character which occurs right at the end of the film. in I am legend the main character sacrifices himself to save others and in the road and the book of Eli the character dies from natural causes after they have passed there legacy onto someone else.
• Fight scenes- fight scene occur frequently in the book of Eli which is the main film that I have studied, during the film Eli has a fight with many gangs during the film including the gang that hijacked him and Carnegie's gang.
• Religion - religion is a massive part in the book of Eli as the thing that he is protecting is the only bible left in the world and he believes that god is guiding him too the right place where the bible will be put to good use and not to create more danger.
• Hope in the endings - hope is a massive part of all post apocalyptic films as it is the only thing that keeps the characters going throughout the film. the hope only really shows during the ending of the films for example in the book of Eli he carries the hope to get the place of safety and to share the bible for the greater good. Also in I am legend Anna strongly believes in god and carry's hope for her and her son, Robert on the other hand does not believe in god and all and even though he has the cure he believes that it will never be put to use.
• A  item of significance - An item of significance is important as it shapes the storyline of the film for example In I am legend the  item is the cure that they are trying to find, in the book of Eli the bible is the item that everyone is searching for. in the road the family is looking for a safe haven so hope is really the item of significance but in the end scene the young boy askes the new family do you carry the light which is also a big part of the film. Each film have and significant item or thing that will shape the storyline and give meaning to the characters.

Real audience tastes and trends

We previously used the website 'YouGov' to find out statistics about post apocalyptic films. To further the investigation we decided to use a website called survey monkey and created our own questionnaire to find out more information about the audience of the post apocalyptic genre. we posted the survey link (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Y7SJ5MJ) onto our each member of our group social media like Facebook and twitter as we thought we would gather a lot more information and answers rather than handing out a questionnaires. we asked 10 questions that we thought would be useful to create a profile of the typical post apocalyptic viewer. we posted the survey about 1 week ago and we have had 60 respondents so far, the majority of them are female with 45 of them being female and only 15 of the respondents were men. this answer may be slightly biased as all three of are group female so we have a lot more female friends on our social media sights. this is a similar reason for the results of the second question which was ' what is your age?'. we gave the respondents 8 categories to choose from which included; 13-17, 18-22, 23-27, 28-32, 33-37, 38-42, 43-47 and 48+. 35% of the respondents said they were between 13-17 and 30% said that they were between the ages of 18-22. this again is probably because the survey was promoted through our social media pages so the respondents will mostly be around a similar age to us. 48+ also had quite a lot of respondents which resulted in 10% of them. I think this is due to  it being quite a large category compared to the rest of the other categories. we also asked respondents what there interests where and there was quite a few popular answers for example sports, including rowing, football and fishing, there was also interests such as gaming, baking, photography, going to music gigs and festivals and spending time with family. one of the biggest answers was watching TV and going to the cinema. we asked about professions as well which was styled similar the previous question which was open. this means that the respondent can write any answer that they want in the box and can create more qualitative data to analyse. The most popular answer for question four was student which links the question 2 as the ages match with the profession. other popular professions were carers or cleaners which is the social class of C2DE. there was also some higher class jobs in the ABC1 class for example managers, teachers and accountants but these were more obscure answers. The fifth question i asked was 'how often do you watch post apocalyptic films?' 40% of the respondents said that they watched for 3-5 hours and 38.33% said that they spent 0-2 hours watching films. the majority of the respondents fit into this first categories but there is 13 respondents that said they watch between 6-8 hour and 9 and above hours. 'do you watch post apocalyptic films?' was the sixth question that we asked and it was clear that the majority of the respondents do watch post apocalyptic films as the results showed that 65% of them did and the remaining 35% didn't. the seventh question was slightly wrong as only the respondents that watch PA films should have answered whereas there was a lot more that answered. the most popular answers for this question were Armageddon, the book of Eli, I am legend and the day after tomorrow. there was also quite a few obscure answers which were films that id never heard of personally. the eighth question that I asked was what persuades you to watch post apocalyptic films with the four answer choices being well known actors, directors, trailers and other. 27 of the viewers said trailers and 20 people said well known actors which is the most popular. a further 2 respondents said directors which wasn't as popular as the first answers and 7 gave another answer which were, 'good storyline's 'the genre' 'the action and suspense' and ' that it fun the try and imagine yourself in the film'. as region is an important part of some of the films we studied we asked if they consider themselves to have any religious faiths? the majority of people answered no which was 63% and a further 10 answered no which was 17%. A final 12 said that they wasn't sure if they have a religion or that they didn't want to say. The final question was 'which storyline would you prefer for a post apocalyptic film and we gave them a choice of 5 answers which was; natural disaster, zombie apocalypse, alien invasion, medicine or virus fault and war. I also gave the option for them to put there won ideas forward but no respondents did. The most popular one was natural disaster with 23 respondents choosing it zombie, medicine and war were all very close with 9, 10 and 12 respondents and only 3 respondents chose alien invasion which was the least popular of the answers.