Friday 21 April 2017

Cutting it essay

The representation of gender in this clip is featured in many ways. The Mise En Scene in the clip presents the man and woman in very stereotypical views. The woman is seen having an angelic glow behind her in the scene in the taxi, whereas the man is wearing a professional suit, signifying that he is in charge and in control. The fact that they casted a man who has a gruff voice indicates that the character is closed off and is reluctant to show emotion. This conforms to the stereotype of men not being able to show emotion without seeming weak. Props that are used in this clip are highly important to the representation of gender, as the woman is wearing a wedding ring which shows how she is connected to the man. It also means that they are binded together and share everything, giving equal power to each person. When she enters the doctors office, we see a confidential file on his desk. This is a clear indicator of how the man is the alpha in this situation, and he is holding her private and personal information in his hands.He evens gets to know the most intimate things about her before she does and this is an immense display of authority and power.

The camera work is also very telling as to who is more powerful. The majority of the shots in the clip are at an equal level, but once she steps into the doctors office, the angle changes to a high angle shot. It creates an effect of intimidation and also makes the consultant come off as imposing and judgemental. The woman has a loving and equal relationship with her husband, but seems very tense when in the room with the doctor. Alot of the shots are static, but the few that are panning are from the doctor's point of view. This puts us in his place and to see this upset woman in front of us is quite uncomfortable. After the crash, there are high and low angle shots, to again situat us in the postion of the husband and then the wife. The low angle shots show us in the postion of the wife, being helpless and small on the ground and it then switches to the higher angle shot from the man's point of view, over the top of his wife. This may come across as him being protective, but when we see it from her point of view, it looks like he is smothering her and crowding around giving a very claustrophobic feeling. This also allows us to feel sympathetic for the man, as he feels like it's his duty to care for and protect his wife from everything, when that simply isn't possible.

The editing in the clip is minimal, with the only transition being the fade to black at the end. This shows the woman's death, but it also allows us to see how much this is affecting the husband. Without his wife, he feels like his world is fading and he has nothing in his life anymore, which is not a stereotype of men as they are commonly expected to get on with it and not let death or grievances affect them. With only one woman one screen, the men get more screentime which is an obvious tell that men are considered more important than her.

The sound in the clip portrays gender in a different way to the stereotypical way that we would think. There is dialogue that includes themes of cheating and also medical issues. Women are usually portrayed as innocent, naive people who never do wrong, and the subject of cheating seems very shocking in this clip. She also is talking about going to a consultant and discussing medical issues, which combats the stereotype that women are not as smart as men.

Friday 24 March 2017

Film Industry Terminology


  • Mainstream cinema= release blockbusters and big name films (i.e. Odeon, Cineworld)
  • Independent cinema= release smaller, unknown films (i.e. Picturehouse, Curzon)
  • Production= development and creation of a film.
  • Distribution= making a film available for the public (i.e. contacting a cinema to release your film)
  • Marketing= promoting and selling products for the film.
  • Exchange= how audiences view the film (i.e. drive-in cinema, on a rooftop cinema)
  • Multinational Conglomerate= a combination of 2 or more companies from different countries that are involved in completely unrelated businesses.
  • Monopoly= where a single company owns all/nearly all of the market for a given product (i.e. Google)
  • Oligopoly= small number of companies own the large majority of a market.
  • Big Six= the big 6 production and distribution companies (i.e. 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Disney, Universal, Warner Brothers)
  • Horizontal Integration= bringing competing businesses together (i.e. Disney and Pixar Studios)
  • Vertical Integration= bringing together businesses that are involved in different stages of the production of a product (i.e. when a manufacturer owns the distributor)
  • Synergy= combination of 2 or more companies to produce a combined greater effect.
  • Merchandising= promoting the sales of goods relating to the film.
  • Ultra Violet= online storage where you can access the content on any supporting platform if you bought the physical copy.
  • Above the line= where mass media is used to promote brands (i.e. TV adverts, websites)
  • Below the line= one-to-one advertising (i.e. leaflets, stickers, product demos)
  • Technological convergence= new technologies are made to take over old ones and they do the same task as these previous ones, but in a more advanced manner.
  • Consumption= the amount of information and entertainment taken in by an individual or audience.
  • Exhibition= showcasing a film for audiences to see.
  • Piracy= illegal copying and distribution of content.
  • Sequelisation= the act of creating a sequel to a film.
  • Tie-In= a media product that is presented in another, well-known format (i.e. a video game that is also a film)


Thursday 23 March 2017

Industry task 7- Audience cinema going habits

What days do most people go to the cinema?
Most people go to the cinema on the weekend as they have the day off and there are more film times that they can attend because they are not working or at school.

What genres are the most popular?
The most popular genres are action, comedy, drama, and documentary.

What was the top film in these genres?
SPECTRE, Pitch Perfect 2, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Amy were the top films in these respective genres.
How do audiences hear about films?
Audiences hear about films from adverts on TV and trailers online mostly, with word of mouth also spreading the release of a film. Sharing YouTube links of the trailer increases the exposure of the film greatly.

Do audiences prefer US,UK of foreign films?
Audiences prefer the big US blockbusters because lots of money is spent on making these exciting films. Some UK films also have these massive budgets, but it is more common and more successful from a big six film company, which are all located in the USA.

Do audiences like 3D films?
Depending on the genre of the film, most audience members prefer not to see films in 3D because the tickets tend to cost more and not a lot of the film actually features scenes where the 3D stands out.

What are other ways that audiences watch films other than the cinema?
Many people watch films on websites that they subscribe to monthly, including Netflix and Hulu.

When and where are audiences most likely to go to the cinema?
People are most likely to attend the cinema when a popular film comes out (such as the blockbusters that are released in April/May time) and due to the sheer number of cinemas, most people will attend in London.

Monday 20 March 2017

Industry task 6- Mainstream vs Independent Cinemas

Mainstream Cinemas
Odeon
Cineworld
VUE

Independent Cinemas
Everyman
HOME
Curzon
Picturehouse Cinema
Reel
Prince Charles Cinema
Regent Street Cinema



You can see that the mainstream cinemas almost always are showing action films that are guaranteed to draw a larger audience. The independent cinemas tend to show more arty films that attract a more mature and sophisticated audience. These independent cinemas tend to be more expensive as they need to make a profit in order to keep running as a company whereas the mainstream cinemas can afford to charge less due to the sheer numbers they attract.