BY GRACE SYKES

Production Roles in the film industry

What is a director?

Directors are responsible for…Producing the script into images and soundsStorytellingDeciding the cast and a location for the filmThey also manage technical aspects of

filming, including camerawork, sound, lighting, design, special effects.

Examples of directors

James Watkins directed films such as The Woman In Black and Eden Lake.

James Cameron directed films such as Avatar, Titanic, The Terminator, Piranha 2: The spawning, etc.

What Is A Producer?

Producers have overall control on every aspect of a films production including budget.

They turn story ideas into entertainmentThey are responsible for development, pre-

production, production, post production and marketing.

Examples of producers

The Producers of The Woman In Black were, Simon Oakes, Brian Oliver and Richard Jackson.

The producers Of Avatar were, James Cameron and Jon Landau.

What Is A Screenwriter?

Screen Writers are responsible for…Researching the storyDeveloping the narrativeWriting the screen play and delivering itThey also provide a blueprint onto which the

director, producer, production designer, composer and editor, cast and crew can graft their creative efforts.

Examples of screen writers

The screen writer of The Woman In Black was Jane Goldman.

The screen writer of Avatar was James Cameron.

Further job roles

The production designer is responsible for the art department, They help the directors achieve the films visual requirements.

The costume designer is in charge of designing, creating, acquiring and hiring all costumes for the actors and extras.

The hair and makeup department is responsible for the design, and continuity of hair and make up during feature film production.

How films are funded

Films can be funded by the government, although in the UK government funding for film making is relatively small. Government money is currently provided through the film council, the film council is a new strategic body for film funded by the department of culture, media, and sport.

Films can also be funded by television companies, the major investors in the UK are, Channel 4, BBC films, ITV.

Foreign investment and private investment however private investment is not very common since production is quite a high expense. they could help with via non financial methods i.e. locations because that would promote the area.

Film distribution companies

Distribution: The way in which a media text is made available to an audience.

Warner BrothersThe Dark Night (2008) The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The

King(2003) Harry Potter and the half blood prince(2009)Twister(1996) Inception(2010) The Hangover(2009) I Am Legend(2007)

Walt Disney

Marvel’s The Avengers(2012)Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Mans

Chest(2006)The Sixth Sense(1999)Finding Nemo(2003)Toy Story 3(2010)Toy Story 2(1999)Monsters Ink(2001)

Sony Pictures

Spider Man(2002)Men In Black(2002)Air Force One(1997)Gladiator(2000)The Da Vinci Code(2003)Big Daddy(1999)Sky Fall(2012)

Paramount Pictures

Titanic(1997)Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen(2009)Shrek The Third(2007)Transformers(2007)Iron Man(2008)Mission: Impossible(1996)The War Of The Worlds(2005)

20th Century Fox

Avatar(2009)Independence Day(1996)Cast Away(2000)There’s Something About Mary(1998)Night At The Museum(2006)Planet Of The Apes(2001)Ice Age(2002)

Distribution Companies

The Typical Technologies Used During The Production Of A Film

Pre Production – this is the planning, scripting and storyboard etc. Production - this is the actual shooting/recording Post Production – Everything between production and creating the

final master copy. Convergence- is when two or more platforms join together that were

originally separate. E.g. smart phones with games and internet and aps

Synergy- the release of a product or brand across different platforms e.g. harry potter starting out as a book then going to a film and toys

2 types of synergy Horizontal synergy- when companies from different umbrellas work

together e.g. News Corp & Disney Vertical synergy- when companies work within their own umbrella

e.g. Disney & Disney land & Disney store

Blue & Green Screens

During post production, you use blue and green screens. This Is mainly used when creating effects for films, blue and green colours are used because they are the most different when compared to skin tones.

How they work- when shooting the film the blue or green screen is present in the background and the actors act in front of it. Blue screen is best for outdoor . They then import this to the computer and they use the computer to edit a new background on.

Technology used during avatar making

Performance capture- this was a new image based facial performance capture technology which required the actor to wear special head gear rig equipped with a camera which is placed in front of their face to capture and digitalize every muscle contraction or expression.

Animation- this is transforming basic renderings into photo-real images, using lighting, shading and rendering.

3D Fusion Camera- this camera was used to bridge up the gaps between the scenes and artistically formed connectivity between the live action and computer generated scenes.

Virtual camera/simul-cam technology- gave the features of the 3D and the CGI technologies for avatar. 3D fusion camera allowed the director to direct virtual scenes on Pandora, the same way he would a live action scene.

Ways In Which Films Are Distributed

Distribution- the business of bringing film releases to the market.

Distribution is important in the film industry because its where films are connected to the audience and brought to life, it is about sustaining and releasing films in the market.

Distribution

Standard release- this is the routine for the film, the release windows system was first conceived in the 80’s on the home of entertainment to keep movies competing with each other. In a standard drill the movie is first released through movie theatres, then 16 and a half weeks later it is released to DVD, then after a few months it is released to pay TV, then 2 years after it is released to free air time TV.

Distribution

Simultaneous release- takes place when a movie is made available on any media at the same time (cinema, DVD, internet). This means they only have to run one marketing campaign for all releases.

Straight to video release- this is when a movie is released on home formats (VHS,DVD etc) without being released in theatres first and thereby not taking into consideration the ‘theatrical window’.

Internet release- when a film is downloaded form the internet.

Distribution

Before a film an be screened in cinemas it must be given a certification, this is important as it will determine the age of the audience and will determine what techniques should be used when marketing. A distributor may want to target a wide range of audiences and therefore make the age certificate lower as this will mean a wider range of people can view the film.

For example the film Avatar is a 12 rating, so it targets a wider audience which means that it could gain more money by having a wider audience go and see it.

Synergy in distribution

Synergy is when two or more companies work together, this creates a grater effort than the sum of individual efforts.

How films are promoted.

Films can be promoted in theater by film trailers, film posters, slideshows, standees and cardboard displays.

They can also be promoted through television and radio. During TV commercials you can have adds for the film, when the radio is on you can also do short adds.

You can also have add printed in newspaperAnd magazines You can also promote a film through merchandise which could include free cups or toys etc. you can also use the internet as well.

Most effective ways of promotion

I think the most effective ways of promotion are TV adds and radio broadcasts, this is because the add doesn’t last very long, normally around 30 seconds and it means the audience wont get bored, so if they use if effectively it will hook the audience in. they also capture a wide audience as anyone could be watching TV or driving and then hear it on the radio or see it in and Advert. I think another effective way of promotion is word of mouth as it costs nothing and also reaches a target audience, personal recommendations to friends would be effective in getting people to go to the cinema and see that film.

How audience theories are applied to media products within a certain institution.

The Hypodermic Needle Theory suggests that the media is like a syringe which injects ideas and beliefs into the audience which doesn't’t give them the chance to process the data.

The hypodermic needle theory can be applied to the film Kidulthood because it is injecting bad views into the audience on gangs and is manipulating the audience into having bad views about west London and gangs. This film also creates ‘moral

panic’ as it suggested that teenagers were bad and were trouble makers.

Uses & Gratifications

People may process information in different ways and this could be done in Kidulthood.

Personal identity could occur in Kidulthood as the audience could relate their personality to someone's from the film or they could get the wrong idea and interpret this is in a different way. This could also affect personal relationships as people might change they way that people act towards teenagers.

Theory of Uses & Gratifications

Blumler and Katz came up with a theory and stated that different people might use the media text for the following purposes.

-Diversion – the need for escape, entertainment and relaxation.

-Personal Relationships- our need to interact with other people.

- Personal Identity- our need to define our identity and sense of self.

- Surveillance- our need to know what is going on in the world.

Encoding & Decoding

Stuart Hall (1983) came up with the theory that basically means the theory in which most media texts have a specific meaning embedded within them.

Preferred reading means that the code is fully accepted and the audience could apply this to Kidulthood.

Negotiated reading is when the text is broadly accepted but the audience will change the meaning in some way, I think this reading applies the most to Kidulthood as most people may read this film in different ways.

Oppositional reading is when the text is understood but the audience rejects the intended meaning and constructs their own alternative meaning. This reading could also be applied to kidulthood because some people may not understand the message of it.

Film Industry Regulation BBFC

The British board of film classification(BBFC) is a non government organization funded by the film industry. It is responsible for the national classification of films within the UK.

The positives of this are that they will be making it safer for the audience by making sure people are at the right age to be exposed to the sort of stuff in the film. Some companies may cut out bits of a film to get a lower age rating because this means that they can make more money as they will have a wider audience.

However, in other countries they will keep certain bits in as ratings are different and this could result to children illegally downloading online.

Roles of regulatory body

BBFC aims too…Protect the public, especially children, form

content which might raise harm risks.Empower he public, especially parents to make

informed viewing choices.Recognize and respect adult freedom of choiceRespond to & reflect changing social attitudes

toward media content through proactive public consultation & research.

Provide a cost effective, efficient classification service

Provide and effective service to enforcement agencies.

Effects on the film industry

This can effect the film industry in a positive and a negative way.

It will be safer for children as parents will know that there child isn't being exposed to anything which is unsuitable for them to be viewing, this could have a positive effect on the media industry as it means that the could gain profit with more people going to the cinema.

However if a child isn't old enough to go see a specific film they could download it from the internet instead without their parents knowing.