1.) In 2012, the British Film industry claimed 15.3% of Global Box Office.
2.) In 2009, the British Film Industry claimed 6.8% of Global Box Office.
3.) This change/gain in percentage of Global Box Office shows that British films are doing a lot better and it indicates a rise in popularity and profit for the British film industry.
4.) Skyfall was particularly responsible for this change. A film called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel appealed well to the over 45s which also contributed to this change. Other films that contributed are The Dark Knight Rises and Slumdog Millionaire.
5.) Only 7% of British films make a profit at the box office.
6.) Hollywood films have approximately a 17% profit rate at the global box office.
7.) This profit rate differs from £2 million budget British films by 13%, with their rate of 4% in profit. It doesn't differ much at all from £10million+ british films because the profit rate is approximately the same at 17%.
8.) What we can infer from this difference is if British films want to succeed as much as Hollywood films do, then they need big budgets.
9.) Just recently, for the first time, over-45s represent the largest population of film/cinema goers. The over-45 age group accounts for 36% of film goers, storming ahead of 15-24s who take up 25%.
10.) This is probably because of more films coming out that appeal to the over-45 age group, for instance, The King's Speech or even more so The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (starring Dames Judy Dench and Maggie Smith) was a huge hit with the over-45s.
11.) 3D films have seen an 18% drop in attendance at cinemas, despite still making a substantial amount of money at cinemas. For example, The Avengers Assemble was the most successful 3D film of 2012.
12.) Family Films in 3D seem to show the biggest drop in attendance.
13.) Charles Grant said that 3D family films like Madagascar 3 and Brave have an attendance fall because families want to economise more than paying more for 3D viewings. He added "Superman will do well in 3D, people want to see the big event movies, but the word can circulate when there's just a shoddy conversion." so maybe certain films don't need 3D, which ends up costing them attendance at the cinemas.
14.) Paul Greengrass is a British film director. His works include The Bourne Supremacy and United 93.
15.) Greengrass described the British film industry as a "success story" and went on to say it will see more international growth, especially in China.
16.) A BFI spokesperson said that low budget less profitable films are important because they develop skills and have artistic and cultural importance to the industry.
17.) Filth made about £4 million at the box office, which is more than twice it's budget.
18.) James McAvoy (actor in and co-producer of Filth) felt that £100 million budget films have the advantage of a huge budget for all the special effects that audiences want to see, giving them a tidy profit. However, the films don't actually have to be that good when you delve beneath the glossy, CGI face of the films.
19.) VOD means Video-On-Demand. VOD enables viewers to choose their own film entertainment through means of the internet or special TV applications, for example, Sky on Demand or Netflix.
20.) VOD saw a 50% increase last year.
21.) VOD could have a negative impact on distributors because people are going to feel less obliged to see a film at the cinema because of things like Netflix. However, for smaller studios, this is a good way of selling film rights and getting known, especially for unrecognised cult films.
22.) Rental stores like Blockbuster have had a drop in sales because of how much easier and more conveniant it is to just get a film through VOD. Blockbuster may have to expand and make their own VOD to stay relevant in the industry.
23.) Ben Wheatley's A Field In England was unique because it was released in multiple formats at the same time. It was released both in cinemas, on DVD and on VOD at the same time.
24.) Caradog James said "The toughest thing is you can make a good film but can you get it to reach an audience? It's events like this and individuals who champion independent cinema that give us a profile and any chance at a mass audience."
25.) Relaxations and changes made to what makes a film British include expanding criteria to include other European Union states. Currently a film has to meet at least 16 out of 31 criteria to be classified as British, but the new legislation aims to have films include at least 18 out of 35 criteria to be classified as British.
26.) Visual effects have been encouraged to be used because they make the films more interesting to watch than with special effects. They are, however, more expensive than special effects. But films especially in the horror genre have been praised for using visual effects like animatronics instead of CGI such as The Thing or the new Evil Dead.
27.) Name five of these rules and link them to The Kings Speech, Kill List and The Worlds End:
- All films were set in the UK.
- All films had a majority of open dialogue in British.
- All were based on British subject matter and/or underlying material.
- Lead characters are British characters or residents.
- All represent or reflect diverse British culture, heritage or creativity.
28.) George Osbourne announced a tax relief increase from 20% to 25% on the first £20 million of qualifying production expenditure.
29.) The highest grossing film in box office history is the newest Bond film: Skyfall and grossed £94.5 million on the first day.
30.) Skayfall was shown on 587 screens and grossed £94.5 million.
Thursday, 19 December 2013
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Lost: Jack representation essay
in this first episode of lost, or more so the opening scene, we look at Jack. Jack overall is given an image of a leader or someone who can take charge and responsibility when needed. we can see this through the things he does in the scenes, such as collecting himself quickly after re-gaining consciousness and medically helping those in danger at the crash site as soon as he noticed them.
the first scene i want to look at is the scene when Jack wakes up in the jungle after the plane crash. right from the start i'm curious as to why he ended up so far from the plane and not be in worse shape. granted he does have a wound which is revealed when he picks himself up but it still seems like he should be more hurt. the scene starts from an extreme close up of Jack's eye, this is a trademark thing that Lost do to start off an episode. his eye is wide which shows he is in shock and confused because it darts around a little bit so he can re-gain some sense of knowing where he is and what's going on. the extreme close up also throws the viewer off a little because we don't know who's eye it is until the camera becomes a birds eye view mid shot showing Jack's upper body. Jack is dressed in a suit, which shows that he was dressed for something formal when he got on the plane in the first place. however, we still haven't seen the plane yet, which again throws the viewer off but also hooks them in order to keep watching to find out why Jack is there, why he's wounded, and so on. we then see a high angle of him when he stands up to show he's re-gaining control of himself. he checks out an apparently painful wound which could raise ideas that he was in a plane crash. he also pulls out a small shot bottle of vodka, the type that you'd get on a plane. the camera cuts to different angles frequently to again throw the viewer off to emphasise Jack's confusion and shock.
the next part of the scene which is interesting in terms of camera shots is the part when Jack starts making his way through the jungle. the tracking shots, which keep his speed consistent and give a better impression of his speed than a panning shot, start of slow but they gain speed as Jack's running gains speed to emphasise it. there are also a lot of transitions and you can only partly see Jack through all the bamboo and vegetation; this again throws the viewer off and disorientates the viewer to create tension and again continue to hook the viewer through confusion in the hopes the confusion will be ended through an explanation or Jack emerging a short time later on the beach. the beach creates an oxymoron for the situation as it looks like a photogenic paradise yet there's Jack's current situation and you can hear screams of terror in the distance. Lost aimed to create a lot of disorientation for the viewer to emphasise Jack's in the first scene, they do this again by breaking the 180 degree rule on the panning shot of the beach. they do, at the end of this part, show that Jack can re-gain himself quickly as he reacts very quickly to the distant screams and runs to where they are coming from showing that he clearly aims to help who is in danger.
the next part of the opening scene i want to look at is when Jack arrives at the crash site and, while helping a man stuck under debris, notices the pregnant Claire across the beach and goes to help her. he immediately starts talking in watered down medical terms to show that he knows what he's doing but also that he's taking in to consideration that Claire may not be educated in medicine. he works very quickly under the preassure of the situation which gives a very vivid impression that he may be a doctor. a lot of close ups and mid shots and wide shots are used together with each other to both give the viewer a clear view of what's happening between Jack and Claire (and Hugo because Jack calls him over to help her, which is also where we first learn Jack's name) and the immense panic and danger everyone is in.
the last scene i will look at is when Jack notices Barnard's unconscious wife and that a lifeguard is performing CPR the wrong way on her. they way he handles getting someone to watch Claire for him so he can help another person shows that he is both capable and willing to help multiple people at the same time, despite the pressure and danger of the situation. close ups of Jack and the life guard show their conversation but also how they are reacting with everything going on. Jack's knowledge of CPR also reinforces the idea that he's a doctor. Jack also doesn't waste time explaining that he's a doctor, he just gets straight in to reviving Bernard's wife. this makes a nice change to the cliche "out of the way i'm a doctor" we see so often in movies and TV. wide shots are again used to reinforce the obvious danger and panic going on around them. Jack also has no problem telling the life guard what to do which reinforces the idea that he is a leading figure right from the first scene of the first episode.
there are many things that support the idea that Jack is represented as a leader in the opening scene of the first episode. things such as how he can work so well under pressure and how he helps multiple people at the same time. also the fact that he tells people what to do without hesitation because he knows it's for the best. later episodes show that he's more of a failed leader but the opening scene gives a clear impression that he's willing to take responsibility for a group of people.
the first scene i want to look at is the scene when Jack wakes up in the jungle after the plane crash. right from the start i'm curious as to why he ended up so far from the plane and not be in worse shape. granted he does have a wound which is revealed when he picks himself up but it still seems like he should be more hurt. the scene starts from an extreme close up of Jack's eye, this is a trademark thing that Lost do to start off an episode. his eye is wide which shows he is in shock and confused because it darts around a little bit so he can re-gain some sense of knowing where he is and what's going on. the extreme close up also throws the viewer off a little because we don't know who's eye it is until the camera becomes a birds eye view mid shot showing Jack's upper body. Jack is dressed in a suit, which shows that he was dressed for something formal when he got on the plane in the first place. however, we still haven't seen the plane yet, which again throws the viewer off but also hooks them in order to keep watching to find out why Jack is there, why he's wounded, and so on. we then see a high angle of him when he stands up to show he's re-gaining control of himself. he checks out an apparently painful wound which could raise ideas that he was in a plane crash. he also pulls out a small shot bottle of vodka, the type that you'd get on a plane. the camera cuts to different angles frequently to again throw the viewer off to emphasise Jack's confusion and shock.
the next part of the scene which is interesting in terms of camera shots is the part when Jack starts making his way through the jungle. the tracking shots, which keep his speed consistent and give a better impression of his speed than a panning shot, start of slow but they gain speed as Jack's running gains speed to emphasise it. there are also a lot of transitions and you can only partly see Jack through all the bamboo and vegetation; this again throws the viewer off and disorientates the viewer to create tension and again continue to hook the viewer through confusion in the hopes the confusion will be ended through an explanation or Jack emerging a short time later on the beach. the beach creates an oxymoron for the situation as it looks like a photogenic paradise yet there's Jack's current situation and you can hear screams of terror in the distance. Lost aimed to create a lot of disorientation for the viewer to emphasise Jack's in the first scene, they do this again by breaking the 180 degree rule on the panning shot of the beach. they do, at the end of this part, show that Jack can re-gain himself quickly as he reacts very quickly to the distant screams and runs to where they are coming from showing that he clearly aims to help who is in danger.
the next part of the opening scene i want to look at is when Jack arrives at the crash site and, while helping a man stuck under debris, notices the pregnant Claire across the beach and goes to help her. he immediately starts talking in watered down medical terms to show that he knows what he's doing but also that he's taking in to consideration that Claire may not be educated in medicine. he works very quickly under the preassure of the situation which gives a very vivid impression that he may be a doctor. a lot of close ups and mid shots and wide shots are used together with each other to both give the viewer a clear view of what's happening between Jack and Claire (and Hugo because Jack calls him over to help her, which is also where we first learn Jack's name) and the immense panic and danger everyone is in.
the last scene i will look at is when Jack notices Barnard's unconscious wife and that a lifeguard is performing CPR the wrong way on her. they way he handles getting someone to watch Claire for him so he can help another person shows that he is both capable and willing to help multiple people at the same time, despite the pressure and danger of the situation. close ups of Jack and the life guard show their conversation but also how they are reacting with everything going on. Jack's knowledge of CPR also reinforces the idea that he's a doctor. Jack also doesn't waste time explaining that he's a doctor, he just gets straight in to reviving Bernard's wife. this makes a nice change to the cliche "out of the way i'm a doctor" we see so often in movies and TV. wide shots are again used to reinforce the obvious danger and panic going on around them. Jack also has no problem telling the life guard what to do which reinforces the idea that he is a leading figure right from the first scene of the first episode.
there are many things that support the idea that Jack is represented as a leader in the opening scene of the first episode. things such as how he can work so well under pressure and how he helps multiple people at the same time. also the fact that he tells people what to do without hesitation because he knows it's for the best. later episodes show that he's more of a failed leader but the opening scene gives a clear impression that he's willing to take responsibility for a group of people.
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
The Male Gaze Notes
Marjorie Ferguson's aspects of the male gaze:
The Chocolate Box: this is when the person depicted is pretty or attractive in a conventional or idealised way. it originally comes from the decorative way companies decorate chocolate boxes in order for customers to notice the product and buy it.
generic and pleasing picture. warm smile and pretty without breaking any sort of society's conventions.
Invitational: this is when the person in the picture is posed in an inviting way. it could be inviting in numerous ways and can be a means to many ends. often the invitational look is thought of as to depict more sexual poses because sex sells. however, it can just be someone enjoying some food which is invitational for the onlooker/customer to buy the food.
Top Image: group of people eating a meal and obviously having a good time, invitational to go to certain restaurant and not at all sexual.
Bottom Image: Eva Mendes posing in a sexual manner. her legs are parted and she makes no effort to hide her body. this is invitational in a sexual way and used to sell underwear.
Super Smiler: this is when the woman depicted would be smiling a very huge smile or grin. it is used to show that she is having a good time but at the same time keeping her attractive looking to play to the male gaze.
woman in the picture has a big grin on to show she's having a good time in whatever she's doing. picture also shows confidence and gives her an attitude which is also like-able.
Romantic or Sexual: this is probably the one that gets talked about the most in terms of the male gaze. it very much uses the idea of "sex sells" in order to advertise whatever it's advertising. despite being the one that gets criticised the most, it's probably the one that works the most.
clearly sexual exchange between the two in the picture. things like this would probably be used to sell fragrance or perhaps blue jeans as that's what they're both wearing.
The Chocolate Box: this is when the person depicted is pretty or attractive in a conventional or idealised way. it originally comes from the decorative way companies decorate chocolate boxes in order for customers to notice the product and buy it.
Invitational: this is when the person in the picture is posed in an inviting way. it could be inviting in numerous ways and can be a means to many ends. often the invitational look is thought of as to depict more sexual poses because sex sells. however, it can just be someone enjoying some food which is invitational for the onlooker/customer to buy the food.
Bottom Image: Eva Mendes posing in a sexual manner. her legs are parted and she makes no effort to hide her body. this is invitational in a sexual way and used to sell underwear.
Super Smiler: this is when the woman depicted would be smiling a very huge smile or grin. it is used to show that she is having a good time but at the same time keeping her attractive looking to play to the male gaze.
woman in the picture has a big grin on to show she's having a good time in whatever she's doing. picture also shows confidence and gives her an attitude which is also like-able.
Romantic or Sexual: this is probably the one that gets talked about the most in terms of the male gaze. it very much uses the idea of "sex sells" in order to advertise whatever it's advertising. despite being the one that gets criticised the most, it's probably the one that works the most.
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Skins: Representation of Tony's family
In the opening scene to the first Skins episode, we get introduced to Tony. The first thing i noticed was that he was already awake as soon as the alarm went off and was lying flat on his back (you can't sleep like that unless you force yourself to, your body naturally rolls over), this could show that he's suffering from insomnia or perhaps experimenting with sleep paralysis. afterwards we get taken through his morning routine. first of all we get shown him working out and checking himself out in the mirror, which shows that he likes to look after his body and is proud of it. we then get shown him watching the woman across the street getting undressed and dressed. this could be the writers' way of displaying teenage hormones and perhaps that Tony likes older women. we then see his sister get his attention, as she turns up after a night out, so that Tony starts playing rock music very loudly to distract his dad so his sister can slip back into the house without arousing attention. this shows that Tony looks out for his little sister. Tony actually gets shown playing his dad for a fool throughout his whole morning routine e.g. taking too long on the toilet and then climbing out the window while the doors still locked, his dad needing the toilet the whole time. his dad reacts very loudly but only verbally, which shows a lot of conflict between the two. his dad gets made out to be a bit of a mug in general, most likely because the show is aimed at teenagers, so they'd enjoy watching another teenager sticking it to his dad. Tony is also made out to be very cheeky.
Effie, Tony's sister, isn't as clearly represented as Tony but you can make out some things about her. her room is darker and not as clean which shows she contrasts from her brother. she also dresses in a plaid skirt and leather jacket, giving quite a punk representation of her. she also comes in from a night out so it shows she likes to party and be a bit of a rebel.
Tony's dad is made out to be a bit of a mug and is also very verbally aggressive, probably because of Tony playing him for a fool so much.
Effie, Tony's sister, isn't as clearly represented as Tony but you can make out some things about her. her room is darker and not as clean which shows she contrasts from her brother. she also dresses in a plaid skirt and leather jacket, giving quite a punk representation of her. she also comes in from a night out so it shows she likes to party and be a bit of a rebel.
Tony's dad is made out to be a bit of a mug and is also very verbally aggressive, probably because of Tony playing him for a fool so much.
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