The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences.

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.

                                                       Lynx Apollo Advert - Kelly Brooks




                              

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.

Why Dredd Was a Flop at the Box Office

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.

Film Production

The Idea

this is the first part of a film that comes together. ideas can be original or taken from something already made like a reboot, sequel, prequel, based on a book, etc. (well, technically nothing is original because everything comes from some sort of inspiration, but as long as it's inspiration and not out-right copying then it is considered to be an original idea). The idea initially comes from the writer, who puts their idea down in to word form to show to a producer. the producer then decides if they like the idea and if they do they agree to make the idea into a reality. the next recruitment is the director, who will visualise the idea in film form and direct everything in the practical sense of the film, this includes stage directions, CGI, camera angles and positions, etc. then a treatment is written by the writer. the treatment is a one page description/summary of the film and the characters.then the pitch is made, this is all the information that the producer uses to pitch the film to financiers to commission a script.

Some examples of original ideas are Donnie Darko, Pulp Fiction.

A reboot is a remake of a film which already exists e.g. The Amazing Spider-Man, Friday 13th.

An adaptation is a film which has it's ideas taken from another form of media like a book or a comic e.g. Harry Potter, The Avengers.




Development Finance

for a film to get money to be produced, a producer must approach production companies (i.e. Warner Bros) for money to produce it. The producer needs to pitch the film idea and persuade the company to fund production of the film. this can be hard for certain films, for example, the director and producer of The Human Centipede had to lie to the company for them to fund it because of how sick and twisted the plot was. the producer can also give rights of the film to the company for further funding to develop the script a little more. the producer can also apply for public funding from places such as the UK film council for a development grant. the producer can also pitch to private investors for support in the project.

A UK example is the Harry Potter series.



Script Development

first of all, the writer produces a synopsis of the film, which includes stuff like the key scenes and events in the film. the writer and the producer have to agree on the synopsis. most writers create a step outline which they use to plan the script. part of the writers pay is conditional to the quality and delivery of the first draft, this can be seen as the hardest part of screen writing. once both the writer and producer are happy with the first draft, they send the draft to financiers who will all have their own ideas. when everyone is happy with the finalised script, it becomes "locked off" and the writer gets paid. despite the lock off, there is one more stage in the process, which is the creation of a sales treatment (another synopsis created to sell the idea to potential financiers.



Packaging

the producer and the director now have to get the script into a full commercial package ready for financing. a common way of getting the package more commercial is to attach well known stars to it. respected and successful HODs (heads of department) can help considerably with the financing of the film. the producer also needs to know how much it will actually cost to make the film to make a proper business proposition. potential investors will want to know how the producer will raise the money to make the film, and how the producer will pay them back.



Financing

financiers can be all over the world, so the producer has to be prepared to travel to secure the investments. the producer will have a lawyer to draw up contracts to seal deals from the investors. the producer can also raise money for "pre-sales" which means selling rights of the film before it has even been made. departments of banks can specialise in funding films, so that can be another way of raising money for the film. most financiers insist that a completion bond is in place before the film gets made (a completion bond is when, if the films budget runs over and out of money, the insurer will pay the necessary funds to complete it. once all the financing is done, the film gets the "green light".



Pre-Production

 once all the HODs are hired, pre-production begins. the casting director, director and producer will begin a long process of casting the actors of the script. storyboards are created by hired story board artists, they work with the director and the director of photography to create the blueprints of the film in advance of shooting. the production designer plans and designs the aesthetic aspects of the film and how each scene will look and also hires people like costume designers and location managers to help with it all. effects shots revolve around the special effects of the film, these get planned in  much more detail than normal shots and can take months to fully develop. the 1st AD, Line Producer and Production Manager handle all the logistics as a 3, also known as the key logistic triangle.


The Shoot

this is the most key moment in the film. as the shooting begins the funding is released. this is where the real delivery of the film comes from. the camera department are responsible for getting all the footage that the director and editor need to tell the story and bring it all together. once the light and sound are set up and the make-up is finished then the shoot can begin. in all of this, it is the actors' jobs to create an emotional and believable performance to draw the audience in to enjoying the film. every special effect is carefully done and made to ensure minimal injury risk to cast and crew, sometimes stunt-men are used but not if the actor has signed responsibility of injury to themselves if they wish to do the stunts i.e. in Skyfall, Daniel Craig himself did the scene on top of the train in which he is shot off it on a real moving train. film sets are run with tight precision, if they fall behind schedule then the financiers and insurers may step in.



Post-Production

as the processed footage comes in, the editor will assemble it together into scenes and create a narrative sequence for the film. editors are extremely important to the making of the film, they essentially remake what has been shot in raw footage in to something of cinematic quality, there are a lot of important peoples approvals riding on what the editor does. once the picture is locked, the sound department go about working on the audio track laying, remaking, editing and creating every sound, from an orchestral suite for background music to making the sound of a horses hooves hitting ground. digital effects are added by specialist effects compositors. titles and credits are edited in a compositing suite. the final editing of the film is for the colourist to establish the final aesthetic of the film to make sure the films scenes look like they all belong in the same film. after picture lock, the rough sound mix goes off to a dubbing theatre where the sound mix gets the final levels. the film reaches "full lock" after the final cut. unfortunately in most cases, the director doesnt get much of a see in the final cut, which has been spoken out against as unfair by famous directors, like Milos Forman, because of the hard work and sweat a director puts into making the film. the investors and distributors see most of the final cut. they see this as a business necessity in case the movie becomes a financial flop.



Sales

the producer needs a sales agent to sell the film to distributors. to help selling the film further, a trailer is made to show to film buyers. making a successful trailer is an art in itself, as it's a small amount of time to fit a good plot outline, without giving too much away of course, and hook the audience seeing the trailer. the producer and the sales agent then collect everything together to sell the film to film buyers. the film market is full of films, so the producer and sales agent have to go to great lengths to get the film to be noticed. high-profile screenings can be essential to creating "heat" around a film. the stars of a film are very often used to sell the film too as big names create awareness in the public. once the producer has a hot product, good deals can be made with distributers all over the world.


Marketing

the distribution company will have a marketing team to identify the best way of marketing the film i.e. what will "hook" the audience. the marketing team also run test screenings to see how the trailer goes down with the general public, and if they have to make any changes/improvements. "above the line" marketing is stuff like bus advertisements, it's a way of really letting people know about the film. adverts like these will often include the names of the stars and  ratings from established critics, for example, 5 stars from The Guardian is sure to turn some heads. telivision and radio can also be used to get the film out to the public. the internet is also a brilliant and convenient way of advertisement and marketing films. the distributers also have to negotiate deals with cinemas and exhibitors to screen the films to the public.


Exhibition

high-profile premiers are used to launch the film which usually involves a flood of media attention. after the premier, the film is shown in normal cinemas. the UK has 3,500 of them. distributers supply the exhibitors with prints of the film, the more screens the film is shown on, the more prints are needed. the exhibitors then take their share of the box office receipts. after this, the distributers recouperate their marketing costs. once the distributers have been paid, the financiers get their money back according to the recoupment schedule.



Other Windows

hotel sales and in-flight movies can bring millions in extra revenue. more gets spent on DVDs than cinema tickets, so DVD sales can make up for any lost money in box office failures. TV is the final source of revenue. rights are sold separately to pay TV showings. extra revenue can even come from selling rights to create video games based on the film. once the film has made a profit, the creative people in the film making can get their share of the profits. there is no known final income from the film. for instance, there may be a re-release like Back To The Future had.