Downton Abbey Two

The clip starts with an establishing shot of the Abbey and a very slight pan to highlight the size and grandeur of the Abbey. From the mise en scene (of the setting) we learn that the people who own and live in the Abbey must be very well off and high class, as it is an impressive and expensive looking setting. This is a typical representation of the higher classes owning big mansions and country estates. Cut editing is then used to move inside the Abbey, where we see the basicness of the servants personal rooms that are very bare and plain. The mise en scene here represents these woman as poorer with less positions and the fact they are waking up as clear from the harsh diegetic sound of the knock and call of "six" and their own conversation which is diegetic and asynchronous sound shows their life revolves around work which is a typical representation of the lower class.

The clip then moves to the kitchen by cut editing where a wide and very slight panning shot follows the ginger older female servant around the kitchen. Here this represents this servant with more power and authority, showing the ranks within the servants. This is a typical representation that the older servant would have control over the younger servant and is commonly used to represent the lower class. It is very clear to see the girl (Daisy) is lower class and has a very low status within the lower class due to the mise en scene of her clothes, they are much scruffier and less expensive and nice than everyone else's. The editing becomes faster paced here which represents the franticness and heticness of the lower class which is a typical stereotype and also fits the stereotype that the lower classes are overworked, stretched and under a lot of pressure from the higher classes.While the older woman is talking to the younger servant shallow focus is used which blurs Daisy, the younger servant out, again this represents Daisy's lack of status and the power the other woman has over her which fits the stereotype of the different ranks in lower class.

A slight panning and following shot is used to follow Daisy up the stairs to the grand main house. This represents the lower class as less than the higher class as they have to literally live below them, which fits the stereotype that the lower class are less important and powerful. The diegetic and synchronous sound of Daisy's footsteps and the clanking of what she is carrying is also used to carry on representation of the business and heticness of the lower class linking in with that they are pushed greatly by the upper class. Once entering the main house the camera continues to follow Daisy and then other characters using great swooping, wide and panning angles to empathise the greatness and affluence of the house and the people who own it; this juxtaposes with the servants highlighting the stark difference in class which is a common stereotype. The camera then changes to following another female servant representing her status above Daisy, before then changing to follow a male servant which represents his status above them both. The male servants mise en scene of his costume also represents this as it far smarter and more expensive looking which shows how he has more authority and a better position and status to them. As he enters the dining room the shot widens to show another male servant and from the first servants harsh and snappy tone which is diegetic and synchronous sound his power and authority is represented.

Cross cut editing is then used to return back to the room with Daisy in. Camera work is used here to represent the different statuses within the lower class, a low angled camera shot is used to show her looking up the other female servants and high angled shot to show them looking down at her. This continues to represent the different levels and positions that create statues within the lower class. The sound here also represents this as when Daisy is talking which is diegetic and synchronous sound her accent is very thick and sound quite common like whereas the other female servants is more pronounced and clear. This represents Daisy as the typical lower class servant girl. Cross cut editing is used again to change to a shallow focus shot of a woman holding keys as she walks down the corridor, from this shot the woman is represented as someone of power and authority and empathise by the camerawork on the keys connotate the power she hold. The diegetic and clear sound of her footsteps also represent this, her footsteps are a lot slower, calmer and less hurried than Daisy which continues to represent her control and calmness. Cross cut editing is used to switch to another scene before then returning to the room Daisy is in. Once the authoritative female servant enters the room the high and low angle shots are used to carry on representing the power she has over Daisy and their stereotypical different statuses.

Cross cut editing then moves the clip on to a tracking shot of a boy on his bike before panning slightly and then no longer tracking to show another establishing shot of the Abbey, which continues to represent the wealth and power of the owners of the house. The use of cross cut editing changes the setting to a woman in a bedroom, who appears to have just woken up. She is not dressed however you can still see she is higher class from the mise en scene as the room is large and spacious, with elegant décor. The shot then moves to a high angle shot of her looking down out of a window at the boy cycling. Immediately from this shot we learn how she is much higher class than him and how he has a much lower status than her as she is looking down at him. This represents the power and authority she has over him and how her higher class enables her to do this. This is also a typical representation as she is quite literally looking down at the lower classes.

Using continuity editing the scene then changes to the servant’s quarters downstairs, where the editing is more fast paced and the music that has been playing throughout the clip increases temo. This non-diegtic and asynchronous sound represents how the servants are lower class as in par with the editing as it is far paces which represents how it is far more chaotic and less controlled. The sharp diegtic sound of the bell also shows how the servants have a lower status as they are subject to serving the woman; the sound is sharp and clear to empathise this. The mise en scene also shows the servants lower status as they are in humbler settings, all eating in and sharing the same room and are all already up. This is a binary contrast to the upper class women who has only just got out of bed and again shows their lower class rolls, of being servants, cooks and maids. Being represented as servants is a typical representation of the lower class especially for the time period this clip is set in and as well as being represented as always busy and serving others.     

Cross cut editing and mise en scene shows how even within the servants there are ranks. When the male servant is getting the paper off the paper boy he is standing on one step slightly higher. There is a slight high angle shot here as the servant looks down at the paper boy which shows how although both their statuses are low, the male servant has more authority over the paper boy. These ranks among the lower status characters are also shown when the older male servant is speaking to the servant who is ironing the papers; here a low angle shot is used from ironers point of view which shows how the older servant has more authority over him. This sequence shows how the status and authority differ slightly between the lower class people in this clip. The mise en scene also shows how this older male servant is slightly higher up as his clothes are more high class and respectful, this shows how is probably in charge of all the others.

  

  

Disney As A Conglomerate

Disney is a conglomerate

A media conglomerate, media group or media institution is a company that owns large numbers of companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies, and the Internet. Media conglomerates strive for policies that facilitate their control of the markets across the globe.

Disney owns

• Walt Disney Studios
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment
• Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group:
• Touchstone Pictures
• Pixar Animation Studios
• Lucasfilm
• ESPN
• ABC Entertainment Group
• Marvel Entertainment
• Disney Music Group

The media industry is dominated by 'The Big Six'

Just how dominant are 'The Big Six' studios?

How many independent films can you spot?

Why might conglomerates be seen as a negative?

Global conglomerates can at times have a progressive impact on culture, especially when they enter nations that had been tightly controlled by corrupt crony media systems (as in much of Latin America) or nations that had significant state censorship over media (as in parts of Asia). The global commercial-media system is radical in that it will respect no tradition or custom, on balance, if it stands in the way of profits. But ultimately it is politically conservative, because the media giants are significant beneficiaries of the current social structure around the world, and any upheaval in property or social relations—particularly to the extent that it reduces the power of business—is not in their interest.— 

Robert W. McChesney, The New Global Media; It’s a Small World of Big Conglomerates, The Nation Magazine, November 29, 1999

Piracy Article

Hypothetically, two movies come out on the same day: The Wolf of Wall Street and the new Transformers. You are allowed to see one in an IMAX theater and you will illegally download the other one online. Most people would choose Transformers over The Wolf of Wall Street due to the fact that there are robot dinosaurs and everyone else is going to see it in theaters. Those robot dinosaurs will look a lot cooler in a theater rather than on a laptop. Many people then realized how lacking the movie really was after walking out of their local theater’s showing of Transformers: Age of Extinction. Meanwhile, many of the same people went on to watch The Wolf of Wall Street online to realize that it was actually a really good movie. Most people don’t realize that this is at all a problem, and at first glance it’s not. However, after more in-depth research, the problem soon becomes apparent. Transformers: Age of Extinction only gained an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (Transformers, Rotten Tomatoes), one of the most critical and most trusted film-review sites online. The Wolf of Wall Street, however, gained a 77% rating on the same site (Wolf of Wall Street, Rotten Tomatoes). It was also nominated for five different Academy Awards. The Wolf of Wall Street is clearly the better film. Yet, besides the fact that Transformers was clearly not a great film, it somehow managed to be named the highest grossing film worldwide of 2014 and earned over one billion dollars in the Box Office (2014 Worldwide Grosses). The Wolf of Wall Street went on to be the most pirated film of 2014 with over 30 million illegal downloads (Spangler, 1) and didn’t even gross $117 million, giving the producers and the studio under $17 million after the production cost, which is not a much of a profit at all for such a high-budget film.

Piracy has become more of a problem in the past decade than it ever has before, specifically movie piracy. In fact, a study from Columbia University came out recently that said at least 45% of US citizens pirate movies actively, but that number bumps up to 70% if you include the younger demographics as well (Mick, 2). This act of pirating is growing more and more common every year and most people do it mindlessly, not realizing what it costs. Everyone has seen the text at the beginning of movies saying “Piracy is not a victimless crime,” and this is completely true. Piracy is extremely harmful to the movie industry and its effects are larger than anyone could imagine.

But Where Do These Pirated Movies Come From?

There are many different ways that people pirate movies. One of the most classic ways people pirate is by “leaking” them. This involves a person going into a movie theater with a camera or a phone and recording the movie as it plays. It is usually a poor quality, but many people still download these recordings anyways instead of going to see it in a theater. This usually occurs when it is only in theater since that is the only version most people are able to see. Sometimes these leaks occur before the movie is even premiered, often because it is filmed during a special premier before the opening night. This is referred to as a pre-release, and they tend to result in a 19% decrease in how much the movie makes at the Box Office (Hart, 2). Many people defend pre-releases because it gives a movie more publicity so more people would want to see it, but the facts state otherwise. Leaking a movie that’s in the theaters always tends to decrease how much the movie makes regardless of when it is released and sometimes even leads to the movie not even making as much as there was put into it.

One of the other common ways for a movie to be pirated is for it to be digitally hacked. This one has become more common lately as technology improves. One of the most extreme and recent examples was the Sony hacking. Though some people will claim that Sony faked the hacking, evidence shows that they were legitimately hacked. During this hacking, many of Sony’s movies were released illegally online, such as Annie and Fury (Note: Annie had not even been released yet). A hacking involves someone digitally cracking into the studio or company’s computer system and taking the movie from their files. This logically would actually decrease a movie’s Box Office revenue by even more than someone’s recording of the movie would because it’s a better quality.

There are more ways to watch a pirated movie other than just downloading it online. In fact, some people tend to start their own pirating businesses. It’s very inexpensive and easy for a person to start one of these businesses. More recently, people only need to buy a bunch of blank DVD’s, the same amount of DVD cases and a computer that can burn a DVD. From there, they must find a source to get the pirated movies from. Sometimes they will personally film them in a theater, or find a hacked or leaked version online and download it. After that, all they need to do is download the stolen films onto their blank DVD’s and sell them to anyone who is willing to purchase it. Within a short amount of time, this person has made a great deal of money that should have gone to the movie studios.

What Kind of Effect Does it Have?

Most people would just say that pirating has a small effect on the industry and that the studios already have enough money. They believe watching a movie online isn’t going to hurt anyone. The Motion Picture Association of America looked into this belief and discovered that piracy costs around $20.5 billion annually in the United States alone (Plumer, 2). In fact, a study back in 2005 estimated that a 10% decrease in worldwide piracy, including both film and music, over the course of four years would add 1.5 million jobs, $64 billion in taxes and $400 billion in economic growth (Kai-Lung). That, however, was ten years ago and is outdated. Those numbers are likely to be much higher today due to inflation and an increase in popularity of the film industry. This means that the studios are making much smaller amounts of money than they should be making from their films due to piracy.

Quit Talking Numbers. How Does it Effect My Movie Experience?

The decrease in money from studios will often decrease the quality of other movies and even sequels, but more often it will decrease the quantity. A studio is much more likely to throw all of their money into the next big franchise sequel than give half of it to the franchise and the other half to a movie like Twelve Years a Slave simply because Twelve Years a Slave won’t sell as well in theaters as the franchise movie will. Movie studios and production companies don’t look at reviews and DVD sales nearly as much as they look at the Box Office Revenue, or how much it makes in the theater.

In many cases, piracy of a film will even damage the likeliness of a franchise sequel. For example, the Kick-Ass movies came to an end due to lack of funding from piracy. According to Chloë Grace Moretz who stars as “Hit-Girl” in the series, Kick-Ass 2 was one of the most pirated films of 2013 despite having an extremely low Box Office Revenue (Highfill). Because of this, the plans for the third movie in the series have been cancelled. Whether or not you like the Kick-Ass series, it is clear that piracy has become a serious problem and will only continue to damage the film industry.

What About New Movies That Aren't Franchises Yet?

It is not franchise movies that need to be worried about, though; it is the movies by the independent filmmakers. Due to the increase in film piracy, production companies and movie studios are now much less likely to loan money out to an independent filmmaker with an idea than they are to a team of writers and producers working on a Harry Potter spin-off. When people think of the term ‘independent filmmaker’, they think of a man in his 20’s with an Associates Degree in Theatre that wrote a screenplay in two weeks. Though these people are independent filmmakers, I refer to the higher kind of independent filmmakers that actually make Oscar nominated films, but take out enormous loans to do so. Now, due to piracy, no matter how many Oscars their movie is nominated for, many filmmakers are having to foreclose their houses or take out further loans from a bank to make up for the losses in the Box Office for their film due to piracy. It also means that the studios do not get their money back that they invested with and therefore stop funding films without promises of success like Birdman or The Theory of Everything, both of whom won Oscars this year.

Now Let's Think More Economically...

The loss of money affects more than just the filmmakers and studios, however. It helps the entire economy grow due to tax and job increase. Pirating less films will mean that the studios will get more money, which leads to more movies, which employs people like hairdressers, electricians, actors, costume designers and countless other occupations. This will add more jobs to the United States and will also add more tax money to help the country.

But Is It Really Stealing?

Many people argue that piracy is not illegal because they are not technically stealing anything. Though they are not physically taking away anything from anyone, they are stealing intellectual property. Just because you can’t hold a movie file in your hands does not mean that it is not someone’s property. Downloading a film online is the equivalent of stealing a movie from a movie store. It may not come in the same fancy case as a movie at the store, but it still carries the same contents. By pirating a film, you are stealing the money that should have been paid had you watched the movie legally. You do not have a right to watch whatever movies you want to watch without having to pay for them just as I do not have a right to walk into the local Dollar General and eat their candy bars without paying first. As much as people may argue it, film piracy is stealing. It is not your property, so it is not yours to take without paying for it first.

Going Back to my Original Example at the Beginning of All of This...

The Wolf of Wall Street was 2014’s most pirated movie with over 30 million piracies worldwide. Let’s do the math to see how much money piracy actually robbed this movie of had these people gone to see it in a theater instead. In 2014, the average price of a movie ticket in the United States was $8.17 (Linshi, 1). When a person goes to see a movie in the theater, the money spent on the ticket goes to two different places. It is split between the movie studio and the movie theater, with more going to the theater the longer the movie has been out (Campea). For the purposes of now, let’s average that overall the theater and the studio would each get 50% of the ticket price. Now for the part with the actual math. If each illegal download of The Wolf of Wall Street, which more specifically evens out to around 30,035,000 downloads (Spangler, 1) equals one movie ticket that costs $8.17, and the movie studio only gets half of the amount from each movie ticket, that results in about $122,692,975 that was robbed from Paramount Pictures for just that one movie. That amount stolen was more than the movie actually made in the Box Office, and that is assuming that only one person watched each illegal download. Several of those downloads were most likely copied onto multiple different blank DVD’s and given out to others to watch illegally. That is even more money that was robbed from The Wolf of Wall Street. In the Box Office, the movie barely broke even out of how much they spent making the film. These numbers would have helped the studio, the filmmakers and the crew a lot more in order to make even more Oscar nominated movies. Unfortunately, these thirty million people seemed to overlook that.

Now the Real Question: How Do We Stop Piracy?

It all starts at home, just like it takes a spark to start a fire. Many people argue that “everyone is watching movies illegally online, so why is it different if I do it?” Well the same argument could again go for people that steal candy bars from a store. It may cost more than you like and others may do it, but it is not your property to steal. Like voting, if just one person takes a stand against piracy it will make a difference. Simply quit pirating movies or watching them online. There are many different excuses people use about watching movies online illegally, but it does not override the fact that it is illegal. Even streaming movies online is illegal if it is not authorized by the studio that made the film. If you aren’t willing to pay to watch the film, you aren’t allowed to watch it. This is the way the industry works.

What Can The Theaters Do?

A way for movie theaters to prevent piracy is to change their types of projectors. In the past, the government came up with a way to prevent the filming of a movie in the theaters. They did this by projecting an infrared spectrum over the projected film. This infrared image was not visible to the audience, but it would make the video on the camera someone brought into film the movie into a very low quality that would make the video almost unbearable to watch. Since then technology has improved to attempt to improve the quality of the filmed video regardless of the infrared. Though this has worked to an extent, film pirates have not yet fully recovered from the addition of the infrared. Only more research will be able to help improve the projectors so that this does not happen anymore.

What Happens if Someone gets Caught?!

When it all comes down to it, one of the major reasons you should avoid pirating movies is that its an enormous risk. Since it is illegal, there are certainly punishments for those that choose to break this law. These punishments are severe. For example, if a person is convicted of a misdemeanor in piracy, as in they only downloaded or uploaded a small amount of movies without the owner’s consent, the person would be punished with up to a year of prison time and would have a fine of up to $100,000, depending on the extent of the piracy. That, however, is just for a small offense. For someone that downloads or uploads movies illegally without the owner’s consent in large amounts will be charged with a felony. The punishment of this crime is up to 5 years of imprisonment and up to $250,000 in fines. The fine, though, can be more. In some cases, the fine is set as double what the person gained for pirating the films if they made money off of it, or it set as double the amount of money the person cost the studios he or she stole from (AlanS). In any of these cases, it is clear that movie piracy is not worth the risk.

Piracy is Clearly an Enormous Threat

Filmmakers are in danger of losing their jobs and the movie theaters are in danger of only showing films like Transformers sequels and Terminator reboots. Helping the film industry does not just entail not illegally watching a movie, it also entails going to see those movies in a theater to reverse the mistakes made by those who don’t realize the consequences. Some of the greatest films do not get the proper credibility in the theaters because people are too distracted by other films or because people would think it’s smarter to illegally watch it on their computer than paying to see it in a theater. As stated earlier, this has many more consequences than these people would think, such as taking away jobs, taking over $20.5 billion from the US film industry and decreasing both the quantity and quality of the very movies they are downloading. In addition, is it really worth spending five years of your life in prison just because you didn’t want to pay to watch a movie? It’s time to stop pirating and to stop making excuses for watching a movie illegally online. Film is a form of art. People use it to tell their stories.

Previous Exam Questions

Audience and Institution Questions

January 2010 

“Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences”. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

June 2010 

What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?

January 2011

Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of media texts in your chosen media area?

June 2011

“Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices”. To what extent would you agree with this statement, within the media area you have studied?

January 2012 

To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the area of media you have studied?

June 2012

"Cross media convergence and synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences." To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to your media area? 

January 2013

What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audiences in the media area you have studied?

June 2013

Evaluate the role of digital technologies in the marketing and consumption of products in the media are you have studied.

June 2014

The increase in hardware and content in media industries has been significant in recent years. Discuss the effect this has had on institutions and audiences in the media area you have studied.

Theorists

Tessa Perkins:

Tessa Perkins believes that stereotypes are a complicated process and that there are many assumptions that can be challenged.

Perkins believes there are 5 assumptions that could be wrong or challenged:
Stereotypes are not always negative such as English people are polite
That stereotypes are not limited to being about minority groups or those with less status/power such as the stereotype of "Upper class twits" or that "white" people have very little culture
That they can be about the persons own group
That they don't stay the same and can change with the change of culture and time
That they aren't always untrue and can be accurate

Tessa Perkins believes that stereotypes have implications on society such as:
They are normally (not always) incorrect about the group and often negative
They are about a group that society as a whole have limited contact with, which leads to less knowledge and the stereotypes being created.
They are often centered around minority and lower class groups which nearly always creates a negative image, leading to the upper class being viewed with more.
People often link stereotypes to the group and then don't really change their minds, this can lead to a very negative image of the group which causes a self fulling prophecy from the group as they act negatively like how they are believed to act.      
Due to the stereotype of the group, other members of society's behaviour towards this group can be predicted which can cause unfair and harsh treatment of the group members.
Stereotypes must have some truth within them as they are key part of understanding the world and are so influential on understanding society.

Perkins assumptions that can be challenged are definitely challenged in the Hotel Babylon clip; nearly every stereotype in the clip are negative such as ethnic minorities not being very clever and have low status and lower pay jobs like cleaning. The only positive representations in the clip is when the white security guards stand up to the white policemen; however as this is not a stereotype and is a unconventional representation it show how stereotypes are often negative. The Hotel Babylon clip dose show how stereotypes are not just limited to minority groups; although the minority groups were stereotyped in this clip so were the larger groups like white females. In this clip the stereotype of white females having a simple clerical job, who is pretty and can be quite revealing is met as show by the receptionist, who is a white female, dressed to please male audiences (the male gaze) and has a simple basic job.

Leon Festinger:

Leon Festinger believes that we seek to find confirmation of our thoughts and ideas. He believes that we don't like to change or alter our ideas unless there is a lot of proof. This can explain why people like/enjoy Hotel Babylon and other similar TV Drama's so much. They appear to enforce and prove the stereotypes that everyone has grown so comfortable with and offer the reassurance that these ideas are correct. As according to Festinger we find this comforting as we are always looking for confirmation that these ideas are true and accurate, hence why programmes like Hotel Babylon are so popular.

Alvarado's Racial Stereotypes Theory:

Alvarado's theory is that race is represented in four different ways:

1) Pitifully-he believes that some races are represented to make the audience feel pity for those being represented. An example of this when African families/children are represented as starving and dying from poverty. This evokes pity and feeling of wanting to help from the audience.

2) Dangerous- Some races are represented as dangerous such as sometimes Asians in particular men. When one member of the race is represented this way the ideas and representation are often connotated and spread to the rest of the race.

3) Exotic- This is where the race is represented as different due to them being from somewhere so far away and often comes across as sexy. This in particular happens to women and the race of Latino Americans, this is represented by suggestive dancing, flirtatious behavior and racy costumes.

4) Comically- This can often happened when there is only one member of that race in group of members of a different race. This can happen when a Welsh person is a group of English people ect... this carries one to stereotype the rest of the race this way.


Roland Barthes 

Roland Barthes theories are used to understand/explain how texts and media texts are understood by an audience. He explains this by cultural codes which is done by looking at cultural norms and influences. He believes that how each person of the audience understands and views the media texts is massively effected by how they personally understand society and their own views.

Barthes believes there will be a least one of the 5 codes in any text or narrative. He also believes that texts can either be open or closed; open being the text can understood in many different ways and closed being the text can really only be understood one way.

Barthes 5 Codes:

Hermeneutic/Enigma Code- this is where a mystery within the text, clues can be hinted at throughout the text however no real answers are given. These enigmas lead the audience to want to know more and to carry on following the text. If the enigmas are left un-answered at the end of a text it can frustrate as much as excited the audience.

Proairetic/Action Code- this is where the text carries action within it. This can build the tension and suspense for the audience. The action that builds can indicate the next event in the text or narrative, which leads the audience to guess what is happening next.

Semantic Code- this part of the text can hint at or clearly have different meanings. The specific part of the text that dose this called Semes and this can connotate other meanings for the audience, allowing the audience to see past the literal meaning.

Symbolic Code- this about the part of the text that symbolizes and is closely linked to the semantic code. Symbolism covers a wider area of the text to create a broader and more in depth meaning whereas semes are more specific. Symbolism is used to show contrasting and opposite ideas, a deeper meaning, to increase tension and suspense and carry on the character development.

Referential Code- this is intertextuality which refers different areas of knowledge. This creates familiarity for the audience such as using ideas like the foundation of science and history.

Star Wars: Force Awakens& Ex-Machina Marketing Research

Websites:

Star Wars: Star Wars has its own official website (www.starwars.com) where a lot of marketing took place for The Force Awakens. Having already secured a massive fan base, fans knew to check the website for updates and here learnt everything they needed to know for the new film from the release dates to fan exclusives. The trailers were also released onto this website and onto YouTube by the wireless communications company Version. These trailers smashed world records with their viewing figures in 24 hours by being released onto these websites.  
Star Wars also used Google as another website to market allowing users to choose between the "Dark Side and the Light Side" on the search engine.
Force Friday was another marketing campaign which was shown to audiences via the website of YouTube. This 24 hour live streaming event of fans unboxing never before seen merchandise was not only to advertise the products available but to help advertise the film itself.
 
Ex-Machina: Ex-Machina also it own website (www.exmachina-movie.com) where again information about the film was released and marketed on here. The website is very simplistic with the trailer and link to buy the film.

Social Media:

Star Wars: Stars Wars massively used social media to market The Force Awakens. They had their own Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages which massively increased the hype and excitement for the film. Along with the official social media profiles for the film the actors and producing team also their own Instagrams ect.. that also massively promoted the film. Star Wars had interest from different media sites including Tumblr as show by this pie chart. Snapchat and Facebook filters were available for users to use and the Instagram account to date has an massive 5.9 million followers and Twitter with 2.47 million followers.

Ex-Machina: Ex-Machina used the online dating social media app Tinder in a unique way that raised a few eyebrows to market and attract audiences. They created a fake Tinder profile of their main character Ava, who during a conversation with the audience then gave them a link to the official Instagram page. Many people fully believed Ava was real person and had a surprise when they followed the link to the Instagram page to see that is was in fact an marketing campaign for the film. This caused mixed reactions from critics, many phrased the personal technique used and believed it was innovative, different and a successful way to advertise and is acclaimed as one the best marketing campaigns for a film. This marketing was also praised for its incredible and effective links to the film; it really focused in and empathized all the issues the film raises. Other believed this was an deceitful advertising campaign that pushed the boundaries on consent and privacy issues and did not fully approve of this way of advertising. This direct advertising and the slight controversy surrounding it created a lot of interest and intrigue for the film as the debate about the techniques used were also featured in main stream media, allowing the film to marketed even more.

Trailers:

Star Wars: A lot of the advertising and hype for Star Wars was initiated and carried on by the trailers. As this was the first glimpse at the film many fans had been waiting for, for years this really built up excitement for the film. The first trailer was released on the 28th November 2016 in selected cinemas in the USA and Canada as well as being available on YouTube and the iTunes store. On YouTube this first trailer broke records for the amount of views in the first week of 58.2 million. Another teaser trailer was released at the Star Wars Celebration in California on the 16th April 2015 which received an amazing reaction from the crowd there before then being matched when this trailer broke the record for the most viewed film trailer in 24 hours on YouTube hitting 30.65 million views. The third trailer was released in October 2015 during the halftime break of the American show Monday Night Football and was then released online. Using the TV show Monday Night Football to release the trailer allowed Star Wars The Force Awakens to be marketed at many different types of audiences. This trailer also gained a lot of views within 24 hours and with fans loving it on social media. Star Wars The Force Awakens also released a Japanese trailer to ensure that all audience demographics were reached. Overall the trailers for this film were a massive part of the advertising campaign, creating quite possibly the biggest hype and interest as well as reaching the most audiences.

Ex-Machina: Ex-Machina also released a trailer on the 30th October 2014 by Universal Pictures onto YouTube. The trailer was also shown in cinema's.

Posters:

Star Wars: During Disney's D23 Expo in August 2015 (a fan convention) a commemorative poster was released exclusively to the fan attending which was designed by Drew Struzan who also designed the posters for the other Star Wars films that featured Luke Skywalker. In October 2015 another poster was also released, again this was a massive success on social media spreading it to even more audiences.







Ex-Machina: Ex-Machina also released posters many featuring the tag line "There's nothing more human than the will to survive" on the 29th October 2015.


Chat Shows&TV Interviews:

Star Wars: Both the cast mainly Daisy Ridley and John Boyega with Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Lupita Nyong'o, Billy Lourd and J.J. Abram's the director joining in or having solo spots appeared on many different American and British chat shows including: Good Morning America (2nd December 2015), Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon (3rd December 2015), Live With Kelly and Micheal (8th December 2015), The Ellen DeGeneres Show (7th December 2015) and the Daily Show with Trevor Noah (2nd December 2015) and the Graham Norton Show. This massive coverage over TV especially in America would really help to market the film to all audience demographics.

Ex-Machina: While Ex-Machina did not feature on any main stream TV chat shows they did plenty of online interviews with successful YouTube channels and media companies like Screenrant and Beyond The Trailer, successful online blogs like Redbrick Film and We Got This Covered as well as interviews with newspapers such as The Guardian and The Telegraph.

Product Tie Ins&Toys: 

Star Wars: Star Wars had a mass amount of merchandise and toys available which majorly increased the interest in the film. The offical merchandise was available from the Disney Store both online and in store as well as from the offical Star Wars Website. Disney/Star Wars also teamed up with other toy company's like Build A Bear to market the film and sell products. This widely known retail and online store would have helped to market Star Wars The Force Awakens to a wider audience demo-graphic of younger viewers; this is the same idea used for when they teamed up with Lego to create more products aimed at younger audience.
There were also other products other than toys such as the makeup range released by Cover Girl and Max Factor with the probable aim to market to female audiences, the range with Hot Wheels to attract American younger boys and the team up with Tesco to attract families as a whole. This very well recognized and popular brands meant that audiences saw the film being marketed a lot and everywhere. This blanket marketing ensured that audiences couldn't avoid seeing or knowing about the film.

Ex-Machina: Ex-Machina have no official merchandise out however they are some fan made products available. Ex-Machina also have no tie in products.

Ex-Machina Review

Ex-Machina Review

Ex-Machina was directed and written by Alex Garland who is well known for amazing dystopia type screen-writings like Never Let Me Go which Ex-Machina certainly lives up to. This twisting tale, full of dramatic plot twists stars a well credited cast of Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac who perfectly act out their roles to create truly convincing characters that engage the audience.

The producers of the film are Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich, Macdonald who has worked with Garland before; this great team produced a simply stunning film with the aid of the effects from the company Double Negative. Double Negative are a critically acclaimed British special effects company that have won Academy Awards for previous and also gained another for Ex-Machina. This prestige shows just how good these effects were, with Alicia’s incredible acting and the ever realistic effects it was easy to forget the character Ava was a robot just like Caleb did in the film. The production took place in a mere six weeks, with a budget of $15 million although the audience would never even guess this a low budget film. Using gorgeous locations like Norway to shoot the impressive outside scenes and this cleverly added an air of sophistication to the film which hooked audiences. The film score of this film is owed a lot of credit for increasing audience enjoyment and empathises with the characters. Conducted by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow the film score is perfect match to increase the tension and suspense during the film. The special effects used to create Ava such as using rotoscoping and camera and body tracking systems, with the soundtrack and all acted immaculately created a brilliant film.

The ethical and moral questions raised in this film really do hit home to the audience and leave them reeling and wondering after the film. Ex-Machina covers the ethical issues of when a machine/robot is no longer a machine, has consciousness and is human. This is where the film delves into when or if you should give conscious machines human rights, such as not being locked up and allowed freedom which is something Ava suffers from. Due to Ava being brilliantly acted by Alicia Vikander and the audience viewing everything from Caleb’s view point again expertly acted by Domhnall Gleeson the audience quickly begin to feel for Ava and see her as human. The amazing effects must also be credited here as this helps to portray the ethical issues in this film and helping create Ava be seen as a life like human, which allows the audience to really reflect on ethical raised.

Overall I believe this film is a very cleverly written with the plot twists really shocking the audience and well produced and directed. The acting and special effects deserve extra credit for really bringing the film to life allowing the ethical issues to be raised and accurately portrayed. Everything manages to tie in every well in this film from the music to the locations used which leads it hard to believe that film is a low budget production.

Disability Representation

The A Word:

The A Word is a BBC drama that ran for 6 episodes and is about a 5 year old called Joe who has autism and how his family cope with it. This portrays how a family deals and work with a child's disability; first they won't accept they are too sacred of the stigma it will bring especially as they live in a small village in the Lake District where everyone knows everyone's business and there is rarely anyone not "normal". This represents the stigma that many carry/worry about if being disabled/ having a disabled family member live with and how disability is judged as so negative that would would rather keep it secret or refuse to acknowledge it. This particularly shown to be worse in rural areas as shown in the A Word the people can be less accepting reinforcing the negative image of disability. As the drama develops it shows how the family struggle to decide what to do help Joe; this represents how much effort and work is put into helping a disabled family member and how this can put a strain on the family. Again this is an negative image of disability. The A Word can also represent disability in a positive way as well as it shows how the family will not give up on Joe and still love him fully regardless of his disability, Joe is also a lovable character that the audiences feel for which represents how a disability doesn't stop people from being likable.

Sherlock:

Sherlock is a BBC drama that is based of the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the BBC series staring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Homes and Martin Freeman as John Watson especially in the first episodes John Watson is represented as having symptoms at least of PTSD post traumatic stress disorder. He suffers from nightmares, trust issues, an intermittent tremor and a psychomatic limp. The first episode starts with John talking to his therapist where he is rather reluctant to go into detail and tries to claim hes fine. This represents how although John has gone to see a therapist he still can't admit anything is wrong. This is typical representation of disability particularity a mental disability of denying and claiming to cope. This is a very typical representation of males with disability in the media. As the episode and series continues John's illness is very quickly forgotten about and it appears that Sherlock and the adrenaline from the crimes have "cured" him. This is not a very good representation and often angers fans and viewers as they see it as completely unrealistic and a unfair portrayal of the disability. This represents the disability in a negative light as by completely ignoring it, it is represented as a weakness and as it is so easily "cured" in the TV show many people feel that it dose not represent just how hard it is to deal with and again paints the image of feebleness among people that do suffer from it. This is typical representation of disability for it to be shown as a weakness and something can easily be managed. This is particularly key for mental disabilities.

Holby City:

Zosia March is a junior doctor in the BBC drama Holby City. The first sign of the disorder is shown when Zosia has a particularly bad relationship breakup with another doctor Jesse. From here Zosia takes drugs to try to help her heart break and often goes out drinking which only worsens her mental state. Zosia is manic and out of control to the point where she puts patients lives at danger; her father (also in the programme) is Guy Self a top neurosurgeon and he refuses to acknowledge there is something mentally wrong with Zoisa. This is a negative representation of disability as it shows how people will not accept and are ashamed to admit it either for themselves or for family members. After seeing Zosia's video dairies where she talks about her mental state of mind, Guy accepts she needs help and sends her to a rehab clinic. Here is formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Again Guy can not bring himself to believe she has a real diagnosed        







   

Ex-Machina Research

Producers: Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich

Director: Alex Garland

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno

Budget: $15 million

Locations: Pinewood Studios, Juvet Landscape Hotel- Valldalen, Norway, Bloomberg Head Office- Finsbury Square, London.

Technology: The film was shot live action and then had effects added post production, no green screens or special effects were used while filming. This was so that the actors Vikander and Isaac could act out real life conversations while actually speaking to one another to ensure that the audience could relate more. Ava the main robotic character was filmed with the actress Alicia Vikander in the scenes and without her; this was so they could film the background she would be in. As they were only using certain parts of her body, like her hands and face these were kept and rotoscoped and they used camera and body tracking systems to follow Alicia's movements and create CGI robotic movements. They also used other visual effects for different aspects. The visual effects company was the British company Double Negative who have won Oscars for their work on Interception and Interstellar. 350 of the 800 VFX shots were used for Ava and the other robots.

Number Of Screens-Opening Weekend: 1259 in the USA

Number Of Screens-Peak Number: 2004 in the USA

Box Office Figures: $36.9 million worldwide and $250,00 USA.

The production companies for Ex-Machina were Film4 and DNA Films; Film4 is the UK production company that is owned by Channel Four Television Company and is responsible for being some of the productions companies for gritty, real life almost dystopia films like Never Let Me Go, 12 Years A Slave, The Iron Lady, 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire. DNA Films is another British company that was founded by Andrew Macdonald and Duncan Kenworthy they have co-produced Never Let Me Go, The History Boys and Love Actually. Both of these companies have worked together in films like Never Let Go and despite being much smaller production companies have still done very well. Both are acclaimed as some of the best British Film Production Companies and as shown by films like Ex-Machina, 12 Years A Slave and Love Actually can be a box office success. While they collaborate with much bigger companies like Universal and Disney they can still produce a very successful film which grips audiences. While these films may not be classed as a big films in comparison to other movies they have still done well, are well received and are generally well known among audiences. Despite these films not having the most impressive budget, they worked with it (such as Ex-Machina being filmed in 6 weeks and using less well known but still credited actors like Domhall Glesson and Oscar Isaac) to create films that are still well produced and a success. This show how production compaines do not need to be massive to produce successful films.

The two productions companies in this film were Film4 and DNA Films and was distributed by Universal Pictures and A24 Films in the USA. By working with Universal to distribute the film this allows Film4 and DNA Films to reach a lot wider audiences as simply Universal are a far bigger company. As a household name in the film industry and with worldwide fame and acknowledgement Ex-Machina was able to reach far more audiences with Universal. Ex-Machina was also distributed on DVD and Blu-Ray by Lionsgate Home Entertainment in the USA another far bigger company that allows more audiences wider access to Ex-Machina helping to improve the success of the film. Film4 and DNA Films working together (as they have done before) can help promote their businesses as it allows them to pool their resources together to create the best film. Film4 having produced more films than DNA Films can offer and thier expertise and experience and likewise DNA Films can provide a great writer and producer of Andrew Macdonald. Andrew Macdonald and DNA Films will also bring more success to Film4 as Macdonald is already a famous writer that will generate interest in the film and boost Film4's fame. Both businesses will benefit from working together as they can also share their money to help improve their budget and audiences will recognize that the two companies worked well together so be more inclined to see a film produced by these companies again especially if they collaborate.

The amount of different ways that audiences can now view films have impacted the distribution companies in particular. In the modern environment what modern day viewers want is to be able view and stream films on any device whenever they want; this is the new technologies. Audiences are more inclined to watch films at home rather than at the cinema. This means that distribution companies and marketing companies really need to be able to entice audiences to go to the cinema to view the film and to also make the film accessible on many different formats. This can be done as while not as popular as it was 10 years ago, the cinema is still something that most people still go to and enjoy. Often the add campaigns and bonuses that are received at cinemas encourage audiences such as the deals on tickets with phone companies ect. Sometimes people prefer to stay at home rather than go out to the cinema which allowed sites like Netflix to become massive successes. This is why film companies need to ensure their film is not just accessible in cinemas but on a lot of platforms to allow for the most success. Ex-Machina is available to view/ download on many different streaming websites such as Netflix, Amazon, iTunes and GooglePlay. This allows audiences to view the film however they like. Ex-Machina was released in the UK by Universal Pictures on 21st January 2015 and in the USA by A24 Films on 14th March 2016. Ex-Machina was also released on DVD, Blu-ray and on download on 14th July 2015. In some cases people don't watch the films legally and use websites like Putlocker to view the film which impacts negatively on the production companies as they make less money. This is a new technology that is recent and nowadays more of a threat to the success of films.

Technologies have not just advanced in the way of viewing films but also in the technology used to create the film, this is something Ex-Machina has taken advantage of to really engage and attract modern audiences. More modern audiences have become used to seeing an impressive array of special effects and Ex-Machina follows this trend by using mainly the special effects company Double Negative. Double Negative are a highly successful visual and special effects company and Europe's largest visual effects provider for film; this British company have worked on highly successful productions like the 2009 Sherlock Holmes film, the Harry Potter franchise, the Batman franchise and Quantum of Solace. As well as working for massively successful films, Double Negative have had personal success too like such as Academy Awards/Oscars for Interception, Interstellar and Ex-Machina. This shows the massive advances in technologies that audiences now expect to see in films and the exceptional standards audiences want. Ex-Machina certainly reaches this standard with stunning effects that earned it an Academy Award. Ex-Machina has gained a lot of success and audience acknowledgement as have Film4 and DNA Films by working with Double Negative as here a massive company in the film industry has brought its success and knowledge to aid production. Winning an Oscar and simply working with Double Negative would have brought a lot more profile and audience interest to the film helping create the overall success of the film.        

Marketing has also benefitted from the new technologies which is shown by how one of Ex-Machina's advertising campaigns was done using completely social media which is also known as viral marketing. A Tinder dating profile account was created using Alicia Vikander as the profile user who then messaged Tinder users with robotic like message such as comments about "humans" before then referring the user to the Instagram page for the film. While this tied in with the whole theme of the film a few eyebrows were raised at the tatics used like a fake account. This type of marketing where direct contact is made with the consumers is a definite advance in technological advantages and although may raise few issues is still very effective and cheaper marketing for films. This innovative marketing technique was also praised as well as frowned upon, which generates more interest and success for the film. Filming and distribution also used new technologies as the film was shot on 4K resolution. This is a digital way of filming and allows there to be a much faster adoption rate which will help benefit and lower distribution costs to cinemas. The quality is also very good on this film and this way of filming has only been around for just over 10 years which shows how new technological advances have benefitted/ been used in this film.

Different technologies have particularly helped each other in this film as shown by how Film4, DNA Films and Double Negative have worked together to create an Oscar winning film. The production teams filmed and prepared all the shots that needed editing with special effects as shown by how they filmed the background ready for Double Negative to use to create Ava. Music was also an important element/ technology for this film as it played a major part in the experience for the audience. The music was composed by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow; Salisbury has worked on the BAFTA nominated David Attenborough series The Life Of Mammals and Barrow has collaborated with Salisbury before to create a album inspired from the film Dredd. This shows how the technologies of the music industry are working with the film industry technology to create this film. The marketing also benefitted from different technologies such as social media as they used Tinder and Instagram to advertise the film; again different technologies are coming together in all aspects of the film.        

As a modern day viewer I like being able to view the film how I would like, where I would like and on what device I would like; sometimes I may struggle to find the time to go the cinema, at my age may struggle to get there and often when I do have free time would rather spend it relaxing at home. This is why apps and websites like iTunes and Netflix are a great benefit to the modern day viewer as it allows us to have control over our own viewing choices. While I see that downloading may not always benefit the film company (such as on illegal websites) it is easy to understand why people do. The new technologies are always a benefit especially when the special effects impress as they do in this film; the soundtrack was also very cleverly put together and another strong point of this film that is hard to believe is low budget film. The advertising campaign for this film was also interesting and quirky as well as the use of social media like Instagram is something that appeals and is effective.

Doc Martin-Regional Identity

The clip starts with the 3 men talking in a room which as shown by the mise en scene is quite basic and someone has just moved in. The basicness of the room represents the typical idea that Cornish people and people who live rurally have less knowledge and are less adavanced. The men are talking which is a diegetic and synchronous sound and this represents their regional identity by their different accents. The father and son are from Cornwall (as shown by their accents) and this carries the stereotypical image of being "backwards" and being less smart. This is represented especially in the older man as he rambles on and doesn't really make sense which meets the stereotype that Cornish people are less intelligent. The son is also Cornish however he is represented as less stereotypical as he knows the answers; however as the shot reverse shots between the father and son show the father laughs at the sons knowledge which installs the typical Cornish stereotype. Doc Martin's far posher, neater and sharper clothes (which is mise en scene) also represents regional identity as it represents him as smarter, more authoritative and modern than the Cornish people who are in workers clothes which represents them as less than him, with less status and intelligence. The use of a wide, establishing shot shows this binary contrast. The diegetic sound of Doc Martins accent also represent regional identity as his is far posher and better pronounced linking him to the stereotypical image of a upper class, almost obnoxious Londoner.

As the scene carries on shallow focus shows Doc Martins frustration and anger at the chaos that occurs this represents the common stereotype of regional identity of city people being more stressed and far more impatient. The sound of him shouting is a diegetic sound which represents the snappy, irritable stereotype of people from the city. The binary contrast to this as shown by the continuity editing is how relaxed the Cornish people are; they come across as not fussed by the mess which meets the stereotype they are more laid back and less tense than city bred people. When Doc Martin is shouting at the Cornish people this diegetic sound and the shot reverse shot editing where shallow focus is used Doc Martin is represented with more power and authority. The shallow focus shows how the Cornish people listen to Doc Martin and follow his commands; this meets the regional identity stereotype that more rural countryside people have less status and are more followers than leaders, this also shows how Doc Martin is still frustrated at their stereotypical lax attitude. The diegetic sound of shouting from Doc Martin can also connotate how he feels is above the others which meets the common stereotype that people from the city are snobby and believe themselves to be the best. Music begins playing when Doc Martin addresses the dog and this non-diegetic and asynchronous sound that begins to play can represent how he holds the power and control over the situation in comparison to the other characters who have no music accompanying them.

This music carries on as he paces up the street and this as well as the tracking shot with the slightly faster editing still represents his frustration and impatience which is a typical image of regional identity of people from the city. The mise en scene of the town paint the typical image of a quite rural town, where everyone is laid back and pretty friendly; this represents country people stereotypically as laid back and relaxed. The music continues while in the police station and this connotes the idea that Doc Martin is still in control which matches the city stereotype. While in the police station the mise en scene represents the police man as a stereotypical countryside policeman: he is hoovering which shows there are no crimes to solve which fits the stereotypical image of a sleepy peaceful town and its inhabitants and there are no weapons on his uniform or in the station again fitting the image of a relaxed and safe town. Doc Martin carries on the city stereotype while talking in the police station; this diegetic sound is him interrupting the policeman and being quite rude which connotates the stereotypical image of people from the city being harsh, cold and business like. This image is further established by the fact that Doc Martin is still wearing his suit which is a binary opposition to the casual clothing of the towns people. The loud diegetic sound of the door slamming is clearly louder over the sound of the music further highlighting Doc Martins frustration.

Once leaving the police station a tracking shot follows Doc Martin down street where he then meets a new character. This woman dose not fully fit the countryside representation as shown by the mise en scene as she is dressed smarter and fancier than the other townspeople and also carries a weaker accent however she is still less formal than Doc Martin which still installs the representation that city people are more formal and professional. While talking to Doc Martin (diegetic sound) she comes across as flirty and a bit of busybody which can meet stereotypical ideas of woman in countryside and rural communities being almost nosy and quite involved in peoples life's. This is further displayed by that she walks with Doc Martin down the street as shown by the tracking and panning shots even though Doc Martins manner suggests the conversation is over. Again Doc Martins power and authority is shown in this sequence as the panning shots show him placed higher in the scene again connotating the image that city people have more influence than country people.

The final character he meets is an old woman unloading her vegetables as shown by a slow climbing shot; this meets the stereotypical idea of regional identity as the woman is clearly a farmer as shown by the mise en scene of her clothes, which are very casual and almost scruffy and her vegetables. She however dose not fit the common stereotype as she is the one person who is portrayed to the audience as equal or better than Doc Martin. This is shown by the way she talks to Doc Martin a diegetic sound that gives her more authority over him, she is also less heavily accented than the other townspeople which links away from the stereotype. When the camera next pans it follows her movements and not Doc Martins like before which also shows how here she in not meeting the stereotype of country people compared to city people.


        

Humans Clip

The clip starts with a pan shot of the inside of the older mans house to the older man who is playing with the medicine pills. Here from the mise en scene age is represented very stereotypically as the area looks cluttered and messy. There is very dim lighting and all the objects in the scene represents an older man as they are all older and there is nothing very modern. There are also black and white photos in delicate looking photo frames and everything seems to be covered in a slight layer of dust. This creates a nostalgic feel and is a typical reprsentation of older people clinging to the past. The dark dim lighting also shows this. There are letters which is an much older way of communicating which also represents the mans age. There is slow orchestral music playing which is an non diegetic and asynchronous sound and this also represents the mans age stereotypically as it is the kind of music that you would expect older people to listen to it also shows the stereotype of old people being nostalgic and missing/trying to relive the past as the music is very old fashioned. Over the sound of the music is the man fiddling with the pills, this diegetic clacking sound is loud and clear and creates tension. It represents the man as uneasy and nervous which can be a stereotypical representation as sometimes older people are represented as more unsure and nervous. Where the old man is the lighting is lighter and clearer yet still messy;this represents the older man in the present as it is brighter than the rest of the house but also keeps up the typical representation of older peoples house being cluttered like they are struggling to manage on their own.

Cross-cut editing is used to show a woman pressing the door bell which above has a sign that says "no visitors". Then using cross cut editing the scene changes quickly to the older man jumping at the sound of the doorbell,this is a typical representation of older people being anxious and jumpy. At this point the man also drops his pills which creates a very loud and clear diegetic noise which represents his nervousness and increases the tension. When he drops the pills the mise en scene shows that there are other medicines on the table and this represents the older man's age very stereotypically as older people being ill, needing medicine and being more fragile is an typical representation. A point of view shot is used when the older man opens door to a middle aged woman. The man only slightly opens the door, keeping it on the latch as shown by the mise en scene before talking to woman which is diegtic and synchronous sound, through this the man is being represented as typically grumpy, snappy and almost rude which is an typical representation of men his age. The woman replies very smartly and professionally and is also presented by her appearance this way as shown by a shallow focus shot. This represents the woman stereotypically as often middle aged women are shown as polished and polite. As the mise en scene shows that the woman ignored the note it represents the woman as better and more powerful than the man. The typical smart way the woman is dressed (mise en scene) represents how the middle aged age group is being represented with more authority and importance than the elderly. Shot reverse shot is used for this part as the man continues to be grumpy by rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath which is a diegtic sound that helps fit the man to the bad tempered old man stereotype. A point of view shot is used when the man closes the door forcefully this re-enforces the irritable old man stereotype.

The next shot is an establishing shot before continuity editing is used to move the scene into the living room. Here the mise en scene remains the same of the room being a bit messy and grimy, fitting the representation that the man is struggling to cope and/or is happy to live the past quite nostalgically. The mise en scene of the characters customs also represents their ages stereotypically; the old man is casual slouchy clothes that looked ruffled, creased and not very clean whereas the woman is dress very smartly and immaculately. This fits the stereotype of middle aged people being more important and capable than the elderly like they look after themselves more. Shallow focus is used in this section to show that the woman is annoyed at what she believes is the old mans ramblings (when he talks about Einstein which is diegetic sound) which represents the middle aged age group as having little time and patience with the elderly and the elderly as being a little bit pointless and slow. As they are talking the woman stands which creates a high angled shot from the mans perspective; this shows the power and authority that the middle aged woman has over the man which represents how middle aged people often try to influence and enforce their power onto the elderly. Throughout the time the woman is talking this diegetic sound is pompous, loud and commanding which is a typical representation of how middle aged people are shown as more in control and important than the elderly. It is also represents how middle aged people can patronize the elderly.  

Continuity editing takes the scene to the bedroom once the woman has left to use an over the shoulder shot to show the older man opening the wardrobe door. The person inside the wardrobe is a much younger man and shallow focus represents his innocence and playfulness which is a typical representation of younger men compared to older men. Quite, soft, nostalgic music begins to play and a low angled shot is used as the man older dabs the younger boys face which represents how in this case the older man is more wise and capable whereas the younger man is represented as less capable and more naive. The music slightly increases as the old man remembers "Mary" and shallow focus is used to show the love and emotion he is feeling; this fits the stereotypical stereotype of the elderly being nostalgic and missing their past.  

 
  

Media Essay 1-Mr Ford

“Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices”.                                                                 To what extent would you agree with this statement, within the media area you have studied?

In many ways Star Wars The Force Awakens needed there to be equally as good marketing and distribution campaigns as the production. Both of these factors are massive influences on the film’s success and wouldn’t have worked without the other.

Star Wars The Force Awakens was able to be viewed in cinemas, and also released by download, Blu-ray and DVD. The film was mainly distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motions Pictures which is vertical integration as Disney produced the film and own Lucasfilm the other major production company for the film. There were also some other distribution companies such as Starz! for USA TV and Columbia Pictures for theatrical in the Philippines,  this is horizontal integration. The film was filmed on 35mm film and 65 mm IMAX and distributed digitally. This helped the success of the film as it meant that it was considerably cheaper than if the entire film had been filmed on film and not distributed digitally. As it was cheaper it meant the overall success of the film increases as the profit made would be a lot higher. This also enabled the film to not just be shown and be successful in cinemas but also be easily accessible online with opportunities like iTunes, Google Play, X-Box and Netflix available. This massively helped increase the success of the film as the specific market of today’s audiences wants to be able to view films whenever, wherever and on what device they want; distributing digitally allows this which increases the success of the film as more people will be more inclined and encourage to watch/download it. This also increased the success of The Force Awakens in cinemas as cinemas more has easier access to it as shown by North America having 4,134 cinemas showing the film in December and from December 18^th  playing on every IMAX cinema in North America. This massively increased the success of the film as being able to watch it on IMAX would excited and appeal to modern day audiences.    

The film itself was marketed extremely well by Disney. Disney has the power, influence and money to create very effective marketing campaigns like the one for The Force Awakens. As well as the usual trailers and posters, which were insanely successful themselves, breaking viewing records, Disney also used the power of social media, merchandise and other companies to market The Force Awakes. A whole day was created on 30^th September 2016 which was named Force Friday and this consisted of a 24 hour live streaming event of fans un-boxing the merchandise. Not only did this increase interest for the merchandise but massively racked up success for the film from the dedicated fans. Star Wars is a franchise that quite unique in the amount of very interested and passionate fans particularly in the UK and USA for the franchise so individual marketing opportunities like this really increased the hype and overall success of the film. Disney also involved other companies in the marketing to enable The Force Awakens to become a familiar sight for particularly the American and British public. By using household brands like Tesco in the UK and Hot Wheels in the USA plus many more the public would be surrounded The Force Awakens which would massively increase the film’s success. This blanket marketing helps ensure success for the film as it increases the excitement and amount of people viewing the film.

The marketing also helped the film be known to all audience demographics that Disney has the advantage of promoting too such as children and families. The Force Awakens would attract massive Star Wars fans however with Disney now producing, distributing and marketing the film it increases the excitement and prosperity of the film for much wider audiences which will help make the film more successful. The wide range of marketing used for the film also massively helped increase its success as it reached and engaged many audience types. This can be shown by how Disney worked with brands like Cover Girl and Max Factor to engage a female audience and also the success of the film in China. The Force Awakens set a new record for the best box office for a weekend release in China for $33 million. This is a particular achievement for the Force Awakens as unlike in the USA and UK there are not many passionate fans in China due to the political climate when the original Star Wars trilogy was released. Star Wars (the first Star Wars film) was released in 1977 when China was under a very strict Communist role which meant that Western, American, Hollywood blockbusters were not widely accepted or even prohibited. This meant that there was a very small Chinese fan base as not many people had grown up with the movies like British and American audiences had. To combat this Disney launched a massive marketing campaign in China to raise awareness, excitement and overall successfulness for the film; this included 500 Stormtroopers on the Great Wall of China and using famous Chinese stars like Lu Han to introduce trailers and create promotional songs. The success of the film in China really shows how important marketing is to have a successful film; Star Wars went from being almost non-existent to breaking records in China mostly due to the marketing.

Production is also important for the success of a film. Again Star Wars in very unique in the fact that there have already been six successful films previously. As the first trilogy was most successful the director J.J. Abrams wanted The Force Awakens to be as similar to those films as possible, as it would satisfy fans and audiences the most. Firstly having J.J. Abrams as the director, and part of the screenwriting and producing teams was a good production practice as J.J. Abrams is very well experienced in producing Sci-Fi Action films like The Force Awakens. He has directed all of the Star Trek films which not only familiarised him with Star Wars fans (as often these franchises go hand in hand with fans) but also shows how he is a successful director, perfect for The Force Awakens. This production practice helped the success of the film as fans knew they could trust this director and would be more inclined to watch the film. Another production practice unique to Star Wars that helped the success of the film was using the same key people and companies in the production. In 2012 Disney brought Lucasfilm for the main aim of producing more Star Wars, they could not do this successfully without the help of Lucasfilm as having produced the other six films they have the very best knowledge and expertise to create a successful seventh film. In many cases the same people were used for example Harrison Ford for Han Solo and John Williams to create the film score like he did for the previous six films. This carried on continuity for the fans and also enabled the best acting and composing as these individuals knew their roles very well, knew the characters and knew what worked; without this idea of continuity mixed with the new the famous line “Chewey we’re home” would never have made the screen and delighted fans globally. Likewise introducing new characters like Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn helped attract new audiences and fans to create a new era for this Star Wars trilogy. These two leads in particular would help attract and increase success in modern audiences of 14-30 years olds as having a female and “black” lead would excite them, as often not portrayed in Hollywood, this audience would be more than happy to watch a female and “black” lead.  This helped the success of the film as the mix of old and new attracted old and new audience which would just keep the success of the film rolling through many audience demographics.

The next production practice of sticking to the original methods and practical techniques as much as possible also helped the success of the film. Going back to the older ways of filming and creating a film like: using 35 mm Kodak film to film many parts of the film, less green screens and using models, sets and paintings instead, using real explosions and having characters like the Luggabeast fully practical, linked The Force Awakens back to the original trilogy which helped the film succeed. This production practice helped the success of the film as it would attract fans back to the franchise and would also impress audiences that weren’t already fans leading them to be more interested to see the film. However a film as fantasy based as Star Wars could not be done without the aid of some CGI and special effects especially with all the amazing technology available; here Disney can really help the success of the film as they have the access, knowledge, money and influence to this technology. The character of Maz Kanata (based on Abrams high school teacher) was created and filmed entirely digitally. A motion-capture suit was used to allow the actress Lupita Nyong’o’s character to come alive which is a very modern and state of the art technology. This production practice helped the success of the film as it added the wow factor for audiences. The quality of this character and other CGI and special effects technology enhanced the whole experience of the film especially for modern day viewers who have become accustomed to great levels of technology in films.     

Overall I believe the marketing and distribution and production practices are equally as important to create a successful film. I completely agree with this statement and do not believe you can have one without the other; as a great film not marketed or distributed well will not reach audiences as shown by the success in China (had The Force Awakens not had such a impactful marketing campaign the film would be less of a success) and a awful film marketed and distributed well would have had much less success in merchandise sales, home media sales or repeat viewing in the cinema that Star Wars massively gained success from.