Cinema City.

In the school holidays the cinemas make most of their money. This is when the big Hollywood blockbusters are released, but for cinema city however Cinema City gets their biggest audiences when they hold live events and premier showings. The live events are unique to independant cinemas and this is where they sell most tickets.

Television was the first main technological advance that hit the cinemas badly in the 1950's onwards and then soon after, VCR's were introduced so films could be sold to the public.  DVD's came later in 2000.  These forms of film distribution reduce cinema audiences. 

Cinemas have attempted to increase their audience numbers mainly by introducing 3D screenings. Independant cinemas for example Cinema City have introduced screenings for specific desires, for example screenings where you are allowed to take toddlers or showings where popcorn isn't allowed.  This is in an attempt to adhear to the desires of target audiences to attract more people.

As Cinema progressed...
In 1945 the top 20 films accounted for 25% of the market. In 2000 the top 20 films accounted for 50% of the market. 
US films took a 20% share of the market in early 1970's. In 1998 US films took a 63.3% share of the market.
From this we can attain that the film market is being taken over by U.S film producers which is impacting and damaging film industry in most, if ont all other countries.
Here are some statistics on average spending of hoseholds in the UK
Exhibition related leisure pursuits now = 14% of household spend.
Home - based ancillary (TV/video etc.) markets = 43% of household spend.
From this we can tell that Films are most likely viewed mostly at home as opposed to at the cinema.
A cinema such as Cinema City used to get around 80% income from subsidies and 20% from ticket sales. How has this changed? Compare this to Vue/Odeon. How are cinemas funding new revenue streams?
For cinema city the government now only give about 20% of the income, the rest they make through their services and ticket sales. Independant companies struggle more with the lack of subsidies than multiplex cinemas. This is because the multiplexes are funded by rich american companies because they have control over a huge majority of film production and distribution. Multiplex cinemas may gain filming elsewhere however, Vue has funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland.
  Cinema City underwent a significant refurbishment programme in and reopened in 2007. Why would Cinema City be unable to carry out these refurbishments if it was trying to do so today?
Their would not be sufficient funding to carry out such refurbishments now, mostly because of the governments reduce in subsidies that they gave the British Film industry.  Also television technology wasn't quite as good, HD for example.  Because of this ticket sales would have been higher and more profit would have been made.

Why did Cinema City install a 3D projector in 2010?
They need the revenue that it would provide from a mainstream audience and to keep up with technologies in both other cinemas and at home.  
What is a 'sleeper' film? How is Cinema City better positioned to adjust schedules for 'sleepers'?
Sleeper films are films that start slowly and are not immediately popular.  They eventually increase greatly in popularity and without a flexible shedule, mainstream cinemas may miss out on this rise in popularity due to more fixed screening regimes.  Cinema city has an advantage on the multiplex cinemas here as it can accomadate personally to the consumers desires.

Why wouldn't Cinema City show 'The Expendables' but they would show a Tarantino film?
Cinema city has a more disearning audience that have different tastes and they would wish to gain something different when they watch a film to a general multiplex film consumer.

Who do Cinema City show Sex and the City/Mamma Mia? 
This targets another specific audience that cinema city needs for the revenue despite its mainstream appeal. The actors in the films attract a female audience that ranges around 40 years old which is also similar to the general audience at cinema city and so there are links that may make this film enjoyable for regular cinema city film go-ers.


Cinema city provides clubs for specific types of audiences for example 'kids club' which provides for a very specific audience
What does Cinema City use its screens for other than showing films?
They use their screens for live events (music etc), film maker Q&A's, film premiers, productions transmitted from the Royal Opera house for example, broadcasted satellite events and various stand up performances.

Cinema city generally has an audience of people of both sexes age 40+because they screen and re-screen old films in different ways and the cinema screens have compfy seats and a more relaxed and mature atmosphere to multiplex's.  The films are also in general, more interlectually challenging and possibly contravirtal.

My Thriller Treatment

 

The first shot is a wide long shot of car traffic of which we intend to get about half an hours footage which we would then speed it up so you see the progression from day to night. The next couple of shots would be long shots to mid shots of some dark, urban areas around the city. We would then cut to a long shot going up a ramp of a multi-story car park which looks out on the sky. Our main character is situated on the top of the multi-story car park being beaten up by a gang which revolves around drugs. He owes this gang money because they had given him some drugs but he never actually payed them back, so they came looking for him. The next shot would be extreme close ups of the man who has just been beaten up. The victim owes money to the gang. After the gang leave there would be a birds eye view of the man leaning against the wall and on the other side of the wall there would be the night time city traffic. This shot would be good because it makes us feel that the man is separate from everyone else and that he is exposed to the night and that he is vulnerable and alone
You would hear the background music which would consist of atmospheric piano, this sets the scene because it creates an atmosphere which cannot be made by any other instrument. It relays a sense of mystery. There would be a conversation between the leader of the people that beat up the man and the man himself, they would be talking about what the man has to do in order to pay off the debt he owes them. Whilst they were talking there would only be extreme close ups of the mens faces in order to keep a sense of mystery and darkness. After-wards the gang would leave and then the only thing you would hear would be the man crying.  I will aim to use conventions of thrillers such as a spiral staircase i will use in one of the car parks.  Also chiaroscuro lighting and key lighting as the film is set in the evening, this will be essenitial in the creation of the atmosphere. This concept i have learnt about from 'The Third Man' which uses extreme lighting techniques throughout.  According to some research i have carried out, people of the target demographic I am aiming my film at prefer action films to thrillers and therefore in order to appeal more to my target daomgraphic I will aim to make my thriller relate more towards the sub-genre of Action Thrillers.

Thriller Location Shots

                                    1.
We thought using a spiral staircase in  the thriller was a good idea because it is one of the most used conventions.

2.

We decided to try and use this shot in this location because it shows the divide between the character and the rest of the city.

3.

This one is the same as above but just at a slightly different angle.

4.

We want to use this shot because it is something different. Because we aren't seeing the person normally, we are seeing their reflection walking and how the windows are positioned help give it an extra effect.

5.

This is the spiral staircase but from a different angle, this angle i think works better because you are able to see more and you're able to see further down.

6.

We want to use this shot in the film because you get a close up of the character but he is looking over a lot of the city, in my opinion i think this is a good shot.

7.

We're going to use this shot because the blind type window gives a very good effect whilst you're watching the person walk down the bridge.

8.

This is where most of the filming will be done. This is an underground carpark and during the night, it gets really dark and the lighting in there is bright on one side and very dark on the other.

9.

This is the car park from a different angle, this angle shows where the light would seperate from the dark during the night.

10.

This shot shows most of the car park, the lighting in here is perfect for a thriller.

My Thriller Character

My thriller character will be a scruffy male figure.  He will have a rough stubble and a dark jacket.  He will look unkept and untidy.  However, he has family which he cares for.  He is struggling with a drug adiction which is making him associated with bad people but he has good intentions.  He does not have a car or much money, he has a job which he does in shifts and works irregular hours in a factory and doing repairs on boats.  He is struggling to support his family with the addiction he is fighting.

Thriller opening film timings

Film	Average shot length in seconds	Number of different shots	Titles
Taxi Driver dir. Martin Scorsese 1976	4-20	9	Blood red on a black background.
Nikita dir. Luc Besson 1990	5	20	Blood red on a black background
Leon dir. Luc Besson 1994	2-14	28	White on a black background.
Momento dir. Christopher Nolan 2000	1-2	17	Blue against one long opening shot.
London To Brighton dir. Paul Andrew Williams    2006	2-3	31	White on a black background.
Red Road dir. Andrea Arnold 2006	1-10	32	Blue and white on a black background

 

From this It appears that generally thriller openings have a large number of shots that change every few seconds and also a large number of shots.  The opening titles all have greatly contrasting colours to show the title.  Depending on the the degree of violence or sinicism I may choose to use red titles for my thriller opening.  I shall try and replecate a similar number of shots within my thriller opening.

Warp Films and Working Title Films

Warp Films

This company aims on bringing realism to its audience without the mainstream novelty that is used within Working title films for example.  This is what they said "we don't want to have a carbon copy, hollywoodbig blockbuster film".  This company does not simply aim to entertain but enlighten the audience to good film.  Warp Films aim to be original "an artist-led company".  They have also stated that they aim to be "cutting edge, innovative, interesting, independant".


Warp Films was set up in 1999 as a branch from Warp Records which began just over ten years before hand.  Warp Films have had funding from NESTA and they currently have a low budget maxing out at about £1,000,000.  Warp Films has only 14 employees and because of the small scale, less expensive film genres are made more, i.e comedies, social realist or horrors.  The films therefore generally have higher age group certifications. 

Working Title Films

Working Title Films was set up in 1983.  The maximum budget for the films they make is £25,000,000.  They have had funding from the Lottery and in 1999 they had funding from Universal studios (a reported 600 million dollars) and within this deal they could make films with a budget of up to 35 million dollars without permission from Universal.

Shooting techniques

How (I've learnt) to shoot walking in film...

The main techniques that we have studies in class have been focusing on the characters feet with an extreme close while they walk. Also, a wide variety of shots tend to be used to make the movement more interesting to the audience.  Multiple takes are often used for this.  Often in film, long shots are used of the character walking directly towards the camera. This creates a strong impression and creates distance and the desired speed and atmosphere.  The cameras movement will often match the characters walking speed and often the walking speed will also be in sync with the music.  Action match is often used while a character is walking for a sense of continuity.  Shot/Reverse shot is used if the audience is supposed to be seeing the character walkings perspective and over the shoulder shots help this too.

How (I've learnt) to shoot a conversation...

A conversation usually uses a single mastershot (this tends to be a two, three or wide shot) of both/all of the people in the conversation as the conversation takes place while switching to various cutaways but most often, over the shoulder shots that are usually close ups.  of the faces of the characters.  These usually swap to show the person speaking in turn but sometimes a noddy shot is used to show a key emotion or opinion if needed.  To prevent disorientation of the audience, when a conversation is shot the cameras usually stay on one side of where the conversation takes place.  This is called the 180 degree rule.  This makes the situation easier to understand when shots change.  Eyeline match means that the shots of each character, whether taller or shorter are shot in a way as to make their eyes seem level with eachother whilst they talk.  This may have either character looking down or up but their faces are both shown the same on the shots.

How does Hitchcock use binary opposites to create suspense in the 1960’s Thriller, Psycho?

Hitchcock uses binary opposites throughout the film Psycho.  Binary opposites, in this context, are things that are opposites and also have other connotations.  In some cases, they are used to represent morals such as right and wrong.  Another example is wealth and poverty.  They are also used to emphasise points or situations.  Hitchcock uses them extensively and effectively in the film Psycho to create suspense.

Immediately in the opening we see a wide open long shot panorama of Phoenix, Arizona.  The shot eventually cranes in towards an open window where the camera enters a dark room.  This in its self presents an opposition from the outside world and the public as opposed to the secretive darkness that fills the apartment.  Inside the apartment there is a couple who are having an affair.  This is yet another binary opposite of morality against love.  Also, the couple discuss their relationship.  This creates an opposition between the respectability of a relationship in marriage and family against the affair that they are having.  This in turn creates suspense as Marion is struggling between right and wrong.  She is not happy about her situation but does not know how to get out of it.

When Marion is at work at her office there is a distinct opposite between the wealth of the outgoing customer and the much lesser wealth of the workers, Marion and the other staff member.  In the same scene there is another opposite of the intellects and desires between Marion and the other office worker who seems simple and content with her life whereas Marion is not because of her affair and struggling relationship.  This opposite emphasises how Marion is not content with how her life is.  She does not want to spend the rest of her life with little money, an unhappy relationship and the guilt caused by her affair.

Another binary opposite used by Hitchcock is white versus black.  In the initial apartment scene we see that Marion is wearing a white bra.  White is a colour that represents goodness and purity and this encourages the audience to see Marion as an essentially ‘good’ person.  This changes later on, after the office scene where she is faced with a moral dilemma.  Should she put the money in the bank or just keep it for herself? Having been given money, £40,000, to put in the bank, she takes it home instead.  There is then a scene where she changes her clothes and moves the money into her bag which she takes with her as she sets off to make her escape.  When she is shown changing, she wears a black bra which signifies how she has changed and how she is now a criminal who has lost her morals, respect and goodness as a woman.  This builds suspense as she leaves the city, as does the hurried manner in which she changes at her place.

Marion leaves the busyness of the city and heads for isolation.  This opposite represents the transfer from good to evil that she has made.  The isolation connotes that she has done wrong and that people in the city she lived and worked with were good.  This also suggests that Norman, the man who runs the motel where she stops off, is also on the wrong side of life and may be evil.  The character of Norman Bates is also representative of the binary opposite that is connoted by the stuffed birds of prey.  This is the concept of predator and prey.  Marion, although this does not appear so to begin with, is prey to Norman being the predator.  This is also true on another level within Normans mind.  His split personality suggests that his personality is prey to his Mothers personality.  Most of the time he appears to be a nice person, but the darker side of his personality is perhaps caused by his mother.  This creates further suspense because we fear for Marion, now that she is in the company of Norman.

In conclusion, all of the binary opposites that Hitchcock uses move from safety, security and goodness to opposites which imply danger and vulnerability, for example when Marion leaves her family and job for isolation and a less certain future. The police man emphasises the increasing vulnerability Marion faces as he follows her when she leaves the city.  This builds an atmosphere of suspense which makes the intense murder scene sinister and gruesome.

my cosmetic aftershave advert

cosmetics ad powerpoint

Cosmetic ad

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Cosmetics Advert

Who is your target audience?

The target audience tor my Aftershave advert would be people of middle or lower middle class males (B, C1) of an age group between 25 – 35 years old.  These people would value smart appearance, success, nice cars, a successful business and an exciting and dynamic set of interests. 

The advert shows a defined man in a suit who is standing in a Paris street which connotes class, success and wealth.  The man in the ad is young, this would be idealistic of people towards the slightly older end of the demographic but similar to the younger end of the demographic as to not make the concept un-fitting to the demographic but optimistic to aging.  The bottle its self relates to a more simple depiction of what the aftershave its self will give you.  A sleek, professional image which appeals more towards the middle class but however many lower middle class people would want to copy the image in an attempt to improve their own image.  The masculinity in this image comes from the person in the ad.  The Aftershave bottle being black suggests class and simple brilliance.  The background location also creates a sense of class and a level of success is associated with the product because of this.  A male who saw this ad would aspire to be like the image portrayed by the character.  This is what would ‘sell’ the product.

How did the technologies help in the process of constructing the advert? And how comfortable you are to the technologies…

The technologies I used were essential to what I was aiming to create because I could not create the scenario in the advertisement without the Photoshop I used (Adobe Premier Elements 8) I am not too comfortable with using this software and this shows clearly on my advertisement.  I used a digital camera to take the photo of the man in the advertisement.  Having taken the photo I needed I was then able to put it onto my computer and start photo shopping.  I used the Photoshop to put a completely fake background behind the man in the original image, the background I had simply copied off Google images. I was also able to use the clone stamp tool to remove any writing which was originally on the aftershave bottle.  Finally I used ‘Dafont.com’ to get a title for my advertisement which I copied and pasted onto my advertisement and put new text on the aftershave bottle it’s self.  I believe I could have done the photo shopping better provided I had known how to use the software more effectively. 

How does your advert represent particular social groups?

My advertisement represents a social group of a successful male roll.  The advertisement portrays males as professional and youthful and this is not exactly who it is aimed at because it is aimed at people who would aspire to be like that as well.  This advert suggests that whoever buys this product will be made higher in society because of it and will gain masculinity.  I believe it could have represented this social group better because in this advertisement there are no sexual connotations which would create more desire for the product and therefore this advert may not appeal to everyone in the demographic.