Companies

Skyfall:

Eon Productions <  Danjaq (Parent) > MGM < Sony

Sony owns:

• Zipper Interactive
• Sucker Punch Productions
• Sony Ericsson Electronics
• Sigil Games Online Inc
• Psygnosis Limited
• Naughty Dog
• Music Center Incorporated
• Media Molecule
• Left Bank Pictures
• Incognito Entertainment
• Guerrilla Games
• Evolution Studios
• EMI Music Publishing
• Eidetic Games
• Columbia Pictures Entertainment
• CBS Record Group Music
• Bigbig Studios Video Game
• Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Frozen:

Walt Disney Animation Studios < Walt Disney Studios < The Walt Disney Company

Walt Disney Pictures < Walt Disney Studios < The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company owns:

• Walt Disney Pictures
• Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Walt Disney Theatrical
• The Walt Disney Company India
• Pixar
• Marvel Entertainment
• Lucasfilm
• The Muppets Studio
• ABC Television Group
• ESPN Inc. (80%)
• A+E Networks (50%)
• Radio Disney
• Hulu (32%)
• UTV Software Communications
• Maker Studios
• Disney Interactive
• Disney Land/World

The Impact of Technology on Institutions and Audiences

Audiences:

• Streaming services such as Netflix allow for hundreds of films to be watched on most devices at a low cost.
• People have the option to avoid going out to buy the film and can instead download or stream the film.
• Blu-ray allows for high quality viewing from home
• Blu-ray player improves the quality of DVDs
• IMAX offers a unique experience that offers enhanced spectacle through a larger screen and surround sound for a higher price.
• Proliferation of hardware means that more content is begin created.
• Websites such as YouTube offer hundreds of hours of free content.
• Audiences have the ability to download films illegally the films often suffer from bad image and audio quality.
• Digital distribution has allowed for people to be able to obtain 1080p versions of the film illegally.
• Classic films are made more durable over time by having classic films such as Star Wars and the Godfather remastered with Blu-ray.

The Dark Knight: IMAX

• 70 minutes of the film was filmed on IMAX film.
• Waterloo received over 1 million ticket pre orders for IMAX and even had people fly in to watch it.
• IMAX gave the film 10x resolution and made it 2x brighter.
• Broke records for DVD sales, sold 3 million in day of release, 600,000 of these were Blu-ray.

Kick Ass 2: Piracy

• Was the second most Torrented film the year of its release.
• The sequel only made 28 million as a result, compared to the first film that made 48 million.
• The result of this massive hit at the box office led to the franchise being killed.

Institutions:

Production-

• Digital storyboards allow for concepts of films to be easier to comprehend.
• 
  

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

Media ownership is something that massively dictates the success of independent companies and conglomerates. This issue can affect the market across production, distribution and exchange. Independent and conglomerates are affected in different ways by this.

Independent studios tend to have more freedom from partnering companies and product placement within their films. This freedom comes from self-funded films but at the same time, the film can suffer from a lack of a budget as a result. This can lead to smaller scale casts, locations and effects. Since an independent film is self-funded, extra funding and finance must be secured from multiple sources. Sometimes this can actually affect the freedom of production as the people funding the film will begin to have a larger say in how it is made. Independent films are being made less than films from large films from conglomerates such as Sony. This is due to the way that the market is owned by the larger companies and films, leaving independent films to be less successful as a result.

Large media conglomerates have the ability to use synergy while gaining funding and features for their films, a clear example of this would be Aston Martin and Spectre who created a car purely for the film and will be released post-release. These high budget films can afford better actors, locations and affects as a result. Since conglomerates such as Sony and Disney have the rights to massive franchises such as Star Wars and James Bond, they are able to take more risks and take more losses than an independent film because they are guaranteed a large gross at the box office. A downside of having large investors involved on a film is the fact that the film must be successful in the box office in order to guarantee a return on the investment. As a result the film must satisfy a broader audience and can go as far as to influence locations and writing of the film.

The distribution of an independent film is very different to the way a large-scale film would be distributed. An independent film must be targeted at a more specific audience as it doesn't have the budget for a distribution campaign. In an attempt to compensate for the low budget for a distribution campaign, films such as Ill Manors have used examples of cheap publicity. The film was able to achieve this through synergy of an album with the same name, social media pages, and film festivals. These marketing techniques become essential to an independent film as it cannot withstand a bad box office, so it must attempt to be as successful as possible. This can be a problem however, as smaller, independent films are usually dominated by large franchises and conglomerates.

Media conglomerates such as Sony and Disney have the ability to use different methods of distribution due to their higher budget. Warner Brothers and EA used synergy in order to create a Harry Potter video game. This promotes the film to a wider audience while the franchise helps EA to make money off of the success of the brand name. Since large conglomerates have such a large budget and brand names, they can advertise in more ways than an independent company can. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 was advertised through a series of billboards that did not even feature the name of the film. This shows an example of how conglomerates such as Warner can afford to let the brand name speak for itself as they are guaranteed an extremely successful box office.

An independent film tends to be exhibited in very different ways to a big-budget film. An independent film is less likely to be shown in the cinema and may instead go straight to DVD as it cannot afford a bad box office. Independent films have been able to utilise alternatives such as Netflix in order to gain more money and publicity for their film. Independent films going straight to DVD has become an increasingly common situation as the market is dictated by conglomerates and franchises.

A film produced by a conglomerate is guaranteed a large box-office and rarely goes straight to DVD. These films have more options to show their films in different ways. Synergy can be used between films and IMAX. A successful film is shown in IMAX which encourages the audiences to pay a higher price in order to experience the new technology. This results in more money being made for IMAX and conglomerates. Big franchise films such as Star Wars can also be released in a number of different ways, such as Blu-ray, Directors/Extended cut, combo packs and limited edition. These choices would not be available to a smaller, independent film and more money is made by the conglomerates as a result of these options.

In conclusion, conglomerates such as Disney and Sony have made it increasingly more difficult for self-funded, independent films to be successful in today's market. Less independent films are being made and large franchises such as Star Wars and The Avengers are taking over the box office. As synergy between large companies continue to make the conglomerates more money, the more they begin to rule over the industry.

How Important is Technological Convergence for Institutions and Audiences?

Production:

• Smart phones allow for people to film content using their phone (Modern Family)
• Computers allow for audiences to edit content with software such as Premiere Pro
• People can use websites in order to fundraise their film
• Easier for independent film makers to start projects
• More competition for institutions to make films 

Distribution:

• Can upload content from multiple devices such as phones and computers
• Hours of content as a result
• More competition due to increased amount of content
• More places for institutions to advertise such as websites and social media
• Example case study, Ill Manors, small budget (£100,000) with a focus on cheap advertising

Exhibition:

• Films can be bought over a number of different platforms such as DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming services
• More people have the option to watch films from home by streaming legally and illegally (Kick-Ass 2 suffered)
• To confront the issues raised by streaming, cinemas now offer IMAX ad 3D screenings of films
• Removes the need to go out and buy standard DVD's so Blu-ray created to bring cinema experience to home
• Blu-ray costs more so if the film is a flop the institutions could lose a profit

Audience:

• There are cheaper alternatives for audiences to create their own content (music video, short film)
• May not want to watch the more expensive alternatives such as Blu-ray or IMAX
• More free content available for audiences in places such as YouTube
• Streaming sites such as Netflix (Skyfall) allow for the audience to watch content wherever they want for a cheaper price
• Have to watch content on a smaller screen with worse audio

Disability

Camera Work:

The long shot of billy walking in the woods with the contrast of the dark background gives the audience an association of loneliness with disability. This shot causes Billy to appear lost and confused in a strange world and makes him seem vulnerable. The calm tracking shot shows how naive Billy is to the danger he is in. A tilt is used to reveal the tracks that Billy has left behind on the ground due to his clumsy nature. The use of a tracking shot makes the audience realise that Billy is completely oblivious to the danger that he is in due to the pace of the camera movement. This gives the impression that Billy is very innocent like a child combined with a close-up reaction shot of his face he is easily startled and frightened. This shows that disability has been represented to audiences in a way that reflects child like mannerisms. A high angle is used during the scenes where Billy is being captured in order to further represent how disability has rendered him powerless in comparison to the danger that he is in. The use of a panning shot with a collection of neighbours show give the effect that disability is being seen as a threat by the locals. The use of a high angle shot shows that Billy is like a child in comparison to the characters without disability and he is in a lower position of authority. The use of a two-shot with Billy and his father shows that he requires adult supervision like a child would; again showing how disability is reflected with an effect of child-like innocence.

Editing:

We are thrust back into a past scene with the use of a quick cutaway, this allows the audience to experience what it is like to be thrust into an unusual environment. The speed of editing increases as the tensions within the scene rise.

Mise-En-Scene:

The use of a dark forest setting gives an empty look to the shot that reflects how disability is being reflected as something out of the ordinary and gives the effect of loneliness. The use of police dogs give the effect that he is being hunted down like an animal and it further shows how disability is being treated as a lower class. The way that the police are using Billy's tracks to track him down show that he is clumsy due to his disability. The way that the police are being shown wearing high-visability clothing reflect the prominent threats that Billy sees them as they are hunting him. The use of his mother holding a washing bowl shows that billy cannot clean his room and is totally dependent on his mother and father. Billy is shown in a shot with his father, the use of Billy's father in a higher position than him shows that Billy is like a child and needs to be supervised by his father who is in a higher position of power. Billy's face is covered in cuts and bruises, this shows how he cannot cope independently in the real world and has become injured as a result of his disability and wring treatment by others.

Sound:

When we are first introduced to Billy, ominous music begins to play suggesting that there is something unusual with his character and something dangerous is about to happen. The tension in the music begins to rise throughout the scene but then cuts completely, only leaving the diegetic sounds of dogs and police to be heard. This enhances the way that Billy feels that everything in the scene is aggressively pursuing him and his disability causes him to be extremely vulnerable. Dialog in the scene reflects the differences between Billy and the other characters by using simplistic language and light tones in the voice to speak to Billy as if he were a child and to compensate for his lower intelligence. Billy's tone of voice is very similar to that of a child as it contains a lot of high pitches and pleading tones to show that he is in a lower position of authority.

How is synergy easier for a media conglomerate than a smaller independent British company

Synergy: The interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations  substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

Conglomerate: a thing consisting of a number of different and distinct parts or items that are grouped together.

Disney and Pixar:

• Disney has managed to purchased the rights to studios such as Marvel, LucasFilm and Pixar, creating films such as The Avengers, Star Wars and Toy Story.
• Disney's Tron Legacy used synergy through different media outlets. The soundtrack was created by Daft Punk and released on Hollywood records, and the film was promoted through Disney world attractions such as the Tronorail, ElecTRONica dance parties, and early previews of the film.
• Toy Story 3 used synergy through blu-ray and DVD combo releases of the films, including a making of featurette. Disney Interactive Studios released Toy Story 3 the game prior to the films release. ABC's dancing with the stars featured a scene from the film. The Disney channel began air a Toy Story day prior to the film's release, showing the previous films, including sneak peaks of the third instalment of the franchise.
• The Avengers featured examples of synergy over a long period. Films that have been the build up to The Avengers have spread across multiple studios. ABC and Netflix have featured television series that feature in the world of the Avengers in the form of Agents of Shield and Daredevil. Disney XD has even featured an Avengers Assemble animated series.
• Disney's Frozen featured examples of synergy across multiple platforms. The song 'Let it go' was released as a single. Merchandise from the film such as toys and clothing were sold in Disney stores. Disney interactive created a mobile game called Frozen free fall.

Disney Conglomerate: 

• Disney Interactive
• Walt Disney Pictures
• Walt Disney Theatrical Productions
• Walt Disney Records
• The Disney Channel
• Walt Disney Company Book Publishing
• Radio Disney
• Disney Land
• Disney World

Easy for American Companies:

• Disney has control over companies across multiple platforms. This allows for promotion of any media product that Disney release to reach a large audience. Disney can successfully create games, albums and merchandise to promote their product.

Independent British Companies:

• It is difficult for British companies to replicate the level of synergy that can be seen in American companies such as Disney. Low budget, British films such as Shaun of the Dead would not be able to use synergy to make a video game, or merchandise based on the film due to the extremely low budget.
• Ill Manors had to rely on the director, Ben Drew, to score the film with his album, and could not bring in another media institution like Disney did with Tron and Daft Punk.
• Ill Manors was able to use some form of synergy by releasing the film's soundtrack in order to promote and raise awareness for the film.

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

Digital distribution has had an enormous impact on the ways in which audiences and institutions view and distribute media products. The advancement of digital distribution affects production, distribution and exhibition companies in positive and negative ways.

Production companies have been affected in a number of ways by digital distribution. More content is able to be created due to the availability of high quality equipment to a wider audience for a cheaper price, free filming on digital instead of costly film. Using film offers a clearer quality image upon first showings, while digital film allows for a constant quality of image over multiple showings. The increase in the amount of content being created, institutions have begun to become affected as there is more competition for films. This increase in content can prevent audiences from going to watch more professionally made films by offering more free content on places such as YouTube and Vimeo.

Plan

Para 1: Production

• High quality equipment more accessible for a larger audience at cheaper prices
• Digital filming is free compared to filming on reel
• Film is better quality than digital but eventually deteriorates
• Editing software available for larger audience
• More competition for institutions
• CGI cheaper than practical effects, more accessible for public on editing software
• Digital cheaper due to proliferation of hardware

Para 2: Distribution

• Twitter and Facebook used for free publicity (Ill Mannors)
• YouTube used for cheap promotion (trailers, ads)
• Digital Files easy to transport to exhibitors
• Files more at risk of being leaked
• DVD's used less due to digital downloads, Netflix
• Blu-ray offer cinema quality experience from home
• Netflix leads to smaller screen

Para 3: Exhibition

• Netflix and streaming services preventing people from going cinema
• Have to wait for films to feature on Netflix
• Illegal downloads becoming more prominent (Kick Ass 2 most downloaded film)
• Illegal downloads mean worse quality audio and image quality
• IMAX and 3D used to offer an experience that you could not get from home
• IMAX and 3D premium price
• 4k televisions and surround sound for high-quality experience from home
• Technological convergence smart TV
• Digital downloads remove the need to go out and purchase films (Blockbuster)

Para 4: Audiences

• Easy access to hundreds of hours of free content on websites such as YouTube
• Can watch Netflix on a number of devices from most locations
• Illegally watch/download content on devices
• Audiences have to pay more for higher quality experience
• Digitally rent or buy films instead of going out to purchase

Conclusion:

Advantages:

• More people can make high-quality films at affordable prices
• Cheap promotion using social media
• Low cost distribution
• More digital content available from home
• Blu-ray and 4k televisions for cinema experience

Disadvantages:

• More competition for professional institutions
• Lower quality
• Less people going to cinemas
• Removes need for DVD

Representation Notes

Editing:

• Shot reverse shot

• Minimal cuts

• Pass by effect to sudden zoom when Terry first appears in the frame

• Editing becomes more frequently cut

• Match on action makes scene seem more natural

• Sudden cut surprise

Mise-en-scene:

• High-class location

• Ben suit clothing

• Benjamin polite

• Terry hunched over

• Body language-shoulders back, confident stride (high work role)

• Short hair/long hair

• Jewelry, tattoos, dreadlocks

Camerawork:

• Long dolly right (Tracking shot)

• Over the shoulder shot

• Reaction shot

• Benjamin filmed in a smooth, locked down camera movement

• Conversation filmed handheld to show Benjamin uncomfortable

• Shots show discomfort of characters

• 180 rule not broken and seems more natural

• Both framed in a MCU until Benjamin tries to leave Medium but other character brings him to his level again

• As scene builds the camera gradually moves closer 

• Zoom, tension build

Sound:

• Music changes when Benjamin talks to Terry (change in tempo)

• Diegetic sound of getting out the water

• Non diegetic background music

• Benjamin continues voiding eye contact

Accent, dialect (Well spoken/Slang words) “blud” and “bruv”



Editing:

• Opens with slow paced editing
• Cuts become more frequent as tensions build
• When pace of the scene reaches climax the character breaks stereotype

Mise-en-scene:

• Two French women
• Chinese man extreme sexual fantasies and rich
• Location expensive hotel suite
• Lower level jobs
• Traditional made attire
• Maids looking down and an looking up (Power)
• Money is the incentive
• Inappropriate costume, laid back, power
• Black lingerie suggests she was prepared
• Contrasts of black and white first maid more pure
• Heels vs flats. Heels have more sex appeal
• Body language, shy and awkward, relaxed
• Eye contact, not looking at the man




Camerawork:

• Close up reaction shots (excitement)
• Cutaway to money
• Two shot at beginning to show same level
• Facial expressions
• Close ups to show one character feels confident and the other feels uncomfortable



Sound:

• Accent and dialect of the maids
• Diegetic sound of music
• “Monsieur” shows regional identity and ethnicity
• Music builds with the tension of the scene
• “Plenty more fish in the sea” more people who will strip


Editing:

• Fast paced editing, tensions between characters and atmosphere of the busy kitchen
• No cuts when managers walking

Mise-en-scene:

• Contrast, Italian dressed in black and English in white
• Stereotypical hand gestures
• Kitchen knife to show stereotype of Italians and violence


Camerawork:

• Managers followed by continuous dolly shot


Sound:

• Thick Italian accent
• “Pig ugly” “Pratt”
• Diegetic sound of knife shows danger

What is the importance of technological convergence for audiences and institutions?

Technological convergence is the merging of technologies. Examples of this technology include smart phones, smart TV and games consoles. These have a dramatic impact on both audience and institutions and can dictate the ways in which media is distributed.

Technological convergence has had a mixed effect on industries. The technology available to consumers mean that they have the ability to view content from the comfort of their home. The problem with this is that the use of smart phones as an alternative of viewing content could replace the amount of audiences who go to the cinema to watch films. The use of streaming could also mean that more people are pirating content from websites instead of paying for the film. This can result in an extreme damage to the films overall earnings, an example of a film that has been affected by this was 2013's Kick Ass 2. The film was one of the most pirated of that year and as a result was not able to gain the profit that the first film had achieved.

 The integrating of different technologies allow for new ways in which the film can be marketed. Websites such as YouTube and Twitter are common on multiple platforms and are used in order to cheaply advertise and promote their films and gain attention and a larger audience in the process. An example of a film that has successfully used technological convergence to promote their film is

Audiences are given the ability to view more content than ever before through the use of technological convergence. This is a positive for the audience as the yard able to stream hours of free content through websites such as YouTube. The merging of multiple technologies onto small devices such as smart phones allow for content to be streamed on the go. The disadvantage for this is that you have to view the content on a smaller screen with worse sound quality than you would be able to get in a cinema. Another downside to this alternative is that there is often a large waiting period between the time that a film is released from cinema. To get around this some might choose to illegally download a film but would often have to sacrifice low image quality and bad sound where the film has been illegally filmed.

How We Consume And Produce Media

Technology has advanced and begun to offer more platforms to produce and consume different types of media. Websites and applications are both examples of just some of the ways in which media has become more accessible to a wider audience over recent years.

Technological convergence is an example of how technology such as iPhones have changed the ways in which we view T.V and film. iPhones and other devices allow for applications such as Netflix to be used that offer a plethora of films and television. This gives audiences an alternative to purchasing DVD's at the shops by giving them the option to pay a small monthly fee that results in less time and effort for users while offering a lower overall price. The vast amount of media that is made more accessible and convenient to audiences on these devices can cause less people to visit the cinema as a result.

iTunes and Sky On Demand are two examples of alternatives to buying DVD's from stores. These options allow audiences to quickly buy or rent films or T.V programmes in a fraction of the time that it would take to buy a DVD for the same price. This allows audiences the option of trying a film for a lower price to see if they like the film instead of buying a DVD and disliking the film. The problem with this is that there is no physical copy of your purchase and it restricts the audience's viewing to whatever device that the film was bought on.

The option to illegally download content is a feature that has become increasingly popular. This essentially prevents the need to wait for the film to be released in cinema or on DVD and allows viewers to view it illegally online. This is tremendously damaging to the film industry as it prevents people from spending money on the film. As a result of this 'pirating' of films, many films have suffered such as Kick Ass 2 that managed to perform poorly at the box office and damage the strength of the franchise as a result.

A problem with this alternative for audiences is that they have to sacrifice the big screen and enhanced sound for viewing at home on smaller devices. Cinema's have attempted to counter the increasing use of Netflix and other on demand services such as Sky and Amazon prime by exposing their weaknesses. As a result, cinemas have become equipped with 3D and IMAX screenings. This allows cinemas to create an experience that is impossible to replicate at home but presents more problems as it requires a higher cost.

In order to aid the problems that would be faced by audiences in terms of a lack of a cinematic experience at home, Blu-ray has been made as an alternative to DVD's. Blu-rays allow for cinema level sound and images to be played from home. This can prevent a large amount of people from watching a film in the cinema and instead wait for the film to arrive on Blu-ray. Due to Blu-rays' high quality, they cost more money. As a result, cinematic quality is still restricted from people who cannot afford to pay premium prices for this alternative.

Social media websites such as YouTube have allowed for media production and consumption to flourish over recent years. YouTube is a free platform that allows anyone to create their own content and in some cases receive payment. Thousands of independent content creators have taken advantage of Youtube and have produced thousands of hours of content. The content spans over different categories and genres and as a result offer an alternative to television and films for a large audience due to the amount of free content available from home. The disadvantage that comes with this alternative is that while YouTube users have acquired an increased funding, the content produced still remains at a relatively low budget.

Disney

Walt Disney Studios has become one of the largest media companies to ever exist. The company has a value of $81 billion and have managed to build a vast amount of success in areas such as film, T.V, theme parks, video games, toys and more. Disney has been built over a large period of time, establishing an extremely large audience that spans over all age groups.

On October 16 1923, Walt Disney signed a contract with M. J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice Comedies. This marked the beginning of what was first known as The Disney Brothers Studio. As the Alice Comedies began to lose popularity, Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was released in 1927. In November 1928, Steamboat Willie was released, marking the first appearance of iconic Disney characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The Disney company began to grow year after year, establishing characters such as Donald Duck, and more. The company branched out into film in 1937 with the release of it's first full feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves". This was a major success and ultimately paved the way for more Disney films to be released.

Disneys growing success led to the development of their own theme park in California on July 17 1955. This allowed Disney characters and merchandise to be promoted on a large scale. The theme park was so successful that others were made around the world. This allowed for the already large audience to expand further in places such as Tokyo, Florida and Paris. Since the parks opening, it has received a total of over 650 million guests. In 2013 the park hosted around 16.2 million guests, making it the third most visited park in that calendar year.

Another area that Disney began to focus more on is television. Disney had already made shows for television in the past but the year1983 marked the airing of 'The Disney Channel'. This essentially allowed Disney to create and show content on a regular basis on their own channel. From this spawned multiple franchises such as Thats So Raven, Recess and The Suit Life of Zack and Cody. Each franchise offered an enormous amount of profit and merchandise to sell. Over the years, the Disney Channel has led to the fabrication of other Disney-owned channels such as Disney XD and Disney Junior. This variation in programming allowed Disney owned properties to be shown to specific audiences on their own channels.

Disney has also found new ways to innovate the film industry to achieve critical and commercial success. Films such as Toy story showed how Disney were able to adapt from hand drawn films to computer animated films and even acquired Pixar in 2006 in order to bring forward the next generation of Disney films. Disney has also in recent years acquired Marvel and Lucasfilms in order to gain profit from franchises such as The Avengers which generated over $1 billion in ticket sales and a new wave of Star Wars films. Through the release of films, Disney are also able to profit from video games such as "Disney Infinity" that can tie directly into films or be completely independent. These games are extremely popular and offer a new audience of Disney fans to appeal to.

Frozen is an example of a recent Disney film that has been able to generate an astounding amount of popularity and profit globally. The film had a total budget of $150 million and achieved a box office gross of $1.219 bn, making it the fifth highest grossing film of all time. The film was able to help revitalise the classic Disney musical genre and draw in fans of all ages. The film was able to further increase it's profit with the help of marketing for merchandise for the film. The sales were so successful that most shops tended to run out of stocked frozen items; an estimated total of $1 billion in retail revenue was brought in a year. The decision was made to turn the hit song 'Let It Go' into a single in the year of release. The song was able to reach number 10 in the top 100 charts with over 3.5 million copies being sold in the US. The song and film were awarded with best animated feature film of the year, best original song and even a grammy.

Ill Manors

Ill manors is a British film that was released in 2012. The film had an estimated budget of £100,000 with an overall box-office gross of £453,570 after eight weeks. The film was successful as it was able to make a sizeable profit from its low-budget. The success that the film received can be largely attributed towards the marketing and promotion that allowed the film to become popular.

The film was rapper Plan B's first attempt at making a film and was promoted to be looking at a Broken Britain. This hard-hitting genre of film is quite appealing to British audiences so it was important that the film was able to market and promote the film in a way that reflected its tone. A large part of the films initial promotion was headed by Plan B as he released an album named Ill Manors prior to the films release. The album was largely successful and was able to build up an already large fan-base. The film was created in order to further promote the album further and as a result draw his fan-base in to watch it. The album was also used as a soundtrack for the film. This was an extremely successful way of promoting the film even before production had begun. Both the album and the film were able to gain an enormous amount of attention from this.

The music was used to further promote the film as footage was used from the film in the music video. This allows Plan B's fan base to witness some of the film though his music and expand the audience while saving money that would usually be used to advertise. Low costing publicity was gained from the use of film festivals from around the world. This allowed the film to reach a broader audience and gain some positive reviews and praise from fans that could be used to further promote the film. Ill Manors was also able to win a number of awards at these film festival that would all be beneficial to the increasing popularity of the film.

The posters that were released for the film gave audiences their first glimpse at the film. The poster featured one of the main characters holding a gun in his hand in a London background. Dark and gritty colour tones are used to reflect the serious tones of the film. The use of the gun is a clear indicator to the audience of the themes that are going to run throughout the film. The poster features a number of critic reviews to promote some of the positive feedback that the film had received in a way that allows audiences to see.

Trailers were released and used to promote the film that were able to reflect the tone, genre and style. The trailers featured songs from Plan B's album that are used to promote the Ill Manors album and film. The film was further promoted through social media websites such as Facebook and twitter. This was responsible for a large amount of promotion for the film as it received over 30,000 likes on Facebook and thousands of followers on Twitter, all for no cost. The film even had a website that would be updated with the latest information and trailers. By using the social media websites the film was able to appeal to a wider audience of many different ages by setting up fan pages and using hashtags to promote the film. Posters of the film were posted on these websites that used positive critic reviews to make the film seem more appealing to audiences.

The films' premiere was another extremely useful tool in the promotion of the film. This allowed the cast to be interviewed and individually promote the film. Celebrities were also invited to attend the premiere. This was useful because celebrities have large followings and they can use social media websites such as Twitter or Facebook to leave their positive feedback. This then leads to a wider audience to hear about the film and its positive feedback. Critics were also able to attend the film premiere and the film was further praised with  generally positive feedback that would be released to the public in the form of newspaper articles and web reviews.

In conclusion, Ill Manors was a low budget film that ultimately reduced the possibilities for the ways that the film could be marketed. As a result a number of low-budget methods such as social media and film festivals had to be used in order to gain a larger audience and positive feedback. The film was greatly aided by Plan B's fan base but further marketing and promotion was essential in the rise to the popularity that the film ultimately achieved.

The Avengers Marketing and Promotion

Marvels The Avengers was released on May 4 2012 and grossed a total of $1,515,679,547 worldwide. A large portion of the overall money made was partly due to the use of the films 3D alternative viewing experience,the price of the 3D tickets were nearly doubled in the USA. The film had an extensive marketing campaign that had began years before the film was made. This was made possible by films like Iron man, Thor, The incredible Hulk and Captain America. Marvel had a set slate of films that would act over one overall story arc that has split then Marvel Cinematic Universe into three slates, at the end of each slate an Avengers film is set to be made. Through the use of a large story arc and post-credit teasers, Marvel was able to tease the Avengers film that would be made years after and stimulate fan excitement early on.

As the first slate of Marvel films began to draw to a close, leaving only Captain America and the Avengers remaining, Marvel had begun to tease the Avengers more and more. Fans first saw a glimpse of the Avengers in the form of a short teaser trailer that was presented at comic con with an audience of thousands of people. With the release of Captain America, Marvel used their trademark after credits scene to show the trailer that had previously been shown at comic con. This caused more fans to want to watch Captain America: The First Avenger and it also caused a dramatic burst of fan enthusiasm about the films release. After the release of Captain America, Marvel had began to devote pure focus to promoting the film and began to market more. Marvel had released a trailer that had been released that was downloaded over 10 million times within its first 24 hours of release.

Marvel then took to social media in order to further promote the film. Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and more was used to promote and release any new trailers and news about the film. This also allowed fans to become more connected to the film and have some of their questions answered. Marvel had also began a series of partnerships with other brands in order to further promote the film. These include brands like Acura cars. This is an example of a beneficial relationship between the two companies because the cars can be seen being driven in the film by Tony Stark while the car company can further promote the film to a wider audience. When Disney bought Marvel it opened up a new range of possibilities for promotion as they could promote the Marvel Cinematic Universe through theme parks and toys and films in order to reach audiences of different age groups.

Representation of Sexuality

The scene begins with as medium shot of the two women. We can see one of the women with her arms on the shoulders of another woman. This tells the audience that the two are very close since it appears that one is helping the other get changed and it shows the strange relationship between the two. A close up shot is used to show the two characters. As a result we can see the facial expressions of the two characters and from this we can see that something is unusual from the facial expression of the character in the back of the shot. We can see that she has feelings towards the other as a result. We can begin to hear the character as she begins to narrate by saying "she looked so beautiful". This confirms that the woman does have feelings but is trying to keep them hidden. The outfits of the characters suggest that the scenes take place in a time where women were more reserved and dressed in a way that does not reveal much of their body, this explains why the woman must keep her feelings a secret because they were not as accepted during these times. A cross fade is used to transition the scenes into each other as she begins to narrate about the reasons in which she loves her. A medium shot is used when the two are featured on a bed. The camera begins to slowly zoom as the hand of the woman goes further down. This is used to build the tension of the scene as it continues up until the hand can go no further and the scene transitions. Throughout these scenes we can here non-diajetic sounds of music playing. The music is very romantic and it allows the audience to realise the strong feelings that the woman has towards the other.

The scene and music changes as we are introduced into an everyday setting. A close up of the woman shows that she is in the middle of painting while a medium shot of the woman laying down with a reaction shot of the painting character is used to show that her attraction is distracting her. The time between cuts continues to decrease as the music picks up in order to show the tension of the scene rising. The camera focuses in on the on the ground more tightly to show her becoming more distracted. A longer time between cuts is used when focusing on the male character in order to show his suspicion towards the woman. When the woman says "wake her she'll burn" we are shown her caring for the other female character and how she feels protective over her. The tension begins to build as the cut time between shots reduces once again the camera begins to zoom closer onto intimate areas of the woman body as the shots progress. This shows her becoming increasingly distracted until the male character begins to notice her feelings. The tensions builds further as the pitch of the music heightens and the cuts between shots become sharp. A close up shot of the woman's face shows her feelings in full effect as she is unable to take her eyes off her. She eventually notices that she has been caught and the music begins to slow into a suspicious sound. The shots become sharp once more when he grabs her, the short time between cuts show the sudden potential danger that the male is showing to the woman.

The man is placed above the woman in the scene as he takes her to the tree. This shows that he as a heterosexual male is being presented to have authority over the woman. The music begins to build as the man attempts to force her to marry him to show the tension building within the scene. Her body language within the scene shows that she is repulsed by him as he begins to lean in. This sequence is kept in one shot and uses a tilt to show his movement. The pace of the scene is kept slow in order to reflect how uncomfortable and unbearable this scene is for her character. The music begins to build through the scene in order to further show how uncomfortable the character is. A medium reaction shot is used to show her face as and body language as she is disgusted by the male. The music begins to fade out with the scene into another where a woman can be seen undressing. The soothing music acts in contrast with the previous scene as we can see that the woman is more comfortable in this situation than she was with the man. Slow-motion and long amounts of time between shots are used in order to reflect her comfort with this person. A few quick shot changes are used as she climbs into bed with her. The music also builds to show the tension begin to build as she struggles to hide her feelings towards the other woman. A final close-up shot is left for a long period in order to show how she is resisting the urge to look at her.

Ethnicity

The scene opens with a long shot that begins to track the movement of a character. An extreme long-shot is used to show that the scene is taking place in a hotel. This character acts against his ethnic stereotype as he is revealed to be wearing a suit and appears to be in a high position within his workplace. In a later shot we are shown a character who more accurately portrays his stereotype. The character is wearing chain jewellery and has tattoos appears to be of a lower class than the first character. We can see him use words such as "bro" and "man" frequently and as a result he appears to be less intelligent than the first character who is well spoken. During the conversation, the first character is placed above the other in the shot, implying that he is of a higher class and authority than the second character. A zoom into a close up is used as the first character says "bro", this shows us that the character is becoming more like his stereotype in order to fit in with the second character. The music is very smooth to start with and offers a sophisticated vibe to the scene  and character but as the scene continues to the point where he lowers himself to his stereotype it begins to become quicker in order to show that the character is feeling pressure to fit in.

The next scene opens with a tilt up shot and a different tempo of music in order to help show that the scene and characters have been changed. We are introduced to two new characters who appear to be hotel employees. We can tell immediately that the characters are not English as they speak with foreign accents and use words such as "monsieur" when referring to a guest, this causes them to fall into the stereotype that is assumed with hotel maids which is typically thought to be a low payed job. One of the women reveal that a male character has "payed double for double" this implies that something out of the ordinary is about to take place  as the music builds and it implies the stereotype that these foreign working class women will do anything for money.

The next scene opens with a long shot of an Asian man sitting on the bed. From his body language the audience can tell that he is extremely excited as he gestures towards the money. As the diegetic sound of the speaker begins to play, the women begin to strip. This further shows that the characters are playing up to the stereotype that women will do anything for money and it also highlights the stereotype that Asian men have extreme sexual fantasies. The time between different shots are used with a collection of close-ups that reflect the man's excitement towards the women. The decreased time between shots also combine with the music to show the build up of tension of one of the women as she begins to want to leave the room. This shows the audience that the female character is challenging the stereotype and refuses to continue while the other conforms to the stereotype and carries on.

In a later scene we are introduced to two new characters who are both British. The accent is used to make the characters sound as if they are of a higher class and status than the workers, implying that they work in a managerial position. This is also enforced through their formal attire and their upright body language. Two-shots are mainly used through out this scene and it gives the impression that they are of the same status and are working in the same roles. Their status over the workers can be seen as the workers are forced to walk around them, leaving the two characters in the centre of the shot.

The two characters walk into the kitchen where the audience is introduced to another set of characters. Two main characters are the focus of the scene, one is Italian and the other is British. The audience can immediately tell that the first chef is Italian from his thick accent. This character sticks to his stereotype as he uses a wide range of expressive gestures such as his hand gestures and the way that he kisses the forehead of his co-worker. There is clearly some tension between the two characters as the British character is clearly uncomfortable around him with his body language. Close-up shots are used more frequently when the two British characters leave as the music builds up in order to show the tension that is piling up, indicating to the audience that the two chefs are about to clash. The two characters begin to use stereotypes of each other's characters as insults. These include phrases such as "British pleb", "piggy little eyes","pig ugly English cretin". We can see that the characters are becoming offended by the stereotypes as a close-up of the Italian chef picking up the knife shows that tensions are really building as the time between cuts decrease while the pace of the music increases. The use of a medium two-shot shows the how the smaller Italian chef has changed the balance of power by pulling out a knife even though the English character towers over him. This helps enforce another stereotype that Italians can be aggressive once offended.