Technological convergence and synergy is extremely important for the institutions creating the film and the audiences watching as it allows the film to be accessed in many audiences ways by many different people. This increases enjoyment for audiences and profit for institutions.
My case studies come from Marvel Studios and MARV films. Marvel Studios was created in 1993 and was called Marvel Films until 1996. It is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios but owns Marvel Worldwide Inc. also known as Marvel Comics. They have created 3 multi-film-franchises, which have earned over $1 billion in revenue each. One of my favourite films from them is my case study Guardians of the Galaxy. The current present is producer Kevin Feige. MARV Films, also known as MARV was founded in 2004 and is owned by Matthew Vaughn, who also directs the films. Their most famous and successful films to date have been Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass and Kingsman: The Secret Service (here on called Kingsman). Both case studies used a variety of synergy and technological convergence throughout the creation of their films, Guardians of the Galaxy and Kingsman.
Both Guardians of the Galaxy and Kingsman were adapted from comic books. Guardians of the Galaxy was created after writer Nicole Perlman created a script for it (which James Gunn, the director and writer, ended up re-writing). Kinsman came about after Matthew Vaughn was complaining about the loss of fun spy movies and wrote the screenplay based off the comic "The Secret Service". The Guardians of the Galaxy comic book had the same name. Both directors updated the audience throughout the pre-production and production of their films via social media, notably Twitter.
Gunn decided early on in pre-production that he wanted as much reality in his film as possible. This resulted in over 1,000 prosthetics being made and over 2,000 moulds. When in production, three of the main characters in the film- Rocket Raccoon, Groot and Thanos- were made using a lot of visual effects (VFX). This ended up making 90% of the films scene having some kind of VFX in them, with over 2,800 VFX shots created. Rocket Raccoon was created through a convergence of computer generated imagery (CGI) motion capture and rotomotation. His fur was created through CGI- a layer of short fur and a layer of long fun had to be animated separately before being put on top of each other, to imitate real raccoon hair. Groot was created with each branch being animated one at a time, to make the brunches appear like muscles. Thanks (shown as a hologram through the majority of the film) was partially created through motion capture with Josh Brodin's face being used to make Thanos' speech seem realistic. Despite the large amount of computer animated scenes, a lot of real life scene were shot as well. Some of the sets were completely created in real life, such as the prison, which was made of 30,000 pound of steel. Millennium Bridge in London was used as a location double for the planet Xandar. The camera used were mostly Arri Alexa T's with Spherical Panavision Primos lenses. However, during the 1980s scene at the beginning of the film, JDC Cooke Xtal (Crystal) Express anamorphic prime lenses as they were used to provide realistic aberrations.
During production of Kingsman, the film was also shot with almost entirely real scenes. The church scene, for example, was created of three large chunks of continuous shots, at 1,000 frames per second, sped up to make the video more appropriate to the 15 rating given by the BBFC. The scene set in near-space was done with blue screen with the balloon created using weather balloons as a guide. Kingsman was a lot more traditional with its filming, with a lot less CGI.
Kingsman was also a lot more traditional with its advertising campaign. Trailers for the film could be accessed through YouTube or seen on the television. Posters were also created for the film and TV interviews were also done. A Kingsman website was also created, including a Kingsman web game to test if you could become a secret agent. A sixty piece collection of clothes was also created with the tailoring company Mr Porter. Kinsman remains as one of the only film where you can buy full costumes from a film, that were made by the same people who physically made the costumes, specifically made to fit you.
Guardians of the Galaxy had a larger marketing campaign. Going along with the same traditional methods as Kingsman, with the trailer having been mentioned 88,000 times across social media within a 12 hour period of the trailer being released, Galaxy Getaways was also created. This website was a fake travel agency, meant to introduce the planets mentioned in the film to viewers about to watch the film. The launchpad sites were the locations of cinemas showing the film. The characters of Guardians of the Galaxy were also featured on a Subways meal. A variety of of different merchandise such as toys, stationary, and films were made, as was a game for the phone (Windows, iOS and Android) called Guardians of the Galaxy: Universal Weapon. The soundtrack of music not created specifically for the film was released called Awesome Mix: Volume 1 and since the release has been downloaded more than 1 million times. The sales of the trailer's main song "Hooked on a Feeling" were raised by 700%.
Despite being distributed by different companies Guardians of the Galaxy had a very similar release compared to Kingsman but on a larger scale. Guardians of the Galaxy was shown in 4,080 cinemas in North America alone, being shown IMAX, 3D, Large Format and D-Box. Kingsman was shown in normal cinema size only. Both were released on DVD and Digital HD, but Guardians of the Galaxy was also released on Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray 3D. Kingsman earned $413.3 million at the box office despite a budget of $84 million. Guardians of the Galaxy had a budget of around $300 million (after spending over their original budget) and earned more than $700 million.
Overall, despite using technological convergence and synergy differently, both were successful. They allowed their audience to become involved in the film in a number of ways which increased happiness and profit.
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Mock Exam- Question 1- Class and Status
Mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound all used together to create meaning. In this clip from episode 1 of the first series of Merlin, Jones and Hawes work together to create a clip which comments on class and status, showing both royal characters and poorer ones.
We begin the clip with the establishing shot of a young man (Merlin) walking down the corridor. We can tell he is a poorer character due to the mies-en-scene of his clothes- they are plain and slightly shabby and ragged around the edges. The soundtrack is extremely ominous, the non-diegetic sound suggesting that something is wrong. We are then given an action match shot as Merlin walks in the room, adding to the continuity. As we look at a wide shot of the room as the camera is panned, we can tell it's not his- it is lavish and feminine with pretty fabrics and a huge ornate mirror. We watch as he walks to the table and slams down the small jar of yellow mixture on the table. This once again adds to the idea that he has a low status- he is not elegant in any way but more heavy handed, and appears to be fetching and serving for the elite. The camera is zoomed in as Merlin picks up the straw doll. Due to it's shape and the ominous music playing, we could believe this this is some sort of voodoo doll. We also watch as he picks up the leather book with ornate gold on the cover and watch as he picks up the leather book with gold on the cover, and fabric sticking out. Once again, this appears somewhat magical.
The audience then watches a woman walking down the corridor. Compared to Merlin walking down the corridor, the woman is much more poised and appears to glide. She is wearing a large, purple, period dress. As purple is an iconic signifier of royalty, we can assume that this woman is of high class. The women goes towards the room and we watch through the quick editing how Merlin has to hide what he has been doing as simultaneously the woman comes towards the door. We have a close up of her face as she talks to Merlin, in a crisp English accent. Merlin is a lot more coarse with his speech, using gap fillers such as umms and ahhs. This once again shows the difference between high class and low class citizens.
We have a mid long shot of the ornate mirror as Merlin turns around to retrieve the jar. We see the woman transformed, through CGI, into an old woman. Through VFX this is edited onto the mirror. The seems sped up as if to demonstrate her haste to get Merlin away. She is obviously keeping secrets from Merlin and everyone else. Despite her being supposedly royal their lying appears to make Merlin a better person, despite being a peasant, as we see later, through his argument with Gaius that he believes in some form of justice. They are also both on par due to their magical abilities.
From the beginning, the fight between Arthur and Merlin already seems unfair. Arthur is a trained soldier, which we can see from his armour; Merlin is merely a poor man. We also see how Merlin almost gets in trouble for it later, when the guards lift him up, as if to arrest him. This also links in to the fact that Merlin and Arthur's diegetic dialogue ended up with Merlin, a peasant, calling Arthur, the future king, a prat. Merlin appears to be above Arthur with his wit and words despite being a peasant. However, since Arthur's command allows Merlin to be freed from the guards, this demonstrates the power of royalty and having status- he controls Merlin's life and death.
During the fight scene, the fun folky music demonstrates that the fight is meant to be in the realm of slapstick comedy. We know that no one will really get hurt. We watch in slow motion at a close up as fruit explodes as the flails hit them. Compared to this, when Merlin does magic, the actions are sped up, such as the close up of the box moving. The fight now appears fair, despite the difference in class.
The old man (Gaius) appears to take on the role of parent within the scene, chastising Merlin as the shot reverse shot shows the audience their argument. This highlights hierarchy in the lower classes. Gains has a higher status between the two due to the difference in age.
Class and status is represented in many different ways in the clip. Despite Merlin's poorer roots, he appears to be a better person than the lying royal. Despite Arthur's confidence in his training due to his riches. Arthur and Merlin still have an equal fight. Even in the poorer areas we see Gaius' status above Merlin's as he chastises him.
We begin the clip with the establishing shot of a young man (Merlin) walking down the corridor. We can tell he is a poorer character due to the mies-en-scene of his clothes- they are plain and slightly shabby and ragged around the edges. The soundtrack is extremely ominous, the non-diegetic sound suggesting that something is wrong. We are then given an action match shot as Merlin walks in the room, adding to the continuity. As we look at a wide shot of the room as the camera is panned, we can tell it's not his- it is lavish and feminine with pretty fabrics and a huge ornate mirror. We watch as he walks to the table and slams down the small jar of yellow mixture on the table. This once again adds to the idea that he has a low status- he is not elegant in any way but more heavy handed, and appears to be fetching and serving for the elite. The camera is zoomed in as Merlin picks up the straw doll. Due to it's shape and the ominous music playing, we could believe this this is some sort of voodoo doll. We also watch as he picks up the leather book with ornate gold on the cover and watch as he picks up the leather book with gold on the cover, and fabric sticking out. Once again, this appears somewhat magical.
The audience then watches a woman walking down the corridor. Compared to Merlin walking down the corridor, the woman is much more poised and appears to glide. She is wearing a large, purple, period dress. As purple is an iconic signifier of royalty, we can assume that this woman is of high class. The women goes towards the room and we watch through the quick editing how Merlin has to hide what he has been doing as simultaneously the woman comes towards the door. We have a close up of her face as she talks to Merlin, in a crisp English accent. Merlin is a lot more coarse with his speech, using gap fillers such as umms and ahhs. This once again shows the difference between high class and low class citizens.
We have a mid long shot of the ornate mirror as Merlin turns around to retrieve the jar. We see the woman transformed, through CGI, into an old woman. Through VFX this is edited onto the mirror. The seems sped up as if to demonstrate her haste to get Merlin away. She is obviously keeping secrets from Merlin and everyone else. Despite her being supposedly royal their lying appears to make Merlin a better person, despite being a peasant, as we see later, through his argument with Gaius that he believes in some form of justice. They are also both on par due to their magical abilities.
From the beginning, the fight between Arthur and Merlin already seems unfair. Arthur is a trained soldier, which we can see from his armour; Merlin is merely a poor man. We also see how Merlin almost gets in trouble for it later, when the guards lift him up, as if to arrest him. This also links in to the fact that Merlin and Arthur's diegetic dialogue ended up with Merlin, a peasant, calling Arthur, the future king, a prat. Merlin appears to be above Arthur with his wit and words despite being a peasant. However, since Arthur's command allows Merlin to be freed from the guards, this demonstrates the power of royalty and having status- he controls Merlin's life and death.
During the fight scene, the fun folky music demonstrates that the fight is meant to be in the realm of slapstick comedy. We know that no one will really get hurt. We watch in slow motion at a close up as fruit explodes as the flails hit them. Compared to this, when Merlin does magic, the actions are sped up, such as the close up of the box moving. The fight now appears fair, despite the difference in class.
The old man (Gaius) appears to take on the role of parent within the scene, chastising Merlin as the shot reverse shot shows the audience their argument. This highlights hierarchy in the lower classes. Gains has a higher status between the two due to the difference in age.
Class and status is represented in many different ways in the clip. Despite Merlin's poorer roots, he appears to be a better person than the lying royal. Despite Arthur's confidence in his training due to his riches. Arthur and Merlin still have an equal fight. Even in the poorer areas we see Gaius' status above Merlin's as he chastises him.
Saturday, 23 January 2016
The Film Industry (Documentary)
Production
- Producer- finds the idea, gets the script, director, cast, money, make it, gets it ready and out. Protects the director's idea
- Choose Idea and Script- explores an idea consistently and truthfully. What is the script referencing? Beginning, middle and end. Instincts and knowledge help
- Package- Producer and director plan- screenplay, key crew, budget, cast----> helps make a judgement
- Investment- television companies, regional film field, groups of potential financiers
- Foreign Investment- look for co-production deals, more investors= more control, package will tell you where to look
- Planning- what are the hardest scenes? Do them first. Casting next. Find people on the same page
- Budget- all film is based on investment, finance plan, analysis of the script to make it
- Above and Below the Line Costs- Above= creative costs= key crew, stuff to tell the story. Below= stuff to make the story
- Audience- think of the audience, definable but not formulaic
- Marketing- hidden cost, is there a marketable place for it. America- films are not greenly without an audience being thought of. Britain= production led
The role of a distributor
- Who? Why? How?- promotion is important- arrive at the cinema knowing what you want
- Major vs Independent Distributor- M= makes films. I= buy films
- USP- find it= easier to market. Cast, genre thought of
- Target Audience- core audiences= families and younger adults
- When to release?- what will give it the best chance?
- Research- demographic audiences, ideas, what do audience want
- Budget- experience and guesswork, what can the movie take at the box office ------> how much to spend to get it there
- Advertising/ Publicity- advertising (media), promotion, premiere, actors=star tour
The Campaign
- The Public- stimulated by 200 things by the time they get to work. Looking at the parts to formulate the plan
- The Poster- sell the concept and the genre, first look, stepping stone campaign
- The Trailer- most important key, first and only look= teaser- first, main- tell you the film is out (voice over vs captions, depend strongly on genre
- Foreign Language Films- cover up it's a foreign language film in the trailer
- TV Spots- film title, who's in it, when is it on- pick a piece of film to put in
- The Internet- viral marketing, official websites
- Publicity- PR and press, free editorial space
- Reviews- how a film has been reviewed generally
- Tracking- what percentage of people are aware of it
- Word of Mouth- most powerful marketing strategy ------> previews- advanced screenings
- Opening Weekend- opening day (Sunday), Saturday, Sunday- Monday is make or break
Exhibition
- 2007- highest point in 40 years
- Multiplex Cinema- important change in cinema
- Location- don't mind driving to the movie, parking then needs to be good
- Which Films?- specialised- hollywood, art house, independent, world -----> movies people want to see. Cater to different groups. Personal vs commercial
- Audience- actual and potential, local market business, qualities of the cinema are important, specialised taste but a market
- Digital Cinema- embrace new technology- 3D, streaming, votes. Young audience and old audience. Events out of home experience- no substitute
Piracy
- Hurts production/distribution/exhibition- millions in lost revenue
- Who Loses- cinema, production company, smaller parties suffer most
- Changing World- appalling quality, streaming online, copy DVDs, computers, DIY piracy
- Consequences- makes a difference, not victimless. Bigger budgets are fine, less will be affected. DVD sales are important
- Attack- educational outreach
Monday, 14 December 2015
Class and Status- Definitions
Social class (or simply "class"), as in a class society, is a set of concepts in the social sciences and political theory centered on models of social stratification in which people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the upper, middle, and lower classes. (Wikipedia)
Status- relative social or professional position; standing.
Status- relative social or professional position; standing.
| synonyms: | standing, rank, ranking, position, social position, station, level, footing, place; |
Wednesday, 9 December 2015
Editing- A Breakdown
Editing and Representation
Editing is primarily related to narrative, so how does match-on action have anything to do with character or representation? The role of editing in representation is open to interpretation and is greatly dependent on context.
Action Match
When following a single character, this is a purely technical device to hide the cut. However, when an action match is used for intercutting, such as between two very different people, it can heighten parallels/ contrasts between two characters, offering an opportunity for juxtaposition
Eyeline Match
Eyeline match usually provides insight to a character's private thoughts
We see Leia looking at the stormtroopers and the stormtroopers noticing Leia
Final Shot
In any scene, see which character or characters are shown in the final shot of the sequence as this is often the character which the audience is expected to identify with
Intercutting: Juxtaposition
Although typically a narrative device, intercutting can set up juxtaposition between parallel storylines, exaggerating the impact or meaning by highlighting a point of difference
Intercutting: Tension
When intercutting is used to draw two storylines together, this can be structured to create tension, and therefore heighten the audience's identification with a particular character
See 1:51- 2:40. We cut between the tiger's pursuit of Cutter and Abby's running with the rifle in action code and prompts the question: will she get there in time?
Jump Cuts
There are rarely used in TV or film; when they are, they tend to suggest either a)chaos, b)self-conscious ellipsis (drawing attention to the rapid pace of the action) or c) a director who likes to break the rules
SEE CLIP ABOVE
When Cutter prepares to slide down the zip-wire, we see jump cuts which could show both his hesitation and his speediness and decisiveness to zip wire down the line
Motivation
A motivated edit is any transition forced on the editor by the development of the action, narrative or character. Whenever shot (a) refers to the existence of an event outside the frame, and we then cut to (b) which shows that event, that’s a motivated edit. We can sometimes judge a character’s worth or importance by the number of cuts they motivate.
e.g. in Primeval, Cutter runs away from the tiger, drawing it away from Abby.
His constant motion motivates many of the cuts in this sequence, again reinforcing his status as the protagonist, if not the Proppian hero.
Pace of Editing
This can imply character qualities, especially if only one or two characters are in the sequence. A fast pace might suggest energy or panic (depending on context) while infrequent cuts (long takes) might suggest calm, a casual attitude, or provide documentary-style realism. Similar effects can be achieved with speed ramping and slow-motion.
Prevalence
How much screen time does a character get? The more time we see them on the screen, the more important their role. This can develop during a scene to change character's status.
Selection
As film-makers yourselves, it can sometimes be interesting to ask what information has been included or omitted in an edit.
Shot/Reverse Shots
S/RS indicates the relationship between two characters: it signifies and sometimes exaggerates their closeness or their opposition (depending on the context). The amount of time given to a character’s reaction shots can convey their status in the scene. For example, if two characters are in S/RS conversation, do they get equal screen time, or do we spend more time looking at one character, speaking and reacting? Equally (though this is also a function of camera, are the two characters framed equally?
Reaction Shots
Assistant Principle Examiner Comments
One approach to both sound and editing is to look at the way in which technical elements are used to create perspective or viewpoint within a sequence - a key element of the process of representation that goes beyond the identification of 'character traits'.
By understanding, for example, how screen time, p.o.v. or reaction shots are distributed, even weaker students can see how hierarchies are established, leading to certain representations being privileged where others are marginalised.
Stronger students are able to develop this further by discussing how the audience is positioned in relation to the representations on offer - the best answers in the June session of G322 offered some great discussion of the way in which editing frequently shifted the viewer's relationship to dominant views of gender in different scenes.
Another important factor is the way that the editing of the sequence grants or witholds narrative information from the audience in order to encourage identification or rejection of particular characters/representations. Fans of 1970s screen theory will recognise the essence of Colin McCabe's work on hierarchy of discourses in classic realist texts in this approach - obviously massively watered down! There are good chapters on this in Television Culture (John Fiske) and Television Studies (Bernadette Casey) if you want to mug up.
Editing is primarily related to narrative, so how does match-on action have anything to do with character or representation? The role of editing in representation is open to interpretation and is greatly dependent on context.
Action Match
When following a single character, this is a purely technical device to hide the cut. However, when an action match is used for intercutting, such as between two very different people, it can heighten parallels/ contrasts between two characters, offering an opportunity for juxtaposition
Eyeline Match
Eyeline match usually provides insight to a character's private thoughts
We see Leia looking at the stormtroopers and the stormtroopers noticing Leia
Final Shot
In any scene, see which character or characters are shown in the final shot of the sequence as this is often the character which the audience is expected to identify with
Intercutting: Juxtaposition
Although typically a narrative device, intercutting can set up juxtaposition between parallel storylines, exaggerating the impact or meaning by highlighting a point of difference
Intercutting: Tension
When intercutting is used to draw two storylines together, this can be structured to create tension, and therefore heighten the audience's identification with a particular character
See 1:51- 2:40. We cut between the tiger's pursuit of Cutter and Abby's running with the rifle in action code and prompts the question: will she get there in time?
Jump Cuts
There are rarely used in TV or film; when they are, they tend to suggest either a)chaos, b)self-conscious ellipsis (drawing attention to the rapid pace of the action) or c) a director who likes to break the rules
SEE CLIP ABOVE
When Cutter prepares to slide down the zip-wire, we see jump cuts which could show both his hesitation and his speediness and decisiveness to zip wire down the line
Motivation
A motivated edit is any transition forced on the editor by the development of the action, narrative or character. Whenever shot (a) refers to the existence of an event outside the frame, and we then cut to (b) which shows that event, that’s a motivated edit. We can sometimes judge a character’s worth or importance by the number of cuts they motivate.
e.g. in Primeval, Cutter runs away from the tiger, drawing it away from Abby.
His constant motion motivates many of the cuts in this sequence, again reinforcing his status as the protagonist, if not the Proppian hero.
Pace of Editing
This can imply character qualities, especially if only one or two characters are in the sequence. A fast pace might suggest energy or panic (depending on context) while infrequent cuts (long takes) might suggest calm, a casual attitude, or provide documentary-style realism. Similar effects can be achieved with speed ramping and slow-motion.
Prevalence
How much screen time does a character get? The more time we see them on the screen, the more important their role. This can develop during a scene to change character's status.
Selection
As film-makers yourselves, it can sometimes be interesting to ask what information has been included or omitted in an edit.
Shot/Reverse Shots
S/RS indicates the relationship between two characters: it signifies and sometimes exaggerates their closeness or their opposition (depending on the context). The amount of time given to a character’s reaction shots can convey their status in the scene. For example, if two characters are in S/RS conversation, do they get equal screen time, or do we spend more time looking at one character, speaking and reacting? Equally (though this is also a function of camera, are the two characters framed equally?
Reaction Shots
Assistant Principle Examiner Comments
One approach to both sound and editing is to look at the way in which technical elements are used to create perspective or viewpoint within a sequence - a key element of the process of representation that goes beyond the identification of 'character traits'.
By understanding, for example, how screen time, p.o.v. or reaction shots are distributed, even weaker students can see how hierarchies are established, leading to certain representations being privileged where others are marginalised.
Stronger students are able to develop this further by discussing how the audience is positioned in relation to the representations on offer - the best answers in the June session of G322 offered some great discussion of the way in which editing frequently shifted the viewer's relationship to dominant views of gender in different scenes.
Another important factor is the way that the editing of the sequence grants or witholds narrative information from the audience in order to encourage identification or rejection of particular characters/representations. Fans of 1970s screen theory will recognise the essence of Colin McCabe's work on hierarchy of discourses in classic realist texts in this approach - obviously massively watered down! There are good chapters on this in Television Culture (John Fiske) and Television Studies (Bernadette Casey) if you want to mug up.
Analysis of Gender in 2009 Doctor Who clip
In this clip, I will be looking at its construction as a whole and how it links in regards to how it represents gender. Sound, Mise-en-scene, Editing and Cinematography have all been used by Davies to create a representation.
Our establishing shot is of the Master, in shallow focus so we can see only him in detail. He is on one of the main lines according to the rule of thirds, and already we can see that he is a dominant character, a stereotypical alpha male, as he demands the attention of the audience. Despite being out of focus, we can see the lift doors open and Martha, appearing very small in relation to the Master's head, stepping out. She is only a small thing compared to the Master visually, further asserting his dominance. This is a very stereotypical view of men and how they should act.
We appear to walk with Martha as she walks forwards, the camera moving in a tracking shot. The "spaghetti western" non-diegetic music suggests an almost typical western stand-off idea between the two characters. However, despite the inserts of her friends and family that have been edited in, Martha is shown ultimately to be alone and scared, almost in a little girl sense, as if she is going to get told off. The camera is tilted down with her as she kneels and, as the audience, we seem to be more on her side as we go down to her level. Her kneeling stance seems stereotypical. highlighting the dominance of men over women. It is also reminiscent of an execution, which is what the Master wants it to be. Once again, he is demonstrating his power, except this time over life and death.
The Master is further shown to be the dominant male as he is perceived from Martha's point-of-view at low angles. We hear him call things and people "children" or "child", as if he is the only adult in the room. To continue on with the sci-fi theme, we cut to shots of the Master's CGI rocket ships- edited and inserted in digitally after the filming had finished- as a voice over is heard. We also see a VFX (video effects) shot of the Earth with hundreds of metal spheres, with a chilling robotic tone to their voices. This continues the idea of him being the alpha male as we see a plan which we assume is too good to fail; however, since this is children's science fiction TV drama we would also assume that the "goodies" will prevail. The Master is in full control. The diegetic sound of the ticking clock is also indexical with the idea of villains, often counting down to some kind of bomb going off and also increasing the tension of the piece.
However, we suddenly have a close up of Martha's face, and her laugh seems to have been made louder in editing, so it is clearer that she is laughing at the Master. The use of quick cuts in the shot reverse shot editing demonstrates a slight change in power. Martha seems to be taking more of a dominant stand, which is uncommon as men are often portrayed as the more dominant characters, which we saw examples of during the clip. Through the use of flashback, signified through the quick fade-outs to white, and the flashback scenes shown in black and white, sepia tones, as well as the sci-fi swoosh sounds, we can see Martha's strength and belief in what she is doing, especially with her realisation of her love for the Doctor, shown through a mid-section shot. Although it could be argued that the love is more platonic, it is more stereotypical that the female friend will always fall in love with the male friend, so in this way Martha's strength despite the stereotypes of her gender is diminished slightly. Martha has been given a messenger-like role, almost like a disciple to the idea of the Doctor as a saviour from the tyranny of the Master. The symbolic disciple-like role is further highlighted through the slow-motion flashback that we see as Martha walks in the cold, her breath in the air, and the pained expression so obvious on her face. The pain the audience see demonstrates the pain she goes through for her love ad her beliefs. The fact that she is a woman does not change what she sets out to do, and demonstrates her in a stronger, more-empowered light, which is not particularly stereotypical.
We watch as the prayer-like muttering of the word "Doctor" becomes more intense as the soundtrack becomes ore orchestral and loud, in a huge crescendo. We see lots of quick close-up shots as people say the word, including the woman in red. We see her on the Master's side, and she is portrayed as a stereotypical trophy wife, to further highlight a stereotypically dominant idea of the Master. She is dressed in beautiful clothes, has blonde hair and is dolled up in a bit of make-up. This costume means we see her more through the "male gaze" than any other of the female characters. She has been quiet for the whole clip, and her stereotypical submissive nature juxtaposes with Martha's strong, non-stereotypical characterisation. The fact we hear her also saying the word, in a breathy voice especially to add to the idea of her being sultry and seductive, is used to highlight the strength of the Doctor over the Master.
With the visual effects of the white wave-like shield, the Doctor comes across in a Jesus-like way, as he seems to rise from the brink of death, much like Jesus did. The white colour here seems to be used as a sign of good and purity, and by having risen up to the sound of his name, he appears to be a saviour figure. The director chooses for the camera to tilt down, and our view is of the Master at more high angles, so that we look down on him with the Doctor. This demonstrates a shift in the power dynamic. The Doctor is now the dominant alpha male, and the Master is in the scared "little girl" stereotype that he put Martha in. This is also added by his screaming "it's not fair" like a spoilt brat, usually portrayed as girls, after they have had a toy taken away from them.
Throughout the clip gender is represented in many different ways. We originally see the Master as a dominant alpha male, but by the end he is presented as just a scared, little man. In almost the opposite way we see the disciple Martha become stronger and more convicted as time goes on, juxtaposing with the Master's stereotypical trophy wife who stays submissive and quiet, until the end where she begins to chant Doctor. We also see the rise of the Doctor as he becomes the dominant, alpha male, saviour character.
Our establishing shot is of the Master, in shallow focus so we can see only him in detail. He is on one of the main lines according to the rule of thirds, and already we can see that he is a dominant character, a stereotypical alpha male, as he demands the attention of the audience. Despite being out of focus, we can see the lift doors open and Martha, appearing very small in relation to the Master's head, stepping out. She is only a small thing compared to the Master visually, further asserting his dominance. This is a very stereotypical view of men and how they should act.
We appear to walk with Martha as she walks forwards, the camera moving in a tracking shot. The "spaghetti western" non-diegetic music suggests an almost typical western stand-off idea between the two characters. However, despite the inserts of her friends and family that have been edited in, Martha is shown ultimately to be alone and scared, almost in a little girl sense, as if she is going to get told off. The camera is tilted down with her as she kneels and, as the audience, we seem to be more on her side as we go down to her level. Her kneeling stance seems stereotypical. highlighting the dominance of men over women. It is also reminiscent of an execution, which is what the Master wants it to be. Once again, he is demonstrating his power, except this time over life and death.
The Master is further shown to be the dominant male as he is perceived from Martha's point-of-view at low angles. We hear him call things and people "children" or "child", as if he is the only adult in the room. To continue on with the sci-fi theme, we cut to shots of the Master's CGI rocket ships- edited and inserted in digitally after the filming had finished- as a voice over is heard. We also see a VFX (video effects) shot of the Earth with hundreds of metal spheres, with a chilling robotic tone to their voices. This continues the idea of him being the alpha male as we see a plan which we assume is too good to fail; however, since this is children's science fiction TV drama we would also assume that the "goodies" will prevail. The Master is in full control. The diegetic sound of the ticking clock is also indexical with the idea of villains, often counting down to some kind of bomb going off and also increasing the tension of the piece.
However, we suddenly have a close up of Martha's face, and her laugh seems to have been made louder in editing, so it is clearer that she is laughing at the Master. The use of quick cuts in the shot reverse shot editing demonstrates a slight change in power. Martha seems to be taking more of a dominant stand, which is uncommon as men are often portrayed as the more dominant characters, which we saw examples of during the clip. Through the use of flashback, signified through the quick fade-outs to white, and the flashback scenes shown in black and white, sepia tones, as well as the sci-fi swoosh sounds, we can see Martha's strength and belief in what she is doing, especially with her realisation of her love for the Doctor, shown through a mid-section shot. Although it could be argued that the love is more platonic, it is more stereotypical that the female friend will always fall in love with the male friend, so in this way Martha's strength despite the stereotypes of her gender is diminished slightly. Martha has been given a messenger-like role, almost like a disciple to the idea of the Doctor as a saviour from the tyranny of the Master. The symbolic disciple-like role is further highlighted through the slow-motion flashback that we see as Martha walks in the cold, her breath in the air, and the pained expression so obvious on her face. The pain the audience see demonstrates the pain she goes through for her love ad her beliefs. The fact that she is a woman does not change what she sets out to do, and demonstrates her in a stronger, more-empowered light, which is not particularly stereotypical.
We watch as the prayer-like muttering of the word "Doctor" becomes more intense as the soundtrack becomes ore orchestral and loud, in a huge crescendo. We see lots of quick close-up shots as people say the word, including the woman in red. We see her on the Master's side, and she is portrayed as a stereotypical trophy wife, to further highlight a stereotypically dominant idea of the Master. She is dressed in beautiful clothes, has blonde hair and is dolled up in a bit of make-up. This costume means we see her more through the "male gaze" than any other of the female characters. She has been quiet for the whole clip, and her stereotypical submissive nature juxtaposes with Martha's strong, non-stereotypical characterisation. The fact we hear her also saying the word, in a breathy voice especially to add to the idea of her being sultry and seductive, is used to highlight the strength of the Doctor over the Master.
With the visual effects of the white wave-like shield, the Doctor comes across in a Jesus-like way, as he seems to rise from the brink of death, much like Jesus did. The white colour here seems to be used as a sign of good and purity, and by having risen up to the sound of his name, he appears to be a saviour figure. The director chooses for the camera to tilt down, and our view is of the Master at more high angles, so that we look down on him with the Doctor. This demonstrates a shift in the power dynamic. The Doctor is now the dominant alpha male, and the Master is in the scared "little girl" stereotype that he put Martha in. This is also added by his screaming "it's not fair" like a spoilt brat, usually portrayed as girls, after they have had a toy taken away from them.
Throughout the clip gender is represented in many different ways. We originally see the Master as a dominant alpha male, but by the end he is presented as just a scared, little man. In almost the opposite way we see the disciple Martha become stronger and more convicted as time goes on, juxtaposing with the Master's stereotypical trophy wife who stays submissive and quiet, until the end where she begins to chant Doctor. We also see the rise of the Doctor as he becomes the dominant, alpha male, saviour character.
Monday, 7 December 2015
Synergy and Technological Convergence
Synergy and Technical Convergence:
Synergy is the strategy of synchronising and actively forging connections between directly related areas of entertainment. New technologies support this process- web, DVD, downloading. Media institution exploit various platforms to sell various products related to one film (e.g. film, soundtrack, video game etc.)
Convergence is the process by which a range of media platforms are integrated within a single piece of media technology. Media institutions recognise that audience enjoy using converged technology, want to consume media in a variety of different ways and provide short form content for downloading e.g.video clips, trailers, music videos, jingles, wallpapers, music tracks etc.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Synergy is the strategy of synchronising and actively forging connections between directly related areas of entertainment. New technologies support this process- web, DVD, downloading. Media institution exploit various platforms to sell various products related to one film (e.g. film, soundtrack, video game etc.)
Convergence is the process by which a range of media platforms are integrated within a single piece of media technology. Media institutions recognise that audience enjoy using converged technology, want to consume media in a variety of different ways and provide short form content for downloading e.g.video clips, trailers, music videos, jingles, wallpapers, music tracks etc.
Guardians of the Galaxy
- Toys- Action figures, Bobbleheads, Lego (Lego Marvel Superheroes Guardians of the Galaxy)
- Website- http://marvel.com/guardians (the official site for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy)
- Social Media- Although there is a Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Tumblr, YouTube and Pinterest for Marvel itself, there is no Guardians of the Galaxy specific accounts
- Video Game- Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon is available on Android, iOS and Windows phones, but there is no physical game for any bigger devices. The characters are also involved in lots of other Marvel based games but with characters from throughout the Marvel universe (http://marvel.com/news/video_games/22962/sdcc_2014_guardians_of_the_galaxy_in_marvel_games)
- Fast Food merch- Featured on Subway meals and merchandising
- High profile premiere- The red carpet event was held outside the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland. Lots of new websites reported on it, such as thehollywoodreporter. You could also watch the premiere from the Marvel website- http://marvel.com/guardianspremiere
- TV Appearances- Almost all of the main cast members were interviewed by someone at some point about the film, at premieres, panels and in TV interviews
- News Reports- There are hundreds of articles on Guardians of the Galaxy throughout the internet on hundreds of different news websites
- Other- the soundtrack was released with music that was not created for the film (Awesome Mix Vol. 1); you can buy t-shirts, lunchboxes, cups, posters, badges, phone cases and film replicas such as jackets and helmets
Kingsman: The Secret Service
- Toys- N/A
- Website- http://www.kingsmanmovie.com
- Social Media- Kingsman has a Twitter, Facebook, Google + and YouTube presence
- Video Game- There is a mini game on the website where you can become a kingsman knight and connect your phone to the game
- Fast Food merch- N/A
- High profile premiere- The premiere was held in Leicester Square outside the Odeon theatre. Most publicity was focused on Colin Firth but all the main people in the film came
- TV Appearances- Almost all of the main cast members were interviewed by a variety of different people
- News Reports- Lots of websites reviewed the film and are now commenting on the sequel that is supposed to be appearing
- Other- Mr Porter released a Kingsman collection, selling ties, shirts, blazers and shoes as well as other small accessories like umbrellas and socks; the soundtrack was also released
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