Post 17: Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews Part 1

Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews Part 1

Film Review

Post 17 requires us to write a detailed film review which will accompany the Post cards that were designed in the previous task. As a class we were given film reviews from a full length feature film to read through and analyses which really impacted on me. It was then that I fully understood the amount of information and detail I would have to include in my film review in order to reach Level 4, industry standard.

Sight & Sound

The first review we looked at was from a widely known media magazine called “Sight & Sound” about a film called “Frozen”, from Director Juliet McKoen released in 2004.

We then got into smaller groups and proceeded to break the review down, bit by bit in order to fully understand the conventions that make an industry standard review.

This is the front cover of the media magazine Sight and Sound. The 87 marker in the top left hand corner refers to the number of films that have been reviewed so far and with every issue that number changes significantly.

This is the review, Frozen, which we broke down to work on. At a first glance, it is easy to see that although the picture is not centered on the paper, it still dominates the review. This is because this particular film review features actress Shirley Henderson - a unique selling point of the film (USP). The idea behind having her picture in the front of the review is to entice audiences who like her as an actress. Films marketing themselves from scratch who have no known actors have to use other strategies. The image below shows a Turkish film with actors unknown to the UK market. They have used an image or snapshot from the film, to give any potential audiences an idea as to what it is about and who it involves. 

When reading the article, it became instantly apparent that the level of writing in this review was of the highest standard. English writing not being my strongest point, I found it very hard and complex to actually read this article and break it down into smaller, more digestible chunks. I noticed how the review and many other reviews were constructed and they all seem to follow the same basic layout, in columns, just like a newspaper. This structure made it easier for the reader and added to this reviews formality. The other element I noticed when reading this review is that, although it was an analysis of the film, it was also a marketing strategy as it lists everyone who was involved in the making and producing of the film, just like credits at the end of a film, listing the characters, the crew and Director which also dominated two columns of the review. So to conclude this section, my opinion on certain film reviews is that it is a perfect way for marketing the product, even if the review is not completely positive.

Empire Film Review

Empires review of The Kings Speech is very different to that of the Sight & Sound review. This is down to the difference in language used, as the Sight&Sound review uses very formal language with words and phrases which would only appeal to media persons who already have knowledge of the industry. Empire review uses more quirky and lively language and clever sentences to review the film.
" for all its pageantry, it isn’t a film of grandiose pretensions. Much better than that, it is an honest-to-goodness crowdpleaser". This makes the Empire easier to relate to and extract information more accurately. This style of review would be a perfect choice for me to base my short film review on, and i hope to be able to apply the forms and conventions seen within this review to my own.

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=118697

Empire

The forms and conventions of this magazine are very different to that of Sight&Sound as you can see from the start, the image is the centre piece and instantly attracts the reader and entices and enforces there imagination. One of the most significant differences between the two is that Empire is made for the film fanatic, and movie lover as opposed to industry standard people such as big name directors like Danny Boyle and Shane Meadows, who would most probably choose a more precise and professional magazine review such as Sight&Sound. the difference in there approach to the written element of the review is a very easily distinguishably characteristic when reading both Empire and Sight&Sound and this is what made me choose Empire to base my review around. The unique selling point (USP) of this review is definitely the picture and it becomes very clear when reading this, that Empire has a very different strategy for advertisement then Sight&sound as their references to DVD and Blu-ray suggest that as this is more a public magazine, which is why they need to address that fact, as the public would be purchasing the DVD's and Blu-ray disks.

News Paper Review

After we had looked at the industry standard magazine Sight & Sound, we then looked at other forms of reviews, such as that of news papers such as The Guardian and the Independent as well as online film reviews.

I instantly found the newspapers made for a much easier read, and this helped me to better understand and appreciate the film review. This was greatly due to the fact that the language use throughout the Sight & Sound magazine was designed to be read by people within the industry and therefore, there were many words and sentences which I didn’t quite understand. On the other hand, the newspapers used more informal and standardised language which made it easier for me to read through.

If I was going to choose one type of review to read through, I would choose the newspaper reviews as they suited my reading type and style.

The Kings Speech has been a recent port of call for both The Guardian and The Independent newspapers. This made it more accessible for me to review, compare and contrast both articles and their respective review types and styles.

The Guardian

The Guardians film review was very clear and understandable. I found that the image that they have used, which is of Collin Firth who is the lead actor, gives out a clearer message than that of Sight & Sounds review, which just focuses on an image of the Actress (Shirley Henderson), whose film it is, although the picture has no significance to the film, as it is just an image of her and not a snapshot out of the film itself.

For me this would be a unique selling point (USP) as I have gone to watch many films purely based upon the picture on the cover or the image they have used to advertise with. So for me the image plays a significant role in getting and audience interested and I think this is a vital part to a film review as the image entices the audience in and leaves them wanting more.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/06/the-kings-speech-review

The Independent
The Independent's review was similar to that of the Guardian, as it used clever, witty sentences to describe key scenes in the film as well as clearly illustrating the talent of the actors within the film. The main difference between the two reviews is the use of language, as the Guardian uses more comical and fun language to create a sense of relation between the writer and reader where as the Independent uses more formal language to depict the narrative and give the reader an insight into the plot.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-kings-speech-12a-the-ios-review-2179616.html

After we had looked at magazine and newspaper reviews, I then took some time to research other forms of review, such as the use of the world wide web.

I found a website called FilmGuru.net which reviews various films and I was fascinated to notice the differences and similarities between the different review types. I focused on Zack Snyders "Superman" film. From the start, this review felt a lot more personalised and I felt connected with the reviewer. The review entitled "My Take on Snyders Superman" was casual and included statements such as 
"Among my friends and family, I am considered the expert on all things Kryptonian. I have been reading Superman comics since my youth. I even wrote my master’s thesis on the dual nature of the Clark Kent / Superman persona".


This was not 'your industry standard' but more for the "geeky" superman-lover who wants a controversial synopsis to read through and talk about with his/her mates.


The conventions I picked out were:
- The reviewer introduces his own thoughts and opinions
- Description of the film, not just the messages it sends out
-  

Here is the link to the review page: 
http://www.filmguru.net/2011/03/28/my-take-casting-in-snyders-superman/ 


My Film Review Choice 
After undergoing all the research on film reviews and completing all of the above tasks, I have made the choice that I am going to base my review on the Empire review style, and I will research the follow forms conventions that make Empire one of the most successful media magazines.

I plan to have a catchy, intriguing short film review page that strictly follows the forms and conventions of the Empire magazine. The picture also gives away the setting for the short film which should help the reader to understand where Synchronicity is set. I have also included a small snapshot of the train in the bottom right hand corner which again, gives away the setting as well as informing the reader that this film will involve the young girl seen on the front as well as the train set, and this when combined with the review page will be very affective in getting the reader to watch my short film. I will have a large, colorful picture to entice the audience into reading my review. I will also use very picturesque and descriptive writing to give the reader an insight into the film and capture there imagination. lastly I will also include a side review down the left hand side of the page which will be revising current films. This follows the forms and conventions as I have stated above, that Empire is a public magazine and they therefore advertise many things such as new releases to the general public.


My Film Review 

Anton Richards, the young aspiring Director from Hertfordshire, has finished his debut short film, "Synchronicity" and it is set to be a short film spectacular, honing in on the ever more realistic topic of child neglect mixed with an unusual series of synchronised events. It makes for a thrilling new entry into the short film industry as the Kings Langley School film festival will be hosting his work along with other aspiring directors.

Shot in a quiet little village cul de sac in Kings Langley, the film entwines itself into the life of a little girl, ‘Isabel’ and her desperation for attention from her lawfully dedicated parents. Young Isabel and her faithful teddy go everywhere together, but Teddy is not quite the playing companion she needs. This short film shows the effects of what it is like to have everything but love and attention. With two lawyers for parents who are hard pushed to give any of their time to their daughter due to working on a local train crash case, Isabel could be seen as a burden and in the way.

There are many scenes that evoke the strong emotion of Isabel’s character. The constant refusal and rejection from her parents is overwhelming for any young child. And as the film shows, rejection can be too much for a child to take. “Go away and play”, a phrase ringing alarms bells in this short, creates the relationship between film and audience, as I am sure every parent has been in this situation at some point in their life.

The fact that Isabel is seen with a teddy throughout all the scenes shows her vulnerability as a character, greatly due to the lack of recognition from her parents. At times, this short gives its audience a passive sense of responsibility and has the audience shouting “just say yes”.

Isabel’s frailty and breaking point shows after a third barrage of refusal and it seems that she wants to seek revenge. It is at this point you loose connection with aspects of her fragility and you start to see her violent, childlike mind-set kick in. She creates a catastrophic train crash, not dissimilar to the one her parents are dealing with. It is this synchronisation that literally leaves her parents picking up the pieces after her, as her destructive rampage leads them away from their work and into a frantic game of hide and seek.

The ending is blunt but clear - Isabel is teaching her parents an extremely valuable lesson. Refusal to engage is a serious form of neglect, leaving the audience with an immediate realisation of the damage neglect can inflict on a young person's life with extreme consequences. 

Post 16: Ancillary Task 1 - Postcards Part 1

Production Name, Logos, Posters & Postcards

Production Name

In class we were discussing production group names and brainstorming all the possible names that would suit the film that we are creating. I was then informed that our production name did not have to relate to the film that we were making as many production companies will have many different films all under one production name. An example of a British production company who have a universal name is "Working title". 
We were put on the spot when we were asked to come up with a name for our production company and we were all baffled and could not come up with anything! As we are using an all Columbian cast, I wanted to incorporate ‘Columbia’ in part of the production name but I found it hard to come up with anything that went away from ‘Columbia Pictures' - a very well know and established production company. Including this in my production name could cause a whole array of problems. After careful analysis and research as well as consulting my media teacher, Miss Shipp, it became apparent that using Columbia within the name of my production company could not only be very problematic, but would also lead the audience into assuming that any film that our company produces would incorporate something to do with Columbia, or its people, therefore limiting the amount of films that we could produce. So to conclude, we decided to rethink and come up with a name that would not limit the amount of films that we could make and that would not be personalised to any specific film.

I then came up with the name “Clockwork Production”, which the team liked and we then went about creating Film Posters, Film Postcards and Productions Logos.

Production Logo

The second task was to create the production logo. After we had all decided on using “Clockwork Production” as our company name, we then had to come up with a logo to accompany this name. I spent many hours researching pictures and phrases that would help me to create the logo. I had an idea of what I wanted the logo to look like in my head. It was to incorporate the cogs and gears of a working clock. I found these images on google which gave me inspiration and ideas as to what I could use. These would also come in handy 
when I create the postcards, giving me further inspiration and ideas as to imagery for the advertising of the film.

I then went about creating my own images which would be incorporated into my logo. I then thought about a old pocket watch that belonged to my Grandfather. 
I know that it uses a wind up system and would have similarities to that of the pictures shown above. I took a few photos of the watch which can be seen below. I hope to use this in the logo and or the postcards.

My Final Logo Design - Clockwork Production

This is my final design for the logo which will now be put onto post cards and posters and other places where we would want to advertise or inform people that the piece of work was created by our production company.
Furthermore I believe that using a easily recognisable name and logo such as ours makes it more user friendly and therefore more widely known. This will then help to create a larger and more established production company which will open further doors to everyone involved.




























Film Posters

When looking at film Posters, it became very apparent that the image of the film, or certain key markers and key imagery were a preferred method of advertisement, and this can be seen in many of the feature film posters today. So we began by analysing the conventions of a few, different film posters and looking at the methods by which they advertise their specific film. We considered  films such as 'Harry Potter', widely known by a huge variety of people. Having an image such as his face, or a snapshot, would send out a very easily distinguishable message. A first time film production is at a disadvantage and could not expect an audience to recognise or relate to any image shown. Careful selection of images that would suggest certain events will take place within the film or exposing certain key plots, is crucial to attracting the chosen audience based on the movie genre. 


I would also have to think about making my posters as universal an appeal as possible; it would be a serious risk to me as the producer if I was to make my film too subject specific and too genre specific. It is a fact that a short film never gets a significantly large audience. Limiting the already low numbers could be very costly to a 'rookie' producer who is trying to gain funding.

We then had a class discussion on what features/conventions a film poster should include and we came up with a list:

- Name and title of the film

- Date of release

- Bold and colorful writing

- Images of Specific parts of the film (in some cases many different parts of the film all put into one image)

- Catch Phrases

- Specific words which would give away the genre and kind of narrative the films entails (truly horrific or a comedy masterpiece)

- Names of main Actors

- Release Date

- Bright Colors

- Company Production Name

- Copyright Information 

- A Website

- Small Review extract from a journalist or paper such as (five stars says the daily mail)

- Depending on the genre of the film and the message they were trying to send out, Age Ratings/ Certificates are not usually seen on posters. Posters that are advertising children's films and animations such as 'Shrek' and 'Finding Nemo' are more likely to have an age rating on the poster as they would be advertising that the production is universal.

Post Cards

There are many different marketing strategies for films. Strategies range widely.  There are T.V advertisements for the large multimillion Pound/Dollar companies, such as Warner brothers who spend vast amounts of money on marketing and T.V advertisements, the best way to reach their target audiences. Then there is the first time producer who if lucky, would get a spot at a film festival to showcase their short film. The way in which they would inform people of their presence, date and time of the showing, would be through the form of post cards. They are an inexpensive, cost effective way of letting select individuals such as big name producers, know about the short that has be created.
Below is a example of an advertisement that Warner Brothers made for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1:

Not all film production companies can afford to advertise in this way and especially directors who are only producing short films. This is because they would generally have a very small budget which would have been spent on creating their short film and would not be able to advertise with posters and T.V adverts due to the high costs involved.


Enormous thought and preparation goes into the creation of a short film, and it is aimed at benefiting all parties involved in the finished object. When creating a short film and showcasing it at events such as film festivals, the aim is that the Script Writers would want their work recognised, Producers would be showcasing their talent and the Production Crew would be hoping to get further jobs with bigger companies. It is important for the script writers to have their work acknowledged and appreciated as they would hope that Directors and Producers might take a look at their next script. It is important for the Producers to be able to showcase their talent, because talent is what the "Big Names" such as Danny Boyle and Mike Leigh are looking for. There can sometimes be a very fine line between talent and sheer luck when creating a winning short, and this is why it is down to the professionals to spot and pick out any Producer who shows the characteristics that they are looking for. It is important for the Production Crew and technical crew to also showcase their contribution to the production. Being a man who has a serious passion for cars and the auto-mobile industry, I compare the Production crew to a Formula 1Pit Lane crew, the faster and more harmoniously they work together, the better the end result (lap times) and this can be shown within the Production Crew as the harder they work and the better result they achieve, the more employable they are and their chances of working in a feature film are much greater.


Another route to gaining funding for a film, is showcasing a short film to a private investor or entrepreneur who would be able to financially cover the costs of filming  and producing. The downside to this is that although financing is a big part of what is needed to create a feature film, approaching investors who have no knowledge or expertise in the specific field could incur great financial risk to both the investor and the director, and in my opinion would not be a preferred method of gaining funding.

So the best way to advertise a short film, such as the one I and my production group are creating at the present moment, is to create Film Post Cards which would be carefully designed to give the reader an insight into the film, showing key imagery of the plot or crucial iconography that would invite and entice the audience in, whilst not giving away too much, maintaining interest leading to them attending the screening and a hopeful contract.The idea is to show a small picture or snapshot of our film whilst leaving the audience wanting more.

Looking at this post card “On A Life’s Edge” and comparing it to other short film postcards, the overall conventions of this method of advertisement differs, depending on what genre of film it is and the kind of Director the produced it. Looking at ‘On a Life’s Edge’ the producer has provided the post card with very short description or synopsis of the film, followed by the cast, the length and then the credits which include the director ‘Michael Walker’ and the producer ‘Kenny MacDonald & Rebecca Knapp'. This gives the reader all the information surrounding the film would be accompanied by a picture which should be iconic and related to a point or the message in the film. In this case, Michael has used a council estate high rise block with a very dull and dark football pitch in the foreground. This automatically gives out certain message about the film; it is not going to be about the aristocracy, upper class glamour but that of the working class and the pre literate, quite likely to be under the social realism category. I am sure that if I had seen the post cards to short films such as ‘Cubs’ or ‘Wasp’, the images on them would have had similar characteristics.

In class we had a discussion about the importance of the layout of the post card and as part of this session we looked at other post cards to compare and contrast the differences. 

Looking at these post cards and comparing them to other post cards, it is becoming clear to me that there is a general trend in the layout of the back of the post card. 


Although the front is important in catching the readers eye and imagination, the rear of the post card is equally important as it lists:
- The times of the showing
- The location of the showing
- The Producer, Cast and Crew
- Who the Writers and Directors are
- The length of each showing
- Any sponsors

The back of the post card would also hold the production company logo and in our case this would be "Clockwork Production".

My Post Card Designs took a lot longer than I had planned. I found it very difficult to come up with images that best represented my production, would entice viewers of the post card and capture their imagination enough for them to want to pursue it and watch my film.


This is my first design for the post card features a clock with a train coming out of it. As the the script writer of Synchronicity, I wanted the train to be synchronized with the clock which I hoped would give the audience a feeling that the girl (Isabel), the clock and the train were all in perfect timing with each other. There is references to the clock within the film, showing how time effortlessly goes by whilst she is told to "go away and play" and neglected. The trains within the film also play a significant role as the parents, Simon and Lisa are the lawyers, investigating a major train crash. It also makes reference to her train set which  she can't complete, wanting her mother and father to help, which they refuse many times and eventually this causes her to throw her teddy at the train and completely destroy the set.


My second post card design, features the clock with the train, just the like the first, but this time the train is going around the clock instead of coming out of it. Both the clock and the train have been placed on the table where Isabel finds them in the film. I chose this as a design, as it is an iconic part to the film. The idea of this was to have the entire front blacked out apart from the table which illuminated by a beam of light coming from the top of the post card. I then tried to transform the light into a table and this is the result. The back of the post card is very standard. It has the Clockwork Production logo, and screening times. It also has space to write who it is addressed to plus space for information regarding the film premier. 

The third design for my post card is of Isabel cuddling her teddy bear. This image shows loneliness and sadness. She is cuddling her teddy which she will clearly be doing throughout the film. This shows how lonely and sad she is and how the teddy is the only 'person' who is there for her in her life. It also features the Name of the film "Synchronicity" as well as the tagline "Refusal is the worst form of neglect". I chose this as my final post card design. I want the audience to feel sympathetic toward her and want to see more.  My hope is that this dilemma, which many children face in the real world, can be recognised and resolved. The back of the post card features the production company name, along with everyone involved in the production of the film, Anton Richards - script writer and director, Ryan Thrussel -  lighting director, Tim white - camera director and finally Nicola Carlisle who was the production designer.

Cubs - Tom Harper

Wasp – Andrea Arnold

Post 15: Reflecting on theory

Reflecting on theory

There are three main theories that that we have to take into consideration when creating a film. Genre Theory, Narrative Theory and Audience Theory.

Genre Theory

Genre theory or the genre of a film determines what kind of film it is and what audience it would attract. When creating a short film, tow main genres pop up the most. These genres are determined by the storyline and how the Director would like to portray his/her particular story. Genres such Thriller and social realism are some of the most common in the short film sector whilst comedy and horror are rare. This is greatly due to the fact that it is very difficult to produce a ‘short’ comedy as it would usually just end up being ‘corny’, as the director’s sense of humour may not fulfil that of their audience.

This theory relates to my production as it is important for me to give the audience a clear picture of the underlying message. It is important for the underlying message to be fully understood, especially within the short film sector of the media as I need the viewers to be able to understand and identify what my text is about. Failing this could cause me as the producer to lose viewers and any further publishing of my work

Narrative Theory

Narrative theory relates to the narrative of the film (the way in which the story is related). The narrative in any short film is not merely just the story line, for instance ‘boy meets girl’ but how the story relates and why that event happened.

Below is a link to a definition of what Narrative theory is. I have found ‘media-know-all a very useful site to help me understand the key concepts in my media studies..

http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=narrative

“In media terms, narrative is the coherence/organisation given to a series of facts. The human mind needs narrative to make sense of things. We connect events and make interpretations based on those connections. In everything we seek a beginning, a middle and an end. We understand and construct meaning using our experience of reality and of previous texts. Each text becomes part of the previous and the next through its relationship with the audience”.

This theory is important and can be related to my media production as I will have to take into consideration and include the codes and conventions of Narrative theory which include:

Genre

Time

Form

Character

It is important that I include the above conventions as this will vital for my audience to be able to relate to and understand my storyline.

Audience Theory

Audience theory is how the audience perceive and respond to the text. It is important for me to remember that my storylines dominant meaning is actually decided by the audience and how the perceive and respond to what they are viewing.

Below is a quote from media-know-all which I found useful in helping grasp how important the audience is to my story line.

“A media text in itself has no meaning until it is read or decoded by an audience”.

http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=audience

It is crucial for me to include audience theory in my production as this will determine the predominant message of my storyline and narrative.