Harry Brown

• Harry Brown was released in 2009 
• The classification is rated R, a UK 18
• The companies responsible for making it were:

1. Marv Films
2. UK Film Council
3. HanWay Films
4. Prescience Film Fund
5. Framestore
6. Prescience

• The production companies were Lionsgate and Samuel Goldwyn films.
• The budget of this film was $7,300,000
• The film grossed $10,329,747
• This film profited $3,029,247

Brief Synopsis: 

This film is about gang crime and violence on an estate that was once peaceful and a nice area to live in, the film follows Harry Brown who wants revenge as his friend is murdered on the estate in a subway with his very own weapon. Harry sets out to find the killer and his military background and knowledge benefits him even though he is old. He does this because the police claim there is not enough evidence to put the person who killed his best friend in prison, which angers him. Eventually Harry Brown finds the killer and kills him and the film ends with Harry walking through the same subway in which his friend was killed. This tells the audience that because of Harry Brown the estate is now safe. 

How the story is told: 

The story is told in a way that Harry Browns actions are justified as the gang are shown to be drug takers, violent (when they kill his best friend especially) and they also constantly use foul language. Also they are shown on an estate that used to be calm so are represented to be disturbing the peace. The creators of this film wanted the audience to dislike the gang, so when Harry went to find and kill the killer, he was seen as a hero despite his actions.

All statistics and initial information: imdb.com

We watched part of the film again in class and discussed certain things. This film was filmed very precisely and thought out carefully, for example:

• The beginning of the film was shot on a hand held camera to express realism, and to defy the stereotypes that all of Britain is posh, as with the hand held it seems like an account, and the audience watches as the gang shoots at people. 

• In the interviewing scene, every person being interviewed was wearing a hoodie, a stereotype of youth gang culture. This represented them to be harmful and disrupting, as all of them are being questioned on the murder of Harry Browns friend. 
• The film shoots Harry Brown carrying out normal day tasks at the beginning which shows that he is just a normal person. The shots also show him cleaning up, this foreshadows the film as it is a representation of him cleaning the estate up when he plans to take out the gang. 
• The way the film is filmed keeps the image of it very naturalistic and provides a sense of realism, an example of this is the lighting when Harry is in his flat watching someone get beat up outside, the lighting is dim rather than bright highlighting everything. It makes you feel as if the film is real. 

• To me, this film focuses on the idea of realism, they want to show a side of London which isn't often seen. This is shown in various ways just through the first part. For example, when the police officers are passing across a block, graffiti is covered on the walls, which is found a lot in urban areas, but people from other regions may not think of London this way. 
• The titles have purposely been put in a small font, this shows that these are just ordinary people and there is nothing special about any of them. The titles are also put in a line which shows that everything has its place, also it shows theoretical equality and this foreshadows because Harry commits the exact same crime, however the audience does not feel sorry for the gang and support Harry.
• When in the interviewing scene, the solicitor and the gang member are shot to be far apart. This is quite amusing because although the solicitor is under obligation to support the gang member, they are very different and don't wish to be associated together. It is a juxtaposition by putting these 2 next to each other, because the solicitor is in a suit being formal and proper whereas the gang member is in a tracksuit and hoodie. By putting these to next to each other it shows the opposites of people in the world, good and evil.

Gender representation in the hustle

The first camera shot I am going to be talking about is when there is a high angle shot and an over the shoulder shot used at the same time. This shot shows women to be of lower relative status than men. The framing of this shot shows the man looking down at the woman and more so, the woman looking up to the man, almost in a submissive manner, this shows clear male dominance. A master shot is used when the 2 men are sat in a room smoking. This shot allows the audience to see glasses of what is connoted to be alcohol in their hand and cigarettes. In the context of this clip these 2 men are finalizing a business transition which is stereotypically a male trait as men are believed to be the breadwinner and women as an expressive, caring role. Juxtaposing against this part of the clip and backing up my point, the shot before this is a medium shot of a a woman trying on a dress, admiring herself in the mirror. The dress is slightly revealing and classed to be sexy, a stereotypical trait women are meant to be or aspire to. The tilt shot used which highlights her body emphasizes this point. 

With editing, I noticed the eye line matches between the shop assistant and the women who couldn't afford the dress. Due to height differences the man is looking down on him, however this has been done purposely to show a matter of hierarchy, and this consists of men being above women and looking down on them as if they are below them. As the woman meets his eyes by looking up she seems dependent on him and due to the context we know she wants him to lower price, this represents the feminine gender to be dependent against those of a masculine gender which is what the media often stereotype. This clip uses a wipe transition however this does not represent gender, this simply provides continuity within the clip. The wipe moves from one situation to another and it is very noticeable but it works very well. 

Dialogue is used and the male shop assistant has a controversial feminine voice, this shows him as partially feminine. This is then suited with his profession, in retail, which is often associated as a preferred hobby for those of a feminine gender, the dialogue used between the men conferring about business juxtaposes this as their voice are low which is a stereotype for masculinity. This shows a clear difference between the 2 genders. There is synchronous sound when the woman is emptying the contents of her bag onto the floor, the use of this sound allows you to hear clattering which emphasizes her hysteria that she has lost her ring. This agrees with the stereotype that feminine people are more emotional than masculine. 

Concerning Mise-en-scene most of the clip takes place in a retail shop and 2 out of 3 customers are women, and the only man that is actually a customer asks the feminine man whether he can help him buy something for his wife. This represents those of a feminine gender to be materialistic and vain , and concerned with their looks where as those who are masculine are most likely working. This setting works hand in hand with the bar where there is no men, only women. There is smoke everywhere and then men are drinking a liquid which the audience connotes for whiskey which is a stereotypical masculine drink (whereas a feminine drink would be wine). The mood of the room is very calm and laid back juxtaposing the hysteria of the retail shop as the woman has lost her ring. 

Gender is represented in a stereotypical manner in this clip and there is a clear difference set between the genders of feminine and masculine. 

British Film Industry History

Homework

1) What constitutes a British film? (the diff categories)

• Cultural content: The movie is filmed in the UK, has British actors, dialogue is mainly recorded in the English language and has a British subject matter
• Cultural Contribution: reflects the British culture
• Cultural Hubs: Music and effects are done in the UK 
• Cultural Practitioners: The people who worked on the movie are from the UK 

2) What are the various methods of marketing a film? (how do they?)

• Viral videos: distribution of the trailer
• Internet advertising: paid advertisements online 
• Merchandising: Something used within in the film then promoting the film outside of the film
• Trailers
• Film posters
• Paid advertisements in newspapers and magazines 
• Promotional tour: actors and directors take part in interviews across the media

3)What are the different ways a film can be exhibited or consumed?

• Cinema 
• DVD
• Downloaded
• Film on television
• Videos 
• The internet

Distribution notes

• The audience has the greatest power within the film industry as they choose what they want to see and then Hollywood will force what the audience want to see into action. 
• More than often 50% of a films budget will be spent on promotion rather than the creation of the film. 
• Contrasting the first view i noted, others believe the audience aren't in charge and that the distributors are just aware of what parts of the world and media are in need of its product, and also whom are willing to pay for them. 
• There are 2 views when it comes to film marketing, are consumers passive or active? 
• Production: the making of a film. 
• Exhibition: people watching the film.
• Film distribution explains everything that happens between production and exhibition. 
• Promotion concerns advertising such as billboards, posters, trailers, spin offs. This type of advertising is known as 'above the line' as it is paid for. 
• Unpaid for promotion is known as 'below to line' publicity, it uses newspaper and magazine reviews. 
• Big production companies control much of the film industry and therefore the distribution of their own products. These companies loan their film out to the cinema for a certain amount of time and secure certain screens in a cinema for a certain amount of time. 
• Hollywood films are prioritised over any other film. 
• Smaller companies dont have as much money to get their prints into loads of cinemas as opposed to Hollywood films who have a lot more money to put their prints in more cinemas. 
• The UK film council are addressing the problem noted above via the Digital Screen Network as they receive financial support.
• Prints: producing physical copies of a film for cinema/ home release and finding the exhibitors /retailers to sell the film. 
• Marketing: raising audience awareness and anticipation of a new release.
• A distributor can have a long term arrangement with a certain production company and may provide them with financial support. 
• A film is likely to have different distributors for releases in different countries, cinema releases and home-video releases. 
• 360-degree branding is when a film promotion surrounds all around us with their brand, converged media forms and multi levels. Their aim is to 'trigger engagement' in audiences. 
• Guerilla marketing run classified or small ads offering their brochure and people direction to their website via awareness on the radio, cable tv, business magazines. They also participate in forums, chatrooms and email.

Homework

What is Distribution? 

• Distribution is about releasing and sustaining films in the film industry.
• Distribution can be divided into 3 sectors, licensing, marketing and logistics. 

Licensing

• Licensing is a process where the distributor gets the legal right to exploit a film. 
• In the form of distribution, licensing can take place on two levels: international and local distribution. 
• International distribution makes sure the film which has been created makes its way to the 90+ market territories in the World. 
• US studios usually have their own distribution offices in the major territories, however, independent producers must sell their films to different distributors on the major territories. 
• Independent producers sometimes hire a specialist sales agent whose job is to understand the price of the film in different markets. 
• Local distribution is when the distributor gets a licence to release and exploit a film in a certain country.
• The distributor in local distribution will pay the producer a minimum a fee and obtain the rights to sell the film to a broadcaster, video and dvd exploitation, theoretical rights, the right to show the film in the cinema and tv rights.
• When the licence has been agreed, the distributor then becomes responsible for launching the film, a release in the cinema is usually chosen. 
• After the film has been released in the cinema, months later the film will be released on DVD and then on forms of pay television. For this to be success the distributor must have knowledge on the current market place.

Marketing

• Marketing of a film depends on when and how; in england films are usually released on a friday. 
• Releases are decided by the Film Distributors Association. 
• Distributors try to find a 'light week' when only a few films are releasing so that there will be screen space and review columns allocated to the film they are releasing. 

Marketing: Prints and Advertising

• Prints and Advertising are very important when releasing a film in the cinema as they make a film public. 
• The key elements of Prints and Advertising 

1. Quantity and production of release prints and trailers (commercial mainstream films have a lot more than specialized films)
2. Press materials, clip reels, images, press previews, screener tapes
3. Design and printing of posters and other promotional artwork ( the cinema poster is the corner stone of theoretical release campaigns, distributors also pay attention to billboards, underground advertising etc.) 
4. Advertising Campaign- locations, ad size and frequency (advertising in magazines and newspapers. With mainstream films heavy advertising is key. In the UK, distributors prefer electronic word-in-mouth advertising as the cost of print advertising is high)
5. Press campaign/ contracting a PR agency ( often hired as many distributing offices dont have a PR department)
6. Arranging visit by talent from the film (use of director and lead actors for editorial coverage)
7. Other preview screenings ( advance public screenings to create a buzz on the film) 

Logistics

• Logistics is the supplying and circulating copies of the film to cinemas, tapes, DVDs, rental stores etc. 
• It is VERY important the distributor delivers the film on time to a cinema
• When films are shown in the cinema the distributor delivers them by film

Bullet Boy

• Bullet boy is a specialized film which was low budget and an independent feature. 
• Due to its context of contemporary urban life, the distributor had faith that the film would receive exceptional reviews.
• The ad campaign approached diverse audiences due to the actor being a rapper from So Solid. 
• By the actor being in So Solid, the film was also advertised on hip hop, r n b and garage radio stations. 

Digital Distribution 

• With Digital Distribution, life is predicted to be a lot less stress free as film files can be sent and received through use of email. 
• It will also be cheaper. 
• The Digital Screen Network is a digital distribution and exhibition program introduced in 2005. 
• In the future, the DSN will allow files will be locked to be sent straight to the cinema to be downloaded and then unlocked, and then opened as files for screening. 
• This will better the logistics of film. 
• It is predicted that with this form of digital distribution, films will go from screening 3-6 months in cinema to 1-3 months. 
• This will bring forward distributors release of DVD. 

Production Movie Costs

Avatar cost $425 million to make. 

Avatar earned $2,783,918,982 in worldwide gross.

This means that overall Avatar made $2,358,918,982

Figures by: http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/budgets/




Trainspotting cost $3,100,000 to make.

Trainspotting earned $72,001,785 in worldwide gross. 

This means overall Trainspotting made $68,901,785

Figures by: http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/budgets/





Differences: 

• Avatar uses computer generated imagery 
• Trainspotting is older than Avatar 
• Trainspotting is set in normal places as oppose to Avatar which has been created 
• Avatar uses more well known actors as opposed to trainspotting where the actors look like they are making their debut
• There are more actors in Avatar

New Media Technologies

Newspaper Industry

• apps
• twitter
• internet (in general)
• tablets
• the official website
• mobile phones 

Magazine Industry

• apps
• twitter
• internet (in general) 
• instagram
• facebook 
• tablets
• the official website 
• tv 
• mobile phones

Film industry 

• Cinema 
• Tv
• LoveFilm
• Netflix 
• Youtube 
• Illegal downloading websites
• mobile phones
• xbox
• playstation 
• Dvds
• videos 
• tablets
• laptop/ computer
• 3d
• itunes
• social networking sites (promotion)

Music industry

• tv 
• radio 
• cds
• spotify 
• soundcloud 
• youtube 
• itunes
• mobile phone
• laptop
• tablet
• mp3/mp4
• ipod
• cassette player
• walkman 
• xbox
• playstation
• cd player
• tape 

Television industry

• Iplayers
• phone
• tv
• laptop
• tablets 
• internet
• netflix
• lovefilm
• dvds
• youtube 
• illegal websites
• catch up
• on demand 
• recordings 
• 
  

Doc Martin- Regional Identity

What the thing is and what it tells me about regional identity. 

Shots

• There is a master shot and within this shot the composition of Doc Martin and the 2 plumbers, this framing shows relative status and that Doc (who is from an urban background) is at the top of the relative status and that the plumbers are of lower relative status (whom are from a rural background). Doc is shown of higher relative status because he is standing as opposed to the 2 plumbers who are sitting down below him.
• There is a medium close up of Doc's face which shows his face and the distress which he has because of the previous problem of the sink breaking. Juxtaposing this, there is a medium shot of the other plumber on the phone, who is distracted by the phone rather than doing his job which represents him to be quite laid back, however this links into the stereotype that young people are obsessed with the phone as it is the younger plumber which I am referring to.
• There is a long shot which is tracking Doc as he walks down the street, this shot shows us that the street is small, uncrowded and the shops are only little. This opposes to the stereotypical urban environment which is busy, crowded and large department stores. 
• There is a long shot which tilts up the policeman as Doc enters the police station, this allows the audience to see that the policeman is hoovering. This then connotes to the idea that within the area there isn't a lot of crime and therefore the police force is not needed. This lets the audience know that the rural environment is quiet and perhaps more safe that an urban environment. 
• There is a medium close up tracking shot of Doc and the lady on the street, this allows the audience to also be aware of what is around them as it follows them as they continue to walk. This shot shows the hills in the background and the people behind them just stopping to admire the view, this connotes to be quite a slow paced, chilled environment. This contrasts against the stereotypes of urban environments where everybody is stereotyped to be fast paced and busy, and don't have the time to stop and enjoy everything they see. The fact that Doc is walking whilst the woman is trying to talk to him casts him as an outcast compared to everyone else as he is still rushing in a place which is lived leisurely. 

Sound

• Within the clip there are asynchronous