BLK feedback

Very impressive work Jack

Excellent analysis and reflections on your horror shot.

And a great choice of film clip for analysis, high quality notes too.

Your blog is looking great in all respects - keep up the good work! Well done.

Launch Films Clips

1. Release of a film

Who is the audience the film is aimed at? Then develop HOW it will best communicate with that audience. But MUST keep an eye on the budget for marketing which is given by what they THINK the movie will gross in the box office. Find out about working with 3rd party promotions, media partners, are the stars willing to travel and do interviews, etc. Also need to think about WHERE the marketing money will be spent i.e. posters, tv, radio etc. Which routes is it best to use to appeal to them in the most effective way.

2. Target audience

WHY identify a clear target audience. Past comparison show us how to do it. Who HAS succeeded, where the audience go to get involved with film. Can't ever be 100% sure. Always a gamble, only a certain amount of money. Audience will only see it in a particular place, i.e. 40+ watching tv and take a week or so to decide to go and see. 15 or 16 may turn up and see what's on there and then. Different decision making process.

3. P&A Budget

Includes ALL print costs, techincal etc. Then the advertising costs which include designing posters, press ads, tv spots, trailers. Then WHERE and how best to use the money. What is the target market for the film, banners on the internet? TV advertising is very expensive, radio is much cheaper and can reach a large audience up and down te country.

4. Marketing Plan

Advertising is the most expensive but most effective. Use TV, Radio, internet etc. The 'free' advertising using certain directors/cast place features in magazines etc. Interviews with directors/actors. Outdoor advertising, billboards, buses, bus shelters. Word of mouth use screening shows. BEST form of free advertising. Viral campaigns in email. Film in subject. Word of mouth can make or break a film. If a film plays very well. Specialised films use this a lot due to lower budget. Friends are much more likely to go to see it/buy it on DVD.

5. Link Between

Convince cinemas to take the film. Independent films must be SOLD to the cinemas first and find somewhere for people to see the film.

6. Test screenings

Research comes into play a LOT. Research can be done well in advance for posters/visuals etc. Delivers to the audience you want to. Test screenings of target audience to see the film and fill in questionnaires and do 'focus groups' and may alter the film accordingly.

7. Opening Weekend

VERY important. Exhibitors work on 3-day figure (always a friday) Friday, saturday, sunday - monday is make or break. The film HAS to have made more money over the weekend which determines how long the film is in the cinema and if they play the film again.

8. Positioning and Audiences

The most important thing is to define WHO the audience is, does it have a specific genre, does it appeal to a specific group? Who directed, independent films will appeal to people much more with industry knowledge.

9. Competition

ALL about compeition. Films must stand above to make it noticed. WHY do they want to see YOUR movie, why is your poster more appealing to yours. October is usually a good time for cinema. Holidays and weather are instrumental. Not a lot of TV advertising in July/August due to good weather. Outdoor posters are more likely to see them over the summer.

10. Word of Mouth

CRITICAL. Some, word of mouth will be strong from the start. Depends on when marketing gets it. Media partners are often used and use advanced screening programs which are free using compeitions in mags/newspapers. poeple will leave and tell their friends what a good movie it is if 100 people like is then they tell 10 people, VERY quick publicity. If friends really like the movie, they are much more credible than magazines. Idf they get the movie late then they must rely on the general public and use normal advertising.

11. Trailers

Trailer is the most important key, generally first and only exposure. In the same environment and situation. Trailer must have the right impact and right message. The way in which the overall CONCEPT of the film is portrayed.

12. Digital Marketing

Viral marketing is simple. Creating an element i.e. game, video, quiz. Which because of its nature it is good enough and gets sent on - based on word of mouth. Means MUCH more than any piece of press ever could, you value their opinions much more.

13. Persuading Cinemas

The first step is to convince cinemas to take the film. Films are more difficult than products, especially with independent films.

14. Piracy

Piracy has escalated recently and is 20% of all DVD sales in the UK. British consumer feel they are getting a bargain but they are being ripped off and their money is going to criminal elements but they do not realise.

The Blues Brothers - Framing Research

The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980): Illinois Nazis


This blues brothers scene shows a large range of shot types...

One of the first shots is a CU of a man in some kind of uniform who is currently being shouted at by a large mob of angry people. This man seems to be standing very still and seems to be calm yet seemingly strong. This type of shot allows the audience to see this expression while not allow them to see the reason WHY he is being shouted at. The shot then pans across a few other members of the group showing he is not the only one that has that expression, it then leads onto a member who is seemingly the boss and using a loudhailer to talk to the mob. It then cuts to a VLS of the entire group and the mob just as the man with the loudhailer mentions the swastika and you can clearly see it being held up by the large group. This shot, as well as suddenly revealing why the crowd are angry with the group also shows the distance between the 2 groups. The next shot is a MLS of a police barrier holding back the crowd. This allows the audience to see the raw ferocity that the crowd is portraying and how the police are desperately attempting to keep the peace. The next shot is a MCU of the leader of the Nazis which pans to follow him as he patrols from left to right in front of his troop of Nazis. This allows the audience to begin to recognise this character as the leader and how he may become a more marjor part later in the film. A couple of shots after that there is another MLS, this is mainly used to show the actions made by on of the crowd members towards the police where he punches him. The reason for this is to show WHY the crowd is being kept so far away from the Nazis and how they are beginning to become violent. Soon after is a MCU of a member of the crowd. The reason an MCU is used as it is far enough away to show enough of the other people in the crowd and close enough that it is possible to see the expression on his face and how angry he is. The shots then keep switching from CU's and MCU'S of the crowd to an MCU tracking shot of the Nazi leader while he says more of his speech. It then cuts to a CU of the leader when he says his ard-hitting last line. After this there is then a crane coming back from a VLS of the Nazi's on the bridge to a queue of cars lining up and a VLS of a policeman walking alongside the blues brothers car. It then cuts to a MCU/MS 2 shot of the blues brothers. This is to show their body language and how fed up they are of being stuck in the queue. The blues brothers then drive out of the shot while the camera stays still it then cuts to a POV shot of inside the car so as to see where the blues brothers are going. The next cut is to a MCU of the Nazi leader who seems to look worried at the sound of an engine as the audience can see by the use of an MCU. Soon after is an OTS of 2 of the Nazis showing the blues brothers driving towards them. The next is a cut to an MCU of the leader who attempts to look brave but chickens out and dives out of the shot. the next is a LS of the car which then drives toward the camera so it becomes a CU. This shows the imminent danger to the Nazis who are seemingly playing chicken with a car and this shot shows how he is getting ever closer with no sign of stopping.

Practise Shoot

Practice Shoot





















Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be seen as representing 'horror'.

The shot is a long shot of a girl being hung in front of a very large window. The outside is quite bright and the inside is dark, making the girl into a silhouette. The silhouette makes the girl look much more 'horror-like' as you cannot see clearly who it is and if this was a still from a film I would imagine her swinging into the light to show her identity to the audience and the next shot would be a close up of her face. It can also be seen as horror due to her actual situation, she has been hung which is a fairly gruesome death as opposed to it being a quick, quiet death such as in a thriller.

What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

To achieve the silhouette, we went into a very dark room where it was easy to control the lighting. We close all the curtains and turned the light off. We then stood our character on the windowsill where the natural daylight then created a silhouette of her. The curtains on either side we pulled shut just enough to create a frame in the shot of the hanging girl.

What is successful about your shot?

I think we were successful in creating the silhouette effect. The daylight was just enough light to create the silhouette and the room was dark enough to create it. I also think we framed the shot quite well as the girl is in the middle and framed by the curtains.

What would you do differently in hindsight?

I think we should have improved the noose as it is currently on a slant which doesn't make it seem as threatening. I also think the pose the character is in is quite ambiguous and it isn't clear whether the character is the villain or the victim. If I were to do it again, her head would be more slumped onto one side. I also think that we could have been at a lower angle so the things outside the window couldn't be seen and would make it look more scary and imposing.

Shot Sequence Analysis

Shot 1:

Framing: HA, MCU

The use of an MCU allows the audience to really see the man's expression where he looks very threatened and worried but still confident as though he is hiding something. The way the shot is top-lit makes his face look much more accentuated with his eyes looking very large and dark which makes him look quite evil and decietful. The gun pointing close to the camera doesn't make the audience feel quite as involved as though they were in the situation although it looks to be pointing lower, possibly towards the heart which makes the audience seem somewhat more involved. The way the character is holding his ear makes him seem vulnerable an injured.

Shot 2:

Framing: HA LS

This shot leads on from the last as it shows the situation the man lying on the ground is in and WHO he is pointing the gun at. This shot, being from over the shoulder of the attacker makes the attacker seem very dominant and powerful. The way he is wearing light-coloured clothes makes him seem less evil than the man lying on the floor and he somehow seems like a hero. The low-key lighting in the shot makes the entire situation seem scary and ominous, as though noone is around. The frame of the jetty around the man lying on the floor directs the eye to him and the way he cannot escape and creates a claustrphobic situation for him.

Shot 3:

Framing: VLS Side-view

This shot shows 3 men on a small jetty, it leads on from the last shot as it has zoomed out even more, showing the man lying on the floor, his attacker and another man in the shot, creeping up behind him. This type of shot also gives a better view of the surroundings and how empty the area is. This gives the audience the impression that they are alone and help wouldn't get there very easily which also builds the tension. This new man is introduced and makes the audience wonder what he's doing there. The fact that he is wearing similar colours to the man lying on the floor makes the audience think he is on his side and that the man in the middle is outnumbered. It can also show 3 different levels, one man is lying, another is crouch and one is standing, creating a kind of sequence showing how things may have occured or may be about to occur.

Shot 4:

Framing: LS Side-view
In this shot, the man on the left looks incredibly dominant. This is because he is standing and the other is lying. The dominance is accentuated by the billowing of the mans coat, this makes him look much bigger in the frame whereas the man lying down looks much smaller as his pose makes him look like he is squirming. This leads on from the last shot as it no longer shows the man sneaking up behind, this makes the audience wonder where he has gone and what he may be doing. This build the tension further. The lighting also seems to be accentuating the standing man. The light in the background seems to be pointed towards him, making him look much more like a good-guy and though he is doing the right thing. The girl crouching in the corner looks very vulnerable, this is because she is made to look very small due to being placed right in the corner and being in the same shot as 2 large men.

Shot 5:











Framing: HA MCU
This shot leads on from the last as it takes the focus off of the men and onto the girl who has seemed insignificant now but the audience now realises that this is the reason the 2 men are fighting. The girl is not comforting or attempting to protect the man on the floor and the fact that she is a child makes her seem innocent as accentuated by the use of a high-angle. This means the man who is currently seeming to be dominant is the hero. The fact that an MCU is used to make the audience focus on her emotions. She is clearly scared and the use of the high-angle makes her seem even more vulnerable.


Shot 6:











Framing: LS LA
This shot seems to be making the audience focus on the man lying on the floor. This makes the other 2 men seem much more imposing. This shot leads on from the last as it zooms out from the girl possibly to see why she is so upset as her saviour has now been injured and cannot do anything about it. The fact that all 3 men are at different distances make the audience sympathise with the man that is closest whose pose suggests he is in pain. The audience can now see his emotions more than they can the other man in the shot. The man in the foreground being in the light clothes seems to still be the good-guy and and man standing back, although brightly lit which suggests he may have good intentions, is wearing black which makes the audience feel as though he is the bad guy. The wooden posts of the jetty seem to frame the entire scene making it seem very narrow and there isn't anywhere to escape from.