“How is digital cinema production affecting the British film industry?”

Film has time and time again suprised the population with its constant reapperance as one of the nations most popular exhibitation for film; defying the birth of tape and DVD. Now as 3D begins to further encapsulate our nation; inspiring hit films such as Avatar, how is this new technology affecting the industry?

Digital cinema enables a full viewing quality, retaining the same film over decades exactly how it was made. It also provides cheap, easy and more efficient obtaining, collecting and exhibitation of films; helping small-time independant theatres as well as mainstream multiplexes to provide the audience with exactly what they paid for, boosting the income for all those involved, a great help towards the British Film industry. It also allows a wider variety of films exhibited and produced then ever before, with no worries about wherther or not every single film will find its own particular audience; the digital screen network is nothing but an enormas help towards the industry, cutting costs to provide much better quality films. Whilst mainstream companys such as VUE can still churn out film after film to satisfy its audience, eager to see the same plot again and again- safe in knowing they can predict what they are seeing; independant exhibitors such as Picturehouse can easily span the wide variety of films their cultured audience expect.

With this popularity in mind, it has never been easier to sell media products related to films, merchandising spans from an incrediable range in unity to films, with such products such as soundtracks, video games and toys being enabled to tag along with the film involved; this business approach was created by Disney and has done nothing but expanded to this day. One example of this is hit film "High School Musical", with Disney releasing soundtracks, video games and many other film-orientated products; all this helping to feed the publics hunger for anything involved with their favourite films- giving a massive income boost to all companies involved.

However, all this striving to satisfy the public is in danger of being corrupted by piracy; with a closely estimated 77,75,000,000 fake DVDs sold last year- generating an income of £278,000,00 for the criminals involved- the British film industry has been rocked by a lack of income due to the publics inpatientce and unwillingness to pay full price for a fully-fledged film experiance. This lack of income makes a giant tremor throughout the industry, effecting the abilities of production, distribution and exhibition; the small time industry, there to do nothing but expand upon the film industry, are suffering from lack of pay and as a result new talent is wasted due to big companies (Universal, for example) being unwilling to take risks as they're afraid any money they need to generate would not be seen again. Piracy threatens to destroy everything that new technology has striven to create; prehaps creating an untimely end to the British film industry as a whole.

Film Distribution in Norwich

Film Distribution in Norwich

1) 103- VUE
24- Picturehouse

2) VUE
Kick-Ass- 10
Alice In Wonderland (3D & 2D) - 12
Nanny Mcphee and the Big Bang- 12

Picturehouse
Kick-Ass – 2
Perriers Bounty- 7a
Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll – 1

3) Cinema City- 8 Films/25 Screenings
VUE- 16 Films/63 Screenings


4) 11/15 films shown at VUE are American in comparison to the 4 British films.

In Picturehouse 3 of the films shown are American compared to the 5 that are British

5) I am undecided but open for choice as a consumer in Norwich, both mainstream and independent film screens are in close proximity therefore I have the option to attend both. I was surprised at the array of films at cinema city; both independent and mainstream in a good amount. With my findings in mind I can see how it would be difficult for a British director to find fame.

Thriller Evaluation

After in-depth viewing and study of a wide variety of thriller and thriller sub-genres; our groups sub-genre of choice to convey in our opening was that of British Gangster. This was chosen due to its modern settings, characters and subject matter, making it much more easier to produce while still remaining relevent to our target audience.





1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?





One relevent aspect that we paid particuler attention to was that of costume; the themes and how they are presented are relative to the costume used, therfore, as we are created a British Gangster film, the costume required was modern and recognisable alongside promoting the gritty and dangerous topics presented.

This coat, worn by the antagonists, is a good example of the requirements needed. Its dark colouring emphasises secretive exploits. It also draws attention to the shoulders of the wearer, reinforcing a threatening bulk carried by characters of british gangster films such as 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Essex Boys'.






The costume can also be seen in the film 'Once Upon a Time in America." With the threatening bulk mentioned creating a moral ambiguiety of the characters, who can be seen as both heroes and villians in the film. This confusion of morality is common in gangster films.





Many of these requirements are found in the leather jacket. Alongside its drawing of threating attention it also emphasises a rigid coldness in its material and impact on the body, connotating merciless images of hardness. The contrast between the loose and tight fittings and the images they draw may be explored in our thriller film with the costumes of the two men, with prehaps the wearer of the leather jacket being the dominant of the pair. Leather jackets are iconic in british gangster films, with an exceptional example being the character 'Big Chris' in the film 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.'

These boots also emphasise the hard-worn and tough lifestyle, alongside the coat they are also dark, bulky and draw threatening attention to the feet of the wearer. All these factors promote the hard-wearing, gritty and usually violent activities of the wearer and are usually seen in films like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch"



With the costumes we used in mind, our thriller set out to develop and keep in tone with typical British Gangster conventions.



Another factor very important in our thriller opening was the location we used; One location our group agreed on using was a burnt down community known as 'The Civ.' This was chosen as it is a particularly bleak, dark setting that connotates images of immorality and destruction, conveying and developing the conventions of thriller.











A lane that leads up to the location we be filmed in. It was included in an opening shot of our film, intertwining with the opening titles of our film. This was chosen as it connotates images of isolation with its narrow, forest lane alongside its very dark and gothic surroundings.






One of the few entrances to the civ. This frayed hole in a fence was included in the first shots of our scene as it emphasises entrapment and a feeling of desperation if used for either an entrance or exit. Such factors as the rust of the gate also indicate certain qualities of thriller, indicating a lack of care and a flawed enviroment.





A gate that blocks off many entrances to the civ. This was included in our film because of its connotations of not only isolation and entrapment, but its paticular structure of sharp points at the top indicating danger and harm. It also contains the qualities of the hole in the fence with its distinctive lack of maintenance, emphasising the bleak and dark qualities of thriller.





(Above) Film group member Dan going through the main corridor of the civ. (Below) A scene of iconic thriller film "The Third Man" that shares qualities of the scene above, particulerly the very narrow, unavoidable path.

An important thing to consider was the character roles and types included in our film, how we represent the various social groups and types in our film, as we adopted a much more traditional approach to our thriller; our plot line was that of an unkempt, vunrable young woman pursued and, ultimatly, killed by two men. Our female character, Emily, was created mainly under the influence of sucessfull British thriller "London to Brighton" which includes Joanne, the victim who is chosen to be used as a child prostitute.










Our male characters, using the media conventions of the threatening; mysterious male characters, draws parrelels with the corrupt methods of the police in "Once Upon A Time In America" and the protagonists in "Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels", the men track down and brutally murder Emily in a plot-line similar to that of "London To Brighton."

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

With our character types and roles to take into consideration, our media opening represents social groups in a very traditional sense. The female is unkempt and vunrable, the ultimate victim as she unsucussfully attempts to escape the hooded, dark and threateningly dressed men who bring an end to her life and, with that, the opening. One film that can be related to my opening is the British film London to Brighton, who represent a very harsh, bleak view on social groups; but whos female characters are much stronger than of that presented in my opening. The strong aspect of threatening menace the men hold represents men as the stronger, dominating force though prehaps weaker minded; as they are unable to control the woman without using brute force and strength. With that in mind my film displays no heros, the woman a mere victim of the men who are victims of their own failings- driving them to attack and kill the female. This is also apperent in London to Brighton; with the male character Derrek unable to console the females to return to him so instead resorts to threatening them with a shotgun.

3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

As our traditional, mainstream plot-line is conveyed in a very gritty, dangerous setting and plot-line- the modern factors included in our film make it a contender for a much more indepenent-orientated exhibitation. The challenging aspect of our take on modern everyday life, threatening and morally harsh makes our opening a contender for release on sites such as You-tube, considering its particularly young audience. This is on the basis of the age of our characters and the modern costumes and setting; making strong links to a young audience. Another institution, exhibiting modern challenging films is Warp. Production could be held by Steel Mill Pictures, producer of London to Brighton and The Cottage, which shares parralels such as grit, violence and the theme of modern day crime alongside the victimisation of a female by two men with our film.

The two antagonists the Steel Mill Picture produced film The Cottage, many aspects of this film (the plot-line of two men in dark clothing pursuing a female victim, the gritty and bleak mis-en-scene, the modern time it was created and set in) are shared in our opening.

Another relevant media outlet is social networking sites such as myspace; 2 years ago Hammer Horror released films via MySpace, aiming at a young audience. Entitled "Beyond the Rave", the violent, gritty and modern aspects are extremely relevant with our media thriller and opened up oppurtunity to get videos and short films in front of the young audience it wanted; this could also be a possible outlet for our film- the online factor in key with the modern audience in tone with distribution.

A still from grizzly, modern and web-hit "Beyond the Rave", a series distributed via myspace to get in touch with its young audience; the gritty, violent settings, plot (capture and torture of a young female) are identicle to our thriller opening; opening up an avenue of distribution which our thriller could use.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our young target audience was chosen due to that our thriller will be shown in front of fellow pupils and I would rather make a film aimed at my own preferences; with the themes of excitment, thrill and tension very common with the age group considering puberty, the age group is also the most recorded in going to the cinema and watching films. People our own age who will connect with our costumes, choice of characters and understand how we have shaped our film due to our lack of any sort of funds, using our own clothes and equipment which even themselves may own, making it seem much more familier to not only the audience but to the actors and actresses themselves, generating a more sucessfull film. This was all discovered and related to my individual audience research, which is mentioned below.

http://jordanhowesmedia.blogspot.com/2010/03/thriller-audience-expectations.html

5) How did you atract/adress your audience?

In an attempt to discover what would attract our young audience, I did individual audience research; films shown on screenings were an assortment of mainstream and independant crime films: prompted by their extraordinary high scores on databases such as rottentomatoes and IMDB. Scenes in films like Pulp Fiction and Resevior Dogs scored highly- with many viewers commenting that this was due to the gritty and violent scenes shown. This also is a sucess in attracting my target audience into our thriller opening, as elements from both scenes shown are incorperated into our thriller opening; in which a girl is hunted down and ultimately killed by two men in an unsavoury, burnt down squash court very similar to the warehouse in which the infamous torture scene in Resevior Dogs takes place.

The majority preferred the dim, ambient lighting of indie films such as Pulp Fiction rather than the blockbuster effects shown in Mainstream film The Dark Knight- shaping our thriller opening with our lack of any superficial lighting at all.

An example of the natural lighting used in our thriller opening.



This can also be said for our array of camera angles and shots; with ours focusing on bringing more light on our characters using close-ups, tracking and ECU's rather than epic, complicated shots such as pan or crane which would emphasise our setting; unfesable with the equipment and no budget at our use. For example, our extended use of 1st person running shots not only creates an independent and low-budget feel, but also makes the audience connect and identify with the character.

Another attraction for our teenage audience is the relavtive connections our opening has with wider media products such as thriller/horror game resident evil; sharing parralels such as isolated, disorientating settings and the pursuing elements of our plot. The main protagonist is also a female.

(above) A still from our thriller opening; drawing stark comparison to the setting, angles and characters of hit game Resident Evil (below)

This can also be seen with the vast array of high angle shots the game uses; creating disorientation for the viewer in an effect we attempted to recreate.

(above) A still from our opening; striking simularities to the still (below) from Resident Evil; the use of placing the door as far away from the viewer as possible creates the impression of hopelessness and desperation key in thriller film.

Another aspect that was used to attract our audience was the use of enigma; given no explanation to the reason of the pursuit and murder of the young female. An enigma is a mystery that is shown commonly at the beginning of the film, usually setting the plot and mood for the rest of the film. Enigmas are used to draw in the viewer and keep their attention, they're questions waiting to be answered; The intro of Neo-Noir film 'Sin City' uses many enigmas to hold the audiences attention, the characters are nameless and have no introduction, the female character's death a complete mystery. Many questions are asked when viewing the scene that the audience must watch the film to answer.

6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

After completing our thriller opening, I have learnt alot about the technologies used. I understand how to fully operate and bring the most out of a digital camera; how to operate, record and aquire effects to bring the most out of what I am constructing. Add-ons such as flash and tripods are also fully available for me to use. I also learnt, using a full variety of camera shots and angles, how to bring the most out of what I am shooting, and how to display what I am shooting in the exact light and to the effect I fully desire, for example, the use of over-the-shoulder shots to bring the audience closer to the film, making them feel much more involved in the plot-line. I also understand the importance of editing and the many effects editing can bring ito a film; for example a sequence of very short, varied shots brings a feeling of a rapid unease- perfect for a thriller film, the use of fades also has become apperent- signalling a change of time or location. I have also learnt how to take full advantage of the many aspects of the internet such as youtube and blogspot; which learning how to use proficiantly has improved both my creativity and ability- being able to embedd videos, pictures and slideshows to make my work intresting and widens the avenue for creativity and originality.

7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

More things I have learnt how to proficiantly plan a thriller opening in the form of storyboards, mind-maps and notes- helping make an authentic a film as possible, more skills I have learnt are how to use shots and angles efficiently to make exactly the film my group wanted- using much more complicated editing and shooting in conparison to my preliminary task, working well in a group, listening and taking others ideas into account; alongside my ideas of various shots and angles- including the sequence of the male tracking shots. I have also learnt how to incorperate audience research and feedback, primarily positive, to make a film my target audience would enjoy. One thing I learnt which was a suprise was the extraordinary amount of effort and time a mere minute and a half takes to make!

Actors

Emily - Played by Jess


An unkempt runaway inspired by the victims of thriller such as the young woman in the opening sequence of Once Upon A Time In America and the young girl star of London To Brighton; Emily eventually succumbs to the fate of many young woman in thriller films as she is brutally murdered- her death signalling the end of the thriller opening. Jess was cast as this character due to the usefullness of being the only girl in our group, relying on an outside actress risky if taking into account the tight schedule and importance that comes with the construction of our shoot.

Joanne, the victimised girl of British thriller film "London To Brighton", unkempt and vunrable, she shares many parralels with our own female character.

The Men - Played by Myself (Jordan) and Dan

Two threatening males dressed in black, drawing parralels with the corrupt methods of the police in "Once Upon A Time In America" and the protagonists in "Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels", the men track down and brutally murder Emily in a plot-line similar to that of "London To Brighton." We were cast as these parts due to the usefullness of our involvment in the group, reassuring commitment and dedication to the task; our ownership of the neccesary costumes and our logistical distance from the setting were also deciding factors in our casting, alongside our experiance of the settings- bringing the best out of the setting on offer.

Derek, one of the men after the protagonist females in British Thriller "London To Brighton" in a plot-line similar to our own.

Thriller Task Treatment

After viewing and studying a wide range of thriller films and taking into consideration our audience research; the sub-genre for our thriller is British Gangster- spurred by films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in view of dark, threatening costumes, our bleak industrial setting and props. Our setting was chosen due to the typical conventions of destruction, immortality and hopelessnes alongside its close proximity to our school. One film outside the sub-genre of our choice to affect our film is Once Upon A Time In America; including the plot-line of searching out and eliminating the vunrable young woman.

Shooting Schedule

Thriller Audience Expectations

These are the various results for my audience research. Aged between 16-18, this is our target audience due to the aspect that our thriller will be shown in front of fellow pupils and I would rather make a film aimed at my own preferences; with the themes of excitment, thrill and tension very common with the age group considering puberty, the age group is also the most recorded in going to the cinema and watching films. With these results in mind; my expectations of mainstream films have been reached, all those partaking in the research agreed that the lighting, SFX and settings are much more superior than those of independant films. However, figures relative to plot for independant films have achieved higher scores- relating to the many issues reflected such as violence, sexuality and drugs independent screenings like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

The results for the settings involved shed a generous light on areas as woodland and desolate buildings, mainly because of the themes of isolation, desperation and decay that are connotated with the sets, a must for all thriller films- this result is sucessfull in shaping our thriller film as settings similar to what was shown will be used for my groups thriller task.





The setting, known as 'The Civ' seems a great setting due to the positive light shed on similar locations in my thriller research.



Films shown on screenings were an assortment of mainstream and independant crime films: prompted by their extraordinary high scores on databases such as rottentomatoes and IMDB. Scenes in films like Pulp Fiction and Resevior Dogs scored highly- with many viewers commenting that this was due to the gritty and violent scenes shown. This also is a sucess in shaping my thriller opening, as elements from both scenes shown are incorperated into my thriller opening; in which a girl is hunted down and ultimately killed by two men in an unsavoury, burnt down squash court very similar to the warehouse in which the infamous torture scene in Resevior Dogs takes place.

The majority preferred the dim, ambient lighting of indie films such as Pulp Fiction rather than the blockbuster effects shown in Mainstream film The Dark Knight- shaping our thriller opening with our lack of any superficial lighting at all. This can also be said for our array of camera angles and shots; with ours focusing on bringing more light on our characters rather than epic, complicated shots which would emphasise our setting which would be unfesable with the equipment and no budget at our use- our choice of a british gangster sub-genre also promotes the simple yet effective costumes, settings and equipment at our exposal; this also ties in with our target audience expectations, people our own age who will connect with our costumes, choice of characters and understand how we have shaped our film due to our lack of any sort of funds, using our own clothes and equipment which even themselves may own, making it seem much more familier to not only the audience but to the actors and actresses themselves, generating a more sucessfull film.