Sound

KIck-Ass The Comic Book

Kick-Ass is a creator-owned comic book series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita, Jr. It is published by Marvel Comics under the company's Icon imprint.
It is the story of Dave Lizewski, a teenager who sets out to become a real life superhero. His actions are publicized on the Internet and inspire others. He gets caught up with ruthless vigilantes Hit-Girl and Big Daddy who are on a mission to take down the gangster John Genovese.

Kick-Ass Movie Trailer - International Trailer

Kick Ass New Extended Movie Trailer [HD]

Kick-Ass - Teaser Trailer

Attack the Block Review

Prior to viewing this film, I had very high expectations due to it being from the same producers of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and also due to previous claims in reviews online that Attack the Block was “Shaun of the Dead with aliens”. However, upon watching the film for the first time, I was slightly disappointed as it did not match up to the standards of either of the films.  However, it was still enjoyable in a lot of the scenes.

Inititally, I thought the film got off to a slow start with the first couple of minutes being dull with not a lot going on whislt the storyline didnt seem to be going anywhere. Around ten minutes in, the storyline became apparent and the film suddenly got more interesting. Attack the Block managed to maintain my attention throughout the whole film as it became intriguing to find out how they were going to kill the “aliens” towards the end.

At first, I thought it would be difficult for a film to portray so many genres within a single film. However, I believe that this film has done this well with hints of comedy, sci-fi and action regularly occurring throughout the film aiding to the satisfaction of the audience.

As the cast were all relatively unknown (apart from Nick Frost who played a small, funny, role) I thought they all performed extremely well in the roles they were given. In particular, I think Moses played the reserved, secretive, character exceptionally with a great use of facial expression and body language.

This film is a very original English urban twist on a sci-fi movie which on its own makes the film a must watch to see how people think the council estates of England should be represented to the rest of the world. I think the producer deliberately used an excessive amount of slang in this film to enhance the fact it was set in a deprived area of England and to show audience what the director believes to be reality in South London.

On the other hand, I was disappointed with some of the attempts at comedy in some parts of the film as they were just cringe worthy and partly ruined the film for me, personally. I think if the film concentrated more on one specific genre and just added little hints of other genres that would have benefited the film greatly.  However, the fact they attempted to incorporate many genres is admirable as they achieved a decent film at the end of it.

Producing a film flow chart

Stage 1- Idea

The first stage of film making is when someone has an initial idea that they believe will make a good film.  The sources of inspiration are all around us: newspapers, magazines, the news, the internet etc. Once there is an idea, there are 3 main people required to make it happen. A writer constructs a plot and then writes a brief description of the story line and characters. This is then pitched to potential financers.

Stage 2- Development Finance

The producer will use the pitch to attempt to gain money from finance in order to get a script and then approach a film production company. Another option available is public funding such as the \UK film council.

Stage 3- Development of Script

The writer completes a brief outline of the script and then the producer and the writer agree on key scenes and events which will occur in the film. Once these scenes have been confirmed by both the writer and producer, a first draft of the script is written. Once the first draft has been checked, it is sent off to the financers who may also contribute some of their own ideas into the film. Once everyone involved is happy with the script, it then becomes the final draft and this is when the writer gets paid for his contribution to the film.

Stage 4- Packaging

Firstly, before the script is ready for financing, it needs to be packaged by the director and producer. They will attach commonly known actors to the script to make it more appealing. An estimate of how much the film is going to cost will need to be made in order to inform the potential investors how they plan to raise the money and how the money is going to be paid back.

Stage 5- Financing

In order to secure finance, the producer may have to travel into foreign countries as potential investors may be anywhere in the world. Bank loans may also be used as a source of finance however this may not be the best method as there is a high chance that the interest may be very high on the money loaned out. Pre-sales are another way of raising further finance for the film. As soon as all the funding has been acquired, the film is given the green light. This means that pre-production of the film can begin.

Stage 6- Pre-Production

During pre-production, the script is allowed to circulate and the director of casting along with the producer will start to identify the cast for the film. To help the production designer and to quicken the filming process, storyboards are produced and each individual shot is planned in detail. Furthermore, any scene in the film containing special effects will be planned out extensively as these scenes take a lot of preparation. 

Stage 7- The Shoot

First of all, the hair and make up of all actors must be checked, then the lighting of the set must be checked and altered if necessary and the finally the camera department can start shooting the footage required for the film. The actors must perform realistically and listen carefully to the directors instructions in order to achieve good footage.

Stage 8- Post Production

When the filming is complete, it is now down to the editor to assemble it into a full length movie. This is a hard task and can take a long time. The best footage is chosen from all the takes and is stitched together to form the move. This is then passed to the sound department where sound is edited or added. Digital effects are then added including titles and credits. The films quality is then assessed and the final cut is complete.

Stage 9- Sales

Attention must be attracted towards the film. This is done by a trailed being released, prior to the films release, to raise awareness of the film and to get potential audiences interested in the film. Well known actors or directors will help this process.

Stage 10- Marketing

Screen tests are conducted to see how the film is received by the public. Trailers and posters are then released for the public to view. Contracts are made with the distributers so that the film can be shown in cinemas.

Stage 11- Exhibition

The first showing of the film is called a premiere and it often attracts a lot of media attention and gives the film a lot of advertisement whilst increasing the amount people are talking about the film. The film is then generally released into cinemas for everyone to go and view it.

Stage 12- Other Windows

Once the film is no longer being shown in the cinema, there are many other options to make money. DVD sales can increase the profit and the film and can compensate for if the film was not a huge hit in the cinemas. For the film to be shown on the television, television rights can be sold which can increase profits further. This will allow investors to be paid back. 

Attack the Block Research

How was the film produced?

The film was produced by Big Talk Productions, who is know for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It was filmed in a selection of different counicl estates accross south London which is what made up "The Block". Attack the Block was shot over 6 weeks of night shots at the council estates and the interior shots were shot at the Three Mills Studio in London.

What was the film based on?

Joe Cornish, the writer and director, had the idea for the film and it was a twist on the standard sc-fi alien invaison film which made it a relatively 'original' idea for a film. However, as with any film, there are elements of ideas taken from other films in the genres that Attack the Block is inloved with.

Problems that arose when making the film

The immediate problem that arose was that there is the heavy use of London slang and termonoligy which started the debate to decide whether subtitles were required or not. As subtitles were not used in the film, this effectively restricted the audience to the UK as people abroad may not be able to understand the slang used within the film. Also has the film had to be shot at night, this restricted filming to only certain hours of the days.

Directors views on the British Film Industury

The director, Joe Cornish, had a strong interest in 80's sci-fi films such as E.T, Gremlins, Predator and also the 80's gang movies such as Streets of Fire and Outsiders. This is shown in the making of the film as Attack the Block is a combination of both genres. He enjoys the fantasty films that incorparate a sense of subarn reality and this is what he tried to recreate in Attack The Block.

How was money saved when making the film?

Money was saved when making the film as the aliens do not appear in the film a lot which saves money in the special effects area of the film. Futhermore, when the aliens do appear in the film, they are simple and would not of cost a lot to computer generate. I also feel that the special effects used in the film were not of the best quality and could of been a lot better and this would of been very benifical to the film overall.However, the little use of special effects would of saved money when making the film.

Promotion of the Film

As there was only one UK trailer and one US trailer the film was barely promoted. This is one of the reasons why the film did not make its money back and actuallly made a loss. There was not a lot of talk about the film or 'word of mouth' this is another reason why the film didnt do very well.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the film was originally composed by Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Burton from the popular electronic dance music group: Basement Jaxx.

Camera Angles

This is a Long Shot from The Inbetweeners movie. It shows their whole group and that they are on holiday in a hotel.

This is a Medium Shot from the film Spiderman. It shows just the head of the torso of spiderman and hand gestures can be seen.

This is a Point of View(POV) shot from the film Cloverfield. This is shown by the person who's view this is from is sitting at a dinner table with everyone looking at them.

This is a close up shot from the film Saw III. It clearly shows all the details of this mans face.









A two shot is shown, to the right, it is from the film TED and shows two people in one shot. This is an extremely common camera angle used in many films.

Shown to the right is an Establishing Shot. This shot is used to establish the location and setting of the film and helps to identify the genre of the film to the audience straight away. This would be an establishing shot of a city.

Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audiences - The Film Industry

 Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audience

An institution (in the film industry)

Definition: any company or organisation that produces, distributes or exhibits films. The BBC makes films with their BBC Films arm; Channel4's Film Four produces films, Working Title also produce films, as does Vertigo Films, etc. Some institutions need to join with other institutions which distribute films. Vertigo Films is able to distribute its own films, Channel Four distributed Slumdog Millionaire through Pathe. Working Title's distribution partner is Universal, a huge US company which can make, distribute and show films. The type of owner ship within an institution matters as, for instance, Channel 4 and the BBC are able to show their own films at an earlier stage than other films made by other institutions. They are also better placed to cross-promote their in-house films within their media organisations. Use you work on Film Four as the basis for most of what you write, Moon is a good cross comparison as Duncan Jones had to create his own institution just to get the film made.


Distribution and Marketing

Definition: the business of getting films to their audiences by booking them for runs into cinemas and taking them there in vans or through digital downloads; distributors also create the marketing campaign for films producing posters, trailers, websites, organise free previews, press packs, television interviews with the "talent", sign contracts for promotions, competitions, etc. Distributors use their know-how and size to ensure that DVDs of the film end up in stores and on supermarket shelves. Distributors also obtain the BBFC certificate, and try to get films released as the most favourable times of the year for their genre, etc.


Examples:
Universal distributed Working Title's The Boat That Rocked; Pathe distributedFilm4 and Celadors' Slumdog Millionaire after the original US distributor, Warner Independent went out of business. TRON was heavily marketed across a variety of mediums, Moon struggled to get press attention and Duncan Jones had to really push the film  in obscure places like Popular Mechanics etc. The Kings Speech was distributed by Momentum (a susiduary of Aliance films) who are a major independent film distributor.


Exhibition
Definition: showing films in cinemas or on DVD. Media attention through opening nights and premieres How the audience can see the film: in cinemas, at home, on DVD, through downloads, through television, including premieres, the box office take in the opening weeks; audience reviews which includes those of the film critics, ordinary people, cinemas runs; awards in festivals, The Oscars, BAFTAS, etc.


Examples:
Slumdog Millionaire almost never got distribution. Its early US distributor, Warner Independent was a victim of the economic downturn and went out of business. The film's makers then struggled to find a distributor! Then Fox Searchlight stepped up and "the rest is history". The 8 out of 10 Oscar nomination wins ensured that the film has been the greatest British success in awards and in box office for nearly 60years.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/boyle-reveals-slumdog-millionaire-was-nearly-never-made-1331821.html

Motherhood took just £86!
Moon. Initially Sony Pictures Worldwide were due to distribute the film but they specialise in straight to DVD features. Following positive reaction following its Sundance film festival the rights were acquired by Sony Classic Pictures who gave the film a limited release in the US in Cities like New York and LA.

Exchange

Definition: The unintended use of an institution’s media text (i.e. a film) by OTHER PEOPLE who use the film or parts of it to form new texts. What happens to a film, etc. after the public get their hands on it using digital technology. 

Examples:
People unconnected to the institution/ film using WEB 2.0 applications such as YOUTUBE, Blogger, Amazon film message boards, TWITTER, Face-Book, discuss the film or edit parts of together to form a new text which the may then put a new soundtrack to and publish on YOUTUBE, etc. When you add a trailer from a site like YouTube on your blog you have been engaging with exchange. Look back to MArk Kermodes video regarding piracy and the new release strategies for films like Ken Loach's "Route Irish" (Loach has reportedly steeled himself for a frosty response from critics and anticipates an underwhelming box office, noting the difficulty he faced securing a distribution deal. Though pragmatic in his view that “people don’t make films to communicate; they make it as a commodity”,an unorthodox release strategy utilising Sky Movies Premier - which will place the film (and by extension, its subject matter) in a wider public sphere than it might otherwise have reached – suggests he hasn’t given up on pedagogy entirely.) or the Jack Ass 3 release on DVD and Sky Box Office.


Vertical and Horizontal Integration

Definition: Absorption into a single firm of several firms involved in all aspects of a product's manufacture from raw materials to distribution.


Example:
Vivendi Universal have integrated film, music, web and distribution technology into the company, including owning big stakes in cables and wires that deliver these services. Therefore they are vertically integrated because they own all the different companies involved in film, from production to distribution to exhibition. They are also horizontally integrated because they have all the expertise for producing media content under one roof – films, TV, magazines, books, music, games thus being able to produce all the related media content for one film under the same roof (see synergy). This is important for the control the institution has over their product/film.


Synergy/Synergies 

Definition: The interaction of two or more agents (institutions/companies) to ensure a larger effect than if they acted independently. This is beneficial for each company through efficiencies in expertise and costs.

 

Examples:
Working Title know how to make films and they have formed a business partnership with Universal, a massive US company, who have the experience and size in the marketplace (cinemas, stores, online, etc.) to distribute them. (They create the marketing campaign to target audiences through posters, trailers, create the film’s website, free previews, television and press interviews featuring “the talent”, drum up press reviews, word of mouth, and determine when a film is released for the best possible audience and the type of release: limited, wide, etc.) Channel Four’s Film 4 and Celador Films(Celador also produce Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and films, too) benefited by pooling their know-how, experience and expertise to jointly produce Slumdog Millionaire. These companies formed a business relationship with France’s Pathe to distribute this film. In the UK Pathe helped create the poster, trailer, website, etc. In the USA the film found another distributor after being nominated for the Oscars.


Viral Marketing

Definition: A marketing technique aiming at reproducing "word of mouth" usually on the internet and through existing social networks. YouTube Video pastiches, trailers, interviews with cast members, the director, writer, etc. You can find interviews of “the talent” trying to gain publicity for your case study films on YouTube. Find some clips from the films we have studied to help you in the exam.
Guerilla MarketingDefinition: The use of unconventional and low cost marketing strategies to raise awareness of a product. The aim is usually to create “buzz” and “word of mouth” around a film. Unusual stunts to gain publicity (P.R.) on the film’s opening weekend, etc.

Examples:
Sasha Baron Cohen created “buzz” before the release of his film “Borat” by holding fake press conferences. The studio also accessed the popularity of YouTube by releasing the first 4 minutes of the movie on YouTube, a week before it’s release, which can then be sent virally across the nation. At a special viewing of “Bruno” Cohen landed on Eminem “butt first” from the roof MTV Awards venue, dressed in as an angel outfit with rents in the rear end.


Media Convergence
Definition 1: Convergence of media occurs when multiple products come together to form one product with the advantages of all of them.

 

Examples:
More and more films are being marketed on the Internet and on mobile phones. You no longer need even to buy the DVDs or CDs as you can download films and music directly to your laptop, Mac or PC. Blue Ray DVDs can carry more features than ordinary DVDs and can be played on HD televisions and in home cinemas for enhanced/cinematic picture quality. You can save films on SKY digital, Free-box digital players, etc. You mobile phone has multiple features and applications. With media and technological convergence this is growing year on year. Play-Stations, X-Boxes and the Wii can can connect with the Internet and you can play video games with multiple players.


Technological ConvergenceDefinition 2: The growing interractive use of digital technology in the film industry and media which enables people to share, consume and produce media that was difficult or impossible just a few years earlier.

Examples:
For instance, the use of new software to add special effects in editing; the use of blue-screen; using new types of digital cameras like the one Danny Boyle used in “Slumdog Millionaire” (The Silicon Imaging Camera to shoot high quality film in tight spaces); you can use the Internet to download a film rather than go see it in the cinema; you can watch it on YouTube; you can use special editing programs like Final Cut Pro to edit bits of a film, give it new soundtrack and upload it on YouTube; you can produce illegal, pirate copies on DVDs from downloads and by converting the film’s format; you can buy Blue Ray DVDs with greater compression which allows superior viewing and more features on the DVD; distributors can use digital software to create high concept posters; cinemas can download films to their projection screens and do not have to depend on a van dropping off the film! The is also the Digital Screen Network. There are tons of ways in which technological convergence affects the production, distribution, exhibition and exchange by prosumers. ( A prosumer is someone who not only consumes (watches films) but also writes about them the Net, blogs and make films out of them, often uploading them on sites like YouTube, etc.

A Mainstream Film

Definition: A high budget film that would appeal to most segments of an audience: the young, boys, girls, teenagers, young people, the middle aged, older people, the various classes in society. Distributors often spend as much or more than the film cost to make when distributing mainstream films that are given wide or universal releases.


Example:The Boat That Rocked was a mainstream idea and was given the mainstream treatment on wide release. The film flopped at the UK box office on release ( and has not done too well since mid November 2009 on release in the USA. This was mostly because of its poor reviews, particularly from “Time-Out”. However, when young and older audiences see the DVD they generally like the film because of its uplifting storyline and the well-chosen soundtrack.


Art House Films

Definition: A low budget independent film that would mostly appeal to an educated, higher class audience who follow unusual genres or like cult directors that few people have heard of. Therefore it is usually aimed at a niche market. Foreign films often come under this category.


Examples:
The low budget film, Once (2007) which found a specialised, boutique distributor in Fox Searchlight fits this label. (FOX the mainstream company usually distributes big budget film and blockbusters); So does “Juno” from 2008 which began as a low budget film about teenage pregnancy that the big studios thought too risky to touch – but it found popularity through its touching storyline, engaging music and its Oscar nomination for best script. Like “Slumdog Millionaire” the film crossed over between art-house cinemas and audiences to mainstream ones because of the recognition it received from Canadian film festivals and award ceremonies like Britain’s BAFTAS and the Hollywood’s Oscars.


Ratings bodies BBFC - The British Board of Film ClassificationHow your institutions films are rated will affect audiences in so far as WHO can see them. Remember that sex scenes, offensive language, excessive violence, the use of profanity, etc. can affect the rating and certificate the film receives and therefore affect who is able to see the film

How is Sav represented in Good Cop?

Good Cop is a new crime drama series starting on BBC which is a slight twist on the standard police drama. The programme focuses mainly on the main character John Paul RockSavage (Sav) which really makes the audience think what it would be like to in his shoes and feel sympathy for him when something goes wrong.

How is he first introduced to the audience?

The first scene shows Sav walking, frantically as if to show that someone may be following him, back to what appears to be his house where an elderly man is laying asleep which seems to be his father. As he gets into his house, he splatters blood, which may or may not be his own, over the door then he pulls a gun from his jacket and drops it onto the bed. The camera does a close up shot of the gun and focuses on it for a long period of time. This shows that the gun will have significance throughout the episode. Sav, at this point, looks very distressed and to the audience could appear to be the villain in the story as there are no hints that he may be a police officer but is still carrying a gun and has blood over him.

The meeting on the beach

As Sav is exercising by jogging along the beach, he recognises someone that turns out to be Cassie and her daughter Libby. Again, in this scene, Sav is represented to the audience as someone who could potentially be the ‘bad guy’ as Cassie seems to have an extreme dislike for him. This is shown by her bluntly declining his offer for him to walk with them. It would seem that there is some history between the two of them and that it did not end well as Cassie does not want to speak to him or let him speak to her daughter. Sav claims that he had heard that they had “gone to the states” and Cassie hesitates before answering indicating that it could have been a lie just so that they wouldn’t have to see Sav and could get on with their lives without him.

Relationship with others in his workplace

When Sav goes for a meal at an American Diner type restaurant with what appears to be one of his colleges he is not engaged in the conversation with him as his mind is elsewhere. He spots the drug deal happening at the other end of the diner and also spots the way the customers are treating the waitress. Simultaneously, his college is trying to converse with him and Sav is giving very limited replies as he is watching the abusive customers at the other end of the diner. This shows how he prioritises his work over conversations with friends even when off duty showing how engaged his is with job.

How he deals with the abusive customer and waitress

Sav spots that there is going to be conflict as soon as the man first speaks to the waitress in a brash tone but does not act on it, yet. He then witnesses the man inappropriately touching the waitress and whispering threats in her ear. As the man walks off, the waitress tries to keep strong and not break out in tears but cannot hold back so runs to the toilets to sort herself out. To her surprise the abusive man is already in the toilets and then stops her from leaving. Sav has seen all of this and completely disregards his meal and goes into the toilet to try and resolve the conflict. When he reaches the toilet he finds the abusive man trying to force entry into the waitress’s cubicle and then announces his police officer status. He threatens to search the abusive man’s pockets, knowing that he has drugs on his possession, and the abusive man leaves. This shows that Sav is clever and knows how to deal with the public efficiently and also shows he is good at his job even when off duty.