FILM C1

 23/02/24

L/O: To explore the aims and conventions of film posters

Film Industry

DO NOW:    

• Warner Bros.
• Disney Pixar
• Disney 
• Universal Picture
• 20th Century Fox
• A24
• Blumhouse
• LucasFilm
• Sony
• Marvel Studios
• Paramount
• Dreamworks

KEY FILM TERMINOLOGY

• Franchise - a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe
• Distributor - the company responsible for the marketing of a film
• Hollywood Major - large film production industries in Hollywood (Universal, Disney, Paramount etc)
• Teaser - a way of advertising a film by releasing a teaser (trailer / poster) that doesn't have many details months before the release of a film
• Montage - a film technique for putting together a series of short shots that create a composite picture
• Ensemble Cast - a cast that has many principal actors who are assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time ( no protagonist / all protagonists )
• Tentpole Film - a very high budget film expected to produce high amounts of money to support smaller, riskier productions 
• High-Concept - high-concept films sell themselves on an simple yet compelling idea designed to have a wide audience appeal
• Enigma - a question that forces the audience to continue on to find out what happens

KEY FILM INDUSTRY

• 1. Disney, Universal, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros.
• 2. To generate a buzz around a film's release which encourage the audience to see it
• 3. Posters, trailers, merchandise, actor meets, social media, press releases
• 4. Title, release date, actors, production studio, genre, narrative, characters
• 6. Indiana Jones, Transformers, Harry Potter, Avengers, 

 5. A teaser poster doesn't have much information whereas a theatrical poster is the official film poster

HOMEWORK - JAMES BOND

Writer + Inspiration - Ian Fleming - Inspired by a real life Serbian secret agent named Dusko Popov 

Timeline of films - 

• Dr. No (1962) – Connery
• From Russia with Love (1963) - Connery
• Goldfinger (1964) - Connery
• Thunderball (1965) - Connery
• You Only Live Twice (1967) - Connery
• Casino Royale (1967) – Niven (non-Eon)
• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) - Lazenby
• Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Connery
• Live and Let Die (1973) - Moore
• The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - Moore
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Moore
• Moonraker (1979) - Moore
• For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Moore
• Octopussy (1983) - Moore
• Never Say Never Again (1983) – Connery (non-Eon)
• A View to a Kill (1985) - Moore
• The Living Daylights (1987) - Dalton
• Licence to Kill (1989) - Dalton
• GoldenEye (1995) - Brosnan
• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - Brosnan
• The World Is Not Enough (1999) - Brosnan
• Die Another Day (2002) - Brosnan
• Casino Royale (2006) - Craig
• Quantum of Solace (2008) - Craig
• Skyfall (2012) - Craig
• Spectre (2015) - Craig
• No Time to Die (2021) – Craig

Main Characters - 

• James Bond
• M
• Q
• Felix Laiter
• Miss Moneypenny
• Ernst Stavro Blofeld

Main Themes - Action, Crime, 70's Sci-Fi

Actors who have played Bond -  Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig

Target audience - James Bond's target audience has always been for men ( 14 - 50yrs ), typically because males find him aspirational and wish to be like him. 

Facts and Statistics - 

• James Bond has been played by 7 different actors
• 'Skyfall' is the highest-grossing James Bond film, making over $1.1 billion worldwide
• James Bond ranks as one of the most productive franchises and the longest-running franchise ever, with 25 films produced
• James Bond's name comes from the name of the author of his ‘Jamaican bible,’ A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies, by James Bond, who is an American ornithologist
• Producers wanted Noel Coward to play Dr. No, but when Fleming cabled his Jamaican neighbour with the offer, Coward responded, “…No…No…No! Thank you. Love, Noel.”

if u see this can we pls make film posters thank you 🤗🤗

  23/02/24

L/O: To analyse the film poster set texts effectively

Film Posters

DO NOW:    

• James Bond has been played by 7 actors
• There are 25 films in the franchise
• It is a 70's Sci-Fi / Action franchise
• It was written by Ian Fleming
• The target audience is men aged 14 - 50
• James Bond is an agent / spy for the MI6 , the British government, known as 007

CONTEXT - JAMES BOND

• No Time To Die (NTTD) was released in the UK on 30 September 2021, after a global premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on 28 September 2021. Starring Daniel Craig as 007, this is his fifth and final performance as the fictional MI6 agent. The release as significantly delayed from April 2020, following a change in director and the COVID-19 pandemic
• The film was produced by the British Company EON (Everything Or Nothing). Productions and distributed in UK cinemas by Universal Pictures.
• The film's budget was an estimated $250-301 million, making it the most expensive bond film to date. So far it has grossed over $774 million worldwide at the box office
• The poster was designed by Empire Designs, a British film promotion agency. The first teaser poster for the film was released on James Bond Day, 5th October 2019, as  a part of a global marketing campaign for the film. The typographical logo of the film title, NTTD, is in futura black.

Main Image

• A montage of characters within the dominant image, similar to former posters in the James Bond franchise, possibly familiar to fans and suggest a narrative.
• Some characters are the same, also familiar to fans and suggestive of a narrative
• The hierarchy within the montage hints to narrative, displaying the importance of all characters in the film
• The central midpoint of the poster frames a character displaying villainous qualities, such as a sinister facial expression along with direct address to the audience, placing a sense of fear of him.
• There are elements of the poster that suggest that this film is an action movie, such as the flaming car
• The dominant image is a mid-shot of James Bond, implying he is the main character
• The dominant character is surrounded by a white background, implying he is the hero of the story, however the villain is surrounded by darker colours.

Colour Palette

• The blue and the orange imply good and evil, implying the narrative contains a hero and a villain.
• The contrast of warm and cool colours are binary oppositions, further suggesting the good and evil in the narrative
• The orange colours are a common convention of action movies, holding connotations of fire and explosions
• The blue colours could be suggestive of the coldness of the main character, but it is also suggestive of a sci-fi genre
• Blue colours could be suggestive of a more somber, dark tone, which is anti-stereotypical for Bond films.

Typography

• The futura black typographical font used on the 'No Time To Die' is familiar to fans, generating attention toward the poster
• Block capitals connote the action genre, tending to be more masculine
• The futura black font is similar to military fonts, though a more modern version, linking to the narrative of fighting and cold-war

Mise-en-scene

• There are elements of the poster that suggest that this film is an action movie, such as the flaming car and wielding guns
• The woman holding a gun fights the stereotypes of women being weak, along with her military costume and earpiece; connotes a female agent being anti-stereotypical for historical Bond films, though this is a modern-take of the Bond franchise, she does not look like a typical 'Bond-girl'
• Guns are spread without the poster, linking to the franchise and the genre
• There is still a stereotypical, glamorous 'Bond-girl' in the poster, holding a historical aspect of the franchise
• All the characters look serious and unfazed, suggestive that they are all experts
• The direct address of some characters creates a link with the audience 

Genre

• There are elements of the poster that suggest that this film is an action movie, such as the flaming car 
• The electric-blue colours in the background hold connotations of a sci-fi film
• The characters wielding guns connote to a noir crime fiction film
• Exotic locations are typical for action - adventure genres

Release Date

• The original release date of the film is during the easter holidays, due to more people being available to go and see the film during the first week of release (mass audience), which is very important within the film industry.

Logo

• The same logo has been used throughout the franchise, and therefore is familiar to fans, generating attention towards the poster and film
• The 007 with the gun logo is very iconic and recognisable
• Gritty, darker colour suggests a more somber tone than typical Bond films
• Holds connotations of the entire franchise
• Blue colour links in and matches the rest of the poster
• Bond is placed in front of the 007 logo because: he is 007, it is very recognisable and the whole logo doesn't need to be shown, or because the 007 is a secret and he could be covering it up
• The smaller, gold logo holds connotations of luxury, wealth

Film Title

• Implies the film is fast-paced, action packed
• Could suggest a more somber tone

01/03/24

L/O: To analyse the film poster set texts effectively

Film Posters

DO NOW:    

• James Bond has been played by 7 actors
• There are 25 films in the franchise
• It is a 70's Sci-Fi / Action franchise
• It was written by Ian Fleming
• The target audience is men aged 14 - 50

INTERTEXTUALITY

• The montage design, where separate images are laid over each other, references previous Bond films, providing a sense of familiarity, nostalgia and pleasure to fans who recognise the link. The 007 gun logo acts as an intertextual link between NTTD and previous Bond films. It has become synonymous with Bond.
• It is significant that there is no intertextual reference to Ian Fleming on this poster - this is a departure from previous Bond films, signifying NTTD  not based on one of his original books

NARRATIVE

• LOCATIONS
• Mountains in Italy - exotic, suggests travelling to different locations, connotes to an action movie that are typically set in foreign countries
• Bar in Cuba - exotic, suggests travelling to different locations, connotes to an action movie that are typically set in foreign countries
• PROPP'S THEORY
• In the poster, we can apply to Propp's theory : the hero, the villain, as well as the princess
• ENIGMA CODES
• Who is the guy in the mask?
• Why is the car on fire?
• Who are the characters?

REPRESENTATION - CONTEXT

• James Bond is an action hero who, since the 1960s, has been constructed to embody historical, masculine stereotypes such as strength, skill, independence, attractiveness.
• The representation of women is also historically been stereotypical, 'Bond Girl's', who are the beautiful love interest for Bond. are often insignificant to the narrative and ultimately disposable (Propp's princess)
• The representation of gender in the Bond franchise has evolved, to an extent, to reflect changing social context.
• Craig's Bond is not as sexist and overtly stereotypical as the earlier incarnations of Bond and reflects some contemporary notions of masculinity as his Bond is older, more thoughtful and shows signs of some vulnerability. The genre, however, needing to communicate the genre and franchise quickly, only lightly reflects some of these character developments and continues to represent Bond as the familiar action hero.
• Hollywood's representation of race and ethnicity has shifted significantly over the decades. Mainstream audience expectations have change because of numerous event and individuals. Two of the most significant events to prompt audiences to question what they are seeing in Hollywood (being the #OscarsSoWhite campaign in 2016 and the killing of George Floyd in 2020). The latter ignited a wave of global protests. calling on corporations and institutions to change.

REPRESENTATION - CONTEXT

• STEREOTYPES
• Stereotypical 'Bond Girl's' (attractive, expensive dress) , the geek (glasses, suit) , the hero (Bond) and villain (mask, firearms) are in the poster
• The villain has the Bond stereotypical deformity (scars)
• The Aston Martin holds stereotypes and connotations of Bond action movies
• Bond's face is more careworn and thoughtful, reflecting more contemporary form of masculinity, which is unconventional for Bond films
• The fact Bond is not holding any weapons is very anti-stereotypical for Bond films, but this also is suggestive that he is the weapon, and doesn't require any firearms
• REPRESENTATIONS OF GENDER
• The fact that there is an equal amount of genders in the poster is historically anti-stereotypical for Bond films
  
• The fact that the new 007 agent is a female is very anti-stereotypical for a Bond movie, as women were often objectified
• In all 3 times Bond is featured within the poster, he displays forms of masculinity which is stereotypical
• His stance is very strong and stern, implying his masculinity
• The second most dominant character in the poster is also a male.
• The lighting is directed at all 3 women, highlighting their makeup, displaying them as beautiful 'Bond Girl's', even though Nomi is a very anti-stereotypical Bond girl
• It's very anti-stereotypical for the female agent 007 to be on the same level as Bond himself, the hierarchy of the poster further suggesting this.
• The women are represented to showcase equality within the characters, in attempt to match the mainstream audience of the films.
• REPRESENTATIONS OF ETHNICITY
• It is historically very anti-stereotypical for a Bond film to involve a black woman
• The cast is far more diverse in terms of ethnicity than previous Bond films, including a range of ethnicities
• The cast is predominantly white, which is typical of both Hollywood movies and the Bond franchise.
• Safin's ethnicity is not white (American-Egyptian), which conventional for Bond villains
• There is representation of no ethnicity within the man with the mask, which is representative of Japanese demon masks,
• REPRESENTATIONS OF AGE
• The representation of age isn't very diverse within the poster, as all the actors seem around the same age
• The stereotypical age range of Bond characters through history has been presented in the new film.
• The use of light on Bond's main image highlights his older age, something that is anti-stereotypical for Bond movies.
• REPRESENTATIONS OF SEXUALITY
• Other than the history of James Bond being in several heteronormative relationships in the past, there are no hints within the poster of sexuality

01/03/24

L/O: To analyse the film poster set texts effectively

Film Posters

DO NOW:    

• Muscular
• Stern
• Unemotional 
• Strong
• Weapon-trained
• Attractive
• Intelligent
• Expensive attire
• Detached from regular life

08/03/24

L/O: To analyse a historical film poster effectively

Film Posters

DO NOW:    

• Bond girls - attractive, glamorous, disposable
• Bond wearing a suit
• Car chase scene[s]
• Objectification of women - 
• Villain having a deformity
• Misogynistic men
• Ethnic stereotypes
• Heteronormative relationships

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN - CONTEXT

• TMWTGG was released on 19 December 1974, starring Roger Moore as 007. This was Moore's second appearance as the fiction MI6 agent. Roger Moore had become a household name after starring on the well know TV series The Saint and playing Bond in the precious film, Live and Let Die.
• Based on a book of the same name, written by Ian Fleming, the film was produced by the same company Eon Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film was created with an estimate $7 million budget and grossed over $97 million at the world wide box office.
• To reflect the popularity of the Martial Arts film genre, with the rise of stars such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, there were several Kung Fu scenes and the film predominantly in Asia, having being shot in Hong Kong, Thailand and Macau.
• The artwork for the poster itself was produced by artist and illustrator Robert McGinnis
• Prior the 1990's, illustrations were much more commonly used on film posters due to the limited technology that was available.
• The film was set in the middle of the 1973 energy crisis, when the oil producing Arab nations proclaimed an oil embargo causing an oil crisis which had both short and long-term effects across on politics and the economy across the globe. This is hinted at through the poster's iconography of the power plant in the lower left corner and the energy beam directed at Bond

MEDIA LANGUAGE

• 1. A montage of images is used to provide hints toward the narrative (including setting, protagonists, antagonists, etc) before the audience sees the film along with the genre of the film (action/adventure)
• 2. The dominant central image of Bond provides hints towards the narrative: the gun he holds connotes to violence and action, his attire connotes to formality and sophisticated, his facial expression appears stern and serious and his direct address forms a personal connection with the audience to root for Bond's victory. All of these are stereotypical for Bond films.
• 3. The fact that the man holding the gun is faceless connotes to a mysterious, villainous character; the golden bullet has '007' engraved into it, immediately creating an antagonist for the audience to pick up on. 
• 4. The large, bold text 'Roger Moore' will attract fans, as Moore was very popular during the time that TMWTGG was filmed and released, along with 'Ian Fleming' attracting fans of him too.
• 5. Who is the man with the golden gun? 
•  Why is the man targeting James Bond?
•  Why is the gun golden?
•  Does he shoot James Bond?
•  What is the explosion in the background?
•  Why is there a laser pointed at Bond?
• 6. The hero (Bond), the princess (Bond Girl's), the villain (pointing the laser and gun).
• 7. Explosions, firearms, exotic locations, lasers, kung fu fighting. 

EXAM QUESTION

(A) images:    

In the 'The Man With The Golden Gun' movie poster, a montage of images are used to provide hints toward the narrative before the audience sees the film; images are utilised to convey several meanings: the explosions, lasers, weaponry and fighting all connote to an action/adventure film genre, telling the audience what they are going to see beforehand. We see someone holding a golden gun in the foreground of the poster, along with their hand and the bullet, that the man holding the gun is faceless connotes to a mysterious, villainous character; the golden bullet has '007' engraved into it, immediately creating an antagonist for the audience to pick up on. This also creates several enigma codes for the audience, such as: who is the man with the golden gun?, why is the man targeting Bond?, does Bond die? etc. Also within the poster, we see a power plant in the background, holding a historical meaning of the energy crisis in 1973, given that the filmed was released in 1974, this creates a sense of realism to the audience at the time  

HOMEWORK

In the 'No Time To Die' movie poster, a montage of images are used to provide hints toward the narrative before the audience sees the film; images are utilised to convey several meanings: the use of the character hierarchy within the montage of images immediately implies that the man at the top is the main character, suggesting a narrative to the film to new fans and audiences. Furthermore, the central midpoint of the poster, also the second largest character in the montage of characters, frames a character displaying villainous qualities, such as a sinister facial expression along with direct address to the audience, placing a sense of fear of him.

Moreover, the use of mise-en-scene within the poster is also used to communicate meanings: 

The woman holding a gun fights the stereotypes of women being weak, along with her military costume and earpiece; connotes a female agent being anti-stereotypical for historical Bond films, though this is a modern-take of the Bond franchise, she does not look like a typical 'Bond-girl'. However, there is still a stereotypical, glamorous 'Bond-girl' in the poster, holding a historical aspect of the franchise. Within the poster, all of the characters look serious and unfazed about the situation they are in, suggestive that they are all experts and give an idea of the narrative to new audiences. The characters attire consists of suits and dresses, which connotes to wealth, timelessness and formality, as well as the stereotypical agent, which Bond films have historically played into throughout the entirety of the franchise. This stereotype which is displayed all over the poster hints the narrative to new audiences, suggesting an idea of what the film will consist of. 

Furthermore, the layout and design of the 'NTTD' poster is utilised to suggest several meanings: The futura black typographical font used on the 'No Time To Die' is familiar to fans, generating attention toward the poster. The use of block capitals in the typography connote the action/ adventure genre, tending to hold more masculine stereotypes as the Bond franchise's target audience solely consists of men. The futura black font is also similar to military fonts, though a more modern version, linking to the narrative of fighting and cold-war within the film. Within the colour palette, a contrast of warm and cool colours are binary oppositions, further suggesting the good and evil in the narrative. The orange colours are a common convention of action movies, holding connotations of fire and explosions, whereas the blue colours could be suggestive of the coldness of the main character, but it is also suggestive of a sci-fi genre. However, the blue hues spread throughout the poster could be suggestive of a more somber, dark tone, which is very anti-stereotypical for Bond films.

13/03/24

L/O: To analyse a historical film poster effectively

Film Posters

DO NOW:    

• Black suit - wealth, agent, formal, importance, timeless, 
• The colour gold - rich, powerful, wealth, royalty
• A power plant - energy, radioactivity

REPRESENTATION - CONTEXT

At the start of the 20th century, many film depictions of minority ethnic groups supported the dominant stereotypes of the time: to be pitied. to be laughed at, the exotic and/or dangerous.

While society was progressing towards racial equality by the 1970's, some of these stereotypes were still in evidence in mainstream films.

In addition, it is interesting to consider this poster in the context of the move towards gender equality and increase women's rights in the 1960's and 1970's

REPRESENTATION

Stereotypes: 

• The stereotypical idea of an agent is displayed in the central point of the poster, hinting the narrative to new audiences
• The stereotypical thought of an action / adventure film is communicated through the use of the mise-en-scene illustrated around the poster, such as the cars, guns, exotic locations etc.
• At the time, Bond was already iconic. He was the nations favourite secret agent, charming, sauve, good looking and, most importantly, always caught the bad guys.
• the representation of masculinity told audiences that this was what a man had to be at the time.

Representations of gender:

•  The representation of gender within the poster is highly stereotypical for the time of release, highly sexualising and objectifying the majority of the women in the poster, being placed in bikinis and extremely revealing outfits, linking to the male gaze theory.
• However, there is one woman that challenges the male gaze theory stereotypes in the poster, being the woman dressed in a martial arts uniform, fighting slightly below the central point of the poster, being anti-stereotypical of her gender
• Bond is represented extremely stereotypically in the poster, wearing a stern expression and expensive attire. 
• The men within. the poster are also represented stereotypically, fighting and attacking each other.

Representations of ethnicity:

• The woman who is in the karate attire is represented as much darker than the others in the poster, suggesting a different ethnic group, challenging the stereotypes. Given that at the time those of different ethnic groups were seen as exotic and dangerous, this is stereotypical of a woman of a different ethnic group.

Representations of issues and events:

• One of the main themes in this Bond film was an actual world event - the 1973 global energy crisis. With the embargo of oil, countries were considering alternative power sources and this is portrayed through the iconography of the power plant and the i missed it.

15/03/24

L/O: To explore the process of film making

Film Industry

DO NOW:    

• Production - The filming / creation of a film
• Distribution - Publishing the film to all platforms
• Marketing - The promotion of a recent production
• Exhibition - Playing the film in cinemas /  on platforms

The Film Industry is broken down into three main processes :  

1. production

2 .distribution and marketing

3. exhibition / circulation

Sometimes different companies will complete each process for a film.

• E.g. Film4 produces it, Studio Canal distributes and markets it, all cinemas show it.

Some big film companies (conglomerates) will complete all three process for a film. This is know as vertical integration.

• E.g. Warner Bros. produces it, Warner Bros. distributes and markets it using Time Warner Companies, and Warner Village cinemas get the first rights and a longer time window to show it than other cinemas.

Vertical integration is where a large conglomerate completes all three production processes for a film, they do this to maximise their profits made from the film. 

PRODUCTION

Development Stage : 

This is when the ideas are created. If necessary, the rights are bought, the screenplay is written and financing is sought from producers, partner studios and (for big budget productions) product placement relationships.

Pre-Production Stage :

This is where you create a vision for your film, a plan for production (based on that vision), and secure all the resources (humans, space and equipment) you will need to create your film :

• Lock your script and storyboards
• Create a budget, cast actors and hire your crew
• Create sets / costumes, find locations
• Create a production schedule

Production Stage: 

The production stage, also known as principal photography, is when all the actual shooting and recording happens - with cameras, actors and location licenses. For many, it's the most exciting part of the filmmaking process.

Post-Production Stage: 

The post-production stage is where all the pieces of your film come together. It involves various post-production techniques including editing, colour grading, and visual effects to turn your raw footage into a finished film

• Cut and edit video footage
• Adjust colour grades and mix audio
• Add finishing touches to the production

• Secure funding by convincing investors that a film will be successful
• Secure the rights to a screenplay
• Manage crew, cast and directors
• Manage locations, equipment and schedules
• Manage any problems that occur

Because there is so much to do, most films have an executive production team who delegate specific production jobs to other production companies :

If they are shooting part of the film in a different country, then a local production team would be hired from that country as the executive production team

1.The executive production company for NTTD is Eon Productions

2. Eon Productions are part of a conglomerate called Danjak & MGM, which they are the sister company of (US companies that hold rights to James Bond films)

3. Eon Productions is a film studio with high production values
4. Production companies involved are: Eon Productions and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (MGM)
5. It was produced by EON productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, marketed and distributed by Universal Pictures and United Artists Releasing and exhibited by all cinemas and platforms

6. It is estimated that NTTD's production budget was £214m

7. NTTD was filmed in Italy, Jamaica, Norway, the Faroe Islands and London

8. NTTD took 10 months to produce in total ( March - December 2019)

9. James Bond has been played by 7 different actors.
    'Skyfall' is the highest-grossing James Bond film, making over $1.1 billion worldwide.                James Bond ranks as one of the most productive franchises and the longest-running                franchise ever, with 25 films produced.

• 20/03/24
  L/O: To explore the process of film making

  Distribution & Marketing
  DO NOW:    
  • Production - The process of creating a film
  • Distribution - Publishing the film
  • Marketing - Advertising the film with posters, trailers, etc.
  • Exhibition - Film is played in cinemas and sites

DISTRIBUTION

Distribution is the process of making copies of the film for cinema, VOD (video on demand), DVD and SDV (streaming and digital video) release and marketing & promotion.

Sometimes producers will show their films at festivals in order to persuade distribution companies to take on their films.

Sometimes a conglomerate will delegate the distribution to a smaller company that they own.     This is called vertical integration.

Distributors need to :

• Work out and stick to budgets for both creating copies of the film and all aspects of marketing.
• Consider release dates and theatrical windows (time the film is in the cinema) very carefully. E.g. a romance film would be better released in February. 

1. The UK and USA distributors of NTTD were Universal Pictures following the expiration of the distribution rights of Sony Pictures' after the release of Spectres in 2015.

2. They are apart of a conglomerate.

3. The film's production and distribution is vertically integrated.

4. The film was released on 30th September 2021 in cinemas (8th October in USA), 20th December on DVD, November 9th on VOD and November 12th of SDV.

5. The film was originally going to be released in April 20th due to it being the Easter holidays, meaning more people were available to see the film during the opening week. However, when it was actually released on September 30th, this was also during the holidays. 

MARKETING AND PROMOTION

Every institution, within every media industry, has one important task above all others. TO MAKE A PROFIT. The more money you making (Revenue), the more you can invest in other films.

A film's success is largely judged upon how much money it makes at the BOX OFFICE A.K.A bums on seats in cinemas.

Bond is an established franchise which has backers (financiers) lining up to either advertise a product within the film via product placement or finance part of the film.

Films are very expensive to make. For instance, the budget for 'NTTD' for £214 million.

Hollywood and movie institutions are very cautious about spending too much on movies and roughly want two times what it cost to make the movie, back in profit.

The advertising of a film is known as film promotion or film-marketing and the people who are responsible for this are the distribution company, so called because they distribute (give out) the films to the cinemas and distribute the promotional material around the country.

KEY WAYS TO MARKET

• Celebrity vehicles have historically always been a great way to market films.
• Trailers were also an early development for showcasing films.
• Before the 1970's, the film was fully produced before marketing had begun.
• A marketing budget for a movie is often a quarter - half of the film's budget.
• Product placement - companies would pay for their products to be showcased in films.

There are several ways a film can be advertised and marketed :

• Trailers
• Posters
• Celebrity endorsements
• Release dates
• Sponsorships
• Product placements
• Taglines
• Teaser trailers
• Social media

The delays of a release will effect the marketing because of the fact everything is prepared to be released in April 2020, marketers will have to continuously keep the hype and create implement more strategies for people to be intrigued in the film for over a year. There will also be a waste of resources and money, along with the marketing budget being forced to increase to last another year.

22/03/24

L/O: To explore the marketing methods in NTTD

Marketing & Promotion

DO NOW:    

• Posters
• Teasers
• Celebrity endorsements
• Taglines
• Social media

For NTTD, they promoted the film with:

• Superbowl advert
• Product collaborations
• Behind the scenes
• Music (NTTD - Billie Eilish, Skyfall - Adele)
• Official website - produced by Sony Pictures
• Celebrity interviews
• Theatrical + TV trailers
• Merchandise + official products
• Social media buzz
• Cross-platform marketing
• Posters (Teaser and Theatrical)
• Cast announcements
• Premiere (Royal Albert Hall)
• Bond podcast / radio

Brands associated with NTTD are :

• Adidas
• Aston Martin
• OMEGA
• Triumph Motorcycles
• Microsoft
• Dell + LG
• Moscot Glasses
• Nokia
• Tom Ford
• Heineken

27/03/24

L/O: To explore exhibition and regulation in the film industry

Exhibition & Regulation

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• The delayed release of 'No Time To Die' was a large issue for the teams behind the movie due to the facts that: they had built up the hype for the original release date (which they would now have to continue for another year, being a waste of resources and having to increase the marketing budget to cover this), as well as the product placements and advertisements within the film and collaborations were out of date when the film actually released.

Exhibition

• Exhibition (circulation) is the process of exhibiting the film across a range of different media platforms.

• Historically this used to only include cinema release, but as digital technology evolves so does the way in which we watch films.

Exhibition takes place in the following order:

• Cinema release
• DVD release, pay per view (PPV) / video on demand (VOD) - (recently DVD and PPV / VOD have been released simultaneously as audiences are becoming more demanding and turning to digital download)
• 'Free to air' television (available on standard TV channels for free to the viewer)

In the last few years there has been a change in the way audiences / viewers consume film. The rise of Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming sites has made film more easily accessible to viewers. They can stream digital copies straight to their TV, laptops, tablets and phones (soon to include smart watches and Google glass). This is known as SDV (streaming and digital video).

1. NTTD was in cinemas in the UK for 31 days.

2. NTTD made $774.2 million at the Box Office overall.

3. NTTD was not released on DVD, VOD and PPV simultaneously.

4. 'No Time To Die' went to free to air on New Year's Day 2023 (UK).

5. 'No Time To Die' is available on all SDV sites.

6. The DVD/VOD/PPV sales of NTTD were very successful, achieving the highest-selling digital title of 2021 (430,000+ units sold) along with the DVD/Blu-ray selling 380,902 units in the first week of release ($9.7m).

Regulation

• Regulators decide what classifications a film fits under (e.g. age rating).
• Film is regulated before it is released.

Film and video releases in Britain are amongst the most tightly regulated in the Western world.

Age restrictions are placed on all commercially released films by the BBFC and some are even expected to make cuts or alter the film in some way to conform to the guidelines

When classifying films the BBFC consider:

• Themes
• Context
• Tone and impact
• Depiction of discrimination
• Depiction of drug use, sex and nudity
• Use of language
• Depiction of threat and violence
• Depiction of imitable behaviour 

1. NTTD was given an age classification of 12A during theatrical release due to moderate violence and infrequent strong language, and on video release (DVD) was a 12

2. The financial positives of NTTD being given this age classification are larger audiences, meaning more money in the box office whilst not putting off adult audiences.

3. The digital age ratings of NTTD are also 12, this is relevant to the regulation as going to cinema, people are checked of their age before entering, whereas at home children can sometimes freely watch the film without their parents.

17/04/24

L/O: To explore the uses and gratifications of films

Audience Appeal

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• UK 12 rating - meaning you have to be 12+ to watch the film
• UK 12A rating - meaning any child under the age of 12 can watch the film under adult supervision / with a guardian, only granted in cinematic releases.

Why do we use the media?

• Information
• Entertainment
• Facts and statistics
• Communication

Uses & Gratifications Theory (U&G)

U&G is a theory that audiences take an active role in using the media.

What people do with the media

NOT what the media does with people.

The theory states that an audience will use a media from for either one of the four reasons:

• Personal Identity
• Information
• Entertainment
• Social Interaction

The uses and gratification theory's category of personal identity applies to media products such as soap operas and reality TV due to audiences finding certain characters within shows relatable, allowing them to find role models and other people with similar values. This use of media reinforces personal values by presenting similar and desired characters sharing the same ideologies, as well as other factors such as age, ethnicity, sexuality etc. 

Band 5 

1. Audiences would be entertained throughout the film due to the action genre. They would also be entertained through experiencing the fictional spy world.

2. The film would promote social interaction due to the hype of the release, the fact that it is a franchise would create fan 

3. It would contribute to personal identity as audiences may find that certain characters within the film are relatable or share similar values to them.

4. The movie would present the audience with information such as facts on locations around the globe.

19/04/24

L/O: To apply uses and gratifications to NTTD

Audience Appeal

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• 1. Social Interaction
• 2. Information
• 3. Personal Identity
• 4. Entertainment 

Personal Identity - Posters, trailers

Information - Posters, trailers, billboards, website, sponsorship

Entertainment - Posters, trailers, merchandise

Social Interaction - Website, posters, trailers, billboards, merch, sponsorship

On the NTTD official website, we can see the following U&G's apply:

• Entertainment - trailers, posters, and photos related to the film
• Information - blocks of information about the film are spread throughout the website, along with posters and trailers revealing characters etc. 
• Social interaction - links to social media sites
• Personal identity - trailers and posters revealing characters that audiences may relate to or aspire to be like.

In the NTTD trailer, we can see the personal identity category of the U&G theory be applied through the wide range of age, ethnicity etc throughout the cast, allowing specific members of audiences to relate to a character. This category can also be applied due to audiences viewing certain characters as aspirational and seeing them as a role model, which could link to the Propp's theory, given that audiences will attach themselves to a specific type of character as they will see themselves in them, such as the hero, the princess, the villain etc.

Miss Mac commented on "FILM C1"

2 days ago

INDUSTRY RESEARCH & TERMINOLOGY:
Excellent. Detailed and thorough

NTTD POSTER ANALYSIS:
Excellent analysis of both representation & media language using accurate terminology

TMWTGG POSTER ANALYSIS:
Another excellent analysis - linked to context

EXAM STYLE QUESTION/HWK:
Fantastic! Detailed, accurate terminology and a really insightful analysis. Well done!

INDUSTRY NTTD NOTES & RESEARCH:
Detailed. Great!

AUDIENCE THEORY:
Clearly understood

24/04/24

L/O: To consolidate our knowledge of the film industry and to apply it to exam style questions

Film Industry Roundup

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• 1. Posters
• 2. Trailers
• 3. Information
• 4. Social media links
• 5. Merchandise links

Designing Bond

• Built Bond's house in Jamaica from scratch even though there were no roads
• Built the entire Cuban set as they couldn't film in Cuba
• The scale of each set they built was massive.

Exam Structure: C1, Section B

There will be TWO questions:

QUESTION 3: a stepped question that will focus on ONE of the FOUR media industries we will look at (Film, Radio, Newspaper & Video Games)

QUESTION 4: a stepped question that will focus on audiences in relation to ONE of the FOUR industries.

There will be no unseen sources. You will need to use the case studies as examples.

Work to 1 mark = 1 minute.

Question 3: Industry

3a) Name one of the companies that produced NTTD                                                            [1]

3b) Briefly explain what a media conglomerate is                                                                   [2]

3c) Briefly explain what a convergence is                                                                               [2]

3d) Explain how films use technologies to reach audiences and promote the film. Refer to NTTD to support your points.                                                                                                 [12]

- Films use technologies to reach audiences and promote the film by using social medias, which quickly creates a buzz and forms attention and excitement towards the movie, more often than not being toward the release of an upcoming film. For example, NTTD uses this technique, especially during their attempt to keep the hype of the release continuing for over a year longer than anticipated due to covid, to hold the attention on their film rather than audiences gravitating towards other releases during the same period that NTTD released. Moreover, another way films use technologies to reach audiences and promote the film is through the use of trailers and posters, which provides audiences with excitement and anticipation, but also information about what the film will involve, which further creates more enigma codes and lures in the audience. This also reaches a wide range of audiences as typically modern films involve a variety of different societal groups, such as age, ethnicity, gender etc. which makes audiences relate to specific characters over others, and therefore forces an attachment to this character they feel they share the same values with. This further creates the audience to root for ‘their’ character, especially if the genre is action, adventure, horror (involves death), and entices them into the film, due to them wanting to know whether they survive or not. NTTD also uses this method as they released several trailers, theatrical and teaser posters, along with character posters displaying all the main characters within the film.

Work to 1 mark = 1 minute.

(Convergence = technologies being combined together, exp = telephone for phoning people, record player to play music, camera for photos = phone)

Question 4: Audience

4a) Identify two ways in which media producers categorise audiences.                                 [2]

                - Age, gender, ethnicity, hobbies etc.

4b) Briefly explain how NTTD targets audiences                                                                    [4]

                - A range of ethnicity within the cast, which would appeal to a wider audience as                          there are more characters the relate to, along with the genre of the film, being                          action-adventure, it would attract a wide audience as well.

4c) Explain why users visit the NTTD/007 website. Refer to the Uses and Gratifications theory in your answer.                                                                                                                        [12]

- Users may visit the NTTD/007 website for the U&G theory category of entertainment, as on the website you can find many forms of entertainment, such as trailers, posters etc. However, they may also visit the website for the information category of the U&G theory, due to the fact that many blocks of information can be found on the home page of the category, with even more on other pages, although other forms of information can be found throughout the website, for example, those users who are not fans of the Bond franchise will generally be unaware of characters within the films, and will quickly discover them through character posters that will be displayed throughout the website. Another category from the U&G theory that users may visit the website for is personal identity, given that the NTTD cast is rather diverse in societal groups, like ethnicity, age, gender etc. which makes audiences relate to specific characters over others, and therefore forces an attachment to this character they feel they share the same values with. Finally, users may also visit the website for the social interaction category of the U&G theory, as social links for all forms of media can be found showcased all throughout the website, such as links or hashtags

26/04/24

L/O: To consolidate our knowledge of the film industry and to apply it to exam style questions

Film Industry Roundup

DO NOW:    

• 1. Two
• 2. 1 mark = 1 minute
• 3. Question 3 focuses on a media industry, question 4 focuses on the audiences in relation to the industry.