BFI notes

The Types of Theatrical Distribution:

• Art house cinemas: The  BFI and independent cinemas such as Electric Cinema. They usually exhibit low budget films
• Multiplex cinemas: These are arge cinema chains such as Vue & Odeon 
• Prestige: These are cross-overs of both, they are low budget films with big actors. 

Institutions

Vertigo: 

• Formed in 2002 for the purpose of distributing 2 short films. 
• They avoid producing prestige films
• Partners with Syco (Simon Cowells comapany) 
• Vertigo tends to hide its low budget

Warp: 

• Formed in 2001 and started off as an electronic music label which supported challenging and experimental music
• It is a middle ground between arthouse and multiplex 
• In partnership with Film Four 
• Warp uses its low budget to inspire creative freedom. 

Uses and Gratifications for national audience?

• Information/Education: How do other British people live? What are the issues affecting the UK?
• Social Interaction: 'Crowd Pleasures' (social viewing), Oscar nominations (conversation point)
• Personal Identification: National pride, solidarity,aspiration, glamorization,reinforcing/rejecting values
• Pure Entertainment: Spectacle, escapism, adrenaline (thriller/horror), catharsis (+emotional intensity)

Uses and Gratifications for US/international audience?

• Information/Education: historical/literary figures,contemporary celebrities/royalty
• Social Interaction:'Crowd pleasures' (social viewing, Oscar nominations (conversation point)
• Personal Identification: Solidarity with subcultures/marginalized groups rarely represented in mainstream cinema 
• Pure Entertainment: spectacle, escapism, adrenaline (thriller/horror), catharsis (+emotional intensity)

United 93 Review

United 93 is a very gripping and heart-breaking film in terms of the story line and the concept, which is based on the plane United Airlines flight which was hijacked by al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001. The fact that it is based on a true story makes the audience feel great sympathy for those who suffered, as the film revolves around those who tried to regain control of the plane which eventually crashed into a field killing all onboard. The film has no political views, but rather relives the final 90 minutes of the ill-fated passengers and this film can be seen as a form of raising awareness on this event.

In terms of cinematography the film is completely shot with hand-held cameras, this only emphasises the natural feel of the film and makes it seem more like a documentary and there is a sense of realism when watch it. I believe the cinematography of this film is quite good as most of the shots are able to capture the emotions and gestures of the characters, which can give out a lot of information in a short space of time, this adds onto the tension of the film. The editing of the film i.e. fast-paced editing also adds onto the impact it has on the audience as fear and chaos are clearly represented.  The use of sorrowful music during certain parts of the film i.e. when passengers make calls to their relatives adds onto the distressing atmosphere of the film

The mise-en-scene is also quite important. For example, the cast are quite diverse from children, adults and foreigners to portray the terrorists. This adds onto the sense of realism as the diversity of passengers on a plane is represented through the cast they have chosen, and the fact that foreigners have been used to portray the terrorists adds onto this realism of the event and the stereotypes that are now part of society (foreigners are evil, dangerous). The setting is a recreation of the plane, which also adds onto the realism.

Overall, the director was quite successful with this film, and the fact that it is based on a true story only adds onto the sympathy the audience has for these passengers while also raising awareness on the gravity of this fateful event. 

Photoshop tutorials

Work completed since 6 January

Work completed since 6 January

• Mise en scene, locations, costume, props, casting, cinematography/visuals
• Redraft of script, shot list and storyboard 

Any incomplete pre-production tasks?

• None, all pre-production tasks have been completed

Next steps/Action plan

• Photoshoot on 27th Jan
• Location filming, e.g. establishing shots etc
• Getting a soundtrack sorted
• Getting props and costumes sorted

Date filming will be complete?

• Unknown yet

Requirements for photoshoot next week

• Characters/Subjects needed for photoshoot are available and able to come
• Costumes and props need to be sorted (e.g blood/murder weapon)

Double page spread feature

REPRESENTATIONS

-THE CHARACTERS IN DETAIL FROM THE WRITER OF TRANSGRESSION

Bold, intense and deeply ominous, these are just a few words that could describe the thrilling narrative of TRANSGRESSION. This couldn't have been achieved without the mesmiring characters and their persona's played by our skilled actors. 

As the writer of the script, I decided to get a bit creative with characters and paid attention to all details from their clothing to their dialogue to make sure that a certain representation is given out towards the audience so they could get an understanding of each character. 

The main protagonist, Jason, who is the killer, has a manipulative characteristic which he hides through his charisma and charm, it could almost be argued that he’s mentally unstable. He desires power and attention, something which he lacked before he brutally murdered a vulnerable friend, Grace. His killing gave him a sense of superiority, but it also adds onto his paranoia. He faces several conflicts such as one member of their friendship group, Lucia, gets suspicious about his sudden change in personality, as the lies he makes increase and increase. Jason’s also has a very rough and not caring look to his attire. His dark clothing links back to the negative connotations associated with dark colours i.e. evil, danger. His lack of care is therefore represented through his clothing, and this foreshadows the lack of compassion he will have towards Grace when he murders her. Jason’s characteristics defy the typical characteristics of an average male teenager hence the sudden plot twist; his pathetic intentions to kill the most defenceless character takes all sympathies and admiration created by the audience for him away.

Even the smaller details such as the names also went into account, such as Grace’s name. Her name links back to the overall persona of her character, one of goodness and courtesy. The fact that Grace also wears white links back to her representation of being ethereal and naive. The colour white has positive connotations and is often related to innocence and goodness which Jason stains .i.e the blood/mud stained clothes by corrupting her and killing her.

Lucia’s character plays a major role as she is the only character who gets suspicious of Jason’s intentions. She is quite reserved and laid back but pays attention to surroundings in quite a lot of detail. In her dialogue she constantly criticises Jason, which suggests to the audience she is quite hard to please, but this also emphasises on her sharp mind as she clearly knows something is up, however this is unfortunately dismissed. 

All in all, TRANSGRESSION wouldn't have been as captivating as it was if it wasn't for the entire crew and actors who contributed greatly towards the production of the film. 

Planning and sketching

1) All the things my target audience might be interested in: 

Film Genre

• Modern noir in terms of the crime element.
• Horror's, thrillers
• Urban Life in terms of the typical conventions of teenagers living in the suburbs. 

The subject itself: 

• Dealing with friendship issues
• The psychological element, how many people are mentally disturbed yet we are unaware. Are they getting the help they need? 
• How teenagers are represented in society
• Why we chose to revolve the film around the lives of teenagers in the suburbs rather than it being a typical modern noir. 

2)

3)

The contents page will also be quite simplistic, with stills from the images or a faded image of the protagonist in the background.

4-5)

Modern Representations in Society

• The Characters and representations

The Concept

• Why we chose to Revolve the Film around the Lives of Dysfunction Teenagers. 

Research

1) The programme front cover for the BFI Film is quite different from the traditional magazine cover as it doesn't fit the usual conventions of there being a central image, and instead the title of the publication forms the central image. The text uses straight forward language and automatically tells the audience that this booklet is a guide to the programme of the festival as it clearly states "BFI London Film Festival". The colour scheme is quite appropriate and creates a sense of professionalism, hence the use of a black background. The use of the colour red/purple also offer a boldness in contrast to the blackground. The colour scheme also links back to the logo of the progammes institution, the BFI. By placing the logo on the top left corner the rule of third comes in place as the audience is guided through the cover of the booklet. The date, from the 9th of October to the 20th links back to the idea of the progamme booklet being a guide towards the festival. The target audience then clear as we now understand that it is aimed for the festival goers. Through the use of name checks we can discover that the BFI is being sponsored by American Express, a large-scale USA bank institution, this implies that American Express is one of BFI's funders. Overall, the designers have made this programme visually interesting by making sure it doesn't fit the usual conventions of a magazine.

2)  

I like the idea of using illustrations rather than the actual image for the front cover. The use of bold colours also appeals to me as it catches my eye, this suggests to me that using bold colours that also co-ordinate may be useful as it can catch the attention of the viewer. 



The use of several different fonts is quite interesting as it still continues to work out. This brochure fits the more typical conventions of a magazine cover, therefore if I was to take this approach it would be appropriate if I used this layout. The fact that it is also black and white makes me feel confident on the idea that a minimalistic brochure could work.



The layout on this cover appeals to me, and the fact that the front cover is  a still of the event it sets the atmosphere of a typical film theatre. The use of a still as a front cover appeals to me and I may consider doing this. 


Linking my brochures cover to the atmosphere of the film may also be a good idea as shown through this brochures cover. Each cover links back to a season and I could use this idea to create a feel towards my work. I could do this by making sure the colour scheme of my cover links back to the film and the emotions it gives out. 




 I really like the concept of this brochure cover and hope I can use this within my own work as its one of my favourites. The cover is really simple, with there being a central image and the main focus being on the typography which is something I aim to also focus on.


3) Find at least 5 contents pages from arts programmes or magazines. How are contents pages designed? How do they use a combination of text and images to create an effective design?

With this contents page the numbers have been bunched together to create an interesting visual, as if it is a spider diagram.


This contents page is quite simplistic, and bold typography has been used, on the page besides the contents page there is a central image which links back to the theme of the magazine 



This contents page incorporates image and text with the image being in the contents page and the text surrounding it . In bold is the main information on what each page is and below it are the subheadings. 

This contents page links each page number with an image, it is quite simple and a typical magazine contents page 


This contents page uses an image as a background. It's quite simple with each number being in bold and next to it being the contents.