Kill Your Darlings - Tracking

Kill Your Darlings facebook page: started posting in August 2013, most recent post 01/01/14. 

Link to view cinema times and buy tickets.

 Ability to like and invite others to like the page.

Release date and other information provided.

UK film poster released through Empire Magazine

An article released in October about the UK premiere of Kill Your Darlings 

The website has options to share the article on social networking sites

Article on The Telegraph website reviewing the film at the Venice film festival

Readers are mainly middle-class adults


Art exhibition competition featuring Daniel Radcliffe

29th November: Daniel Radcliffe appeared on the Graham Norton Show to promote the film. 

It is also available on youtube for anyone to watch at any time.

We went to see Kill Your Darlings on 11th December at Enfield Cineworld, a 15-screen cinema with an IMAX. There were over 100 seats in the screen but no more than about 20 people there to see the film, and most were adults.

20th December: Saw a poster like this one in Oxford Circus tube station when leaving the victoria line. There were lots of people in the way so I couldn't get a picture.

The Hobbit: D of S - Tracking

The Hobbit facebook page: Same page used for the Fist Hobbit film, so targeting old and new fans. Links to but tickets and to other promotion events such as live streams. Regularly updated. Ability to like and invite others to like the page. Information such as release date provided.

I have seen The Hobbit posters on buses such as the 148 which goes all the way from West to South London, passing busy places like Marble Arch and Hyde Park, and the 97 which travels in East London from Chingford to Stratford.

An online article promoting the release of the trailer

Readers of this newspaper are mainly working class, largely male

Online UK Odeon cinema competition

Main appeal to existing fans of the films/books

24th November: Front of house marketing for The Hobbit at Odeon Lee Valley

A full length trailer for The Hobbit before The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

7th December: A sponsored post from Odeon Cinemas promoting The Hobbit, meaning it will appear in the news feed of anyone who is in their target audience, rather than only people who have liked the page.

11th December: Obligatory selfie with front of house marketing at Enfield Cineworld. There is also a Hobbit poster which takes up the entire top windows on the outside and inside.

12th December: Spotted The Hobbit billboard on my way to school, on the north circular just before Angel Corner, Edmonton. 

Using the internet to promote a movie release in the UK

Case Study: Kill Your Darlings

Example 1
Newspaper article on The Telegraph website reviewing the film at the Venice film festival
Below the line marketing
Target audience: middle-class adults
Online articles can be shared on social media sites, cheap marketing as it is being spread and shared for free

Example 2
A competition where people can submit their work to become part of an exhibition, and win the chance to attend the launch with Daniel Radcliffe
Source: a fan blog
Below the line marketing
Target audience: students, arty and creative people, fans of Daniel Radcliffe
Allows audience interaction and involvement while at the same time promoting the film

Example 3
The film poster (UK)
Source: Empire magazine
Above the line marketing
Target audience: everyone, raises awareness of the film
Can reach a range of different audience groups

Case Study: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

Example 1
Theatrical trailer
Source: YouTube
Above the line marketing
Target audience: a wide range of audience groups
Easily accessible and can be shared on other sites

Example 2
Article on The Mirror website about the release of the trailer
Below the line marketing
Target audience: working class adults, largely male
Informs and entertains a specific audience

Example 3
UK Odeon cinema competition on the Odeon website
Below the line marketing
Target audience: Fans of the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings films/books
Involves and interacts with audience while further promoting the film

Case Study 3 - The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

1) UK release date?

13th December 2013

2) Institutions behind the film's production and distribution?
Production companies: New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema were involved in making decisions about the release. Trailers and sneak peaks have been released via YouTube.

3) What is the film's production budget?
$250,000,000

4) Nationality of the film?
USA/New Zealand

5) What kind of production is it?
A studio production

6) Any connection with other films?
It is the second part of a trilogy of films based on the book 'The Hobbit', and is loosely linked to the Lord of the Rings films as it is set in the same fictional world and features some of the same characters.

7) Who is the director?
Peter Jackson

8) Any star names in the cast?
Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Stephen Fry.

9) What is the film about?
The story follows on from the previous film in the trilogy, as a hobbit, a wizard and 13 dwarves continue their adventure on the way to reclaim the dwarves' homeland from a dragon.

10) Who will this film appeal to?
Fans of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy/book series, members of the Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman fandom.

Case Study 4 - Kill Your Darlings

1) UK release date?

6th December 2013

2) Institutions behind the film's production and distribution?

Production companies: Sony Classics Pictures, Killer Films, Benaroya Pictures, Outpost Studios

UK Distributor: The Works

3) What is the film's production budget?

??????

4) Nationality of the film?

American

5) What kind of production is it?

An independent production

6) Any connection with other films?

No

7) Who is the director?

John Krokidas

8) Any star names in the cast?

Daniel Radcliffe, Michael C Hall

9) What's the film about?

The story is set in the 1940s, about a murder which brings together the lives of three poets from the time: Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac.

10) Who will this film appeal to?
Fans of drama and romance films, and fans of Daniel Radcliffe.

Case Study 2 - Papadopoulos & Sons - Director Q&A

After watching the film we got the chance to talk to the director Marcus Markou about the production, marketing and distribution of Papadopoulos & Sons. From this I learned a lot about the process of making a film, particularly an independent film.

Papa & Sons had a relatively small budget of £85,000 which came from the business Marcus shares with his brother, and this meant that they had to do things quite differently to someone producing a film with a bigger budget. The Line Producer, a job which previously I didn't know existed, played a massive role in budgeting as they went through the script line by line to figure out a realistic budget.

Marcus persuaded actors to join the cast because they loved his script, rather than for large amounts of money. Stephen Dillane even got Game of Thrones to push their entire shooting schedule back a week just to finish the job when a day of filming P&S had to be cancelled, and for the chance to act as the father to his biological son, Frank Dillane. Similarly, George Corraface, a popular actor in France and Greece, agreed to meet with the director to discuss the job because he loved the story so much.

However, Marcus believes that a working environment like this is better if it is seen as less of a job and more of something enjoyable, as he was never in it for the money. He tried to eradicate the typical hierarchy of the industry on the first day by putting himself on the same level as the actors and extras, which worked well for a family-feel film like Papa & Sons.

The film shared a release date with higher budget blockbuster films who had more money and resources to promote their films. However, Marcus used clever marketing techniques, and rather than paying for advertising slots on TV or around London, he took to social media to promote the film. Sites like Twitter and Facebook were useful as, for example, they decided to contact fish and chip shops on the off chance that they would go to see a film about a fish and chip shop, and in many cases they did. Another way Marcus promoted the film was handing out flyers in the cinemas it would be shown in and telling people why they should come to watch his film.

They chose the locations of the cinemas to screen the film in by finding those near to Greek churches, as where there is a Greek church there is a Greek community, and in the Greek community there will be many people wanting to see the film. Although he never intended for Papa & Sons to be aimed at only Greek people, he found that families, but particularly Greek families, would be the most relatable audience and so targeted them.

Marcus described the film as having "a life of its own" as it has been shown and received well in so many places he could never have imagined, such as being screened in the European Parliament in 2012 as the Greek Prime Minister was making a hosting a talk about the Greek economy in the room below. It has also been shown at film festivals in France, Greece and the USA, which Marcus told us was an excellent way to spread interest in the film.

For me, Papa & Sons is a great example of how a film can do well even with a small budget, and using the resources available such as social media.

Case Study 2 - Papadopoulos & Sons - Research

Synopsis from the official website: Following his ruin in the latest banking crisis, a self-made millionaire reluctantly re-unites with his estranged freewheeling brother to re-open the abandoned fish and chip shop they shared in their youth.

Written and directed by Marcus Markou, Papadopoulos & Sons is a British comedy-drama film which was a success in the box office despite being an independent film. The film was distributed through Marcus's own company Double M Films, and though Cineworld initially agreed to screen the film for just one week in a small number of locations, it was so popular that they extended its run.

The film had a positive reception from most critics, including 3 out of 5 stars from The Guardian and praise from other big names such as The Telegraph and Total Film. It also has 82% positive reviews on Rotten T8matoes and a rating of 6.9/10 on IMDb.

Cast
Stephen Dillane - Harry Papadopolous
Georges Corraface - Uncle Spiros
Frank Dillane - James Papadoplous
Georgia Groome - Katie Papadopolous
Thomas Underhill - Theo Papadopoulos
Ed Stoppard - Rob
Cosima Shaw - Sophie
Selina Cadell - Mrs Parrington
Cesare Taurasi - Mehmet Ali
George Savvides - Hassan Ali

Titanic Sweded

@swededtitanic

fb.com/titanicsweded

instagram.com/swededtitanic

Sweded Films

A Sweded film is similar to a spoof, usually using the most well known scenes in a film and summarising them to make it last no more than about five minutes. Typically, no soundtrack, titles or any other effects are added afterwards, and are all filmed with the footage.

Two examples of sweded films:

Edward Scissor Hands

Ghostbusters (from the film Be Kind Rewind)

Dexter title sequence re-edit: Evaluation

1. Summarise the conventions of title sequences that were most important to this task.
Title sequences are important for crediting the people behind the scenes as well as on screen in a film, and can also be used to help establish the genre through using a certain font, colour or technique. They should add to the sequence rather than distract the viewer from what is happening, but can be the main feature of the sequence, depending on what kind of opening it is.

2. How did your group plan to edit the title sequence? (consider timings, industry requirements etc). 
The task was simple enough for us to complete it in the one lesson we were given, so there was no need to plan out how much time to spend on each aspect of the editing. We took it in turns to do one title each at a time, rotating round our group of three. We planned on having quite a few titles as lots are needed to credit the main people involved. At the beginning of the task, we thought we should have titles constantly on the screen over the shots, but after testing this by having one credit last for two shots, we decided it looked a bit strange and so decided to only have titles over shots that lasted long enough.

3. Explain the creative decisions made by your group.
Our group agreed that we wanted the titles to portray the genre, which in this case was crime/horror/thriller. We took some inspiration from the main 'Dexter' title card at the beginning, and decided to use a grungy font in a dark red, a colour which reflects the violence of the programme and ties in with the bloody images featured in the title shots. The actual footage was a very important part to this sequence and we didn't want to distract from it too much, so we decided that the best place for most titles would be the bottom or the corners of the screen. They were still visible, but it is obvious that they are not intended to be the main focus.

 4. How does your re-edit compare to the original?
Our edit fits the genre well and our ideas were creative, but I think that the original title sequence is more effective. The original uses different transitions for each title and a simpler font, which doesn't distract the eye as much as ours does, and the transitions we chose to use were all simple fade ins and fade outs, which aren't as creative or interesting. The original also contains more titles than our version due to time constraints, and I think this adds to its effectiveness as it is more informative, which is one of the main purposes of a title sequence. However, our titles are more continuous in size and placement and so flow better throughout the sequence.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

Our task was to plan, film and edit a sequence that includes continuity techniques. I worked with Audrey and Brandon, and although none of us were keen on being the actors at first we eventually decided that they would play the characters in our scene as they study Drama. This left most of the camera work and directing to me, except for when filming the shots Brandon wasn't in and he took over the camera. While planning, we made sure each member of our group had their ideas heard, and that everyone was happy with each aspect before moving on. We divided the editing between us equally to make sure that we all experienced using the software and contributing to the finished product.

2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take in to account?
We started by discussing our ideas, which at first were non-existent, but we agreed that we wanted a sequence that appears to be of a serious genre, but turns out to be comedy. Eventually it was Brandon who came up with the idea for the character's dialogue to be taken from song lyrics and spoken dramatically. The song we chose was We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift, the lyrics of which are very well known, so the audience will know straight away that it is intended to be funny. This also meant that our sequence was really easy to script and so overall, the planning didn't take us very long.
We drew the storyboard bit by bit as we checked first that the shots would work in the space we planned to use. From our storyboard we devised a shot list and a shoot board so that it was clear to all of us which shots we needed to film and how many different set ups were needed for those shots.
While planning our shots we tried to take in to account what was needed for a continuity sequence to flow well, such as match on action and sticking to the 180 degree/30 degree rule. We found that we had to make adjustments from some of our original shot ideas as they broke these rules and would have ruined the narrative flow.

3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
The equipment we used to film our shots were: a Canon HV30 camera, a tripod, headphones, a shotgun microphone and a clapperboard. As I was the only member in my group not acting, my role largely involved operating this equipment, but as I had used similar equipment for GCSE Media projects I didn't find it too challenging.
Editing using Adobe Premier Pro was fairly simple. We imported our clips, selected the best take of each shot, cut them down using in points and out points, and dragged them in to the right order on the timeline. We had to watch it through a number of times to make sure it flowed nicely, which it did after we had made some changes. Then we played about with the grading until we were happy with the colour, rendered it and exported. The main principles of it are similar to editing software I had used before, but I found it useful to be able to expand my editing skills.

4)What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
When planning our sequence we had to carefully plan where to place the camera to get the right angles and/or distance for the shots we wanted. Most shots worked out fine without needing to make any changes, and for others it just meant moving tables and chairs out of the way.
While filming, we had to take in to account that the two other groups in our class also needed to film shots in the entrance to the media block, and so we had to organise our time well and film our shots efficiently so as not to delay other the groups' schedules. Working with time constraints wasn't much of a problem for our group as actually finished with time to spare. Another factor we had to take in to account when filming was the microphone picking up extra background noise, so we made sure that people not being filmed were quiet and didn't affect the sound in the shot being filmed.
Some of the shots we had planned to use didn't work as well as we had hoped when we came to edit them, and so some we scrapped and some we substituted with a shot from a different angle or a different take.

5)How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?
Our sequence was quite successful as we managed to abide by the rules of continuity for the most part. For example, the two shots of Audrey walking through the door, one from outside the room and one from inside, present good match on action, and I would say that our use of shot reverse sot links the dialogue well, without any overlapping or gaps. However, at some points such as at 00:12 seconds, where we broke the rules of continuity. It cuts from a shot where Brandon's arms are folded to one of a different angle where they are open, which is confusing for the audience and may distract from the effectiveness of the sequence. Therefore, in hindsight, we should have rehearsed the character's movements as well as the dialogue to ensure that we could match up the shots.
If we were to do something differently, I would have planned more interesting shots to open with, as the wide shot is pretty basic and I don't think we were challenging ourselves to be as creative as we could be.

6)What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?
I have learnt that the rules of continuity seem simple in theory, but are a lot more effort to stick to when put in to practice. This, however, has helped me to understand the importance of continuity and I will be able to use the techniques learned in this to benefit future projects.

Art of the Title Grid Activity

Our film, The Art of Alchemy, is a thriller which follows the life of a school boy experimenting in a secret lab to create a drug which could potentially prolong human life. The opening introduces the protagonist and the main setting of the film, and suggests the genre to be a mix of thriller, crime and horror. It also shows the audience who was involved in making the film and ends with the title being revealed.

The font used for the titles is fairly simple so as not to distract from the shots in the opening, which provide most of the information. The colours used establishes the tone of the film by representing two main themes in the story: dark and perhaps disturbing.

The opening is intended to be ambiguous in order to intrigue the audience. Most of the shots are close ups which focus the eye on important information without revealing to much; this keeps the audience's attention as they want to find out more about the character and the plot.

Three things that we included in the grid that are important to the construction of an opening sequence:

• We opened with an establishing shot of Louis entering a room underground which tells the audience that he is a main character and suggests that the dark underground room is an important location in the film.
• The close up shots of objects in the lab and the angles used establish the genre as they are supposed to make the viewer feel uncomfortable, which is typical of the thriller genre. This sets the tone for the rest of the film.
• The titles naming the director, producer, actor and the film title are very important to the film as they inform the audience who helped to create the film and revealing the title gives the audience more clues as to what the film is about.

Film opening continuity analysis

• The scene opens with a wide shot which establishes where the scene is set, what time of day, etc. This moves in to a tracking shot to follow the carriages, which shows that they are a main focus in the scene.
• The camera zooms in to the carriage to show to characters sitting face to face. The side the characters are shown from doesn't change throughout the opening sequence and so doesn't break the 180-degree rule, which is essential for continuity.
• Then there are close-up shots of the characters loading their guns to show that it is significant; they are preparing for something. This gives the viewer an idea of what is going on as there is no dialogue to convey the story.
• The next few shots are a sequence of cross cutting between  tracking shots of the main character, Sherlock, running from or towards something, and the shots following the carriages. The tracking shot allows the viewer to follow the story as it happens and the cross cutting suggests that the two separate scenes are happening simultaneously. 
• Match on action is used between a shot of Sherlock jumping off a wall and the shot it cuts to, of him landing. This is helpful because it means the story can flow easily while still using a variety of different shots and types of framing.

Accident Sequence - Continuity

a) What techniques did you specifically use to create continuity (narrative flow) in your accident sequence?

The first shot is a pan following Matt walking down a corridor. This establishes the setting and focuses on at least one of the main characters so that the viewer knows the story will take place in a school and that this character is involved.

The second shot shows Seb's feet as he is running down the stairs, which creates suspense for the viewer as they haven't seen this character's face yet, and also adds pace to the narrative as he is obviously in a hurry.

The next shot cross-cuts back to an over the shoulder shot of Matt, still walking down the corridor, to show his point of view of the situation. The feel of this shot is calmer and slower paced, which helps to convey that the two scenes are happening separately.

Then it cuts to a wide shot which shows the corridor and the stairs, and the characters bumping in to each other. This puts in to perspective for the viewer where the shot is taken in relation to where the characters were before.

The last shot is a low angle shot that shows Matt lying on the floor where he was knocked down and Seb running away. This shows the outcome of the 'accident' and finishes off the story we were trying to tell.

b) In hindsight, what could you do to improve the continuity of the sequence?

I would change the type of shot we used for the final shot as it isn't clear that Seb is running in the same direction he was running in in previous shots. I would also use a wide shot to establish the location rather than a panning shot as it provides more information about the setting and could be used as a master shot to cut back to, to make it obvious where everything is happening.

Film Opening Analysis

The Breakfast Club is comedy drama film released in 1985 about five teenagers all from different cliques in a high school, who bond while spending their Saturday in detention together.

The opening scene establishes the setting of the film with a wide shot of the school and the voice-over saying that it is located in Illinois, USA, in 1984. Then the voice-over tells us an outline of the story, that the characters are told to write an essay about themselves during their detention, while there is a montage of shots from around the school which reveals more about the setting: we see that it is a typical American high school and that at the moment it is empty.
Before we see the characters, the voice-over describes them as "a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal". This tells us a little bit about their personalities and which stereotype they fit in to. We are properly introduced to them one by one with a short scene of them arriving at school. It is clear which clique they represent from the conversations they have - or don't have - with their family or from their actions, and it is also clear that these are the five main characters of the story.
The events in the opening scene don't follow on from each other but they are connected in a way because the same situation is shown from the viewpoint of each character.

Not too much information is given to the audience in the opening, but it is enough to interest them in the film as they have an idea of where the film is set and the situation. Most information about the characters is not revealed straight away but is developed as the film goes on.

Film Still Analysis

Our task was to take shots to represent a particular genre of film, and the genre we were trying to achieve in this shot was horror.

Representation of Genre
We used the basement as the setting for this shot as it is dark and gloomy, which is a very generic setting for a horror film, but also contains everyday items such as the ladder, making the story seem more real and therefore making it more effectively scary. The character in this shot is a girl crouched, facing the corner in the dark. Her position suggests she afraid of something or trying to protect herself, and the high angle it is shot from makes the character seem smaller and more vulnerable as the viewer is looking down on her. This shows the viewer that there is something or someone that could be dangerous, which is often the case in a horror film.

How this was achieved
We decided to use a dark and creepy looking location to represent the tone of the movie as dark and scary with the low key lighting. Although most of the scene is in darkness, there light casting a shadow of an unknown hand and this emphasises it as the main focus. The fact that the viewer doesn't know who or where the hand is coming from creates suspense and tension, which is a common theme in the horror genre.

Successful?
I think the lighting in this shot is successful as it is mainly low key to match the tone of the film, with brighter lighting to highlight more important elements of the shot, for example the shadow of the hand on the wall.

Improvements that could be made
The representation of the character could be better, as it's not clear exactly where the girl is or why she is in this situation. To improve this we could have included the stairs in the shot to show a more precise location, or used other props in he background to provide more information.