Film Censorship

"FILM CENSORSHIP IS MOTIVATED BY FEARS ABOUT AUDIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY"

 

Produced with Briony and Anna

Digital Cinema Network

“The introduction of the digital cinema network in the UK has greatly extended audience choice: foreign, indie & smaller films and created a desire for 'better' movies"

I agree with this statement as people are able to choose from a more diverse range of films which means that more people will attend cinemas as there is not just formulaic blockbuster films. 

The digital cinema network links to technology because they install more screens and cinemas which allows for more choice and better technology.

Quiz

1. What genres Films does 3D suit?

 

  Horror and Action Blockbusters. Horror movies are enhanced with 3D so that the gore that people go to see is shown in it's fullest and Action Blockbusters have 3D because the special effects match the often Sci-Fi storyline.

 

2. Did the UK digital cinema network succeed in exposing audiences to more varied types of films?

   

        Yes because there is now a more diverse choice of films which means cinema attendance goes up and independent producers get their films in the cinema for less.

 

3. Why has the film industry lost money from cinema attendance since 2000?

 

   Illegal piracy because people are now able to watch movies for free rather than pay for it.

   

4. Is 3D successful in getting audiences back in the cinema?

   

        Yes because they get across the idea that 3D is a new experience and this gains more money because of the technology. Producers try to sell their movies as 3D to gain more money. However, 3D has deterred piracy makers because they can't pirate 3D, which loses profit from that but at the same deterring piracy is a good thing.

   

5. Does 3D have a negative impact on film production?

   

   No because when film-makers think about incorporating 3D into their film the would be making it better because they are thinking about ways to enhance the style of the film which could lead them to being more creative. However, the more money spent on 3D, the less money spent on other things in the film, which could decrease the quality of the storyline.

 

6. Which directors support 3D in their productions?

  Guillermo Del Toro (Pacific Rim), James Cameron (Avatar), martin Scorcose said all his future movies will be in 3D.

 

7. What reasons were given by the FBI shutting down Megaupload?

   

  Breaching intellectual property copyright

 

8. How has film distribution online/digital cinema helped Indie films get exhibited?

 

  Cheaper to get into cinemas

   

How are films impacted by the Digital Screen Network/Digital Distribution?

The Digital Screen Network is a £12 million scheme, funded by the National Lottery. It has installed 240 screens in 212 cinemas.

Audiences are now able to enjoy a wider range of films at their local cinema. Plus there is more choice for people who have hearing or sight impairments.

Cinemas now show more specialised film screenings, with an increase in specialised film screenings of up to 75,000.

This means that independent film producers are able to get their film out in cinemas instead of just blockbusters.

There are now more people visiting cinemas because of the diverse range of films.

Essay Planning

"FILM CENSORSHIP IS MOTIVATED BY FEARS ABOUT AUDIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY" 

DISCUSS THIS STATEMENT IN REFERENCE TO THE CONCERNS EXPRESSED ABOUT UNCENSORED AND UNREGULATED VIDEO CONTENT.

"WHAT FACTORS LED TO THE DECLINE IN CINEMAS IN TOWNS, CITY CENTRES IN THE LATE 70'S AND EARLY 80'S?"

Film distribution ppt

P-D-E Video Essay Clips

TECHNOLOGICAL
VHS (Piracy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spY_AIOLV2g


Old VCR Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_M7kyy1Uo


SOCIAL

Old Cinema 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8X9ivsAgZo



Star Wars Merchandise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y65N3q12lgY

ECONOMICAL
Gaining money from videos that are bought
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_M7kyy1Uo

Social Context in the 70s

They liked to have the best quality, whoever had the best, was better.
Britain came into trouble with oil and it was embarrassing to not have it all.
Miners saw an opportunity to make money. They took a strike which halfed the production of coal. People had to cut down on electricity bills. This meant they had to go elsewhere for entertainment.
Music tried to cheer up the spirit of people and look to the future.
1974 began with shortages and blackouts. Food, heat and light we're precious resources.

Production, Distribution and Exhibition

PRODUCTION
Test Screenings
Film Lab
VFX Studio
Legal
Producer/Writer

DISTRIBUTION
Marketing
Web Distributor
Merchandising
Distributor

EXHIBITION
Youtube
Cable/Satellite TV
DVD Retailer
Film Subscription Service
Multiplex Cinema

Starter: How blockbuster effected P-D-E?

1. When was the first Multiplex in the UK?
2. What was cinema attendance like in this time? 
3. What films were being played in the new Multiplexes (name and year?)
4. How were these Multiplexes encouraging audiences to go to the cinema?
5. Where are these Multiplexes built instead of the High Street and why?
6. What had happened to audience leisure patterns that meant 'Fleapit' cinemas lost popularity?
7. What advantages did Multiplexes offer cinema audiences and film distributors over Fleapits?
8. What reasons was cinema attendance low? (Technologies and Audience Leisure Patterns)

Cinema in the UK

MID 70s: There was a recession in the UK.

What did people do if they didn't go to the cinema?

They watched TV.

TEENAGERS

They had more money, pocket money, able to spent, social context (disposable income).

1960s

There was rock and roll. Teenagers didn't exist before the 1960s. Kids went to work before then. Cinema attendance was down before the blockbusters. back then blockbusters saved the cinema as they bring people in.

NOW

Because people are downloading films online for free, it reduces the amount of profit for films and films get more generic.

Why did multiplex cinemas come about?

America created the idea that it also matters where you watch a cinema as well.

FILM DISTRIBUTION

Film distribution was hard because the film reels were heavy. Film companies create the films then sell in the multiplex cinemas that they own, their not going to let independent cinemas sell their films so thats why independent films went out of business.

INDUSTRIAL, LIGHT AND MAGIC Special Effects Company:

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the company and they both created Star Wars and E.T. Shows that they created the films to show off their special effects.

Blockbuster Trailers

JAWS (1975)

GODFATHER (1972)

STAR WARS (1997)

E.T. (1982)
)

HOW DO THEY COMPARE AS BLOCKBUSTERS?

• At this point as Blockbusters, these films are not the same which shows that they are not formulaic.
• Star Wars is a blockbuster because there was loads of special effects in it. 
• The Godfather was a blockbuster because it was star-studded so it became an event. Whereas in Star Wars, the actors where unknown before the film. 
• Jaws was the first event movie because it was released in the summer so lots of people went to see it. Jaws is actually character led - it had a story line where you sympathised with the characters.

SYNTHESIS:

You can bring back good blockbusters like the Godfather because it didn't have special effects but it did bring in lots of money. Godfather was not shown in Multiplex's as well as Jaws because they didn't have a spectacle about them like special effects. Star Wars was the beginning of blockbusters because they had visual effects that generated the formula that blockbusters have to include special effects in order to gain a profit.

Context Notes of the Rise of the Blockbuster

About Multiplex's

• The first multiplex built was in Milton Keynes, Star Wars - explosions, effects, lightings, sounds etc.
• Multiplex were built by film studios who built Blockbusters.
• THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THE MULTIPLEX'S WERE THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE FILMS.
• Blockbusters became known when cinema viewing became better with bigger and more cinema screens. 
• More seats were included for a better comfort. This changed the way people watched films, Blockbusters were displayed on theses bigger screens to captivate audience.
• Better sound.
• They had more choice on films, the bigger the spectacle, the bigger the film. 
• Started the hype marketing. 
• The audience wanted more, better effects, bigger screens.
• New experience.

Mini Mock

What social, economical & technological context gave rise to the Blockbuster film 1975-1983? Refer to specific films in your answer.

Technological: 

• Rise of the multiplex's- Blockbusters became known when cinema viewing became better with bigger and more cinema screens. More seats were included for a better comfort. This changed the way people watched films, Blockbusters were displayed on theses bigger screens to captivate audience. 
• They had more choice on films, the bigger the spectacle, the bigger the film. Started the hype marketing. The audience wanted more, better effects, bigger screens.
• VCR's made cinema attendance drop, they were able to watch at home, but bigger screens were at the multiplex.
• Blockbuster's and Multiplex's came around at the same time which means that theres a link between the two.

Social:

• Cinemas became a place to go as films were seen on a bigger scale, they were becoming an event, a marketing strategy.
• People came to watch a Blockbuster because they were spectacles and that they became an event to go to.
• Cinemas were places to go, they gave them an escape from reality, fantasy characters (Star Wars, E.T.), and heroic stories (Superman etc).

Economical:

• Because viewing films became more of a spectacle, the price of a cinema ticket rose, therefore it was easier to gain a profit from producing a film.
• Big budget on Blockbuster meant it changed the way they produced films, they rely on effects to gain a profit, no spectacle no money.
• Leads to sequals - easy to follow, pre-existing audience brought in more money, fans wanted to see what they like.

Film Context

Feedback for Broken Soul Script

I got feedback on my script for my short film Broken Soul. I was asked by Mr Barton to cut down on the description for the scenes in my short film. I was also asked to change a location in one scene. 

Social Context

Hollywood Since 1975

• E.T. was a hit, so was star wars (Sci-fi, extra terrestrial, space-age technology)
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Spielberg (combined Rocky and Stars Wars) - audience feedback
• Sitcoms and superheroes become popular
• Saturday Night Fever (1977) became a trend because of disco.
• Rise of dance (musical films) - Flashdance, Grease, Fame, Purple Rain, Dirty Dancing
• About making the audience fell good about themselves
• Young audience
• Money-making films were comedies for teens
• Self-conscious - refer to other films
• Rise of videos - buy or rent 
• Young people wanted to see more realistic teen portrayals - rise of teen movies - Porky's, Breakfast club, Pretty in Pink

Blockbusters

What similarities?

• previous audience

What characteristics?

• Post-Genre
• Widest possible audience appeal (male skew?)
• Spectacle - heavy focus on CGI, SFX and animation
• Event Movie
• Big Budget ($100,000,000 plus)
• Star driven
• Product - heavily marketed & hyped/tie-ins/merch
• Not character driven/motivation/depth (non CHN)
• Visual excess & Set Pieces over story & plot
• Franchises & Sequels/Prequels
• Homogenous & Cross-cultural - universal locale or identity
• Video game like experience blurs line between film & gaming
• Pre-sold audience based on novels, comics and games

What are the main points in the article?

• Piracy
• Development
• Hype of movies
• Global appeal to make more money - marketing

Why is Jaws so important?

• It was released nationwide rather than in cinemas at different times
• It was the highest earning movie in history, before Star Wars, at $260,000,000, and it was also the first film to ever exceed $100,000,000. 
• Unfortunately, it also changed the way people looked at sharks, and so a lot of people are now scared of them, and so whenever there is a shark attack, people hunt and kill them. 

CONCLUSION

I think that the summer blockbuster focuses on global appeal to make more money for marketing and they rely on the hype of the movie and 'film geeks'. I think that they have no depth in their ploy and they focus on CGI/SFX/animation. Re-creating similar plots. They are scared that if they recreate plots they will lose their fan base. 

Film Text & Context

New Info Unit F631: Film Text and Context Section B: Cinema:

The exam and its requirements – skim & present (2 mins – Trailer for Avengers)

How many questions & what topics?

Section A: Contemporary English-language Film

You must answer Question 1 or Question 2

1. Discuss how different groups in society are represented in the films you have studied.[40]

2. How are the key messages and values communicated in the films you have studied?[40]

Section B: Cinema in Context

Answer two questions in this section. Each question must be from a different topic area.

Early Cinema (1895-1915) 

3. Choose two films that were noted as significant in early cinema history. Explain why the two films
you have chosen are significant. [30] 

4. Why did the American film industry eventually base itself in Hollywood? [30]

The impact of World War II on British Cinema (1939-45)

5. Explain the reasons for the popularity of cinema-going during World War II (1939-1945). [30]

6. “Cinema became an extension of the British war effort in World War II (1939-1945).” With reference to examples, discuss to what extent this statement is true. [30]

The rise of the blockbuster, format wars and multiplexes (1972 – 1984)

7. What factors led to the decline of town or city centre cinemas in the late 1970s and early 1980s? [30]

8. “Film censorship is motivated by fears about audiences and technologies.” Discuss this statement in reference to the concerns expressed about uncensored and unregulated video content in Britain in the early 1980s. [30]

Developments in 21st century cinema and film (2000 – present)

9. ”The introduction of the digital cinema network in the UK in recent years has greatly extended audience choice.” How far do you agree with this statement? [30]

10. To what extent does internet piracy pose a threat to the film industry? [30]

What relevance are knowing about Blockbusters?

There's more to write about them. Because they have a  higher budget, there's more depth to go into about production.

What case studies are you writing about?


What is Production? 


What is Distribution & Marketing?

What is Exhibition/Exchange?

What do we mean by context?

 BONUS Name the 2 most influential directors of these emerging types of films in 70's/80's?

Task: Defining the Blockbuster – what is it? Mentor pairs

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aep3Xdzi0H8 anatomy of a blockbuster & http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/context-economic-blockbuster-marketing.html – percentage of the total spend is the marketing budget – how is this broken down?

Work way through and create a mind map in your notes Characteristics of the Summer Blockbuster

Create Meaning

Top 5 & Micro Teach carousel

Create Meaning

What are the arguments around Blockbusters? Case Study: Transformers

Kermode on Transformers 3 & Truth about Blockbusters

Transformers 4 Product & Star-driven

Big Dumb Movies: Transformers

Your opinions – discussion on post it notes

Create Meaning – opinions on

Context: Economic Blockbuster Marketing Budgets (F...

Create Meaning

Identify Context & rewrite explanation in your own words – carousel and apply to a recent blockbuster you watched for Homework (Case Study)

http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/1975-rise-of-blockbuster-social.html

http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/1975-rise-of-blockbuster-social.html

http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/skyfall-to-70s-cinema-attendance.html

Group 1: Social

Group 2: Technology

Group 3: Economic

Group 4: Conclusion – summarise how have all 3 contexts have affected the Production of these films? (Record a Mark Kermode style review of Summer Blockbusters 2012)

Discuss & Video feedback

End – Kermode on Transformers 4

Session 2

Die Hard Franchise - Geri-Action Blockbuster

Apply to demonstrate Activity: The next Blockbuster

Justify the quote

Create your own campaign poster for an Event Movie 2013 & pitch 'High Concept'

Star Wars & The Blockbuster

Apply to demonstrate/Review

Why are Blockbusters Lucas & Spielberg's Legacy? Use the video clips (Star Wars & Jaws) & the Lucasfilm image to write a response

Argument