Film and the Internet

The film industry, like all others (i.e. games, music and newspapers), was revoloutionised by the growth of the internet - but has also been given new threats. Video, DVD and even Digital piracy are still a bigger threat than ever to the industry, and with the internet, anyone can log on to the internet and download illegal films or television programmes. The scale of internet piracy has tripled in recent years, with an average of 1.67 million people a year watching illegal content - as opposed to 570,000 in 2003, the increase is massive, and it is still growing. To put these figures into context: the average DVD on release costs an average of £13, with the DVD prices ranging from around £8 to $15 - if you multiply £13 by 1.67 million, this equates to £21,710,000 (bear in mind this also includes television piracy with most TV box sets selling at anything from £18 - £50). The threat on the industry is massive, and the internet is a double-edged sword; giving new areas to advertise, but also giving film pirates new areas to give their product away.

The History of Film:

The film industry was first born in the 1860s, with what we know as cinema coming into existence in the early 20th century. In the 1970s the first revoloution to the world of film came into existence, VHS or Video Home System, giving consumers the oppurtunity to watch in the comfort of their own home, and for almost 50 years they served their purpose - with the last main supplier of prerecorded VHS sending out their last order in late 2008.

The next revoloution was that of DVD, with their first appearance coming in 1993, in two forms; The Multimedia Compact Disc (MMCD or CDi) and Super Denisity Disc (SD). Eventually the two products converged, creating what we know as the DVD (Digital Verstatile Disc or Digital Video Disc).

Current Film Practice:

The film industry is still split into two markets; Digital and DVD. Digitally the main supplier of major release films, and a large variety of Niche, is iTunes. iTunes sells movies from; 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment, with iTunes also offering some 1,000 films for rent.

Analysis of Film Posters

The Curious Case of Bejamin Button:


Analysis: The poster is exceptionally symplistic, so as to not reveal depths into the film, but just entrance the audience to view the film simply. The poster has only two main points of focus in the form of the eyes of the two characters - with no background instantally highlighting the eyes.


Lighting: The lighting in this poster focuses on the faces of the two characters, showing the light in this piece is used to highlight the encentricities of their faces, highlighting the males more aged aspects - as the film is about his backwards age. The black background, as I said earlier, draws the eye to the only features - the faces.


Contents: The poster shows only half their faces, portraying them to be hiding part of themselves, and also generating an enigmatic feel to the piece. The poster also features the distributors, producers and marketers; as well as the name of the film and major or big name actors and actresses.

Text: The text in this piece is exceptionally indicative of the films content. The text is layed-over a stylistic pattern, giving it a victorian fluted design, which on closer inspection, reads 'Life' twice, with one being back to front. When applied to the two characters, the back to front 'Life' applies to Benjamin living his life backwards.

Research Into Distributors

Universal Studios:

Universal has a large, diverse and quite frankly, universal back catalogue. The studios are responsible for various big names such as; the upcoming 'Wolf-Man', King Kong and Bridget Jones' Diary. Universal Studios also owns NBC, making them a partially self-advertised.

Drama Releases: Universal has published various Drama genre films, including; Fried Green Tomatoes, Billy Elliot and Pride and Prejudice.

Paramount Pictures:

Paramount is a corporate media giant, encorporated with both Dreamworks and MTV, is a large scale film distributor, and so comes with a high level of the all important 'purchasing power'. With it's vast media catalogue spread across many genres, it is not a highly specialised drama veichle, but comes with the advantage of a large name.

Drama Releases: Paramount has distributed; The Weatherman, Breakfast at Tiffanys' and Angela's Ashes.



American Empirical Pictures
Being a rising film distributor, AEP comes with a still slightly niche status, even when dealing with big name stars such as Gweneth Paltrow and Ben Stiller. It has made Drama films and Comedy films, giving them a depth in the drama field.

Drama Releases
AEP has released Drama in the form of; The Royal Tennenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited.

Shooting Script

Story Board Number: 2
Shot Number: 1
Shot Description: Camera pans through a cluttered dining room, with the camera placed at eye-level, with it moving slowly, slightly bumpy to represent the camera being a person.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Date: November 21st 2009
Shooting Time: 14:00
Actors: None
Props: Normal placement of 'Homely' objects around the scene.

Story Board Number: 3 Part 1
Shot Number: 2
Shot Description: The camera moves from story board number 2, into the corridor which leads off of it, as it looks through the siderooms, panning lazily.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Date: November 21st 2009
Shooting Time: 14:15
Actors: None
Props: None required, with little placement of surrounding objects to retain the slightly disorganised manner.

Story Board Number: 4 Part 1
Shot Number: 3
Shot Description: The camera pans to look up the stair, and begins to ascend slowly, still in POV.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Time: 14:25
Actors: None
Props: None, except for painting on the walls, showing the hoarding attitude of Grace.

Story Board Number: 5 Part 1
Shot Number: 4
Shot Description: The camera continues up the rest of the stairs, moving along the upstairs corridor, remaing in a POV, still panning in the same lazy manner.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Time: 14:35
Actors: None
Props: Normal placement of objects.

Story Board Number: 6 Part 1
Shot Number: 5
Shot Description: The Camera moves through an open door, which is exceptionally dark, with light moving over a bed (slightly fluorescently) with the camera moving towards a shape on the bed.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Time: 14:50
Actors: None
Props: Lights, a 'Shape' in the bed (either a person or constructed), a dark atmosphere.

Story Board Number: 6 Part 2
Shot Number: 6
Shot Description: The camera retreat out of the room, with the door slamming into the cameras' POV.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Time: 15:15
Actors: None
Props: Same as shot number 5

Story Board Number: 7
Shot Number: 7
Shot Description: The camera moves quickly, remaining in POV, as it retreats back down the corridor, and stairs and returns to where it began in Shot 2.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Time: 15:30
Actors: None
Props: None

Story Board Number: 3 Part 2
Shot Number: 8
Shot Description: Shows someone running away from the camera and towards the stairs.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Time: 16:00
Actors: Ghost
Props: Same as Shot Number 3.

Story Board Number: 4 Part 2
Shot Number: 9
Shot Description: Someone runs away from the camera up the stairs.
Shot Location: 'Grace's' House
Shooting Time: 16:20
Actors: Ghost
Props: Same as Shot Number 4.

Story Board Number: 5 Part 2
Shot Number: 10
Shot Description: Someone runs away from the camera, running through an open door to the left.
Shot Location: 16:35
Actors: Ghost
Props: None

What is Web 2.0?

The area around 'what is Web 2.0' is exceptionally vague, it is no longer a distinct media technology, but it is now all around us, on the internet, on phones, IPods and game consoles. Web 2.0 offers three main benefits:

1. The DIY web: Websites such as 'Wikis' are a prime example of this. It allows for blogging, sharing of expertise and information publishing, breaking up the synidcation of media content and bring publishing to the user.
2. A richer web experience: Imbedding of prime, advanced content such as Adobe and AJAX (Java & XML script), allowing for a more advanced web experience.
3. Light-weight web development models: Development of 'scripting' models such as PHP and Ruby, to enhance the capabilaties of the internent. These may allow for an increase in 'web power' and so provides easy 'tool' for the user to interface with, and change their internet.

Brainstorm

Here I brainstormed the main features of my film, to establish factors I did not address earlier.

Music Research

Whilst looking for inspiration to create a soundtrack for my film, I found that most Drama films feature classical music, normally with a slower tempo to create more effect and drama in the piece. I managed to find a copyright free source of music, in the form of www.freeplaymusic.com. I then condensed these tracks into the four most appropriate, which were:


Should Have Known By David Flavin: Eloquent strings and rich piano weave an emotional melody. Drums add a dynamic texture to the lament.


A Story In May By Arnaued Ray: A sweetly waltzing piano piece with hints of questions and mysteries that resolves warmly, accented by dancing strings and French horn, with a wry working of the melodic structure.


Satie's Gymnopodie No.1: A piano piece infused with deep emotion; immersed in memory and musical sensitivity.


As One By Dave Greendale: Piano plays a calming, reflective meditation, a cello joins the halting, poignant melody, pausing as if in a dance together.