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Star Wars: The Force Awakens essay 1

"Successful media production depends as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices"

I do agree with the statement that successful film production does depend upon marketing and distribution equally that it depends upon good production practices. For a film to make money and achieve a good profit, marketing and distribution has to be done well and needs to be delivered to a wide range of audiences to attract a large population of viewers from all areas of the globe and all age groups as well.

Unlike the other Star Wars Films, The Force Awakens had Disney Motion Pictures in charge of all marketing and distribution. Disney determined what screens the film was shown on and what marketing took place. With Disney now being the owners of LucasFilm and having all rights over the Star Wars films this brought in larger audience than the other films had done. Disney is the biggest film production company in the world and is very popular in many households across the planet resulting in so many people becoming intrigued about ‘The Force Awakens’ even more so than they were about the previous films. An 88 second teaser trailer was released on the 28^th November which received 58.2 million views and also got critics talking which would naturally increase views and get more people talking about the film. This gave fans the chance to see the first glimpse of the new film without giving away the story line or main characters which were later released on Topps trading cards on December 11^th.  The official trailer was released in the next year in October 2015 with a vast number of views reaching 128 million views in the first 24 hours which broke box office records. This came alongside a poster designed and created by Drew Struzan.  In November 2015 the official Japanese trailer was released gaining even more worldwide coverage.

Disney put in a lot of money to all aspects of the marketing, especially in Japan and china where life size models of storm troopers were built to go in shops and in shopping malls, however more marketing was spread across the UK, The US and Canada. Vanity Fair magazine released a cover dedicated to the new film. Disney made collaborations and tie-ins with many companies, one being Google where fans could change their Google home screens to the ‘dark’ or ‘light’ side. This was a very clever idea as so many millions of people use the internet every day and would see this collaboration. It would also get fans and children/teenagers excited as they could engage in the film and become a part of it. Disney also collaborated with Lego to created figures of characters that children could buy and play with, further expanding the audience variety as many children would have been too young to see the film in the theatres. Also keen fans could have bought the figures as collectables. Disney also paired with Hasbro to create McDonalds toys to get more and more people viewing the merchandise. Of course Disney world had its own section dedicated to Star Wars which would have attracted thousands alone. Force Friday was the biggest day for the all merchandise as it is where all the collaborations were sold and where fans could meet Rey and Finn. Madame Tussauds introduced wax figures to their collection also.

Another major night that gained a huge amount of media attention was the premiere for the film that was hosted to over 5000 guests in Los Angeles.

Disney Motion Pictures were also in charge of distributing the film. Disney have been doing this since 1953 with all of their previous films. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shot on 35mm and 65mm film to achieve the authenticity of the original three films however it had to be distributed digitally as there are hardly any cinemas that are able to show film in on their screens as they have all been converted to digital. Film is extremely expensive to distribute and can cost up to $7.5 million to distribute a big film to America. Digital costs 90% less than film does making it more feasible to distribute the film to more countries around the world. The Force Awakens was distributed to 44 countries across the globe; this was more achievable as there was only a hard drive to transport over. In the USA the film was shown on 4134 screens, 3300 of which were 3D. In the UK it was shown on 4143 screens including 3D, premium large screens and IMAX. In the UK, Vue cinema sold 45,000 tickets in the first 24 hours and sold £6.5 million worth in the first week.

The film had to be shown on a large number of screens making sure everyone of all ages could watch the film. Star Wars is a four quadrant film covering male and female under 25s and male and female over 25. Marketing for The Force Awakens was so complex as it is a mainstream worldwide film meaning the marketing had to reach out to all age groups however this did increase the profit as more people could see the film.

The new Star Wars film had a budget of £306,000,000 and also received a government grant of £31.6 million. This meant that production practices could afford to be the best they possibly could. Having Disney as the name behind the film and also having JJ Abrams who is an A-list director, directing the film this was a good basis for the film. Lawrence Kasdan helped write the scripts for The Force Awakens, this also made links with the original films as Kasdan had written the scripts for Empire Strikes Back. There was nostalgia with the last film as they brought back original characters which would allow the audience o relate to the previous films and would maintain the film’s original fan base. There were some unknown actors that starred in the film such as Daisy Ridley and John Bodega who didn’t have links to other films, for example, Daniel Radcliffe always being associated with the Harry Potter Films meaning the audience didn’t associate them with also films and really engaged with them as characters in the film. The new actors were creating a new start to the franchise similarly to how Harrison Ford did with the original films. Abrams cut and shortened the film during pre production as he wanted to keep it simple after complaints had been made about the previous films being too complicated and looking fake.

Pinewoods studio was used to shoot the film and be the set for a majority of the film. Pinewoods is known to be the best studio in the world and is also where many other big films franchises are filmed such as the James Bond films. The budget allowed for the producers and cast of the film to out to different location all around the world to create the best look for the films without just creating sets in the studios. Deserts in Aub Dhabi was where the first scene were shot. This allowed for a realistic set up and where life size models could be used. Disney wanted to build as much of the sets as they could as well as using CGI to make the sets look as real as possible instead of using SFX for everything. The Millennium Falcon was built by hand to give it the realistic effect they wanted. Techniques such as ILM were created by George Lucas specifically for the film as there is not SFX like it.

Worldwide, Star Wars: The Force Awakens made a profit of £258 billion proving that marketing and distribution is heavily relied upon equally to production practices. The film is still making money today and has past making a higher profit than the previous films. All of the Star Wars films have been big films with big budgets however not all films have to have a big budget and A- list directors to make a profit. For example, The Kings Speech had a very small budget of $90 million dollars yet managed to make a profit of $859million. This demonstrates what good marketing and distribution can do.

 

 

 

Regional Identity Essay

Regional Identity Essay

The establishing shot is of an outdated doctor's surgery, lacking many of the modern items one would expect to see, this cultural code immediately positions the audience to regard the countryside as ‘behind’ in terms of technology and other advancements- this is a common stereotype of the countryside. The use of the wide angle allows the audience to see the contrast between the suit wearing Doc marten (who represents the ‘city’) and the two boiler suit wearing tradesmen (who represents the countryside). Doc Marten is positioned higher in the frame, which connote power and authority, whilst one of the two workers appear lazy; he is seated, overweight and eating. The room appears uncared for, it is lit using natural soft key lighting and through the use of the mise en scene we can see that there are boxes piled up.

As the extract continues, the stereotype of working people in the countryside is challenged as the boy in the boiler suit stands up and becomes the most prominent character in the two shot. The stereotype is challenged as the diegetic sound of the conversation between larger man and the boy suggests that the boy’s intelligence is far above what is expected from a tradesman in the countryside. As the boy stands up he is perfect shot of the camera which indicates his power over the shot, as the shot changes, are opinion of him changes as we see that he is more intelligent than we expected. The boy is now standing equally to Doc Marten which would now infer that they are both equally intelligent. There is a contrast between the larger man and boy as the larger man is portrayed to have a simple minded, very uneducated and to be very set in his ways. This is a clear demonstration of the generation gap between the two and the way that the larger man has been brought up in a traditional countryside side setting where everything is more relaxed and is not seen to be as involved with the wider world, unlike the boy who had a clear understanding of books.

 

Further on in the extract the audience sees a wide angle shot that is held for a long period of time, of both the larger man and Doc Marten. Doc marten is standing further back in the shot and is seen to be above the larger man, positioning the audience to think that Doc Marten is more powerful. At the time when the pipe bursts the larger man remains seated as Doc Marten and the boy start to panic showing that the larger man is more relaxed and thinks that he has time to complete the job. The camera then focuses on Doc Marten where the audience sees a close up shot of him waving his hand at the two tradesmen. This automatically demonstrates that Doc Marten knows his power over the tradesmen as he wants them to sort the issue that has arisen. The camera returns to a wide angle shot where the audience sees the characters panicking whilst the larger man remains seated and does not try to assist the situation. This continues to support the stereotype of people who live in the countryside are more relaxed. The boy is seen to run off to answer the phone, a diegetic sound in the scene, which is making a rather annoying sound that further increases the stress of the characters resulting in Doc marten having to step in and help sort the broken pipe. This is when the stereotype of Doc Marten is challenged as we expect him not to do any manual labour as he is from the city. The camera angle quickly changes between characters, going from the boy to the lady, to the dog and then the larger man which would suggest that their priorities are very different and they think that they have all the time in the world to get a job done, reinforcing that they are relaxed and free-willed. The speed of the camera increases the tension and stress of the characters and finally settles on close up of Docs face which is full of anger and gives a stereotypical opinion of people from the city suggesting that they want to get things done quickly and are always in a rush.

 The start of the next scene in the extract beings with a tracking shot of Doc Marten walking through the streets are of the small village. The music that is fun and lively is the use of non-diegetic sound which gives the scene a humorous feel as the audience sees Doc Marten dragging the dog up the hill. The buildings are made of stone giving the village an old, quaint feel to it positioning the audience the think that it is not very modern and hasn’t been renovated for years. Doc is seen to be walking briskly compared to the other people in the village and startles a lady as he walks past her. This demonstrates that people living in the countryside are very slow and take their time when walking around the village. The scene continues with a tracking shot then cuts to Doc Marten in the police stations. Here the audience sees a policeman hoovering in his office demonstrating that in the countryside there isn’t a lot of crime and he doesn’t have anything to do. The shot changes from Doc Marten to the police officer to show dialogue between the two using an eye line match shot to infer that in the countryside a doctor and policeman are equal. The door remains in the shot to foreshadow that Doc Marten is going to leave. The non-diegetic music becomes sad and tense when Doc Marten leaves which positions the audience to know that Doc Marten is an important character.

A ‘oner’ is used at the start of scene three as Doc is walking down a small road. A tracking shot is used to follow Doc Marten as he walks down the road, coming closer to the camera. The lady in the scene is seen to be doing something in the boot of her car and is dressed better than other people in the village, in a velvet jacket and blouse, positioning the audience to think that the lady is upper class and wealthier than other villagers. This could also connote that she uses her car to go further than the village also demonstrating that she is not a set in her ways like most people in the countryside. The lady has a high-pitched posh voice which could also suggest that she has not always lived in the village. Continuing on in the scene there is a tracking shot to show the lady and Doc Marten walking. There is no music in this scene; there is wind and seagulls as diegetic sounds throughout the scene allowing us to picture what is happening out of the shot also inferring  that in the countryside there is little noise and it is very peaceful compared to in the city. Doc marten is wearing a watch however the lady does not appear to own one suggesting Doc Marten is the only one conscious of time due to previously living in the city compared to the lady who easily gets distracted talking to people further supporting the stereotype that people from the countryside are friendly.

The next shot is a long shot of Doc Marten walking past the school. The school is central to the shot which would connote that the school is important and could foreshadow that something was going to happen later on. The camera then changes to a medium shot of Doc Walking past the school giving us a sense of the direction he is looking. The camera switches to a shot reverse shot as the teacher and Doc show acknowledgment of each other. Both the teacher and Doc Marten are on the right side of the shot, positioning the audience into thinking that they are related in some way. The non diegetic semantic music becomes slower and more intense as Docs curiosity increases.

The final scene is of an old lady who is traditionally dressed in a dark green jacket and an old worn shirt. This outfit is stereotypical of famers who live in the countryside. The old lady is scene to be unloading vegetables from a cart. This further positions the audience the think that everyone in the countryside grows their own crops or works on a farm. The non-diegetic music becomes slower adding tension to the scene and leaving the audience unaware of what might happen in the scene. The scene continues with a medium shot of Doc Marten and the older lady. Doc is standing behind her in the shot which would show that the older lady is weaker than Doc Marten further supporting the stereotype of people from the city being stronger than those who live in the countryside. The extract ends with a medium shot of Doc Marten following the older lady into her house reversing the stereotype and giving the older lady power and authority over Doc Marten.

 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awaken

Who owns LucasFilm?
LucasFilm is owned by Disney which the largest film production company in the world. it was founded October 16th 1923 in Los Angeles California, United States. The founders of the company are Roy O. Disney and Walt Disney.

Who formed LucasFilm?
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American filmmaker and entrepreneur. He is best known as the creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as the founder of LucasFilm and Industrial Light & Magic.

What year was LucasFilm formed?

LucasFilm was founded in 1971 in San Rafael, California. Most of the companies operations were moved to San Francisco in 2005.

Who is the president of LucasFilm?

Kathleen Kennedy is president of LucasFilm. she became president on October 30th 2012.

What other major films have they worked on?

Other Major films that LucasFilm has worked on out the Indiana Jones films,

How much was LucasFilm sold for?

LucasFilm was sold for $4.05billion. George Lucas said that he would donate most of the money to his education funds.

Who wrote Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

Lawrence Kasdan, JJ Abrams and Michael Arndt

Who directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

JJ Abrams directed the last Star Wars Film who is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and composer.

What other major films is the director responsible for?

Other films that JJ Abrams has directed are mission impossible 3 2006, Star Trek 2009, Super 8 2011 and Star Trek into Darkness 2013.




How many Star Wars films have there been so far (list them)?
There has been 7 Star Wars films so far.
IV- A New Hope, May 25th 1977
V- The Empire Strikes back,May 21st 1980
VI- Return of the Jedi, May 25th 1983
I- The Phantom Menace, May 19th 1999
II- Attack of the Clones, May 16th 2002
III- Revenge of the sith, May 19th 2005
VII- The Force Awakens, December 18th 2015


How much money have they all made at the global box office?
IV- A New Hope, May 25th 1977. $786,598,007
V- The Empire Strikes back,May 21st 1980. $534,171,960

VI- Return of the Jedi, May 25th 1983. $572,705,079
I- The Phantom Menace, May 19th 1999. $1,027,044,677
II- Attack of the Clones, May 16th 2002. $656,695,615
III- Revenge of the sith, May 19th 2005. $848,998,877
VII- The Force Awakens, December 18th 2015. $2,058,662,225

When was the first Star Wars film released?
IV- A New Hope, May 25th 1977


What does ILM stand for and what does it do?
Industrial lights and magic is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975. It is a division of the film production company, LucasFilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when Lucas began production of the film Star Wars. ILM was considered the leading industry standard production house for computer graphics in film; many studios other than Lucasfilm sent scenes to the studio for CG. It is also the original founder company of the animation studio Pixar. Lucas wanted his 1977 film Star Wars to include visual effects that had never been seen on film before. Lucas named the group Industrial Light and Magic, which became the Special Visual Effects department on Star Wars.


What do casting directors do?
Casting directors find and audition the actors for the characters.


Where were the first scenes for Star Wars: The Force Awakens filmed?
Filming for "The Force Awakens" took place at Pinewood Studios, located near London, but the cast and crew traveled to several locations around the world to film scenes for different fictional planets. The galaxy of Jakku was filmed in the desert Rub' al Khali desert, Abu Dhabi. Other places that were filmed in were the Forest of Dean, Berkshire and the Lake District.


What format was Star Wars: The Force Awakens shot on?
the new star wars film was shot on Kodak film


What types of camera were used to film Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
Panavision creates a new set of lenses for the film as JJ Abrams wanted to preserve the original look of the film. Panavision started with C and B series cylinders, and developed a hybrid version that used some T Series technology. Some desert exteriors and effects plates were shot with 15-perf IMAX. On those shots, the lenses included T-2 80mm and T-2.8 50mm models refitted with Panavision mechanics and Panavision proprietary glass. They filmed it on film instead of digital to make me it look more like the first three films. 


What studio was used to film a large portion of the film?
Pinewood Studios


Where is the studio?Pinewood Studios is a British film studio and television studio located in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of central London and 7 miles from Windsor.


What major franchise is famously filmed at this studio?
the James Bond films


How does said franchise link to Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
the James Bond Films were being filmed at the Pinewood studios at the time. Daniel Craig happened to walk onto the Star wars set and was given a Camio in the film as a storm trooper.


Who was the inspiration for the character Maz Kanata?
Maz Kanata is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she is a CGI character voiced and performed by  Lupita Nyong'o. Maz, a former pirate and smuggler, is over 1000 years old and manages an interstellar tavern in a castle on the fictional planet, Takodana.  The character was originally based on High school English teacher Rose Gilbert. She taught both JJ Abrams and Rick Carter. She died in 2013.




What technology was used to create Maz Kanata?
Motion capture was used for the creation of Maz Kanata. the character was originally going to be a puppet. Motion capture (Mo-cap for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics.

Who played Maz Kanata & what other roles is she famous for?Lupita Nyong'o played Maz Kanata and Arti Shah played her double. Maz Kanata was also voiced by Lupita Nyong'o. She stared in other films such as 12 slaves a slave (2013), The Jungle book (2016), Non-Stop (2014) and Queen of Katwe (2016)


Who played General Snoke?Andrew clement "Andy" Serkis is an English film actor, director and author. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters as  Gollum in The Lords of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), the eponymous King Kong in the 2005 film Caesar in Rise (2011) and Dawn of the planet of the apes (2014)


What is he renowned for in the movie business? he is renowned for his experience with motion capture technology as he has played many roles in films that have used a lot of the motion capture technology.


Where was the final scene filmed?
The final scene of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was filmed at Skellig Michael, an island located 7.2 miles west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.


Who composed the film score?
John Williams


How many Star wars films has he composed the music for?
he composed music for all the star wars films apart from Star Wars: The Clone Wars who was composed  by Kevin Kiner.


What other famous films has he created the music for?
he has composed music for the world highest grossing films including Jaws, the Star Wars series, Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,  the Indiana Jones series, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and the first three Harry Potter films.


How mant times did John Boyega audition for the film (according to JJ Abrams)?
he auditioned 9 times


Over what period of time did these auditions occur?
these auditions could place over 7 months


How many people operated B-B8?
2 people operated B-B8


What type of technology was the main version of B-B8?
The voice of BB-8 was given by comedians Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz both credited as"BB-8 vocal consultants" in the film. The voice was created by Abrams manipulating their voices through a talkbox, attached to an iPad running a sound effects app. Dave Chapman and Brian Herring controlled BB-8 in the film by wearing green suits that allowed them to be taken out after filming.


What colour suit did the B-B8 operator wear?
the operator wore  green suit


Why did he have to wear such a suit?
A green man suit is the same color as a green screen backdrop, making it easy to delete the people wearing them later during post-production. The green screen suit comes in a variety of sizes and covers the wearer from head to toe. They are completely chroma-key green to match green screen backdrops. The suits are usually close-fitting so that there will be few wrinkles or shadows; this will allow a person to be practically invisible in a shot when filmed against a green screen backdrop.


What type of special effects (SFX) were employed on Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
Abrams wanted the film to look as much like the original films as possible so he used a lot of CGI, other technology that he used are:

• industrial light and magic
• green screens and green suits
• motion capture technology

How many people were behind the monitor watching the scene when Han and Chewie returned to the Millenium Falcon?
200


Why was Simon Pegg thanked in the credits for Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
He was credited as he played a role in the film and he came up with numerous ideas for the film and also him and Abram are friends and he helped Abrams out by playing a role in this film.


JJ Abrams shot part of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX. What is IMAX?
IMAX is a  widescreen cinematography technique which produces an image 10 times larger than a standard film would be able too


How many IMAX screens was The film available on?
The film was available on 1000 IMAX screens.


What was the age rating of the film in the UK?
12A


How much money did the UK government contribute to the production of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? (Express this figure as a percentage of the total cost and as a figure in pounds).
The UK Government provided the film with £31.6 million to this particular film. This figure was 13% of the whole cost of the film.


How much was Harrison Ford paid to reprise his role of Han Solo?
Harrison Ford was paid £20 million for his role in this Star Wars as it was a come back for his character.


How much were Daisy Ridley and John Boyega paid?
They earned between $100,000 ad $300,000 for their roles in this film.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens research

Star Wars: The Force Awakens research

producers/ production companies

the three producers for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens were JJ Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy and Bryan Burk. The creator of the star wars trilogy, goerge Lucas' sold his production company Lucasfilm and the star wars franchise to The Walt Disney Company. Lucas said "I always said I wasn't going to do anymore, and that's true, because I'm not going to do anymore, but that doesn't mean im unwilling to turn it over to Kathy to do more." representatives from Lucasfilms had a meeting with George Osborne to ask him if he would agree to filming the new star wars film in the UK. Osborne committed £25 million of public money towards the film. The government in total gave £31.6 million towards the film. However portions of the film were filmed in the united.

Director
JJ Abrams was named director in 2013 along with Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. everal directors were considered including David Fincher, Brad Bird, Ben Affleck and Guillermol Del Toro.

Screen writer
Michael Arndt worked on the scripts for 8 months, however said that he needed 18 more which was more time then Abram or Disney could give him. Kasdan and Abrams took over script duties. the first draft was completely. he said that he wanted the film to return to the roots of the original films and was based more on emotion rather than explanation. in January 2014, Abram confirmed that the script was complete.

Actors
Daisy Ridley- Rey
John Boyega- Finn
Harrison Ford- Han Solo
Oscar Isaac- Poe Dameron
Carrie Fisher- Princess Leia
Adam Driver- Kylo Ren
Gwendoline Christie- Captain Phasma
Mark Hamil- Luke Skywalker
Peter Mayhew- Chewbacca
Anthony Daniels- C- P30
Kenny Baker- R2-D2
Paul Warren- Varmik

Budget
the production budget the film was $306,000,000 yet George Osborne committed 25 million of public  money to the film, saying that it was a boost for British culture and the British film industry.

Screens shown onthe most popular screen that the film was shown on was the 375 to 400 IMAX cinema screens. It was shown 78 times in the first 24 hours in a Vue Cinema in London. the film was pretty much shown on cinema screens worldwide where It was most popular in the US, China, and the UK

Box office figures: worldwide, US, China
The Force Awakens grossed $936.7 million in North America and $1.132 billion in other territories for a worldwide total of $2.068 billion. the film is the highest grossing film of 2015. It was the 24th film in cinematic history to gross $1 billion worldwide, standing as the fastest film to surpass the mark, doing so in 12 days

Music (composer of score/ soundtrack)
I July 2013, John Williams to confirmed to be composing the score. the music from the first two trailer were a rework from previous John William pieces. Recording sessions for The Force Awakens began in June 2015 at the Sony Pictures Studios'.Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage in  in Culver City, with William Ross conducting most of the music. The first day of recording was June 1, 2015. William continued to conduct the rest of the records. The score was recorded by a freelance orchestra. The 90-piece orchestra recorded 175 minutes of music, although nearly an hour of that was discarded, modified, or rerecorded as Abrams re-edited the film. Williams's theme for Snoke was recorded by a 24-voice men's chorus. The film's soundtrack was released by walt Disney records on December 18, 2015.

Marketing (teaser trailers, trailers, posters, websites etc)
domestic DVD sales- $26,930,021
domestic Blu-ray sales- $128,520,899
total domestic video sales- $155,450,920
on November 28th 2014, Lucasfilms released a teaser trailer to advertise the film. it generated 58.2 million views on youtube in the first week. on December 11th 2014, Abrams and Kennedy released 8 mock Topps trading cards giving names of some of the characters. On April 2016, a second trailer was released. it received 88 million views within the first 24 hours.

Tie-in products
Disney publishing worldwide announced a series of 20 books and comics titled 'Journey to star wars: the force awakens'. Disney consumer producers announced that on September 4th 2015 would be named 'force Friday' where all merchandise would be sold. this began at 12:01am where fans could buy toys, books, clothing and various other  merchandise at Disney stores and other retailors.  Among these products were a remote-controlled BB-8 developed by sphero.

SFX (special effects - technology used)
As far as visual effects go, they shot as much in-camera as they possibly could. This meant building extensive sets, big models, and using matte paintings instead of relying on the green screen technology that was so prevalent in the prequels. They also used flat forced perspective paintings to do things like make a hallway or corridor appear longer than they actually are, and basically went practical and physical whenever they could.

Any issues
Originally Walt Disney discarded the star wars story lines as they were not that keen. Lucas said that that he would cause trouble because he know that Disney would want to change his ideas and set up for the film. Disney was never keen on George Lucas being part of the film.

Tessa Perkins- 5 assumptions

Tessa Perkins- 5 assumptions

• stereotypes are not always negative
• they are not always about the minority groups Eg: upper class twats
• they can be held about one's own group
• they are not rigid or unchanging
• they are not always false

There are many stereotypes made in Hotel Babylon, many of them are negative however there are some positive stereotypes such as the white blonde hair, blue eyed women who sat at the reception as hotel manager in charge of all the staff members. White blonde hair, blue eyed women are often seen as powerful and beautiful however this could also be a negative stereotype because as a woman you can only be powerful if you are beautiful. To other white people the stereotype of women with blonde hair and blues being powerful and beautiful is a positive stereotype however to other people such as women with brown hair or even women of a different race.

Another stereotype that society has taught to be a negative is that South African people are lacking intellect and unintelligent, however in hotel Babylon, Adam is portrayed an intelligent doctor, curing a women who has diabetes with Jam. This is seen in the clip as going against the original stereotype that we know. Also the stereotype of black people being lacking intellect, unintelligent and being the bad guys is a stereotype that is rigid and unchanged and has not changed since the slave trade even in this day and age black people are seen had the weak and bad.  


A stereotype that is not always false which is seen in the clip is where  immigrant control comes and take Ibraham from the hotel as he is an immigrant. There is still incidents today where black men and women are treated unfairly by white police officers who wrongly accuse them of doing something just because they are black and are stereotypically seen to be bad. At this age seeing immigrant control taking an immigrant or seeing a policeman arrest a black man or women for something they didn't do seems shocking to us as we have grown up in a society where racially prejudice is wrong however if are parents or grandparents watched it then they would probably see it as understandable.   

TV Representation- Ethnicity

TV representation- Ethnicity. Hotel Babylon clip

Mise En Scene

Mise En Scene

This scene is from the film Burlesque. This scene shows Jack and Ali experiencing an intimate moment after drinking too much at a wedding. They are standing very close to one another showing that they have a very close connection and have strong feeling towards each other. The way that Jack has his hand cupping Ali’s face shows that he has a desire to kiss her. As an audience we know that from their positioning this is a likely outcome. The fact that both are wearing very little clothing also suggests that something will happen between the two.  The background is out of focus and there is little there meaning they are alone and nothing is there to distract the audience allowing all attention to be on Jack and Ali. The lighting behind them is very dark with very little light which gives the room a very deep and romantic feel. However, the front lighting is directly pointing on Ali who is the main character in the film showing that this is one of her key scenes and a moment that has been leading up to in the film whereas Jack in not in the lighting as much however has some shadows on him meaning that he still a main character in the film however is less important compared to Ali.

Film Production

Film Production

Development - This is simply the process of 'finding' a story. Ideas for films come from a variety of sources, they can range from novels, real life events to computer game adaptations. Once you've got an idea you'll need someone to write a pitch for you which you take to a film producer in an attempt to get some funding to make your film. Even at this very early stage you need a very clear idea of who you're aiming you film at so you can include elements that will appeal to them.

Pre-production - Once you've got funding you establish your budget and can begin to get a film crew together, you can storyboard the script. You also need break the script down into individual scenes and identify all the locations, props, cast members, costumes, special effects and visual effects needed.

Production - This is simply the process of 'making' the film. Provided you've done your job properly in the pre-production stage making the film should be straight forward. 'Film' is very expensive and difficult to store so an increasing number of film makers are using digital cameras to save money.

Post-production - During this stage you take all the 'film' you've shot and give it to a film editor. They will then begin putting it together. Special effects will be added, a soundtrack will be added, any missing dialogue will be re-recorded and added resulting in a 'rough cut'. This will be shown to the director and a test audience who will offer feedback. Often this causes scenes to be filmed and added or removed.

Writer
A screenplay writer or screenwriter for short is a writer is practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays which the mass media such as films , television programs, comics or video games are based on. Screenwriting is a freelance profession where no education is required to become a professional screen writer, just the skill of storytelling and a good imagination. They are not hired employees; they are contracted freelancers. Professional screenwriters do not often work for free whereas amateur screenwriters will often work for free and are considered as ‘writers in training.  Screenplay or teleplay all begin with a thought or idea and screenwriters use these ideas to write scripts with intentions of selling them or having them produced.

Producer
they fill a variety of roles depending on the type of producer. Producers plan and coordinate various aspects of the film production process. This includes selecting scripts, coordinating writing, directing and editing and also arranging financing. The producers have the last word on whether anything can be changed such as sound, music, or scenes being cut   

Casting director
casting is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor or singer or dancer for a particular role or part in the script. They are responsible for the casting, arranging and conducting interviews and auditions and working with the director and the producer to understand what is needed.

Director
the film director is the person who directs the making of the film. The film director controls the films artistic and dramatic aspects. They visualise the scripts whilst guiding the technical crew and the actors. The film director has a key role in choosing cast members, production design and creative aspects of the filmmaking process.

Film finance
this occurs during the development of the film making process and prior to pre-production. It determines the potential value of the proposed film.

Camera operator
a camera operator  is the professional operator of the film or video camera. In the film making process the camera operator is responsible for physically operating the camera and maintain composition and camera angles throughout the film.

Editor
the editor is responsible for the creative and technical part of the post production process of filmmaking. The film editor works with raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences to create a finished motion picture.

Production designer
a production designer is the person responsible for the physical look of the filmed event such a TV program, video game, music video or advertisement. They have a key role in the creation of motion pictures and television. They work directly with the director and producer.

Marketing
the marketing team are responsible for the advertisement of the film and selling the film to  the public to ensure that a profit can be made on the film.

Exhibition
exhibition is the showing of the films in cinemas or on DVD to bring media attention through opening evenings and preview events.

5 by 5

5 by 5

Favourite albums

the 1975- I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it
the 1975 are an English rock band. the band has four members; Matthew Healy, Adam Hann, Ross Macdonald and George Daniel. I like them because their music is different and I like the way they express the meanings of their songs.


maroon 5- V
Maroon 5 is an American pop band with 7 band members; Mickey Madden, Adam Levine, James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, PJ Morton and Matt Flynne. I love this  album as their music has completely changed from their previous albums and his song lyrics are so relatable. the lead singer, Adam Levine can sing live as well unlike most singers.


Beyoncé- Lemonade
this album is the sixth album that the American singer has released. I love this album as her songs are so powerful and really connect with girls and women. her songs have a strong message and meaning behind her songs.


Jess Glynne- I cry when I laugh
this album is sung by the English singer Jess Glynne. it has a mixture of pop, soul and house music. I love this album as she is a great singer and expresses her feeling through her songs which are very relatable and relate to real life situations that her audience experience.


Adele- 25
this album is the third album released by the English singer Adele. the songs on the album are a mixture of pop, soul, contemporary R&B and folk music which makes all of the songs on the album different to each other. I love this album as she has an amazing voice and her songs are a lot different to the music she has previously written

favourite films

Burlesque
burlesque is a musical film directed by Steven Antin in 2010 in North America. it stars Char and Christina Aguilera. I like this film  because I love the costumes and makeup. also Christina Aguilera is an amazing singer.


Marley and me
Marley and me is a 2008  American comedy drama, directed by David Frankel. the film stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. it set a record the largest Christmas day box office ever with $14.75 million in ticket sales. I love this film because it is so cute and any film that has a dog in it is a must to watch. cute story line with good humour and actors.


Dear John
Dear John is a 2010 American drama-war film, starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. the film is directed by Lasse Hallistrom. I love this film because romantic films are so cute and the story line is easy to follow. the story line is also really relatable for a lot of couples. it has good but annoying ending though.


the wolf of wall street
the wolf on wall street is a 2013 American, black biographical comedy crime film. the film was directed by Martin Scorsese. I love this film because the humour is really funny and it has Leonardo DiCaprio in it which is good enough reason to watch any film.




the other women
the other women is a 2014 American comedy film directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Melissa Stack. the film stars Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Kinney and Don Johnson. I love this film because I love romantic comedies and the actors in the film are some of my favourite actors. it is so funny and easy to watch.

Most hated celebrities

Taylor swift

taylor swift is an American singer. Her music is mostly pop and country. I find her incredibly annoying and I am bored of always hearing about her exes and her relationships. I think she is very fake.

Chris brown

Chris brown is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. I do not enjoy his music at all and the media coverage of him beating his girlfriend at the time, Rihanna and holding a women to gunpoint in his house does show him in a very good light.

Madonna

she may be a seven-time Grammy awards winner and has sold millions of records throughout her carer but she is getting a bit old to be on stage wearing the ridiculous outfits she wears and her music may have been good but only on a night out. the drama over her son is getting slightly boring now and she should stop begging for attention.

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart is an actor best known for her main role as Isabella in the Twilight films. I find her one of the most annoying actresses there is. I don't think she is very good at acting and what she acts and speaks irritates me.


Kanye West
Kanye west is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer  and entrepreneur. I do not enjoy his music at all and as far as being a fashion designer, he looks ridiculous. I don't find him a very nice person as he never smiles.

Favourite song

 

closer by the Chainsmokers

'closer' is a song by American duo the chainsmokers, featuring American singer Halsey with added vocals by Andrew Taggart. the song was released on July 29th 2016, this is one of my favourite songs because I love songs by Halsey and by the chainsmokers so putting the two together was going to be a winner.

this must be my dream by The 1975

this song was written and sung by 'the 1975' it was released on their latest album, 'I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware' in 2016. I love this song as it is one of the more upbeat songs on the album. I love the chorus of this song and is good to sing at the top of your voice.

mardy bum by the arctic monkeys 

the arctic monkeys are an English rock band. this song was released in 2006 and is on the album 'whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not'. I like this song because it is different to the other music I listen too and it is not in the pop genre. I think the lyrics are quite comical and portray a funny story.

Alarm by Anne-Marie

Anne-Marie is an English songwriter and Karateka from Essex. She has previous hit singles with rudimental, 'rumour mill' and 'do it right'. I love this song because it is so catchy and has a good beat. the song is empowering for girls and Is good to sing along too.

sorry by Beyoncé

Beyoncé is an American singer songwriter, record producer and actress. the song was released on her 2016 album lemonade. it was written and produced by Wynter Gordon. I love this song because Beyoncé is a great singer and her songs are so strong, powerful and empowering to women.

favourite TV program

The Only Way is Essex

the only way is Essex, also known as TOWIE is a reality TV drama. it was created by Ruth Wrigley and Tony Wood. the show is narrated by Denise Van Outen. I love this program because it is so dramatic and something is always happening. its full of hair, makeup and cute dogs

The Great British Bake-off

the great British bake off is a BAFTA award winning British baking competition. the first serious was shown in 2010 and has been shown every year since. I love this program because Mary berry could melt anyone's heart and the presenters are so funny 


Coronation Street

otherwise known as 'corrie', coronation street is a British soap Opera created by Granda Television. it has been filming since 1960. I don't love this program gut when nothing else is on it's good enough to fill in the gaps and get to know the gossip from the cobbles.

The X Factor

The X Factor is a British reality television singing competition to find new talent in the music industry. the show was created by Simon Cowell in 2004. I like this program because it is easy to watch on a Saturday night when you are eating your dinner and whilst it does shoe some good singing talent, it also does provide at a lot of funny entertainment

tattoo fixers

Tattoo Fixers is a British reality television documentary which is broadcast on E4. the show stars James Hutton, Steven Porter, Louisa Hopper, Paisley Billings and Alice Perrin. The 4 tattoo artist all create sketches for people who come into the studio with terrible tattoos wanting to cover them up. I love this program because James Hutton, otherwise known as Jay is gorgeous and I love Alice and Paisley. I love tattoos and love to see the bad tattoos and the new cover ups.