Question 2

Write an illustrated essay outlining all the ways possible to consume and produce films, with advantages and disadvantages.

The ways in which a film is consumed and produced is consistently increasing with technology, and an example of this would be Technological convergence. This is the merging of different technologies giving audiences access to media content (e.g. TV and films) from a variety of platforms in one system. Profliferation of hardware has changed audience consumption of film because in previous years you would usually have to wait until a film came out at the cinema to watch it, and there would be no access to online movie streaming unlike there is currently. Online, many people can access movies for free from sites like Putlocker and Megashare which would mean that the cinema would lose out on these profits. Therefore, it can be seen as a negative for the production company behind the movie, however a positive for those who cannot afford to go to the cinema. In the old days, only being able to watch a movie in the cinema puts pressure on the production company because it results in them having to compete against other films available in a highly saturated market, as audiences can consume films from numerous platforms. A positive with the proliferation of hardware however, for the distribution company, is that majors like 20th Century Fox would be able to spend more on advertising on areas such as the TV, radio stations and billboards where everyone would be likely to notice it. They'd also be able to develop more advanced web interactivity and print more copies of a film, whereas smaller companies such as Revolver Entertainment may not be able to take this risk without unknown box office returns.

Some positives of technological convergence would be that more people would have access to films from different platforms such as the cinema, online downloads, dvds and blu ray, iPhones and tablets whilst on the go. This would also mean that the audience would be able to watch any film that they fancy whenever they want to. Technological convergence also creates new opportunities for distribution and exhibition. The negatives of this however would be that the problem of piracy and lost revenue would grow which could effect production companies, and there would be less control on audiences by film distributors and exhibitors. This therefore means that if someone was to stream a movie online and they were only 12 years of age perhaps, they would have access to any movie regardless of it's certification. This results in young children watching movies that are extremely grown up for them and what should not be allowed to be watched by anyone younger than the classification number. 

Expanding on the topic of the cinema, this is an excellent way to consume a movie. You can go with friends which increases the profits and sometimes a bundle of people just go to spend time out together. A cinema offers a greater viewing experience than that of your home because the movie will be screened in high definition and sometimes 3D movies are created for the benefit of an audience. At the cinema you can buy snacks and relax whilst watching the movie, as every cinema room is large and has plenty of comfortbale room for everyone situated in there. Cinema's tend to make more money with food and drink than they do with the actual cinema ticket, without the food and drink sales cinemas would make an extreme lack of money and therefore there would be nowhere for new movies to be screened.

The television is a great way to consume movies, because channels like movies4men, moviemix and Film4 exist on freeview where movies are often aired to an audience. You can also use Netflix as a way to consume movies. Netflix has reported profits of $53m (£32m) during the first quarter of 2014, and revealed plans for a subscription price increase. The internet video streaming firm said it added 2.25 million new members during the period,  bringing its total global membership to 48 million. It also announced that a potential "one or two dollar increase" in monthly rates for new members later that year. This would be the downfall of streaming movies like this; the rate will always be increasing. The more successfull a company like Netflix becomes, the more they will charge for people to use their services.

Overall, there are many ways that an audience can consume films and many ways that production companies can produce films as the film industry will always continue to grow and develop the more technology that begins to evolve, along with the future ways to consume movies that will at some point develop also.

Question 2 - Disney

Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American business magnate, cartoonist, animator, voice actor and film producer. As a prominent figure within the American animation industry and throughout the world, he is regarded as a cultural icon, known for his influence and contributions to entertainment during the 20th century. As a Hollywood business mogul, he and his brother Roy. O. Disney co-founded The Walt Disney Company.

The Walt Disney Company started in 1923 in the rear of a small office occupied by Holly-Vermont Realty in Los Angeles. It was there that Walt Disney, and his brother Roy, produced a series of short live-action/animated films collectively called the ALICE COMEDIES. The rent was a mere $10 a month. Within four months, the ever-growing staff moved next door to larger facilities, where the sign on the window read "Disney Bros. Studio." A year later, in 1925, the Disney’s made a deposit on a Hyperion Avenue lot in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles. Construction began on the new studio shortly thereafter. During the next 14 years, many changes took place at the Disney studio: Mickey Mouse was "born" in 1928, followed by Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, and the rest of the Disney gang.

In 1937, Disney's innovative first full length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was released to critical acclaim and worldwide success. In order to expand and meet the expectations of his audience, Walt saw a need to increase the size of his studio. With profits from Snow White, he made a deposit on 51 acres of land in Burbank and began designing a modern studio specifically for the purpose of making animated films.

Next to Electric/Plumbing was the Special Effects shop, where the craftspeople created the myriad of unique effects that have come to be associated with Disney films. Flying cars, spaceships, miniature paddle wheelers, and medieval armor that comes to life are just some of the effects produced by this department.

The Paint Shop, which is in another large metal building, does everything from spraying cars and furniture to be used on a movie set, to spraying the set itself.

In the 1950s, as live-action films increasingly played a major role in the success of the studio, so did the inclusion of visual effects. Such memorable films as 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Darby O'Gill and the Little People began a tradition of combining complex optical effects with miniatures and matte paintings to create rich fantasy worlds on the screen. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Process Lab, renamed Photo Effects and then Visual Effects, was home to the distinguished artists and technicians responsible for the effects seen in Mary Poppins, The Absent Minded Professor, Blackbeard's Ghost, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Pete's Dragom, and Tron.

All charts are ranked by international theatrical box office performance where possible, excluding income derived from home video, broadcasting rights and merchandise. Animated family films have performed consistently well, with Disney films enjoying lucrative re-releases prior to the home video era. Disney also enjoyed later success with its Pixar brand, of which the Toy Story films and Finding Nemo have been the best performers; beyond Pixar animation, the Shrek, Ice Age, Madagascar and Despicable Me series have met with the most success.

Frozen is one of Disney's most successful animated movies produced within the last three years. It has swept across the world, whipping kids into a crystal frenzy, lightening parents’ wallets as of the past weekend (Jan 29 2014) by over $810 million. The Disney picture just surpassed "The Lion King" to become the second most successful original animated feature, and it has "Finding Nemo" in its sights.

"Frozen" still has its China release — a now highly lucrative market —  and with its soundtrack selling in the millions, a “sing-along” version of Frozen was released in selected theaters on January 31 2015 complete with on-screen lyrics and bouncing snowflake.

Early teasers and trailers for "Frozen" didn't feature princesses in tiaras, instead opting for boyish hijinks between snowman Olaf and reindeer Sven, as well as an emphasis on the fvm’s action sequences. It was an interesting gamble, but not without precedent.

Disney pulled the same sleight of hand with "Tangled" in 2010, effectively packing theaters with testosterone-fueled half-pints, who then were subjected to a picture about a very longhaired princess. That still leaves the question, why are even boys coming back for seconds and thirds with "Frozen"?

Every Tuesday morning, Pixar co-founders Ed Catmull and John Lasseter fly down to Walt Disney Co. headquarters in Burbank. The following day, they catch a flight back to their offices in Emeryville, Calif., where Pixar is based. The two execs have been at the helm of Disney’s entire animation division since CEO Bob Iger acquired the smaller animation house for $7.4 billion back in 2006 (a sale that turned the late Steve Jobs, who helped start Pixar, into Disney’s largest shareholder at the time). Lasseter, famous for his colorful shirts, is known as the creative whiz who helped bring iconic movies like Toy Story to life (a new installment in the popular franchise is currently in the making).

Question 2

Research how Ill Manors (2012) was marketed and promoted.

Ill Manors is a British crime drama film written, co-scored and directed by Plan B. The movie revolves around the life of eight characters and features six of Plan B's original songs to encourage the promotion of his album. The movie is set in Forest Gate, east London, where director Plan B grew up. Ill Manors was budgeted for around £100,000 and released on June 6th 2012, box office proceeds reaching approximately £256,000 on its opening weekend, which was 2 and half times the amount, it cost to produce it. Domestically, the film has earned a total gross of £453, 570 after eight weeks at the box office. In order for this thrilling movie to be as successful as it was, it relied extremely on the promotion and marketing campaign from Revolver Entertainment.

Firstly, Plan B made the album Ill Manors originally before the movie, for his fanbase. This meant that he already had strong committed supporters who would most likely go and watch his movie. "Ill Manors" was released as the album's lead single on 25 March 2012. Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 premiered the track on 27 February 2012, and the music video was made available on 4 March 2012. The single was officially made available on 25 March 2012. Little teasers were often released for his target audience as a run up for the release of him album. This meant that his fanbase would consistently be interested and entertained. Those that enjoyed the album were intrigued to go and view the movie created around it, and considering his album was number one for a short period of time it supports the assumption of his movie being a hit too. It's very unusual that a CD soundtrack from a rapper could help publicise the film, however it was a massive help to the publicity and advertising strategy - crucial for it to do well.

Secondly, The first film poster advertising the movie was first unveiled by Empire magazine's website on 8 May 2012. Digital Spy then also unveiled two further promotional posters on 18 May and 7 June 2012. There was 8 posters released to advertise Ill Manors, however the most popular one is the one where Riz Ahmed, who plays the drug dealer Aaron, is front and centre on the artwork, which carries the tagline "We are all products of our environment... Some environments are just harder to survive in". This poster encourages people to go and watch the film because it has 6 positive reviews printed symmetrical on each side of the poster. Someone calling it a five star is also evident on the poster which is a key feature that automatically influences someone into going to see the movie. The poster consists of reduced saturation in the colour, which implies that the movie is perhaps dark and mysterious, attracting that kind of audience. Riz Ahmed holding a gun means that this movie could also attract those that are interested in action movies, so this poster attracts many people interested in a variety of film genres.

Furthermore, The trailer for Ill Manors was first aired on The Guardian's website on 3rd May 2012 after the posters, which is the main contributor to the promotion of the movie that attracts an audience. Trailers tell the story of a film in a highly condensed fashion to have maximum appeal. In the decades since film marketing has become a large industry, trailers have become highly polished pieces of advertising, able to present even poor movies in an attractive light. They are typically made up of scenes from the film that they are promoting, which Revolver Entertainment done successfully. This marketing feature coming after the posters was ideal in attracting the audience as it meant they had a general idea of the movie, but were left clueless in the sense of what occurred throughout the 121 minutes of is run time. The film trailer was posted onto YouTube, which would often pop up as an advertisement at the beginning of certain YouTube videos. This would increase the advertisement of the movie as people on this social networking site would unintentionally stumble across the Ill Manors film trailer, and perhaps be eager to go and view it in cinema on it's release date. The film trailer received 736,820 views on YouTube, which isn't many when compared to Skyfall's 9 million and more. 

Moreover, following the poster releases, the premiere took place on 30 May 2012 at the Empire cinema in Leicester Square, London. Several British recording artists such as Alesha Dixon, Alexandra Burke, Professor Green, Tinie Tempah, Wretch 32, Example and Ed Sheeran also attended this screening. These famous celebrities attending this premiere also means that the fanbase of all of these individuals will most likely be aware of the premiere they are attending. This could encourage their fanbases to watch the movie also, not just Plan B's fan base. 

Additionally, Ill Manors has its own website as a helpful resource of advertisement. On the website there's a link to the trailer, a synopsis, stills which are images of characters from the shoot, videos where the audience can meet the cast along with see the footage from Plan B's tour. This is a positive method of advertisement because this film had only £100,000 budget and therefore couldn't stretch to vast amounts of advertisement and promotion.  Another link on the Ill Manors website is the "buy now' which sends the viewer straight to an amazon link of the blu ray dvd and normal dvd. This influences people to buy the movie because it's easily accessible. Links to its Twitter and Facebook account is also found on their website to encourage advertisements. Talking of social media, this encourages the film to make a profit as its Facebook account received 31,615 likes. In the 'about' section on Facebook, it educated the audience on the blu-ray and DVD copy, the debut film and the actors starring. It's Twitter account also encourages film and album purchases, however has only 3,000 followers which isn't many at all. But Ill Manors done itself proud with it's low budget anyhow. 

Finally, Ill Manors was released in US on Sundance Film Festival and shown at the Greater Manchester film festival which are non traditional routes that independent films have to take to create awareness, unlike Skyfall. The film was given a wide release to 191 cinemas in both Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom by Revolver Entertainment on 6 June 2012. Ill Manors was released in the Netherlands on 30 August 2012 by Benelux Film Distributors and was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Festival do Rio in September 2012. Ill Manors was released on DVD on 8 October 2012 and contains footage that was not broadcasted at the cinemas, which is an extra selling point as those that enjoy the movie will most likely purchase the hard disk to see the film again, along with its new additional scenes.