Definition of British Films.

The government announced new rules to clarify what constitutes a 'British' film. Under the current Films Act 1985, movies can be classed as the home-grown product even if they are filmed largely outside the UK, but can be disbarred for not using enough British music.

Now the main qualification for classification as a Brit movie will be spending 70% of a film's budget in the UK and 70% of the film's labour costs on European and Commonwealth citizens.

Announcing the changes, culture secretary Chris Smith said, "The UK film industry has been going from strength to strength in recent years thanks to our wonderful array of acting and technical talent. We want to make it even more attractive to film in Britain, and our economy will undoubtedly benefit as a result."

Smith plans to put his words into action: the government has pledged to invest over £150 million into the British film industry (now estimated to be worth over £900 million per annum) over the next three years. What's more, tax breaks introduced in 1997 help producers and buyers write off production costs.

Since 1997 almost 200 films have been classed as British. Fewer than 20 British films per year were made between 1993-96.

Researching Organisations.

http://www.britfilms.com/

Britfilms.com if for access to the UK film scene and is publish by the Film Team at the British Council. The British Council is UK;s international organisation for education opportunities and cultural relations. Their purpose is to build a bond and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide. The Film Team is part of the British Council Arts Groups. The role of the arts group is to work with the best of British creative talent to develop innovative, high-quality events and collaborations that link thousands of artists and cultural institutions around the world, drawing them into a closer relationship with the UK. The areas they cover include music, drama, dance, visual arts, architecture, design, fashion, film, literature, new media, museums management and the creative economy.

Britfilms.com includes information about; the site itself, who does what in the UK film industry, film-maker resources and information, British films and film-makers, directory of international film and video festivals, training and courses, news and events, spotlight, cannes film festival guide and the site map. 

This website might be used by groups or individuals who are film, video and programme makers since the website is mostly targeted at them, but also people who are interested in becoming one of those listed above as the site also has information such as training and courses aimed at them also. 

Two interesting things I have learned from this organisation are: the British Council is the official UK agency for international cultural relations and promotes of new British films, internationally through festivals and showcases. Also the British Council Arts Group holds exhibitions and showcases where their work is illustrated to the public. 

http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/

The UK Film Council is the Government-backed lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad. They will support film-makers in the UK who are rising or world-class and are capable of creating distinctive and entertaining work. They have £15 million a year to invest across the development, production and completion of feature films. However funding is not the important part of being supported by the UK Film Council. Instead, your project can be assisted at every step of the journey by their team, who can offer advice and practical help with many aspects of developing and producing your film. 

Ukfilmcouncil.org.uk includes information about: the site itself (which includes information such as; UK Film Council at a glance, UK film - the vital statistics, putting UK film on the global stage, getting everyone closer to film, board of directors UK Film Council US, and diversity and inclusion), funding, filming, distribution, strategy, research and news.

This website might be used by groups or individuals who might be interested in the organisation funding them, filming in the UK or for film distribution. 

Two interesting things I have learned from this organisation are: they welcome applications from all kinds of film - from commercial mainstream to experimental, from genre movies to personal stories, from documentaries to animation to live-action fiction. Also they provide improvement grants to independent cinemas and fund the Independent Cinema Office and the Federation of Film Societies.

        http://www.netribution.co.uk/

Netribution was launched at the end of 1999, firstly as a free resource and magazine for film-makers to explore one question - how the Internet can help independent film-makers. Then as a new media researcher, book publisher, documentary maker, event organizer, project manager and party blagger. 

Netribution.co.uk include information about: news (including - contests, finance, scripts, production, festivals and film industry), interviews (from writers, film-makers, actors, animator, documakers, and producers) and blogs.

This website might be used groups and individuals who are interested in blogging ideas, gaining information from experienced people and becoming a writer, director, producer or actor.

Two interesting things I have learned from the website are: it's non profit and is run by mostly volunteers; also people are able to blog about their experience for those who are interested in their profession to gain a better understanding of how it works. 

http://www.bfi.org.uk/

BFI is the British Film Institute. Their world-renowned archive, cinemas, festivals, films, publications and learning resources are here to inspire you. The BFI promotes understanding and appreciation of film and television heritage and culture. 

bfi.org.uk includes information about: the site itself, what events are taking place, research & library for any information needed, education and learning at the BFI, filmstore, archive, news and press and media.  

The website might be used by a group or individual who are interested in learning at the BFI, going to their exhibitions, shopping at their filmstore and using their online resources for research.

Two interesting things I have learned from the organisation are: BFI Southbank screens over 1,000 films a year and the BFI IMAX on London's South Bank has the largest cinema screen in the UK.

Breakdown sheet.

Breakdown sheet for shooting:

This sheet shows a breakdown of when and where we are filming, who our main character's are, our assigned roles in the making of the film, mis-en-scene, special effects we will be using and what potential problems we might have whilst filming the certain scenes numbered. 

Film Sequence Feedback.

In class, we showed our fellow peers a draft of how our opening sequence will begin, we were asked to use sound effects and any special effects to demonstrate an idea of what it will appear as. The positive feedback we received from our following peers were that it was brilliant as the music/sounds used in the background went perfectly with our picture and their purposes for them being used came across really well. It looked and sounded like a horror opening and our shots were the right length for an opening sequence. However, we also received constructive criticisms which were that we did not have many different shot types which could have helped to make our opening sequence even more effective and also we still did not have a title for our horror opening sequence.

Film Distributor.

A film distributor is an individual or company who are in charge of releasing films to the public by either theatrically or for home viewing such as DVD. A distributor may do this directly or through theatrical exhibitors. Three major film distributors are Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros and Universal Pictures. Paramount Pictures have distributed films such as Morning Glory, Megamind. Shutter Island, the Lovely Bones, the Italian Job and Iron Man. Warner Bros have distributed films such as Harry Potter, Due Date, The Town, Life As We Know It, Inception, Rush Hour and Ocean's 11. Rogue Pictures have distributed films such as Cry Wolf, Fearless, Unleashed, Seed of Chucky, Mallrats and Assault on Precinct 13. A film distributor for my film would have to be Rogue Pictures since they are known for the amazing horror films they have distributed and this will help to attract people to watch my film. 

Opening Sequence: Jellybaby.

The Jellybaby task was to use Jellybabies to portray the different types of shots that we will be using in our film. We also had to annotate them with opening credits to show how the credits will be in our opening sequence. 

A close up of our main character.
Credits:
Company presenting film and Director.

A wide shot of her walking through the school hallways.
Credits:
Main characters. 

A medium shot of her walking towards her classroom door.
Credits:
Actors continued.

A medium shot of the door being slammed in her face.
Credits:
Editor, Written by and Music by.

Timeline.

Timeline for Se7en:

Timeline for Vertigo:

These timelines reveal that opening sequences last for sometime after two minutes but both differ in the credits. Within the first second instead of the title of the film showing (as many people would think), it is actually the production company. However, the next credits seen in these two films are different. In Se7en the next credit to be seen is 'an Arnal Kopulson Production' which is the people who put money into in film. Whereas, in Vertigo the name's of the actors is what's seen. The name of the director soon follows afterwards in both cases. The next credit in Vertigo is the film title, however, in Se7en it's the names of the actors and then the film title. Co-stars are then credited but are shown in different ways. In Se7en they are credited independently or with others but in Vertigo they are shown all together with a heading that reads 'Co-Stars'. After, both opening sequences go on to credit different people. Se7en's credits shown are of casting agency, music by, costumes designed by, edited by, production designer, director of photography, co executive producers, executive producers, written by and produced by. On the other hand, in Vertigo the next credits to be shown are screenwriters, director of photography, art direction, effects, photograph, set direction, titles designed, edited, assistant director, make-up supervision, hair style supervision, sound recording, costumes by, special sequence, music by, conducted by and associate producer. Again, some of these credits are put together. However, both sequences end in who the film was directed by.

Having taken all this in i have learned that opening sequences begin with which company produced it and end with the name on the director which is shown being credited twice in an opening sequence. Trailers only last a couple of minutes and the people who are credited differs in every trailer. Music is used to create suspense which helps it's audience realise what genre it is. And also not everyone who helped in the making of the film is credited. 

Film Plan - Feedback.

Having shown our Film Plan Prezi to our fellow classmates we recieved both positive feedback and constructive criticisms. The constructive criticisms were that we did not have a title for our film and as this is a essential part of the trailer a title is needed therefore, we need to decide on a film title as soon as possible. However, we also received positive feedback and these were that we had a good clear plot, an interesting presentation and understood the meaning of an opening sequence. Overall I believe my group have a good opening sequence that will be able to attract our target audience, however, we also need to come up with a title that will also help to attract our target audience but this may be difficult sine we have to ensure that our title doesn't sound familiar to other horror films.

Skills learned from the prelim task.

Prelim task.
We were given a task where we had to come up with an opening sequence for our own Horror film. We were taught the use of different camera angles and how they are effective withing a horror film. for example, an establishing shot helps the audience understand the characters surrounded and what is happening within in. Having watched several horror film opening such as Scream, Se7en, the Others etc, it gave us an idea of what is expected to be seen within the opening. These ideas come under the term 'Conventions of Horror Movies', which includes such things as blood or weapons or sream or death etc. The use of these conventions helps the audience identify the genre of the movie.

However, for the audience to feel invloved with the film Non-digetic and Digetic sounds are used. Non-digetic sounds are sounds such as the background music, wherease Diegtic sounds are sounds such as a door slamming. The effect of Non-digetic sounds are to create a sense of suspence and for it's target audience to feel uncomfortable. For example, in Scream the music is rapid and loud, helping to create a sense of fear and anxiousness. Digetic sounds too are used to create a sense of suspence but mostly makes it's target audience jump. For example, in the Strangers when there's a knock at the door, the audience jump as the knock is sudden and then they begin to uncertain as they question who is at the door?

After having learnt all this, we were ready to decide who our target group(s) are and on out opening sequence of our own horror film. We decided to we wanted to aim our film at teenagers and young adults as they are more likely to go and watch a horror film since they have more time on their hands. We wanted our opening sequence to not be something that was easy to figure out and understandable, instead we wanted our audience to be confused. For example, the opening sequence of the Others starts with the main character, Nicole Kidman reading a child's book and then there's a sudden scream (Digetic) to make the audience jump. The camera then shows us three other character's walking to a house which looks haunted (Convention) talking about something to do with death and as they reach the door the main character opens it looking confused as to why they are there. This opening sequence is effective because it makes the audience ask questions such as 'why did she scream?', 'who's dead?'. 'what's going on?' etc and also makes them want to watch more of the film in order to undertstand what's going on.

We were also taught about the term 'mis-en-scene'. This includes the props, setting, costumes, make-up and lighting used in the film. We decided we wanted our character to wear school uniform as the opening scene begins with her in school (setting), holding her school books and bag (props). Make-up is only used towards the ending of our opening as we wanted our main character to look 'dark', 'evil' and 'scary'. Also we decided we wanted to use natural lighting. Having learnt about different camerawork/shot types, we decided to use a range of shots such as mid close-up, close-up, establishing shot etc, to help create different effects. Our editing skills came from our own experience and this helped us to come up with a lot of different ideas that could have more effect on our audience. Also for sound we decided to use Non-digetic sounds such as ballads to confuse our audience in thinking nothing scary is going to happen at that point. We used Digetic sounds such as the sudden slam of a door to make our audience jump and we also decided to use the technique of a voice over.

Art Of The Title Sequences.

Se7en:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY
The opening sequence of Se7en starts off with several different images, showing someone planning and/or writing down something. These several different images include books, razer, pen marker, plaster etc.

Panic Room:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqIclb4qsJI

The opening sequence of Panic Room starts off with an establishing shot. The establishing shot is of a city which is busy and is full of hundreds of people. The camera pans around to show whats within the city and to reveal how busy it is.

 

Scream:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFCStOMqpfk

The opening sequence of Scream starts off with a medium close up of the main character (a cute blonde girl who looks innocent as she dons a knitted cream cardiagan) talking over the phone. It's not until the third phone call from this unknown person

Film Plan.

Characters:

Main character:
Name - Alexandra Fernanda Castro Rivera.
Age - 15 years old.
Origin -  Latin American.
Occupation - Student.

Mother:
Name - Maria Santana Rivera.
Age: 34.
Origin - Latin American.
Occupation - Hotel maid.

School students and random dead people.

Plot:
Alex, a 15 year old girl, feel as though she is being ignored by everyone around her including her mother. Since the age of 5, she has felt isolated and neglected by everyone she comes into contact with and so on her 15th birthday, it is the last straw. She thinks she has a sixth sense and can see dead people but what she doesnt realise is that she is dead herself.

Sound:
- voice over  (Alex speaking, brief introduction)
- background music (slow ballad)
- chatter of school students.

Mise-en-scene:
Costumes: school uniform and maid uniform.
Makeup - pale makeup for Alex.
Backgrounds: school, pupils, dead people, bedroom, kitchen, street and house.

Lightings:
Natural light.

Camera work:
Wide shot.
Long shot.
Extreme closeup.
Medium shot.
Establishing shot.
Match on action.
180 degree rule.

Conventions of Horror Movies.

Horror Films are unsettling films made to frighten and panic us, normally in a shocking finale, while entertaining us at the same time. Horror films focus on the dark side of life, the supernatural and evil events. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears. Whatever dark, primitive, and revolting traits that simultaneously attract and repel us are featured in the horror genre. Conventions of horror movies are things that you expect to see in a horror film. There are two types of conventions: Convention 1 and Convention 2. Convention 1 includes blood, death, killing, villain, victims, haunted houses, isolated settings, monsters, evil etc. Whereas, Convention 2 are things such as weapons, darkness, storms, chase sequences, gore, violence, screams and ghosts.

As we can see here the villain known as Freddie Kruger in the film Nightmare on Elm Street, has a signature weapon that helps to create the evil, scary and violent image. Weapons in horror films that are used to kill the villain’s victims make a statement. The director wants you to feel a certain way about the gore you're seeing on screen. The different weapons used in a horror film are for different effects. The butcher knife is a weapon audiences are most familiar with and is like basic killings. For example, in the film Psycho the most memorable scene is when one character gets killed in the shower by a butcher knife solely because of the use of the weapon. Chainsaws are used by villains to keep their intentions clear, killing someone with it is messy and uncomfortable and even the noise is unsettling. This is why the scene in Scarface in the most memorable in the entire film. However, the most disturbing method of killing a victim in a horror film is with their bare hands. A villain who kills their victim with their bare hands is extremely angry as we notice in the American version of the film Grudge. This is the most disturbing method as the audience can identify with the villain since they too have bare hands

Isolated/Haunted houses are affective as the audience can relate to them since there has been a time when we've all walked passed a creepy house and been frightened. The first thing we think of when walking past an isolated house is that it is haunted. This is because of horror films such as the Amityville Horror which portrays isolated houses as having something to do with a curse or evil spirits.

Gore used in horror films play a special role as it is what the audience expect to see in a horror film . For example, films like Tokyo Gore Police uses gore affectively as it makes the audience cring and feel uncomfortable, however, it can also make then enjoy the film a lot more.

Analyses of opening sequence in Scream.

Scream (1996) is an American horror film directed by Wes Craven. Wes is best known for the horror film, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street (1986). Having done many horror films before, Craven knows what does and what does not make an audience jump and because of this he has won many awards for it.

In Scream the sound effects used are extremely effective as it helps create suspense and tension. It gives the film some "oomph" as it gets your heart racing and makes you feel uncomfortable. In Scream's opening sequence we can already tell something isn't right as the telephone continuously rings. This is known as a digetic effect. Digetic sounds are used to create suspense. He also uses other digetic sounds such as; breathing, door bell ringing, a dog barking, crickets, screaming etc to increase the suspense. However, not only does it help to create suspence but also helps to make it more enjoyable by making the audience feel involved as they are able to get a similar fear as the character. Non-digetic sounds are sounds such as music. Music plays an important role in horror films since it too helps to create a sense of fright. In Scream, the digetic music is rapid and loud, creating a sense of fear and anxiousness.

My Media Consumption.

My name is Stephanie and im currently studying A Level Media. I decided to study Media since it's something that effects and influences our everyday life. I wanted to see how Media is effectively presented, why it has been presented in such a way and the effects of it. Also since I am interested in becoming a Film Director or T.V. presenter, I believe that this course will help me learn the skills and techniques needed for these careers and will help me to reach my goal. My first assignment was to create a Prezi to present my media consumption. I included things such as my favourite: films, shows, music etc and put few words around it such as it's genre's and to describe the effects it has.