The Domination of Global Institutions.

3. ‘Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement?

An institution is an established organisation which is embedded within society. It is easy to see how global institutions could be seen as dominating media production. These institutions hold a vast amount of money, which consequently gives them a large amount of power in the marketing and distribution area. An example of a global institution is Disney, who have produced over 158 different feature films since 1923. Because of their success they can afford to use both horizontal and vertical marketing to make their institutions’ name become recognised and by doing this it enhances their growth. However, it is possible for smaller businesses to sell their products successfully; for example Bedlam Productions and See-Saw Films with their box office success, ‘The King’s Speech.’

     It could be said that as Disney is seen as such a large and powerful institution, it can dominate others as it is such a wealthy organisation which has managed to weave its way into everyday society. For example, when juxtaposing a Disney film such as ‘Finding Nemo’ with the See-Saw Films and Bedlam Productions’ (both independent film companies) ‘The King’s Speech’ we see that ‘Finding Nemo’ grossed $867,894,287 worldwide and ‘The King’s Speech’ grossed $427,374,139.  It is to be expected that a Disney film immediately attracts a large and loyal audience who have come to expect a high standard of production. However, ‘The King’s Speech’ had grossed more than the Disney classic ‘Toy Story’ which grossed $361,948,825. Somehow this unlikely hit featuring a private story about the English monarchy captured the hearts and minds of a global audience.

     From the above figures we can see in some senses inclinations that even if you do not have a large production company or a widespread target audience, if your story is firm and filmed effectively, it can still be a huge success. The budget for ‘The King’s Speech’ was $15,000,000 whereas the budget for Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was $200,000,000 – a huge difference. And yet, ‘The King’s Speech’ has received a far more positive reception than ‘Alice in Wonderland’; ‘The social and political background, acutely observed and carefully woven into the film's fabric…’ (The Guardian – Review on ‘The King’s Speech’.) Indeed, ‘The King’s Speech’ made 30 times its investment in profit while ‘Alice in Wonderland’ made only five times its investment (‘Alice’ grossed just over $1,000,000,000).

          This kind of success from a small production company could be considered the exception rather than the rule. Large Institutional powers could be seen as dominating and casting a shadow over smaller and more independent film companies- Disney has been nominated for over 200 Oscars, just over fifty of which it has won. ‘The King’s Speech’ had been nominated for 12 Oscars, four of which it won. If anything, this shows a certain quality to ‘The King’s Speech’. Although created by the small independent film companies Bedlam Productions and See-Saw Films along with the help of the UK Film Council, ‘The King’s Speech’ has made huge success as its content was rich and appealing and held a strong message for its viewers. Tom Hooper’s ‘The King’s Speech’ offers a case study in how the independent film sector can harness opportunity in the global film business. The Australian and UK film company See-Saw Films put together the financing and produced the film by striking deals with two key distribution partners and hiring Filmnation to sell to the rest of the world. The key to See-Saw Film’s success is their links with the large distribution companies Momentum Pictures and Transmission Films along with investment from the UK Film Council. Institutions such as Disney are producing films on such a frequent basis that they are beginning to lose their meaning, and many people are beginning to hold the view that only their 15 animated feature classics were truly quality films.

     The target audience also dictates whether a film or institution will be received well or not. Disney is directed more towards children and the youth; however they have taken into account the fact that adults will be taking these children to see these films so have put lines into the films that hold double meanings so there is some subliminal adult humour in there too. By doing this, they have broadened their target audience by some degrees. Films such as ‘The King’s Speech’ have a more narrow target audience, the film appeals to a more mature audience and it is not a film which would necessarily hold a great deal of interest across a large number of cultures. Disney has worked hard to achieve a form of global dominance with its films, it is easier for them to spread their films globally as they are directed at children and the content is appealing for children of most cultures. An example of Disney’s distribution of a film is the feature film ‘Robin Hood’ which was translated into sixteen different languages.

      The uses of marketing and distribution also contribute hugely to an institution’s dominance over media production. Walt Disney uses a vast array of horizontal and vertical integration to promote its films and products. Disney has its own record labels, TV Channel, radio station, video games, shops, websites and clothing lines. Disneyland is a huge income producer for the institution itself; it is the largest single site employer in the whole of the United States. Small production companies simply do not have the funds to have this kind of influential power over the media and world on a global scale. It all seems to boil down to finance. The more money held by a company, the more dominance it can have over media production; for example in the UK ‘Alice in Wonderland’ products were sold in the UK chain store Claire’s Accessories; there were games, Facebook groups such as ‘The Loyal followers of the Red Queen.’, Mobile phone Apps, Ringtones and the soundtrack by Avril Lavigne.

      Viral marketing is also used to help increase a film’s awareness and popularity. Trailers on Youtube adverts and fanclubs on Facebook are just a few of the ways films and institutions can advertise online. These methods of drawing an audience’s attention to a product can cost very little in comparison to more conventional marketing methods, which could be helpful for smaller production companies.

      Another factor is that Disney distributes films in association with many different studios such as: Touchstone Pictures, Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures. It can be said that global institutions such as Disney dominate media production by selling their products and services to national audiences, but it can be seen that other smaller production companies still have successful products. Their success can be overshadowed sometimes by larger institutions that produce films on a large scale, but over time a good quality film will always last longer and continue to sell.

     In many cases the big institutions need to create films rapidly because they are aware that their success will not last as their content is becoming less valuable to their audiences. Global institutions are trusted by society for their quality of work, so the expectations of the public are high, but even the largest institutions had to start off small and overshadowed. Overall I believe to a large extent that media production is dominated by global institutions, but independent ones still have the power to become influential.

Youth Representation in TV Drama

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of youth using the following:

·         Camera shots, angles and movement.

·         Editing

·         Sound

·         Mise-en-scene

As the extract begins we are focused on a close-up shot of Tony’s face. As the camera slowly pans out we see Tony lying in bed, the spotless white covers are smoothed and neat as if he has hardly moved in his sleep. He opens his eyes to the sound of church bells as the camera continues to zoom out and we see the bodies of a naked man and woman printed on his sheet. The room is extremely tidy- unusually tidy for a teenage boy. Tony comes across as being almost robotic as when the scene continues we get an insight into what looks like a structured daily routine he has made for himself. We see this routine in extremely shot and fast shots of him doing morning exercises before we are shown a longer shot of Tony admiring himself in the mirror afterwards. Whilst Tony is doing these exercises to some upbeat music with the shots often change on the beat to the music, this could reflect through rhythm that he is a structured person and the music used also is a reflection of youth as young people have a reputation for liking upbeat and loud music. The fact that the screen time lasts for longer on Tony when he is admiring himself highlights a certain vanity about him. 

       The fact that he is wearing white shows us connotations of Tony’s calmer personality which can be juxtaposed with his father’s impatience and extremely angry personality as his father is wearing red. When looking at Tony in the opening scene, surrounded by pure crisp white and the sound of church bells we see a certain purity of his character, this is later juxtaposed as we see him watching a woman from over the street getting changed and tricking his father to let his sister sneak back into the house. We see two sides to the family in this extract. When Tony and Effy are later sitting at the table eating breakfast the scene looks like a perfectly normal family breakfast, however this acts as a mask of normality to shadow the darker secrets that the children seem to be hiding from their family.

      We can already see so far that youth is represented in a way that shows challenges between themselves and their parents. We see this from Tony and Effy working together behind their parent’s backs after she has obviously been out without any permission or the parent’s knowledge. There is a certain drift between the lives of the youth and parents. The teenagers seem to have an almost completely separate life when outside their homes, which we see when Tony is walking down the street calling all of his many different friends. The camera shot when Tony is walking down the street calling his friends is from a low angle, juxtaposed when shown with the high angled shot of his scruffier friend. These angles can reflect that perhaps Tony is more in control than his friend.

      When Tony is calling his friends we see many different representations of youth. When he calls his first friend who is still in bed under the covers we see a filthy cluttered and messy room. This is a somewhat typical stereotype of teenagers and youth, laziness and a lack of tidiness. The shot on this friend begins with a close up of their mobile ringing on a dirty plate of food, once again highlighting the lazy attitude of this person as he seems too lazy to clear up after himself. These realistic portrayals of different types of youth show a certain verisimilitude. Another one of Tony’s friends is seen as practising the clarinet, showing that some teenagers are focussed and do use their time constructively to improve on their skills. We then see another of his friends, wrapped in a towel and moisturising her legs. The shot runs slowly up her leg, which hints at us that she must be attractive and possibly quite vain, when hearing the phone call we also hear that Tony is trying to get her to sleep with somebody, showing the common stereotype of teenagers having many intimate relationships and perhaps because of this undermining what a relationship is or landing in awkward situations from their actions.

      When Tony is walking down the street we hear a great deal on non-digetic sound such as drills and cars, this ambient sound creates a feeling of verisimilitude. We also see Tony walk past some graffiti on his way, another subtle symbol of youth and the impact which is often negative that they leave on society. As Effy is sneaking into the house we are shown cross-cutting between her sneaking inside and Tony distracting their father, this created a certain paranoia for the audience as we wonder whether Effy will get caught, showing us that teenagers are perhaps scared of their parents despite the fact that they do not seem to be scared of situations that are far more dangerous. It highlights a certain irrationality of the views and things that young people are afraid of.

Disney Practice Essay

"Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices." To what extent would you agree with this statement, within the media area you have studied?

Disney is an institution which covers many different areas in the media, it was founded in 1923 and had produced hundreds of films. Disney’s success in the media is greatly based off the success of its films; however, this may not be the main contributing factor.

     Disney’s success in films has created a large area in the market for merchandise. We can see examples of the institution of Disney using vertical integration across many different areas of the media. Disneyland features the many of the most popular and upcoming Disney films, it acts as a family resort where rides are built themed on different popular films. There are many shops which sell Disney products, whether that is by using a Disney character on an item of clothing or whether this is the Disney Store itself selling toys and games featuring many of the Disney characters which people are familiar with. Disney also releases magazines for some of their programs, there is the Disney Channel, they own a Radio station and a=there are also Disney Cruises.

      Horizontal integration can also be seen when we look at Disney. Disney has many different labels in which its films are distributed under, this can be to do with their themes and target audience, for example, their more mature films are distributed under Touchstone Pictures. Disney also distributes its products and programs under: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Disney Theatrical Productions, Disney Live Family Entertainment and Disney on Ice. Films that have been a huge success have had sequels made of them; this includes popular Classics such as The Lion King and Lady and the Tramp. The Lion King was also re-released recently in theatres in 3D, which proved to be a huge hit once more. We can see that Disney often uses something that we trust as a good film as a foundation to build upon, if we’ve seen the first film and enjoyed it, then we will be likely to see the sequel, even if it does not meet the high standards of the first film. In some ways we can see that the first film could almost be used as advertisement for the second, if the first is good, the second will most likely be watched by the fans, even though it will not be as highly regarded as the original.

       The target audience of Disney seems to be predominantly children, although we can see in many of the films there are jokes which hold double meanings for the older viewers. This shows that Disney is aware of its target audience, as the adults are the people who take the children to the cinema to see the films. By using jokes and ideas that can be understood on different levels, this allows the target audience to broaden to some degree. The audience also renews itself, which provides Disney with constant growing consumers. By making sequels of older classics, Disney is upgrading for its newer audience and also introducing them to the older films which they may not have seen had it not been for the sequel.

        Disney uses a huge amount of marketing techniques to promote its films. Advertisement includes posters, film trailers, toys included in fast food branches such as Mc Donald’s, clothes featuring the characters of the films and toys, too. Interviews with the actors or voice actors from the films also help to advertise it, especially if a popular actor or actress is involved in the film. Disney also creates a large amount of money from its distribution of its films. The films are translated into other languages to be seen in other countries. For example the hit TV show Hannah Montana, is broadcasted in over forty different countries over the world.

          Disney is also remaining popular as it follows the development of technology, viral marketing has helped Disney to spread its influence even further across the world. Video games are released over many different formats for the Disney films; Apps for mobile phones are also to be found. There are even online communities where groups of fans can gather and talk about the film. An example of this is on Facebook, there are official Alice in Wonderland fan pages called ‘Loyal follower of the White/Red Queen’, or ‘Disloyal follower of the Mad Hatter.’ This online presence gets the audience involved and can be used to update them on upcoming releases or merchandise to do with the film. The internet also provides teaser clips with short scenes from upcoming films. DVDs also include bloopers, actor and director’s commentary, how the film was made along with interviews with the actors or directors.

        We can see from all of the above that Disney does use a huge amount of marketing and distribution to promote its films, but is it really the most important thing? We have high expectations from Disney, as it is a trusted institution which has released many extremely popular children’s favourites.  If Disney did not create films which people liked, then would the merchandise for it sell? Or is it because we trust Disney and their standards that we go to see their films, as we expect good things from them?

          Surely if Disney had not created the animated feature films which many hold close to their hearts such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Fox and the Hound and many others, then they may not be as popular as they are today. We can see that the classic characters of Disney such as Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Bambi are constantly on clothes and mugs. But the characters from newer Disney films only seem to last for a short while before seeming to fade away. Perhaps this isn’t much of a problem for Disney as it releases new films at such a high rate, but we do see a trend of Disney falling back onto the classics. This is probably because these classics hold the essence of Disney. They took a lot longer to create and we can see the detail and work that has gone into them, people still love these films because of their quality and firm moral messages, this is something which we see less in the newer Disney releases.

     In many cases I do believe that successful media products rely just as heavily, if not more on the advertisement and distribution than the quality of the film itself. If the film is advertised effectively, then the audience will go to see it. It doesn’t matter if the films were a success or a failure by this point as people have already paid to see it and a profit has been made. However, in the long run I believe that it is the quality of a film that brings its success. If a film is loved because of its quality then it will be watched over and over, more merchandise will sell and people will want to see sequels of it or any re-releases that follow.

          In conclusion, I believe that distribution and advertisement do play a large role in the success of a media product, but this is only in the short term. A film cannot be advertised forever, but if the film is a success due to its quality of content, not advertisement, then it will continue to flourish for a much longer period of time.

How is camera work, sound, editing and mise-en-scene used in the opening 2 minutes of 'Children of Men'?

How is camera work, sound, editing and mise-en-scene used in the opening 2 minutes of 'Children of Men'?

In the opening two minutes of 'Children of men' we are being shown a representation of London in the year 2027. We can see this being represented by the traditional red double-decker buses, the architecture of the buildings and the fact that we are told in some subtitles the location and year in which the film is set. The London we are being shown is a dark crowded place that seems to be extremely dirty with litter and rubbish bags all over the streets. Clouds of black smoke are coming from cars and gypsy cabs, too. This is a negative representation and is created by the dark lighting and monotonous colours of the cars, people and buildings, these dark colours, often gray, have connotations of negativity and a lack of cleanliness.

          Our hero is more or less a protagonist to begin with. Theo is not somebody we would see as a hero.  However, we are lead to think he may have the most significance or be the closest thing to a hero in the story, as he seems to be the focus of it. He doesn't necessarily fit the established ideas of what a hero is like; he seems uninterested in the issue facing the world. When juxtaposed with the common idea of what a hero should be like, Theo is almost the complete opposite. He ignores the broadcast at the beginning of the film and pushes through all the people watching who are obviously greatly moved by it. Theo is a sceptical middle-aged man, not somebody whom we are lead to believe will go out of his way to help anybody. His attitude seems somewhat cold as he shows little facial expression.

          Women seem to be represented as weak, perhaps feeling a greater pain and empathy from the situation of the world because of their maternal instinct. They are shown as crying and petting dogs in the coffee shop, showing more emotion than the men watching the broadcast. The future is represented as dirty and gloomy, as if all the ideas of global warming and saving the planet no longer matter as there is no future generation to save it for. The streets of London are represented by the red double-decker buses, the police officers, the architecture of the buildings and the gypsy cabs.  The people in the coffee shop are also wearing mostly blues, greys and blacks, this has connotations of sadness and negativity.

           The lighting in the opening two minutes is dark and seems very slightly greyscale at times, this gives the text an almost apocalyptic air and a feeling that something is wrong or overshadowing the world. The camera work is never stationary in the first two minutes, it is always moving even if it is only very slightly, this gives it the feeling that you are not just overlooking the situation, you are seeing it from somebody's perspective. This makes you feel more directly involved in the situation you are seeing, allowing for you to be absorbed into the scene. I think that this style of filming is different, I haven't noticed it in many other films. I think that if it is done subtly it can be extremely effective. I also think this is why these camera shots have been chosen, because all of the angles and heights are that which are believable from a human viewpoint. The camera also uses a panorama when exiting the coffee shop. This allows us to see the whole of the surroundings in the film, matching the slow pace and tone of the scene, too.

          One of the main editing points that I noticed was the fact that the television in the coffee shop is a flat picture in the corner of the room. You cannot see the sides of the television or any shadows from it. I did not notice this the first time I watched the film, so I feel that this piece of editing is effective. It also looks a little like the television is almost floating, perhaps adding to the futuristic theme of the film.  The pace of the clip in the cafe is dictated by the broadcast we see on the television screen. As Theo is walking out of the cafe, everything seems to slow down slightly. This includes the news presenter's voice, who is reading the exact age down to minutes of Diego Ricardo. I feel that this very gradual slowing down added to the impact of what the news reporter was saying.

          The first part of the sound editing I noticed was when the music that seemed to be accompanying the report on television continued after the voices from the broadcast faded out. I feel that this was subtle and effective, it allowed the emotion from the report to continue in the music as Theo left the cafe. Another piece of sound that was edited was when the woman emerged from the cafe screaming. The scream was cut short, perhaps so that it did not die out and fade, adding to the impact. As the scream is cut off short we hear a high pitched whistling tone which continues into the next scene. This is almost as if it is the echo from the scream. I feel that this creates a very strong effect of what seems to be terror, the sound from the scream makes your blood run cold, and so does the tone that follows. The tone lasts a lot longer than any scream could, which increases the negative feeling we gain from hearing it. I think this is why the director chose to use it, it is a sound that can be linked with screaming or absolute silence, this gives a huge impact. The sound overlapping into the next scene may also reflect that the scene we are now seeing is directly after the incident, so the memory of it is still vivid in the protagonist's mind.

         The locations have been created by using iconic parts of London life, making it instantly identifiable and creating a sense of verisimilitude. We get a feeling of the future from the moving pictures on the buses and directly on the buildings, along with the edited television screen in the cafe that appears to be floating. The situation seems dismal, this is reflected in the dire condition of the streets. The sky is gray, there is rubbish all over the streets, it is noisy and black smoke is coming from almost all the vehicles.

          From the first two minutes of this film I think that the genre is a little like a thriller and has hints of horror to me. I get the idea of it being a thriller from the bomb going off in the street, creating chaos. I also got the sense of the film being a little like a horror film from the fact that the woman came out of the cafe screaming, holding an arm that had been torn off her torso. The scream, twinned with the echo afterwards was extremely powerful to me, making me see hints of a horror theme in the film.