Advertisement Production:

I aim to make a perfume advert, advertising a new fragrance for women, this is because I have done some research and looked at many different perfume adverts aimed at women and they are all interesting and effective for different reasons; whether they are eye catching or mysterious. However many of the adverts portray women negatively I.E. exposing them and making them into more of an object than a woman. Having taken the research on board I am going to create a socially acceptable advertisement for a new women’s fragrance. I have decided to use a romantic genre for my advert because I intend it to show innocence and fun, rather than a highly sexually orientated advert that is very sexist towards women. I got this idea from the opening scene of ‘Sin City’ where the ‘Femme Fatale’ character is standing alone on a rooftop in a large dark city. The heavy rain adds a sense of romance to the scene and the monochrome editing ads style and class to the romantic embrace between two characters. The woman featured in this scene is very sexy and attractive but not in an inappropriate way, she is fully clothed and there isn’t much visible skin, but the lighting and dress code make her very elegant and beautiful.
The target audience I am going to aim this fragrance at will be young women aged 16 to 20 years of age, Therefore I have chosen to use a model 17 years of age, to represent and reveal to the market that the fragrance is aimed at. I am going to show the model in monochrome but use editing to highlight specific parts of the advert, for example the bottle of perfume itself. Using sin city’s opening as a stimulus I am going to try and show the same elegance and romance without making exposing the woman.

Evaluation

I think the final advert was reasonably successful, as the model is of the correct age to represent the target audience. I took this picture inside of my friend’s house against a large full length mirror and used the lighting to brighten one half of the picture and make the other half dull, this how I got the slogan of ‘Have you got a dark side?’ I used the idea of Film noir as the women or femme fatales are often very sexy and attractive but they don’t have to be exposed or dress in revealing clothing to achieve their seductive appearance. I didn’t make the product very obvious, and perhaps should have included a separate image of the product to make it clear what it looks like, however I drew as much attention to the product as I could by making the picture monochrome and leaving the perfume in full colour also the model is holding and looking straight at it. I tried to give the advert a romantic feel, so that young girls could relate to the romance and link the romantic feelings with this fragrance. The Slogan ‘have you got a dark side’ makes you feel rebellious when wearing the fragrance and you feel as though you have released your dark side as it were. The model is wearing a simple dress with little design work; the idea was to try and show natural beauty and make the customer feel beautiful just by wearing the fragrance without covering up themselves with makeup. The location could have been better, my criticism of the location is the fact that in the background of the image a door and various items of furniture can be seen, this reduces the adverts effectiveness it a certain extent, If I had shot this image in a photo studio I could have tailored the background to my ideal standards. The model I used is 17 years old this is only just in the age category for my target audience and it shows, on closer inspection I realise that I should have used an older model perhaps of mid 18 years old because this aged model would be more relevant to all ages in the category.

Thriller Voice over script

This is the script that we used for the voice over in our thriller opening. It is very eerie and poetic. Portraying lots of dark imagery. This script took a great deal of time to develop as it had to connote dark or sinister ideas to the audience but it still had to be appropriate for our target audience.




'She is more beautiful than the last sunset of summer or the first snow flake of winter, and she was mine but not anymore, she is gone, where? Why? There is only one thing I know for certain, she will regret leaving me. I will be her biggest mistake! Her friends say I'm unstable, I'm obsessed, but the irreparable damage I will cause will make them understand. I will show them how it feels to be crushed to feel nothing, constantly numb. My heart is an open wound that won’t heal. If I can't have her no one can. I make her suffer the pain I feel every day if only for a moment a second of what I feel, will make her understand how it feels to be me. I'm isolated, but I am not alone I am tormented by my thoughts constantly. I'm never fully conscious in a state of waking sleep. But now it’s her nightmare...'



I think that this script was perfect for our opening as it linked in with the story line perfectly and it also revealed a great deal of the past of the characters without actually just describing the past. Personally I feel this script was a success and worth the confliction of ideas amongst the group because the end product was very successful and worked beautifully.

The conventions of L.A. Noir

L.A. noir is almost a sub genre of a sub genre; L.A. noir is very similar to film noir but has its own style and conventions. L.A. noir is generally filmed in colour with use of monochrome in certain scenes. There are heavy elements of crime, deception, adultery and smoking.
L.A. noir is set in L.A. which is a very sunny state of America, the lighting throughout L.A. noir films is. The strong and bright lighting adds a very eerie effect to the films, the bright sunny lighting contrasts with the dark themes such as crime and adultery. The lighting is ironic as the images are of crime and evil and the lighting is bright and colourful.

L.A. Noir features the same style of characters and the same generic conventions of film noir. The main difference is the way the film is shot using bright lighting however dark and gloomy monochrome shots are also used just the same as film noir however the dark shots are often used as flash backs and to reveal a time period to the audience. The bright sunny shots are very contradicting of the dark and evil plot lines. The mise en scene is very dark and the strongest link to the original film noir style.

L.A noir is commonly shot in American Los Angeles because of the weather conditions. The sunny weather provides a strong contrast with the dark night scenes and the bright sunshine can be linked with money or success, as many of these films are based around gang activity or crime, the sunshine provides a connotation of success .whereas The darkness or evil is commonly shown in night scenes as it provides the perfect tone for sinister activity or the dark connotations of the director.

The sound tracks and the narrative structure is very similar to the film noir style of non diegetic and non diegetic sound. The sound tracks are also very similar, older style music is sampled over the image to create a tone or effect however as in film noir the music is often used to establish a disagreement of moods or tones.

Thriller Evaluation: The Neurotic

Thriller evaluation on Prezi

Conclusion to research

After constructing two different questionnaires I discovered allot about what the audience expected from a thriller opening, mainstream or independent. I used two different interviewees with two interviews with different questions. The second interview I did was far more successful as I used longer and more detailed questions I also provided examples of a mainstream thriller and an independent thriller so the interviewee could gain a better understanding of what differentiates the two. Also so I could gather the relevant information for developing my personal thriller, and what style would be easier to achieve. I chose to go for an independent styled thriller opening. 

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representation of gender in the extract from: East Enders live episode

I am analysing a 4 minuet extract from the east Enders live 25th anniversary episode, unfortunately I cannot find the original YouTube video I watched so I cannot embed the clip 

The extract opens with a three shot featuring two male characters and one female. Note rule of three and character positioning, the female is in the far left of the shot which implies significance however the two male characters are in the centre and the right of the shot, this opening shot is very male dominated as two thirds of the frame are male. The woman is wearing a large white coat which connotes innocence and purity this idea stems from marriage tradition. In the background a row of lights are stringed up along a market stall however because of the camera angle the lights appear to be hovering above the women like a halo, this further emphasises the idea of innocence. The male characters in this scene are wearing dark black suits which imply wealth or a high end job. The dark colours also introduce negativity or darkness to the characters. The voices of the characters have strong east London accents to make the location more obvious. The men’s voices are very deep making them seem very masculine comparatively the woman’s voice is shrill and high pitch. The characters voices are very traditional and are what we would expect from these characters.  The second shot is an over shoulder shot from the women’s point of view this reveals another male character, this mid three shot has the same layout as the opening shot same rule of three with male dominance. The 180 degree rule is used here keeping the women on the left side of the shot making it easy to assess the action within the scene. The shots are joined with quick cuts; this gives the extract high energy and helps the viewer understand the mood of the extract, which I assumed was panicky and exciting. A close up is used to show what we assume the main character, to show fear and anxiety. The lighting non ambient but very simple, a small amount of soft focus light is thrown over the character we are supposed to be focusing on. A low angle long shot then introduces two female characters. The low angle makes these characters appear powerful and important. The dress of these characters is very interesting and helps with depicting and retrieving extra information about these characters. The first character is wearing a smart suit showing she is controlling or powerful, the second character is dressed very much like a femme fatale this gives us the impression that she uses her looks to get what she wants. Both of these women are blonde and wearing a lot of make-up, this shows us they are possibly insecure or uncomfortable with their natural beauty. This is the first female dominated scene which connotes independence. The two characters seem very strong and appear to be able to take care of themselves, without needing a man to care for them. The dialogue in this scene is joint together using sequential over shoulder shots this makes the viewer feel like part of the conversation. A jump cut leads us to a packed traditional pub where a further two characters are introduced.

 A large bald headed man violently grabbing a young girl. The girl appears too young to be buying alcohol in a pub however she is wearing a very revealing top; using her body as a device of persuasion this connotes social and moral issues. The male character grabs the girl and spins her round very roughly majorly inappropriate, the violence shown by this character raises ideas of abuse and raises a very delicate social issue. The pub scene continues to a mid three shot featuring a second female dominated scene following the rule of three. The first character we are drawn to is a red headed woman in a wedding dress, thus keeping with tradition she is wearing white. However her mannerisms are totally opposite of what we would expect from a ‘blushing bride’ as she is being very mouth towards other women in the pub. The mouthy women is associated with alcohol or binge drinking as this is a huge problem in Britain and this theory is demonstrated in the extract. In this short scene a man stands helplessly in between the two women, this generates the idea he isn’t in control and that perhaps he is the insignificant person in the relationship. The background noise is very subtle and hardly audible which draws the viewer’s concentration to the central action. A long shot is then used placed waist height amongst the crowded pub focusing on a female character clearly distraught, this shot makes her appear isolated or trapped amongst the other pub goers, this woman is portrayed to be alone and in dismay. The quick jump cut takes us to a small corner shop where the two blonde characters from the previous scene are arguing. When watching this scene I didn’t notice at first the woman in the background working a lower end job stacking shelves in the shop, this didn’t seem significant however when noticing this I realised that all the women we see working are either bar staff or small low paid jobs. The action is then taken outside but to keep the audience involved in the scene a dual shot and an over shoulder shot is used to keep us close to the action. The lighting is once again non ambient but very subtle and made to look like street lamps, this reinforces the idea of being in London city.

This clip from east Enders cleverly constructs stereotypical representation of gender and also elaborates on more unusual gender ideas. The women in this clip are generally stereotypical representations of women. The biggest clarification of gender representation is in the mise-en-scene, the producers and director have cleverly chosen appropriate costume and lighting to set up the correct mood and tone of characters. The males of this extract all seem to be wealthy and in executive positions however all seem to be troubled to a certain extent for example: the newlywed husband in the pub seems to have a considerable amount of trouble staying in control, or the large man who violently grabs the young girl. The characters portrayal also engages various social and moral issues for example abuse and binge drinking. East Enders has followed basic criteria for characterisation and produced characters so that the audience can relate to them to a certain degree; this is a very wise and safe move in making a popular soap opera. 

New technology: How is digital cinema production affecting film quality?

Digital cinema production is a term used to describe the way a film is produced filmed and eventually displayed on screen. Digital production is basically filming to a new style of media. Digital production is cheap and very easy to use; it cuts out huge amounts of time and makes replication very easy. Digital production also allows a huge amount of new techniques and innovative ideas to be practiced and developed.

Technical convergence is a key point in digital production and development. Technical convergence is the term used to describe two or more initial entities coming together for example a mobile phone which can take photographs. This is a key point in digital production because technical convergence can make a huge amount of tasks possible. The coming together of technical devices such as digital projector can not only play standard films but also 3d films and high definition (HD 1080p). Other devices which have converged to make one better device is the computer, a computer can do the tasks of editing rendering film quality and even help distribute the film online. Technical convergence makes many things possible that weren’t possible with film reel projection, High quality surround sound and there are no reel changes or cigarette burns in the reels. Due to technical convergence the whole experience of going to the cinema has changed. You can now expect a much greater quality of sound and image. Also because the production of the films is cheaper and the replication of the finished film is cheaper, going to see the film itself is cheaper. You are eventually paying less for a much higher quality film.

The digital cinema development is helping cinemas all over the UK to exhibit films in higher quality and for less money. Warp, picture house and Vue. The biggest effected cinema in my local area is cinema city owned by picture house, this is because digital cinema productions are cheaper and easier to play, this means that the smaller independent cinemas such as cinema city can acquire more films from different genres and styles and play them much more frequently meaning they can appeal to a wider audience and in the long run make a higher profit. With the lowering costs of film production cinemas can acquire films for cheaper meaning they can buy more of a varied selection, this means they can in turn appeal to a wider audience. Vue cinema is a mainstream cinema however is still benefiting from the advancing digital world being able to release two types of the same film a standard version and a 3D version. Bringing in more custom and giving people even more of a choice. The way to get a bigger audience is to be flexible. The bigger the time scale and the larger the variety of films the more people will have the chance to see the film they want when they want to see it. Technical convergence and the advancing digital production scheme are making this possible to give cinemas the power to fit around the customer.

Digital production means that the internet is very closely linked to the film’s production. This gives film distributers the power to advertise on a massive scale; almost every home in the UK has a computer connected to the internet. And a vast majority of the public are connected to the internet via social networking sites such as face book or twitter. This gives film distributers and advertisers a huge chance to sell their films to the public and get their film seen by a huge audience and entice a vast amount of the public. The internet also provides other possibilities such as renting or selling DVD’s and films. Vue are linked with an online rental shop which has proved very successful to their yearly revenue.

However technical convergence has its disadvantages, eventually there will only be one device to film edit and project a film however that is in a very distant future and the technology convergence is nowhere near that good yet. But it will slowly mean some technology companies will shut down due to them not being needed to produce any more equipment. Also due to the fact that the digital projector is a relatively new idea there are undoubtedly problems with the projecting equipment and in cases audiences’ cinema experience has been ruined due to technical problems with the equipment and the connections between devices. Also some people like the authenticity of film reels and it keeps it more of an even than just going to see a bigger screen. Also now that everything is converting to digital, it means that people can illegally download and upload it to the internet so more people can download it this is a majorly bad point as a large amount of money is lost due to pirate downloads. And illegal file sharing. With film reels this was a much harder process but as long as you have the internet you can acquire any digital media from films to computer programmes.

I personally feel that the digital switch over is a good idea as long as certain aspects are controlled such as illegal file sharing. The overall process will benefit the public as they will have cheaper and much better quality cinemas and also a much more varied selection of what and when the audience can view it. The digital production process needs a lot of improvement to be fully successful however there is a huge area for innovative ideas to improve and advance the digital production method.