Audience and Institution Practice Essay

Discuss the impact of funding on media products.

            Funding is extremely necessary for the process of producing and exhibiting a film. This is the first step for creating a movie since most filming equipment is costly. After a film has completed the filming process, the institutions that make them have many opportunities to choose from. Synergy can take place after the film has been broadcasted and can benefit companies majorly. Even this part of the process is cost-effective, and funding is required to achieve the goals of these major companies. The institutions receive their funds again through the audience depending on how successful their film truly is. Hobbs and Shaw had a production cost that was approximately $200 million dollars. This seems like an insane amount of money for a production, but realistically this is not the case. The production of a film alone can have a significant budget depending on what props and equipment are needed. Creating merchandise relating to a specific film can also drag along an outcome with a price. For example, when Frozen 2 collaborated with Mc Donalds to make a happy meal toy they utilized synergy to gain profit. Before the distribution of a film, an audience must first be entertained and intrigued by the idea of that movie. If there is no attraction towards a product there is no way to promote it. For Jurassic Park, the institution invested in distribution highly and in return the film profited over one billion dollars. This just comes to show how marketing techniques like cross promotion can be highly beneficial in the event of gaining additional funding back. Similarly, the Ugly Dolls company used posters to market their film. These posters had a variety of designs and they must have printed a large amount of copies. Compared to the amount of money spent on this film, the movie was a failed attempt regarding making money. Sometimes in the film industry the outcome can be disappointing especially considering the amount of funding that is required to even begin filming. Most institutions take advantage of charging an audience to view their product. This strategy can cause other individuals including me to stream these films in different ways. I would prefer to download the movie myself rather than purchasing the overcharged DVD that they distribute to stores. I believe that the impact of funding on media products can be beneficial depending on if you use your money wisely. Many institutions have successfully created and distributed products that have made a larger profit compared to the original funding that they put down. The funding used for a media product can change the film completely for better or for worse.

Practice Extract

      This excerpt can have an underlying theme that relates to each person individually who decides to view it. Personally, I thought that the director was trying to convey the idea that in every situation, perspective is the key to understanding both sides. The Iron Bank believes that the King of the Andals lacks the resources needed to lead the Iron Throne. While Stannis believes he is a reliable leader due to his ability to show his loyalty through actions instead of words. Both sides are reasonable and in order to make the right decision you must take both sides under consideration. 

      In the first scene that is presented, the camera is positioned in a high angle from the ship to a larger statue. This shows the important scenery and the size difference between the two objects which emphasizes dominance. A crane shot is also included in this scene to show a higher view above the ship. This birds eye view shot gives the audience a sense of the overall situation of the time and place of the scene. Regarding editing techniques, a jump cut is added after this opening scene allowing it to flow with the following scene. Special effects were added to the statue to make it seem more dramatic and intriguing for the viewers. When the opening scene begins, a score was added to enhance the scene and to enforce the mood of the excerpt early on. Once the music stops, a sound motif was included of a bird to make the audience feel like they are in the setting. The location of the overseas scene is the first detail of the plot that the viewers can see. 

      During the last scene, a close up of Stannis is shown with a serious expression as he approaches the opposing kingdom. This allows the reader to really see what emotions the character is feeling at that moment. An over the shoulder shot of the Andal man talking to Stannis is presented allowing the audience to feel like they are part of the conversation. A wide shot of all the men in the Iron Bank is included, to grant the viewers with the ability to see from both sides of the situation. For editing, there is a reaction shot of the Iron Kingdom after the Andals defend their standpoint. An insert of Stannis is shown when the doors open after the anticipation of waiting for the Iron Kingdom to make their appearance. Both scenes dissolve into each other and this connects them aside from making the film flow together. The dialogue between the kingdoms in the last scene has strong importance to the overall theme of the excerpt since this is where the perspective of both sides come in. I spotted non-diegetic sound in this scene when the viewers can hear the footsteps of the men approaching. Ambient sound is included as well to show the tension between the men during that situation. The dim lighting during the conversation adds onto the mood that is portrayed along with the lesson behind it. The first prop that I found unique was the Andals man’s glove. This prop gives an insight on his past and adds to the conflict. Another prop that stood out to me was the high chairs that the three Iron men were sitting in. This shows their position in the scene and how much power they hold. 

      The director conveys the meaning behind perspective is key to understanding both sides of a story. They do so with the use of many filming techniques ranging from dialogue to the lighting of the scene. The film purposefully shows the situation from both sides and allows the audience to create their own perspective. If both parties are closed minded and don’t take the time to listen to the opposing side, there is no solution to their conflict. Therefore, the conflict within yourself must be dealt with before you can resolve any external problems. 

CCR

In this blog, I included my creative critical reflection. This is a reflection answering four major questions that have been proposed to me. I think this step is important since it allows me to reflect on my opening sequence further. I open up about my personal experience and what I have gained from this assignment. I indulged in topics such as the technology behind the production scene and the lessons that I have learned throughout this experience. From working alone to learning how to use programs such as IMovie, the knowledge I have gained has been immense. These questions allowed me to expand on my ideas beyond my opening sequence. I also discussed the implications of my product regarding the real world-social issues included. Relating my film to these bigger ideas only increased my interest in filmmaking. I am grateful for this opportunity and would not trade what I have learned for the world.

Opening Sequence

This presentation includes my original opening sequence. This reflects my work starting from the research process to the editing process. I am proud to finally publish my work since I have been working on this project for quite some time. I was unable to fix the quality of the video due to the circumstances with covid-19. However, I believe that this does not take away from my project and the work that I have created. To insert this assignment, I published my product onto youtube. This may also lead to some people discovering my opening sequence. I am more than grateful to have participated in this course and project. I look forward to improving in the future from the lessons that I have learned. The next step in this process is reflecting creatively and critically in my CCR which I will upload shortly.

Reshoot Blog

 

      Today I started the process of reshooting my film. I did not receive my peer review sheet so I could not see what tips the other group had for me. However, I did take initiative and reviewed my own project after I peer reviewed another group. There were a few mistakes that I spotted in my original product. Most were from the actual filming process and a few for editing. I only got to revising some of the mistakes with shooting today. I tried to recreate scenes where the sound was hard to hear or confusing. There was a couple of these scenes and this was an easy fix. I have not gotten around to re-shooting the scenes that are hard to see yet. This is because I want the scenes to match the mood of the horror genre. 

      I am trying to find a solution that allows the scene to match the dark mood of my film while not making the shot complicated. Some of my scenes are pitch black since the power goes out. Luckily, I did not include these scenes until the end of the opening sequence. Sound and lighting are two very important components for a film. I am trying to mainly focus on perfecting them while redoing my opening. I plan to also capture some camera angles and movements over again as well. I want to make sure that it is clear what angle each shot is placed in. Angles mean everything to a scene and a film without any specific shots would look very plain. This is the opposite of what I want for my project so I will be reviewing this as well. I can’t wait to improve my film even more soon. 

Peer Review Blog

 

      Today we worked on peer reviewing each other’s opening sequences. The partners were chosen randomly and each group had another project to look over. Each group also had someone else that was in charge of reviewing theirs as well. I was picked to look over another person who was working individually. His project was over the time limit by two minutes and did not include titles. However, his storyline and angles/movements were on point. The video footage was clear and the audio was not hard to hear at all. The lighting was not confusing for the majority of the film with the exception of one particular scene. His movie inspired me to be more creative for future projects. I thought it was interesting to watch what someone else came up with during the same time that I created my opening.

      This review sheet really made me reflect on my movie as well. I didn’t notice how easy it was to leave some of the important components of this project out. For example, I did not know that using a tripod was necessary. For the most part I think that I am on the right track. With this guidance I will be able to improve my film to a large extent. I had a limited time to work on peer reviewing since four of the computers I chose to use had technical difficulties or low battery. Luckily, I borrowed my neighbors computer and looked over the film on there. I am glad that my review partner had a finished product for me to watch. I believe that my notes will help him in making further progress for his project. My next step is to reshoot some of the scenes that did not come out as I had planned or some that I was given advice to change. 

Editing Blog: Music

      Today I finished the initial editing process with adding my scores in. I actually ended up using three different scores. This was because I wanted a variety of music that matched each of my scenes. This was the shortest part of editing the film except for finding the free music. Finding the right music for my film that was also free of copyright was a challenge. I added the most ominous music in the beginning of the first scene. I think that with all of the editing techniques I included my opening sequence looks far better. After I completed editing, I transferred my film to a different laptop. After this I plugged in a flash drive and exported my project onto there. This is an important step for peer reviewing.
      When looking for music I had to make sure that the songs matched my film genre. Since I chose the horror genre, the only music I included was dark and scary. There is a common theme between my footage, titles, and the music I presented. After editing in my transitions, my film shrunk in size by a few seconds. This worked out in my favor since my opening sequence was actually a little over the time limit. I didn’t include a score throughout each scene, but music is incorporated a good amount. One complication I can across was the quality of my video downgraded after transferring the footage to a different device. While searching for music, there were some songs that I would’ve preferred to use if they were free. Even though I originally thought that two scores would be efficient I am glad that I chose to go with three. Now it’s time to peer review and then I will revise my product for the final time.