Production issues. Which is the odd one out?

Casting, Stars, Writer, Location, Budget, Special effects, Screenplay, Editing, Trailer,  A-list stars, Soundtrack, Director, Producer, Genre, Cameras, Studio, Ensemble cast, Green-lighted, Green-screen, idea, Composer, 

True or false on Exchange?

The unintended use of an institution’s media text (i.e. a film) by OTHER PEOPLE who use the film or parts of it to form new texts on  YouTube, etc. What happens to a film, etc. after the public get their hands on it using digital technology and the internet.   True.

What does this define?

The growing, interractive use of digital technology in the film industry and media which enables people to share, consume and produce media that was difficult or impossible just a few years ago. Technological Conversions.

How are these films labelled?

A low budget, independent film that mostly appeals to an educated, higher class audience who follow unusual genres or like cult directors that few people have heard of. Therefore such films are usually aimed at a niche market. Foreign films often come under this category.   Niche audience, independent film, Art-House film.

What’s a niche audience?

Small Audience, targeted audience.

Identify three British and three US film institutions 

British: BBC, Channel 4, Working Titles.

US: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Universal

Identify three genres of film commonly made in each country.

England: Rom-com, Crime, Comedy

USA: Sci-fi, War, Action

SAW

Opening Sequence Analysis
SAW 1

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
Begins with title of the film, camera enters from above, an blacks out after a few seconds, we only hear people talking we don’t see them, this sense of unease is enforced with a black scene for a good 30 seconds. Then, lights suddenly turn on, showing two characters, in a bathroom chained separately, the camera cuts from one character to another. the camera is handheld, giving erratic shaky movements.

Sound
scrapping, creepy, people talking, shouting, screaming.

Editing
Many fast cuts are used and enhance the sense of tension and suspense. moving to different scenes, representing the film.

Mise en Scene
Bathroom creates an ugly background or where the victims are.

Characters
the characters identity is not clearly identified, but because they’ve been assaulted and left in chains the audience can assume that they are the victims.

Locations
bathroom, maybe communal.

Narrative/Plot
people have been captured, and perhaps for a kidnap ransom.

Themes
revenge, sadism, death

Visual Style
the director deliberately doesn’t identify characters straight away, can only hear and guess what the characters will be.

Genre
thriller

PANIC ROOM

Opening Sequence Analysis
Panic Room


Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
The opening of Panic Room consist of long-shots, high angles and pans. This helps the audience appreciate the vastness of the New York City landscape, with its historical buildings and sky-scrappers.

Sound
The opening to Panic Room uses Non-diegetic sound. the music is subtle and complements the titles graphics and titles that emerge on the screen. the pace and the tone of the music picks up giving a sense to the audience that something is about to happen.

Editing
The opening of Panic Room is made up of a series of long-shots with very little editing, this allows the audience much more time to absorb the information given to them. A series of long takes occupy the opening scene. the camera focuses on the tall buildings and sky scrappers that dominate the city.

Mise en Scene
The opening scene is shot during the day, using a combination of highlighting and modern settings. In the final scene the camera pans down to street level and focuses on two women, this informs the audience of the setting and that its set in contemporary city.

Characters
The final shot in panic room focuses on the two women walking along the street deep in conversation with each other.

Locations
America, the city, modern time/ 21st century.

Narrative/Plot
The opening of Panic Room doesn’t give any real sense of narrative or plot.

Themes
In-Justice, Disloyal, Un-trustworthy

Visual Style
the visual style for panic room is very interesting. the director uses a series of long shots and tall buildings to super impose the information contained in the opening sequence.

Genre
Psychological thriller,Action,Adventure

SEVEN

Opening Sequence Analysis
Seven


Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
Close-ups helps to focus attention and stimulate the imagination to come into play,quick movements and a variety of erratic close-ups to create this. The angle of some shots are from above, as a sense that the viewer is overlooking someone.

Sound
The opening to seven employs both Non-diegetic and diegetic sound, however the use of non-diegetic sound dominates. Most of the non-diegetic sound, has been generated by computers to generate scraping, alien and distorted sounds.

Editing
there are a variety of cuts in the opening sequence which change rapidly the use of different cuts constantly challenges the audiences perspective.

Mise en Scene
The opening of seven uses low key lighting which generates shadows and adds to the audiences anticipation

Characters
The opening of Seven doesn’t clearly establish any main character, however because the focus is on the actions of the antagonist, he is quite clearly an important character.

Locations
Inside, hidden, unknown, Basement or cellar

Narrative/Plot
No clear evidence of narrative or plot is introduced into the opening, however because of the actions of the antagonist one can assume that he is a serial killer.

Themes
Murder, serial killer, pain, destruction.

Visual Style
Unique, original, uses combination of credits and fast cuts to de-stabilise the viewer

Genre
Thriller, psychological horror

Soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire

Soundtrack

The Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman, who planned the score for over two months and completed it in two weeks. Danny Boyle has said that he chose Rahman because "not only does he draw on Indian classical music, but he's got R&B and hip hop coming in from America, house music coming in from Europe and this incredible fusion is created." Rahman won the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and won two out of three nominations for the Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Score and one for Best Original Song for Jai Ho. The song "O... Saya" got a nomination shared with M.I.A., and the song "Jai Ho" won the Oscar, which A. R. Rahman shared with lyricist Gulzar. The soundtrack was released on M.I.A.'s record label N.E.E.T. On Radio Sargam, film critic Goher Iqbal Punn termed the soundtrack Rahman's "magnum opus" which will acquaint "the entire world" with his artistry.

The cinematography in Slumdog Millionaire combines Bollywood lushness with rhythmic music and fast cutting – all heavily dosed with in-your-face closeups. It’s a jarring, pulsating visual world that will appeal to a TV-oriented crowd, but there are not many shots evoking contemplative reflection on the proceedings. In addition, the camera angles come from all directions, thereby lessening the potential intimacy of the subjective perspective. We are watching Jamal from every possible angle, as external observers, but that technique reduces our identification with his personal point of view. This all-angles cinematography is reminiscent of Jean-Pierre Melville, who typically created a visual milieu in which his characters were inserted and observed as if they were part of his bleak, noirish landscape. Nevertheless, in Slumdog Millionaire, there are so many closeups of actors Dev Patel and Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (who play older Jamal in the present and the younger Jamal in flashback, respectively) that the viewer can identify with Jamal and champion his cause.
http://filmsufi.blogspot.com/2009/02/slumdog-millionaire-danny-boyle-and.html

Funding of Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire cost $15 million to make. (£8.7 million)

"Paul Smith, the chairman of Celador, which put up £7 million to finance Slumdog, said he was “extremely happy” with the American distribution deal. “The more successful the film is over there the more money will flow back into Britain,” he said, adding that he expected to make “close to £10 million profit”. Fox Searchlight and Warner Bros stand to clear around $40 million in profit from US ticket sales alone, industry sources said."


"The European Union (EU) on Monday took pride in funding the film "Slumdog Millionaire," which won the Best Picture and seven other Academy Awards.
The British film was co-funded under the EU's film support program MEDIA. "

"Slumdog Millionaire" received 830,000 euros (1 million U.S. dollars) from the MEDIA program for distribution in 2008 and 2009.The total budget of the film is estimated at 11 million euros (14 million dollars)."