DYM feedback

Hi Tom

I've been very pleased with the standard of your research HWs - you are showing good understanding of the theory and you are presenting your work very effectively. Keep up the good work.

Avatar Trailer
This trailer clearly outlines the basic storyline. It first sets the scene: a disabled marine starting a new life on Pandora. It then shows us the problem: as the main character becomes more friendly with the natives, he becomes increasingly conscience of his moral responsibility to prevent the humans from destroying their land, eventually joining them in all-out war against his own species. What is left out is the resolution; we don't know how the film will end. This, combined with the dramatic presentation of the trailer, using music and special effects to create excitement, makes us want to watch the film.
 The titles shown in the trailer, interlaced with shots from the film, cause us to associate this film with others that we may have enjoyed, making us think that we would probably enjoy this one as well. The final title, shown in a distinctive font, shows us the name of the film.

Avatar Poster
In this poster, very little is revealed. All we see is half of a blue face. But, in not telling us much about the film, the poster makes us want to see it; it has an element of mystery. This is a gamble, as the image doesn't guarantee that the film will be worth watching. This is why, at the top, it gives an example of a popular film that we may have seen, which had the same director. This says, 'The film you saw a few years ago was good and this one is by the same director, so it will be good as well'.
 We also see the name of the film, so we know what it's called and the website address encourages us to take a greater interest in it. The logos in the bottom right-hand corner tell us which organisations were involved, which does the same job as telling us what else the director has been involved in.

Homework: Avatar Marketing Strategy
20th Century Fox had a slight problem with Avatar. They believed that it was a brilliant action-adventure film, not simply a story with elaborate special effects. The marketing department didn't think that they could do it justice with a thirty second T.V. spot. Therefore, the television trailer was first shown only a month before the film came out, as the studio company didn't have the resources for a long trailer before that, Avatar being the most expensive film in history. Posters were put up later, to remind the audience of the film.
 Instead of T.V. spots, in the early stages of the marketing campaign, trailers were put on the Internet, which was cheaper. This gained the film early popularity with enthusiasts. Next, MTV.com used a webcast called 'Avatar Live', in which the producer, the stars and the director answered questions submitted by fans, to increase the film's publicity. These techniques gave the film free advertising; fans spread the news by word of mouth.
 A week before the film came out in cinemas, there was a premiere in Los Angeles, which was broadcast live on the Internet. This caused last-minute excitement amongst the fans and stopped them from losing interest.

Men and women in a a moodboard

View more presentations from latymermedia.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/50446332/Men-and-Women-in-A-A-Moodboard

My Film's U.S.P.

The unique selling point of my film is that the villain escapes, allowing the possibility of a sequel, in which the hero would have a vendetta to fulfil.

Homework: My Target Audience Profile

This film will be mainly aimed at males, between the ages of 15 and 30, as it features a stereotypical, 'manly' protagonist. The audience will mainly be of western, specifically British, culture, because of the setting and the characters.

Homework: My Film Pitch

Equilibrium:
My film is the story of Police Sergeant Jack Kreaker, who works for the Metropolitan Police and has a reputation for unconventional methods and for occasionally disregarding orders.
Disruption:
He uncovers a terrorist plot to destroy several government-built structures, including the London Eye, in such a way that it will be put down to bad design and manufacture, causing people to blame the government for the disasters and to mistrust them, ultimately bringing down the country. The first bomb is set to explode in 16 hours and 29 minutes. Unfortunately, his superiors insist that they wait for more evidence before taking action. However, he declares that he will try to stop them , against their wishes. When he realises this, Chief Inspector Jones, who is in charge of finding the extra evidence needed, but is also a traitor, working for the terrorist group, immediately informs them. They take Jack's girlfriend hostage and send him a note telling him where she is - a long way from where the bombs have been planted. With time running out, Jack must choose between her and his duty, reminding him of a similar situation that he was put in years ago, which resulted in his wife's death (the audience have seen short flashbacks throughout the film, but not enough to completely reveal Jack's history). With the help of a young sidekick, in whom he confides the story about his wife, he sets out to save his love interest.
Restoration:
In the end, it is Jack's teenage companion who stops the bombs. While they succeed, they fail to catch the the mastermind behind the plot, who escapes with Jones. At the end of the film, Jack realises that his helper is actually his long-lost son, by his late wife.
This idea was partially inspired by the Die Hard films and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

This film will need a high budget, but will not require many sophisticated special effects, or C.G.I.. I think that it has potential to be very successful, as the scenario that it creates is one that people are very familiar with, but it has a good U.S.P.: the villain gets away.

Todorov:
Equilibrium - American policeman doing his job.
Disruption - The hero uncovers a plot to assasinate the Queen.
Restoration - He manages to stop a hypnotised/brainwashed gunman at the last minute and the evil mastermind falls off a stadium and is trampled on.

Propp:
Hero - Frank Drebin.
Princess - Jane Spencer.
Villain - Vincent Ludwig.
Others - the Mayor, Nordberg, Ed.

DYM HW feedback

Hi Tom

Most of your HW has been completed to a good standard, but not all of it. YOu might need to meet with me tomorrow lunchtime to go over what needs re-writing.

Your first HW is lacking the references to Todorov and Propp. Please look back at your class notes to help with this.

Half the NICS HW has been completed correctly, but the other half needs correcting. The section on narrative contains good analysis on some the key themes, but should also contain more about the structure of the film, and how that compares to the action-adventure genre in general. Some general advice for blogging: take care to check over your work when you have posted your work onto your blog.

Narrative:
·        The dominoes symbolise the events that have already happened and the events that are going to happen and the fact that they lead into each other.

·        Montage that gives the audience a glimpse inside a character’s head and shows them, in part, what’s going to happen next.

·        Earlier in the film, V has sent masks to assist in his plan. The fact that his masks are now being sent all over the country shows that he is about to implement a plan that will affect everyone

·        The X on Mr. Creedy’s door is significant to the storyline, because it shows that he has complied with V’s proposition that he would betray the Chancellor and would get V in return.

Iconography: 
·    Masks are a common theme of the horror genre, as they conceal the identity of the wearer. For the same reason, they are also used in superhero films.

·    Guns and soldiers connote violence.

·    Dramatic music - something is going to happen.

Characters:

·   Villain - very aggressive, rules with an iron fist, intimidating.

·   Hero - very clever, kills a lot of 'bad' people, mysterious.

·   Heroine - someone that we can identify with.

Settings:

·   V's cave - secret.

·   Police station - shows who certain characters are.

·   Ruins of Larkhill - a major event has happened there.

Western Film Clip

• At the beginning of this scene, we see a rivalry between two people.
• This builds the tension between them in the arena.
• The surroundings suggest a typical Western film.
• Also, the ‘shoot-out’ is common feature of the Western genre.