Unit 10: Film Production


Unit Specification

Unit type: Internal
Guided learning hours: 60

Unit in brief


This unit will focus on the process of producing a short narrative film or film extract that uses
generic conventions.

Learning aims


In this unit you will:

  • Understand codes and conventions of fictional film production
  • Produce material for a fictional film of a specified genre
  • Apply post-production techniques to a fictional film utilising codes and conventions of a specified genre.

Unit 10 Assignment 1 (Analysing Fictional Film Codes and Conventions) LO A
TBC - Learning Aim B
TBC - Learning Aim C

Assessment Record Sheet - Unit 10 Assignment 1


Task 1 : Compare different formats and purposes of fictional film production

What are the differences between mainstream cinema and short films created for film festivals, competitions?

  • Mainstream cinema = Hollywood, Paramount, Disney, Universal, Fox, Columbia/Sony, WB. Mega budget. For profit. Commercial. Revenue driven. Mainstream audiences.  Wont take rsisk.  Might risk profits/audience. Generally star power more important. Well known talent. 
  • Action genre, sci-fi, horror and romcom. Risk free, often stereotypical, safe and familiar.
  • Shorts found at Film Festivals = Cannes, Sundance. Low budget. Promote art of film.  Care about quality. Niche audiences. Messages & values are important. Take risks. Nothing to lose. Telling a story more important, narrative themes. 
  • 'Indie' genres, such as, drama, social realism, biopic, documentary.

Why is it important to showcase talent?

  • Raise profile of new directors/actors.
  • Opportunity to invest in the future of the industry. 
  • Combat threats to the film industry, over saturated market of competition, piracy, threats from other content producers, such as 'YouTubers' - cant beat join them. Fastracks interdependent talent. 
  • Trust in talent.
  • Established directors might have more freedom, control, reputation.
  • Younger directors might be more easily controlled/cheaper to manage.
  • Risk, to not invest.
  • Stagnate. Stay still, not innovate or evolve. 
  • Diversity. Can change and adapt.

What are the conventions of political filmmaking? Provide an example.

  • Propaganda. Purpose. Persuade. Immersion. To believe a certain thing. Ideology. 
  • Political parties with governments or entire nations.
  • Very ideological in structure.
  • Controversial. 
  • Often take the form of documentaries.
  • Bias. Mediated. Edited or staged. Version of events. Controlled. 
  • Protest film. Individuals who want to promote a message, revolt.

This Is Not A Film (2011)
  • As a result of government censorship.
  • Revolt, resist regulation.

What are the conventions of TV drama (in comparison to feature length films)? Provide an example.

  • Low budget in comparison to Hollywood films. Production values. 
  • Audience expectations are lower when it comes to CGI.
  • Larger range of characters. Multi-strange narratives. Plots and subplots. Major charterers, minor characters.  Adds variation.
  • More character development
  • Location often integral to identity of show
  • Star power not as heavily relied on, linked to budget.  Stock charters. Repetition/stereotypes. 
  • Young, new actors. Cheaper.  
  • Advert breaks. In comparison to film, where immersion is uninterrupted.
  • Episodic. 42 minute broadcasting hour. Series. 10-24 episodes in a season.
  • Narrative open ended. Cliffhanger. Make you keep watching. Big climax, end of season finale. 
  • High on drama, to encourage cliffhangers.
  • Much bigger gap between seasons than episodes.  Hype, anticipation.  Need to ensure they come back.
  • Enigma codes. Unaddressed mysteries. Season arc.
  • Consumption habits, weekly or binge viewing.  Media Meshing & Stacking.
  • Reliance on Viral Marketing.
  • Loyal fandoms.

What are the conventions of serial dramas? Provide an example.

  • aka "soaps".
  • Specif demographics in term of TA. 25-60. 70/30 females.
  • Hollyoaks, Eastenders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street.
  • Usually considered a British institution.
  • "real life" narratives & themes
  • Considerably low budgets. 
  • Constant. No end of season. 
  • "event television" focused around a season. 
  • "live" or extended episodes = USP
  • Immersion due to lack of obvious sets/editing/reshoot
  • risk, errors more obvious, #trending on social media.
  • Live episode becomes conventions. No longer USP. 
  • Build up to larger stories. Then a large 'event' spectacles. 
  • Tie ins with CIN/RND. Viral Marketing. 
  • Soap or TV awards.
  • Mid shots, OTS, dialogue heavy. Focus on people, relationships.
  • Messages & values family, affairs, love.
  • Slapstick humor.



Genre and audience:
List a range of genres, and identify the codes and conventions and generic characteristics of each. (exclude your genres from this list) What are the audience expectations of each genre?

Action
  • explosions
  • male dominated
  • Proppian princes
  • female obictification 
  • spped intenisty,
  • location, busy cities
  • vilence, guns, shoot outs, car chases
  • fast pace editing
  • destcutcion
  • vsual spectacle
  • immersive
  • simplistic narrative, relies on simplistic tropes
  • binary opposites, good v evil

Model Answer...

There are a range of film genres. One example could be action. The codes and conventions of this genre are usually high levels of explosions, male dominated narratives, inclusion of Proppian Princes, and female objectification. In terms of the films structure, there is usually an intensity, the location is usually busy cities, with lots of violence, guns, shoot outs, car chases. There will be fast paced editing to emphasise the destruction and visual spectacle. This can often make the film more immersive. There is usually a simplistic narrative, which relies on simplistic tropes, usually binary opposites of good v evil.

Comedies / Rom Coms
  • most character set usually stereotypes, easier to understand, short cuts
  • slapstick comedy
  • High key lighting, high saturation
  • Relies on facial expression, humor, emotions
  • Light tone
  • Over the shoulder shots, lots of dologue
  • messages & values usualy friendship, relationships, family
  • Upbeat none-diagetic soundtrack, usually parllel
  • Female objectification often
  • Romance, usually around holiday periods, particular Christmas

Fantasy / Sci fi
  • Proppian hero journey, usually lost someone
  • narrative structure, usually Tororov 3 part
  • surreal setting (space, far off land)
  • cinematically establishing shots used to set scene (immersion)
  • orchestral soundtrack
  • CGI heavey
  • male dominated
  • simplistic narrative, relies on simplistic tropes
  • rely on diegetic SFX
  • final girl theory, female objectification often
  • high budget

Biopic
  • mediated, someone version of events
  • attempt at a true story
  • voice of god narrator
  • relies on personal identity 
  • star power
  • often controversial people as subject matter
  • often controversial films, covering stores people might nto know
  • often controversial as the subject may disagree with creative liberties taken

How have the conventions of those genres been subverted in certain film?
Star Wars, Rogue One, The Hunger Games, Power Rangers, Wonder Woman etc...

Identify the genre of your two chosen films. Identify the codes and conventions and generic characteristics of each. What are the audience expectations of each?
Post-apocalyptic dystopian future
  • narrative journey, looking for cure/back to normal/safe haven
  • narrative arc, usually purpose, redemtion
  • flashforwards/backs, non-linear subverted narratives (provides context)
  • low key lighting, creates shadows, dangers, unknown
  • desaturated, muted colour pallete
  • ambient sounds, diagetic sounds, breathing, heartbeat
  • big city, usually abandoned/destroyed
  • themes of family, death, abandaments, loss
  • stretched editing, tension, long lingersin shots
  • themes of isolation for the characters
  • survival of the fittest
  • lone wolf stereotype, Propian hereo (sometimes anti hero), usually male

Have the conventions been subverted in either of your chosen films?

Horror yes & no

I Am Legend, no...

  • Risk alienatiting mainstream fans of that genre
  • safer not to


How is mise-en-scène used to establish characters and location through costume, setting, props, figure expression, body language etc. 

How are different camera angles used, such as framing, angles, height and movement?

How is the lighting manipulated, such as ambient, high key, low key, backlighting, side, overhead, under, use of shadows and colour?

Mise en scene is important in both films.  

For example in the specific key scene in ‘I Am Legend’ where Will Smith’s protagonist enters the small child’s room, props are key to establishing the atmosphere of the setting.  For example the use of…

However/in addition/similarly/in contrast however… in the specific key scene in ‘Second Film’ the costume is perhaps more significant.  For example...




Netflix Brand Values


Image result for netflix logo



Exemplar Paragraph... (with media language)



One of Netflix’s brand values is that it deliverers quality products, with high production values.  One of the ways it does this is due to the £7.99 a month subscription being generally affordable to many people.  As a result, it has a high budget, which allows it to invest in well known directors or actors (star power).

 HIGH BUDGET
AFFORDABLE
HIGH PRODUCTION VALUES
QUALITY
CREATIVITE CONTROL
UNIQUE (USP)
BINGE VIEWING / CONSUMPTION HABITS
ORIGINAL
EXCLUSIVITY
THOUGHT PROVOKING (HOC OITNB)
FIRST INNOVATIVE
DIVERSE & VARIETY (CONENT)
DIVERSITY AGE (CAST)
DIVERSITY GENDER (CAST)
DIVERSITY RACE (CAST)
DIVERSITY LGBT (CAST)
TAKE RISKS
TRUST (DATA)
TRUST (VALUE FOR MONEY)
TRUST (DELIVER)
RELIABLE (EFFICIENCY, LISTEN TO AUDIENCE)
AWARD WINNING (QUALITY CONTROL)
QUICK FAST
NO ADVERTS
PERSONALISED EXPERIENCE (LISTS AND SUGGESTIONS)
NICHE AUDIENCES (CRIME, KIDS, ETC = RANGE OF GENRES)
MAINSTREAM (COMIC BOOK, ACTION GENRE)
EVENT TELEVISION AND VIRAL STUNTS




Some common editing things to remember...
  • Copy all your footage to the E: Drive of each machine, after every shoot.
  • Reorganise and rename files BEFORE importing them into Premier Pro.
  • Only edit local files. Networked video files will be slow and make Premier crash.
  • Do no rename files AFTER importing into Premier Pro.
  • Once a clip is on the timeline, remember to 'scale to frame size' EVERY clip, straight away.  Make sure you include all of what you intended. Your composition will suffer otherwise.
  • Rescue poor lighting with brightness and contrast filters. But remember, these effects have their limits.
  • Only 'render' sequences that have had complicated effects applied to them.  Do not render every new clip, every 5 minutes.  It will affect your productivity.
  • Experiment with different non-diagetic tracks.  Do screenings with options, see what you sample audience prefer.
  • Use key frames to animate movement, and to manipulate audio levels at more than 2 points.
INTERTEXTUAL, ENIGMA CODE HEAVY OPENING SEQUENCES









A selection of (old) exemplar work...