Different types of research

There are two different types of research: Primary and secondary. Primary research is up to date research that you have carried out yourself. For example questionnaires, face to face opinions, ringing someone on the phone to ask their views. Secondary research is formally known as desktop research because you can acquire it all from the comfort of your desk on the Internet. It is data that has been collected by somebody else that you have access too, either for free or at a price.
Both types of researches have their advantages. Primary research is very up to date, you can acquire the exact data you want to because you are asking the questions, you can include as many people that you want in your research and you know the data is defiantly reliable because you have got it yourself.

Secondary research also has its advantages: A huge range of data is available, you can analyse trends in the market because you can get data that has been analysed over many years, it is cheap and it is easily accessible.

Here is an example of some secondary research that anyone could use when deciding what genre of film to make and who to aim it at.



Anyone could use this data to then make a film with the biggest target audience, in this case it would be drama.
You could then take this second graph and decide what age range you will aim your film at.



34% of older people prefer the genre of film to be drama, were as in the younger generation only 23% of them prefer dramas and 30% of middle age people do as well. So if I took this research I could then decide that i would make a drama film that is aimed at the middle-older people as this is where the biggest interest is. I found this information in less than 30Min's so I could acquire allot more data that could also help me if I wanted to make a film.

Because our OTS is going to be a action/physiological thriller if we use this graph, we can see that it would be best to aim it at the younger generation because 20% of this age band prefer to watch this genre of film.
When making our OTS we need to have carried out lots of research to guide us on what the younger generation expect to be included and what would really blow their socks off.

Source of graphs:
http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sfischo/media3.html

Research into what a thriller consist of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_thriller

Location, Location, Location

We all researched places we could film our OTS. We needed to follow the typical location conventions that the genre of film noir include. We are using multiple locations, because the man running will cross alot of ground we have planned a route for him to follow which correspondes to the mysterious and dark film locations used in film noir. We plan to film in the city and finish up at the Roman catholic cathedral. The maze like streets will enable us to use lots of different camera techniques and will connote the mans sense of despiration due to the enclosed and overpowering locations we are using. Our OTS will end at the Roman catholic cathedral which is a sutible ending location with its stunning architecture.

To view eveidence of our possible locations, Blaine and James have taken many different pictures of the locations we will use along the route we may film them.

Location images
http://blainesasmedia.blogspot.com/2009/12/location-ideas.html

Continuity task, The sandwich deal

We were given a task to film a short sequence showing that we can follow specific instructions to use different camera shots like match on action, abiding by the 180 degree rule and utilizing a shot reverse shot. These were the basic requirements that were given to us but there was an option to carry out an extension task.

The extension task included extra content of: The main character walking alone, shots of their footsteps, door bangs, mutterings, an implied enigma building throughout the extract which could be shown via a scream or implied fear with the use of lighting and shadows, more than 3 locations, more than 2 people.
The extract had to include:
Person A walking to a door, opens it, passes through, crosses room, sits down, talks to person B.

We took this and developed the basic structure adding our narrative and extra camera shots and locations we wanted to use.

After shooting the footage we then had to carry out the editing process and this was done on Sony Vegas pro.



To view our final Continuity task watch the video bellow:

Media Continuity Set Task from James Wigger on Vimeo.

Opening title sequence, group audio planning

Our group came together for a brain storming session on ideas for our final production, we ordered pizza and got planning. this is a twenty minute discussion of some of the ideas we came up with and james typing up the notes on his macbook. Overall Blaine, Daniel, James and I came up with some great ideas and we are excited about making our production.

Analysis of images

This image suggests povety and emphasises the inacence of the little girl by putting her in a hugh doorframe which is simbolical of her minimal knowledge and exsistance in the world.

This image may be from as flashback which is shown by the black and white contrast which is used to show the differance in time.

This image is of a little girl who is represented as only a shadow, the light from the door infront of her creates the illusion of a cave or a tunnel and creates the sense that the girl is affraid of the big wide and open world.

The violet light, which shines through the door and creates the outline of the momen in a reflection on the wall creates the sense of the abnormal as it is a very unuasual colour of lightling.

This image creates the sense of happiness, the light shinning through the window as he opens it, highlights the beautiful world we live in and how happy he is just looking out into the beautiful world.

Source of images: Google images

Semiotics within the film industry

Semiotics is the study of signs and meaning.

Saussure was the set structure for semiotics he set the ball rolling and many people developed his ideas to the understaning of semiotics in the modern day. Saussure's structure was based on two factors: signifiers and the signified.

Signifiers-Is the actually image, physical apperance or sound.

Signified- Is what the sign reffers to or suggests.

When I was learning my GCSE's I studied a different understanding of semiotics, this was:Roland Barthes devoloped theory that there was two ways of reading signs.

Denotation and connotation, Denotation basically means, say what you see, whatever you see on the screen. Connotation is the sign on the screen and what perception you and others have of it. For example if there was fire, there are many different objects or feelings that fire connotates. It could connotate danger, corruption, death, torture. But on the other hand it could connotate warmth or a source of light.

Semiotics is a very complex subject because the perception of one sign could be completly different to the percetion of that same sign from a different culture. The study of semiotics demonstrates that human interaction makes fixed meaning impossible because of the diverse cultural world we live in.

An example could be a traffic light and how the different lights can be perceived in different ways. The red light means stop the amber light means slow down to stop, or get ready to go and the green light means go. But although this sounds simple, think of people from different cultures or people with different morals and desires. A person may see an amber light as a sign to speed up, if not they will have to wait for an extra minute. These people understand the initial intentions of the amber light and they know what they should do but some people may just choose not to follow them.

Another example could be in this picture for instance.This picture to me connotes simply a pair of feet. However many cultures in Asia and Thiland would see this picture as being very offensive as they are offended if you show them the soles of your bare feet.

For more research on semiotics and some examples of the theory of semiotics applied within films follow the links bellow.

Research:

http://www.rssmediastudies.co.uk/main/semiotics/

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/the_book.html

The British Board of Film Classification

The British Board of film classification was set up in 1912 and is an independent,

non-goverment organisation that brings a degree of classification to films.
A film is classified by the BBFC to give viewers a understanding of the content a film will include, the classification is just a guidline that helps you to make your own mature decision but for younger people it is a guidline for their carers.

A film is first viewed by a group of examiners and is then stripped apart to catergorise sections of the film which fall into different age classifications. The producers then have the choice to change parts or keep the film the same but have the suitable age classification that is given. Some producers and some narrative do want blood, sex and violence, which then will consequently have a higher age classification.

For example a 12 or 12A may contain content that could be unsuitable for children under the age of 12. An example of a 12 could be You, me and dupree which contains scenes that may be unsuitable for children under 12.


Another example could be an 18 which would contain very graphic scenes so cannot therefore be viewed by people aged lower than 18 because they may me disturbed by the content. An example of a film with a classification of 18 could be saw.

When I have to make my Opening title sequence of a film I will have to consider my target audience and what limitations my film will have depending on my target audience. When making my film i will consult the BBFC website to make sure i am obiding by the classification boundries.

To view further information on film classifications click the link bellow.
BBFC Website:

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/general/index.php

Sound bite essays, Hmmm what are they?

I was told that if i was to post my essays on my blog i would have to do this in the form of sound bite essays, and immediately thought what is that? so i did some research and found out that it basically means shortened essays, gets in the good stuff and leaves out the rest, a synopsis. Bingo, a synopsis i know what that is, a book for example it has a synopsis on the back of it which is a short teaser of the book mainly the dramatic parts to get the reader to buy it. So for my essays i have to cut them down and sum it up in small chunks, leaving in the important and key terminology i use. for an example use the links below.
Front cover.
http://mindbodyandsoulsolutions.com/images/167_iris_perkins_book_cover.JPG
Back cover/synopsis.
http://www.irisperkinsministries.org/backcover.gif

Distribution, Marketing and Exchange

Distribution is the way a product can be consumed.
For example a film can be consumed by: digital or streamed viewings at a cinema, it can be bought or rented at a shop, it can be viewed on the internet or it can be handed out as freebie at film events of in a paper.
Marketing is the way the consumers can become aware of the product.
For example: premiers of the film, trailers in a cinema, posters, billboards, magzines, paper reviews, interviews, internet popups, it could be followed or posted on social networkings sites such as: Facebook, Twitter or Bebo. Or it could be passed on by word of mouth.
Exchange is the different methods a product can be consumed.
A film can be: viwed as a one off at the cinema, it can be purchased or rented on video/DVD either Blu-ray, HD, 3D, it could be viewed on TV or streamed or downloaded off the internet. It can also be bought and then passed on which is also a form of exchange.
When we will be making our film noir extract we will have to consider and research our methods of distribution, marketing and exchange. We will need to carryout some desktop and primary research to find out the most noticed form of advertising and then come to a conclusion to which method we will choose.

Target audience. Qualitative measurement

Target audiences, who are the people a product is aimed at, can also be grouped into personal preferences, and what type of personality they have. As the consumer of the product it is important to know what they want to get out of it. In my case i am taliking about films and which type of people like what genre of films.
Their are six different types of groupings which can sit down and watch the product, these are:
-Active consumers, these people would have chosen to go and watch the specific film.
-Passive consumers, these are people that don't go to specifiaclly watch the film, they either go because they are with friends or partners, they don't go there through choice.
-Preferred consumers, these are the target audience that the product has been aimed at and consequently they go and see the film because it is what appeals to them.
Hedonist consumers, these are people who are purely devoted to their enjoyment if they think a film looks good then they will go and see it. They take risks and dont just watch specific genres of film.
-Traditional consumers, these people have preferences they only watch a specific genre of film that they want to watch.
-Post-modernist consumers, these people like to watch new unconventional films that defy nature, they are intruiged by the style of production and like old films being re-filmed in a modern way to see how they have been developed.
Target audiences are sterotypes, so are not fact, but this will be good to consider these gropus of audiences when making our film noir extracts as when producing target audience needs to be key.

Target audience. Quantative measurement acorn system

Today we were learning about target audiences. This was becuase me and my group are going to have to decide who are target audience will be before we make our short film noir extract. In order to do this we needed to have an idea of different social and earning groups which could possibly be our target audience.
An example of a quantative sterotypical grading scheme could be the Acorn system, this puts people into grade groups depending on: Earnings, education, class, gender and age. The acorn system is divided into six grades: A,B,C1,C2,D and E. These boundries put people into sterotypical groups, A is for people with a hugh amount of disposible income such as surgeons, lawyers, business directors. and it follows down the grade system from white collar workers, nurses, factory workers all the way down to E, which are people that have no education have no income and live on minimal state benefit.
When making our short extract we will have to bare in mind who are consumers will be and which earnings bracket they fall into.

Film noir

I was told that I would be studying Film industries and would make a short film noir movie and throughout my studies I would post all my research, findings, conclusions and progress reports on a blog which I’d have to make.I had never heard of the term film noir before, so I wanted to find out a little background information about it before I was thrown in the deep end and sank, so I did a little research to help me build an understanding to what I was actually being asked to do. Below is the website that helped me.

Research:
http://www.filmsite.org/filmnoir.html

Casino Royale

This is the opening sequence of Casino Royale, I was asked to watch the first 4 minutes and analyse in 500 words how it fits the conventions of film noir. Because this was the first film noir that i had watched i found it difficult because i was unaware of the typical camera shots, camera movements, sounds and lighting that were used.
Casino Royale youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epxYm3OouQA