textual analysis

1) Walt Disney studious was founded in October 1923 by Roy and Walt disney, with an animation studio added in 1937. The most successful animated film was Aladdin, which made over 200 million dollars. Disney is the largest media company in the world, and it's success has spawned theme parks, toy shops, the ownership of TV channels and even the Disney world cruise ship. Some of the film companies owned by Disney are pixar, touchstone, Miramax and hollywood pictures. In total, Disney owns ten TV and over 20 radio stations across America. Disney is not part of a bigger organization, although it has joined forces with dreamworks to produce animated films for the next six years. Disney also owns American TV channel ABC, which has world famous shows including lost. Other than Bambi, other animated films produced by Disney include snow white and the seven dwarves, Bambi and the hunchback of notre dame. Disney is also in partnership with Pixar, and in partnership with them they have made toy story, monsters inc. and wall-e. Disney is also in partnership with miramax and touchstone pictures. 

2)Dreamworks was set up in 1994 by media moguls including Steven Speilberg, as a company to make film, television and computer games. After the success of the original shrek film, they made a separate company, dreamworks animation SKG, which is now owned by Disney. The most successful dreamworks animated film was shrek 2, which is one of the highest grossing movies of all time. Dreamworks also owns a record company, to put out the soundtracks to the films, as ell as copyrighting the songs used in the films. Dreamworks are owned by universal, but their animation unit is now in partnership with Disney. Other animated films Dreamworks have made include madagascar and kung fu panda. The other services provided by dreamworks are television and computer games. 

4) Bambi was released in 1942, and shrek 59 years later in 2001. The both use different types of animation, although they are both similarly fairy tales. But, they would have been promoted in different ways. Bambi was released during world war 2, and Shrek was released in the age of internet and satellite television. Bambi would have been promoted on Billboards and posters outside the cinema. It would have also been advertised before other big release films. At a long stretch it could have been advertised on radio, but this is a long stretch as it was before the days of commercial radio. Shrek would have been advertised on commercial radio as well as all of the above methods. It would have also been advertised on television, mainly children's television and in newspapers/magazines. Also, in the age of the internet it would have been advertised on games websites as well as having a site devoted to the film itself. 

In the UK, the BBFC gives films their ratings, such as PG, R18 etc. For example, for a film to be rated PG, it has to be suitable for children. No sexual content should be allowed, and only natural nudity can be seen- any sexual content and the film is not suitable for a PG rating. Only mild bad language- words such as 'bloody' or 'damn'- can be allowed into the film. Also, no violence can be shown and horror sequences should not be scary enough to frighten young children. If any of these rules are broken, the film will receive a higher rating which will be more suitable to the audience of the film. 

Up until 1968, the Hays code was in action in America and it censored films in the strictest manner, not allowing any scenes of sex or 'suggestive dancing'. On a similar note, no french-kissing was allowed in the films also. Illegal drug use and alcohol drinking were not allowed in the film- consumption of alcohol was only allowed if it was directly necessary to the plot. Cruelty to children and animals could not be shown, and all criminals had to be shown in a negative light. However, some rules did get broken- the film 'child bride' had a scene involving a naked 12 year old, whilst the film 'the moon is blue' said the then taboo word virgin. However, this film went onto win seven oscars. However, the most controversial film was 'kings row' which had scenes of incest and sadism. Nowadays, the film studios choose the ratings for films in America, ranging from PG, PG.-13 and r. NC-17 was also used for pornographic films. 

Today, the Hays code has lapsed, and the studios decide the ratings for their own films. This is arguably a good thing as if the studios give the films the wrong rating they know that the general public will lose faith in them. The film shrek has been rated PG because, although it's a kids film, has scenes featuring unnecessary flatulence and scenes of mild peril. The film Bambi is rated U, although it contains scenes of death, but does it in a way that couldn't scare young children and will make them want to watch on. It deals with a grim subject in a way that can't scare young children, giving a positive effect. This again contributes to disneyfication- even though the film has some grim subjects, the film is relatively happy, and will make children want more merchandise from the film. 

Before the release of these films, they would have advertised these films on billboards, on television and radio in film trailers and in magazines. They would also have been subjected to outdoor advertising- the adverts for the films would be on bus shelters and on the side of buses. Viral advertising could also be used- the internet and phone applications could be used to market it in this way. However, the films were released in different era's- shrek in the 21st century and bambi was released in 1940. Shrek would have been marketed using all of the above methods- Bambi would have been a lot harder to advertise due to the fact internet wasn't invented, only the rich had TV and not everybody went to the cinema. Also, it was before the arrival of commercial radio, so it was very unlikely the film would be mentioned on there. The only place the film could have been publicized to the general public could be in newspapers and magazines, but the quality of the advertisements would be a lot poorer to those of today. Over the years the ways in which films are advertised today were developed, making it a lot easier now to advertise films than what it was almost seventy years ago. Nowadays, you have to try hard to escape advertising, but in the 1940's you would have had to do the same just to find advertising. However, despite the lack of advertising, the film Bambi still went onto be a massively successful film for disney, as was shrek for dreamworks sixty one years later. However, the promotion of these films doesn't stop after you've left the cinema, as the films will have merchandise everywhere so the young audience of the film have more fun and the films producers have more cash in their bulging wallets. There will be mcdonalds promotions, cuddly toys, action figures, spin off television shows, DVD's, rides at theme parks and special edition DVD's. Bambi wouldn't have had as much in spin off merchandise, although special edition DVD's of the film are still released today. 

The dress code for shrek is a historical code, as it is set in medieval times. The castle, the dragon and the princess also convey this code. The cobbled street also conveys it, because they were also used in medieval times. The characters are symbolic codes, as they certify the fact the film is a fairy tale.The bambi characters convey a symbolic code, as they show this is a film for young children.  Also, the animals gesture codes show they are all happy, as it is a happy film aimed at young audiences. Both of the film posters are captured in a long shot, and involve the viewer in different ways- the bambi poster looks like we are viewing the through the barrel of a gun, whilst shrek looks like the characters are running towards you. The shrek poster is more direct and informal; the bambi one is indirect and formal.

3) The only two similarities at first glance between the two posters are that they are both successful films and that they both feature animals. However, everything else appears to be different. Shrek features an ogre, a donkey and a princess escaping from a fire breathing dragon outside a castle. Bambi features a deer, a rabbit, a skunk and a butterfly playing happily in the forrest. Shrek and Fiona's clothes in the Shrek poster are old fashioned robes - because that links in with the setting of the film. The animals in Bambi don't need clothes, but are made to feel more human so the children can relate to them.  When you look at the posters in deeper detail like this you see there is less similarity. However, both film posters are long-shots,but on a different note, the colour contrast of light and dark on the Shrek poster suggests the meeting of heaven and hell. Above the flames you see clouds which look suspiciously like the dreamworks logo. For the Shrek poster we are viewing it as a long shot, making it look like the characters are running towards us. Connoting that we are the only people who could help them and that we have to watch the film to see their outcome. It also gives the effect that the poster is involving the consumer, this is done through the gesture code of facial expressions which are positive making it feel a lot more welcoming towards the audience. 

The Bambi poster is a lot stranger- it's a children's film but it looks like we are viewing it through the barrel of gun, connoting the death of one of the animals in the film. The propp's theory method doesn't apply fully to the Bambi poster- Bambi is obviously the hero and the other animals are obviously helpers. The Shrek poster is more stereotypically Propp- Shrek the hero, Princess Fiona the damsel in distress, the dragon the villain and donkey the helper. The colours for both films are a juxtaposition of light and dark- in Shrek the fire is bright and the castle is dark. In Bambi, the forrest is light and the 'gun' effect dark. Only Shrek has a further Juxtaposition, the juxtaposition between good- Shrek, the donkey, Fiona- and evil- the dragon. The mode of address is informal for both posters- informal. However, whereas Shrek may have a more direct effect, Bambi is in-direct and shows the characters playing, connoting it's is nothing more than a peaceful children's film. The shrek poster involves the reader, which is more welcoming and exciting for the target audience. Todorov's theory applies to the films- Shrek lives a peaceful life, before being whisked away to save the princess, who he later marries. The disruption in Bambi is the death of his mother. 

pre-production

Production:Film Trailers

 

            Evaluation-

Purpose-

The purpose of our film trailer ‘a light inside the darkness’ was to make an entertaining crime thriller. Whether we did that or not is questionable, because I thought the trailer was entertaining, but not a serious crime thriller. However, it was still a good body of work, whether it stayed in the genre or not.

 

Primary Target Audience-

For our film we didn’t have a specified target audience, but we did suggest it should be for teenage boys and young men due to the fact its an action packed film, filled with violence, which people of that age group find appealing in films. However, we didn’t represent this in the trailer, and it looks more like a comedy, albeit a comedy that appeals to the same age group.

 

Genre-

The genre of the film is action or crime thriller. However, whereas at the start of the project we set out to make a serious film, we ended up making a crime spoof because it was unintentionally funny, making an unexpected change of genre. However, the film was still entertaining, and more entertaining that what it should have been. Luckily, it will still appeal to the same primary target audience. Originally, we did try to stick to the conventions of the genre, filming chase scenes and lots of action packed scenes, but we found that it was a lot more amusing to edit the clips to give them a comedic twist. This made us stroll away from the conventions of the genre.

Feedback-

We had a range of feedback about the trailer, with people positively commenting on the sense of mystery created in the trailer, whilst the trailer ends with an enigma that is also a good movie tagline. There were also positive comments about the Connotations of drama and adventure. Plus there was good acting in the trailer. The voiceover levels were the main problem in the trailer.

Representation issues-

I gave positive messages in the film, as my aim was to entertain in two senses- first the dramatic sense, then in the comedic sense. My video only contained boys as the film was aimed at young males, however, the full film would be aimed at everyone. However, we didn’t convey this in the trailer as we only had white males- ignoring females and other ethnic groups. The music track added a sense of drama to the piece, making it a stronger form of satire. It was an instrumental piece, so it gave the trailer a stronger sense of tension, making it more epic to view. The locations were appropriate as the film was set in a school, making it seem familiar with the target audience of young males. Finally, the language was appropriate for the target audience as it used simplistic language, but it was used in a way that could appeal to adults among other people. However, the video didn’t look like a crime thriller, and was obvious to all who viewed that it was a satire.

 

Technical issues-

The voice levels were too low, but the music levels were at a good level, adding tension. I didn’t cut off anyone’s voice editing the film, although I did cut off a scene of Matty acting, because it went on for too long. The camera work was okay, but the scenes where the camera work looked shoddy were cut from the film- the edit looked a lot cleaner due to the excessive editing of the rest of the scenes making it feel a lot less clunky and more accessible. There was also a lot of variety in the shots- we did film similar shots, but removed them from the final trailer to keep the audience interested. The editing took longer than the filming, but we took excessive scenes and edited them down to the key points to make a trailer that was entertaining, but also snappy and to the point.

 

Conventions/narrative-

We made a clichéd film of the crime thriller genre- so we included a slow motion chase scene which is typical of crime films, and we also contained a slightly over the top voiceover sequence. In a similar professional product we would keep a lot of it the same, but use the big budget a lot more- there would be clichéd element such as un-necessary explosions and the like. The only way professional films have an advantage is they have a bigger budget, making them get away with stupid things. In our narrative, we concentrated more on making it rather than having a storyline- but we used enigmas, heroes and villains. However, these were all linked in with the same narrative, making our film a single strand narrative.

 

Self evaluation-

In making this video the only new skill I learnt was how to successfully edit a video using the imovie application. The strengths in making the video were that I took average scenes and edited them to make them better and fit better with the narrative. The weaknesses were the fact that my workmates were never here so I had to do all the work on my own. I was a god team member in the sense that I had to do the majority of the work, as I was the only person who ever seemed to be there.

 

Future targets-

If this was a professional movie trailer, we would promote it by doing a lot more than just show it before other big film releases. The trailer will be subjected to viral marketing- it will be shown on youtube, facebook, twitter, myspace etc. Secondly, we will put out giant two page adverts in newspapers like the sun or the mirror, but will also put the adverts in magazines like the nme or whatever the kids are reading these days. There would also be giant billboards, and finally we would advertise the film on TV as much as possible- during all of the most watched shows, such as Britain’s got talent- a show which gets up to fourteen million viewers means that a large proportion of that audience would want to see more and go to the cinema to see it. For the teenage audience, we would advertise during dire but successful programmes on dramas such as hollyoaks or comedies such as balls of steel. Before looking at the ofcom broadcasting regulations I guess that I haven’t broken any of its rules. Even though the ofcom rules are complex and at times difficult to understand, I haven’t broken any of them- the film trailer was suitable for broadcast, meaning it was successful on the purpose of entertainment. The code we had to ensure not to break was the depiction of young people in the film. However, as we were the only people in the clip, the representation was not an issue. We didn’t use commercial music in the film trailer, as we used non-copyrighted instrumental music from the soundtrack of a computer game I’ve never heard of, but it was successful in creating tension and making the film trailer sound, if not look, epic. This means the trailer was successful to blind people, but still maintained the light-hearted frolics for everybody else.  

 

 

 

Production:Film Trailers