Audience and Institution Practice Essay

Assess the Importance of Marketing in the Media Area that you studied




       Films are created to be viewed and enjoyed. In order for this to be made possible, there has to be multiple forms of promotion. This is extremely vital and one of the most important things in the film process.

      Producers have a job to sell products and to do so they must connect with other producers and companies. Without promoting the film, there would be no audience to view it when it’s released. Producers use cross-promotion,  synergy, and cross-media convergence to market their films.

      Producers need the movies they create to be sold. The most productive way to get the film through to people is to market it. One way a film is usually marketed is by using synergy. Synergy is the most effective way to do this because companies work together to make a profit. The more marketing for a film, the better the chance it has of popularity. A prime example is Spiderman Homecoming, in this movie, the filmmakers partnered with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. This was effective because when buying the cereal, they’d see Spider-man advertised on the box.
     
       Another successful film that used synergy was Frozen 2. However, the marketing was kept throughout the company. It was better to use companies under the same conglomerate because that helped keep the money in -house.

        Cross promoting is another way to market a film. During cross-promotion, films often use other companies and not their own, to market their product. In many cases, in-house production is not enough for film companies to successfully sell their product. Because of this, they decide to branch out. They then come together with others that are not under the same conglomerate. A prime example is the movie Fantastic Beasts. In this film, they used AT&T when it came to promoting it. They tagged merchandise and posters that were posted in the AT&T stores to grab the attention of the audiences they wanted to reach.

       In the end, regardless of how well a film is marketed, that does not guarantee success. Many other factors may lead to the downfall of a film. A prime example and result of this is the movie Uglydolls. It could be very well possible that the audiences simply did not like the movie. This film was marketed very well and the numbers still came out way lower than expected. This is literal proof and shows that no matter how good a company markets a film, it won’t necessarily always be successful.

      In conclusion, despite some failed efforts in the marketing process, marketing is extremely essential in the filmmaking process. Many of the successful movies that are popular today would not have been as well advertised and sold as much if it wasn’t for marketing. The purpose of marketing is to get the film out to the audience and without marketing, there would be no other better way to do so.

24 Extract Essay

     The title of extract I chose was 24. The main idea of this extract revolves around the female character. From the information given, seemed to have been involved in a form of terrorism and espionage. Jack was attempting to retrieve information from her regarding the location of the bomb. She never strayed off the path of attempting to secure her being able to leave and she shifted it toward their benefit by saying the person who knows where the bomb is, will also be at that location.
         The camera went over the shoulder and shifted from her staring into the camera to him entering the room. It went back and forth between them as they kept eye contact. This also was displayed through eye-line match between them. The interrogation room was the main location during this extract but it was very empty and bland. Except for the blue streak across the wall, it lacked color.
         The low angle of the clock on the wall also revealed the camera. From that viewpoint, it seemed as if the camera was facing down and they wanted us to think so as well. However, it was not and was displaying the actions going on within the room to the individuals outside of the room. They were able to see the interrogation, it was not made clear whether or not they were able to retrieve audio and hear what was going on.
         Jack continued to pry at her for information and he was not getting anywhere. This increased the animosity between them and it was shown within their dialogue. This led to him becoming irritated and the scene quickly escalated. He then flipped the table which created diegetic sound and caused a slight reaction from her. The scenes were designed to be close and in the same facility but the rooms were designed differently.
        The tension rose when he became more aggressive and proceeded to restrict her airflow and push her against the wall. At this point, the bystanders began to attempt to stop this from happening and ran down to the room. Their struggle was displayed through a split-screen. When they entered the room the commotion stopped. She began to regain the ability to breathe properly.
       The director of this extract wanted to show the intensity of the situation. They made it clear that she was involved in terrorist activity. Her attempting to, or aiding to , attack the president was a direct form of espionage.

CCR (2 of 2)

In this blog, I will be uploading part 2 of 2 of my CCR.

Final Project: Movie

In this blog, I will be uploading the movie.

Music Video Project

In this blog, I will be uploading the music video.

Commercial Project

In this blog, I will be uploading the Commercial video that was done at the beginning of the school year.

CCR (1 of 2)

In this blog, I will be uploading part 1 of 2 of my CCR.

Re-editing the Final Footage

       We are finally done with our film! We have no more scenes left to film and nothing left to put together. All we have left is our CCR for this project. When we finished recording, we used iMovie to edit our film. We had to insert scenes from previous recordings and put them all together.

       We ran into a problem when editing because the app kept crashing. We then decided to airdrop the footage to one another and edit separately. One of my friends helped with the editing process because our group mate still has not responded to us. We also ran into a problem deciding who would be in charge of editing. We left the SD card readers and stuff at the school. Only because we thought we would return the following Monday, however, we did not.

     We made all the scenes go together and referred to the story board once again. Then we added effects and transitions to make our movie more interesting. We also added some slides with words on them to help smoothly transition the time changes within the movie. The time changes were not intentional, we just lost track of time when recording some scenes. For the sake of the due dates , we also decided not to reshoot the scenes.

Filming in Pandemic: Filling in the Holes

      Today was surprisingly a success. After all our hard work and dedication, we finished our film.
We had to film the most important part of our movie. We were missing the legal scenes. Our genre was legal-drama and we had not yet filmed a scene in a courtroom. Or any shots that even displayed a any legal aspect on our film. As soon as we all met, we brainstormed. We knew what needed to be recorded, but I explained to them the time limit we have as well. We had already filmed 1/3 of the movie and were at 1 minute and 45 seconds. That was a big problem, but we fixed it.

      As I explained in a previous blog, we specifically assigned one of our group members to edit the film. They have been very hard to reach so we filmed today without them. We then began to create and film the courtroom scene in the home of one of our group members. Afterward, we filmed the scenes we were missing, we basically filled the holes in our project.

      We then realized we still had to adjust to the time limit. The plan was to just add on the scenes to what we already sent in to be peer reviewed because it was what we had in our storyboard. However, that did not work simply because we would be over the time limit. We had to re-edit everything and completely disassemble our shots.
   
     We then thought back to our story board (none of us remembered to bring it) and brought together our masterpiece.

Editing During The Pandemic

       This Virus has literally ruined everything and changed so much for everyone academically as well as every other way. We aren’t supposed to leave our homes unless completely necessary. Our film is not finished and we have bot been able to get in touch with one of our group members.  He was supposed to be the one to edit the film for us and rearrange the scenes. We no longer have the equipment to film, it is all in our classroom. We know this project still has to get done, so we’re going to use our phones. The other 2 members of my group are 11th graders, as am I. We planned on receiving our AICE Diploma this year. We've been receiving updates about moving forward regarding exams from multiple sources. Everything is just so confusing, all we can do now is try our best to complete our assignments.

        We have progressed so much in this class together and individually and have come too far to simply give up now. We were told that we will still be graded, regardless of an actual exam. At first, we were going to just submit what we had so far, it didn't look as if we'd have another chance to complete the project that we worked so hard on. It was evident that we really had no choice, for the sake of our grade we had to.

         We cut more of what we already filmed, using iMovie and the photos app on our phones. We basically stretched our film and scenes. Then, our teacher sent us a message saying we received an extension to when everything was to be submitted. With this wonderful news in mind, we are continuing to film for the last time tomorrow. 

Editing Blog: Titles

      Hi guys, I’m back with an update about our movie, Double Deceit. We still have not left our homes to film anything as of yet. However, we have continued the process within the safe and clean environment of our homes. So far, all we need is to film two more scenes, those will take place at one of our group mates’ house. Her house is in a very populated and complex area where many people go in and out of every day. She lives near a bus terminal and we have been advised to not visit areas with such a high risk of contacting the virus.
     Basically, we are stuck in our homes and are communicating through social platforms and messages. We have began the process of doing the titles sequence and adding it to the beginning of the film. This meant we had to blend in the titles and come together to pick what color background and how long they will each be shown on-screen.
       Our movie is titled Double Deceit, so we wanted the title picture to express the words as their literal meanings. By reading the title and seeing the way it came on screen, the audience should be able to tell what type of movie it is going to be. The goal was to do like most successful and interesting movies do and plant an idea in your head before the movie even begins.
      We still have plenty of time to add tweaks and correct both minor and major errors in our film. For now, we are limited and restricted regarding our ability to do certain things outside of our homes at this point by both our parents and officials. But we do plan on getting this assignment done and perfected far before the due date now that we have extra time on our hands. I will be back to log more of our journey as film makers soon again.
    We do have hope that we will be able to reshoot some scenes again. In order for us to be completely satisfied with our project the scenes have to correlate and we will continue to edit along the way.

Reshoot

     Hey guys, I have bad news. We did not get to film today and reshoot anything. Due to the corona virus, many of us haven’t left our homes. We have been advised to not gather in groups to reduce exposure. Also, we were told to limit contact with other individuals and to be safe, so we haven’t really been out much. It doesn’t seem to have an effect on individuals our age, but we are taking precautionary measures and don’t want to risk anything. However, today we did try to film regardless of the circumstances but other factors lead to us not doing so. One of our group mates did not have a ride, the others had work.
      The next chance we get we will reshoot. We have two weeks off of school and plan to use them to finish our project. We don’t need to shoot every single scene again, only about one or two of them. We ran into a problem because we have a specific time frame we have to be within. We ran over the time and forgot about the two separate filming days.
     For us to reshoot, we may change our attire or keep it the same but we haven’t figured it out yet. Most likely, we will just record the individual scenes with the time crunch in mind. This will also aid in a more productive editing process because we won’t have to cut as much. We will film about 10 scenes and most will be 2 seconds (like flash pans).
      Our project is almost done, all we have to do is correct the time errors. Hopefully, we will be able to film this week or at least before we return to school. My next blog will be on another topic, but I will be sure to mention the progress we’ve made since.
     

Editing Blog

    Hey, I’m back to log my movie journey and to share our film making process. So far, we filmed some of our scenes and we’re peer reviewed. With our first assignment, we soon realized that our regular editing app that we had to use on the school computers would not work as well with this project. We also already had to struggle with the computers themselves, so pinnacle studios was a no-go.
       We really didn’t want to have to bear the hassle of a faulty app that we weren’t very sure of how to use properly. So we first started this project, assigned each individual of our group a role. My role was to be one of the actors and the idea person for the storyboard. Erik is in charge of editing and the actual putting together of the movie. We recently had a peer review assignment that was assigned so we could get a second view and unbiased or fresh perspective on our movie. This did prove to be very helpful because it let us know what our classmates thought. They were  also doing this project as well, so everyone was assigned an individual to peer review or a group.
    For the peer review, we were told that we couldn’t just send in clips. We actually had to put together what we had to film so far and put it on a flash drive. We only filmed the  scene at the park, and we did shoot some scenes more than once because of lighting or other issues. So we had to cut some of the footage and add it in certain places in order to be in sync with the storyboard. Then, we had to make sure that our film  was within the timeframe and didn’t go over or under it. We basically just cut and put together the scenes, but we did have a problem. Because  we took longer than expected to film, our peer review wasn’t the full movie. But it still went over the timeframe that the movie was supposed to be in. But we had to turn in something for our peer review. this weekend we plan on finishing the rest of our scenes, and I will be back to log the rest of our journey!

Filming Blog: The Park

        So far, our movie has been a success! We finally got to film last weekend on Saturday. Everything came together so nicely. I was able to bring one of my friends to play one of the parts of the people that we needed, which was very helpful and turned out to be great in the end. Everyone played in their roles very nicely and the lighting was so perfect, we don’t have to worry about reshooting with better lighting. My role  was the kidnapper (the lawyer), and my face wasn’t supposed to show in any of the things that we filmed. I simply had to lure the child in with candy, which was pretty easy and basic. Also, this was the main part of our movie so precision was everything. 

         Then came the part where we had  to get all of the other actors together since we were going to shoot the movie in order of the story board slides. The toddler did create some difficulty and a little bit of a struggle, she was actually a young child, it was difficult to keep her attention throughout the whole time we were filming. So I had to wave one of her toy dolls at her and then lure her in with the candy after she saw the doll. 

         Overall, it was pretty fun filming and taking pictures because the setting was just perfect and so was the lighting. We procrastinated for a while and also had to wait for the area to die down because it actually is a playground and a park and people were there. One of the first rules we were taught about the filmmaking process was to not include individuals in the film that were not meant to be there unless it was for the purpose of the film as if they were bystanders. Of course, we didn’t want to get points off and we want our film to be exactly like the storyboard, so we waited. 

          I must admit, We didn’t use the camera or the tripod to film even though we checked it out. We didn’t use it because it will be too time-consuming to record or risk the battery dying. Also, we didn’t want to record and then have to rush into class the next school day and dump the footage and then save it. So we recorded on our cell phones, and after we finished filming they sent all the footage to me. Then, I sent it to the group chat for it to be reviewed and edited for peer review. 

Peer Review Blog For Movie

      I would have to say the most interesting part of this film was the way they kept my attention. I often get distracted or easily bored when watching films no matter the length. For an AICE Media film, this one was actually good. They also managed to keep my attention while also not giving away the entire story. Most short films are like that. Although this isn’t a short film, is seems as though it was. I do believe that they followed the instructions of the assignment because in the end. Meaning, I wanted more and did wonder what else was going to happen. It wasn’t too much or too little, and wasn’t boring or too adventurous. 

      I would suggest they filmed in an area with calmer weather. It was kind of hard to hear the dialogue with the wind. They should have used artificial wind that was lighter, and edited it into the movie.  I don’t think it would be very difficult for them to do this. I also suggested this to my group members for our project as well. An audience naturally won’t force themselves to struggle to hear the dialogue or the lower sounding sounds in a film. Then adding the wind after the dialogue or during it would be better. It would allow them to adjust the level of the sound so it won’t be so disruptive. Also, they would be able to blend the sound to their advantage. This would ensure that it would be able to fade in (sound wise) or fade out (sound wise). This would have been better for the film. 

Filming Blog: The Process

     I can honestly say the wait is almost over. After working so hard planning this project, we are less than three days from our first filming date. Once again, I’m being honest, and not even half of the work is done as of yet regarding this project. After we film on Saturday, we will have to dump footage and edit piece by piece. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the reason we did not film last weekend, was because I was not available to do so. Ironically, this weekend we ran into the same issue but not me this time. Another one of our group mates is not going to be present but we have to film. Since we have blogs due regardless if we filmed or not, we decided that we have to film this weekend. I have not been to work because I am sick with the flu. I also have not attended class but my group mates have kept me up-to-date with all the information regarding our project.

    I have the informed my friend, who is coming along with us to film this weekend, on what we are doing. I have been told by my roommates that since we are short of participants, I will have to play two separate roles. I told them that I honestly have no problem with that, but my role is to be the police officer. We also have another one of our group members playing the judge role so I felt as if she would be more fit to play another legal role. That would make more sense than having me to switch attire between scenes. I expressed my concerns to my fellow group mates, but they’ve been at school all day and I have not so I’ll just leave the decision making up to them. Ultimately, we each have the same goal so I hope that were able to achieve it. This is one of my last AICE classes so I hope to excel in this project. This is crucial for my group members and I pass the exam.

  I will be back with an update soon and hope this all goes well on our first filming day!

Filming Blog: To Be Continued

     All I can say is my group mates and I, once again, did not plan well. As a result, we did not film this weekend. I can honestly say that this time, the unproductiveness was not a group effort. I was not able to find a method of transportation to and from the filming site. Also, when we were creating our storyboard we did not think about the amount of actual individuals that will be needed in order to film every role of this film correctly. We ran into the issue of having a less amount of people that we needed. Also, one of our group mates did not have the proper attire in order to correctly play his role in our film. Being that we all had saturday off of work, and one of our roommates is not employed at all, we could have still film and improvised. However, we did not want to risk going off script and not following your story board exactly as we created it. We we’re given careful instructions by our teacher and told not to go off script. It was explained to us that is would be more efficient to keep it exactly as it was unless it was absolutely necessary to make changes.
       Being that we still have enough time to film, we just decided to reschedule on a day that we will all be available and have stable transportation. One of my friends was a part of our music video in a previous project. I suggested that the same friend could join us in this project as well. That would eliminate the problem of not having enough people, even though we still need one more person. We plan to film this upcoming weekend on Saturday. My role is to be the police officer at the scene of the kidnapping. Fortunately, I do actually have police gear. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to wear it unless I am at detail assigned by the police department because I am a police explorer. On the bright side, I will not be at work at all Saturday, so I will be available as well as my group mates.  I also brought up the idea that we could film in another teachers class that I know, but were  also instructed to not do that. Hopefully, we will film this weekend and it will be a success.
       

Filming Blog: Before the Beginning

    Hey, I’m back with another project assignment and will be blogging every step of the way. The final steps toward filming our movie have been put into action. We were supposed to film this previous friday being that it was a holiday and we were off from school. However, we did not do so. In order for us to film we have a process that takes place within our classroom. The first step to this process is having a finalized plan. We were instructed to finish our 10 storyboard pages and then add them to a google slide presentation. After doing this, we were supposed to then embed the presentation into blogger and publish it.
   When it came to minimizing the workload on one individual, I assigned certain tasks to certain people in our group. I decided to designate Erik as the individual in charge of completing the storyboard and even a week after, he hadn’t completed it. This set us back in terms of signing out filming equipment and leaded up to us receiving an F for the the assignment. Not until today, the assignment was completed when I did 5 of the pages. The main issue was that our schedules did not correlate and one of our group members was not entirely dedicated.
    This was a fail on all of our parts, but we plan to film this weekend or early next week. I decided since the last project was filmed at my house, this time it should be filmed at a different location. As of today in class, we decided where we want to film first. However, we are short actors for our project and are still figuring out the minor issues. From the beginning, I have been stressing to my group members the importance of precision and being informed. Now that it is time for us to pick up our cameras and film, everyone else in the group realizes what I was saying all along. This process hasn’t been difficult so far. I will be back soon to speak about new details in our movie. Tune in for Double Deceit.

Movie Planning : Storyboard

Planning Blog: Location, Sound, and Participants