Is cinema dead debate

with the on going change in technology has it create a make or a brake in cinema?
With the grow in technology people have more access to facilities that in the past we wouldnt of usually had access to which has put a bur-don on the studios shoulders as they are being robbed under the light of day for their multi million dollar products however is there still hope for cinema or not?

When cinema first started it was more of a treat to go to the cinema as a family thing or even with friends, people didn't have access to television DVD's internet extra to view these products on.

However with the grow in technology the film producers have ways of trying to keep people in the cinema however do these work?

• As technology has developed, the use of 3D/IMAX and special effects has become more popular in big films. It offers the audience a chance to experience something they couldn't get at home.

The 3d/IMAX isn't available in all cinemas across the country meaning the experience isn't their for everyone. Not only this the price of the tickets to watch a 3d film can be upto £10 each as a round figure totalling to nearly £40 on a night to an average sized family without including the additional beverages which are likely to be purchased or maybe an evening meal out followed before or after the film which turns the whole experience into a costly night out, or the family could wait a few months and purchase the DVD when it is released and watch it countless of times over, Okay maybe you wont be able to view the film with its full potential of the 3d effects and the cinematic surround sound but this doesn't usually come into consideration.

• Film reviews from film critics and other movie-goers may influence a viewers choice on whether to watch a film or not.

The film reviews could go either way or leave you as confused about the film as when you started with several different opinions.

• American films can afford to put a lot of their money into advertising, which means it has a better chance of attracting an audience to watch it at the cinema.

• Orange Wednesdays have brought audiences back into the cinema as it offers a two for one deal.

• Sainsburys Nectar points and Tesco Club Card points can be used to buy cinema tickets (this deal would bring in a big audience because lots of people shop here).
• There are so many internet virals of trailers and movie clips that it makes people want to go and see the film.

• Cinemas offer an experience you can't get anywhere else, for example; Vue in Eastleigh offer a variety of different seating styles like bean bags, arm chairs, and standard seats.
• See Films First offer exclusive access to members who are signed up to see a film before it premieres to the public in cinemas.

• ODEON also offer a Premiere card to people, the system works by awarding points for every £1 that is spent at ODEON. This makes people more likely to go to the cinema more often as they are getting extras.

Obviously a few of these arguments are well rehearsed. DVD sales are now a huge part of the Hollywood marketing machine – an estimated 60% of revenue from the US came in home sales, compared to 23% for tickets. While the opening weekend extravaganza is as important as ever for summer blockbusters like Star Wars III, any number of films now do as much, if not more, business on the small screen. And, of course, there's that old problem for Hollywood of piracy (oddly not something that Joe Public is losing too much sleep over), which meant that Star Wars was available on DVD across the world just hours after it hit the cinema.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/culturevulture/archives/2005/06/15/is_cinema_dead.html

PRODUCTION QUESTIONS

1) How has the status and power of stars changed over cinematic history?
When cinema first started out the enthusiasm was all within the moving imagery which ment that the stars didnt have a major impact to the films, anyone could appear in a film, however with progression within the cinema people are not as interested in the moving imagery as they are in the stars within the film. People will goto the cinema to see a star they like and have heard of and not just because its a good film. If there was 2 films in the cinema one with stars and one without equally as good the film with the stars would make more money because the stars are what people want to see.


2)Take any film you have seen recently and find out who produced it. Then try to find out more about this person. What was their role on this particular production? What have they and others got to say about their involvement and contribution? What projects have s/he been involved in previously, were these ventures successful?
Fast and Furious 4



3)Why are certain kinds of films guarenteed to make large profits and others high risk?
the reason that certain films are gaurnteed a profit is because they have already managed to gain an audience through other weather it be through books or tv series. The studios can class this as a safe bet production as they know they already have the auidience lined up and they can produce more reliable statistic on their
4) Which genres are currently popular/unpopular and why?

5) Why was Hollywood under the studio system so successful?

6) What hads been lost and gained as a result if the replacement of the studio system by the producer/agent/deal system?

7) How and why has hollywood again become vertically integrated?

8) What are the consequences of vertical integration?

Is cinema dead?

finance income

technology
due to the technology of DVD's along with the internet it has made films more accessible through piracy which has effected the number of people which attend the cinema as people could just buy an ileagal copy from their friend

Shaun of the dead

What year was the film released in the UK?
2004
what year was the film released internationally?
2004
What genre would you consider the film to be?
I would consider Shaun of the dead to be a mixed genre of comedy and horror because the film's main characters seem extremely dosile and oblivious as to whats going on around them. this creates the comic side to the film but the horrific side of the film is the fact that there are zombies everywhere and when the are first introduce they have no idea about it.

Did the film cater to an increase in the popularity of this genre or was it trailbazing?
The film was a contribute to the popular cross genre of horror comedy. However being a British horror comedy made it stand out from others such as the films Scary movie. It put a twist on the role because it seemed more realistic compared to the scary movie however it had just enough of a slap in the face to make you realize your not watching any old horror its a horror comedy

Who directed the film?
Edgar Wright

Who was the producer of the film?
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner
Alison Owen
Nira Park
Ronaldo Vasconcellos
Natascha Wharton
James Wilson

Are all of the above British citizens?
Yes

Who funded the film?
Working title pictures,
sutdio canal

How was the film publicized in the UK?
The film was publicized with the use of adverts on buses, TV adverts Internet adverts etc.

Was the film marketed in terms of the stars in the film?
In the UK market they used the stars to sell the product as at the time the stars where rather large in sitcoms such as The office.

Are there any international stars in the film?
No

Was the film marketed in the UK?
Yes

Was the film marketed internationally?
The film was marketed internationally however the marketing internationally wasn't on the same sorta scale as the UK as it wasn't the dominant target audience

Was the film a success in the UK?
The film was a big success in the uk however not so much internationally

Was this film successful in the rest of Europe?
Yes

Was the film successful internationally?
The film was a great success in the UK however internationally it wasn't successful however it did manage to get Simon Pegg into a number of American comedy films.


What were the opening weekend figures for the film in the UK?
The opening weekend managed a gross revenue of £30million

When did the film open in the UK?
2004 april 6th

Which companies distributed this film in the UK?
Universal pictures
Rogue pictures

Which companies distributed this film internationally?
Universal pictures

Top Gun High concept

A style of post generic filmmaking
The film top gun has a mixture of genre's as it is an action film which is also based around the romance between Maverick and charlotte. The film is based around Mavrick (Tom Cruise) we following him through his fighter pilot training at the training ground top gun. from the film you can tell that Top Gun is the training grounds for only the best fighter pilots. this tells us that Mavrick is one of the best fighter pilots for the US Navy. Upon arriving at top gun he meets a women in a bar and makes a complete fool of himself in order to get a chance with her. The charecter mavrick is easy to understand and follow. through the film you see him at his best and his worst you can easily adjust yourself to his emotions in the film as its made easy to understand what he is going through at what point for example when goose dies and hes blamming himself for his best friends death. its been made clear that they were really close and as he was flying the plane at the time hes holding the burdon over his shoulder for the death of goose and has put him in the situation of fear of flying as he doesnt want to loose anyone else and doesnt think anyone would want to fly with him after such an insident even if the evidences states that he wasnt to blame for the death of goose.

Use of extended montages (type in montage and watch some examples)
In top gun they had made use of a montages at the end of the film by clipping together some of the highlights of the film for each charecter individually, they had re introduce goose for the montages and as we know that goose had died earlier in the film it makes it clear that they we using some previous clips as a reminder of the charecters and also it gave something to watch with the credits which makes the credits more interesting.


Production design frequently reflects the graphics, glossy look and layout of contemporary advertising styles (remember this film was made in the 80s)
The posters that they had created for the film ere simple but effective, they had managed to highlight the important features of the film being the main charecters and that the film was about fighter pilots and being the best this is illustrated by tom cruise and kelly Mcgills being above the clouds looking rather poweful, being above the clouds creates the appeal that they are at the top of the world. then the fact that its is about fighter pilots is illustrated by a fighter jet taking off into the clouds over the water. for its time and even now this is an effective poster and really sells the film as the poster makes the film look interesting and stands out. it tells you that you have that contrast of action adrenaline and the romantic side between the couple through colours used and facial expressions.


Scenes are easily replicated in trailers (you should be able to view this online)


Formal excess (not in a melodramatic sense)


Music track interrupts the film narrative for a separate 'performance'
the music that was used in the film top gun consisted of two main sound tracks through out one was more more based on the action scenes and the other was based upon the releationship scenes by doing this the viewer can instantly tell from the song what the scene is going to be based upon, it allows the viewer to prepare for the scene.


Self concious allusion to other films and television


'Detached' appearance of stars, like the guest stars in a television series


Hyperbolic physiques of protagonists and hyperbolic action


Ironic distanciation: Walking-talking brand

Research activity for the high concept

Ask a group of friends how they select films they want to see. How important are genres for them? or do they think of the stars or stories, special effects or just wether the film is no.1 in the chart?

Most of the people i asked how they said they choose the film to see said that its from what they see and hear about the film. wether it be advertised on the television or cinema or even from other friends. They said that i doesnt matter if the trailer is jammed packed with special effects action or adrenalin pumping. the trailer sells the story. If the film trailer doesnt sell the story then the chances are that the film isn't worth seeing.

if they were to here about about before making the decision to watch the film they would view the film trailer on youtube in order to get a feel for the film to see if its interesting.

When it comes to the stars the people i asked said that it does help to make the decision wether they are going to see the film. If they didnt really like the star of the film they said that the chances are that they wouldnt give the film a second glance, however if they did like the star they would still watch the trailer fior the film before paying to watch the film.

Some people said that if the film was number one in the charts that it would help make the decision of watching a film as the film already has alot of hype and that the majority of the people around you are talking about the film which makes you want to watch it so that you dont feel left out and you know what people are going on about.

The genre of a film seemed to be one of the most important criterias for people. The majority of people mentioned that they would rather watch a comedy or action over a horror for example. The genre of the film would be depenant of the individuals personality or even age.

City of gods

The film City of god was directed by Fernando Meirelles in 2002 and then released on the 3rd of January 2003. the film follows the life of two boys growing up in the slum of Rio De Janeiro in brazil which is a violent neighbour hood. the film focuses on a true story from the 1960's.

the two boys in the film Rocket at li'l Ze lead completely different lifes and futures.
Rocket is the son of a Poor fisherman who's lifes ambitions are to become a succesful photographer who is trapped within the city of violence and the corruption going in within the city as well as watching the city boss as he rises and falls.
The only way for rocket to fulfil his life ambitions is to expose the citys violent back ground to the world through his pictures however this could lead to great consiquences as