Ill Manors broadcast platform: trailer analysis

1. What are the typical codes and conventions of film trailers - what information is usually provided?

The typical codes and conventions that are present in a film trailer would be interesting segments of the film. these would feature segments such as disequilibriums that the protagonist faces and some action codes such as the use of weapons and the police being prominently featured. Other action codes could include the use of drugs and prostitution that could suggest a crime genre film. Barthes enigma codes are also present in the film with the use of phrases such as "Every action has a reaction" which could question an audience as to how this would link with the film and its narrative. Another element of a film  trailer could be the text and graphics that are used in trailers. If a film has some accolades, it would feature them in the trailer to present the the film with greater status. especially if the quote came from a recognisable brand, this would make the increase the chances of a greater impression on the film as they would see this as a film that they might want to watch. Another aspect that is also features in the film trailer would be the  film title. This would mainly be present in the end so that an audience isn't thrown off by the title and so this would then make the scenes used in the trailer question an audience as to what film they are watching. The credits are also present in the end which credits the production team and actors who are featured in the making of the film. At the bottom of the film would generally have the logos of the producers and the distributors who were apart of the film. Another feature that would appear at the end of the film would be links to social media. This can promote their social pages as well as their official website which could also promote the film further. There is also the use of narration in the film from the beginning and the use of dialogue that would be used to explain the story to an audience so that they have a basic understanding as to what the film would be like

2. How are trailers distributed? 

Trailers can be distributed in various methods. The most used place for distribution would be YouTube since this wouldn't cost as much as distributing the film in cinemas as this might cost a lot since cinemas would have an audience who would've paid to watch a film in cinema. This would be presented to an audience which age rating is appropriate. In this case since this is an 18 certificate film, then they would present the trailer before the actual 18 film that would be presented. Trailers can also be arguably distributed by social media when it gets shared. This could also demonstrate the distribution of the trailer in multiple social media platforms for an audience to look at.

3. How does the Ill Manors trailer use trailer conventions?

Ill Manors uses a variety of trailer conventions. One of the first and most used would be the disequilibrium. This can feature different codes under Barthes' enigma and action codes. Enigma codes can link with the disequilibrium as the audience may wonder how the hero will overcome these obstacles. For  Ill Manors, there are many uses of enigma and action codes. For the action codes, there is the use of drugs, weapons and the police force that would be seen as elements of action codes. The enigmas could be the different scenes and how each scene came to be. The trailer presents different troubles and dangers which make the audience question how this all came to be. The quote at the beginning can also make an audience question how this would link with the film's  narrative. Another convention that was used is text/graphics. The use of graphics was used to present the sentences from reviews that would be seen as highlights for them and which could also recommend the film. This can be helpful for the promotional value of the trailer if the statement came from a recognisable name, then an audience might trust the review an go watch Ill Manors which is reminiscent to the two-step flow model. Scenes from the film is also used in the trailer to try and promote the film without giving away too much. The scenes selected would be seen as visually interesting for an audience/ their target market. An example of this could be the use of violence which might be intriguing to a male audience.  

1. Who is the target audience? Does it have a unique selling point or use particular techniques to appeal to the audience? Consider the way the scenes are edited together – does the trailer give away any clues about the narrative? Are the main stars visible in the trailer? Is there information about the director of the film? Is there information about the release date? Is a narrator’s voice-over used? Why?

The target audience could arguably be young teenagers who live in London. This is due to the setting that the film is based in. Although it has a certificate of 18, I could argue that a younger but slightly mature audience would be able to watch this film considering that it can be relevant to them since they might recognise similar situations so it could also target a social class of C2DE. The target audience could also relate to a male audience since this is a crime drama that a male audience may find intriguing. Especially considering the characters are all male which might make it seem like a male audience would understand. There are other segments that also indicate that this film's target audience is male with the screen time that the gender is presented in the film trailer. The scenes which have a female in it make brief appearance of a few seconds which is shown in the fast pace editing at the end to tease that action that is shown in the film. Meanwhile, the men in the film take up most of the screen time and makes the female characters look like they are just characters with small roles in the narrative. There isn't really a unique selling point in the film. However, since this was Plan B's first film at the time, this could attract fans of Plan B to watch the film. Arguably this could be seen as a unique selling point since Plan B hasn't directed any feature length film prior to Ill Manors. In addition to this, Plan B also creates the music that is used throughout the trailer which could suggest that fans of Plan B might appreciate the film since it uses his music and this might attract an audience into watching the film. The narrative isn't clear in the trailer as an audience would infer non-diegetic dialogue that was specifically created for the film. The techniques used to appeal to the audience would be the tease of the action that is featured in Ill Manors. The film would include fast pace editing ton try not to spoil much of the film and only showcase the disequilibrium of the film. The fast pace would make it difficult for an audience to understand much of the narrative. This can be proven with the use of narrative with the text that talks about "Every action has a reaction" quote which questions the choices with a rhetorical question to the audience. This could give away some of the narrative but there was some fast paced editing which would make it hard to distinguish what happens in Ill Manors. The main stars are featured in the trailer but they aren't featured as much since the fast paced editing near the end teases some of the action for an audience to figure out who the main stars actually are. There is some information about the director which is a basic name drop for an audience who would recognise him. This is enforced with the idea of "From the visionary artist Plan B" could suggest that Plan B has had work in the past that he is recognised for so an audience might recognise him and may want watch the film making him a unique selling point for the film to an audience. The release date is featured at the end after the credits probably to let an audience watch the whole trailer so that they can have an understanding of the film maybe about. A narrative voice-over is used in the beginning of the trailer to probably give some information as to what the film is about. This is shown with "are you sitting comfortably" which could suggest that this film would have some action involved. The direct address to the audience could also suggest to an audience that this film would involve the use of narration through the film. However it stops after he said that sentence which could suggest that there may not be any voice-over for the film and that it was only used to introduce the trailer which can be inferred from the perspective of the audience.

  5. How has the genre of the film been represented through characters, settings, lighting, colour, music/dialogue, camera shots/movements/angles and editing?

The characters that are seen in the film are shown as quite dangerous. This can be inferred with the use of drugs, weaponry with pistols, and the sexual content that shows the genre of crime as a dark atmosphere. The characters shown are all seen as living in a rough neighbourhood as the use of slang throughout the film can suggest that they are located in an urban London. In addition to this there is also the different sorts  This genre is representing the film's location as quite a dangerous area. The graffiti that is displayed on the walls for where the teenagers are seen just standing around in gangs could also correlate with the genre of crime. The lighting that is used in this has mainly used low-key lighting as this can be presented in the dark areas that the characters are in. The shadows also present urban London as a mysterious area due to the low visibility that is shown. However there is some shots where there is some high key lighting that is shown in the trailer with the brighter areas that highlights this run down urban London. The colour that is used in the trailer has presented London as quite grim. This could be due to the use of a monochrome colour scheme filter in some scenes that would make London look like a dangerous place. Music is also used in the background as non-diegetic and fits the theme of crime. Considering that the director is a music artist, this would demonstrate that his music take an urban feel and so the film that he directed would make use of the soundtrack that he composed. The music used is parallel to what is happening on scene which could show that the trailer is conveying a "gangster-like" atmosphere for the audience to suggest that the film would be about crime. The use of music in the trailer also represents the film with the suggestion of an urban narrative for an audience. The dialogue that is used is also quite strong as they present the genre as a grim and aggressive genre due to the sharp tone that is accompanied by the dialogue. The camera shots used have some close-ups for the tension filled scenes such as the gun in an extreme close-up that would make an audience think that they should get ready for a gun shot but ends up cutting away to the next scene in the trailer. Another use of tension could be the close-up which introduces the antagonist in an intimidating way which could show the danger of London since the film presents intimidating characters like the gang that are near a parked car possibly doing a transaction. The camera movement is also quite steady as it would mainly focus on characters that are seen in the film as well as focus on characters when they are in difficult situations. The angles that are used in the trailer can show odd angles such as angles from below that could depict the character as powerful. This is evidenced with Chris' smile as he looked pretty psychopathic when he looked down on the camera which suits the genre of crime since criminals are mainly seen with no morality in them. The editing is another factor within the trailer that would suit with music. The slow paced editing was parallel to the music that was used which had suggested an urban London. This had only presented London as dangerous and the genre as dramatic. However later on in the trailer there was a track that had a faster pace within it. And in correlation to this, the editing increased in paced with had represented the genre of crime as quite action packed with the use of violence which is an action code that would be appealing to an audience.

ill Manors Review

SPOILERS AHEAD

Review Plan

Director: Ben Drew- AKA Plan B who is a musician  

Main Stars: Riz Ahmed 
Ed Skrein
These actors may not be familiar with many people as this film was low budget. So therefore the cast may not include some celebrities in the movies that the mainstream audience could recognise.

Plot: The film is about two characters Aaron and Ed and how their lives affect their environment. For instance, the damage that was dealt which may have benefited the characters, may have cost them to cause damage to the characters who were affected which in the long run ends up casing the characters to meet up.

Characters: The main characters are Aaron and Ed. Their quality of acting had made it seem like they were in an urban based London. In addition to this their emotions had also presented London in a dark way as it presents the streets of London as a dangerous area to live and stroll around.

Genres: The genres present in the film is Crime and Drama. It fits the crime quite well as the audience views the illegal crimes that are being committed such as violence, possession of drugs/ weapons, and the control and influence that a gangster would have. The drama elements were the situations that had thrown our character off. This could be evidenced with the missing phone/weapon, murder of a sibling, Earning money to get a phone, and the child who was left on the train by an irresponsible mother which our protagonist has to return.

Soundtrack: The soundtrack that was used in the film had suited the theme of an urban London. It had the elements of gangs in the tune which had also suited the film. My thoughts on the music are that although I despise this urban style of music, it gave atmosphere to the film to give it that urban feel. So therefore it has been excused due to it's setting that is currently being seen. 

Audience: The audience is most likely aimed at young adults of the age of 18-35. This is due to the theme of the film. I would agree with the age certification that was given since it includes some sexual scenes and some violent scenes such as the POV of the irresponsible mother who was brutally punched. It is also aimed at mainly adults due to women being objectified which could be seen as sensitive to a female audience. However this couldn't really be the reason that could throw away the female audience.

Three word Description: Gritty Urban London.

The Review

My thoughts on ill Manors are mainly positive mainly due to the way that the characters link together. The coincidences link together perfectly to create this multi-protagonist story which later links towards our main protagonist being Aaron who is presented in the film's poster.  The narrative can really show the impacts of crime in a negative way which can really make it seem appealing to an audience. The realistic troubles that the characters face are also one of the strongest points that make this film an interesting story that relates to crime. How the film was created felt like a music video which was a little nifty but a minor change that I don't mind. The different story-lines are also enjoyable to watch and they don't feel like filler just for more screen time. As well as that there are also some segments of action that are presented. However since this is a drama-like film, the action might be slightly exaggerated to extend the suspense. This is heavily supported when Chris pulls the trigger. This should be expected since this is a drama and not an action film which would make gun shots not as tension filled. The protagonist who has the most screen time is Aaron and we see how he would conquer the struggles that he face. The most recurring struggle would be against the law which is presented when he tries to return the child to it's rightful mother. They also make this not look like filler as the new characters that we face with constantly returns with either older characters that we are familiar with in the past with the narrative or that are with a new threat to our main cast. The representation of London as an urban area filled with crime is done exceptionally well as the audience can see the influence and control that older people can have on a younger who just wanted to obtain drugs. This film does send a message of reality to a younger audience about the costs of becoming a gangster and how this could all be lost. So this had represented the teenagers as a threat to the young characters. This can also be evidenced with the end scene which had presented the young teenager who was attacked by the influenced teenager as a young criminal with violent intentions. The character development is shown quite well and this is also enforced by the young teenager who was influenced. We had seen the development of the teenager from a desperate drug consumer to an all out criminal committing crimes. However he does have aspects of his weaker self in the film at his final moments when he cries for mercy at the end before he is shot down after killing Chris' sister. Chris is quite the anti-hero in this film as we see that he can be a cheerful drug addict and serving Kirby as we see his back story and that was another aspect of the film which I enjoyed. It had presented the life of the fallen character to the audience to give a brief history of how they have changed due to this setting that have been in. These little segments were okay at times but had still made London look like a dangerous place due to the aftermath of the crimes and how unprivileged people have to cope with living in London. Moving onto the soundtrack and I liked how the tracks had suited the film. This isn't surprising knowing that the director is also a musician which would make the choice of music understandable. However I wouldn't like the music outside of the context of the film as music that relates to gangsters isn't my sort of music. Putting into consideration that I only liked the music as this had improved the atmosphere of the film and enforced this gangster style of living. The actors that were acting in the film also portrayed characters that had suited the element of crime since their accents and presentation of chavs had made the environment of the film more like an urban setting. Some complaints that come in mind are two aspects the police and the visuals in a specific scene. Firstly the visuals. We see this scene which was supposed to make a character look cool as he breaches through the fire to save a baby but instead the fire looked extremely fake and bad. However to defend this film, it had a budget of approximately £100,000 and since this is an arthouse film, this film would be more narrative driven rather than introducing amazing visuals. The next complaint is the police. This should be a force that could track down our characters. Instead we are treated with a weak police force that didn't do much but appear at the end where we see some of the antagonists such as Chris (arguably anti-hero) and Vladmir who may have been the one who had brutally injured the irresponsible mother. However this can be excused as this isn't a crime drama about the police and since we are in an urban London, we wouldn't expect the police to be strong. However we see a SWAT team who breaches into a building armed with full auto guns and arrests them at the end. Overall this film was enjoyable and quite interesting which I would recommend but not to all my friends since this may not be their sort of film with the representation of a realistic urban London being the premise that many young viewers would appreciate. 

Word Count: 929

                                  

The British film industry: institutional context

1) The cultural test is a mark scheme that would judge a film on whether it could be classified as a British film or not. The minimum mark for a film to be considered British is for a film to score 16/31. This test assesses the film in four categories. The first one being Cultural Context which would assess the language and see if the primary spoken language is English, The location is set in the UK, and the narrative is based on a British subject. The next category is cultural contribution and this would judge the movie and see if they represents a diverse British society. The third category is Cultural Hubs. This would judge the movie in accordance with whether it has a British visual effects studio and a British music studio. And finally there is the Cultural Practitioners.This  would judge the crew who had created the movie and so this would also give another point if the director, lead actors, scriptwriter, producer, composer, a majority of the cast, and the key staff are British.

2) The Sweeney:

Financing: £3,000,000
Location: 4
Characters: 4
Language of dialogue: 6
Use of British creativity: 4
British subject matter: 4
Practitioners: 7
Cultural centre: 2 

Total: 31/31

Attack The Block:
Financing: $8,000,000
Location: 4
British subject matter: 0
Characters: 4
Language of dialogue: 6
Use of British creativity: 4
Practitioners: 7
Cultural centre: 2

Total: 27/31

The King's Speech:
Financing: £15,000,000
Location: 4
British subject matter: 4
Characters: 4
Language: 6
Use of British creativity: 2
Practitioners: 7 points
Cultural centre: 2 points
Total: 29/31

Skyfall:
Financing: £200,000,000
Location: 4
British subject matter: 4
Characters: British 4
Language: 6
Practitioners: 5
Cultural centre: 2 

Total: 25/31

3) Although the films are produced by a British company, they would lose the distribution rights in order to exhibit the film in cinemas or DVD, they would need to lose distribution rights. This would therefore mean that they won't earn any revenue from the sales of the digital or physical copies of the movie. 

4) One of the strengths that are in the British Industry are its outstanding creative skills of practitioners. This is evidenced with Director Richard Curtis who directed Love Actually which was known to be a successful film as it had grossed billions worldwide. Another strength is the outstanding facilities that are used. This is also evidenced as the Star Wars franchise has used four studios which are located at the UK. One of the studios were also used in the ceremony scene in Episode IV. And one other strength is that the industry has been out since before WW1 which can show that the British Industry has over a century worth of experience.

5) The first opinions suggests that British film makers could chose to rely upon American studios , however much the factors that make a British film British may be lost as a result of this. And the second option is to attempt to make low budget films that aim to attract a niche, British audience. This option can lead to gaining lower profits due to its position in the market- niche market.  Moreover, sale of distribution rights could also mean profits are delivered back into the UK film industry.

6) I think that the British film industry can rely upon American studios. This is due to the ffact that they have had many successes in the past and since they are working together, they could potentially make more arthouse films available to the public more in comparison to the past where they have been strictly displayed due to its risky task. On the theme of awareness, this could also change the arthouse audience as they could demonstrate British values to an American audience and soon see that this could be a welcoming change.   

Section B: The British Film Industry

1) Films can be determined British by Actors, Production team and Location of Sets

2) Hollywood would have a high budget from their production, rely on the celebrities to sell the movie and are spectacle driven. British Context films would have a low budget and are character driven as well as having to rely on word of mouth as they may not be able to afford the advertisement fir the film.

3) James Bond started at 1962 with the debut film being Dr No

4) Sexual content was more present in films. As well as more extreme content that would be seen as having to have influenced teenagers to cause riots as well as an uprising of the Mods and Rockers. 

5)  Youths are often presented as dangerous people. This is also presented in the film A Clockwork Orange which has young characters causing chaos to reinforce this stereotype of young teenagers as troublesome. Women were also represented unfairly as they are represented as "either the virgin, the mother or the whore". The objectifying of women can be seen in am majority of of the James Bond films as they would generally be the damsel of distress in some situations. 

6) British Culture would be the audience appeal as it may make the audience feel that they can feel more related to the film's story. The British actors that would be present in the film can also establish a a connection between the two so that they could then find that narrative more interesting since this can link to their own lives. The British would also have an interest in narratives that relate to the  social class, strife, and the education.

January Assessment LR

WWW: Some application of media ideas/terminology.

EBI: More reference to techniques used and theory. 

Weakest Question/LR: Media Institution - How does an institution take an original and positive approach to road safety advertising?

The Sussex Safer Road Partnership had taken a positive approach towards advertising road safety by featuring an advert that doesn't present the consequences of not wearing a seat belt. Instead, they present the benefits of wearing a seatbelt in an accident. This is also evidenced by the fact that the advert presents the accident in a game that the family is playing along with. Another factor that presents that this advert is different in comparison to the standard road safety adverts is the use of sound. This is evidenced as the only sound that the audience hears is the classical music that plays. In a standard road advert, there would be use of a car screeching or at least the sound of a crash upon impact. However the crash is portrayed with the table that is knocked over. Perkins' Theory of positive stereotypes is presented with the nuclear family always seems to have a good life as they are presenting road safety like a game that can be enjoyed by many. Therefore this positive stereotype can help convey the message that this is a peaceful attempt to present road safety in comparison to many other adverts which present the dangers of reckless driving. Medhurst's Theory of having to give out shorthand stereotypes to make an audience identify what a character is like is also associated with the family that is within the advert. This is evidenced with the characters all being a white middle class family that can be seen plying a game. Also the driver is an adult which could suggest that adverts present men as dangerous driversd and so could be more tailored towards them. This can tell an audience that this advert wouldn't have any violent intentions. Also the use of classical music that is also associated with peace is used as it is placed in the background throughout making the overall theme of the advert being based on a peaceful atmosphere with the setting being a middle-class standard house. The narrative is also quite different towards other road safety adverts. Not only is the setting and the accident being portrayed differently, but also the ending which links onto Todorov's equilibrium theory is used in the advert. It presents the standard equilibrium of the family playing a game of charades. The disequilibrium could be the crash that occurs and the new equilibrium is the use of the seatbelt that protects the driver from death. This could also promote family values with the use of both the mother and the daughter being portrayed as the seatbelt as they might present the burden that the driver faces when he would go into an accident. This is also evidenced with the fact that the family is looking at the accident occur and so this could present the values of family being supportive and caring with the symbolism of the seatbelt. Also the slogan that is used "Embrace Life" also enforces family values as it conveys a peaceful message to parents to be careful. An average road safety advert would use words associated with care such as "Caution" and "Think". But this advert presents the positive side by using "Embrace Life" to suggest to an audience that they have a life of their own to explore rather than taking risks.