The Jungle Book Exam Question

Explain how the production and distribution of major Hollywood films have changed since the 1960’s. Refer to the two versions of the Jungle book in your answer.

In your answer you must:

•Explain how historical and economic contexts influence the production and distribution of major Hollywood films.

During the production of The Jungle Book, Xerography was used to duplicate images which was easier than constantly having to hand draw them to produce fluid animation. Of course, much of the film still needed to be hand drawn. The films would have been physically distributed through shipments in lorries as would any physical product. The film would have been exhibited in cinemas for a limited time before Disney would recall them and have them inaccessible to audiences for a few years before re-releasing them. This method of scarcity would give audiences the impression that they may not have another chance to view the film which would keep anticipation to watch the film high amongst audiences. Disney infamously did this with many of their older films until it was possible to record them onto a VHR and own personally. Another way audiences may have been able to view the film would have been on television; after the film's initial release Disney would have auctioned the right for The Jungle Book to be broadcasted on television to the highest bidding TV station. These films would typically be broadcasted around the time of Christmas, being the most likely time for audiences to view the film.

The Jungle Book 2016 was produced mainly through the use of CGI and relied entirely on modern technology. There was no need for traditional methods of hand drawn images to be animated. The 2016 version is considered "live action" although most of the film is computer generated and its primary appeal is to children whose parents may have grown up with The Jungle Book 1967 and want their children to enjoy a similar experience as a form of sentimentality. Unlike the original Jungle Book, 2016's version was entirely digital therefore could be distributed digitally as well. There were no physical copies needed to be sent to cinemas for exhibition. The film would have been mass distributed, sent globally around the same time. The film would similarly be exhibited at the same time globally and also available on licensed streaming services to view.

Heaven Essay

With reference to Emeli Sande's 'Heaven', how realistic are the representations offered by the video? In your answer, you should consider the social and cultural context.


Emeli Sande's music video for her song 'Heaven' is a conceptual video that displays themes of struggle and hope. The music video was shot in Bethnal Green, East London which is a way to create empathy with the target audience as the area is local to some and likely well known to audience members who live in London. The video is composed of shots of different people who belong to different genders, social classes, age groups etc, who all appear to be struggling in some way. The decision to use Bethnal Green as the location to shoot the video establishes it as urban and real as many of the audience members have probably been there or are able to identify it. This makes the music video much more realistic and believable to the audience, implying to them that the struggles that are presented in the video are real. The video consists mainly of long shots and close ups which contrast each other however both serve individual purposes. The long shots are used to show the setting that the people are in to establish their position in life and society. These are contrasted by the close ups which utilise direct address to break the fourth wall and connect with the audience so that they can understand and relate to the music video, forming empathy. Often times when the camera pointed towards Emeli Sande a low angle is used to portray her as dominant and having greater significance. The lyrics are often synchronised with a shot that either personifies or just displays what the Emeli Sande is talking about. The cuts and editing are set at a mediocre pace, giving enough time for every person shown in the video to have their lifestyle and struggle exhibited to the audience. The music video is heavily theological as it links to the concept of heaven and there is angelic symbolism throughout the video. This of course suggests that the people shown in the video and Emeli Sande herself are heavily reliant on the concept of God and religion and are desperately trying to overcome the struggles of the current world and ascend to heaven. This is further suggested by the constant shots of Emeli praying and glimpses of the sky which is where heaven is known to be. This could however cause controversy amongst the audience as many of them may belong to different religions and have believe in different things or may not believe in heaven and God at all. Perhaps, the music video was intended to broaden the perspective of some audience members who may not agree with the ideas and concepts presented in the music video or the music video may just be targeting those who believe in God & heaven in a similar sense, maybe those who belong to Abrahamic religions as they follow very similar tradition of God.

Burn The Witch Essay

How are media language and intertextuality used in “Burn the Witch” to construct representations of groups, messages and values?

Approx 800 words

In the music video for Radiohead - Burn The Witch an abundance of media language and intertextual references are used to construct representations of groups, messages and values. The language in the lyrics links directly to the animated scenes in the music video which connote very strong and deliberate intertextual references. For example, in the lyrics of “Red crosses on wooden doors” which is also one of the early shots in the music video of an animated wooden door with a red cross on it. The lyrics seem to suggest that this is how people would be able to identify the residence of a witch however in historically speaking, the red cross on doors was a way of warning people to stay away from the marked houses as they were the houses of people infected with the plague. Red is often depicted in media, culture and religion as being a colour that represents either danger, evil or love, in this likely symbolising danger. Of course now the red cross is often known recognized internationally as a symbol of protection, neutrality and military medical services.

Throughout the music video there were many different methods of execution presented to the audience which when relating to the lyrics and the title of the song, it is made apparent that these were historical methods of exposing witches which often led to a dilemma or ultimatum for women who were accused of being witches as it was rumored that if the women were to survive their execution their identity of being witches would be confirmed however if they did not survive they would have been normal women. Examples of execution methods presented in the music video included hanging, drowning, waterboarding and burning. This may have been done with the purpose of sharing historical fascinations Radiohead may have had with historical life.

The music video is a narrative video composed of many long shots with occasional close ups to present the animated protagonist’s expressions reflecting his feelings. The animated protagonist represents the audience watching the music video as they are experiencing the wonders of this strange town and likely reacting similarly to the animated protagonist. It is however, not the typical narrative music video mainly due to the fact that it is animated along with an actual narrative that is heavily connected with the lyrics of the song.

The bird, the inspector and the woman in the house that is being marked with a red cross happen to be the only characters with mouths. The inspector of course is attempted to be burned alive by the town and the woman in the marked house was intended to represent the witch who the town’s people probably intend to execute as well and from the title of the song it can be assumed that the woman will also be burned alive when executed. Just like the woman and the inspector, the bird is oblivious to what is going on and is singing in the opening seconds and scenes of the music video. Perhaps this is a metaphor for those who are oblivious to what is going happening being unable to accept what they are unfamiliar with therefore they “sing” as a way of expressing themselves just like how mouths were given to the two oblivious characters to express their emotions. This could be a representation of society where people who are accustomed to how society operates do not speak out or express their concerns as they have adapted to it and accepted it into their lifestyles. It is often those who are oblivious, ignorant and unaccepting of society that tend to speak out against it often outcasting themselves and society trying to remove them.

Music Video form and conventions

Performance
narrative
conceptional

Exam - 2 music videos
one conventional and one conceptional

Things to analyse:
- Camera, angles, shot size, camera movement, shot type, framing
- Editing, cutting rate/rhythm, jump cuts, cutaways, transitions, including special effects (SFX)
- Mise En Scene
- lip sync, and authorage/star quality, which links to...
- representation of the star, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, culture, subculture amd genre, personality, celebrities and consumerism, 
- Audience and how the video positions them


Jorja Smith - The One
- presented as vulnerable however her sexuality is not subject to a male gaze. She has control of her sexuality,
- high angle shots, allows the audience to tower over her exposing her vulnerability,
- non linear narrative and performance music video, cross cutting between three different narrative strands


Beyoncé -
Performance and conceptual - dancing & lip sync, black empowerment, slavery, feminism, heritage, homage to Martin Luther King, Located in southern american states, post feminism, also in control of her own sexuality

Postmodernism: Mix and matched aesthetics, influence from different genres,
Intertextuality
mixing fantasy and reality


Andrew Goodwin - Music Video Theory
- Music Videos ignore common narrative as they are essentially advertisements. As consumers we make up our own narrative,

Their is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. They either complement or contradict each other. Create moods such as romance, nostalgia, nihilism
literal representations of the lyrics. simple technique

Thought Beats - we see the sounds (the relationship between the music video and the lyrics)
genre related style and iconography
Icons - memorable symbols/representations which transcend ordinary meanings. Instantly recognizable
e.g: Michael Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Freddie Mercury, Kanye West, Ariana Grande
Close ups help to create a star's image to promote a recognizable brand image.

Shelter Analysis

The Shelter campaign advert aims to win over the audience's empathy and sympathy by presenting the brand ambassadors as potential victims to homelessness. All three adverts utilise direct address to paired with a nervous facial expression to show the audience their desperation. The close up shot of their faces is suggests a level of intimacy between every individual audience member viewing the advert, almost as if individual members of the audience are being asked for their help, making it more difficult to refuse donating which is the purpose of the advert. The decision to use a close up could alternatively be a way of reflecting to the audience what they themselves could potentially have been or be become, targeting their empathy to encourage or perhaps guilt the reader into donating. The colour scheme of black and red is a combination that symbolising danger and darkness; a representation of what the lives of people who seek Shelter are like. The contrast to this colour scheme are the faces of the victims themselves which is brightened by the lighting This may suggest that the the victims were once living bright, colourful lives and could once again live the same if not better lives with the help of the audiences donations. The slogans are pasted directly onto the faces in large, bold, red text to connote the urgency of the situation. The text is connotes doubtfulness in the sense that they are unsure whether they will be able to recover from the position they are currently in, pulling on the audience's string of sympathy. The victims are portrayed as normal, roughly middle class and consist of both male and females from different ethnic backgrounds, implying that anyone could potentially have to seek Shelter, supporting the argument for why audiences should donate to their campaign. This campaign avoids the portrayal of stereotypical homeless victims with rugged appearances, living on the streets as in most cases victims are not subdued into such positions. The victims portrayed in the adverts seem much more realistic, appearing to be as 'normal' as the majority of people placed into a desperate, undesirable situation; the campaign presents a motif of constantly targeting the audiences levels of sympathy and empathy to persuade into donating more, a strategy used by many advertising campaigns such as Shelter. The Shelter campaign was launched after the government had significantly reduced the budget on social housing in 2010, leaving numerous people to be evicted and left potentially homeless as they struggled to afford the inflated prices that the landlords burdened them with. The campaign advert's target audience does not consist of any children as their purpose is to raise money to support the Shelter seekers, therefore it would be a violation of the ASA guidelines as charity campaigns are prohibited from requesting any money from children. 

Lucozade Analysis

Lucozade's advert that featured Gareth Bale promotes their isotonic sports drink. The colour scheme is blue and yellow which contrast each other. The colour scheme is shared with the product itself being a yellow coloured drink with blue used to promote the branding of the drink. The brand ambassador Gareth Bale is featured on the advert in conjunction with the advert slogan "In A Different League" suggesting that Lucozade products are superior to its competitors. This can also be applied to Bale as he can be considered on a different league to other footballers, having played for Tottenham Hotspur and currently with Real Madrid. His image as a celebrity is clean, not being involved in any scandals or appearing much in the spotlight with the exception of football-related events. The advert also includes "scientifically proven" beside the product on the bottom right to enforce the legitimacy and making it difficult for audiences or competitors to doubt or question the brand. The decision to include Gareth Bale in the advert could be a link to the masculine appeal it brings to the advert and the product, perhaps linking to Butler's theory of Gender Performativity, being how gender roles are applied as a way of marketing to their mass audience consisting primarily of males who enjoy football. Direct address is made with the audience to draw their attention to the advert and suggests that the ad is intended for each individual viewer.

Old Spice Analysis

The Old Spice advert markets its “Bahama Scent” antiperspirant through the use of bright visuals and partially absurd imagery. The setting is likely to be an island in the Bahamas as the product name would suggest. The colour scheme consists of mainly a sky blue and the contrasting product colour red. The blue colour of the sky in a lighter shade could represent the peacefulness of the product, bringing calmness and peace to the audience’s life. This is starkly contrasted by Old Spice’s iconic product colour of red that suggests heat, danger or power which are typically associated with masculinity. The advert’s model has his face take the place of a volcano, perhaps as a form of satire to imply hot headedness, perhaps attempting to embrace gender stereotypes as men are viewed as short tempered and over energetic as a result of high testosterone levels which is directly linked to society’s views of masculinity. The advert targets men past adolescence who are looking to be viewed as more masculine.

The advert reinforces the standardisation of gender roles through the extreme definition and portrayal of what a man should be. This links to Barthes concept of Mythical Masculinity where what is considered masculine is taken to the extreme by portraying them physically strong, fit and muscular and are considered the alpha males that take control and dominate other men and women in power and authority. It is Barthes belief that this view of what the ideal masculine man should be is natural. However Butler's theory links to society's standardisation of gender roles and how we form our own stereotypes and normalise them. This could likely be the case as many attributes of what is currently considered masculine are implemented into the Old Spice advert.

Advertising & Marketing

Sub texts: Old Spice, Lucozade, Shelter

OLD SPICE

Current Ad: Isaiah Mustafa
Self referential/self mocking
acknowledges that ads lie, ware, slightly exaggerated, hypermasculine, false promises
Bathes - says that images are codes with meanings that reflect society/culture - connotations
'myth' - when images are repeated they look to ideology to create meanings about the world

Mythical masculinity = men are strong, superior
Men are providers, physically muscular

Judith Butler - Gender is a social construct. We produce our own gender roles and standardise them by applying them constantly.

Hypermasculine performance to demonstrate what they believe the ideal man to be.

Postmodern media is about mixing, matching and breaking the rules.

Postmodernism questions everything. Nothing can be taken at face value.

Contents Pages

Front Covers

Statement Of Intent

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SRJE4iDIqOcsXSPuskHn9WYcl-BNbcIf0bNtPjYeLaU/edit

Website

https://ferdous6420.wixsite.com/mysite

Flat Plan

Flat Plan

Theory of Fandom (Incomplete)

Henry Jenkins' theory of Fandom and Participatory Culture can be defined as the theory of a fans coming together to build a community or culture and participate in expanding and showing appreciation for what they love. This culture had begun to grow in the new age of media and the internet; Web/Media 2.0 which was roughly at the start of the new millenium. Of course a number of the fandom like to take it further and become textual or cultural poachers. Their transition into these types of poachers is supported by the convergence of different platforms. When looking at gaming as as an example of this, different hardwares will be converging to allow players to play Minecraft from different platforms using the same server and network.

Henry Jenkins

- Opposite of the Hypodermic Needle
Optimistic on technological advancements.

Web 2.0: The internet from the year 2000 onwards. The interactive, new age of the internet.

Development of new media has accelerated participatory culture; audiences are active and communicative

Fandom: Refers to the social structures and cultural practices created by the most passionately engaged consumers of mass media properties

Participatory Culture: Refers more broadly to any kind of cultural production which starts at the grassroots of


Textual Poachers in Gaming:

Modding
YouTube walkthroughs
Fan Art
Fan Fiction#
Gaming Music Videos
UGC (User Generated Content)                                                                                                                                           

MineCon Slideshow

Minecraft Cross-Platform Update

Cross-platform gaming is defined as a gaming accessible on different computers & consoles or softwares. 

A recent article on The Verge discusses Microsoft's cross-platform update named the "Better Together" update for Minecraft which will allow players to converge their gaming experiences with other players from different computers, consoles and softwares including the Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Windows 10, IOS and Android. This is potentially revolutionary for the world of gaming as it opens the door for there to be complete convergence throughout gaming where players are not forced to compromise when selecting one console or online network over another.

Online child protection when gaming should not be much of a cause for concern as most if not all online networks give players identities through gamertags where their real life identity tends to be kept anonymous from other players. Online networks for gaming differentiate from social networks where users are inclined to rely on their real life identity whereas on gaming networks players practically have second identities. It is highly unlikely for children to be in any actual danger when gaming online; cross-platform gaming would have little to no impact on the safety of children online. 

As long as the two largest online gaming networks being Xbox Live and Playstation Network are competing there will not be true cross-platform gaming a huge concentration of the gaming community will be segregated by their networks. Of course there will be convergence with smaller less significant networks. If of course the competitiveness between Xbox Live and Playstation Network no longer benefits the Microsoft or Sony there may be covergene between their online networks, breaking a barrier between two of the largest gaming communities in gaming history making truly becoming a revolution. A pro of cross- platform gaming is that players are no longer forced to compromise when making the decision of which network to choose, minimising the regret they experience later on. Of course there are cons for cross-platform gaming, more so for the owners of the gaming networks as players are less inclined to purchase their consoles since they can still interact with players from that console's network from a different console and network. For the game developers it may remain relatively the same as they will still be producing and distributing games for all the consoles they had been before unless of course the games are console exclusive in which case the number of sales may increase or decrease depending on the aftermath of the cross-platform revolution.

The Lion King Live Action

Social Media Strategy

The Lion King is still an iconic film so to just a mere teaser poster would go viral on all social media platforms.  Perhaps Disney could partner with Snapchat to create a Lion King themed filter which would make audiences aware of the film's development.

Celebrities such as Beyoncé and Seth Rogen are allegedly involved in the production of a live Action remake of The Lion King. Perhaps if these celebrities were to constantly share and keep their fanbase updated on the film and events taking place relating to the film it could expand the audience for The Lion King, making it potentially more successful.

Licensed Products

Licensed products such as toys, action figures and other merchandise could be produced and distributed in Disney stores along with other toy stores such as Smyths Toys Superstores or ToysRUs where an abundance of licensed products are sold. Since the film originally appealed to children it can be assumed that the primary target audience for the film would again be children who also are also the primary target audience for licensed products based on children's movies.

Brand Partnerships

Disney have a range of potential brands to partner with. Since The Lion King is themed around animals, they could partner with national parks and zoos, perhaps giving the audience a chance to win free tickets to either the film or the resorts depending on where they go first.

Disney could of course partner with children's fast food restaurants such as McDonald's where they can promote each other. This has benefited Disney and other distribution studios before as partnering with arguably the largest fast food company to promote a film can give the film extensive recognition and grow its fanbase even further.

It should be noted that the target audience for the original 1994 film are currently adults and although they may not be the primary target audience they still could potentially make up a significant amount of the film's audience; they are likely anticipating the film's release as it gives them a sense of nostalgia, allowing them to relive moments from their childhood.

Black Panther Case Study

Black Panther is an upcoming film as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe owned by the conglomerate Disney. The film's primary production company is Marvel Studios who produce most if not all of the films linked to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Another production company with significant contributions to the production of Black Panther is Colombia Pictures.

The cast of Black Panther include very few notable actors, casting well known actors such as Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman. Of course the most paramount actor in the film's production is Chadwick Boseman who plays the film's protagonist and was chosen to play Black Panther in a previous film linked to the MCU; Captain America: Civil War. According to the actor he did not require an official audition in order to be casted as Black Panther unlike his colleagues such as Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans who had to audition to be casted as Iron Man and Captain America. Multiple sources seem to suggest that Chadwick Boseman's pay for Black Panther is estimated to be just under $900,000 which when compared to his colleagues may seem like he is being underpaid. Although it is likely that with the potential success of Black Panther, the actor's pay will continue to increase for his next films.

According to an article by Bethany Biron the production budget for Black Panther was stated to be $200 million. This does not include the marketing campaign and advertising for the film as those have a separate distribution budget. As it is a Marvel film is it well known that the bulk of the film's production budget would be spent on the CGI for the setting and the action sequences. Surprisingly, Black Panther was given a higher production budget than Marvel's other recent films. The soundtrack for the film may have had a greater cost than what a Marvel soundtrack would cost as it was an original soundtrack produced by an iconic american rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar whilst also featuring more current music icons such as Swae Lee, Travis Scott and The Weeknd. The rest of the films budget probably went into paying the cast, choreography and costuming (it should be noted that some costumes such as the Panther suit were enhanced with CGI making them much more costly in comparison to the other costumes.

Of course like most blockbuster films, the production budget paled when compared with the budget for the marketing campaign. Black Panther is very significant to the black community and diversity within the film industry along with the rise of black power in the media. Marvel and Disney saw this as an opportunity to promote Black Panther or rather have the audience do it through viral marketing. Currently Black Panther is the most tweeted film of the year. As standard, the film was promoted through trailers online and commercials on television, billboards and interviews with the producers, directors and cast members. The film was strategically premiered and released in cinemas in black history month to give audiences the impression that the film is a significant marking in the achievement of black actors in the film industry and the black community as a whole. With the concept of Fordism applied, Disney had made the decision to release the film relatively around the same time and close to its premiere release similar to Jaws that was released across the United States when first released. This of course does increase distribution costs and is much more difficult to efficiently accomplish however when taking a look at Black Panther's box office success in the first week of the film's release this method may have benefited the studios and the conglomerate.

Being a superhero film. there most definitely would be some licensed products available for purchase for the audience. These include clothing items, accessories, toys and action figures. Some of these licensed products may be aimed at more specific audiences like the toys which when judging the size of them such as the masks, it is presumed to be made for children. Other licensed products such as keyrings and pendants were produced for a universal target audience including children and adults of any demographic. The licensed products are produced by third party industries who were authorised by Marvel or Disney to do so allowing the Disney to generate more profit on top of the box office revenue. In many cases it is the licensed products that generate an excess amount of profit for the institutions that own the rights to the a franchise.

Not many brand partnerships were made for Black Panther with only one significant partnership with Lexus, a vehicle brand who's parent company is Toyota, another major vehicle brand. Lexus paired up with Black Panther to produce a Superbowl commercial which aired during the SuperBowl. This was a tactical marketing move made by Marvel and Disney as the annual Superbowl viewership on television is estimated to be over 100 million people, guaranteeing that an extremely large number of viewers will watch the commercial and familiarise themselves with Lexus and Black Panther. This was of course highly expensive to accommodate as many huge brands have similar ideas and compete with each other for a successful viewing on the air. It turned out to be a success as Black Panther is still generating a profit after a week of its release.

For Disney, Black Panther is a profitable investment and can participate in generating even more of a profit by utilizing assets that the conglomerate has at its disposal. They can perhaps heavily incorporate Black Panther in their theme parks or sell much more desirable licensed products themed and influenced by Black Panther. Distribution studios like Marvel Studios do most of the production and distribution for the films linked to their MCU with Disney overlooking them and the other distribution studios that Disney own. Perhaps Disney could even host events in relation to Black Panther as part of its marketing campaign. It should however be noted that Black Panther is part of a franchise that has been building itself up for a decade for a film that is being released in the summer of 2018; Avengers: Infinity War where characters from other films including Black Panther will feature, therefore Disney are not going to focus on Black Panther for a long period of time since they are preparing for the release of their next upcoming film.

Economic Logic of Sequels

 

Transformers Franchise Box Office Success

As shown by the chart, the Economic Logic of Sequels does apply to the Transformers franchise for the most part. The first three films show an increase in box office revenue until the fourth film which has an identical estimated box office revenue to the film prior to it. It is with the fifth and latest film in the franchise that the box office success of the franchise decreases as the fifth film manages to generate less than the original film. Perhaps the audience have grown tired of the films repetitiveness or maybe it is due to other film franchises drawing away the audience from the Transformers franchise.

The first three sequels may have had an increase in box office success due to reasons such as:

- Continuity and Narrative
- Successful Marketing
- Lack of Competition
- Managed to Target the Audiences' interests in a film