Film Industry News

Rotterdam starts new competition for films without Benelux distribution

15 December, 2012 | By Wendy Mitchell

The International Film Festival Rotterdam is introducing a new competition that aims to support film distribution in Dutch cinemas.

The new Big Screen Award Competition will showcase 10 recent films (from the festival’s Spectrum and Bright Future sections) without Benelux distribution confirmed.

An audience jury will give the prize and the Dutch Circle of Film Critics (KNF) will also chose a winner. Both awards will come with guaranteed distribution in Benelux by Amstelfilm. The KNF Award also includes a subtitled DCP, sponsored by NCP Holland.

This new competition does not impact the existing Tiger Awards competition.

The 10 films will be announced on Jan 10.

IFFR Director Rutger Wolfson said: “One of Rotterdam’s defining characteristics over the years has been how the festival, its Hubert Bals Fund and the CineMart have tried to be supportive of filmmakers in all stages of their careers, and in all stages of the production of films. We felt that in reshaping and adding these prizes we could combine several different aspects of our efforts: to further the distribution of our films after the festival, and increase the international visibility of our Bright Future and Spectrum selections. Also, the set up of these two awards now meets the requirements to be practical in terms of contemporary distribution. I also welcome the new role of our film critics’ juries.” 

Clip Analysis: Hustle (not finished, need to complete)

Clip Analysis: Hustle

(Gender)

In the extract "Hustle" the audience are able to establish the two opposing protagonists in the clip that represent the issues of gender.

In the first part of the clip the audience are presented a shallow focus shot, displaying quite a 'feminine' male talking to a customer and in the background there is a woman who happens to be looking over at the male. This mid-shot straight away suggests to the audience the idea that the male is much more important than the female. In the background we can see the female looking at the male constantly. There is then a close-up shot of the female's face, suggesting that she is perhaps looking at the shop-keeper male perhaps for reassurance or help, suggesting that females rely on males for practical help. Furthermore, once the male is finished with helping the customer, he turns and walks over to the female who is searching through clothes. In a mid-shot the audience establish that the male asks her if she wants any help, and immediately the female looks up at him and responds with 'yes' promptly. This furthermore reinforces connotations of the female being dependant on a man for help and therefore represents females as not very independant.

As the audience watches on, we establish that the woman shows conontations of being extremely seductive. For example, as the clip progresses the camera pans up the female's body when she is trying the dress on. She makes moaning and groaning sounds of excitement, however the audience may very much interpret these noises as sexual suggestions, representing females as seductive sex objects.

(to be continued)

January Mark Scheme

115598056-65259-Mark-Scheme-January

Binary opposites sound review SO FAR

Binary opposites sound clip

In my sound clip I presented Levi Straus’ binary opposites theory of two protagonist characters. The first character, Mr Ali is a formal, well-mannered, middle-aged and strict headteacher. On the other hand, the second character, Abdi, is a 16-year-old careless, informal and badly-behaved young student. I will now go into detail of how these two opposites are portrayed and the large contrast between them.

At the start of the recording we can hear the narrator describing the mise-en-scene of the office and setting. The narrator states that there are ‘several photos organised and positioned’ on the walls, and that ‘his desk has a photo and Abdi’s file neatly put to the side’. Straight away this portrays how much of an organised headteacher Mr Ali is and that he likes his possessions to be neat and tidy. The narrator then goes on to say how there is ‘faint smooth jazz music’ playing in the background. This displays that Mr Ali is a calm, classy man who enjoys the relaxing arts of music. Then, the narrator tells us that Mr Ali’s phone rings. Just from this happening the audience can guess that Mr Ali is a well-respected man who other teachers come to. Mr Ali’s response to his receptionist, Ms McLaren’s request on the phone, reinforces the idea that he is a polite man and very well-spoken, as he replies with ‘thank you Ms McLaren, please send him in.’

Next, the narrator tells the audience that Abdi enters the room ‘swinging the door with a bang’. This straight away portrays to the audience that Abdi is a careless character with not many manners. The fact that he makes neither a polite or gentle entrance into the office displays this idea. Straight away the two binary opposites ar portrayed: ‘polite vs rude’. The narrator tells us that Abdi is playing loud ‘Dubstep music’, exemplifying Abdi’s youth and teenage habits, and also suggesting that he is not very academic or education-orientated. We then hear Mr Ali speaking, his tone very formal and well-rehearsed. He tells Abdi ‘ the purpose of your presence here in this office is to give a valid explanation for your undeniable diabolical behaviour.’ The fact that Mr Ali uses phrases such as ‘your presence here’ and quite impressive words such as ‘undeniable diabolical behaviour’ reinforces the idea that Mr Ali is a very formal character, not only in just the way he looks, but in the way he speaks too. The narrator then tells us that Abdi’s reponse is by ‘kissing his teeth’ and telling Mr Ali to ‘speak English, none of that stuff you were talkin’ about’ referring to him as ‘bruv’. This portrays to the audience that Abdi does not have a lot of respect for Mr Ali even if he is younger than him and at a lower social class than him, and so this reinforces the idea that Abdi is rude and careless with his attitude. Furthermore, the difference shown between Abdi and Mr Ali’s tone of voices and difference in language used portrays a binary opposite of ‘articulate vs unintelligible’.  The narrator tells the audience that Mr Ali begins to speak ‘slowly and patronisingly’ to Mr Abdi in response. He says ‘explain your behaviour’. The fact that Mr Ali feels the need to slow down his words so much to Abdi displays that he is aware that Abdi is a low social class and is not very educational.

As the clip progresses, the audience see that Abdi distrupts the meeting by pulling out his phone. He excuses himself by saying ‘eyyy hold up. Someone’s pinging me.’ The colloquial/informal language he uses is portrayed through phrases such as ‘eyyy’ and ‘hold up’. His use of informal language towards Mr Ali reinforces his rude and careless attitude. The narrator tells the audience that Mr Ali ‘lowers his glasses’ and ‘sighs dramatically’, exemplifying that he is patronising and also not impressed with Abdi’s behaviour. We can tell that Mr Ali can not relate to Abdi’s informal, impolite attitude and here the contrast between the two social classes and again the binary opposite ‘articulate vs unintelligible’ is really highlighted.

Furthermore, as the clip progresses Mr Ali asks Abdi why he has been behaving the way he has and that he ‘demands an answer’. This highlights the fact that Mr Ali is the dominating character and is superior compared to Abdi. He is a higher social class and in a higher profession and so he is able to order Abdi around and demand answers from him.. so this represents the binary opposite ‘superior vs inferior’. Abdi’s response to this is ‘so what you’re sayin’ is them lot – “the teachers” – are sayin’ that I’m startin’ crap I ain’t even heard of?’ The fact that Abdi refers to the teachers as “them lot” proves that he does not have a lot of respect for them and that they are not very important to him. Furthermore, he refers to his bad behaviour as “startin’ crap” reinforcing his informal language. His response here displays the idea that he is rude and aggressive. Mr Ali replies to this saying ‘I’m afraid that the two of us have been unable to reach a valid explanation for your grotesque behaviour.’ This displays that Mr Ali finds it impossible to relate to Abdi or be able to conversate with him. His use of phrases such as ‘grotesque’ and ‘valid explanation’ again reinforces the idea that Mr Ali is very intelligent and in a much higher social class than Abdi. Furthermore, Mr Ali then adds ‘This means that we will have to get your father in schooland see if we can reach a resolution.’ From Mr Ali’s words here the audience can assume that Mr Ali is compromising and respectful as throughout Abdi’s rude behaviour, he is nevertheless still willing to help Abdi with his behaviour by organising to meet his parents. Therefore this portrays the binary opposite ‘disrespectful vs respectful’. As the audience can see, Abdi’s response to this is ‘eyy cool. Sau nut’in.’. Here we can see that Abdi is extremely laid-back and not too bothered about the situation. But we have learned that Mr Ali is very uptight and interested in his students so this represents the binary opposite ‘laid-back vs concerned.’

Binary opposites radioscript

Scene begins with Mr Ali in his office and his receptionist, Ms McLaren outside sitting at her desk. Mr Ali’s office has several photos organized and positioned. His desk has a photo and Abdi’s file neatly put to the side. In the background, we can hear that Mr Ali has on BBC Radio 5 and faint smooth jazz music.

Mr Ali’s telephone rings

Ms McLaren: Mr Ali I have Abdi here for you.

Mr Ali: [clears throat] thank you Ms McLaren, please send him in.

Abdi enters, door swings with a bang and he makes his way over to the seat that has been pointed out to him. We can hear his footsteps as he does so. The chair slightly creaks when he sits. He also is playing loud Dubstep music

Mr Ali: The purpose of your presence here in this office is to give a valid explanation for yourundeniable diabolical behaviour.

Abdi kisses his teeth.

Abdi: Whaaaat? Speak english bruv , none of dat stuff u were talking about? Ya Zimme?

Mr Ali: [pauses. Then starts to speak slowly and patronisingly] explain your behaviour.

Abdi: Whatcha mean behaviour? I dint do none of dat stuff they were talking about.

Mr Ali: We have witness accounts from all teachers Abdi. They say that you’re a bright student but

your effort into your studies is appalling.

Abdi: eyyy hold up. Someone’s pinging me. [Replying to a tweet but mumbling it while typing]

Mr Ali gets increasingly more impatient with Abdi’s behaviour. Lowering his glasses and sighing dramatically.

Mr Ali stands up , pushes his chair out leans over the table and grabs Abdi’s phone

 Mr Ali: this is exactly the sort of behaviour that has been mentioned Abdi. Now why are you doing this and I demand an answer!

Abdi: so what ur sayin is that dem lot -“the teachers”are sayin that I’m starting crap I aint even

heard of. Watch me tomorrow , I swear down ill get them to change their accounts.

Mr Ali: [loud sigh of disappointment] I’m afraid that the two of us have been unable to reach a valid

explanation for your grotesque behaviour. This means that we will have to get your father in schooland see if we can reach a resolution.

Abdi : eyy cool. Sau nut’in.

Abdi walks out of the office in a casual manner, while he ressumes his music.

Mr Ali collects Abdi’s file shaking his head, continuing to listen to his Jazz music.

 Ms McLaren: would you like me to schedule another appointment for you with Abdi’s parents, Mr Ali?

Mr Ali: Indeed, I think that would be necessary Ms McLaren. Thank you.

Film Industry News

National Schools Film Week draws record audiences

6 November, 2012 | By Michael Rosser

This year’s National Schools Film Week drew more than half a million pupils and has drawn praise from Culture Minister Ed Vaizey.

The UK event, run by film industry-funded organisation Film Education, saw attendance rise 14% on last year and notched up 538,468 attendances from children of primary and secondary school age.
Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, said:  “National Schools Film Week is an excellent way of helping young people engage with great cinema and I am very pleased it has had such a successful year.”
A programme of films screenings and talks was held across 530 cinemas – 71% of all UK cinemas –and hosted pupils from 4,165 schools from Oct 15-26.
A total of 180 films were screened and included Mike Newell’s Great Expectations, Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In and Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist.
First visit
Figures from Film Education reveal that it was the first visit to the cinema for 15% of the schoolchildren.
Now in its 17^th year, the event aims to give pupils the experience of seeing a film in the cinema accompanied by talks from film-makers, cinema managers, education officers and academics.
These included events with writer Michael Morpugo (Private Peaceful, War Horse) and film-makers Mike Newell and Allison Abbate (Frankenweenie).
The film week featured 177 supporting events for both schoolchildren and teachers, offering access to an online library of resources linked directly to the curriculum.
New partnerships
In addition, new partnerships struck by Film Education with Film Africa and the British Federation of Film Societies (BFFS) offered screenings of Cilia Sawagodo’s animated Tree of Spirits. BFFS brought community cinemas and film societies into the programme to increase the opportunities for children to take part.
James Lennox, managing director of Film Education, said: “Film plays a central role in formal and informal education for young people today helping them to learn more about the world we live in and also has direct links to curriculum subjects.
“The growth of National Schools Film Week, which is an important part of the work that Film Education undertakes year round with schools, underlines how valuable teachers feel it is for children to learn about and from film, and for the film industry offering the opportunity to young audiences to experience a wider range of film is vital.”
Raising awareness
Nick Walker, festival director of National Schools Film Week, added that the event “raises awareness among teaching professionals of using film in the curriculum”.
“In setting up the programme we talk to teachers in order to screen films, host discussions and provide online resources that fit with their curriculum needs, and as a result we show a wide range of films – British, American studio and independent, European and World Cinema.”

Semiotics of Rag'e's 'unorganised personality' constructed scene picture

 

Semiotics of Rag'e's 'unorganised personality' constructed scene picture

Audience's (my) encoded message of his shot.

The semiotics for Rag’e’s constructed scene I’d say would be for an unorganised, messy person. There are bright blue scattered folders, suggesting the fact that this person is unorganised and lazy as they have taken no care to line resources up neatly. Furthermore, there are a few books, pieces of paper and a planner but yet again these are scattered in an unorderly fashion, highlighting the fact that this person is carless with their work. Aswell as this, there are some more scattered objects which are bright highlighter pens in the colours green, orange, yellow and pink. These are luminous colours suggesting that the person is perhaps loud and bold and likes things to be exciting. Lastly, we can see that the lighting is low key suggesting that this person is not as ‘good’ a student/person that they could be, and furthermore the low key lighting adds a slightly negative atmosphere to the shot.

Semiotics of my 'unorganised personality' constructed scene picture

Semiotics of my 'unorganised personality' constructed scene picture

Producer's (my) encoded message of my shot.

The semiotics of my constructed scene are meant to portray the personality of a lazy, unorganised person who is not interested in school or studies. It is a picture of a table/desk with messy objects on it. Firstly, there is a Pepsi Max can on the table, displaying indexical reference to the suggestion that this person is careless about their diet. Furthermore, there is a phone and headphones which highlight the idea that this person is easily distracted and don’t take their attempt to work very seriously as they allow themselves to be drawn in to social networking whilst they’re meant to be working, and it also proves that they have a lack of interest with the subject in which they are meant to be studying. Similarly, there is a chocolate bar and a packet of chewing gums scattered over the table in a messy fashion reinforcing the fact that this person is uninterested in keeping healthy and has chosen inappropriate snacks whilst working, suggesting that they are irresponsible and lazy. Furthermore there is also 2 blank sheets of paper scattered in an unorganised fashion. From here we can see that the person is not a hard worker and does not put a lot of effort into studies at school as the pieces of paper lack any writing and is not lined either, which suggests that they are not organised with appropriate resources for school. Aswell as this, the fact that the pieces of paper are not organised properly highlights the fact that they do not care to organise their work. Similarly, the fact that the chair infront of the desk is set out diagonally and not tucked under neatly, emphasises the fact that this student is not organised and perhaps not very polite or considerate. Notice how the light is low key which furthermore reinforces the idea that this person is not considered as 'good' a student as they should be perhaps. It adds a negative atmosphere to the photo.

Constructive Mise-en-scene images that portray opposing personalities

Constructive Mise-en-scene images that portray opposing personalities

1.





2.

In the viewing of Dr Who the audience begin to explore the ways in which the extract constructs the two opposing representations of gender between the two protagonists by analysing the Mise-en-scene

In the viewing of Dr Who the audience begin to explore the ways in which the extract constructs the two opposing representations of gender between the two protagonists by analysing the Mise-en-scene.

In the viewing of the clip ‘Dr Who’, the audience can explore the ways in which the extract constructs the two opposing representations of gender by analysing the mise-en-scene, editing, camera, sounds etc. In elaborating on this, I will use the Levi-Straus’ theory called ‘binary opposites’ to illustrate the differences that are portrayed within the two protagonist genders. I will discuss how the male gender is portrayed to be more in demand and physically stronger, whereas the female gender is conveyed having less power and control.

Levi-Straus’ theory ‘Binary Opposites’ is simply a conflict between two terms or qualities that oppose to one another. For instance, Binary Opposites could be anything from ‘male vs female’ to ‘hero vs villain’ to ‘youth vs old’ to ‘good vs bad’. However, the two characters I have chosen to analyse are the male enemy and the female character that are displayed at the start of the extract using the ‘male vs female’ binary opposite.

Firstly, I will be discussing the way in which the female character is portrayed. From the first few seconds in, there is a long shallow focused shot which allows the audience to see the male enemy in most focus, and the female character far behind him as she enters the door, blurred out. This straight away illustrates to us that the female character has less control and in effect, is less important compared to the male character. This displays the binary opposite ‘power vs weak’. Going on from here, we can interpret this binary opposite even more so from observing the facial expressions displayed on both characters in the next few shots. The male enemy looks smug and very sure of himself, whereas we can see that the female character looks wary and anxious of her surroundings. This therefore portrays the typical stereotyped view of women being weak and displaying their emotions physically and through facial expressions and body language. Similarly, from the positioning of the two characters we can see that this clearly emphasises the theory of binary opposites ‘control vs helplessness’ as the male character is presented at a higher level with stairs leading up to it demonstrating a hierarchical structure of being more important and having most control, whereas the woman is presented as a lower level which portrays her lack of control and lower importance. Furthermore, the audience can see that the male character does not choose to go down the stairs and meet the female at her level; - instead he stays at his high level and beckons her to come towards him in a controlling manner, and here we can see that the female obeys and steps forward anxiously. Also, the audience can see that as the female walks in, there is a shot displaying two female characters watching and their facial expressions very scared, in comparison to two male characters next to them, both armed with guns and looking very firm and tough. This portrays the idea of power in males even more so as the purpose in this would be the guns being a symbol illustrating the fact that the males point of view are being in charge of sorting things out in the violence area and coping with this well, whereas the females’ point of view is conveyed through emotions. However, even though the female character is portrayed to have less power, authority and control, the use of Todorov’s theory of having an equilibrium, disruption and resolution in a clip allows the audience to see in more depth of how the female character’s role can change and can therefore interpret even more so how the two opposing genders contrast to eachother and the way in which they deal with things leading to the theory of ‘Binary Opposites’. Furthermore, the audience have been displayed that the male character is the one that holds more control, power and authority and is seen as much more dominant compared to the opposing gender (female) as the male is the one giving out orders as if he is the boss over the woman and has all control over her. This therefore portrays the stereotyped image of men being in demand and having control over all females. Aswell as this, this particular scene highlights that men also have a stronger verbal approach to things in comparison to woman due to the fact that the male character here speaks loudly and clearly down to the female character, and the female character hardly speaks at all (and if she does, it’s quietly and uncertain) which therefore emphasises how the two genders handle situations verbally.

The Binary Opposite of ‘power vs weak’ is conveyed once again in the next few shots of the clip as the male character orders the woman to get down on her knees, and the woman obeys and does as she is old. This scene metaphorically acts as if it is a King-like figure, demonstrating respectful authorative royalty, and furthermore this portrays the male gender even more so as being the breadwinner as he is also wearing a suit displaying a smart businesslike approach, whereas the female character is wearing all-black. This can lead to another interpretation for the audience as the colour black has connotations of many negative things such as death, violence, mystery etc portraying them as perhaps the bad gender, and also leading the audience to start thinking about what could happen in the next few scenes of the extract. Nevertheless, the male character is portrayed as a confident character that is very comfortable in his own skin and he also is the gender that is speaking the majority of the time and giving orders, which therefore reinforces the Binary Opposite of ‘power vs weak’ or perhaps even ‘confidence vs shyness’.

As the extract progresses, it displays a clear role reverse as it reaches and equilibrium (Todorov’s theory). The female character is portrayed to ‘come out of her shell’ as the way she was previously portrayed, switches completely. She gains confidence throughout, and during the middle of the extract the audience sees that the female character suddenly gets an urge to fight the dominant male character back and is determined to display her point. As the female character begins to get her point across verbally, she does it in a very polite manner, maintaining calmness to ensure that all of her facts and opinions are heard, maintaining a professional and respectable manner. Therefore, in conclusion this highlights how the two opposing genders settle things and how they are conveyed in their approach of the matter.

Independant Research: Al Pacino, Jeremy Renner, Julianne Moore topline Mister Smith's Imagine

Al Pacino, Jeremy Renner, Julianne Moore topline Mister Smith’s Imagine

23 October, 2012 | By Andreas Wiseman

Al Pacino will star as an ageing rocker who reconnects with his son and his music in Dan Fogelman’s directorial debut.

David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment will be selling hot new comedy-drama Imagine at the AFM.
Crazy, Stupid, Love and Tangled writer Dan Fogelman has written and will make his directorial debut on the comedy-drama about an ageing rocker who reconnects with his son and his music.
Denise DiNovi, Jessie Nelson and Nimitt Mankad will produce, Shivani Rawat is executive producer.
Originally sold to Warner Brothers, the film is now being independently financed by Inimitable Pictures’ Nimitt Mankad and Shivani Rawat through a film fund backed by Manoj Bhargava, the founder of 5 Hour Energy. Principal photography will commence late April/early May 2013. WME is handling the US sale.
Dan Fogelman said: “Every writer has “that one project” … the one they feel so strongly about that they can’t bear to turn it over to anyone else.  For me, that project is “Imagine.””
Denise DiNovi said of Dan Fogelman: “Working with Dan on Crazy, Stupid, Love, he proved to be not only a brilliant writer with one of the most personal and unique voices in Hollywood today, but also he was an integral member of the team. He was on the set everyday and I saw he had the qualities to be an equally great director. I am thrilled to be producing his directorial debut alongside Jessie Nelson.”
David Garrett added: “I am thrilled to be working with Nimitt and Shivani in their new financing venture. As for the film itself, one could not hope for a more perfect project. The screenplay is impeccable, which leaves one in no doubt about Dan Fogelman’s directorial vision. The producing team is second to none, and the cast is of a caliber one can only dream”.

Reverse Storyboard

Original Storyboard

TV Drama Sequence

Analysis

In our TV Drama sequence we used Levi Straus' theory 'binary opposites' ensuring that the protaginists (main characters) showed contrasting characteristics that showed opposition between eachother. Both characters were students set in school. Megan Brant was the 'bad' character who showed all characteristics of being a bad-mannered bully who was very inconsiderate and lazy. However, I was meant to be the 'good' girl who was polite, intelligent and very considerate and friendly. There were obvious contrasts between both characters.

Megan Brant illustrates all signs of being the 'bad' student firstly at 00:05 seconds in to the clip. She stands, slouched against a wall with a lazy stance, chewing her gum and looking uninterestedly down at her phone. The careless and unconcerned body language she displays has obvious connotations of what is stereotypically considered to be a characteristics of a 'bad' student. She shows no sign of interest or care in anything going on around her, making her seem extremely unacademic. Furthermore, at 00:06 Megan takes her attention away from her phone for a few seconds and looks disgustedly at me walking past. I wave in a friendly manner at Megan as I pass her, and Megan continues to chew her chewing gum as she watches me walk past, then looks back down at her phone again. The fact that Megan is chewing gum displays that she has no interest in the school or her surroundings and that maybe she doesn't belong here. The only thing that keeps her attention for a few seconds is me walking past, and Megan's facial expression when she sees me exemplifies the hatred she has for me and this furthermore highlights the two opposite characters. The camera pans to the left and we then see me standing up straight against the wall, my posture formal as I clutch some organised books to my chest and look down at the floor. The contrast between Megan and me here is now very apparent as we see the vast difference in body language and facial expression between the two of us. I look academic, smart and sensible, whereas Megan looks indolent, careless and unconcerned.

In the next clip, we see Megan and me sitting opposite eachother in class on a table. Megan is slouched on her seat, chewing her gum again as she casually doodles on a piece of paper, whereas I am sitting upright with my folders and paper organised neatly infront of me as I write obediantly. When the teacher asks the students whether they have done their homework, Megan replies lazily with 'haven't done it sir'. Her careless attitude is really highlighted here as there is an absence of 'I' next to 'haven't' in her sentence displaying that it is sluggishly strructured. Then, contrasting with this, at 00:23 seconds I then politely say to Megan 'I can help you at lunch if you want'. My tone of voice is considerate and friendly as I look at her with hope, and Megan continues to look down at the table showing no interest in what I have to say. Here we can really see the difference in both personalities and how opposite they are.

Film Industry News: Hollywood films gain traction in India

Hollywood films gain traction in India

20 September, 2012 | By Liz Shackleton

This year, US studios have scored big in the idiosyncratic and fragmented territory with films such as The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man.

Hollywood has always had the role of a bit player in India. While audiences queue up to see the latest blockbuster starring Shah Rukh Khan or Rajnikanth, Hollywood films have been mostly restricted to an urban, English-speaking elite and consequently only accounted for around 4-5% of India’s billion dollar-plus annual box office.

But that market share has been slowly creeping up in recent years and during 2012 the US studios have taken some giant strides in India. In April, Disney UTV released The Avengers on 800 screens, the widest release ever for a foreign film at the time, which helped propel it to become one of the top five Hollywood films of all time in India with a final tally of $12.7m.

In June, Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man swept away The Avengers’ record screen count by opening on 1,200 screens and grossing $6m on its opening weekend. The film went on to take $14.5m, becoming the third biggest Hollywood film of all time behind Avatar and 2012. The following month, Fox Star Studios’ Ice Age 4: Continental Drift scored the biggest debut in history for an animated film in India, grossing $1.5m from 238 screens.

All these films reaped the rewards of steady growth in multiplex screens and average ticket prices in India, along with the growing experience of the US studios as they grapple with this idiosyncratic and fragmented territory.

For example, Ice Age 4 benefitted from being dubbed into multiple languages, a strategy that is common practice for action blockbusters, but which Fox decided to also use for animated films. As Fox Star Studios CEO Vijay Singh explains, the experiment started with Ice Age 3, which was dubbed into Hindi and grossed a healthy $2m in 2009.

“With Ice Age 4 we tried to push the envelope further and also dubbed the film inTamil and Telugu,” Singh explains. “The strategy worked as the film did really well in the languages as well as the English version.”

The US studios have also started subtitling the English versions in English, making Western dialects and strong accents easier to understand. It’s also become common practice to open films day-and-date, or even a few weeks before, their North American release. In a market so heavily dominated by local content, they’re also finding that forging alliances with local studios can help.

Several US studios are now deeply embedded in the Indian market. Since completing its acquisition of UTV Software Communications, Disney has merged its India operations with those of the Mumbai-based powerhouse and releases all of its films through new entity Disney UTV. Similarly, Paramount’s films are now handled by Viacom 18, the 50:50 joint venture between Paramount parent Viacom and India’s Network 18.

Fox Star Studios, which releases all Twentieth Century Fox titles in India, is a joint venture between Fox and its News Corp sister company Star India. And following its deal with DreamWorks, India’s Reliance ADA Group handles all of the US studios films in India; along with select titles from US sales company IM Global in which it holds a majority stake.

All these companies - UTV, Viacom 18, Fox Star and Reliance Big Pictures - are major producers of Hindi-language content and are also moving into production of regional-language films. These tie-ups give the US studios extra clout as they can now deliver multiple content streams to local exhibitors.

“When you can offer both Hollywood and Bollywood, you get better terms and usually more screens,” explains Reliance head of distribution & acquisition Utpal Acharya. “Exhibitors think if I mess around with this guy, I may not get the next big Bollywood release. You can dictate when you have Spider-Man, but you struggle with the smaller English films.”

The remaining studios, which don’t have local partners, all have their own offices and distribution set-up in India. But in some cases, they opt to leverage the strengths of a local distributor by selling theatrical rights, at least in situations where the numbers make sense. Warner Bros recently sold theatrical rights to The Dark Knight Rises to Mumbai-based DAR Motion Pictures, which described the deal as “the biggest ever acquisition in the history of Hollywood film distribution in India”. Released on 1,000 screens, the film went on to gross $9.9m to become the seventh biggest Hollywood film of all time.

But despite the growth, Hollywood still doesn’t have the easiest ride in India. Multiplex development is not as fast as in China and Brazil, due to building regulations and the slower than expected rise of shopping malls, and the country still only has around 1,300 multiplex screens.

The US studios also have to grapple with the fact that India has become an e-cinema market - there are currently around 6,000 e-cinema screens compared to around 400 DCI-compliant 2K digital screens. Around 300 of those 2K screens are 3D-enabled, a number that is not likely to explode until local filmmakers embrace the format. And the country still only has a handful of IMAX screens.  

All this means that Hollywood films still rely heavily on physical prints in India, unlike local films which can be distributed via satellite and released on up to 3,000 mostly e-cinema screens. Although not deemed worthy of such wide releases, US indie films can also take advantage of India’s booming e-cinema circuits. Multivision Multimedia’s recent release of The Expendables 2 raked in $2m from 800 screens on its opening weekend. Reliance plans to release Dredd on close to 600 screens this month, across all formats including e-cinema 3D.

Rising marketing costs are another challenge facing the US studios. Hollywood films are performing better due to aggressive marketing spends, but pricey TV remains the dominant advertising medium and to reach this multilingual nation, it’snecessary to advertise across many different channels. “For Hollywood films that have been dubbed, spend has gone as high as 25% of the rental value whereas before it was more like 10%,” says Reliance’s Acharya.

And yet the nation’s growing number of movie channels are probably one of the biggest factors raising awareness of Hollywood films. “Now we have at least two channels screening dubbed versions of English films so everyone is aware of the content,” says Gaurav Verma, director of India Theatrical Distribution, Studios at Disney UTV. “Everyone is aware of Iron Man because the films have been dubbed and broadcast across 14-15 different languages in India”.

The US studios are also starting to see e-cinema as an opportunity rather than just a problem and using the format to distribute trailers for their films. “We can attach trailers for a big Disney film on to the screenings of a major Bollywood or Tamil film in the e-format cinemas,” explains Verma. “That kind of cross-promotion really helps.”

And beyond all the strategising and collaboration, there are also changes slowly taking place in Indian society that are likely to boost Hollywood and eventually other foreign films. As DAR distribution head Murli Chhatwani observes: “The younger generation aged 15-30 years actually seems to prefer Hollywood and edgier local films to classic Bollywood”.

So far only certain genres and franchises seem to be working, but a few years ago even Batman didn’t have wide recognition in India. With the Indian population now increasingly travelling, using smart phones and watching global TV, it may only be a matter of time before the market opens to a wider range of films.

Monarch of Glen clip

Clip Analysis: 28 Days Later

Presentation 1

Film Industry News: Studio's consumer products unit taps exec to oversee growing slate

Fox expands live event biz

Studio's consumer products unit taps exec to oversee growing slate

By Marc Graser

Lombardo

Fox has big plans for live entertainment events based on its “Ice Age” pic franchise, particularly in overseas markets.

'The Simpsons' ride at Universal Studios in California.

Greg Lombardo has been tapped for a new role at Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products that will be key in turning the studio's franchises into theme park attractions and touring shows. Since Jeffrey Godsick became president of the division last October, the exec has focused heavily on brokering deals that get family films like "Ice Age," "Rio" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks," and more adult fare like "Titanic," "Aliens" and "Planet of the Apes," in front of audiences as live entertainment experiences. Lom-bardo, who has a deep background in the event biz, will serve as veep of location-based entertainment. In April, Fox teamed with Stage Entertainment to produce "Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure" as a live arena show that bows Nov. 2 at London's Wembley Arena before going on its five-year tour. This summer, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs -- The 4-D Experience" launched from Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. Company also has "The Simpsons Ride" at Universal's theme parks, and is prepping an "Avatar"-themed park for Disney's "Animal Kingdom" park in Orlando. Lombardo will now oversee similar deals around the world, spearheading the sales efforts for branded experiences based on Fox's film and TV shows, especially in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Fox considers the deals as building blocks for growing franchises. "The goal for being more aggressive in location-based entertainment offers our audiences around the world further immersion into our brands," Godsick said. "This will be key in building these properties into true franchises." Godsick cited "Ice Age" as a year-round franchise, with movies, a TV special, live show, Imax experience and attractions at three amusement parks in Italy, Germany and the U.K. housed in themed areas, complete with photo ops with characters and branded rooms in area hotels. Studio is introducing four new characters in the arena show and putting established characters in a new story. Lombardo has spent the last five years as creative director for BRC Imagination Arts, a company that developed branded attractions for General Motors, Pepsi, Bacardi and Hyundai. He also served as the creative director, writer and producer for the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010. Earlier in his career, he served as artistic director for New York's National Shakespeare Co. Fox was attracted to Lombardo given his experience working with Chinese brands China Mobile, Evergrande and Zoomlion as the studio looks to increase its franchises' presence in the region, especially for "Ice Age." Studio also aims to boost its characters in Malaysia, South Korea, Brazil, UAE, Turkey and Russia. "This is a fantastic time to be at Fox," said Lombardo. "These are globally embraced and incredibly relevant properties and I look forward to pursuing new and exciting ways to bring them to life." Even before TV advertising begins in London and Germany, Fox already has sold more than 59,000 tickets to "Ice Age Live!" Lombardo will next look at turning several other Fox properties into arena shows and Broadway stage productions.

Camera Shots

Close-up

Allows the audience to see the object close up and all miniscule details.

Birds-eye view

Allows the audience to see the shot from the 'top'. Gives the audience a superior feeling towards the mug.

High view

We can see the mug from a slightly higher view.

The Rule of Thirds



 In this shot Rag'e is in the middle of the shot.

In this shot Rag'e is in the side of the shot. We pay attention to him more here because he is not right in the centre, making him more important in our view.

Film Industry News: House At The End Of The Street

House At The End Of The Street

21 September, 2012 | By John Hazelton

Dir: Mark Tonderai. US. 2012. 101mins

In her first release since the massive success of The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence adds a modicum of dramatic interest to twisty but not very effective thriller House At The End Of the Street. The young Oscar nominee’s presence should boost the youth audience for this uneasy mix of psychological suspense and horror action but the broader audience may choose to wait for Lawrence’s appearance in buzzed-about November openerSilver Linings Playbook. 

The big plot twists and the woman-in-peril action come in a third act that ups the energy level but feels awkwardly paced. 

Going wide in the US on Sept 21 through Relativity’s Rogue Pictures,House will need to capitalise quickly on Lawrence’s growing reputation. International independents that have bought the film from producer FilmNation may find it harder to take advantage of the casting given thatHunger Games was less of a hit outside the US.

Lawrence - who got this part before she secured herHunger Games role - plays Elissa, a bright high schooler who moves into a new house with her divorced mother (Leaving Las Vegas’ Elisabeth Shue). Rent on the spacious property is manageable because a few years earlier a married couple was murdered in a neighbouring house, leading to rumours of a scary presence in the surrounding woods and social rejection for the couple’s surviving son Ryan (Max Thieriot, from Jumper).

Elissa is drawn to the moody Ryan but what seems at first like a budding romance eventually leads to a psycho killer showdown.

Director Mark Tonderai, a former UK radio DJ who made his feature debut with 2008 British thriller Hush, sets the story up with some style and takes time to introduce subplots involving Elissa’s relationships with her mother and new classmates.

But Elissa and Ryan make a dull, talky couple and the suspense is spread too thin to keep the first two acts interesting. The big plot twists and the woman-in-peril action come in a third act that ups the energy level but feels awkwardly paced.