Magazine Front cover and Double Page Spread

A Field In England

A Field in England is a low budget Arthouse film which was produced by Ben Wheatley. This was the first film to break the Hollywood distribution model by releasing the film on all platforms for it to be viewed by its niche audience. This strategy was effective because it allowed more people to access the film from its small audience it has already. The number of people attending cinemas won’t decrease significantly due to the fact that people like the experience of the cinema and how it presents itself to a small audience. This just allows people who do not have access to these cinemas the chance to view it on TV the same day when everything came out.  This means that only one marketing campaign has to be taken into account as everything is being released and therefore increase the popularity of the film. Another advantage of this is that the producers are on a small budget and they can’t afford to create a new marketing campaign 3 months down the line to then promote the DVD/Blue-ray copy, so this a financial incentive to save as much money as they can. Being on 300K is a small budget to work from, when the average Hollywood film cost almost $100 million to make them successful and a further $50 million to distribute.

1.       How was A Field In England’s release different to typical film releases?

This was the strategy in which the company behind the film released the film on all platforms for it to be available to its audience. This was a way of “embracing the new technologies rather than running scared of them”. This meant that this was breaking the traditional Hollywood distribution method of releasing the film at different times.

2.       What are the advantages to releasing the film across all platforms on the same day?

This meant that it would gain more publicity and would also invite more customers to watch the film as it would be accessible on TV and DVD. This also means that if the viewers who viewed the film in cinema and enjoyed the film they can straightway go and purchase the DVD copy instead of waiting 3 or 4 months

3.       What are the disadvantages to this approach?

The main disadvantage that I see is that there would be a decrease in the sales of DVD’s as the audience would be able to record the film on Film 4 and watch it as many times as they want.

4.       What target audience would A Field in England be aimed at? Demographics and Psychographics.

The target audience for this film would be a demographic of A, B and the Phychographic of Explorers and Succeeders, who are able to understand and comprehend the messages of films rather than just for enjoyment. This art house film would have a niche audience are known to try new things.

5.       Do you think all films in future will be released across all platforms simultaneously in future?

I don't think that blockbuster Hollywood films would adopt this marketing strategy used by A field in England. This is because big budget films will want to generate as much profit as possible and so will do this by gaining revenue from each platform individually. This is because they invest a huge amount of money into the productions.

ill Manors Research task

1) Research all the institutions involved in the production of Ill Manors. List them with a summary of what their contribution to the film was.

In the distribution of Ill Manors, Revolver Entertainment had a major hand making the release date and marketed it on DVD, Blu-ray and cinema. Other institutions involved were Film London Microwave, BBC films and Aimimage who funded for the film.

2) How much did Ill Manors cost to produce (its budget)?

Ill Manors was a low-budget British film which cost £100,000 to produce.

3) How was Ill Manors funded?

The film was funded by three studios called Film London Microwave, BBC Films and Aimimage.  Plan B also used money raised from his ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks’ music tour in 2010 to fund the film.

4) What is the target audience for Ill Manors?

The target audience for Ill Manors is people between the ages of 14-25, but also people with a stereotypical view of teenagers, such as upper class people.

5) Who is the main distributor of Ill Manors?

The main distributor of Ill Manors is Revolver Entertainment

6) How was Ill Manors promoted using broadcast platform?

Ill Manors was promoted using different mediums under the broadcast platform. The main method to Ill Manors being promoted was the soundtrack of the album, which Plan B premiered in May 2012.

7) Compare this with a big budget blockbuster. What are the main similarities and differences?

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 Hollywood blockbuster superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan

The similarity of both films was the release date as they both happen in middle of the year.

The differences of Ill Manors and The Dark Knight Rises are that the storylines different. The budget for both films were different. Ill Manors budget was £100,000, whereas the Dark Knight Rises Budget was $250-300 million.

The genre of the films was completely different as The Dark Knight Rises is a superhero movie based around DC Universe, whereas Ill Manors is a British Crime Drama.

8) How does the trailer for Ill Manors hook audiences into the narrative and pose questions that the film will answer (Barthes: enigma codes)? Identify 3 ways/techniques.

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9) How does the trailer of Ill Manors balance plot and spectacle?

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10) Think about the certificate of Ill Manors (18 certificates). Research film certification and outline what is deemed acceptable for this certificate. What is the difference between a 15 certificate and 18 certificates?

Ill Manors was considered to be an 18 certificate; this meant that there was more of an adult theme behind it classing it as an 18. The following presents the topics of a 15 certificate:

18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as:

·         very strong violence

·         Frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’)

·         Strong portrayals of sexual activity

·         Scenes of sexual violence

·         Strong horror Strong blood and gore

·         Real sex (in some circumstances)

·         Discriminatory language and behaviour

Ill Manors: Tag London campaign work

1.       How does the Ill Manors Tag London campaign help to promote the film?

The ill Manors Tag London campaign expresses the thoughts of Plan B's fans and shows there opinions about ill Manors and its political aim. This is a unique way of advertising and promoting Plan B's Album. It also raises awarenesses about Plan B's film Ill manors. This campaign consisted of 300 tweets being recreated by graffiti artists. The use of hash tagging allowed a mass audience to get involved and voice the views on current issues that are seen in the modern era.  

2.       What links are there between the Tag London campaign and other texts you have studied as part of the Ill Manors case study?

The hash tagging links back to Plan B's music video which involves "CHAV's". the hash tag "#ILLMANORS, SOCIETY REBELLING BACK AT BROKEN BRITAIN, @4PLANB" backs up what Plan B spoke about in his TEDx lecture on why these young teenagers are how they are and what has possessed them to do what they do. The Magazine NME cover featured Plan B with a middle finger up, with a quote stating that Plan B is coming for David Cameron. This shows the that the twitter quote is backed up by other texts which link back to this.

3.       Why might user-generated campaigns like this be more successful than traditional media campaigns?

3. User-Generated-Campaigns are more affective as they get their target involved in what they want to achieve. It allows the audience to voice their opinions and get involved with the campaign. It also helps them to generate more publicity and gain an even larger audience 

4.       Choose five of the tweets above and for each one write what target audience the tweet could appeal to (demographics/psychographics) and then link the tweet to one other media text you have studied as part of the Ill Manors case study (TEDx lecture, music video etc.) Justify your link for each tweet using examples from the film/promotional material.

“#ILLMANORS Inclusion not Exclusion” This tweet would appeal to teenagers between the ages of 16-21, this is because they understand the fact that they have been excluded and stereotyped by the media and society. This tweet belongs to the aspirers’ psychographic group this is because these are materialistic people that are driven by others’ perceptions of them, so they are driven by the negative views of society. This tweet links to the TEDx lecture as it presents the idea of the youths being excluded by the society.

“#ILLMANORS #IGNORINGTHEPROBLEM DOES NOT SOLVE IT? #INSPIREKIDS DON'T PUT THEM DOWN? #SOCIALCHANGECOMESTHROUGHACTION NOT INACTION? @4PLANB” This tweet would appeal to an older audience of both genders. This audience would likely be reformers and would be in the social class of C2, C1, B. This tweet links well with the TEDx Lecture as Plan B targeted the opposite audience of the films target audience, to persuade them of changing their opinion on these council kids.

“Plan B’s #ILLMANORS movement is sick, get involved” This would appeal to the younger demographic ages of 16-20. The psychographic group this would appeal to is the mainstreamers. This links to the TEDx lecture as in the lecture Plan B talks about change and this tweet turns it into a movement that will encourage change. 

“#ILLMANORS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF CAMERON'S BROKEN BRITAIN” This tweet could appeal to an audience of 25-50 year olds of both genders  who are into politics and could be classed as reformers. This could mean that they are a social group of C1, B, A. This Tweet links well with the music video as it shows the rebellious teens acting up and the lyrics mocking Cameron’s control over things.

“Sounds like the truth #IllMANORS” This tweet would appeal to people 16-35 year olds, this is because they would understand and notice the problems with the government, society and media today. The psychographic group that this tweet would fit in to is reformers as they are rebellious, socially aware. This tweet links to the music video of Ill Manors as the ideology behind this quote is similar to the music video, where David Cameron is portrayed as a villain and the young teens are being rebellious and destructive.

Ill Manors: official website

Look at the Ill Manors official website (it shouldn't be blocked) and think about how it promotes the film and also how it links to other texts/platforms you have studied. 

Then, answer the following questions on your blog:

1.       How does the Ill Manors official website promote the film?

The Official website promotes the film as it has a link to BUY NOW to purchase a copy of the film on Amazon or Play.com. The website also allows the audience to view the films trailer on the website. This is a feature which may not be available to an audience who were to visit an unofficial website such as IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes. Other features such as the billboard poster in the background of the website home cover is also another way of advertising the film as the film billboard poster contains quotes such as 'bloody brilliant' and 'bullet pace and quite unpredictable'. The website also carries over the same type of theme which would be associated with the type of film Plan B has produced. The website includes the same derelict blocks of flats which are related to Plan B's interpretation of 'CHAV's'.

2.       What examples can you find of the Ill Manors brand on the website homepage?

Examples of the ill Manors brand on the website homepage could be that the use of the font is the same. This involves the font being big, bold and in white colouring. This is consistent and seen over different platforms such as print (billboards) and e-media such as the website. The uses of the same derelict blocks are used in other platforms. The homepage shows some clear links to other platforms as it as the advertising billboard in the background of the homepage.

3.       What links does the website offer?

The website contains links to the films trailer, synopsis, videos, buying merchandise/DVDs and the ill Manors Album. The website also offers links to social media platforms.  

4.       What examples of synergy can you find between the website homepage and the print/broadcast platforms?

An example of synergy is the use of the billboard in the background of the website homepage, which is print which they have incorporated into their e-media text. The links on the website also offer some links to other e-media such as social media sites. There are also links which relate back to Plan B’s music side of things as the link it to promote the album and gain purchases buy ill Manors viewers or Plan B’s music audience.

5.       List the links to social media on the website homepage. Why are these important?

There are links to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. These links are important because it allows ill Manors to reach a wide audience which is easily accessible, which a large audience can view and also share the video link between one and other promoting the film to a mass audience.

LR for Mock Paper

WWW: You make some good points here-Some that no one else has picked up on- but there isn’t enough writing for a higher grade.

EBI/LR: Firstly, we need to practise + revise so we can write double the amount in the time available. Q2 is a major weakness: you need to read the question. Music + slow motion are not part of Mise-en-scene so you are not getting any marks there. You need to get some media theories in. Re-write Q2+ 4 on your blog with at least 3 developed paragraphs for each

Question 4:

This advert can appeal to a wide audience as it doesn’t have to be translated as the actions in the advert sends out a powerful interpretation of what would be said if words were used. This means that anyone that watches it would understand the meaning behind the advert. The audience also receive a simple and direct message although there aren’t any sounds or words used. It is a non-dialogue specific so it has a global appeal. This adverts audience would also appeal to drivers to ensure that they do wear their seatbelts whilst traveling in a vehicle.

There is also no age limit on the advert as it contains a young girl which is used in the advert as one of the characters in the role play, but it also adds a sense of family values as it is a stereotypical family with two parents and one or two children.

The advert also uses a new and innovative technique to promote road safety as it uses the modern family to show both family values about keeping family member’s safe plus using them to create the seatbelt.

Question 2:

Mise-en-scene is shown and represented in different ways throughout the advert. One way in which this is shown is by the use of the actors’ facial expressions and movement. Close ups are used throughout to show the actors’ expressions before, during and after the ‘car accident’. These are used on all three characters in the advert to show the emotion in that sort of situation.

The car accident is shown inside a living room in a safe home setting. This adds greatly to the impact of the advert because it is so different to previous road safety campaigns. There is no car, outside road setting, no broken glass or blood make-up. The setting makes the advert stand out from similar adverts used previously.

The advert uses two different props in the advert. The use of one of the stools is used as the drivers chair whilst the other is placed in front of him acting as the dashboard of the car. As he “crashes” the stool in front of him goes flying and a bowl of glitter flies up into air symbolising a car’s windscreen being smashed and spraying little glass shards all over. The use of childish or household props to simulate a car crash is unusual and really adds to the impact of the advert.

The actors are wearing casual clothing as their costume, as it is showing a modern middle class family. The daughter plays two roles in the advert. The daughter is wearing fairy wings so she could be considered to be a guardian angel as her arms are later used as a seatbelt for the father about to have a car accident. This use of actor movement to simulate the seatbelt is the final and most effective use of Mise-en-scene in the advert.

Draft Cover/Double page spread