Who's Making What?

Roles and Responsibilities

How are films made? Well without a crew of film makers and each one of them not having a role in their job then not much will be created. This is why everyone in the film industry each has a role and responsibility in building up to the stages of film production and making. The movie - making process consists of five phases they are: 

1. Development

2. Pre-Production

3. Production

4. Post Production

5. Distribution

Within development script writing, viability testing and gathering resources are a main part of this phase. Script writing is vital for film making without this there wouldn't be a film to make in the first place. Pre-production is a fairly loose term which refers to the tasks undertaken before production begins. For feature films, pre-production is more specific and only begins when other milestones have been met such as financing, screenplay, casting and major staffing. In this case pre-production will include: Location scouting, Prop and wardrobe/special effects identification and preparation, production schedule, Set construction, Script locking. Now all these roles will most likely to come under that of a movie producer, a movie producer is a person responsible for making sure an appealing, high quality is produced on time and within budget. That means supervising and packaging the project from conception to distribution to theatres, while interfacing with the studio and managing the work of hundreds of individuals.

We then move onto the next stage which is production. In production the film is created and shot. More crew will be recruited at this stage such as property master, script supervisor, assistant director etc. These are just the common role in film making; the production office will be free to create any unique blend of roles to suit the various responsibilities during the production of a film.

The third and final major phase of the production process is Post-production. It is often referred to as simply as post, e.g. "We can sort that out in post.” There are many things which can happen in post-production. Common tasks include:

• Editing video footage 
• Editing the soundtrack, adding sound effects, music etc. 
• Adding titles and graphics
• Colour and exposure correction 
• Adding special effects

In some cases post-production is relatively straightforward, consisting of choosing and arranging footage in the correct sequence. In most cases however, post-production is a time consuming job taking longer than the actual production phase. This is the final stage, where the film is released to cinemas or occasionally to consumer media or direct download from a provider. 

The final phase of film making is distribution. The film is duplicated as required for distribution to cinemas. Press kits, posters and other advertising materials are published and the film is advertised and promoted. Film distributors usually release a film with launch party, press releases, press preview screenings and film festival screenings. The film plays at selected cinemas and the DVD is released a few months later. The distribution rights for the film and DVD are also usually sold for worldwide distribution.

Audience consumption is very important to films as we would like to know what they think about the film right? Without their opinions and reviews a film will not go on to continue to show at cinemas and not much profit will be made out of it. The film will be given a bad name and will then have to be taken off screens.

Film Production - How did you do that?

News Corporation

Individual reviews

In this assignment I will be talking about one of my favourite films "The Godfather". Godfather is a 1972 epic American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford cooper and produced by Albert S. Ruddy. Based on Puzo's 1969 novel of the same name, the film stars Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as the leaders of a powerful New York crime family. The Godfather is widely regarded as one of the greatest films in world cinema. Now ranked as the second greatest film in American cinema by the American Film Institute. With a budget of $6.5 million dollars and its first screening on March 15,1972 it went on to make a whopping $286 million dollars breaking many box office records to become the highest grossing film of 1972, winning three Oscars in the same year making it one of the greatest films of all time. The film's success spawned two sequels they immediately went on to make "The Godfather Part II" in 1974 and “The Godfather Part III” in 1990. 

The film opens off with Don Vito Corleone the ageing don and head of the Corleone Mafia Family, the Godfather who is holding court. It is the wedding of his daughter Connie, and no Sicilian can refuse a request on that day. So the supplicants come, each wanting something different..Revenge, a husband for their daughter a part in the movie. The family has gathered for the event. Michael (Al Pacino), Don Vito's youngest son and a Second World War hero arrives in a marine corps khakis and introduces his girlfriend Kay Adams to his family at the spawning reception. Michael doesn't intend to become a part of his father's business. Through Michael’s life the nature of the family business becomes clear. All of Michael’s family is involved with the Mafia but Michael just wants to live a normal life. Drug dealer Virgil Sollozzo is looking for Mafia Families to offer him protection in exchange for a profit of the drug money. He approaches Don Corleone about it, but much against the advice of the Don's lawyer Tom Hagen, the Don is morally against the use of drugs, and turns down the offer. This does not please Sollozzo, who has the Don shot down by some of his hit men. The Don barely survives which leads his son Michael to begin a violent mob war against Sollozzo and tears the Corleone family apart.

The film's genres are family drama, crime drama, crime fiction etc. These genres relate very well back to the movie as you could say it’s more of a family movie to watch. I found this to be one of my favourite movies because the narrative behind it was very interesting and entertaining to watch. Knowing this movie came out to be a huge success it persuaded me to watch the sequels to it these being "The Godfather II" and "The Godfather III" I would recommend it to friends and family to watch if they have not done so it is an amazing and mind blowing film to be watching.  

Telling lies and Soft review

Soft is a shocking and violent 14 min feature length film directed by Simon Ellis. Only film critics can describe as "...Ingeniously, intimately upsetting in a way I can only compare to the controversial scenes in Gaspar Noé's Irréversible" The main topic this film is based around is bullying and happy - slapping. The first scene of this short film jumps straight into action and shows flickering mobile phone video footage of a teenage boy getting brutally beaten up. A very interesting opening. The film is about a teenager and his father who are harassed by a teenage gang with a swaggering ASBO - type leader, bullying and scaring a grown up middle aged man outside a newsagent. The man makes his way home and is closely followed by the teenage gang, he reaches home and finds his teenage son is bruised and bloody, it is clear that the same boy from the video has done this.

The gang have now started to cause a disturbance outside of their home, sitting on their car and taunting them both, this leads to a discovery of the son finding out that the man is scared. The film from here on escalates to a violent last final scene which made me feel uncomfortable. Revenge had taken place for the boy. As seen clearly from the film the relationship between the father and son is very fragile. When the dad arrives home from work he asks the son to go buy him a bottle of milk but with the loud music being played and purposely trying to avoid him shows that he is too scared to approach his father. Soft is a amazing film to relate to grownups as we forget how scared we often were as children themselves, of bullies or anything else. For a parent to be scared in front of his child? an unthinkable humiliation. The father found it difficult for him to overcome his fear of the gang which then lead the boy to get his revenge.

Telling lies is another short film directed by Simon Ellis. What would it be like if people actually saw what we were thinking of as we were talking to them? In this clever short film he gives us precisely that ability. This is a short film where we hear one man's phone conversation with his mates and ex-girlfriend even though they broke up the night before, Sarah is still jealous that Phil went home with another women. Not so upset, however that it prevented her from sleeping with Phil's best friend. In "Telling Lies," Ellis lets us eavesdrop on an increasingly outlandish series of phone conversations between Phil and Sarah, Phil and his older mistress, and Phil and his sheepish buddy. The clever thing about Ellis's short film is that there is a difference between thought and speech and this is clearly being shown in the film itself. For example, at one point in the film the main character Phil is asked when he split up with his girlfriend and he responds saying "last night at the club", but the text reads "none of your business". As Phil slowly starts to piece together what happened the night before facing more and more phone calls in the process, his frustration and lies are shown on the screen by the animated text. The film eventually progresses with the main character being disturbed by interfering phone calls from his mother, his ex-girlfriend phoning to make him jealous because he left with another woman, and then finally the women he slept with phoning saying she doesn't want to see him anymore.

In comparison to the first short film I watched "Soft" they have many differences between them. I find "Soft" a much more entertaining and interesting film in my opinion, to watch as it provides me with visual and the narrative behind it is much clearer whereas for "Telling Lies" it took me some time to figure out what it was about. Both films made me feel interested but "Soft" made me relate it to myself making me feel like as if I was in the movie itself and relate it to how society is today around us. But for "Telling lies" it made me feel like as if I was silent suspect trying to listen into people’s conversations but in this case it made me feel like a spy on someone’s relationship and making plans to jeopardize it etc. I believe that's how director Simon Ellis wanted us viewers to feel like as if we were in a relationship or the spy itself and point out all the traitors and cheats in this whole scene. 

Advertising Workbook

1. Explains who regulates TV advertising in the UK?
The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media. 

2. Explain the process of how to complain about a TV advert which you thought was offensive in some way.
In order to make a complaint about a TV advert I will need to check whether my complaint is covered by the ASA. If it is covered I am able to submit my complaint online, contact them via telephone or write to them. They will then give me a name of a person who will handle my case they will be my point of contact. Complaints can be resolve quickly if the ad is a minor mistake which can be changed but if its not that simple then a formal investigation will have to be conducted which may take longer.

3.  Watch the controversial advert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzcRSr6PW_o

4. Explain what happens in the video.
A set of celebrities have been hired to unite and send a message out to put an end to Famine. The explain clearly what it is and how it has affected many. A drought which has hit at its worst in more than 60 years, the celebrities express the fact that 30,000 children have died in just 3 month. At the start of the advert we see that all of them have been told to say famine but as they do say so it is censored to make look as if they are swearing as we can only hear the f word at the start.

5.Explain why was this advert banned?
The advert was banned because it was breaching rules covering political advertising. Other factors as to why it was banned could be the swearing which was said during the advert, now most people will not tolerate such language on their screens who will most definitely find it offensive. The intention is obviously to attract the viewer's attention to the fact that a famous celebrity could be about to utter an expletive. The word 'famine' is not crude or offensive. All in all swearing should not have been included.

6.Do you think the regulators were right to banned this advert. Back up argument with clear points.
In a way I do think it was right to ban the advert but also no. The reason being for saying both is because one its bad because the fact that swearing had been publicly advertised this being offensive to viewers especially if the viewers being a younger generation now we wouldn't any of our children to be hearing swearing off the television now do we? Even with the words being censored this is still setting a bad example. Second of all why I think it was not right to ban the advert as it also sends a powerful message across to people about famine and how serious it has gotten and will get if action is not taken. With the use of celebrities this attracts even more viewers and builds a interest towards the topic meaning more help to reduce famine.

7. Summarize your main points.
In conclusion I think that if advertising companies/agencies were to pay celebrities a huge amount of money then they should at least make it less offensive for viewers to watch there's always other ways to get a point or message across but use of swearing is completely unacceptable this could lead to a loss of fans and the company losing out.

Advertising Workbook

Advert 1



This advert could specifically at children and families as it sings "Holidays are coming" so as the winter festive season falls on us all the kids break off for Christmas holidays, people are encouraged to go and purchase a coca cola bottle. As the lighting trucks pass by the they light up everything in their path and amaze everyone. The top demographics for this advert are female teens 13-17 reason being teen females enjoy the refreshing drink and the advert makes it look more interesting and persuasive to watch also to purchase.

Advert 2



The target audience for this commercial is mainly aimed at males aged between early 30's to their late 40's. The fact that the title says 'Enjoy the everyday' indicates that you can enjoy driving this car whatever the weather the situation. This is mainly directed at them as males are mostly seen to be the driver behind every car and enjoy it all the time this really stands out to them as it helps them get anywhere.

Advert 3



'Living Together' now by judging from this title we could instantly assume the demographic for this commercial would be people such as couples or friends living together so most preferably from early 20's to late 30's. This could specifically appeal to people who live a very organizing and clean lifestyle. In the video it shows the couple/friends can not reach each other but by putting in work they manage to throw everything out the way but surprisingly everything goes back into its normal place all neat and clean again. This is very convincing especially with the music making it even more persuadable.

Advertising Workbook

Advert 1



Product name: Lynx

Persuasive techniques: The use of language which is used to explain clearly what will happen if action is not taken, in this case premature perspiration will occur if the product is not used. Target audience ranging from late teens to late twenties (16-28). The use of beautiful women also persuades men to purchase the product.

Product USP: Male teens/adults.

Advert 2



Product name: Lenor

Persuasive Techniques: The use of music and narrator that has been put in which makes it sound so convincing and draws the audience attention even more to the actual product. Customer comments makes it more persuading to purchase "They smell really fresh". The fact that it tells the audience and the public that it's been washed 7 days ago wow's them as they never seen a washing product which keeps it clean like lenor does.

Product USP: The unique effect it brings to peoples bed covers and the smell it holds for almost a week gives that unique selling point.

Advert 3



Product name: Paco Rabanne 1 million

Persuasive techniques: Use of a male model and the fact he clicks his fingers and gets everything with the click of finger such as money, cars, girls, fame etc. This indicates if you purchase this product then all good things and men dream of will come to you.

Product USP: Young adults

Advertising Workbook

Old advertisement:

New advertisement:

Advertising Workbook

The anecdote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aXzIiNxb3s

Adjectives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nsx2eaBf-4

Repetition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjY0mbh8fxU

Statistics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmUtR8DcMAc

Fact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY3VSP-DNvo

Advertising Workbook

1) Explain what TV advertising is?

• TV advertising is a method of marketing used to sell products and services via ads on TV.

2) View three different contemporary TV adverts and list three key characteristics of them:

• Persuasive
• Informative
• Eye catching