Audience and Institutions Practice Essay

Danielle Sidweber
Audience and Institutions Essay
To what extent is digital distribution vital to the media area you have studied?
           In relation to film, digital distribution is vital to achieve success. Digital technology is constantly evolving, and shaping our world in a new way that film was not able to achieve before. New technologies are allowing filming companies to distribute their films in ways that would not have been possible many years ago. Overall, digital distribution of film is crucial to evolving and shaping the filming industry that we know today.
          Digital distribution in the filming industry is only possible with the assistance of new technologies. According to the case study entitled, “How is Digital Technology Reshaping the Film Industry?” they provide us with 5 different technologies that are the “forefront” of the evolving industry. These 5 technologies are: Autonomous Drone Cameras, 3D Printing, 4K 3D Cameras, Algorithmic Video Editing, and Cloud Based technologies. All 5 of these new technologies are the key to success for digital distribution in the filming area of study. However, there are one of these technologies that have made a noticeable change in the industry, Cloud Based technologies. Since Cloud Based technologies make it possible for citizens to view at home, this has, “reduced in-house costs.” Therefore, many more people are able to view all of these films at home for a lower cost, giving the production company more business and attraction. This is just one of the many assistants of digital distribution in filmmaking that has changed the industry as we know it.
             One example of a film that flourished from digital distribution is Beauty and the Beast. This film was released on March 17 of 2017 in theatres, but it did not fully flourish until it hit its digital distribution phase. According to the Beauty and the Beast case study we were given, this film took 3 major steps in digital distribution. First, on June 6th of 2017 (shortly after it was first released,) this film was also released on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital HD. Then, it was released on ‘Netflix’ thereafter, finalizing with its release on ‘On Demand’ in 2017 as well. This film is well-known all around the world and this is partially due to the digital distribution that this film participated in. Placing 76th worldwide and making 1.3 billion dollars, it is clear that digital distribution was a crucial step to this film’s success. However, Beauty and the Beast is not just the only film example of benefiting from digital distribution.
             Another film in which digital distribution was vital to its success was Black Panther. Released on February 16th of 2018, this movie has become one of the most popular films in all the industry, profiting 361 million dollars in its first week of release alone. However, this success could not have been possible without the process of digital distribution. This film chose to take a different route and take a creative stance by making a website for the film. This website was created by Marvel, and it was used as a form of digital distribution to make the film more popular, and more accessible for the general public. According to the Black Panther Case study we were given, this website includes: “movie tickets, an online shop to buy merchandise from, a photo gallery, the cast, and more.” This was a unique aspect that Marvel took to produce their movie successfully, and this process was vital to the popularity that this film has gained globally.
              Another aspect to digital distribution that has greatly affected the filming industry is the major decrease in costs that comes alongside it. There are many downsides to producing a film, and one major aspect is the cost. Sometimes, this can be so detrimental to a filmmaking process that it is forced to be shut down. However, with the process of digital distribution, most of this problem disappears. Yes, there are still major costs that come with producing a film and distributing it digitally, but nothing in comparison to the normal filmmaking process. According to the case study entitled, “How Tech Has Shaped Film Making,” it states that Going digital largely means foregoing the large canisters of film that used to be synonymous with filmmaking.” Simply by eliminating the usage of large canisters of film, the overall cost of production greatly decreases, leaving the company with more profit, therefore making the film more successful overall. Additionally, this means that they complete their “film schedules with less waste,” therefore keeping the cost of production much lower than the original process. As you can see, the digital distribution process is crucial to a film's success, especially in lowering the costs.
                Overall, the filming industry can not succeed alone. With the assistance of digital distribution, a film can flourish, and become well-known globally. Just like Beauty and the Beast and Black Panther, many other movies have followed in these footsteps and have only seen major success. Many companies use this strategy for many reasons, one of which is the drastic decrease in cost. Another aspect that has really assisted the digital distribution process is the Cloud Based technologies, as mentioned before. All of these aspects to digital distribution are what really makes a film flourish, as these are vital to any film's success.

Practice Extract 24

Danielle Sidweber

P.2 Media Practice Extract

24

The extract that I chose to watch was from the TV series, “24.” From the small extract we were given, I can conclude that this series could potentially fall under the action or mystery genre. Overall, I believe that the theme of this extract would be to not keep any secrets, as this is hidden throughout the extract. The characters are discussing the actions of others in relation to a bomb going off, and their flight to Visalia. There is conflict between the two characters, and this is shown through all aspects of the film. These aspects include camera movements and angles, the editing, the sound, and the Mis en Scene. All of these aspects are very prominent when determining the deeper meaning of the film, and how the filmmakers decided to portray emotions, conflict and more. 

  One of the main aspects when determining the meaning of this extract was within the camera angles and movements. The first shot that I extracted of the film was the close ups. A close up is a shot of a singular character of just their face, or particular body part, or item. There are many examples of close ups in this extract, however there is one in particular that I found to really advance the plot. This close up is the very first shot of the extract, of the main female character. It shows her from her shoulders and up, in which the audience can clearly determine her emotion. She looks as if she is conflicted, which is clearly shown throughout the rest of the extract. This close-up establishes her emotions for the rest of this extract. As this shot shows that she is conflicted, this is prominent when she is being interrogated by the other character and does not know what to say. This further contributes to the theme of the text; to keep no secrets. This correlates back to this close up because she is clearly hiding something, and is conflicted about whether she should share it or not. Another example of camera movements in this extract are the zoom shots. A zoom shot is when the camera zooms into one specific image, or thing. There are a few in this extract, but the main one that I picked out was the zoom shot when the man is closely interrogating the woman, and it zooms into both of their faces. As well as the close up shot, this shows further confliction in their faces. Additionally, it shows both characters' personalities. It shows how the man is very harsh and straight-foward, and how the woman is very conflicted and secretive. This contributes to the plot of keeping secrets, because it can clearly show the emotions of the characters when deciding what to say, specifically when pressure is being put on the girl. Both of these examples contribute to the plot, specifically showing the characters emotions. 

Another aspect of film that advances the plot of this extract is within the editing. One of the editing techniques of this extract that is shown is the split screen. A split screen is when there is a clear split of the screen showing two separate shots at the same time. This technique is used in this extract when the man is attacking the woman, and asking her to tell him the truth. The other half of the screen is showing multiple people of the woman's past, and this is what she is thinking as she is being attacked. This intensifies the plot of keeping secrets, because she is hiding something from him and the split screen shows  what she could potentially be hiding from this man attacking her. Another example of developmental editing in this extract is the eye-line match. An eye-line match shows a character looking at a specific thing, then it would show what they are looking at. This is shown in the extract when the characters are discussing the timing of a bomb going off and they look at the clock, then the clock is shown. This intensifies the conflict within the woman's thoughts of telling the truth. It is showing that their time is running out, further putting pressure on the characters and the plot.

Sound is also a very crucial aspect of film making in relationship to the deeper meaning. One of the main aspects of sound in this extract was the dialogue. Dialogue is simply the words of the characters being said. Clearly, this is what mainly advances the film and gives the audience a clue as to what is going on. This is one of the most important parts of every film. The dialogue in this extract accentuates all of the shots and the overall intensity of the film. For example, the characters are discussing the timing of the bomb going off, and their flight to Visalia. After they are shown discussing this, they then show the clock. This dialogue really brings out the importance of time in this film, and how it relates to the inner conflict of the characters themselves. Another aspect of sound in this extract was the diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is the natural sounds that come from the film, like a door slam, a foot stomp, or a clock tick. Even though diegetic is shown throughout this entire extract, I noticed it mostly when the clock was ticking. In the same scene mentioned previously, the characters are deciding what their next move will be, and if the girl will tell her secrets. To add additional pressure on their decision making, there is the diegetic sound of the clock ticking. Not only does this add pressure, but it shows the inner conflict of each character and it keeps the audience interested in the film. 

Along with camera angles and movements, editing and shots, Mis en Scene is crucial to the development within the film. Mis en Scene are controlled aspects of the film that can be categorized into 6 different categories: Costumes, Lighting, Actors, Makeup, Props and Setting. Even though all of these are prominent in this extract, there are 2 that specifically stood out. One of which is the lighting. The lighting in this mysterious room that they are in is very dim, further letting the audience know that something is going to happen. Dim lighting is normally an indicator of a mystery film, and it is used to intrigue the audience. This specific lighting is shown throughout the entire extract, giving off a certain vibe that intensifies the film. The other aspect of Mis en Scene that is prominent in this extract is the props. Props are certain objects that are significant in the film. There is one prop that caught my eye in the extract, and these are the papers that were being handed to the woman in the beginning. The audience does not know what these papers are, but since they are being so clearly shown, they must be important to the overall plot. There are other props in this extract, like the chair that the man threw, however the papers stood out the most. This prop adds to the mysterious aspect of the film, leaving the audience to infer what these papers are, and what they mean to the plot. Mis en Scene is a very important aspect in filmmaking, especially in relation to the overall plot. 

All of these aspects of the film mentioned above are crucial to the development of its plot. Camera angles, shots, movements, editing, sound, and Mis en Scene all intensify a film. They also engage the audience, and keep them on the edge of their seat when watching films like this one. Whether it was the shot-reverse-shot, dialogue, or even as simple as the lighting, all of these advance the deeper meaning of this extract. Overall, the theme was to show the consequences of keeping secrets, and this is shown in a very mysterious way that keeps the audience engaged. This extract was designed to show emotion and plot advancement through these filming aspects listed above.

Final Movie

Attached below is a copy of our final movie, however it remains unfinished due to this national pandemic. Due to the stay at home orders, we were not able to properly finish it.

CCR for Movie

Attached above is my CCR for my movie, although it is split in half because it was too large of an attachment to insert combined. 

Editing- Struggles with COVD-19

As we are informed, the virus that has been spread around is a clear struggle for our film. Schools are closed, all public gatherings are banned, and more. This is making filming and editing for my group mate and I very difficult. If schools were still opened and we did not need to follow social distancing, we would be able to continue on perfecting our movie. However, due to social distancing, we are not allowed to meet and film. We are both quarantined in our homes, which is not enabling us to film and edit. This is a major inconvenience, which we are both very upset about. We will need to find time to film soon when everything is safe. Until then, we must follow the rules and suggestions from the government. It is for this reason that we have not been able to edit or even film for our movie.
As previously stated, we are currently putting our movie production on hold. Knowing this, we must find other things and ways to work on our movie. Not only must we focus on our movie, but also our final exam for Cambridge, as it is coming up soon. We want to have everything completed soon, so that we will not need to stress and rush into our work when the deadline approaches. Next week is spring break, so we will need to make sure to work before or even after this. Oe project that we must start to work on is our CCR. Our CCR will be in the format of a video interview. This will take a long time to plan and make, so we will begin soon. This is something we can work on while quarantined in our homes, due to the virus. Below is a picture, showing us working from home, because we cannot be at school.

Re-Edit

As I have previously explained, we have done a peer-review. We took the advice given to us and we did more filming. We added new clips that we did not have before. Additionally, we made sure to include most of the different types of shots into our film. However, now we had to actually edit each clip into our already existing film. This was slightly challenging for me, but it turned out okay in the end. As previously mentioned, we filmed a pan and a tilt that needed to be included into the new film. The process of re-editing is a little more complicated than I had previously thought. Since we are using iMovie, it is much easier since we can just insert the clips from our phone into our already saved movie. However, we did run into some complications that made this a little bit more challenging.
One of the challenges that I faced were the transitions. When using iMovie, each way you choose to insert a clip restricts you to certain transitions only. I was having some trouble inserting them in the same way, so that I could use the same transitions for all of them. It was further even more complicated when I had to individually fix each clip and transition in. I could not insert them in at the same time, so I needed to insert each individually and then make sure they transition was right. This process was very tedious for me. Another complication that we faced was the music. In order to avoid any form of copyright, we made a voiceover of a song and placed it to the background of the movie. This made the whole process much easier, as we did not have to find a way to use a song without copyright. Since we only recorded a certain length of song, when we added in the new clips, it misplaced the rest of the film and sound. We figured it out, by just recording the voice over again, even though this took longer than expected. Overall, even though this re-editing process was slightly tedious; I think that it was very beneficial to the movie. Below is a screenshot from one of our new clips that we edited into our new movie.

Re-Shooting

This past weekend, we began to re-shoot. Since we did the peer review, we knew what we needed to re-shoot. Before the peer review, we thought that our film was good and that nothing needed to be fixed. We decided to take their advice and re-shoot a few scenes, and add some extras that we were missing. One thing that we were missing was a shot-reverse-shot. This is a shot that shows one person, then switches to what they are looking at or talking to, and then switches back to them. This is an important shot to include for Cambridge and we need to ensure that it is in our movie. We did create this shot when the main girl gets in the car. It shows her friend saying hi, then the main girl saying hi back, and then the other girl telling her to get in the car with them. This is just one example of our shot-reverse shot.
Something else that we fixed in our re-shoot was adding a tilt. Originally, we did not have this in our film. A tilt is when you show the surroundings from the ground moving upwards. This is also a crucial shot to include in our film for Cambridge. We were deciding where to add this in, and it was slightly challenging. I thought to add it in when we first got to the restaurant and we can show the actual diner in a tilt. My group mate suggested that we insert it in the end, but after consideration we both decided to show the diner in a tilt. Another shot we were missing was a pan. A pan is the same thing as a tilt, just from side to side and not up and down. We decided that we needed to add this in as well. We included our pan into the portion of the film when they are in the car. We created a pan of the surroundings outside of the car, to show that it is at night and we are on the way to the restaurant. Overall, re-shooting was necessary for our film, as we realized that we have many shots missing. Below is a screenshot from our new film.