Representation of Britain in Four Lions

Thursday, 11 February 2016
Representation of Britain in Four Lions
How does that narrative/story of your film relate to British people?
We can relate to both the location and the people (terrorist). They are based in Sheffield and live in a average working class house (small and plain). The terrorist also have everyday jobs like us before they became terrorists.
What is British society like according to your film? Is it multicultural, tolerant, wealthy,etc?
The film represents England as a split country as there are parts that are wealthy however most of the time it represents people as being working class. It is revealed later that the police have arrested Omar's innocent Muslim brother because he looked foreign and was near the scene. This represents police as racist.
How do the themes, message and values relate to British society?
One of the messages of the film is that the terrorist could be anyone, because we can relate to them. Also is shows that you don't have to be smart to be a terrorist. The are lost of hidden messages and meaning in the film however they try and hide/soften it by making it comic.
How is the humour distinctively British?
There is black humour (disturbing humour) throughout the film; which the english are known for. If a American watched this film they would take offence easily this is because we push the boundaries. Also there are goofy character such as fezel that blow himself and a couple of sheep up. This is a common characteristic of a british film to have a funny stupid character.
Does the film give an accurate picture of British society? Why/why not?
I believe this gives a very truthful insight into British society and could be taken offence easily however they try and make is humorous therefore curbing it. Although it shows the country as multicultural it also shows that racism still exists. For example in the scene were Omar’s innocent brother being arrested just because he was muslim even though he was trying to stop it.

How might a British audience react to the representation of Britishness in your film?
British people don't take offence easily as we are quite laid back, so therefore when the film insults Britain i believe that they wouldn't find is offensive with the humour. However if this was an American audience watching this they would be disturbed.
In what ways are the characters in Four Lions definitely British people?
This kind of understanding is crucial to how we perceive the people who commit these acts. Not as rampant antichrists, chanting in tongues beneath a pointed beard, but as ordinary British people who do one extraordinary thing. They are working class Muslims who we can relate to. 

Planning

Planning for horror

Where?

• Cycling down the lane of the derelict house
• derelict house
• Robbies house for the final scene (garage, bedroom)
• Down random lanes (robbie’s lane awell)

Who?

• Robbie
• Henry
• Alfie 
• Maybe charlie?

When?

• Need to look at the derelict house before February 
• hope to film In half term

What props do you need?

• Scruffy/dirty/old clothes (scruffy denim hat)
• Usual clothing for the boys (swaggy)
• Bikes 
• Photos of the man (picture frames)
• Phone 
• Wordrobe 
• Maybe dolls and sleeping back to show the boys that someone is there.

What Equipment do you need?

• Camera 
• Tripod 
• Bike 
• Skateboard 
• Go pro 
• Go pro straps 

sound?

• I want to use unusual sound effects to make it my own horror (want it to be different)
• Music when the title sequence/when the boys are cycling down the lane (momford and sones)

Editing

• The editing pace is going to gradually rise throughout the film. its going to start of really slow and build to fast pace. However at the end it going to become slow again giving the audience false hope that they are safe.
• The editing technique that i will use the most is the fade to black therefore the man will look more mysterious as he lurks and fades in to the shadows/darkness

Aims and Context

aims and context

Narrative outline 

• couple of friends pissing about on a bike ride when they come across some derelict mansion. The keen teenagers decide it will be fun to go inside and have a look. When they enter things start getting scary, noises, creeping; someone is watching them. Then then finally leave the build unknown to them they are be watched and followed. Maybe at the end of the film when they get back to the house the camera moves to the window and shows a figure outside watching them in the darkness.

The purposes of the film

• I would like to audience be on the edge of their seat when watching my film. Not only do i want them to be frightened but i want them to be able to relate to the film. What i mean by this is make a horror that could happen in any teenager (not unrealistic)

Messages/Theme 

• My idea is that the film is going to be a twist as the film is going to be joyful and represent friendship. However once the building come along its going to drain all their happiness and turn it into fear.

Mood

• I am trying to grip the audience with a happy mood which slowly twists into a terrifying and gripping experience

Pace

• At the start the bike ride is going to be very slow paced and long scenes however once they come across the pace starts to build up and we get a lot more variety of shots. When they are in the building the pace is at its peak when there is noises. However when we get a first person camera view of the person watching them the pace slow down again. When the leave the building it just a rush for them to get away. As well as this the watcher sneakily following them through the brush.

Micro elements 

My film starts off with a slow build up with a long scene of a couple of boys cycling down a lane. This will be a tracking shot and will also include my title sequence. Once the title are finished the cyclist will come past the the camera and I will slowly track them. Once this shot has finished I will have a shot of the person point of view peering outside the window at the boys. As they slowly come to a halt and glance at the house the watcher moves into the darkness and the shot will sharply fade to black with a quick pivot movement. Once the boys walk up to the mansion i will have most of the shots a low angles so that the camera is looking up the mansion; showing its dominance and power. Once the enter the mansion the camera shot switch between the two boys and the persons point of viewing (watching them). Then as they discover and explore the building they catch on to someone watching them. They then start to get into a panic and the pace then builds up. When the leaving the building the the camera will be a low angle shot, triangular composition. Will have the bikes on the right of the camera the boys to the left of the screen and the person watching them in the house both to the top of the camera. They then cycle home frantically while the person secretly is following them through the brush. I will use a tracking shot of the persons point of view of him running through the brush following them. I would like some music in the film when the boys are cycling (mom-ford and sons), other than that i may put some unusual sound effects in. 

Ideas when inside the house:

fake blood

only one guy hears things 

Jump scare from friend 

Random objects that suggest people have been living there

Moving furniture  

I feel as if i need to see the inside of the derelict house before I decide what is going to happen when they are inside the house

Notes

Synergy and Convergence

Technical Convergence

Effects

Producers?

• Easier to reach audience but more tricky to make money
• More work to create content that works on all devices 
• Harder to stop piracy
• Money making for companies, tie in with other companies/apps

Audience?

• Export more, must be available on all devices 
• More media to consume 
• Makes piracy easier 
• Need to have the latest versions to play content 
• Money, expensive to buy and we are always wanting new content 
• Engaging less in life
• Create own content

Cross Media Convergence

• ‘Hardware and software coming together across media, and companies coming together across similar boundaries. This make the distinction between different types of media and different media industries increasingly dubious.’ Julian McDougall

The combining of old and new media

• Film which you can see at the cinema (old) or download via Netflix, Amazon, act (new)
• Advertising a film in a newspaper/trailer (old) and online (new) via a scavenger hunt

The combining of two or more mediums 

• Film industry working with the music industry
• Video game industry working with the film industry 
• Magazines subscriptions linked to films

Media Synergy

• Media synergy is the way in which different elements of a media conglomerate work together to promote linked products across different media.
• Sometimes this involves looking outside the conglomerate 
• Different to media convergence because media convergence is based on combining at least 2 different parts of the media industry whereas synergy can be 2 agents from any industry.
• Often works best when uses very different industries.
• Overall the effect created is larger that if they act independently
• Distribution company+online organisation+retail organisation= larger effect on release method

Definitions

Cross media convergence- hardware and software coming together across media, and also companies coming together

Technical Convergence- The advancement in technology

Synergy- the cooperation between two or more organisations, to create a better end product

Notes

Film Exhibition and Consumption

Exhibition

• Is the retail branch of the film industry.
• What the exhibitor sells is the experience of film because exhibitors to some extent control how films are programmed, promoted, and presented to the public, they have considerable influence over the box office success and, more importantly, the reception of films.

Multiplexes

• Cineworld and Odeon are the two biggest here
• In america there are a lot more choices 
• There are very strong laws in America about the separation of production companies and exhibitors

Independent Theatres

• Picture house
• Apollo went out of business
• The percentage film hire figure can be anywhere between 25% and 60% of box office and a minimum guarantee fee’

Note taking on clips about marketing

• post, adverts, local paper, website with film schedule, social media, posters wherever they can put it. printed distributed in the region. email news letter, to try and boost subscribers, will shift dew to new technology, two way discussion

Interesting facts and stats

• Of the to 200 films released in cinemas worldwide over the last decade, no fewer than 34 were based on stories and characters created by British writer
• The total public funding of film amount to around £260 million a year, including film production, tax relief, lottery funding and broadcasters’ investments
• Every person watches an average of 81 films a year. 80% of those viewing are on television.
• Cinemas only account for 3.5% of total film viewing the rest is ‘home entertainment’
• In 2011 the Uk had 716 cinemas with 3671 screens 
• 62% of the population grows to the cinema at least once a year, 19% goes at least once a month

The Home entertainment market

• This is a thriving part of the industry esp here in the UK. We buy or rent 350 million films a year and is worth close to £2.5billion a year
• 30% boost in the digital market in 2014
• People prefer to own £1.43 billion
• Growth in video rental
• In 2014 22million brought a video while only 16 million visited the cinema, 7.5 rented a video
• Million sellers, Frozen, Desolation of Smaug, the lego movie and catching fire

Notes

The american industry from servais_coulber

Notes

Film studies notes from servais_coulber