Font/Title

Some possible ideas of fonts for my title/credits.

The most appealing of these fonts is the top one. Block, simple characters fit well with the mood of the film and do not draw attention away from action in the shot too drastically. The bottom font also fits these requirements effectively.

For at least the first half of the film the title sequence will be taking place. This will be done using floating titles that fit with structures in the shots. 

These are some examples of opening credits which employ a similar technique.

Zombieland 

North by NorthWest

The Walking Dead

The Film Industry - Pt 5

Production

Actresses and their assets

Anne Hathaway would attract a family audience as her roles in the Princess Diaries allow her to be recognised by children and adults alike. Aesthetically she is very attractive, drawing attention from a male audience and she also stands as a positive role model for girls and young women everywhere. She is generally a well known actress and so would already carry a fan base and an audience that knew her from previous features. She would generally attract a wide audience due to her versatility in role and age.

What aspects of advertising persuade me to see a film?

The majority of films i hear about will be primarily presented to me via advertising. These mediums of advertising consist mainly of newspaper and magazine adverts, billboards, television and radio adverts and internet adverts. Although I am initially made aware of films via adverts it is usually through word of mouth or a review that i will hear whether a film is good. It can be said that advertising is key in the promotion of films, and without advertising one would be less inclined to visit the cinema and the majority of films I see, I will have heard of via advertising. 

Budget and Box Office

The Blair Witch Project 
Budget - $60, 000
Box Office - $248, 639, 099
Profit - $248,339,099

Paranormal Activity
Budget - $15, 000
Box Office - $107, 918, 810
Profit - $107, 881, 310

Avatar
Budget - N/A
Box Office - $749, 677, 139
Profit - N/A

Never Let Me Go
Producers - Andrew MacDonald, Allon Reich
Budget - $15 Million

The Kings Speech
Producers - Iain Canning, Gareth Unwin, Emile Sherman
Budget - £8 Million

Skyfall
Producers - Barbara Brocolli
Budget - $200 Million

Recent popular soundtracks that come to the forefront are those of The Lion King, which was composed by Elton John, Star Wars, written by John Williams, The Wizard of Oz, written by Herbert Stothart, A Clockwork Orange, written by Wendy Carlos and Blade Runner, written by Vangelis.

Lionsgate

Through the use of precisely coordinated and calculated business programmes and endeavours, Lionsgate has effectively cracked the entertainment industry. Against all odds and the immense power and wealth of the major studios, Lionsgate was created out of very little. In strategically buying out other companies such as Artisan and Trimark Pictures, Lionsgate has come into their assets, which primarily include archives of footage and feature films, allowing Lionsgate to expand their library to nearly 13, 000 titles. In order to maintain, Lionsgate releases, on average, 12 to 15 films a year, bringing in awards and revenue with each one. Lionsgate is also keen to keep universally appealing and diversified, allowing it to reach larger audiences. Now, 16 years since its founding, Lionsgate is the largest independent entertainment corporation in the world and is worth nearly $2 Billion.

STORYBOARD 

Ident

For my ident, i would like to take some of the images presented that contain large amounts of colour in interesting, irregular shapes and patterns, using them as a backdrop. On top of this, i will layer my ident in either black or white, creating a silhoutte over the image. This is not dissimilar to a lot of the Film 4 idents.
This style clearly presents your graphic design and logo whilst incorporating visually interesting and almost confusing images. This draws ones attention whilst also highlighting your ident. 

  

Sound

Foley Sound

All of the foley sounds I will require I will record myself using a directional mic and a digital audio recorder. I will take a buzz track for atmospheric sound and a foley track.

Script

No script is currently being used for my piece, although any voice used would be a voice over.

Non-diegetic Sound

I will write an atmospheric, sparse and tense electronic piece of music that matches the tone of the film. Its genre is difficult to pin down and would be best described (in loose terms) as progressive electronic. I will write, produce and record this music using Logic Pro 9 on my own computer and then transfer it onto Final Cut Pro as an mp3 file.

A clockwork Orange - Ominous and overbearing music, which gives a foreboding sense. Then a clean voice over is introduced, providing some context but is still in a menacing tone.

Burial: Homeless - This song carries dark vocals with large amounts of reverb and filters over them. This muffled sound gives a mood of desperation, whilst the cords provide a soft undertone. A sense of desperation is given.

Mount Kimbie: William - Soft, minor, chords in a beautiful synth with large amounts of reverb give a feeling of distance. A soft crackle gives the intro a fulness and then a filtered kick provides a new structure with the second chord sequence which is extremely comforting, with samples of people skateboarding and a singer, mixed very low. This provides a beautiful atmosphere.

Graphics 

I am particularly keen on clean cut, straightforward font, preferably somewhat bold and ever so slightly italic. The two best examples of my favourite fonts are that of Cape Fear and Halloween III. I find the somewhat digitalised yet extremely straightforward font attractive.

In terms of graphics, i am drawn to linear patterns, as can be seen especially in the opening credits for Pyscho, North by North West and Halloween III.
All this could be used incorporating an extreme close up of some material or feature that provides a visually interesting backdrop.
As can be seen in the Psycho credits, the text is, at times, shattered, broken or incomplete, reflecting Anthony Perkins less than complete sanity. I would like to use the same style of graphics to reflect the incomplete elements of James' characters life and perhaps even his lack of sanity.

Film Industry Research

To what extent does Hollywood dominate the UK film landscape? How has it managed to maintain such a stranglehold?

It can easily be said that Hollywood dominates the UK films scene. One is able to deduct this from statistics or even by standing in a cinema lobby.

The majority of films shown in British cinemas will be American Productions, and even if the film is shot and directed in England, by an English crew and funded by a British studio, it seems more and more likely that said studio would be owned by an American company.

Out of the 15 top grossing films in the UK currently, at least two thirds of the companies distributing them are American owned. The top 3 on this list alone are distributed by American owned companies.

A cause for high attendance and attraction to Hollywood Blockbusters is the fact that films produced in Hollywood tend to have larger budgets, allowing them high production values on sound and visuals, computer generated images and more widely known actors. The casting of a ‘big name’ actor alone can bring in large audiences.

Hollywood producers are effective in playing on what the audience is attracted to at the time by focusing on trends. As well as this, if a independent UK company is generating a large amount of attention then an American company will simply buy out its owners and absorb the smaller company. This is one of the reasons why Hollywood does not come under a lot of competition.