INDUSTRY REPORT.

The Creative Media Sectors:

- film

- television

- video gaming

- animation

- audio

- streaming media (from television to music, like Netflix or Spotify)

- music

- social media

- interactive media

- graphics

- theatre + art

- events

The film industry is its own sector in itself, but also works to co-inside some others mentioned above. First, especially in the twenty first century, they have needed to think where the demand is, and with the rise of the internet and online streaming, working alongside television and streaming media means that the films can be seen by many more people. For example, some production companies have worked exclusively with streaming services like Netflix or AmazonPrime Video so that the partnership benefits both of them. One example being with the Cinderella reboot, there was a specific collaboration with AmazonPrime Video - the film’s promotional poster shown below - we see the cast being a group of famous actors and celebrities, popular among all ages, inviting everyone to watch it on a family night.

To create these posters and other promotional content (to be used in the campaigns) we need graphic designers, photographers and artists with creative vision. These types of people can work in multiple of the sectors listed above, though, they are definitely necessary when it comes to creating a campaign for a film, wherever it will be shown. These campaigns can be physical, such as bus stops or clips of the trailer in a cinema, or online through social media and online advertising. Typically advertising occurs via both the physical and online spaces in order to create the most publicity and talk, more people talking encourages others to share their opinions, and wanting to see the film for themselves. Apart from online streaming services (via the internet and subscriptions), films happen to be shown on televisions either just after release or years down the line after the buzz has died down.

Who are the big players:

The biggest part in the film in the film industry is Hollywood, this is where the biggest and most well known production companies worldwide are based. Including the names of Universal, Walt Disney and Warner Brothers. Focusing on Walt Disney, the company has produced over one hundred feature films across their time, being founded back in October 1923, the first full-length feature animated film was ’Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, premiering in Los Angeles on the twenty first of December, 1937. Despite it being one of their first films, and its release being just after the Great Depression (1929 - 1933), the film produced an unimaginable $7,846,000 in international box office receipts by the end of its theatrical run - according to RKO Pictures. This led to the production company to to create bunch of full-length feature animated films across the next five years. With such roaring success from even their first release, it is no doubt that they are still in such a well known position, a household name. Arguably, Walt Disney Company is one of the largest vertically integrated companies worldwide, as they own all tied companies and businesses which are needed to keep it afloat. From the companies which produce the films to television properties, as well as the marketing and distribution, even to the shops, hotels, restaurants and parks plotted in many capital cities across the globe.

Casestudy: James Bond: Skyfall:

Arguably one of the most iconic films of the James Bond series, 'Skyfall' holds the biggest box office numbers for the franchise with a whopping $1.109million for box office, breaking all kinds of records, including being the highest grossing James Bond film in history. This is despite the delay in production due to the production company's bankruptcy, Eon remained loyal to MGM, which actually would have helped the success inadvertently because this gave an extra nine months for the script to be perfected. Another side effect was the new release date now coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the franchise, giving the advertising team many more concepts for the marketing. More publication means more people knowing and more bums on seats.

A fun-fact, the opening sequence was actually the first to win an Oscar, even with so many past nominations, it was Adele's chilling 'Skyfall' which helped them take home the trophy. The franchise is well known for their introduction sequences, theme songs almost, which help structure the beginning of the long running film. By working with these famous singers, as they always are, there is a larger audience, as the fans of the singer want to go and see their favourite artist's addition to what will become a Hollywood Blockbuster. Especially in Adele's case, the song itself went on to fly up to the top of the charts, hitting number two on the 'Official Charts' (UK) on 13.10.2012, remaining among the charts for 34 weeks. The very point that it was so well known among the radio, meant people were streaming it, sharing the song through the online webspace meaning that, through word of mouth, many others will then discover its origin and might even want to go see the film itself.

How is the industry financed:

The film industry wouldn’t exist without films, and films can be made by production companies, people working independently on personal projects or even independent companies. The finance between these few groups are a bit different, for example, a production company would find their income from investors, sponsorships or product placement, with independent films being financed through personal contacts (usually family members or from their own pocket), tax credits and grants. However, it is the producer’s responsibility to find the money to be out towards the production and marketing of the film. This may also be through a bank, where they will have to analyse the probability that they will make their money back, through discussions with the production company or the finance department. Though, the studio itself will handle most of the financing, so some independent filmmakers will go to a studio help finance their own film, if the concept or screenplay is liked, maybe they will produce the film. After the film is made, it needs advertising, this is can be done through traditional physical methods such as billboards on the sides of roads, posters on bus stops or moving images in the centre of a cinema for maximum traction. These are made through graphic designers and artists working with the marketing team, how can they best advertise which will get people wanting to watch the film. Advertising is thought about and regarded in the budget when the producers think about what to do with the money and the sourcing.

How is the industry regulated:

The British Board of Film Classification is the structure which looks over and regulates the British Film Industry. The company was established in 1912, and has since been responsible for censoring the UK’s outputs. They review the films about to be released and categorise them under ratings so that the general public know if a film is going to be appropriate to watch for certain age ranges, this is specifically useful for parents, ‘should I let my child watch this film?’. Partially for teenagers, when trying to navigate letting them watch content with mature language, intimate scenes or violence, these are all things that will be stated by bbfc through the rating, but the reasoning to why they are rated this way. The badges that are given to films are shown below.

U : Universal, this means that all ages above four can view.

PG : Parental Guidance, should be appropriate for all ages, but there may be some unsuitable for young children - this type of certified film should not unsettle a child aged eight or older.

12A : A child aged 12 can watch this film in a cinema when accompanied by an adult, but no one under the age of 12 can view.

12: Can be watched individually without a guardian when aged 12, though, no one below can watch.

15: Children aged 15 and up can watch.

18: Teenagers aged 18 and up can watch.

R18: A film which has been specially licensed to be sold in a shop or played in a cinema, or only in sex shops and to adults exclusively. R18 may not be legally available to be delivered by post.

What are the legal and ethical considerations of the film industry, including case study:

Before the production and before the release / advertising, many legal ethical considerations must be made. Such as, is this black character being represented in a stereotypical way which could cause backlash and negative press around the film. Representation must be well thought through, not only so people don't get offended, but so it can actually be released. One example of a film which has been portrayed in multitude of ways is 'Me Before You' (2016), the film is about a couple who fall in love, one of them paralysed and wanting to commit suicide. He wills his able bodied partner to be free and life a fulfilling life despite him wanting to end his because of his disability. Despite this being a romance, some audience members, including those with disabilities themselves, find the film tells the story that you cannot live with a disability, and that in actual fact, 'death is the better option'. Not only this, but the disabled character was played by an able bodied actor, causing a whole other load of backlash, as they could have used an actor who was in fact disabled, or even has the very same condition that the character did. This would give good representation as there aren't many disabled actors in roles, never mind those with the kind of audience that this Hollywood film would have reached. With this type of talk, it can paint. the film in a bad light and discourage others to watch it. In the end, the film went on to win six awards as well being nominated for six more, four of these being for 'Best Romance', from the actual film to the Poster. One reason for the plethora of nominations may be because one of the main stars is a popular actress around the young adult audience, the same audience who may enjoy a romance.

Along with this, some legal considerations may consist of the positive outlook on negative subjects, such as idolising racism or the Holocaust or encouraging underage sex grooming. These kinds of topics would definitely cause some legal backlash, for the encouragement of proceeding with illegal activities which also may put people in danger. One example of this sort of behaviour is the film 'IT' (2017), which is about a clown who emerges from the darkness to scare and lure children to him, as he then murders them. In this era of the 2010s, around Halloween especially, the film influenced many costumes, and behaviours. As some people would hide and try to scare people, others took this too far though and actually did cause bodily harm and in some cases, death. These tendencies are not solely based upon the film's release, of course it is up to the individual to actually perform them in their own mind, but even just the that the thought of this coming from a film's plot, which is largely the plot of IT, and its sophomore spin off, could cause the families of victims to sue.

Casestudy:

You have started work in a local multi-media company. You have been tasked with proof-reading a story on a local celebrity. You have been given a selection of images from various sources and some 3rd party video to use with the story. You have been tasked with creating some entertaining memes and videos for the organisations website. You have heard some local “gossip” about the celebrity when he was working on cruise ships in 2008.

This information will be taken up by local radio, a local newspaper and be streamed online on the media companies YouTube Channel. What do you need to do to comply with legal and ethical issues of Broadcast Journalism? Give reasons for your answer.

First, I would check the sources of the images, making sure that they don't breach the Privacy Law, including the content of the 'gossip' from the cruise ships. Ensuring that they haven't been taken illegally or inappropriately, so the subject is appropriately dressed for the online space, this could break indecency laws if something like this were to be released. If the sources were also illegal, say someone hacked the celebrity's personal property or trespassed, the publishing company can't be seen supporting this sort of subterfuge behaviour as further legal implications could be taken, ending up in court. This would also discredit the publication agency, giving them a bad reputation and seeming unreliable, bad press would encourage users to actively avoid the company. Furthermore, with this, I am making sure the content isn't about their private relationships or matters like medical details which are not already public, this way the celebrity could personally come at the company with a lawsuit for infringing their rights to privacy, after all, he is still human. If the gossip in question isn't too personal or doesn't involve children (as being underage, we would need consent from an appropriate guardian), then I would make sure that we own the rights to the content, or if not, discover who does, then we won't break copyright, preventing other legal battles.

Career opportunities in the sector:

Management: Line Producer:

A line producer is one of the big bosses of a film production, they are in charge of sourcing and hiring the crew and departments, as well as working to produce the budgets and forecasted spending. They are active throughout the whole production, pre and post, ensuring that all budgets are kept and overspending won't be an issue, if this were to occur then they would have to outsource, maybe having to reduce the budget in other departments, which could majorly decrease their ability. With this, it is important that, needed for their responsibility of making schedules for everyone, they must be highly organised and have a good head for practicability. A good eye for detail, looking for things which maybe other people would not notice, try to predict possible problems to prevent them from occurring.

Creative: Scriptwriters:

As commonly known, and easily guessed, a scriptwriter writes scripts. Though there is more to it than this, first, scriptwriters are usually freelancers, meaning that they need to be strong willing and determined to get someone to produce and create their work. First, for this to happen, they need to get it in front of the right person, this is a challenge in itself, networking helps massively, or many 'accidentally bump into a producer'. To get the right script to give, though, it must be revised, often it is the third time (or even fourth), known as 'the polish' which gets read, as it takes time to perfect, after collaboration with producers, directors and actors to have gained insight on how to improve. Teamwork is good here, seeing what others think, you can't be so invested in your original idea, concept or script as this is not usually what ends up being made, avoid being easily offended. After it has been picked up by a studio, alterations may well have been made after discussions with a development producer, so there may also be extra names mentioned as the script writer, or they could simply be credited for additional dialogue. This may not need mentioning, but having great English skills, as in the subject not the language, and story writing skills are vital, without them, the thought of being a scriptwriter is almost non-existent. Like many hundreds, thousands of films, you could take inspiration from novels, films or real life, so the levels of creativity will differ depending on what the project is and who you are working with. Maybe in a team of two, one is very imaginative and the other a great writer.

Technical: Cinematographer / DoP:

The Director of Photography is responsible for overlooking the creative and technical aspects of filming, for example, they will arrive early to set every day, with the crew, to 'block'. Blocking is when they check over the shot list, practicing the individual shots which be taken throughout the day, planning any specific camera movements or movements from the actors. By doing this in the morning before official filming, so much time is saved, to block during shooting hours lengthens everyone's schedule, leaving people standing around useless as they wait for you to perfect your shot. To get a perfect shot, means that you need to understand what makes a good shot, with photographic elements such as lighting, framing or focus. This means that any previous work with photography or qualifications in film production will help. As well as this, management is important, to be organising multitudes of people, from the camera operators - which angles to take from - to lighting technicians - discussing how to better light the shot, so having experience here is great.

Administration: Location Manger:

A location manager is responsible for, just as predicted, managing locations. This is from scouting them out after conversations with the director and production designers, researching to make sure that the location works well to fit the culture and background of the film. To going to speak with the owners of the land, whether that be half way across the globe or. right down the street, if there's an appropriate location, they will try to get it. Here they will take photographical evidence and detailed notes to send back to HQ to the directors, with their approval, the location manager will start talk with the owner on trying to secure it. Day to day technicalities must be thought of, such as noise control, parking or power sources. After negations over costs and the legal requirements, contracts will be drawn up and signed. When filming begins, it is up to the location manager to then, manage it, ensuring that the condition is upkept and it remains appropriate to the way it was hired. If there are any damages, they must be notified immediately to try and handle the situation, before returning to the owners at the end of filming, insurances will be sorted to try and fix any problem as if it never occurred. This job needs someone to understand the needs for the production, although they will be working with the production designers when discussing this, they need their own eye for architecture and landscapes. When it comes to legalities, having knowledge of how the law works in terms of land and contracts will be a great help.

Distribution: Distribution Executive:

Someone in this role will watch the film, deciding which platform it should be shown on, if cinema is the right or streaming services, like Netflix. They will go to film marketing events where people will look at each other's content, if someone likes a film, they'll negotiate and get in contact with their representative. From here, the DE will work with the producers and advertising agencies to decide on marketing techniques regarding the service, cinema or streaming. To decipher between the two, it is important that you understand the business of the film industry, business qualifications will come in use here, knowledge of where would be best to place the film. Interacting with different departments, this is a vital role in the release of a film, as it needs somewhere to actually be seen. With this in mind, a distribution executive needs to work well in teams and be great at negotiation so that the company and film both get what they deserve. One of the most important qualities being the understanding of the film industry as a whole and how the different departments interact with each other, as this is what they will have to do also.

Conclusion:

I have discovered that there is more to the financing of the film industry, with vertical integration, and all the different departments and companies that are needed to create a good film. Legal and ethical considerations are also necessary for a film before its release, to forward plan any potential hazards which may occur.

Skyfall promotional poster: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/

Me Before You promotional poster: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2674426/