Hand-in Deadline: 25th November, 1:15 pm (via Turnitin or email)
Unit: 8 - Understanding the Television and Film Industries
Scenario: "You have been approached by a student magazine to produce a comprehensive guide to the TV and film industry that provides information and debate. Within your guide you must include examples and consistently use subject terminology correctly."
TASK
In the first section of the article you will include:
a flowchart showing the responsibilities of those within the industry and how career paths can be built between jobs.
research the range of job roles within management, creative and technical areas in the TV and film industry.
cover what the roles involve, where they fit within the larger picture of the industry, responsibilities of the roles, and career pathways leading to and from the roles.
ensure that you include comprehensive information about working practices in the TV and film industry.
must carry out thorough research into contractual issues and ethical and legal ones in the TV and film industries.
findings of this research one to create the next section of "A Guide to the TV and Film Industries in 2016".
consider the use of diagrams, charts and pictures to illustrate research.
For the making of this article, I shall be using Microsoft Word in order to successfully layout and print the material. Significant sites for information regarding the research:
Notable moments from the TV show Parkinson (hosted by Michael Parkinson) included actor/comedian Petter Sellers making an appearance. Sellers agreed to take part only if he were allowed to walk on as someone else. Once introduced, he appeared dressed as a member of the Gestapo, impersonating Kenneth Mars' role in The Producers, and performed a number of lines in character before removing his "mask". He then settled down for what is arguably one of Parkinson's most memorable interviews.
Michael Parkinson's style tends to be very laid-back and relaxed, often making it more of a conversation than a traditional interview. His technique was that of getting well known guests to appear on his show and try to find at least on relatable story or trait about them, so that he may further the narrative and conduct the pace of the interview. This made people warm to Parkinson's less-conservative approach. This is emphasized by the clothing choice of both guest and host, with Sellers dressing more casual compared to Parkinson's smartly dressed suit.
The setting is accompanied with a live studio audience and sees both Sellers and Parkinson sit oppositely of one another with a coffee table taking the center. Much of the body of both is shown with camera angles tending to pan back and forth between mid-shots and close-ups of both guest and host. The use of comedy as part of the rather mundane, yet relaxed set entertain's the viewer and keeps them occupied.
Sellers' book is promoted and talked about later on in the interview, but the focus always tends to go back to Sellers comedy, which shines center stage but never becomes too much or insufferable. Parkinson enjoys himself and never attempts to speak over or take back control of the pace. It makes the show seem more like a conversation between two friends rather then business men within the media industry.
Many stories are shared by Sellers, as well as numerous impersonations of various people and personalities. He relates back to both his personal and professional life, mixing comedic humor with the tales told, never really getting too serious or personal, keeping the show entertaining and not giving too much away. One particular story is told of Peter Seamus O'Toole corpsing on the set of Lawrence of Arabia, after a reading from the holy Islamic text the Q'uran, which enraged fellow actor Alec Guinness.
This narrative is furthered by Parkinson who introduces various spoofs and corpses by Sellers himself during the shooting and production of The Pink Panther. Overall the interview proves very entertaining for not only the viewing and live audiences, but for both guest Peter Sellers and host Michael Parkinson. Near the end however the tone changes only slightly, with a question concerning Sellers first marriage to Anne Howe. However the subject reverts back to a humorist tone.
The interview ends on an entreatingly high note, with Sellers playing the guitar and singing for the audience. Parkinson throughout was excellent, asking the right questions and ensuring he never interrupted and let Sellers control the narrative of the show himself where appropriate.
How a media company funds itself and what type of company ownership it has is important to the survival and durability of that company, as it can determine how much that company can make profits and for how long. We have already covered the different types of media ownership, such as:
Privately owned - a company whose shares may not be offered to the public for sale and which operates under legal requirements less strict than those for a public company.
Independently owned - a business that is free from outside control. It usually means a privately owned establishment, as opposed to a public limited company, the latter of which is owned by investment shares traded in the stock market. In many cases, independent businesses are sole proprietorship companies.
Key words/terminology to know:
Ownership - the act, state, or right of possessing something.
Funding - money provided, especially by an organization or government, for a particular purpose.
License Fee - An amount of money paid by an individual or business to a government agency for the privilege of performing a certain service or engaging in a certain line of business OR a sum paid to use a copyrighted item, such as a photograph or logo, that is owned by someone else i.e. BBC.
Subscription - an arrangement to receive something, typically a publication, regularly by paying in advance i.e. SKY.
PPV - a television service in which viewers are required to pay a fee in order to watch a specific program i.e. UFC, WWE.
Sponsorship - financial support received from a sponsor i.e. Product placement.
Advertising - the activity or profession of producing advertisements for commercial products or services.
Public Service - is a service which is provided by government to people living within its jurisdiction, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing provision of services i.e. BBC.
Independent Companies - a business that is free from outside control. It usually means a privately owned establishment, as opposed to a public limited company, the latter of which is owned by investment shares traded in the stock market. In many cases, independent businesses are sole proprietorship companies i.e. Love Productions.
Internet TV - is generally-available content distributed over the Internet. Unlike IPTV (Internet Protocol television), which is distributed over proprietary networks, Internet TV is available wherever a broadband connection exists. The two terms are often confused.
Broadcaster - a person or organization, as a network or station, that broadcasts radio or television programs i.e. BBC, Channel 4.
Private Company - a company whose shares may not be offered to the public for sale and which operates under legal requirements less strict than those for a public company i.e. ITV.
Private Investors In the film industry private investors often put forward their own money to pay for a production. An example is George Harrison, who put money into the famous Monty Python skits and The Beatles. Independent production companies can also invest in productions and put forward money. Other company owners may also put forward money to pay for productions they may believe will work. Investors like this will often ask fora percentage of the returns as part of their investment i.e. ROI ('Return On Investment'). Capital Investment Money invested in a TV/film production with an expectation of income, and recovered through earnings generated by the output of the product. It is generally understood to be used for overall expenses rather than for day-to-day operations (working capital) or other expenses. An example would be ITV's I'm a Celebrity. It is expected that earnings be made for several years over the product, should it be successful. People who invest this way may have an agreement with a company by which they recover their funds by a certain time (often after the products release). This could also include beneficial interest, shares in the production and ownership over creative rights. Financial Aid A way of funding that is given in the form of grants, loans and scholarships. This would pay for the expenses and costs of a product while being paid i.e. National Lottery funding films, as well as the BFI (British Film Institute). It would also be used to pay for an individuals expenses and costs incurred whilst they are working on a film. Development Funds This is when money is raised after a project has been pitched. This money can be given in the form of a loan or grant (not paid back). Film pitches, GoFundMe, Kickstarter and Indiegogo are examples of this.
How much money does the average film cost?
There is no such thing as an average film cost of a film. They vary greatly dependent on a variety of factors, such as:
the production requirements (do they require hundreds of casts, elaborate sets, technical props, special FX and stunts).
rights - do they have the rights to the screenplay? This would cost money.
the previous success of the production company - do they have a reputation? Do they have independent finance to contribute or do they have a financial backer?
the amount of crew required.
the length of production.
the distribution and exhibition costs.
These all play into how much an overall production would cost.
'The Blair Witch Project' (1999) cost a tiny $60,000 to make (Haxan Films). This was in part due to the production decisions made:
filmed in one location (the woods - minimal location required).
they used unknown actors (low costs).
used primitive filming equipment (hand-held cams, natural lighting).
minimized crew costs - actors filmed much of the film itself as it was documentary styled.
the trailed used minimal footage or effects.
It grossed $248.6 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful independent movies of all time.
Comparing The Inbetweeners Movie (£3.5 million), X-Men: The Last Stand (£210 million) and Kidulthood's budgets (£600,000), one would have to evaluate why it would cost so much. That would be because of the differentiating costs for film crew, cast, the special effects needed and the backing of production companies that are necessary.
X-Men of course would be the highest costing as it had to pay for big name actors such as Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, as well as afford all the necessary special effects for and action-based superhero movie. Production companies included Marvel Entertainment, which executed the two previous X-Men movies, already profiting off-of those movies and building up a reputation.
The Inbetweeners Movie falls in the middle as it no doubt made profits off its already successful TV series (further encouraging a sequel). This helped it already have popularity among viewers and enticed its audience to go and see it. It's actors of course or not as big as those featured in X-Men but are payed moderately and costs for crew and location (abroad) would be necessary.
Kidulthood also benefitted from a niche audience and was backed by Revolver Entertainment, who have worked in collusion with the BBC in the past. Very local being based in London and uses relatively low-key actors and actresses. Location being very close to home make for easier production of movie and eases the budget.
Film Financing
The producer (e.g. the studio or production company) must secure funding before the production of the film, before filming starts. The problems with this is that it is hard to predict how much (if any) money a film will make. There are various legal and procedural problems in securing rights to a film property. Some of these issues may include:
Copyright - the exclusive and assignable legal right, given to the originator for a fixed number of years, to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material.
Plagiarism - the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
Contracts - written or spoken agreements, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law.
Clauses - a particular and separate article, stipulation, or proviso in a treaty, bill, or contract.
Government Grants
Grants are provided by Government Schemes designed to encourage creativity and new talent. A film production can benefit a country in a number of ways:
employment opportunities
development of culture
advertising a location to an international audience, encouraging travel and tourism
Difference between a grant and loan? A loan is payed back overtime while a grant is not; it is granted, not loaned.
Tax Schemes
There are benefits to a country in having a major film release shot on their shores. The UK introduced the Producer's Tax Credit in 2007 to help entice film producers to the UK. It offers a direct cash subsidy to producers choosing to shoot in the UK. This has helped to bring in large scale productions to the UK. These film tax credits can only be applied when the correct procedural processes have been completed.
Tax Shelters
In the UK, they allow those who invest in UK films to pay less tax, provided the film be shot in Britain and employs a far proportion of British actors and crew. As a result of this, many American films choose to shoot at British studios such as Pinewood and Shepparton. This also helped to attract large scale US productions to the UK. The UK Tax Shelter for Film Investment in 2007.
Pre-Sales
Involves the producers selling the right to distribute the film before it is made - this is the most common method of film financing. In order to secure their investment, distributors will expect certain elements that are likely to guarantee success. These may include 'marquee' names or some kind of change to a film to make it more commercially tenable. If a 'star' leaves the film for any reason, this would often result in the funding for a film being pulled, as with Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'(2002). It is still stuck in development hell to this day, with actors constantly pulling out of production and funding requirements never being met.
Pre-sales are usually done by territory i.e. Europe, Australia etc. They can also be made of DVD or TV distribution rights. This is especially likely to be the case if the movie studio distributing the film is part of the same conglomerate as a TV station.
The following movies attracted investments and helped secure the funding for production:
TV & film industry is made up of different companies that operate and fund differently.
ownership + funding = two most important factors.
ownership = conglomerates made up of different subsidiaries or independent outlets, be them private or public.
funding = money and investment into a product.
horizontal/vertical integration between companies and products make for synergy.
Vertical integration = expanded operations to provide similar goods and services. An example would be Star Wars: Rogue One, which marketed based off of franchise popularity, appeal to children via toys and other demographics for it's sic-fi genre.
the bigger the companies, the more revenue they are likely to make, as well as being able to invest in further.
independent outlets tend to self-fund and not make as much money, yet tend to be far more artistic i.e. BBC, who are owned by the public and thus adhere to them. Of course they may not survive for too long against the bigger fishes.
subsidiaries = companies under another company, making up a large conglomerate i.e. Sky TV.
private companies have shareholders, meaning they are owned y non-governmental institutions and the shareholders directly make money.
public serving broadcaster i.e. the BBC - funded via license TV and public funding. They intend to inform and/or entertain.
commercial companies are funded by ads and primarily built-up to make money.
license fee-funding - how much it costs to occupy a TV in a UK household. As of April 2010, the UK cost is $145.50p.
the primary mission of public broadcasting that of public service, speaking to and engaging as a citizen.The British model has been widely accepted as a universal definition. The model embodies the following principles: Universal geographic accessibility, Universal appeal, Attention to minorities, Contribution to national identity and sense of community, Distance from vested interests, Direct funding and universality of payment, Competition in good programming rather than numbers, Guidelines that liberate rather than restrict.
sponsorship is where companies pay for their brands to be put on before or after commercial TV ads e.g. X-Factor sponsored by 'Talk, Talk' and thus funds the programs through revenue.
PPV - pay-per-view is held by private companies where a consumer must pay into in order to view the product being putted out. PPV is most commonly used to distribute combat sports events, such as boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling.
Interview several people in a production time and ask them 7 questions. Audio recorders will be provided in order to complete the task, and groups will be organized into production teams. In a team involving I, Laila and Jessica we asked the following to six individuals:
What do you think of the significance of Remembrance Day?
How relevant is the Poppy in today's modern age?
What is the meaning behind the Poppy?
Did you wear a Poppy? Why?
Who were you remembering?
Did you take part in an event?
Did you respect the minute?
Research
The remembrance poppy is an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 in commemoration of all military personal who died in war and conflict in both the past and present. Inspiration for the usage of the poppy as a memorabilia symbol was drawn from the World War 1 poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae. The opening lines of the poem make reference to the poppies that grew on the graves of dead soldiers in Flanders, a region in Belgium.
Production Team Name: Record Storm - 'Storming the Nation'.
Members: Rebecca Eastwood, Jodie Surtees, Annie Swanson and Matthew Tulip
Song: "It's Raining Men" - The Weather Girls Lyrics:genius.com
TASK
I am required, in a team, to work on the production of a music video for a pre-determined song given to us by our lecturer. The scenario is that our music video is for an upcoming band; however, we must first impress them with our wide array of knowledge of video production and the music industry itself. This is in order to sign them on to our label to work on the project.
Learning objectives include the following:
understand the purpose of music videos
understand the styles, conventions and techniques in a music video
Unit 29: Music Video Production
Deadline: Thursday 10th November (must be submitted by 5:30 pm via Turnitin)
Section 1: What is the purpose of a music video?
Discuss and include promotional benefits, extension of income (funding and revenue) and outlets (i.e. music channel, DVD & CD sales), synergy and the strategies of the producer (i.e. major/independent label).
Section 2: What styles, conventions and techniques are used in the making of a music video?
Styles being the type of music video, conventions being the meanings and the techniques such as the editing and sound.
- Give examples and explain thoroughly -
The Big Three
From largest to smallest, the big three record companies are as follows: Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. Subsidiaries under the big three include:
Columbia Records, Epic Records, RCA Records and Sony Music Nashville (SME).
Def Jam Recordings, Caroline Records and Universal Music Group Nashville (UMG).
Atlantic Record Groups, Warner Bros. Records and Parlophone (WMG).
Combined, the big three record labels make up about 83.9% of the total U.S. album market share, as of 2015 last year.
SECTION 1 - The Purpose Of A Music Video
When it comes to discussing the intrinsic value of having a music video, you not only talk of the message it can deliver, but of the advantages it gains in terms of media promotion. Promotion of the band, as well as the record label assigned to the video's credit, can give much needed publicity all-round. This means the bigger and more popular a music video becomes (be it due to the song or band itself), the better the chances are of having an audience follow both the band and record label.
Promotion is key and can come in all sorts of forms. For example, the James Bond franchise has had numerous artists work alongside their films producers in an effort to create a signature song for that desired movie. The most recent example is Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall, used for the film Spectre.
The music video itself incorporates scenes from the actual movie, as well as shots of Smith. The song reached No.1 in various charts, including the UK Singles chart. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards. The movie received a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 307 sampled reviews. The movie itself, being produced under Eon Productions (a subsidiary of the conglomerate Danjaq, LCC), had a budget $250 million, while drawing $880.7 million at the box office.
The synergy between film and artist enabled both partners to promote one another's material. This would spark interest in both products, depending on the consumers interest (music, film or both). This results for the movie shows, as for the single, Writing's On The Wall had become the first Bond single to reach #1 in the UK Singles Chart. In addition to its critical acclaim, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as become a certified gold in the UK, selling at approximately 400,000 units in the UK alone. Unfortunately it did not peak as high as other Bond singles had on a global scale; however, it did enjoy much home grown success.
This just goes to show the benefits of both promotion and synergy can have for a artist and production, as it enables mainstream appeal and cross-media convergence on multiple platforms such as TV, DVD, film and others. Even though the single itself was not as well received critically (compared to past Bond themes), it still gained much revenue and brought publicity to Sam Smith. Not only that, but due to the music video itself, it helped promote the upcoming Spectre, with the video obtaining 138,855,975 views on Sam Smith's worldwide Vevo account on YouTube.
In addition to strategy, it is perhaps more appealing to look for a major music label and perform a beneficial partnership with a franchise such as Bond; however, independent labels can be just as successful, as shown with movie ill Manors and the album bearing the same name.
The trailer incorporates music from the album, and the movie itself shares the themes of the songs found on the track by artist Plan B, who wrote and directed the movie under production of Film London Microwave, BBC Films and Aimimage. Similar to Spectre's theme song, the movie helped to promote it just as the release of iLL Manors helped promote the movie itself. The album went straight to No. 1 in the Official UK Album Charts upon release in July 2012. The album's popularity, being released at No. 1 in the Official UK Album Charts upon its release, helped both artist and movie. On a budget of just $100,000 it made $453,570 at the box office.
Of course the movie itself was independently funded and under a small budget; however, Plan B had the luck to produce their album under the label of Warner Bros. Records, the smallest of the three major international music conglomerates. However, being promoted alongside the movie gave it more of an edge in the independent market as well, being able to cross-converge in both the independent scenes of music and film. This combination enabled for a more broader appeal for both the album and movie, which was arguably beneficial to both their successes.
Thus perhaps a more mainstream approach would be more benefiting for any upcoming band, as synergy helps give an early advantage in the field of marketing and putting more music out there, should the consumer want more of it. With synergy the possibilities are endless, as it may not always be necessary for a song or album to go with a particular movie; still, it is perhaps the most common way for music to reach the mainstream.
This is all the perfect recipe for how a music video can provide successful mainstream publicity and revenue, but what is the intrinsic value of a music video? Why bother investing time and money into such a venture that may possibly fail, or even offer no meaningful benefits? This is why I believe it is important to look at the philosophical side of the music video. Music videos can been implemented within the mainstream and attain a status of ingenuity, and this can be seen with the following:
A-Ha!'s Take On Mesaw narrative combined with animation techniques and styles. The song and video is iconic among pop culture and the mainstream, with the music video itself winning six separate awards as well as being nominated for two at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1986. The use of practical and animation techniques was praised, along with the strong narrative.
SECTION 2 - Styles, Conventions & Techniques
Styles, conventions and techniques go hand-in-hand when it comes to bringing the pieces together in order to create the actual product needed. In this case it applies for our music video project. As for discussing the styles for a music video, we need to talk about the exact approach we would take for when creating our project. For example, these are surrealism, synergy, narrative, parody, animation, "live", homage, interpretive, referencing, pastiche, and even adding influence from commercials.
These I have all already covered before, but I shall reiterate their meaning and how theses styles can also apply the conventions of a music video.
Starting off we have surrealism, which relies on juxtaposing and somewhat irrational images to tell a desired story, or narrative. These can all mean nothing in the abstract are may be even analyzed with keen eyes to mean something entirely for the viewer. A good example of this would be Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box, which uses many religious symbols yet also very disturbing imagery to catch the viewer off-guard. This style may be used by a band in order to make something bizarre and unique in an effort to catch onto the mainstream, or perhaps even a niche target audience.
Another style would be synergy, which was previously mentioned in SECTION 1 under both examples of Spectre and ill Manors, whom both used their songs and their music videos to incorporate scenes from the movie as well as the music itself. Synergy sees tow products come together in order to help promote one another in an effort to create publicity and revenue. This would be ideal for any upcoming music band, as the advantage of additional publicity would help the value of the band grow within the public eye.
Narrative is perhaps one of the more complex yet strangely easier ways to make a convention out of a music video. It is easier as any story could be told, and perhaps the song itself need not relate; however, from a technical side, it can be hard to put together the necessary editing and images in order to put across a desired theme in order to tell a story. Meaning is everything for any artist willing to incorporate narrative into not just their songs, but music videos. A perfect example of this would be Eminem's critically acclaimed Stan, which he wrote in an effort to combat his critics beliefs that he did not offer insightful or smart art. If any band wanted to make an impression the same way Slim Shady did, then narrative is the way to go.
Parody would be a peculiar route to take when it comes to trying to get an upcoming band out there; however, it shouldn't be soured on as an option. After all, parody has brought great success to the likes of "Weird Al" Yankovic. Of course, parody is not limited to just on singular artist, as seen with Blink 182's All the Small Things, which saw the band mock various typical boy bands of the era. It is not without it's success, having earned critical acclaim and being named "Best Video" at the 2000 Kerrang! Awards, as well as nabbing "Best Group Video" at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
Animation is a tricky one to pull off, as it requires many techniques and editing abilities to perform such a task; that being said, the pay off could be massive. Animated music videos are widely popular, as seen with bands such as the Gorillaz. As for an upcoming band, it would definitely catch the eyes of the mainstream in the same way The White Stripes did with Fell In Love With A Girl. These short enabled the band to catch onto a niche audience and later expand its demographic.
A "live" music video would perhaps be the easiest to accomplish in terms of filming and editing the finished product. Live footage and audio could be incorporated or even from concerts and other live performances. They could make for a good first impression for any upcoming band, and could make or break a bands credibility depending on how well received a performance is. The meaning could thus be just that: a make or break performance that will determine a band's success or further progress.
Homage is an interesting one, as it tends to blur the lines a bit and is often confused with pastiche or referencing; however, a homage is mean't to have a tribute effect, not a satirical one. It could serve well for any upcoming band as it could pay tribute to role models or inspirations from the past. Popular figures could be incorporated into the video, or styles depending on the artist being paid tribute to. The meaning of course could not necessarily be the tribute, but offering a different perspective or meaning into that artist's works. This can be seen in 30 Seconds to Mars' The Kill, which paid homage to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
Interpretive music videos follow the lyrics of a song and tend to have very simplistic conventions, as it only serves to illustrate what the story of the song is being told. It helps that it does not appear to a niche audience as it is more likely to catch onto a mainstream audience, as people tend to enjoy the stories being told by others. Whether the story be happy or tragic, there is always that sense of catharsis we get from it, the emotional cleansing. This can be seen in Katy Perry's Firework.
By using the influence of commercials in music videos, one can make a mockery of modern day media and society, which would present a somewhat rebellious platform for any band. Of course, it could just be the styles and visuals of commercials that would lead to an inspiration in music video presentation. A good example of seeing style of commercials influence a product would be Kanye West's Gold Digger, which takes inspiration from model magazines and sexualized products. These technical decisions can have a wide variety of choice when it comes to picking a desired convention.
Referencing within music videos can often be used for satirical intent (as seen with Alien Ant Farms' cover of Smooth Criminal) or even as a gestural tribute to an artist i.e. The Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight, Tonight. It varies and can be implemented for any new band in either way, depending on the desired convention being delivered. Helps in a way to get across what the band is or what it intends to stand for.
Pastiche, as aforementioned, is often confused with homage or even referencing. The meaning of pastiche is mean't to be that of openly imitating past artist's works, often with satirical intent. This can be seen with "Weird Al" Yankovic's satirical take on the band Devo with the song Dare To Be Stupid. The convention is somewhat simple, as it is mean't to be a mockery for the most part; however, technicality may vary. As with Yankovic's pastiche take on Devo, he utilizes much of the bands on themes and style, as well as other bands of that time.
With all the style types explained, you'd have to wonder which would be the most suitable given our chosen song. Elsewhere, one best be prepared for when it comes to the style of shooting and bringing forth the technique of a music video. This is in reference to camera angles and techniques, how footage is taken and shot. Important camera angles we have looked at and discussed in class include the following:
Aerial shot - an exterior shot from the air above, giving a clear view of the ground.
Close-up - focus on the face.
Extreme close-up - focus on the eyes.
Medium shot - shot on the upper body, or close up to the entire body.
Long shot - a shot from afar, usually making the object of focus look small.
Deep focus - a focus on both background and foreground.
Dutch tilt - a slight tilt of the camera, making a sideways effect.
Low angle - a shot looking up.
High angle - a shot looking down.
Establishing shot - a shot showing off a location/setting.
Over-the-shoulder shot - a shot from behind the shoulder, usually focusing on another person from behind another.
POV shot - a point-of-view camera shot, similar to found footage.
Crane shot - camera on a crane, usually taking from the air and focusing on a landscape.
These shots are used throughout various mediums and platforms, should it be for TV, film or music. When it comes to music videos, they can be used to emphasize a specific theme or meaning, that perhaps both video and song wish to express. Of course, techniques are not limited to just camera angles, but things such as:
Cutting to beat - images/footage in a music video cut away to another in time for a beat in the music video. gives it that 'umph' effect.
Lip sync - when singers do not sing but instead move their lips in tune with the audio lyrics.
Effects - the visual techniques implemented within a music video, to give off an impression.
Miming - similar to lip synching where people within a music video would act out a role in tune to the song or rhythmic beat. They can help alter/add to the narrative of a music video.
Playback - studio recorded sound added over a music video product.
Multi-image - different types of shots/angles focused on one object.
Chroma key - a green screen used to add a background setting for a music video. It can be considered to be apart of effects and thus help shape the narrative.
These various techniques all add up to make the desired purpose of a music video.
Contracts - legal agreements that relate to your terms of employment. If you are offered any contract, read it carefully. You need to be clear about:
What you are being asked to do.
What you will be required to do.
What payments you will be receiving.
A contract of employment will typically have 'small print'. You will need to scrutinize any clauses (short paragraphs) to check that you understand the implications of what you are signing. Confidentiality clauses and exclusivity clauses are common in film and TV industry.
Confidentiality - spoken,written,actedon,etc.,instrictprivacyorsecrecy;secret etc. Exclusivity - defined as a state of being limited or hard to access. An example of exclusivity is when a club only lets in people who are extremely wealthy and powerful. An example of exclusivity is when there is only one company which is licensed to make action figures of a popular character.
Employment Legislation
The Equality Act: discrimination on the grounds of race, gender or age is illegal. This is likely to be a consideration when employing staff, cast and crew and when individuals, groups and related issues are depicted on screen. For example, BBC's Countryfile presenter Miriam O'Reilly was awarded $150K after being sacked on the grounds for being 'too old'. Here is her case via The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/jan/11/miriam-oreilly-bbc-ageism-victory?intcmp=239
The Equality Act of 2010 replaced:
Equal Pay Act 1970
Sex Discrimination Act 1975
Race Relations Act 1976
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
Trade Unions - exist to protect the rights and the interests of the workers. You have to be a member of a union to get those benefits so members pay yearly fees. BECTU's freelance membership cost is currently $120. They are generally an organized association of workers in a trade, group of trades, or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests.
They come together to achieve common goals such as protecting the integrity of its trade, improving safety standards, achieving higher pay and benefits such as health care and retirement, increasing the number of employees an employer assigns to complete the work, and better working conditions.
Ethical Issues
Codes of practice are not part of the law. They exist usually to protect the consumer of the citizen and have a powerful role in the TV and film industry. Employers are responsible for drawing up policies, procedures and codes of practice that are specific to individual institutions. CoP are designed to promote good practice and to avoid legal issues 'down the line'.
Codes of Practice (CoP) - sets down the responsibilities of employers in the regulation of social care workers. Again, this is the first time that such standards have been set out at national level.
Policies - a set course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual.
Procedures - an established or official way of doing something OR a series of actions conducted in a certain order or manner.
Through media presentation, audiences can favor or reject a person, group of people, place, event etc. Some have argued that the media can create, or exacerbate social problems. Thinking about the way youths are portrayed/represented by the media; how would you think older generations would view you? Looking at this from a political standpoint, Vox completed a survey in the United States that concluded a number of demographics overwhelmingly agreed with democratic-socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont on his political ideology. See here: Poll: most voters say they're open to a political revolution to redistribute wealth.
Of course this is restricted to the U.S. Meanwhile in the UK, you can again look at recent political events such as Brexit to see the split in demographics:
Regulators: a regulatory body exists to create and enforce rules based on law. Their main aims are to protect viewers and promote healthy competition between organizations. The British Broadcasting Corporation (a.k.a. BBC) has its own CoP, and (as you know) also issues its own production guidelines for the programs it commissions.
"The BBC exists to serve the public, and its mission is to inform, educate and entertain. The BBC Trust is the governing body of the BBC, and we make sure the BBC delivers that mission." -http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/
The Office of Communications (Ofcon) is Britain's media regulator and is required by The Communications Act (2003) and The Broadcasting Act (1990) to draw up a code that they can then enforce.
Obscenity - lawyers may be needed to check whether a production infringes The Obscene Publications Act (1959). Factors such as age range of the time a production is broadcast can affect whether or not the material is deemed obscene. For example, the American version of Skinswas criticized in America for being obscene. The first U.S. series opened with scenes of nudity in which the actors/actresses were under the age of 21 years old.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent body which classifies films and videos in terms of age suitability. Their criteria dictates their implemented age rating for various media products.
Intellectual Property (IP) - results from the expression of an idea; it might be a brand, an invention, a design, a song or another intellectual creation. IP can be owned, bought and sold. IP lets people own the work they create. The internet has made IP a huge issue. For example, the unauthorized us elf copyright material on YouTube and illegal video downloads. An example of this would be the following: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11737505.
Copyright - protects written, theatrical, musical and artistic works as well as film, book layouts, sound recordings, and broadcasts. It protects a written piece or recorded work from being copied or used by anyone else without the copyright owner's permission.
Consumer products: products like cameras are vital for the film and TV industry as this is the main source of recording other than audio. Most film and TV productions use big, expensive cameras. The huge conglomerates would use cameras such as Blachmagic and Arri Alexas. Lower budget movies would shoot with hardware such as Cannon 5D MKIII and DSLR's.
Satellite & Cable: the methods on how producers get their product out there to the consumer. Satellite is via airborne/space transmission, while cable is a ground based transmission of broadcast. Fiber or copper wire is the material used to connect and create the cable connections; fiber is more reliable as it protects better and emits faster. Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to paying subscribers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables or light pulses through fiber-optic cables. Satellite TV is delivering television programming using signals relayed from space radio stations (e.g. DVB satellites). The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic reflector antenna usually referred to as a satellite dish and a low-noise block downconverter (LNB).
The 'digital switchover': the name given to the process by whichanalogue terrestrial televisionin the United Kingdom was replaced withdigital terrestrial television. It is sometimes referred to as the "analogue switch off". In the United Kingdom, theterrestrialswitchover started on 17 October 2007 and was completed on 24 October 2012. Each group of transmitters within each TV region had its analogue broadcasts switched off at a certain point between those dates. The process was co-ordinated by an independent body,Digital UK.
Internet + Interactive: the former is frequently used to stream videos but not always legally, there are thousands of pirate websites where you can watch or listen to anything entirely free. Approximately 70% of internet users believe there is nothing wrong with illegal downloading. An average of 53 billion a year download illegally from the download. This causes huge income losses for media companies. The most pirated movie of all time? Avatar, which was pirated around 17 million times. However there are many legal websites as well as different ways of accessing the internet such as Netflix, consoles, PC, phone, tablets etc.
HD & 3D:sometimes abbreviated as Hi-def or HD, commonly refers to an increase in display or visual resolution over a previously used standard. A three-dimensional stereoscopic film (also known as three-dimensional film, 3D film or S3D film) is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception, hence adding a third dimension. Technology has advanced dramatically. HD comes from more advanced cameras with higher megapixels (meaning better quality). 3D offers better viewing experience by using two lenses next to each other so they are at slightly different points and the media gets recorded as one file, with the use of glasses you can then watch it as it was intended.
PPV On Demand: available on TV companies such as Sky or BT, this is for things such as boxing matches that want to make even more money than they would anyway. On demand is a free way and channel four have their on demand websites so you can catch up on missed programs at any time. They also have a lot of series that have been aired ages ago that you can watch for free.
Streaming Content + Digital Recorders: streaming online using websites like Amazon means that you can watch something here and there but it is not stored on your device so you have to find it again if you wish to watch it again. Downloading as apposed to streaming means it is saved in the the device so it can be watched whenever without having to be on the internet. Digital recorders on TV like Lovefilm and Netflix mean that you can watch any program or film on there provided that your TV is connected to the internet.
