Class notes - Tuesday 11th February 2014

$220 million - Avengers Assemble
$225 million - Dead Man's Chest
$225 million - Prince Caspian
$230 million - The Amazing Spiderman
$237 million - Avatar
$250 million - Half-Blood Prince
$250 million - John Carpenter
$258 million - Spider Man 3 (the most expensive Spiderman movie)
$260 million - Tangled
$300 million - At World's End

-All the films listed above are Hollywood movies, widely advertised and are either reboots, sequels, prequels
-The average cost of a Hollywood Blockbuster would be around $245.5 million
-If the film doesn't make the same amount of money or more than the budget, it may be considered as a flop
-They all have massive fan bases
-Advertising is included in the production budget

Formulaic structure to Hollywood films

Why are Hollywood films so formulaic?

-Don't know how to break away from original storyline

-Film piracy and the internet

-CGI = money. All you're left with characters and story

-The economy

-There's a difference between analysing reasons and context

-Recession

-3D

-Online reviews

The context effects the making and the experience of watching cinema

What is the "Film Flop Formula"?

-In order for a movie to make it's money back, it has to take 2 times what it costs

-The budget has to be big enough so it was newsworthy

-Special effects have to be included in the film

-The film mustn't be a comedy

-The film needs to have at least one A-list star

-DVD sales will help the movie get it's money back

-If you follow the rules you won't lose money

-Film makers should take risks using the Film Flop Formula because they know that as long as they stick to the rules they won't lose money

-The budget doesn't guarantee success, it depends on the quality of the film

-Story-line over effects - a budget can weaken a film because it could ruin audience's expectations

-The star's demanding fee could be a huge part of the production budget

Class notes - Tuesday 4th February 2014

Script Feedback

-I put INT and EXT in the correct places

-My script represented the MACRO well

Content included in the Level 4 Mark Scheme

-Use of film terminology and applying stereotypes, shows deep understanding of how scripts are created, conveying controversial ideas

-Relates to your chosen MACRO

-Showing your creativity through planning, key frames and possibly making the sequence

-Acknowledging the terms involved in film-making

-Themes and messages are clearly conveyed are clearly conveyed throughout the film

-Deadlines are met and work is complete/checked to a high quality

-Film language is a MICRO

-9 Key Frames are more important than your script

-Make an effort with location and actors

Identify requirements of MES for your sequel/re-boot

-Ladder

-Glass bottle of "drugs"

-Open space of field or greenery

-Table

-Backpack

-Dark lighting to show thee underground world

-Dark and low lighting for the scene set at night

-Girl wearing white clothes to represent/symbolise innocence and virginity

Class notes - Tuesday 28th January 2014

-Dialogue moves the story along
-Characterisation
-Classic Hollywood Narrative is built around character motivation

Django Unchained clip
-To understand what segregation was like in those days but the dialogue makes it more extreme
-"Like I said, who's this nigger up on that nag?" Demonstrating that there's hierarchy within the same race. "You two should hate each other"
-"And you- you old decrepit bastard...are gonna show them hospitality. Do you understand that?" Calvin Candie has jurisdiction over Stephen and in his dialogue he gives orders and has authority

Film dialogue is stylised and not real

Juno Sequel
-Has main characters, Juno's baby, principal, adoptive parent
-Juno's only been recently introduced into her child's life
-Juno's appearance has an effect on Britney
-Conflict between the principal and Juno
-Conflict between Juno and the adoptive mother
-The argument in the dialogue is the disruption
-Division of class with Juno and the principal

Class notes - Tuesday 21st January 2014

Script Writing Tips
-Everything said must move the story forward
-No "ums" or "errs"
-Dialogue must be short and mustn't be long-winded sentences.
-Include lots of sentence fragments
-Mimick how people really talk
-Be mysterious in your dialogue - it keeps the audience's attention

Class notes - Friday 17th January 2014

What to include in your pitch:
-What is going to happen
-Genre and location
-What MACRO are your reinforcing?

You need dialogue because
1) The story demands dialogue to move it forward
2) Characterization - psychological motivation
-To understand why the character does everything they say/do

Blockbuster Trailers and explanation

The God-Father was classed as a Hollywood Blockbuster because it has a load of A-list stars.
It didn't have loads of special effects

Jaws didn't have special/visual effects and was the first event movie
Jaws was character driven and didn't entirely rely on style
Didn't have a simplistic story-line
Merchandise and marketing
HYPE

Star Wars (A New Hope) "defined" the Blockbuster
Beginning of the formulaic film structure

Recession was going on in the UK. People lost their job, didn't have dollar so they stayed at home and watched telly instead.
Teenagers were a profitable audience and were the ones going out to socialise
Before blockbusters came about, cinema attendance went down
Spending money on cinema goes back to the film studios
Multiplex cinemas were invented by American film studios to help lure the audiences back to the cinema. Invested in this idea.
ILM- George Lucas and Steven Spielberg

Post-it notes of Blockbuster context