MEST 2 - Evaluation

MEST2: Evaluation

The brief, which I have been assigned to work under, requires an arthouse film to be made for a company named “Little Picturehouse”. The film produced by my group is called “Click”.  Interestingly, the movie contains film-noir and urban elements which is our unique selling point as it is attractive to our target audience; this recounts back to the brief and its specifications.

The pre-production of “Click” has contributed massively towards the creation of the film. Films that have similar styles as “Click” has had a major influence with the overall making of the film as it provided a foundation to work from.  “Sin City” has similar elements, which fascinated our group especially in the way it was processed. It contains styles that were appealing i.e. the use of detectives and the villains. Another film that has the same aspects as “Click” is “Scarface”. The use of mafia bosses in the film has been iconic in film history with many films being influenced by this particular movie. Similarly, my group has used these characteristics of the film and added these elements onto “Click”. This allowed our creative approach to flow as it permitted different angles to be executed to present a perfect representation of “Click”. The BBFC research had an impact as it has informed my group about the basic guidelines needed for a 15-rated film. For example, strong violence, frequent strong language etc.  The amount of strong language was vital to be controlled as multiple explicit words can make the audience uncomfortable.

Due to the fact that there is a shortage of younger viewers watching arthouse movies, it has provided a purpose for “Click” to appeal to audiences that usually are not associated with arthouse movies. “Click” has a demographic of ABC1 as people who often go to the cinema can relate to the experience of watching a movie in an arthouse cinema. The audience may have to be employed or have parents that are working as typically an arthouse film is watched by middle class or people that have experience in the media industry. Young and Rubicam invented a successful psychographic profile as they suggested people would fit into one of seven groups. The target audience for Click would fit under mainstream as the action and drama can be relatable for most audiences. Suits would be a common purchase as there are many present inside the film.  As younger people are not usually associated with arthouse cinemas, it would be difficult for the audience to have a wider range of an audience. As this is an arthouse movie, there will likely be a secondary audience of 38-55 year olds. We believe there will be a 70/30 split of males to females as the storyline and actors are predominately male and there isn’t currently a plan to include a romance in the clip. This, perhaps, is the main weakness of the target audience as it causes a divide in the overall reception of the film. However, I believe that our group has succeeded in attracting a younger audience to arthouse cinemas as it incorporated elements of cinematic action that is usually seen in multiplex cinemas.

Click is shot in different locations as it represents the different societies and age groups that the target audience covers. One area that was shot was in Canary Wharf; this scene was to show the sophisticated side of Click. The rest of the scenes were in local areas as the younger audiences can gain personal identification with the film. The overall production has a slow structured establishing shot to reveal how one of the protagonists acquired his superpowers. Though, we chose to contrast this immediately with a torture scene, I believe that it allows the interesting camerawork and editing to be admired. The different shots were used to give the audience the impression of acting and allowed for total diversion from reality. By subverting some stereotypes it allows the applying of contrapuntal sounds in scenes which portrays violence, it lets the audience become fully focused on the film. This allows the main objective, which is to make sure that the arthouse theme is met, be completed successfully. Barthes’ enigma and action codes were also employed to allow the viewer to have a better understanding when a character is introduced. The strengths of the torture scene is the unique style of the editing however the lighting in this clip could have been improved as it would reduce the amount of grain which is visibly shown. Additionally, another key scene in the extract was the discovery of ‘Spiker’s’ body. The stimulating use of cinematography in this scene helps increase tension. This assists the bewildered audience with the raised tension further enhances the approval of the film; the film follows the arthouse theme throughout. The major scene in Click is when the fight scene starts. There is the classic convention of a shootout between the protagonists and antagonist. By using jump cuts, it builds tension and using shot/reverse shots allows different angles of the fight scene to be shown. Interestingly, the final part of the scene uses point of view shots. This allows Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory to be applied in Click. There is a clear sense of personal identification and diversion to occur for the audience. Also, by introducing the Good vs. Evil concept, our group created some binary opposition (Levi-Strauss). This also provides a voyeuristic pleasure for the viewer as the audience feel like they are emotionally involved. An improvement that could have been introduced is the lighting as the scene became distinctively darker. This allowed certain shots to contain noise which depreciates the viewing experience.

The print work matches the key conventions of an arthouse cinema brochure or an arts centre as it helps inform the target audience about the films being released. This information is important as there are sections in which helps understand what films like Click are made and whether there are exclusive features. Not only this but it also has aspects of the personal identity appeal, in that readers may be able to feel that certain situations apply to them for example the process of making a film. On my front cover, there is a solid magazine publication title with the date. To gain the attraction of the reader, the central image is positioned in agreement with the rule of thirds. To have a specific colour scheme is important as it enhances the professional outlook of the print work.  The Little Picturehouse branding is visibly noticeable with social media links at the top. Print work containing large text is difficult to read which inevitably puts off audiences. On the contents page, I worked a straightforward design to list the films and exclusive features in the magazine however inserted an imaginative outlook by introducing a montage of pictures from the represented films. I also included quotations from famous directors to influence and attract audiences to enjoy the film industry. I believe that there is synergy with the other pieces of print with the branding as I feel that I followed the conventions of an arthouse brochure. However there are element in which it can be improved. For example, the double page spread could have been edited in a more sophisticated

In Click, we attempted to embody a wide set of societies and cultures. In order to stand out, the group decided to subvert Hollywood stereotypes. The use of two main protagonists, who are culturally diverse, is important as it subverts the stereotypes in films. Culturally, families from around the world should be able to represented well enough; actors in films are generally from America. Due to the fact that typically Hollywood’s leads are usually white, it subverts the main ideologies in the film industry. It provides a different angle as the audience can identify with the characters. Therefore, we can use Perkins’ theory to show that certain stereotypes are not permanently negative. However, we can likewise operate Medhurst’s shorthand value judgement with the main antagonist due to the fact that he is of an ethnic minority. Additionally, my group decided to use a set of teenagers as the main cast. This is important as usually adults generally gain the leading role. By using teenagers, the younger audience gain a sense of personal identification. On the whole, I deem that the representations, we have shaped in this extract, we have undermined the conventional standards in cinema and this corresponds well with the arthouse genre as a whole.

Promoting films online has been a major tool to reach out to a larger audience as the reception that websites like YouTube are receiving is massive. This becomes evident especially major industries are releasing trailers online. I believe the online film blog can support the promotion of our arthouse film as audiences are the world can access and assess whether they would find the film interesting. To use the internet is important as it can give a psychological advantage in succeeding in reaching your target audience. In order to reach out to the target audience, the content available in the online blog should be attractive to our audience. Audiences want to feel a sense of personal satisfaction and the inclusion of bloopers can attract audiences. Social media has become a great force in marketing as people are able to voice out their own opinions regarding the specific film. This can provide a sense of comfort for other people as they could consider whether watching a certain film in advised by viewers that watched before. Evidently, there are a larger audience in social media as people can be able to stay connected and voice their own opinions. The creative response is important as it is able to be evaluated in different angles and fully assessed.  There are elements of user-generated content that can be incorporated, for example parodies and the audience creating their own trailers. Films like Ill Manors use a unique campaign to promote their movie to a city-wide scale. The campaign has provoked a response as people used this hashtag as a chance to voice their opinions. The fact that it was being screened at major landmarks suggests that people that were generally not associated with the genre and the class are being notified about the hidden truths. This technique is a unique way to promote the movie. This provided a clear example that can be used for our own film.

I believe that Click has succeeded in meeting the original brief as it has incorporated many elements that attract a larger field of audiences. The inclusion of drama, crime and action as well as providing a sophisticated outlook has caused a successful integration of cultures. This, in fact, is the principal reason in why Click can become successful in the marketplace as the younger audience can fell included in the voyeuristic pleasures.