MEST1 Mock exam: learner response    37 marks

-        -   Starts really well but then loses question focus

-         -  MUST   use key wording from Q throughout

-         -  Make sure you understand key terminology … you have incorrectly applied the word ‘convergence’ in several places

·         I could've talked about how Megan Fox was being promoted or the Frank Sinatra.

·         Talked about the tagline for question three.

·         Gun violence was seen as glamorous and without consequence.

I was 7 marks away from my target grade

4. My strongest question in section A was question 3 as it was easier to talk about how males in the trailer as it was dominated by men. It made the question easier to answer and there were lots of points to choose from.

5. My weakest question was two as I didn't have as many developed and strong points as the other questions and I confused myself when answering the question.

6. One specific link that is employed in the trailer is the actress Megan Fox. Megan Fox is a utilised as one of the key brands in the film in order to endorse and fume her reputation and call of duty. Fox is famous for big action packed films such as the big franchise Transformers. With the trailer being an action film it will help promote Megan Fox in the action genre so people will associate her with action films and the game call of duty as it is an action game.

Another link is with the group of 4 friends who go to Las Vegas to have a good time and enjoy themselves. This links to the film Ocean’s Eleven. The Ocean’s Eleven consists of eleven some experienced and newly recruited con men trying to rob a high security Las Vegas casino.  This is emphasised as we see the famous Las Vegas sign after the car passes then the group of males coming out of the car. This is a strong link with the game and film as Call of Duty is trying to create synergy between the products as La Vegas is a famous place to go for excitement. Vegas is seen a symbol of escapism in which the game makers want to endorse.

The trailer also associates Infinity wards and Activision as two businesses that help promote action films. When people see these businesses they will automatically associate with the call of duty franchises or those who know about the call of duty franchises but want to play games that are similar to this, will go and search the other games that they sell. This will aid endorse Activision and infinity wards as call of duty being one of their successful games people will go and buy other games that they produce to live up to the standard of call of duty.

7. I believe that in the section I spoke about all three major platforms such as e-media, broadcast and print. I also used all my case studies including my independent case study of The Inbetweeners.

8. In order to gain access to the top level for section b I needed to use the key words for the question and always link back to it. There wasn't enough information linking back to what the question was asking.

9. I needed to talk about how all of the platforms can be accessed on your phone which is how media devices contain everything from all platforms which is linking it back to what the question was asking.

How far the platform on which they are consumed does determined the construction of media products in your cross-media study? Support your answer with reference to a range of products from three media platforms.

My case study in film industry that I have studied is ‘Ill Manors’.  Ill Manors is a key example of a British film trying to interact and communicate with their viewers by utilising e-media such as social media. The tag London campaign is a perfect example of this as this was used to promote the film throughout the media by using several of different hash tags. This was clever by the film as this allowed user generated content be effective as much stuff promoting the film could be shared. This is constructed specifically for the consumption of engagement on social media allowing the Ill Manors promote their film.  This technique helped endorse Londoners consume the media products helping create synergy across all platforms. This is very beneficial as this helps to promote the film and their target audience.

An example of this is that users would perhaps promote the film to their friends and fuel discussions through their own user generated content as content is first had due to the fact there are no gatekeepers. The advantage to this is that the film will receive positive feedback as critical acclaim will be shared across media platforms meaning this will be consumed by a large audience. However, there is also a drawback to this method as bad reviews could be shared giving the film a bad status as this would similarly be seen by a large audience of the internet.

The utilisation of social media aids through theory of the two step flow model. This is the case as opinion leaders are able to share and promote the film either positively or negativity. Another way in which film can be promoted is by the fact that Plan B is already a well known established rapper this is vital as his fan base  could help promote the film also through social media.

The basics

1) What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?
The film is called 'The Inbetweeners' and the director is called 'Damon Beesley' & 'Iain Morris'.

2) When was it released?
This movie was released on the 6th August 2014.

3) What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?
The genre of the film comes under comedy and we can also identify this by the cast of the film; with there being 4 boys in schools as the main protagonists we know that the film is going to have humour and laddish behaviour throughout the film as they are going to up to mischievous behaviour. The audience will also be able to see this in the trailer when they Plan to go on a 'lads holidays' and when they arrive they can see others around similar ages to themselves behaving in a drunken manner. 

4) What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?
On IMBD the film is given a rating of 6.8 out of 10, a large portion of the general population who went to watch the film beforehand viewed the TV arrangement which was publicized on E4 a case of this is on the IMBD page " If you resemble me and you adore the inbetweeners network show, then the motion picture will have been much anticipated".On Rotten Tomatoes the normal rating of the film was 5.4 out of 10. The group of onlookers score was 3.7 out of 5 giving it a rating of 70%. In correlation the audits on Rotten Tomatoes were significantly more negative "Fundamentally simply one more off color spring break motion picture - with an accent".

Broadcast

The Inbetweeners Movie is around a gathering of high school young men who go on holiday, they are set to complete school. The film speaks to British young men going on an occasion to Greece for them to have a fellows occasion and get intoxicated. It likewise speaks to a gathering of female British young ladies who seem later through the film and the way of life and society of Greece. The class of the film in view of these occasions is well on the way to fall under the classification of drama. The group of onlookers is destined to be gone for a more youthful gathering of people around the ages of 14-45 and more prone to be male than female (60:40 split male to female). The predominant belief system is that youngsters are dependably there to get tipsy and have a decent time and just considering themselves.

Print

"If you are like me and you love the Inbetweeners television show, then the movie will have been much anticipated." 9/10
"I can't believe the rating this thing has! I was totally disappointed from the first minute on."1/10
"I am a fan of the TV show and this movie was the swan song to the four main characters." 9/10

 

These benefit the film as we have a thought regarding what the film is about and who the cast of the film are. It additionally advances the film by giving ceaselessly the executives name which would intrigue individuals furthermore there is the discharge date of the film itself.

This helps showcase that this film is about  a group of boys who are going on holiday which we can see from the words surf sun and shagging. There is also the use of the beach and females which are surrounding the boys which the audience can connote that they are going on holiday and the film is going to be set there, this is also identifiable from the clothes that they are wearing which are normally worn during weathers where it is hot.

E-media

1. The film has a Facebook page where people can share their thoughts on the film and upcoming events, it also shows the release of the film on DVD and picture for people to see. On Twitter people would be able to share their thoughts in 140 characters and would be able to ask questions and get updates on the film and the latest upcoming news and events.

2. There is synergy with other media platforms like Twitter and Facebook and there is also a soundtrack with the film which can be bought. 

3. The film didn't run any e-media campaigns.

4. Couldn't find any two step flow models that celebrities or followers had used.

Audience

1. The target audience of the film will be aimed at those who are in school or are currently in the process of leaving school having similar experiences to those who are in the film. The age of the film will be around 12-50 and will be split more in favour of males 60:40. The psychographics of the film will be aimed at explorers as they are the ones who are usually at a younger age exploring different things that may be of interest to them, with the film having such a high rating it will make it harder for those under 18 to watch the film.

2. The cross promotion with 'The Inbetweeners Movie' was with the TV series which was previously seen on E4; those who have watched the series would have seen the advertisement on E4 and as a result it would promote the film as well as the film promoting the series. The soundtrack of the film would also cross promote the film as those who can identify the songs which are in the film will be more inclined to watch it as their favourite artist or song could be in the film. This also works the opposite way with the film promoting the soundtrack; after people watch the film they may go out and buy the soundtrack of the film.  

3. One of the pleasures the audience receives from this is that they can see the lifestyle and culture of British teenage boys on holiday. It is also presenting another culture as the boys are on holiday but it also promotes the teenage lifestyle of British boys on holiday. This would interest the audience as they may want to see how people act when they're on holiday but not just a group of adult males but a group of teenage British boys and how their morals and values transfers to the new culture and surroundings when they are on holiday.

4. Similar films that the audience would be interested in would be 'Kevin and Perry go large', 'Hangover', 'Last Vegas' and more. These films base the storyline on a friendship between male protagonists and them having to go on a night out or holiday and are inebriated with alcohol. All films have the common theme of Summer, friends, alcohol, drugs and sex. It is similar to 'The Inbetweeners Movie' as they also base the storyline of friends bonding together after having a life changing moment such as being apart for an extended period of time, having to go away for a long period of time therefore going on holiday to embrace their wild personality.  

Institution

1. The film was produced by Film 4 and they've had similar films which target the same audience which have been films such as The 4 lions. The target audience is a young teenage young adult audience around the ages of 15-45 and mainly boys, 60:40 split male to female.

2. The film was distributed by Entertainment Film Distributors. They've also distributed Rush Hour 3, deception and over her dead body.

3. They do have a track record with producing these kind of films which target a young orientated audience through comedy films one of them which happen to be Rush Hour 3 which is very successful.

4. The budget for the film was £3.5 million

5. I think the film was successful as it achieved a rating of 6.8 on IMBD and made $88 million on box office.

6. The film was more successful in the USA as it was a way for them to see what British teenage culture was like and an insight of Britain and the culture which fascinates them. 

7. The film got rated 15 because of the excessive use of alcohol that was present in the film, there was also some sex scenes in the film and language that would be inappropriate for the ages below. It wasn't rated 18 as the film didn't have strong sex scenes or violence in there.

Representation

1. There are representations of young British teenagers in the film and how they would behave on holiday and in school. It is also a representation of British life and culture and how the schools are also run in the country. There is a representation of Britain in some aspects of the film but also the country that they go on holiday to (Greece). It also has a representation of how boys and girls would behave differently as there are two main groups that the film focuses on. 

2. The 'britishness' that the film has is not very much as the film does focus on a group of teenage boys from England the film is based in another country for most of it so you're exposed more to another culture.

3. The representation differs from iLL Manors as that is more to do with urban life in London and the film is also based in England for all of the film. On the other hand, we have the inbetweeners which represents young teenage boys who are white British and not from an ethnic minority background and how they are exposed to another culture rather than being in Britain.

4. The ideology that we can find in this film is that young people just care about sex and alcohol which is a dominant ideology in society and how they are always doing things which are wild and stupid. 

How are viewers encouraged by the trailer to see disability? Identify the key narrative techniques used in the trailer:

When watching this trailer, the viewers are encouraged to see disability as the Paralympic event symbolises determination and the willpower of the competitors. Most sports viewers are driven by sight of success whether it’s from disable or enable athletes. The viewer’s watching this event would be feeling heartened by the condition of these in the Paralympic Games and the struggles they most of had in the course of their life and profession career. They will also feel proud to see that these athletes have not used their disability as an obstacle and as an excuse in not having the opportunity to represent their nation. This is one of the key reasons in encouraging viewers to watch the Paralympic Games.

In this trailer there are many key narrative techniques employed in this trailer in order to engage the audience to the coverage. Applying Barthes narrative theory, I can gather that the trailer employs several enigma codes throughout the trailer for example the athlete doing the high jump makes us the audience ask is he going to make. Is it a world record? What will happen after? These enigma codes are employed to engage the audience and get those curious so they can go watch what really happen and watch the coverage.

Applying Props character theory; I can gather that the athletes are portrayed to be the heroes as they are representing their country even though they have a disability. This is the case due to their struggles and willingness to do something with their life. I would say that villains of this are their horrific and unfortunate injuries as they have had setbacks in their careers.Channel 4 tries to represent themselves at the helpers in Props character theory as they are broadcasting the event live from the channel and are helping the target audience view the games.

INDEX

1) The British film industry: Media Factsheet questions
2) Institutional context of the British film industry: Factsheet questions
3) Ill Manors: film review
4) Ill Manors: trailer analysis
5) Ill Manors: music video
6) Ill Manors: TEDx lecture
7) Ill Manors: broadcast platform concluded
8) Ill Manors: print platform (newspaper interviews)
9) Ill Manors: print branding
10) Ill Manors: e-media Tag London campaign
11) Ill Manors: e-media social networking research
12) Ill Manors: official website analysis
13) A Field In England: reading, research and questions
14) Ill Manors & A Field In England: institution research

1. What are the most successful films Vertigo Films has been involved in?

• Monsters: Dark Continent
• Street Dance 2
• Monsters
• Bronson

1. Why do you think those films were successful with their audience?
2. What different film genres has Vertigo Films worked with?
3. Where did Warp Films start out?
4. What are the most successful films produced by Warp Films?
5. How have Warp Films helped to develop new talent in the film industry?
6. What titles have Vertigo and Warp Films produced that are similar to Ill Manors? Explainthe similarities - it could be in terms of audience, location, content or genre.

Social

 Facebook

• 29,882 like in total on Facebook.2. At the top of the Facebook page their is a copy of the film that is being promoted due to the 15th anniversary of Revolver entertainment.
• This appeals to the audience as the film has been nominated for two awards one being the album and one being the film itself. This appeals both to those who have watched the film but are also fans of Plan B's music, this appeals to a wider audience as it targets Plan B's core target audience and the target audience for the film.

this can also help as a Facebook advertisement towards the ILL Manors Brand it he top of the Ill Manors Facebook page is there to promote the film DVD release. It is acting as a form of advertisement for whoever goes on to this page will see that the Ill Manors movie is now on release. It is up there, because the director, Ben Drew wants fans of the film to know that it is available for purchase. The banner acts as a way to promote both the film (to those who haven't watched it) and to notify those who want to buy the actual film

Twitter

This Twitter page is full on based around the film and music. It only features the films current success as well as keeping fans updated on the films DVD release date. Mostly, every tweet that the account posts is directly related to the film which, in a way, is promoting the film. The display picture as well as the background is all print content of the film- films poster. Their profile image is a picture of the Ill manors logo. An audience would assume that without seeing a character or setting, that it is well known by many and would be able to describe what the logo suggests. There aren't any hashtags. Mainly reviews on the film and people interacting with each other. Can't find any. However, there are pictures from stores selling the film on DVD. 

Instagram

Instagram only allows for pictures to be uploaded which is a good method for Ill Manors to promote their film. This is important as followers of the page can share with their friends and learn about the progress and opportunities available for them. The hash tags are similar to Twitter ones to keep the consistency so the audience associate it with the film. They can also use hash tags and filters which will show all links to the ill manors film. By posting photos they can enhance the overall appearance of the film as it will give the audience a nice glimpse of what the film is about. On the Ill Manors instagram they often post images only. This gives them the opportunity to promote the brand of Ill Manors as they re-post images and fan art from other accounts. 

YouTube

The channel has promoted Plan B and his music. This is done by uploading his music and film trailer. The channel promotes the film and music video which is a cross promotion. There are links to other social networks in the banner which would allow the user to click on to visit the Ill Manors page. YouTube is a good way of promoting your film as you can add your film trailers/advertisements. YouTube is also really good as many different groups of audiences use YouTube on a daily basis so if you upload something like ill manors film trailer it can increase recognition. not only that Plan B is also a Hip hop artist so publishing his songs about the film could also increase recognition drastically. 

First of all, their banner is only focused on Ill Manors and its reviews. It acts as a form of advertisements similar to the Facebook and Twitter backdrops. The banner offers many conventions that help support the promotion f the film.

• Title of the film in both the display picture and the banner itself.
• A 'selling' text which is trying to boost the reputation of the album as well as the film saying, "Ill Manors No. album".
• Reviews of famous new articles of their perception on the film
• 'OUT NOW' text which is famously there to try and make audiences buy a cop of the film and album.
•  Logos of developers and partners with the music albums such as apple logo etc.

A Field In England

1. How was A Field In England’s release different to typical film releases?

A field In England is a low budget art-house film by award winning director Ben Wheatley. This film was released on the 5th of July 2013 across cinema,DVD, Blu-ray,TV and VoD.

1. What are the advantages to releasing the film across all platforms on the same day?

It was described as a psychedelic trip into a civil war era rural England and attracted due to both the director and the highly creative release and distribution method.

1. What are the disadvantages to this approach?

Disadvantages of this approach to release a film on all platforms is that it is a prediction may not necessarily mean it will be true. This is because the film seems to not show a narrative and is limited in it he information it gives out to the audience. This can put off people from watching the film which can result in less revenue being made. People who have seen the publicity for this film would think that watching it at home is the best choice and therefore, not put any money towards the viewing.

1. What target audience would A Field In England be aimed at? Demographics and Psychographics.

The target audience for this film would be a niche mainly middle class audience who are ABC1, they are more likely to be this target audience due to the film being set in a historic setting. Also, the black and white theme which is used throughout the film would be more appealing to an older audience. They are more likely to be succeeders as those who are middle class have a job in society which is of a high social status, they would value films like this as it gives them a sense of British history and culture but also admiring the arthouse films that are being produced as they are usually for those who are educated.

1. Do you think all films in future will be released across all platforms simultaneously in future?

In my opinion, I think that this seems to be a risky move for big name film companies to do. This is because the advantage and disadvantages are equal and are only predicated and the outcome of it can be extremely different and unhealthy for the film companies. I think films in the future won't be released in this way as it was a good way for an Arthouse film to maximise profit this way but also had a lot of disadvantages. 

1. Summarise the Ill Manors Tag London campaign in 100 of your own words.

1. How does the Ill Manors Tag London campaign help to promote the film?The tag London campaign  

The tag London campaign  

1. What synergy (links) can you find between the Tag London campaign and other texts you have studied as part of the Ill Manors case study?

1. Why might user-generated campaigns like this be more successful than traditional media campaigns?

1. Choose FIVE of the tweets above and for each one write what target audience the tweet could appeal 

1. to (demographics/psychographics) and then link the tweet to one other media text you have studied as part of the Ill Manors case study (Ted x lecture, music video etc.) Justify your link for each tweet using examples from the film/promotional material.

1. The key features of this poster are the title of the film, the central image which is usually the main character so that the audience can identify who it is so that they can promote the film if they're known by the core target audience. Date of the film so that the audience know when the film is going to be released, reviews for the film that people have given to the film which will also help promote the film as the successes of the critics will influence a lot of people to watch the film.

2. One design feature that is used to identify the iLL Manors brand is the title of the film which is identifiable as it is in the centre of the poster and is the largest text on the poster. There is also the background of the poster which is seen to be in an urban area and the fish bowl effect that is used implies that there is no escape from their lifestyle which is one of the key features of the film as their lifestyle has been determined and they can't change it.

3. There is cross promotion between the film and the cd for the film as it says plan B and Ben Drew who are the same person and the film and DVD cross promote themselves.

1.The use of the font being enlarged, having the same font and colour as other print promotion is that the audience will be able to associate it to the producer and music video. This means that the title becomes a brand for the film. In addition, the blade is used to connote something deadly about the narrative of the film. As it's a large image, it would catch the audiences attention and they could be able to put the costume Plan B is wearing and his attitude with the dangerous weapon.

2. The background of where this billboard is positioned doesn't look pleasant which could be deliberate to suggest the narrative is going to be similar to the setting of the billboard.Furthermore, the background of the print image includes council estates which an audience interested in the film will realise is significantly emphasised in several other print media.

3. The font of the title is similar to the font of his album which also has the same name 'Ill Manors'.   

1.One of the key conventions of the poster is the title of the film so that the audience can identify can notice what film it is, there is also the characters of the film that are seen so that the audience are more inclined to watch the film if they see a actor that they like and is also key as it tells the audience what the film is about.

2. One design feature that helps promote the film is the use of the characters that have been used on the front cover so that they can be seen to be apart of the iLL Manors urban environment. The urban area that is seen in the film is also the background of the film which shows both characters and the setting of the film which helps promote the film.

3. There is cross promotion again between the film and the soundtrack which is seen with plan B and Ben Drew who are the same person and also it says at the bottom of the poster where it says featuring a brand new soundtrack.