The extract of Downton Abbey uses the microfeatures of camera, editing, sound and mis-en-scene to help represent class and status in a very unique way.
First of all the cinematographer pans the camera up the boys bike and then makes it zoom out leaving a establishing shot of a poor lower classed child riding his tatty old big into this huge, expensive grand house, this is significant because it shows the audience the contrast between the two different ways of life. The cinematographer then moves the camera to show one of his lordships daughters looking down on the boy through a bird’s eye view shot which then juxtaposes through a jump cut to show the two scenes which are happening at the same time. As the camera angle is very high this means its looking down on the lower class boy that represents the fact that the higher classed girl is looking down on to the lower classed boys. This scene is also significant in the fact that the girl doesn’t have to work for all the money and wealth she has whereas the little poor boy has to work for every little penny that he gets. This shows the importance of class and status and how it helps these particular characters to have an easy or a hard life. Every time a lower classed character is speaking to a upper classed character the camera looks down on them the cinematographer has done this to identify the vast contrast between status and class of certain characters. In the scene where his lordship and her ladyship is talking there is a use of cross-cutting to show the expression on both their faces when they are in deep conversation about Titanic and its survivors. Furthermore the camera person zoom’s the camera in on them both in this scene to an extreme close-up to show the audience their deep expressions on their faces in even more detail.
To help the audience distinguish between the lower and upper class characters in this particular scene, the diegetic sound when the individual characters are talking is very different , for example when the maids are talking they speak with a very broad northern accent which could be associated with either being local and stereotypically lower educated so as a result would mean they are lower classes characters, whereas the more upper classed characters speak with a more educated and sophisticated accent which shows the audience that they have more stature and etiquette compared to the lower classed characters. Furthermore to add to this when the main characters are speaking the non-diegetic sound is a lot slower and the music is classical to show how they are more grand and superior. A good example of this is the scene with his lordship walking down the grand staircase which is over exaggerated through the use of the non-diegetic soundtrack this represents how he is far superior to other characters. The quote ‘poor devils below deck’ is very significant in the sense that only the rich and upper classed people on board the Titanic had a chance of surviving due to their wealth and superiority. Furthermore the use of the word poor also shows that everyone is distinguished between whether they are wealthy or not rather than on personal things such as a individuals personality. When one of the main daughters arrive on scene she starts of by saying ‘morning pappa’ this represents the way each individual character is speaking because at the same time she is handing his lordship a telegram this helps suggest she can’t ask him any questions about the telegram, whereas in scenes with the lower class workers a girl roughly around the same age is continuously asking questions about what certain things are about and why they are done in particular ways.
Mis-en-scene means everything which is in a particular scene. In the extract of Downton Abbey many props, costumes and lighting has constructed for many different set purposes. First of all the lower classed women characters have to wear scruffy maid outfits as they don’t deal with upper classed characters such as his lordship. Whereas the lower classed men wear basic suits which symbolises that they deal with more upper classed characters and also it represents the era they are living in because men have superiority over women meaning they have to dress more formally. This is fairly similar for his lordship in the sense that he is dressed and up to run the grand house whereas her ladyship is still in her night gown lying in bed. Furthermore the workers have to deal carefully with the expensive props such as silver cutlery whereas his lordship doesn’t take any care when dealing with it as he knows through his wealth and superiority he could easily replace it if something got broken whereas the workers couldn’t as they couldn’t afford to replace it. When the workers are presented in the scene the lighting is usually a lot darker compared to when the main characters are shown, this had been done by the cinematographer because it easily helps the audience identify the huge difference between class and status in the range of characters.
When the servants and maids are working the editing is very fast paced and shown through a linear narrative to show the audience what happens on a day to day basis, whereas the linear narrative is a lot slower when the main characters are presented as they are just waking up and arriving at the breakfast table. This is a use of treatment because it has been constructed like this because it represents the contrast between lower class people having to work really hard for their money whereas the higher classed people don’t. The fact her ladyship is presented still in her night gown is a use of the male gaze as the audience views her in a sexual and innocent way.
In conclusion I feel that the clip has been constructed in a way that the audience can easily identify the huge differences and divide between different classes and the importance of statuses. This is because the clip is just a shorter representation of the major accident in Titanic which it references to throughout the scene, this is significant because the it shows that no matter what status or class you are if something major happened like in the Titanic nothing could help save you. Furthermore the audience are made to feel sorry for the lower classed people whereas they gain respect for the upper classed characters as they are able to view their emotions and superiority though the use of all the micro features.
Production of a film is a very complicated process; this involves many different procedures and components such as: editing, producing, filming and recruiting all the right staff to fulfil the particular roles.
Distribution is how a film is sold and marketed to its target audience. In this essay I am going to be talking about how my case studies did this and comparing how successful they both were at it.
My first case study is warner bros animation The Lego Movie, as this is a motion animated film most of the production involved creating and use new computer generated imagery. Warner bros had to do this through creating a new software called Lego digital designer as Warner bros is one of Hollywood’s top six olipology’s they have the finance to be able to fund new technologies such as this, which will be able to improve films use of CGI for the future. Furthermore through the use of digital designer over 3 million virtual bricks were made for the film sets, which is the greatest amount ever made for a Lego film. Also as Warner bros animation is such a huge film production company they could afford to pay huge stars such as: Will Ferrel, Liam Nesson and Morgan Freeman to play main characters in the film which helped increase the films inconography because using this sort of star power helps fans identify what sort of film it is going to be through the types of actors who will be in it which helps sell the film to fans. Lastly as Warner bros is a American film making company they identified a gap in the market for a Lego based children’s comedy film before production of the actual film started which helped the directors get a key identity for the film which they could work towards a lot easier.
Furthermore my other case study BBC Films Mr’s Browns Boys D’Movie was produced in a very different way. As it was a already a popular television series they know there was a gap for this type of film in the market and that it would be successful as they already had a key fans base. As it’s a British film it stayed close to its roots and was filmed in the same location in Dublin, Ireland as the television series was. Furthermore as the cast knew the main person behind Mrs Brown in Brendan O’Carroll they knew what it was like to work with him meaning getting the full cast of actors was a fairly simple job. lastly as it’s a fairly British film they filmed it on a typical digital camera meaning costs were down, production time was down and the production quality of the film was a lot higher as they could easily re-do scenes as the director was watching what was being recorded on a screen and could decide their and then if it was good enough. Which is a unique selling point for the film as these ‘deleted scenes’ were actually still used in the main film as it adds a type of normality to the film fairly similar to the way the television series used deleted scenes rather than deleting them they just re-did them.
Furthermore BBC Films Mr’s Browns Boys D’Movie and Warner Bros The Lego Movie had very different budgets. First of all Warner Bros The Lego movie had an estimated $60,000,000 budget which it stayed in mainly by saving a lot of money because of the digital aspect of the Lego movie it saved thousands of dollars, most of the money for production was spent on actors and advertising for the film. This is also fairly similar to Mrs Brown’s Boys; this is because of the family cast which saved the film a lot of money however it had a much smaller budget of an estimated £3.6 million pounds for the film which it stayed in. As BBC films Mrs Brown’s boys D’Movie used the same cast an directors and writers the above the line costs were very restricted meaning these were kept whereas their below the line costs increased drastically due to the increase in minor crew members such as more make-up artists being needed for more minor actors etc. In contrast Warner bros animation’s The Lego Movie’s above the line cost were significantly greater compared to their below the line costs mainly because of the fact that they used star power to help sell the film, if stars such as: Will Ferrell or Morgan Freeman weren’t added to the cast list the above the line costs may have been less.
The distribution of my case study Warner bros animation The Lego Movie was a lot greater through the use of synergy and convergence compared to my other case study BBC Films Mr’s Browns Boys D’Movie. First of all synergy is the release of products to go with films marketing campaigns. Warner bros did this greatly through the release of: mini figures of characters, themed events around the world, actual sets of the film were released and recreated, costumes of main characters, a clothing range, eight limited edition cups were released with every McDonalds happy meal to appeal to one there target audiences of children and also they have a devoted section at the LEGOLAND theme park all about the Lego Movie which helps sell the film greatly to the target audience. As Warner bros is a American production company all this would have been planned before the release and even start of the production of the film. Whereas my other case study BBC Films Mr’s Browns Boys D’Movie only used synergy to help sell the film in a very minor way compared to Warner bros as they released a small range of products such as: a clothing range, costumes and small toys such as little dolls of the main characters to help sell the film to their target audience. This may have been due to the fact thatBBC Films Mr’s Browns Boys D’Movie is a British film whereas Warner Bros The Lego Movie but also it could be because BBC Films Mr’s Browns Boys D’Movie is more aimed towards adults as it’s a comedy whereas The Lego Movie is a children’s comedy meaning to appeal to them a lot more synergy products would have to be released a lot more.
The next step of distribution is convergence this is the release of products on many different media platforms. BBC films Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie used this to appeal to their target audience however not to a great effect, for example they have released: a soundtrack of the film on CD and on websites such as YouTube and Spotify, an autobiography of the main star Brendan O’Carroll was released where he talks about the film in great detail, lastly videos of the premiere and production of the film was released on sites such as YouTube to help sell the film.
In comparison my other case study Warner Bros the Lego Movie took the use of convergence to a whole new level. They released a video game on platforms such as PlayStation and Xbox to help the film appeal to their particular target audience, videos of the main actors were released of them talking about their characters, a soundtrack was released of the films non diegetic on sites such as YouTube and Spotify, an application is available to download which allows the target audience to play Lego Movie based games and find out as much information about the film as possible. Furthermore a theme song was released called ‘Everything is Awesome’ which follows all the films ethics and thoughts of the film. This particular song has been re-released by many different up and coming artists both professional and amateurs which is a good use of cross-media convergence because it un-intently helps promote and sell the film.
Furthermore The Lego Movie had two main distributors these were: Warner bros pictures and Roadshow Entertainment. Warner bros pictures are an American producer of film have been very successful over the years and have distributed many famous films such as Harry Potter and Sesame Street. Furthermore Roadshow Entertainment is part of the Australian media company Village Roadshow; they have helped distribute many films such as the terminator and First Blood. Mrs Browns Boys D’Movie had one main distributor Universal Pictures which like Warner bros it is classed as one of Hollywood’s big six distributors. They have distributed many famous films including Jaws and E.T.
Mrs Browns Boys had the premier in the Savoy cinema in the capital of Ireland Dublin this was to show that it hadn’t forgotten its original Irish roots which is a huge USP for the film. In contrast Warner bros animation’s The Lego Movie was first released in Copenhagen were the premier was held, this is because of the history of Lego and Denmark. The first pieces of Lego were first made in Denmark so the film about of Lego would more than defiantly first be shown there.
The Lego movie was released in most countries on either the 6th of 7th of February. This was because the countries released in first used the same characters meaning only subtitles were imported from the English version whereas the later releases of the film had new voices for the main characters.
In conclusion it is very easy to see the huge difference between American and British films. American ones are usually produced and distributed through one major company, Warner bros animation is a prime example of this as they have produced and distributed the Lego Movie purely on their own which is called horizontal integration. Whereas BBC Films had to have Universal pictures help to distribute the film which is a use of vertical integration. This shows how American films have the facilities, money and capabilities to fulfil everything which is required to have a successful film. Whereas British films have to sell their films to distribution companies to help complete the film making process. As a result this means the distribution of American films is a lot greater compared to the British films as the distribution of the film is usually thought of before the film is made whereas British film do that after the films is produced meaning lesser amounts of money are available to be made. Thisis the exact case for my case studies Warner bros animation The Lego Movie and BBC Films Mrs Browns Boys D’Movie.
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