X INDUSTRY2 Why Working Title is and Warp isn't successful

Working Title

Warp

• Star-power
• BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY (Maguire, 2001)
• Hugh Grant, Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth
• Can afford A-listers (budget of $26m)
• Use for star billing on advertisement (posters)

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via GIPHY

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• LE DONK AND SCOR-ZAY-ZEE (Meadows, 2009)
• No A-listers
• Can't afford (budget of only £48k)
• Doesn't appeal to audience as much

• CGI and SFX
• PAUL (Mottola, 2011)
• Sci-fi comedy genre
• Can afford to use CGI and SFX (budget of $40m)
• Appeals to audience

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via GIPHY

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• No movie with CGI or SFX

• Product Placement
• ABOUT A BOY (Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, 2002)
• Product placement of Bang and Olufsen and Phillips 
• Companies use these Big 5 movies to advertise their products

• No movie with product placement
• Their movies don't get a lot of recognition so companies won't bother paying them to include their products

• Tie-ins
• BRIDGET JONES'S BABY (Maguire, 2016)
• Softis toilet role tie-in
• Poster for Bridget Jones's Baby on the packaging

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via GIPHY

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• No movie with tie-ins

• Tentpole/Budget
• GREEN ZONE (Greengrass, 2010)
• Starring Matt Damon
• Tentpole (budget of $100m)

• LE DONK AND SCOR-ZAY-ZEE (Meadows, 2009)
• 5 day shoot
• Budget less than 1% of Green Zone (budget of £48k)

• Genre
• SHAUN OF THE DEAD (Wright, 2004)
• Can afford to do any genre they want ($6.1m)
• Even hybrid genres such as the zom-rom-com
• Don't show as many representations

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via GIPHY

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• TYRANNOSAUR (Considine, 2011)
• Can't afford to do different genres (£750k)
• Mainly stick to social realism genre
• Show different representations

• Franchise
• BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY (Maguire, 2001)
• BRIDGET JONES'S BABY (Maguire, 2016)
• Franchise with book and second movie

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via GIPHY

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• THIS IS ENGLAND (Meadows, 2006)
• Became a short TV show

• Horizontal Integration

• Vertical Integration
• NBC Universal an example of vertical integration
• Working Title being a production company
• Warp does not own distribution and exhibition/exchange companies

• IP
• LES MISÉRABLES (Ly, 2019)
• Originally a novel
• Can afford to pay intellectual property (budget of $61m)

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via GIPHY

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• Can't afford to pay IP

• China
• Second biggest film market in the world
• A quota of 34 movies per year 
• Working Title could achieve this
• Warp could never

X THEORY2 Laura Mulvey Male Gaze

The Male Gaze theory by Laura Mulvey focuses on the sexual objectification of women in media.  Click here to find out more.  

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Carroll Clover another feminist pointed out that this isn't always the case. In Slasher movies, there is a final girl.  The protagonist is almost always a teenage girl who isn't sexualised.

• argument against the male gaze
• agencing - having a sense of ownership/control 
• Clover agrees that males are more active and females are more passive however not in the horror genre due to the final girl having agency

X FILM OPENING EG1 Pretty in Pink

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IDENTS

• Only one company ident (Paramount Pictures)
• Now usually a few company idents

TITLES

• Wording, font use, order - all very important
• In older movies, usually all put at the end

TITLES IN ORDER 

(If in bold - bigger font size)

• PARAMOUNT PICTURES PRESENTS (all upper case and sans-serif - less likely to connote sophistication) - Black and white connoting seriousness / drama genre.  Polysemic title - sans-serif font with white on black.
• A JOHN HUGHES PRODUCTION (all upper case, sans-serif).  Expected auteur theory however usually "Film" and not "Production".  

SHOTS

• Exposition shot - narrative enigma.  Some degree of context - a working class area (grass growing over pavement, rusty car, broken roads)
• Panning shot showing both sides of the track - Born/from the wrong side of the tracks - One side is a nice area than the other.

X ML4 Warp V Working Title Production Crossword

PRACTICE CROSSWORD

X IDEAS3 Our pitch

OUR PITCH
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Our film opening pitch from westhamwindows

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X IDEAS2 Zombies

SHAUN OF THE DEAD
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Things we liked (ignoring the bar scene):

• Everyone looking like zombies however they're just doing their boring jobs
• When a car would go past and it would cut into next shot
• The continuous panning from left to right 
• The use of titles such as the Shaun of the Dead on the floor
• The narrative enigma of Shaun panning from feet to head and looks like a zombie
• The quick shots of parts of his morning routine

ZOMBIELAND

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Things we liked:

• The video recorder effect
• Point of view shot with the first zombie
• The visuals of Earth (don't know if we could do that)
• The use of titles for the rules
• The funny list of rules
• The slo mo title sequence (however we thought it was too long)
• The moving titles in the title sequence

WARM BODIES

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Things we liked:

• The narrative enigma of the main character then revealing he is a zombie
• The set design
• The internal monologue
• Flashbacks
• Scenes going on behind character 
• The transition back to how it was before and then back to now

X SEMIOTICS3 Semiotics rap

OUR TASK 

We had to make a semiotics rap.  This is in order to help us remember these terms so we can use them regularly.  It's a fun and easier way to remember these different terms.

LOUIS'S VERSES












Semiotics rap this is the way to go
Lots of different terms a bit like juxtapose
I’m guessing you want to know what that means
Well it’s something you see often on your tv screens

The places of two images on either side
Of an edit, creating a divide
This means there is an effect caused
That’s a pretty smart term, how bout you give me an applause

I think it’s about time we look at our next term
Connotation, that’s one to learn
The symbolic meaning of every factual detail
Knowing this, a levels are not something you will fail

Let’s look at the main man Roland Barthes
When it comes to effort, he worked the hardest
Born 1915 and died in Paris, France
Now give us a few seconds this is the semiotics dance
















Now that that’s done we can move on
We can research binary opposition
a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite
That’s pretty cool, isn’t it

MY VERSES

We look at a picture and we denote
But then you have to write some notes
These note are signifiers and connotes
Idk what to say so eat some oats

Many signifiers leads to an anchor
We needed that or it sank her
Signifiers have many possible meanings
Polysemy can be good on screening

There is preferred reading
Negotiated reading
Oppositional reading
Don’t know what it means, do some reading

Spooky scary narrative enigma
Gives the character a bad stigma
With intertextuality, everything links
Like episodes of the Simpsons, don't you think?

Narrative enigma gives some mystery
Making people wonder who is he?
The point is that we don't know
Because on screen we don't let it show

OUR VERSES TOGETHER

We keep it hidden till the very end
And then the connotations are what we send
The symbolic meaning of every factual detail
Connotations even found in Donald Trump's email

Proppian archetypes are a base
I'm about to spill my metaphorical briefcase
Each media text has its archetypes
For example the hero bringing the hype

Equilibrium is where it all starts
Keeping it chill until it all falls apart
Todorov is the owner of this theory
Now we don’t have to query

X SEMIOTICS2 applied to Working Title posters

(This post was originally created by Spikey Films)



- Central framing (rule of thirds)
- Both characters set in the middle of the framing, clearly showing the protagonists.
- Also leaving space for the sky, connoting a romantic feel
- Plain colours (both the clothes and the rest of the cover follow a blue and black tone, therefore signifying the movie as a drama, with no comedy elements)
- Style of title (bold serif font, also helping to connote the drama theme)
- Background includes castle, which glamourises the upper-class life
- The physical contact between the characters connotes a love theme
- Facial expressions (look serious, therefore clearly not comedic)
- long-shot

- Main characters holding tools/sport equipment/flowers as weapon (makes its clear it is comedy)
- Flowers being held by female character (connotes rom-com theme)
- Zombies on screen clearly signifies what style of movie it is (zom-rom-com)
- making it a hybrid means it is approachable for more audiences (hybrid)
- widens the preferred reading (could include more negotiated reading and less oppositional reading)
- female holding the flowers (stereotyping)
- although she is also fighting (countertype)

- Pink text connote romance
- Purple font contrasts the pink slightly, as the comedy element shines through
- Female character is centre of the screen, signifying she is the main character
- 2 males and a female connotes their could be a love triangle
- Females facial expression also contrasts the romance with comedy, as she does not look too serious
- Sans-serif bubble font, also clearly shows it isn't a film to be taken seriously
- Binary opposition between male and female

- Black and white split on screen (showing good and bad side)
- Character on black side does not cross over onto the other side, whereas Tom Hardy on the white side crosses over onto the white, connoting he could be an anti-hero
- Bold non-serif font
- Suited up, therefore glamourising the upper-class once again
- Hand in pockets, showing a serious vibe
- man in a suit (stereotyping)

X SEMIOTICS1 applied to Warp films

TYRANNOSAUR

Tyrannosaur poster

• Rule of thirds, centrally framed connoting this man as the protagonist
• However, prop (wooden baseball bat), lighting, mise-en-scene etc connote he could be the antagonist
• Own binary opposition - creating narrative enigma
• Serif font signifying a drama genre
• Wrinkles - older man - older audience
• Skin head, vest top - working class
• Terraced houses on edge of poster - working class
• Dark weather - drama
• High key lighting on only one side - reflects his two different personalities - drama
• Small 'a film by Paddy Considine' denotes auteur theory
• 2 awards won & reviews to lead promotion
• High angle - surprising for protagonist
• Bare tree - drama 
• Violence - in this shot - violence to himself - self-loathing
• Contemplating - not stupid like the stereotypical working class
• Narrative enigma - what is he regretting?
• Names but not big or bold
• All upper case

LE DONK & SCOR-ZAY-ZEE

Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee poster

• Bright colours with title, stars, graffiti (not serious)
• Fat character signifies comedy in this case
• Wearing scruffy clothes, therefore not glamourising the working-class
• Underwear hanging connotes a comedy genre
• Setting = covered in graffiti (connotation of rough area) + (typical warp)
• Intertextual reference of 'Spinal Tap' 
• Stereotypes = short hair, relatively masculine colours
• rule of thirds - centred on the cover (protagonist)
• more inviting as character is directly referencing the character with hand gesture
• Text = scruffy serif font
• Narrative enigma as we don't know who the character is + his eyes are covered by sunglasses
• Long-shot/extreme long-shot
• Mid angle
• Shane Meadows made clear on cover = denotes the auteur theory
• Small text showing the actors (not famous actors, therefore no need to have their names clear on the cover)
• Not a star vacuole + film ratings on cover
• Showing off film festival ratings
• intertextuality with name (Martin Scorsese)
• Two shot

X PRACTICE5 Voice recording

VOICE RECORDING

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• In Final Cut Pro, press on window (top left)
• Click record voice over
• Make sure you can see where you want to put the voice over

X PRACTICE4 Using green screen

USING GREEN SCREEN

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• Find a green screen video on Youtube (or film something in front of a green screen)
• Copy URL of the video
• Download video
• Import video into Final Cut Pro
• Drag effect keyer onto green screen clip

X PRACTICE3 Adding sound effects

ADDING SOUND EFFECTS

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• Find a sound effect on YouTube
• Copy the URL of the video
• Change the video to mp3 using a website
• Import sound into Final Cut Pro and use

X PRACTICE2 Installing and using fonts

INSTALLING AND USING FONTS
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• Find an website where you can download fonts
• Find the font you want to use
• Click download
• Make sure the font is a True Type Font (ttf)
• Double click on the file and then press 'Install Font'
• Make sure Final Cut Pro is closed
• Open Final Cut Pro
• Drag in a title
• Change font to the one just downloaded

X PRACTICE1 Prelim

This Prelim was to help us with getting used to using Final Cut Pro X.  We could be as creative as we wanted as it was just to help us get to grips with FCPX.  We explored the use of titles, sound and editing.  For the titles, we typed up what we wanted to say and copied and pasted it to put over the top in red so it appears to have a shadow.  We also downloaded the font from the internet.  For sound, we found a useful sound, both for the background and the explosion, on youtube and converted it to an mp3.  We also did a voiceover at the end.  For the editing, we attempted to create a match-on-action cut with the door opening as well as the conversation.  We also found a green screen video of an explosion on youtube, converted it to an mp4 and imported that into FCPX.  We transformed it until it was where we wanted it to be and then added the keyer effect.
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X INDUSTRY1 Factors that influence Box Office

WARP

• Why Warp can't produce any genre besides social realism and horror - (and comedy - 4 Lions -'suicide bomber comedy' 

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• Warp X makes lots of horror - similarity between horror and social realism - both lack CGI, IP, stars. Warp X doesn´t have access to a high budget and has to stick to these genres as they have a lack of budget.
• If they were bought by a conglomerate, they would be able to diversify to different genres.

WORKING TITLE

• Working Title have the budget to diversify into different genres. 
• They can use CGI and SFX for Sci-Fi genres such as in Paul

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• They also can afford IP such as the Bridget Jones franchise as it was originally a novel

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BILLIE ELLIOT 

• Outliar for Working Title - WT2 - low budget end - Psuedo Indie 
• Low budget and social realism (around $2m budget)
• Grim setting, accents, working class
• Appealed because of feel good ending - ties in with American Dream
• Warp don't usually have feel good endings

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