Harry Brown

Companies responsible for making it: 

• Marv Films (presents) (as Marv Partners)
• UK Film Council (presents)
• HanWay Films (in association with)
• Prescience Film Fund (in association with) (as Prescience)
• Framestore (in association with) (as Framestore Features)
• Prescience

Year of release: 11 November 2009 (UK)

Classification: 
- UK:18.
- Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, drug use and sexual content. 

Budget: $7,300,000

Revenue: $1,818,681 (USA)
                    £4,557,776 (UK)
                    $6,294,140 (Worldwide box office)

Information found on: http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Harry-Brown#tab=summary
                                            http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289406/

brief synopsis:
- 'Harry Brown' is about an old man who used to be a former royal marine. He currently lives on an estate where the town is full of gangs. During the beginning of the film, Harry's wife passes away and he is left with only his best friend Lee. Lee talks to Harry about being scared of the gangs and shows a knife that he uses to defend himself. Harry is later told that Lee was murdered in a fire in his flat. Lack of evidence from the suspects mean the case cannot be investigated so it is dropped and they are released. 
- After hearing news about Lee's murder, Harry decides to take things into his own hands. He manages to get himself a pistol deal but things go wrong when he get threatened as he asks for an ambulance for the girl. Harry then has to ambush the pair and kills them both.
-After ambushing the pair, he steals some weapons, burns down the den and takes the girl to hospital in their car. The bag which contains money, is taken to the church where he deposits the money after giving some to the girl.
- Harry then watches over the gang from Lee's old apartment. Harry kills the newest member of the gang. He uses a gang member as bait for Noal and another gang member into a gunfight. Noel is able to escape but the other gang member is killed. Harry chases after Noel but falls down after having an attack and is taken to hospital. 
- Car crash in the riots. Harry rescues them and takes them to Sid's pub, where Frampton confronts Harry and tells him that Sid is actually Noel's uncle. 
- Sid appears to be apologetic but as Harry drops his guard with an emphysema attack Sid takes his gun and delivers a vicious blow.
- Noel kicks and pounds the already injured Detective Inspector. Harry is thrown on the floor semi-conscious.
- Sid suffocates Hicock to death while Noel begins strangling Frampton. Harry then manages to draws a revolver and kills Noel and Sid in return shoots Harry. Harry asks to be taken out of his misery but before Sid can finally execute him, Frampton's police backup arrives and he is gunned down by a police marksman.
- The final scene is of Harry walking toward the underpass - it's quiet and the gang nowhere in sight. 



How it's told:
- It's told in a way that makes the audience empathise with Harry. It is seen from his point of view so that the audience can understand why he did the things he had to do. This point of view filming enables Harry to be able to get away with the killings and not get hate from the audience because they know that he is doing it to protect the community and make it safe for the people who live in it. By showing his viewpoint, the crimes that Harry commits are seen as slightly good because he is stopping the gang who commit hideous crimes on the innocent members of the public. This means that he's seen as more of a hero than a killer. 



Notes:

• At the beginning of the film, a bunch of youths are seen to be doing drugs and holding a gun. Some youth are then seen to be driving on a motorbike/moped when a mother in a park is shot by these youths. The youths are then seen to drive into a lorry and get killed. This part of the film is recorded with a camera that gives the impression that it's being recorded with a camera phone. This was done to give the audience a sense of realism and that what was happening appeared genuine and that the audience were a part of it.

• The location of the film makes the overall appearance more effective. This is because the location helps for the audience to get a deeper understanding of the way Harry, the youths and the community live. Although it's no excuse for the youths to commit such crimes, the audience can see that their backgrounds and lives aren't the best so it may be the only thing that the youths can do to keep themselves entertained. 

• The titles have been specifically positioned in order to create a sense of the film. The names of the cast are all the same size - small This has been done to show the fact that Harry Brown is just another part of society and that he is no different to the youths and other members of the community.

• The wiping of the crumbs can also be seen as a metaphor for the next part of the film. Harry wipes away the crumbs off the table because it's rubbish. This can also indicate what is going to happen next because Harry ends up killing the gang. In his eyes, the gang are seen as rubbish. He is therefore symbolising the getting rid of the crumbs with the getting rid of the gang.

• The lighting within this film was made to look as natural as possible. There wasn't too much artificial lighting, which made the film look more affective. The lighting within the pub was minimal to make the audience think that the direction of the light was coming from a window on the right of Lee and the left of Harry.

• The location of Harry's flat is on an estate that doesn't look appealing. There is rubbish found within the grounds and graffiti on the walls. The shot of the two officers walking out of Harry's flat after telling him that Lee is dead, has been made to look as bad as possible. This shot shows a black bag, a car with no hubcaps and writing on the walls. This has been made to look this way so the audience can get a better understanding of the way the people live and look after their estate. 

• Set design - been made specifically to look more run down and follow the style of the estate. This therefore makes the scenes look more old and dirty like the estate in which it was filmed on.

Homwork due 21st Jan

Read the page on the Representation of Gender at top.

Use technical language - your checklist should help.

 Editing
 Sound
 Mise en scène

The first obvious camera shot that indicates the use of gender is the over the shoulder shot of the woman. This is when the woman is having a conversation with the man who works within the shop. This camera shot allows for the audience to see that the man is taller than her and this therefore makes it look like he has more authority than the woman who is looking at a dress. This delivery of authority indicates gender as the man being more in charge and having power over the woman, therefore making her leave.

The next shot to indicate gender is the extreme close up of the other woman's hand. On her hand, is a big and expensive looking ring. Due to the fact she's shopping in a high standard shop, the audience may assume that her husband has the money rather than her because of the fact she's a woman. The ring therefore indicates that she is wealthy, but only thanks to her husband rather than herself.

A tilt shot is used to show the woman as she's tries on the black backless dress in the shop. This camera shot has been done in order to demonstrate the woman's sexiness. During this scene, the audience find out that she is buying the dress. This dress gives off the impression that she is wearing it to look good for someone. She is made to feel like an object to men because of her sexy figure.

There is also a medium shot taken of a man further on in the clip. This shot indicates that the man is trying to multitask which indicates a sense of feminism due to the fact that woman are usually the ones who can do more than one thing at a time. He is seen to be on the phone while he is trying to fix something. The whole idea of him trying to fix something is commonly associated and stereotyped with being masculine as they're the ones who use tools and try to fix or repair things that need attention.

There is an eye line match during the scene when the man and woman are talking. The eye line match indicates gender because the woman is looking up at the man. This can be stereo typically viewed as authority. This means that because men are commonly known to have higher status and power than women, she is looking up at him. This eye line match allows for the audience to gasp that although she is wealthy, the man still has higher authority over her because he owns the shop.

A diegetic and synchronous sound that can be heard is the woman when she loses her ring. The speech she says is "my husband will kill me". This instantly allows the audience to see that she has lower authority over her husband because he is the man in charge and is the wealthy one of the two. She is dependent on him and doesn't want to disappoint him because she's afraid of him. This is stereotypical for the woman to be taken charge of by their man because he is the higher authority gender.

Another diegetic and synchronous sound that is heard within this clip is the alarm that goes off when the man is trying to fix something. This indicates a change in gender due to the fact that the man is trying to multitask - which is commonly stereotyped with women. This change in gender affects the performance of the man who is talking on the phone while trying to fix something. Because he cannot multitask very well due to the fact he's a man, he sets the alarm off which therefore causes him to react in a way that isn't commonly associated with men (who are meant to be tough and calm). This man reacts in a panicked way which is more so associated with woman.

The mise-en-scene of the woman's clothes indicate a sense of feminism due to the fact that the outfit she walks in with, is tight and well fitted to compliment her figure. This shows that she is being feminist because she is showing off her luxurious figure. The dress that she tries on also indicates her feminine side because it was sexy and glamorous like a stereotypical woman's outfit if she wants to be sexy.

By analysing the overall appearance of the shop floor, I have come to the conclusion that the shop is a woman's shop due to the racks of woman's dresses that are available for purchase. The fact that the owner of the shop is a male, may indicate that he is in touch with his feminine side. This isn't stereotypical behaviour of a male character but he is going against stereotypes and acting more feminine.

The older man who is talking to the younger man in a scene, is dressed in a suit and drinking whiskey. This automatically demonstrates that he is masculine because he is dressed smartly and drinking a strong drink. Whiskey is seen to be a drink for 'tough' men due to the fact that it's strength is quite high. This therefore indicates that he is being stereotypical of men and showing his masculinity. 

History of the British Film Industry

History of british film industry from StephWebb

Q's for homework

1. What constitutes a British film?
In order for a film to be classed as British, it must go through a culture test. This test requires 16 or more out of 31. Anything below 16 does not pass and therefore isn't classed as British so does not get tax reductions. There are 4 mark criteria sections that are in this culture test and they consist of:
- Cultural content.
- Cultural Contribution.
- Cultural hubs.
- Cultural practitioners.



2. What are the various methods of marketing a film? 
-  Social Media - the use of places such as Facebook,Twitter and Instagram can help market the film.
- Online review websites such as IMDB where the film is promoted and a rating is given.
- Cinemas: using the advertisement time before a showing of a film to market it to the audience.
- Cinema websites.
- Film posters on display.
- Trailers.
- Television adverts.
- Radio adverts.
- Billboards.


3. What are the different ways a film can be exhibited and consumed?
- Through DVDs both legal and illegal (pirated).
- Cinema.
- Streaming through devices such as mobile phones and tablets.
- Streaming - Netflix, LoveFilm, etc.
- Internet websites.
- Blu-ray.
- Television.
- Youtube.

Further notes on distribution

• Distribution describes everything that happens between production (the making of the film) and the exhibition (the watching of the film through cinema, media and television etc).

• Distribution involves deals being made in order to get films shown and promoted.

• Promotion: involves paid for 'above the line' advertising - funded as part of the project through things like trailers, posters, billboards etc. 'Below the line' publicity is not paid for but generates mutual interest i.e. an interview with a newspaper where a review is completed.

• Film distribution isn't seen as a 'helpful' stage within a film where distributors treat all films equally and ensure fair play in the film's attention with the public.

• Films: loaned out to cinemas for a certain time period  + release deals are completed so that the film is screened securely in a certain number of screen at any one time. In the UK market, an increase in the number of screens showing films has not ensured an increase in the number of films shown.

• Five major distributors dominate the UK film industry. These 5 distributors are: United International Picture (Universal is included in this company), Warner Brothers, Buena Vista, Twentieth Century Fox and also Sony. Approximately 9/10 films seen in the UK are watched as a result of these 5 distributors. 

• Most cases: these distributors - linked to the HollyWood production companies who actually make the films. Usually the blockbuster films we are familiar with are distributed via 'blanket release'.

• If a small UK independent company manages to get its product into the cinemas, it is usually competing for attention with one or more films. One of the outcomes of the distribution arrangement outlined above is that half of the films released in Britain do not reach the whole country.

• Film distributors are responsible for prints and marketing. 
• Prints: producing physical copies of a film for both cinema and home release + exhibitors/retailers to sell the film.
• Marketing: Raising audience awareness and anticipation of a new release.

• A distributor may:
• Be a part of the same parent company as the production company.
• Have a long term arrangement and provide financial assistance for many of their productions.
• Provide financial assistance for a single film by a production company.
• Acquire a film after it has completed production.

• A film is likely have different distributors for:
• Releases in different countries.
• Cinema releases.
• Home-video releases.

360-degrees branding

- Film promotion seeks to surround us with their brand, multi platform, converged media forms.

- Trigger engagement in audiences.

- Communicates with your prospects and customers from all directions.

Institutions and Audiences - Notes

What is distribution?
- Distribution is focused on marketing and sustaining a global product in local markets.

- Distribution can be divided into three stages - licensing, marketing and logistics.

- It's the Most important part in the film industry.

- 'The invisible art' - a process known only to those within the industry. 
- Distribution is  collaborative process, requiring the materials and rights of the producer
- Operation of the exhibitor to promote and show the film in the best way possible. 


Licensing
- Process of distributor acquiring the legal right to make use of a film. 
- International distribution ensures that films find their way to the 90+ market 'territories' around the world. 
- Independent producers have to sell their films to different distributors in each territory.
- Independent production companies are usually small concerns and therefore might choose to hire a specialist sales agent who understands the value of a film in many different markets.
- 'Local' distribution - involves the distributor gaining the licence to release and make use of the film in a particular country.
- Distributor will usually pay the producer a minimum guarantee for the licence. 


Marketing
- The schedule for forthcoming releases is coordinated and published by the Film Distributors Association.
- A distributor will assess this schedule to identify a Friday release date where there are only a few films scheduled for release.
- Finding a 'light' week will ensure that there will be screen space and review columns in the press.
- The distributor will try to position the film distinctively and avoid a release date occupied by other films with similar traits (story, subject, country of origin).
- After setting a release date, the distributor works towards the theatrical release, investing in the materials and the marketing campaign to support it.
- The costs of theatrical distribution, met by local distributors, are often referred to as 'P&A' (Prints and Advertising).


Marketing: Prints and Advertising
The quantity and production of release prints and trailers:
- Specialised films will often be released with fewer than 10 prints into key independent cinemas

Press materials, clips reels, images, press previews, screener tapes:
- For the majority of releases, favourable press response is a key factor in developing the profile and desirability of a film.

The design and printing of posters and other promotional artwork:
- The cinema poster - in the UK this means the standard 30" x 40".

Advertising campaign - locations, ad size and frequency:
- Advertising: magazines, national and local newspapers and press coverage is used to raise awareness of a release.
- The cost of print advertising in the UK is comparatively high. Its seen as making distribution in the UK a riskier business than in most other countries. 
- In order to extend advertising and develop more effective communication with audiences at low cost, distributors are looking increasingly to 'viral marketing' - different forms of electronic media via the internet, email and mobile phones.

Press campaign / contracting a PR agency:
- Many independent distributors in particular do not have press departments, and will consequently hire a press agency to run a pre-release campaign.

Arranging visit by talent from the film:
- The use of talent: usually the director and/or lead actors - wins significant editorial coverage to support a release.

Other preview screenings:
- A distributor will consider the use of advance public screenings to create word-of-mouth and advance 'buzz' around a film.


Logistics
- Phase of distribution at its most basic - supplying and circulating copies of the film to theatres, of tapes and DVDs to shops and video rental stores, and managing the effectiveness of the supply. 
- Cinemas spend their money publicising film play-dates and times in local papers or through published programmes.
- Each print can cost around £1,000 - or twice that if subtitled - so a degree of care is required of everyone involved in handling the print. 
- Prints are hired by the exhibitor for the duration of their play-dates, and therefore each print is made for repeat use.
- Distributor will invest in sufficient prints to provide optimum coverage through the first period of theatrical release, usually lasting up to 6 months.


Case Study: Bullet Boy
- Low budget, independent feature helmed by first-time feature director Saul Dibb.
- UK rapper Ashley Walters as Ricky: young man newly released from prison, but unable to extricate himself from the cycle of gang violence that has become an everyday feature in some parts of inner-city London. 
- Showed the effects of Ricky's life on his mother and his younger brother.
- 2004: the film quickly gathered a reputation - first film to tackle the difficult subject of contemporary gang and gun crime in Britain’s inner cities. 
- The release was handled by Verve Pictures. 
- This take on contemporary urban life offered a unique selling point for the film.
- In order to broaden the theatrical release of the film, Verve applied for funds from the UK Film Council's P and A Fund.
- Released: 8th April 2005, opening on 75 prints UK wide.
- The campaign included advertising in all of the national daily newspapers, two tabloids, newspapers with a black perspective, a selective London Underground campaign and extensive use of radio stations.
- First six months of theatrical release, the film had grossed an impressive £450,000 at the UK box office


Digital Distribution
- Digital technology: cost effective and a logistics-light alternative.
- It will, eventually, be cheaper and much less stressful to send films as computer files to cinemas across the UK. 
- Digital distribution: large scale has started to appear in certain parts of the world, notably China and Brazil, where conventional logistics cannot.
- DSN (Digital Screen Network)will initially work with files transferred from a high definition digital master (either HDD5, or HD Cam).
- It will be possible for the distributor to send feature film files electronically, via broadband networks, thus eliminating dependence on transportation.
- It will be less expensive in the coming years to offer a wide theatrical opening with many copies and to screen a film for just one performance at any cinema.
- In theory at least, it will be possible for both distributors and exhibitors to respond more precisely to audience demand.
- The adoption of digital technologies offers greater opportunities for distributors to create joined-up campaigns for theatrical and DVD releases. 

Comparison of avatar and trainspotting

The comparison of the two trailers:

Avatar:
When watching the trailer of Avatar, it was clear that the film had a high budget because the surroundings and special effects looked professional. The artificial settings found within the film indicated that a lot of money was used to create realistic sets that look good. CGI (computer generated imagery) was also used to create the avatar characters. This is a high tech piece of equipment that requires a lot of money to use and produce a good film.

The money behind the films

Avatar

Cost of the production of Avatar: $425,000,000

Domestic gross (USA): $760,507,625

Worldwide gross: $2,783,918,982

Source of information found on:
http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/budgets/

Profit: $2,358,918,982

Trainspotting

Cost of production of Trainspotting: $3,500,000

Worldwide gross: $72,001,785

Source of information: www.worldwideboxoffice.com

Profit: $68,501,785

NMT used in industries

NMT (New Media Technologies) used within:

• Newspaper industry - Black and white, You can find out about the news through apps, the internet - social networking sites - twitter and facebook, and web-links and by visiting local newsagents.

• Magazine industry - You can get magazines from the internet -  from the magazine's website and other web links that talk about that magazine from local shops/newsagents and by downloading apps.

• Film industry - The internet - websites that promote the film i.e. social networking and IMDB, netflix, Youtube, web links that show it online, 3D, cinemas, trailers to promote the film, pirated DVDs, DVDs, blu-ray and apps - mobiles devices, rentals.

• Music industry - Youtube, Itunes, illegal websites i.e lime wire, Television, apps, videos.

• Television industry - HD, 3D, on demand, internet - websites that inform audience what is on and what can be watched online, recordings.