Another great example of Viral advertising

I was doing some research on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) last week and came across this interesting form of advertisement for the Universe as a whole, but more specifically Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War.

The video below is one of a series of 10 which are on YouTube and suggest to the audience that it's a real news channel. In fact, it's a 'fake' channel which had uploaded a few videos about the events in the MCU, including an interview with Scott Lang (protagonist in Ant-Man) and the President in the Marvel Universe, Matthew Ellis.
This is a great example of film companies creating interesting and engaging content to advertise their films without actually advertising it in a direct way (notice that there's no mention of a new film coming out!) and also building the 'world' of the MCU to make it seem more believable and generally 'bigger' than just the films. It's also interesting to note the presenter, Christine Eberhart featured as a reported in the Iron Man films and that WHIH is also seen in the Marvel TV series Daredevil, possibly suggesting that the MCU could be joined by the characters from the TV shows, given that the news channel is combining the two together.

Have a watch below-this is a great example that can be used in your Paper 1 GCSE exam, especially for questions 3 and 4 but also potentially for an AS Film Studies exam. I've also added the videos to the school YouTube channel under the playlist Superhero Films.

Costume development for superhero films

Just a quick post for GCSE Paper One students. 

The image below shows the development of costume for Superman and Batman across TV and Film. This is the kind of useful information that might be handy in an exam, especially for questions 3 & 4. 

Remember: you don't need to be a costume expert to mention this stuff-describe the changes in broad terms first (more colourful, less bright, more realistic, a bit silly looking, more technology etc) and the just describe WHY you think the chances might have happened. 

A good revision technique is to try it with this image-describe the changes and why they've happened. 

Then, try for other costumes; search google for 'captan america costume development' or 'Spider-Man costume evolution' for example. 

The sound design of Captain America: Civil War

Sound design is often one of the most important, but ignored, aspects of micro elements in filmmaking. 

This video gives viewers an insight into how the sound design of Captain America: Civil War was designed and what the sound designers wanted to achieve. 

This is a great resource for GCSE Film students looking for revision for Paper 1 or anyone with an interest in filmmaking. 

http://nofilmschool.com/2016/05/what-does-superhero-civil-war-sound-sound-design-captain-america

The future of the cinema is at home?!

 Just a quick post that might be useful for AS Film Students in terms of Production, Distribution and Exhibition. Below are some links that offer some ideas and possibilities for the future of cinema by watching the latest releases at home. 
Why the need for this an option is worth considering, as is the reasons why this is a good idea (or not!?) but are certainly worth reading and thinking about as case studies for your FM2 exam.  


http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/29/flix-premiere/

http://variety.com/2016/film/columns/hollywood-sean-parker-home-movie-services-screening-room-1201737625/

http://www.techinsider.io/sean-parker-streaming-rental-startup-the-screening-room-2016-3

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3464839/The-35k-Netflix-billionaires-box-shows-films-come-cinema-500-time-rumoured-Kim-Kayne-one-new-home.html 

http://www.primacinema.com/

Superb case study on the viral marketing of The Dark Knight

Not sure what viral marketing is? Struggling for an in-depth example?
Have a look at this BRILLIANT case study from 'robertclackmedia' on slideshare. 

This is a great example of viral marketing and something which could be really important for AS Film Studies, but also has some great examples for GCSE Film Paper 1.

The dark knight marketing from robertclackmedia

How Deadpool aced viral marketing.

This is a brilliant article about the superb marketing campaign for Deadpool which has been incredibly important in the success of the film at the Box Office. 

A must read for ALL film students; you'll get to learn about viral marketing, will see some brilliant examples of marketing and discover LOADS of information about marketing campaigns that you can refer to in exams. 

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/02/how-deadpool-aced-viral-marketing.html

Momentum takes just £46 at the Box Office! Why?

Great for GCSE Industry Analysis and AS Level case studies on distribution: you can almost literally see where the £46 spent watching the film went. 

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/24/morgan-freeman-thriller-momentum-flops-uk-cinema

129 of the greatest shots in movie history?

An interesting collection of stills from films via a BuzzFeed post, linked below.
Some wonderful images here.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/there-will-be-scrolling#.dka168LXe

Have Filmmakers run out of popular literary fare to adapt?

The link below from The Guardian.com looks at whether Filmmakers have run out of popular novelisation series to transform into motion pictures, with such adaptions such as Harry Potter, Lord of the rings and this year the Hunger games series being over and done with, what will take their place? As a result Filmmakers are having to write their own stories to take their place on the big screen examples include Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them (2016), Star Wars the Force Awakens (2015), several Marvel movies and more.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/30/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-end-of-appointment-cinema

How many of the greatest films (according to IMDb.com) have you seen?

The internet Movie Database recently celebrated its 25th anniversary (would birthday be more appropriate?) and to mark the occasion the website published a list of the 25 best films of the last 25 years. 

http://m.imdb.com/anniversary/

Buzzfeed have compiled these films, one from each year that the IMDB has been active and created a list. How many have you seen? Which ones would you like to see next? Do you agree with the list? 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lifeonmars/how-many-of-imdbs-top-25-movies-from-the-past-25-4sj7#.xnyVkmeOoQ

Why Cinemas are refusing to show new Paranormal Activity film...

And no, it's not because it's too scary. 

One of the key issues with cinema chains is the period of time which a film cannot be seen AFTER it's been in the cinema. This is sometimes known as the 'cinema-to-digital window' and typically means that a film cannot be sold to watch at home until 90 days after the film has been in the cinema. 

However, Paramount, the distribution company in charge of the latest Paranormal Activity film, 'The Ghost Dimension' have struck a deal so that the film can be rented/purchased as soon as 17 days after the film opens in cinemas. 

This has annoyed cinema chains to the extent that many are now refusing to show the film and it will open in 1,400 North American locations when it opens 23 October, compared to 2,883 for the last film. This will massively impact the film's box office performance, but could open up the chance of a strong home viewing performance. 

This is a really interesting and contemporary issue which allows you to consider why Paramount has opted to do this, what it says about cinematic releases, the home market, 3D as a format and the evolution of the Paranormal Activity franchise. 

Read more below: 

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/16/paranormal-activity-the-ghost-dimension-scares-off-cinema-owners

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paranormal-activity-ghost-dimension-shunned-832289

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/paranormal-activity/37379/paranormal-activity-ghost-dimenson-being-boycotted-by-us-cinemas

90's film Quiz

Think you know your 90's cinema, then take the Shortlist quiz and see how many movies from the 90’s you can name. Take the quiz by following the link bellow.

http://www.shortlist.com/quizzes/can-you-name-99-movies-from-the-90s-by-a-single-screenshot

Mary Poppins is back !!!

Iconic, magical, super nanny Mary Poppins is set to return to the big screen. This new film is said to be more true to P.L. Travers original novels and include Poppins work from all 8 original books rather than just the 1 depicted in Walt Disney’s 1964 version.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11865219/Disney-announces-plan-for-Mary-Poppins-remake.html

Jaws and the making of the modern blockbuster.

Jaws is 40 years old. Frequently said to be the film that started the summer blockbuster it's not only a brilliant film, but it's also a really fascinating case study on how films get made, how the best Director's adapt on set and how release schedules today are influenced by the success of Jaws. 

This article on The Guardian is an interesting read for GCSE coursework and a useful example for AS film. Well worth a read. 

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/31/jaws-40-years-on-truly-great-lasting-classics-of-america-cinema

GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 Revision

Just to point out that the revision guide for Paper 2 can be found here:

http://mxbrfilm.blogspot.co.uk/p/gcse-film-revision.html

Wishing you all the very best of luck, but revise hard and you won't need it!

Really useful video for revision

This video below is a brilliant way to quickly go over many of the key points, characters, themes and narratives of Marvel films since 2008. It goes into a lot of detail about things that might not be important to the Paper 1 GCSE exam such as the comics and backstory, BUT, it's a really handy recap about some film titles, characters, super powers and other things that you should be revising by now!

Have a watch, make some notes, answer some questions in the revision guide and revision powerpoint and remember; this is just the tip of the iceberg-go to YouTube and search for other clips from other superhero films.

Revision help

Hi all,

I've started to upload a whole raft of stuff to help you revise, ready for the exams which are coming really, REALLY soon.
If you go to the section on this blog called GCSE Film Revision you'll find revision guides, PowerPoints, YouTube videos and other bits and bobs to help.  http://mxbrfilm.blogspot.co.uk/p/gcse-film-revision.html

I'll add more when I find it/make it and will post on here to let you all know when I've added revision for Paper 2, on The Boy With the Striped Pyjamas.

Happy revising all!

Brilliant example of foley sound

http://www.empireonline.com/features/cinema-sound-secrets-foley-artist/

The evolution of Batman in Cinema

Here's a really handy little video that would be of use for GCSE Film revision: The Evolution of Batman in Cinema. 

Really useful in being able to describe the changing style of costume, mise-en-scene and overall tone. It's also a simple way of being able to revise film names and release dates. 

The 10 minute clip can be found here: https://vimeo.com/119087147

The Business of Film Podcasts

These podcasts narrated by the brilliant Mark Kermode,  are an incredibly useful tool for AS Film Studies, as well as the Industry Analysis section of GCSE Film Studies controlled conditions work.

The link to the series is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/businessoffilm but I've also embedded them below for you to listen to.

Each episode is only around 30 mins in total and will be a really useful insight into the film industry. Some of the language can be really specific and assume that the listener already knows a lot about film, but these are a really enjoyable and informative listen and are highly recommended.


Episode 1: https://www.dropbox.com/s/x1xc97h0bqw1uhb/businessoffilm%20ep1.mp3?dl=0
Episode 2: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f5zzx1v9j3joj0s/businessoffilm%20ep2.mp3?dl=0
Episode 3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wnlhzagv03pp382/businessoffilm%20ep3.mp3?dl=0