When I was at school last week sometime, I found an interesting clip displayed in loop in a small screen on the floor. It looks like a short documentary of taking seeds out of a watermelon. What makes me feel interesting is that the special way of presenting this. The director treated the watermelon as a patient obviously. Firstly the framing is quite tight, audience can only see the a very tiny bit of the watermelon, from the colour and texture, audience know it is a watermelon. What is quite creative about this is that the director put a surgical gown on the watermelon. Also there are two hands there, one is operating, the other one is passing the operation tools. They both are wearing operation gloves. In addition, there is the sound of beeping like the sound from medical equipment all the way. The way of cutting the watermelon is very well-designed, it looks exactly like they are performing an operation on an patient, the watermelon. The fruit meat is so red and it looks quite juicy as well, it makes audiences feel that it is bleeding and suffering. I just want to say, how creative it is to make this all anthropopathic, detailed and sensitive. It totally works out well!
In Friday’s class, we did the presentation, it comes out great, everyone has their own thoughts and perspectives about making films, documentary, drama or both. based on the feedback that three tutors gave me, I have a more specific and deeper understanding about what I’m going to do and achieve in the rest of the semester. I am excited about making all this happen. As Paul said, there isn’t have to be a short film at the end, it can be like 20 shooting practices. However this semester I want to be ambitious about my work, I want it to be a short film with everything considered and done well. I want it to be one of works not just some exercise and practices. As Robin said, mine idea is a self-portrait with an actor. Some one else is playing me. And Paul talked about the voice-over I will create. For now, the content of voice is kind of abstract for me, I haven’t thought of some good ones. One thing I am sure about it is that it will appear in my short film all the way, it comes and goes but never stops until the end.
When listen to other classmates’ presentation, I was sparked by some concepts, different perspectives, new ideas… I list some
-close-up montage
there will be lots of close-ups in my film, what I am thinking is to mix up and put all those close-ups in different scenes together, to make a connection, communication of those different events. It is actually related as well. Then I can have another separated montage scene.
-collection of people wearing interesting stuff
I’m always into costumes and clothes. What I can do in my film is to ask my actor to get dressed in different style and kinds of clothes like a nice dress, something causal-T-shirt and jeans, pajamas, high heels, sports shoes, slippers, barefoot… then I can take photos, or record still images of her in different clothes. And how she acts and feels is all up to her. All I do is to record all of this.
-nature
when some one talked about surfing and showed the images of seas and with people in it. It is really beautiful and makes me feel the connection between people and nature. It just kind of reminds me the connections between people’s emotion and the natural landscape. It’s the thing I always want to try out. Just imagine this, an extreme close up of the sea wave connects to an extreme close up of a person’s face, with eyes close, quite and peaceful, thinking something, cuts to sea wave, cut back to the person’s face, suddenly she is frowning and with her eyes wide open. Something like this is what I want to try out.
Name: Haisi Jiao
Student Number: s3445133
Tutor: Elliot Heatwole
Workshop: Thursday 11:30-13:30
As we all known networking is like a big community. In this community, people do their own jobs, establish a relationship net and contribute to the community. In filmmaking, it is the same thing. In this essay,I will investigate the distribution part of film network from a traditional way and a new digital way. Also I will compare this two different way of film distribution and define a best way and direction the future film distribution might go.
A distributor is the individual or organization that represents the film at festivals and world-widely market. Also a distributor is the one who sell the film to the studios, television, airlines and some other companies who screen films. The distributor is in charge of the theatrical release of a film in general in a particular country. In addition, they also are in charge of marketing and circulation of films for home viewing like DVD, Video-On-Demand, download, television and so on. Different distributors arein charge of different areas of distribution. (Film Network, 2014)
In the traditional way of film distribution, there are several sections being mentioned, the first one is territory. In which specific area or country this film can be distributed is very important. The second one is term, in other word, the time period for the distributor to hold the distribution right of this film. The third is rights granted, you need to distinguish the rights granted to the distributor and the rights reserved to the producer. You should be aware that if they are exclusive or not. If it is an exclusive, you should not allow others to show the film within some other areas, media forms and terms. Fourthly, the producer has to make sure that there is no infringement of copyright. Fifthly, the distributor actually received the all monies once the film gets exploited. No deductions have been made by then. Sixthly, net proceeds, this part of money is for producer. Usually producer will receive this money after the exploitation of the film with some deduction including distributor fees, commissions and expenses. Seventhly, expense caps should be established to prevent the distributors from asking for extra and unreasonable amount. Also in this way, the producer can get the deserved amount. Eighthly, the distributor should do his/her best to realize their obligations, owning the most of the gross receipts from marketing and exploitation of the film. Ninthly, the distributor should be honest about all of the sales and expenditure. They should also keep a very accurate and true record of it and preset it to the producer the regular accounting statements on the film. Finally, termination, after a long time of negotiation and cooperation with your distributor, in order to terminate the relationship or keep cooperating, you need to pay attention to every details and circumstances. (Film Network, 2014)
Some people choose to distribute their films by themselves, however there are both advantages and disadvantages about the self-distribution. From my point of view, the online distribution is a little bit similar to self-distribution. The advantages about self-distribution are as follows, firstly you can get the full control and rights of your own movie and you can have it show wherever you want. You don’t need to pay for the distributor, this means you can get all of the money made from your film. The disadvantages about it are as follows, firstly it is a big workload for you. You have to chase buyers and sales, fill in plenty of paperwork and so on. It will take you lots of time. Secondly, you don’t have enough buyer sources. Distributors have established relationship network among all kinds of buyers and it is easier for them to sell the film out. Thirdly you need to be cautious about signing away your film’s rights that will be the barrier for you to show it elsewhere. (Film Network, 2014)
As we all known, it is a long process from festival premiere of a film to its final release. Many people might wonder why it takes so long to finally come out. There are several reasons for this. I will introduce them next. Firstly, it takes time to find a most appropriated buyer. This is a market and competition among buyers. Secondly, after the deal was made, the contract and delivery usually take months sometimes. Thirdly, ‘long lead times for press are required, at least four months, and that planning usually does not happen until after deal closure’ (Ravid, 2012). Fourthly, the booking of an appropriate theatrical slot take time, again months, because it is competitive out there, the best screens are usually booked in advance, to book one takes time, to book a right one takes even longer. Fifthly, the launching of marketing campaigns costs money, the distributors need to deal with cash flow, which also takes time. Sixthly, uploading and making a movie available on digital outlet like VOD, DVD takes time to arranging, planning, slotting everything. It contains lots of strategic about releasing a film. Seventhly, the time of releasing a film deserves considering carefully. A specific time like Christmas and Halloween might be a better timing to release the film. Eighthly, the internal schedule of distributor is also important. They also have other films to release at the same time period. Ninthly, ‘grass roots and other marketing also demand lead time’ (Ravid, 2012). Finally, in traditional distribution, everything cannot be planned in advance. Everything needs to be done step by step after the festival premiere. To give you further information about traditional distribution, click here to read.
There is a new kind of distribution in the digital age, for professional sites like Netflix and for non-professional YouTube. However there is big difference between platforms like Netflix and YouTube. Netflix is more professional from the aspects of copyright, sources, payment, distribution strategy and film prescreens and so on. There are lots of online distribution platforms nowadays like Netflix, iTunes, BitTorrent, Vimeo On Demand, Amazon On Demand. To choose a best option, you need to ask yourself if you need exposure, profit and accessibility. To read more information about different online film distribution, click here. (Kroll, 2013)
There is another platform YouTube has been very popular since it was established in 2005. This web site is created for people to upload and share video with the rest of the world. It became very popular immediately. At the beginning, YouTube was just a simple platform for people to upload some interesting video sharing stories like interesting location, crazy stunts and hilarious pranks and so on. With time going by, YouTube has gradually developed into a multiple media platform with completed system. For instance, nowadays you can even see some political debates, formal musical and dancing performances, tutorial video, war footages without prescreening, etc. There are thousands of people uploading videos onto YouTube, so sometimes these video cannot get prescreen before releasing. Also the most of the video clips and short films are usually free on YouTube. The ‘distribution’ here just means uploading video by author himself/herself. There is no long and complex process for YouTube’s ‘distribution’. However it has the access to plenty of audiences. Once you upload the video, the rest of the world can see it and make comments about it. (Strickland, 2014)
‘The emerging digital entertainment economy is going to be radically different from today’s mass media market’ (Anderson, 2006). There are several differences between traditional way of film distribution and new digital online film distribution. The most obvious one is the time. Traditional way of film distribution has a very long and complex process that takes lots of time to finish. However online distribution takes less time and steps to complete one. The second one is profit. As I described above, traditional distribution cost the filmmaker a lot to do a good campaign. The profit of your film needs to be shared by yourself and filmmaker. If you want more profit, you can try some online distributions like BitTorrent and Vimeo On Demand that save some money for you. The third one is the access of audience. As we all known, the Internet is like a big community with very quick and wide connections. It is fast, convenient and has sufficient sources for people to choose from. People can just download, rent or buy the film and then watch it on computers. Instead of waiting for a long time and go to theatre, many people prefer watching at home. From the angle of both filmmakers and audience, the online film distribution is much convenient, easier and cheaper than traditional film distribution. Nevertheless, online distribution is developed on the base of Internet and traditional distribution. The Internet provides a good environment for online distribution, and traditional distribution provides the flow path for online distribution.
As far as I am concerned, we should not abandon the traditional way of film distribution because it represents the authority and model. Then we should try to improve functions of online distribution and try to do it better. Online distribution might be a main part of the film distribution in the future because the Internet has become an essential part of individual’s life. The only thing we should keep in mind is that keep everything in order.
Reference:
- Anderson, C. 2006, The Long Tail, WIRED, viewed 16 October 2014, <http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html>
- Courshon, J. 6 Lies of Film Distribution, Writers Store, viewed 19 October 2014, <http://www.writersstore.com/6-lies-of-film-distribution/>
- Film Network, showcasing new british filmmaking, BBC, viewed 19 October 2014, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/guide/distribution/distribution>
- Kroll, N. 2013, Breakdown Of The Major Online Indie Film Distribution Platforms, The Beat, viewed 20 October 2014, <http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/breakdown-of-the-major-online-indie-film-distribution-platforms/>
- Ravid, O. 2012, Premiere to Release-Why does it take so long? THE COLLABORATIVE filmmakers first, viewed 17 October 2014, <http://www.thefilmcollaborative.org/blog/tag/traditional-film-distribution/>
- Strickland, J. How YouTube Works, how stuff works, viewed 14 October 2014, <http://money.howstuffworks.com/youtube2.htm>
- 4Filmmaking, HOLLYWOOD, viewed 19 October 2014, <http://distribution.4filmmaking.com/film-distribution.html>
Image Source:
- http://www.raindance.org/wp-content/uploads/Film-Distribution-BAsics.jpg
- http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/breakdown-of-the-major-online-indie-film-distribution-platforms/
- http://i.dawn.com/2012/09/youtube_logo_670.jpg
- http://thumb101.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/102804/99875567/stock-photo-group-of-frightened-people-watching-movie-spill-popcorn-99875567.jpg
I recently saw a top video on YouTube which I found quite interesting. It is produced by BBC in England. The song, God Only Know is sang by several very popular singer over the past 20-30 years and in different genres and styles. Anyway, It is quite special and amazing!!!
YouTube represents and organizes the past by uploading videos. In February 2005, three PayPal employees launched the test vision of YouTube. They created this web site for people to upload and share video with the rest of the world. It became very popular immediately. Several organizations and companies invested for it. At the beginning, YouTube was just a simple platform for people to upload some interesting video showing some crazy things like interesting location, crazy stunts and hilarious pranks and so on. With time going by, YouTube has gradually developed into a multiple media platform with completed system. For instance, nowadays you can even see some political debates, formal musical and dancing performances, tutorial video, war footages without prescreening, etc. In 2007, YouTube even provided a chance for members to communicate with potential United States presidential candidates by uploading video questions.
YouTube has been developing into a multi-function web site with very large ranges of sources. However it also has come into some controversies itself. The first one is copyright infringement. Thousands of members upload plenty of video onto YouTube, these videos usually just come out without prescreening. In addition, sometimes members upload some clips from television show and films. If they don’t own the copyright to the material, they will be in trouble.
Copyright infringement-doesn’t prescreen, uploading television show and film clips without copyright. The second one was the battle between the online community and corporations. As YouTube was turning into bigger organization, it started to ask some cooperator like some celebrities and television studios to join them. Nevertheless, some of the YouTube members are not happy about this, they feel worried about being squeezed out by these powerful cooperators. Also they think that these cooperators will make their video appear at the top in some potential ways.
In conclusion, YouTube here represents the past of video. It appeared in a very new and special way. Here you can upload and share with others, once your video gets very popular, you can get thousands of hits of your video and lots and lots of comments. After the emerging of VCR, the big and new step in video area is the launch of YouTube. People used to use video camera to record their daily lives, funny stuff, etc; People used to buy or rent DVD from the store to watch the television or movie or review their favorite parts. Now people can have a whole new experience about video. If they want to share their stories, they can just upload onto YouTube, the world can see it and can talk to them about it by leaving comments. What’s more, now if you want to watch a movie or television, you can just search on YouTube and rent or buy it if it’s not free. You can just sit at home and watch it anytime.
Read more here
Rick Altman’s theory about the American film musical is that in the musical, the couple is the plot. Usually the character and the plot have the relationship of parallelism. This is a key formula in Blake Edward’s film, darling Lili. The dynamic of the relationship between Major Larabie and Lili make the film dualistic, the characters changes and the plot development. Lili as an actress and a Germany spy, she has a double life. She is very tender and warm and sometimes gets jealous when going out with the Major and very calm and cynicism when she battle with Major. And sometimes the two sides of her have some coincides, so as the plot. The submerged parallelism is the basis of the structure of the film in Altman’s theory. An interesting point made by Altman is that in musical we can forgo the rules of traditional narrative analysis. We can rely less on the chronology as causality because of the dual-focus on the film. In the film Darling Lili, the development of the relationship between Lilia and Major and the happy ending between is because that the musical genre allows this to happen.
There are few songs which are repeated in the film. One of them is ‘it’s a long way to Tipperay’. First time is that Lili is trying to calm down the audience during a bombing rid on the city. Secondly, it is sung at the can-can bar by the drunken soldiers on leave. Lastly it appears when Major Larabie stealing the plane of the Red Baron and proceeding to shoot and killing the unarmed Luftwaffe scrambling to their planes. Another one is ‘i will give you three guesses’. It is first sang by Lili on the stage in a very classical way. Because of the suspicions of Suzette and witness of the dance by the stripper, she sang it in a more lyric way later. The repeating of the songs promotes the development of narrative and shows the changes of characters.
‘Frailty, thy name is women’, Shakespeare said in Hamlet.
Women are always thought to be faint-hearted. Men always think that if a woman has her own thoughts and ambitious, they don’t need men to be there with to help them face the hardship.
In the movie, Karen tells us the story of her life and dream and her great love in Africa. I was deeply moved by her. From some degree, I can understand her better, and I even admire her sprit and strong inside. The experience make her more charming, beauty and human then before. She experienced the amazing power from nature, the kindness from human being. She is not the Karen in Demark any more. Also she have the great love of her life, she changed herself for him and learnt a lot from this man she admires. The most great personality about Karen is independence. A woman take a long to Africa and experience lots of hardships and still can face it strongly. How charming is that!!!! Also she learned that something never belong to her after experiencing much hardship. Just as what she said at the final of the movie, she knew how to make herself to undertake and accept all the things may happen. At that, she is not a woman, she is a true human!!!!
This week’s reading is about 80/20 rule. 80/20 rule has several important features. These features play a key role in understanding complex networks well. ‘Our measurement indicated that the distribution of incoming links on Webpages followed a power law with a unique and well-defined degree exponent.’ It is usually protected by powerful laws and It does not apply to everything. In this random universe, plenty of webpage creator work together to generate the complex network environment.
Reference: Barabási, Albert-László 2002,“The 80/30 Rule”. Linked: The New Science of Networks. Cambridge (MA): Perseus, Print..
read more about 80/20 rule here
According to Samson Raphaelson’s words, comparing to a playwrights, he is a better craftsman. He is self-administered, wiry and tough-minded. He never sentimentalizes himself. He also never wrote things that matter most to him because of the lack of instincts and emotional richness. He never talked profoundly and with authority about what he knows.
He is right and wrong about his evaluation of his work. He is wrong about that he didn’t give himself his due. One of the most different points between O’Neill or Williams and Raphaelson is that in their film, the audience cannot feel nostalgic or see a theatrical style of ‘civilized’ or as soigne charmers. The films Raphaelson wrote for Lubitsch are more preserved iridescent. Differ from the films Lubitsch made with other writers, the ones wrote by Raphaelson are more puckish, full of texture, fullness and surprise. They play naughtiness very well. For Raphaelson, screen writing is more like writing down what he wants to say, what he has called ‘wild doodles’. So he could try out some ‘crazy’ ideas come into him mind without much responsibilities. ‘He could trust his impulses, his instinct.’ Raphaelson is good at keeping in reserve, however audience know that there will be tensions and the elegance of feelings.
‘Artists are better off when they’re not worrying about greatness and posterity; when they take off their frock coat they stand a better chance of being themselves. Raphaelson knows that.’ However when he starts writing seriously, his article published in The New Yorker is actually very good and doesn’t lack profundity and authority. His emotion and his control are put together very well and in a complete harmony way.
Reference: ‘Introduction’ in Three Screen Comedies by Samson Raphaelson. University of Wisconsin Press. Madison. 1983. pp. 13-19
