Psychographics

Mainstreamers:

This is the specsavers over 60's advert, i chose this advert for mainsreamers as they tend to be vaunerable and seek guidence, this advert informs this target group to buy new glasses for their benefits to help them in the future and keep them safe with their vision. This advert clearly suits the target audience as its for the older audience and to inform them glasses are a big responsability in their everyday lifes.

Aspirers:

I have chosen this advert for the aspirers audience as they are youngand would care about their apperance a lot in the sales job world. This adverts tries to sell us make up products from the Avon brand which is ever lasting, this could convince young audience to buy this product as they would want to look beautiful. It is more fashionable and attractive to buy these product for a young target audience as they would wear make up more than other audiences. The product uses famous ideology to attract the audience such as using Reese Wetherspoon to promote the product, therefore more peopel such as the female audience will be interested in buying the product.

Succeeders:

Succeeders are a group of audience who like to be in control, they tend to be wealthy and have a typical high management and professionals. Therefore i have chosen this advert which shows us the new samsung phone with many developed technology and apps which would be useful to anyone espeacilly with a high business profile. It shows the target audience convined here is for people who are wealthy and wouldn't mind buying expensive products as they would like the latest gadgets.

Explorers:

I have chosen this advert for the explorers audience as they like to try new things andd experience difference which typical young students would do. Starbucks is a very well known brand for it's amazing coffee, hot choclates and many more hot and cold drinks, an explorer would enjoy this as the drink flavours come from different counties and showing the adventure which explorers love doing. The brand starbucks shows us individualism as each product is different which an explorer wouldn't mind tasting.

Strugglers:

This advert is about drinking alcohol which the strugglers audience tend to do most, they are disorganised and would suit the D and E demographic people. This advert alerts the audience that deinking alcohol can cause damage to you health and body which can lead to heart fauiler, liver damageor even death. The advert shows cartoon figures of them drinking alcohol which you can relate to a male or female audience as gendera are not published. Therefore both genders are being targeted to make them stop drinking a lot. However as strugglers do not have much money or have a wealthy lifeatyle than succeeders they think alcohol is a big celebration and gift to them which they relate to happiness but at the same time cause health issues.

Reformers:

Reformers are people who seek for enlightenment, people who like to be free and enjoy life. This advert i have chosen relates to this type of audience as women are being able to choose products from asda cheaper with a better value, the brand tells the audience that asda is cheap and therefore convinces the audience to shop at their store. The advert is targeted at the female audience as they more likely to shop for household objects as they could be a mother or a singel individual. The advert promotes there offers making the reformers audience amused and interested.

Genders Through Advertising

Sports Car

I think this advert is targeted towards men as the dominant readers, as men tend to love sports cars more than women. The commercial focuses on the car making the audience not to take their eyes of the car as it shows the car being driven, making them tempted to buy the car. The print advert also focuses on the car only showing smoke coming out from the back tyres. In both adverts there are no women or men used therefore there is no stereotypes towards the product however the audience may assume oppositional readings attracted both genders. Also a class of A, B would buy this product as it is expensive and for a wealthier audience.

The advert could appeal to the women audience by adding feminine colours to the car and making the commercial have a main protagonist such as women driving the sports car making the audience think this car is for women too.

Diving Watch

Both these adverts are targeted at men, as in both adverts a male character is being represented which would appeal the male audience more. The Omega brand is very expensive company that sells watches therefore the target audience will be A, B and maybe C1 class as they would be wealthier than the rest of the classes. The adverts show watches that are appealing to men as the colours and shape of the watch symbolises it is for men than women. Moreover both adverts relate to a famous film to promote their product, they use the film ‘James Bond’ as there consumer target as it would attract more of the male audience because it is a film targeted towards male. 

Both adverts would have to change the colour to attract to the female audience as the colours are very simple and dark, I think there should be a female represented to how these watches are for women too.

Bottled Beer

This advert is about Fosters beer which is targeted towards men, I think this because men tend to have bottled beer more likely than women were they would have something more womanly. Beer is seen as more of a casual drink which men would have while watching football, or hanging around mates however the classier audience such as class A and B would have expensive drinks such as white/red wine. The print advert clearly states the drink is attended for men as it says ‘ I'm a playboy’ which is attended to women meaning the men get to have entertainment while drinking this beer.

Both these adverts are targeted at men, as in both adverts a male character is being represented which would appeal the male audience more. The Omega brand is very expensive company that sells watches therefore the target audience will be A, B and maybe C1 class as they would be wealthier than the rest of the classes. The adverts show watches that are appealing to men as the colours and shape of the watch symbolises it is for men than women. Moreover both adverts relate to a famous film to promote their product, they use the film ‘James Bond’ as there consumer target as it would attract more of the male audience because it is a film targeted towards male.

Both adverts would have to change the colour to attract to the female audience as the colours are very simple and dark, I think there should be a female represented to how these watches are for women too. I think to make this bottled beer advert more feminine is to change the stereotype towards men rather than women, showing women can be laid back too having fun by showing images of men.

Toilet Paper

I think this advert is targeted towards women as it has a tiny koala bear representing the toilet paper making the women audience attract to the brand as it is cute. Both adverts have the koala bears making the adverts more feminine making them attracted to buy the product making them assume it is soft like a bear. The representations of the adverts show the alternative readings of a woman such as for this advert they would be a typical house wife with children.

The adverts can be represented to men if they change the colours as it look to womanly with soft colours, also use a manlier object rather than a koala bear which would distract the male audience. 

Deodorant

These deodorant advert are targeted towards women I think as the commercial shows a women using the deodorant also the print adverts shows women using the product too, representing that women work harder than men. Women use deodorant frequently to smell fresh and to keep clean however some audience may think men are unhygienic and don’t use deodorant a much. 

I think the adverts should attract more to the male audience by featuring male characters using the product showing them the product is attracted to males however deodorant is used for both genders to keep fresh and clean.

Cigarettes

Both these adverts are aimed at men as the commercial identified as figures holding a cigarette however mentioned the health causes to a man if he would smoke daily giving them information about what smoking does to your health, therefore warning them. The print advert also targets the male audience as it informs them to get help from the NHS as it is crucial to be healthy and keep a fit body. Furthermore there is representation to both these adverts telling us that men smoke more than women which is an alternative reading towards males moreover this representation can be also read the other way round as a females being the main smokers. The print advert also has a another advert exactly the same however feature a women therefore spreading a message out to both genders about what smoking can do to you and informing us about how the NHS could help them.

I think the commercial advert could have appealed to the female audience if they added the causes of smoking of what it could do to a female’s health informing them too. Therefore the advert would have a wider audience and will not be stereotypical as it is appealing to both genders.

Hi-Fi System

I think both adverts are targeted to both genders as both would be interested in music and sound technology. However in some concepts it could be targeted towards men more than women as the male audience would have more interest in sound technology such as the bass in a system whereas a woman wouldn't care as long there is music playing out the system. The colours could also represent it is more attracted to the male audience as it is dark and simple.

For the adverts to fit in to a female appeal I think the colours should be changed.

Domestic Cleaning Product

These adverts are targeted toward women as it is a household cleaning product which is the alternative reading towards women. Women are represented as the dominants in a household as they tend to cook, clean and be responsible for their house, therefore they would buy cleaning products. The commercial show all females cleaning in a fun atmosphere making the female audience think that this product is very good and sending a good representation of the product itself. The media shows women as a house wife which is alternative as they represent women as busy home workers for their families. Moreover there were no males used in the adverts showing a representation that males don’t clean more than women do which is a stereotype towards women. 

The adverts can attract to the opposite gender by adding male characters cleaning like the women do and the commercial showing men can clean to making it an oppositional reading toward the audience. 

Action Film Analysis (One For The Money)

The film I have chosen to analyse is ‘One for the money’ a comedy released in 2012 directed by Julie Anne Robinson. The narrative focuses on one of the theories which is Vladimir Propp’s theory about the different characters in a film such as the hero in this film would be Katherine Heigl as the protagonist who tries to resolve the problem, the villain as John Leguizamo who struggles against the hero who usually captures the princess for the hero to save, the donor as Patrick Fischier who prepares the hero such as giving them instructions. Although the hero is this film is a female she is somehow captured by the villain but saved by the magical helper who helps the actual hero in their quest for insistence in this film that would be Joe Morelli played by Jason O’Mara. Propp’s theory is linked to Levi-Strauss theory too as his theory is about the binary oppositional in a film which links to the film as all the characters have a role. So for an example of Levi-Strauss theory would be the hero and the villain in the film.

Stephanie who is played by Katherine Heigl has lost her job and out of cash therefore turns to her cousin in desperation for a job at his Bail bonds. Stephanie wants to catch the highest stakes bail jumper called Joe Morelli who is played by Jason O’Mara who has escaped from jail for murder, moreover to have seduced and dump Stephanie when they were in high school. She practices to be a bounty hunter to catch Morelli and eventually catches him however realises the case against him doesn’t add up but a spark between them start to appear as they work together to catch the villain.

The film clearly begins with the Todorovs theory as he believes in the equilibrium, disequilibrium and the new equilibrium theories. The beginning starts off with a clam atmosphere, introducing the characters which are the equilibrium of the film, but in the middle of the film the disequilibrium theory is introduced by the hero revealing the villain, or action which disturbs the hero such as destroying Stefanie’s car in the film by the villain. Hence the disequilibrium the conflict between the hero and villain increase causing the new equilibrium to start were the hero and villain comes to terms to sort out the problem, moreover for this film Stefanie confronts the villain Jimmy that he is the murder however attacks her however her come back after all the bounty hunting training she has overcome her nemesis and wins the battle making her the hero and revealing Morelli is innocent.

Lastly the theory of Barthes is enigma codes which are scenes in the film to grab the audience’s attention to make them think or left guessing for what happens next, it allows the audience to ask questions to them to guess what could happen next in the film. Enigma code is used in the film ‘One for the money’ when Stefanie tries to resolve the murder as Morelli wasn’t the suspect this made the audience think who could be the murderer making them think who is the villain. This theory keeps the audience amused, attracted and focused on the film as they would like to find out what happens next.

Fish Tank Review

Fish Tank was directed by Andrea Arnold born April 5th 1961 she is an Academy award winning film-maker and former actress from England. She retired as a television presenter and studied directing which then she produced live action short films. As a director she has directed six short films called Milk 1998, Dog 2001, Wasp 2005, Red Road 2006, Fish Tank 2009 and Wuthering Heights 2011. All these films are Independent British films which have been advertised but as much as the worldwide films.

The characters in this film are Katie Jarvis as Mia Williams the troubled 15 year old teenager who has a passion for hip hop dance, Kierston Wareing as Joanna Williams an abusive mother, Rebecca Griffiths as Tyler Williams who is Mia’s younger sister, Michael Fassbender as Connor O’Reily who is Joanne’s boyfriend, and Harry Treadaway as Billy who is Mia’s friend. Katie Jarvis had no acting experience, she was cast for the film by one of Arnold’s casting assistance, and she is an ordinary person who was found arguing with her boyfriend at one of the scenes in the film. Arnold however used a familiar face in her film Michael Fassbender who is known for his action movies such as x-men, Haywire and Shame series.

The main character in Fish Tank is Katie Jarvis as Mia Williams, she plays a strong dominant teenager who has a passion to dance, her life is just a mess as her mother Joanne is an irresponsible abusive alcoholic, and she has a little sister called Tyler. Jarvis acting is very whelming as she had no experience of acting before she was chosen to act in this film by one of Arnold’s assistances when she saw Katie arguing at a station with her boyfriend. Her acting really engages with the audience especially the target audience who are teenagers; hence they would understand the story of Mia Williams in the film. Mia is a strong independent girl however falls for her mother’s boyfriend played by Michael Fassbender. Fassbender is a well-known actor and volunteered to help Arnold with her film by existing in it. 

The story explains the hard violent lifestyle Mia lives in, she lives in a council estate in East London with her single mother Joanne and younger sister Tyler. Mia is an anti-social girl who practices hip hop dance on her own in a deserted flat nearby. Along with all her troubles she comes across a horse which look unhealthy and trapped, she tries to free the lonely horse however is attacked by two men who are the horse’s owner. Later on she returns back to the traveller encampment to free the horse again but bumps into another man who explains the horse is dying and is ill, and starts to talk to Mia as a friend. Mia soon discovers that her mother has a boyfriend called Conner O’Reily, a handsome, attractive man who takes Joanne, Tyler and Mia into the countryside to spend some quality time. The next Mia see’s a flyer about club seeking dancers she tells Conner and he encourages her to apply and borrows a video camera from him which she then later sent them a video tape of her dance routine. Later that night Conner and Mia are late up and things turn into bad were Mia and Conner have sex which is an secret, leaving Conner to leave the next morning dumping Joanne. Mia is upset and angry and rushes off to Conner’s house in Chadwell St Mary and comforts him but he talks to Mia explaining that he cannot see Joanne again and drops her to the train station to go back home. However little does Conner know that Mia came back and sneaked into his house finding out that he has a family and betrayed her? Soon Conner and his family come back so Mia rushes to the back window and escape but take their daughter who was playing outside to scare Conner and his wife she returns the girl back home as night falls. Conner is furious and tracks Mia down, she attempts to run but Conner catches up and slaps her walking away without saying a word. A new day, Mia’s audition day, she goes to her audition were she realise that the competitors were dressed up in a revealing erotic way with heavy make-up and danced on a pole, she immediately found out that the audition was for erotic dancers and is disappointed were she plays the music but walks off the stage upset. Mia is fed up with her life and sees Billy her friend on the way back and asks for the horse as it was not there, sadly it had died causing Mia to collapses onto the floor crying her eyes out. Billy offers her to come Wales with him so she returns back home to pack her stuff and says bye to her mother Joanne. Her mother is upset and angry but all three of them Mia, Joanne and Tyler share a dance together before she leaves to Nas CD ‘Life is a Bitch’. Last seen together in the film she says goodbye to her sister Tyler and gets into the car with Billy, Tyler waving goodbye as Mia looks back at her sister and life setting off to start all over again with a bright new life in Wales with Billy.

The genre of the film falls under drama as it is telling us the audience a life of a 15 year old teenage girl with a very hard lifestyle. This film is a 15 certificate; I think this is a perfect target audience as most teenagers would like to watch this film. I think it would connect more with them by the language and cinematography used whereas an older audience aged 50+ wouldn’t be into these films as it focuses on a teenage girl.

Feedback - Film Language Assessment

WWW - Your answer to Q1 picks out some excellent details and shows good knowledge of film language.

EBI - Q2 on representation needs work: Too much of your answer simply describes the clip. You needed to discuss the representation of Americans/foreign people here. 

LR - Write an extra paragraph for Q2 on the representation of foreign people.

Fish Tank and UK Film Industry

1. All the Institutions involved in the production of Fish Tank. List them with a summary of what their contribution to the film was.
Fish Tank was filmed in the Miardyke Estate in Havering directed and written by Andrea Arnold and distributed by IFC Films. The film was funded by three studios the BBC Films, Kasander Film Company and the UK Film Council. The production of the film involved Nick Laws, Kees Kasander, Christine Langan, David M. Thompson alongside the editor Nicolas Chaudeurge and cinematography by Robbie Ryan. The film was a low budget film of only $3 million which was located in the United Kingdom; the main characters starring in Fish Tank are Katie Jarvis as Mia Williams a troubled teenager who has a passion for dance, Kierston Wareing as Joanne an alcoholic irresponsible mum, and Michael Fassbender as Connor O'Reily who is Joanne’s boyfriend.

2. Two other Independent British Film production companies – their “brand”, as well as current and previous productions.

British National Studios is located in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire England. The founder of this studio was john Maxwell who based the operation at the studio from 1927 to 1933. The studio was later sold to Lew Grade’s company called Associated Television in 1961 however they were forced to sell the company to the BBC as it was part of the UK independent TV restructuring of 1981. Overall it is currently being used by the BBC since 1927.

A Lime Grove studio was built in a street called Lime Grove in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, north of Hammersmith.  The complex was used by the BBC from 1949 to 1991, however the complex studios was closed in 1991 and demolished in 1993.

The BBC Films has produced and co produced some of the most successful British films of recent years such as Fish Tank, street Dance 3D, A cock and bull story etc.  The head of BBC Films is Christine Langam who is responsible for the development and production of the business, BBC Films co produce around eight films a year.

3. Out of the three Production Companies you have researched, which do you see as most successful and why?

Out of the three production companies I have researched, I think the BBC Films production company will become very successful. I believe this because the other two productions i have researched have become owned by the BBC Films production making them a larger company. They have the British National Studios and the Lime Grove Studios under BBC Films making them have more films under their studio. Furthermore the BBC is a well known popular company which is more modern and recognizable therefore the company I think would run for very long with upcoming films ahead.

4.  How much Fish Tank cost to produce (its budget)?

Fish Tank was produced with a budget of $3million.

5. Film budgets – find 5 films made for £5 million pounds or less – what types of films are feasible on this budget?
Here are five films that I have researched which has a budget of less than £5 million pounds. “Rocky 1976” is an American sports drama film with a budget of £1.1 million the film was directed by John G. Avildsen starring Sylvester Stallone as the main character. The second low budget film is called “Brothers 1997” a Russian crime film directed by Aleksei Balabanov and starring Sergei Bodrov, Jr. With a budget of $10 000 which was in Russian language. The third film is called “The Zombie Dairies 2006” this was a British independent horror film directed by Kevin Gates starring Russell Jones, the film was produced with a low budget of £8 100. The forth film is called “El Mariachi 1992” an American action film directed by Robert Rodriguez starring Carlos Gallardo the films budget was $7000. Lastly the fifth film is called “Le Fear 2010” a British comedy film directed by actor Jason Croot and also starred in the film, the budget of this movie was £1 900.
All these films have different genres comedy, action, sports, crime and horror you would expect these genres to have high budgets especially an action film with explosions however as these films have low budgets they would have used less equipment and technology.

6. Research one other way that British films are funded. Are there any similarities or differences?

Independent British films are mostly funded by the BFI. This company support UK film makers who produce independent films.

7. What is the target audience for Fish Tank?

The certificate of this film is 15 therefore the film is based upon teenagers and young adults. The film has aspects of a typical troubled teenager and what they would do, to relate to the audience. Most of the characters in the film are teenagers and some adults have been framed as the dominant people such as Joanne’s boyfriend. The main character in the film is a female who is independent therefore mostly the female audience will be able to connect with the characters feeling.

8. Research the mainstream 16–25 youth cinema market and decide which 3 genres are most targeted at them and justify your decisions with your research.

The three most popular genres that I have researched are Romance, comedy and horror. I think this suits the target audience because teenagers and young adults tend to watch a Varity of films especially romantic films where the there would be a higher popular of females than males. Comedy because it relates to both genders and is a popular genre to the age group. Lastly Horror because I think an older audience wouldn’t be interested in this particular genre as they would rather watch a family film whereas teenagers would with their friends.

9. Who is the main distributor of Fish Tank?

The distributor of Fish Tank is by IFC Film, this company distributes independent films and documentaries, and it is an American company based in New York owned by AMC Networks.

10. How was Fish Tank funded?

The film Fish Tank was funded by the BBC Films and The UK Film Council. These were two studios supporting the film as a domestic warning to the audience. The film was released on 11 September 2009 taking a total of £332,488.

11. What is the role of a film distributor? Are there any differences between distribution in the US and UK?

The role of a film distributor is to give the film a good reputation by the films intuitions. This is to appeal to the audience and make them want to watch the film, however there is a big difference between the US and UK distributions. As in the US films are promoted and known worldwide hence they have a higher budget whereas an Independent British film would only be distributed in the UK as it is a low budget film.

12. How was Fish Tank promoted (when it was released in 2009)?

Fish Tank was promoted at a 62^nd Cannes film festival in France on May 14^th 2009.

13. Compare this with a big budget blockbuster. What are the main similarities and differences?

Big budget blockbuster films are seen worldwide as they are promoted by good advertisements, reviews to attract their target audience. Blockbuster films tend to run longer in cinemas than independent British films. This is because of the low budget towards the British films therefore there is less awareness of the film being released.

14. How does the trailer for Fish Tank hook audiences into the narrative and pose questions that the film will answer? Identify 3 ways/techniques.

The Fish Tank Trailer has many effective ways of attracting the audience by the use of cinematography; there are lots of point of view shots of the main character, showing us what the female character is going through and what she sees, the lighting effect is very effective as there are lots of low key lighting used in the middle of the trailer to the end showing us dark images/shadows of someone this could suggest sadness, fear or evil towards that character. There is an establishing shot at the start of the trailer showing us where this film is based which is an estate where she lives in a flat. The camera movement used in this trailer is all hand based as the director wants to make the film personal as if it is happening in front of them, it gives a more realistic view towards the film. The trailer is slow paced at the beginning with high key lighting however changes into a faster pace of edits and low key lighting making the audience think. This therefore creates enigma codes about the film, making the audience want to watch it.

15. Analyse the trailers for 2 different films (from different genres). Are there any differences in the way they hook the audience into the narrative and pose questions that the film will answer? Identify at least 2 similarities and 2 differences.

Silent Hill revelation is a horror film directed and written by Michael J. Bassett. This film is certified 15 meaning the target audience is aimed at teenagers and young adults as they are more likely to watch a horror film. The edits and camera shots used in trailer attracted the audience’s attention as the pace of it increases within the sound effects making the audience amused and thinking. The main character who is a female is venerable and scared as the starting of trailer shows her having a bad dream and illusions. There is dialogue of the girl’s voice making the audience think creating enigma code. The low key lighting used in trailer creates tension as the sound effects starts to pace up, this connotes evil, darkness and something bad is going to happen as this is a horror film. The trailer tells us what the storyline could be about however the characters in the trailer show them as being captured therefore the audience would want to watch the film to see what happens.

Hangover 2 is an American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips. This film is certified 15 as there as some contents of bad language and offensive therefore the target audience for this film would be teenagers 15 and above and young adults as they would watch these types of comedy movies more than the upper class audience. The trailer starts off with non diegetic music with establishing shots of where the film is set which is Thailand. This trailer has lots of effect of lighting such has high key lighting showing the characters facial and body expressions to make us the audience laugh as it is a comedy film. The main characters are three men who travel to Thailand for one of their weddings however end up in Bangkok after getting drunk the night before, there are individual shots of the characters showing their problems and what they have been through when they were drunk. The trailer involves inappropriate language and behaviour alerting the audience this is a film for the age group certified. The storyline clearly tells us that the main characters are on a mission to look for a boy around Bangkok but unexpected events happen to them therefore the audience would like to watch this as it would create enigma code making them think what is going to happen to them characters to make the audience laugh.

16. How does the trailer for Fish Tank balance plot and spectacle?

The trailer shows us a dominant female characters view to her lifestyle and the people around her, the use of the edits and negative imagery make us memorise the events taken place and want us (audience) to watch it to see what happens. The audience can relate to this character as she is a teenager living aspects of a teenagers life, her voice is used mostly in this trailer making it different to any other British film where there would be a male character being the dominant star. The audience therefore would want to watch this film as it is different and interesting to find out more about the storyline of this troubled teenager.

17. How do the trailers for your other films balance plot and spectacle? Identify at least 2 similarities and 2 differences.

The two trailers I have chosen above balances the plot and spectacle by the storyline given in both trailers, which attracts and persuades the audience to watch the films. Both trailers give us different atmospheres giving away the genre of the film and making the audience interested, the first trailer shows us low key lighting and intimidating music which makes the audience uneasy and frightened whereas the second trailer is much different as it has mostly high key lighting and enjoyable exciting music making the audience attracted and want to watch the film. Both trailers make the audience have enigma code making the audience think and want to watch it.

18. Think about the certificate of Fish Tank (15 certificate). Research film certification and outline what is deemed acceptable for this certificate. What is the difference between a 15 certificate and an 18 certificate?

The 15 classification allows certain discriminatory language or behaviour, there would be disturbing bloody imagery and strong imagery will be permitted by the context in which it is presented. There may be nudity and dangerous behaviour portrayed in 15 certificated films and sexual content justified for example for a horror film there would expected scenes such as blood, gruesome, bad behaviour, sexual content and strong language throughout the film. A film with strong sexual content can be classified a 15A this can involve abusive or aggressive behaviour or drugs.

However an 18 certificate film would have more intimidated scenes and is applicable for older viewers as the scenes in the film would leave imagery in your head which can be negative. There also can be more sexual exposure or violence portrayed which will be disturbing for younger viewers as it would not be age appropriate therefore it is significant to classify films with certificates for the audience to know what type of film it could be and should be suitable for their children and other viewers.