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Answer the question below, making detailed reference to examples from your case study material to support points made in your answer. Q. Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences, within a media area, which you have studied. Jan 2009

Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

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Page 1: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Answer the question below, making detailed reference to examples from your case study material to support points made in your answer.

Q. Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences, within a media area, which you have

studied.

Jan 2009

Page 2: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Understanding the question

Key words / phrases

• ‘media products’• ‘produced’• ‘distributed’• ‘audiences’

Meaning

• Films (the film industry)

• Made (from script to screen)

• Delivered (cinema, DVD, TV, streaming)

• Viewers (home and abroad)

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Mark Scheme

To get a top mark (level 4 out of 50) you need to do the following:

1. Explanation/analysis/argument (16-20 marks)

Shows excellent understanding of the task Excellent knowledge and understanding of institutional/audience practices – factual knowledge is relevant and accurate A clear and developed argument, substantiated by detailed reference to case study material Clearly relevant to set question

2. Use of examples (16-20 marks)

Offers frequent evidence from case study material – award marks to reflect the range and appropriateness of examples Offers a full range of examples from case study and own experience Offers examples which are clearly relevant to the set question

3. Use of terminology (8-10 marks)

Use of terminology is relevant and accurate

4. Expression and coherence of argument

Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing appropriate to the complex subject matter. Sentences and paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been well structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There may be few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

This candidate got a HIGH LEVEL 3 which just scrambles into an A grade for this question.

Page 4: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Some Key Concepts for Film Industry Questions

1. Convergence - ‘The key agent of change’ … ‘technologies coming together’

2. Impact of Digital Technologies – ‘digital technology is transforming the audio-visual experience of film’

3. Piracy4. Synergy – ‘media industries are diversifying so they

produce and distribute across several media’5. Audience fragmentation – ‘convergence, user-generated

content and social networking have transformed the audience’ – cinema vs DVD

6. UK vs Hollywood - Case Studies – large vs small, indie vs studio, low budget vs big budget, social realism/heritage drama vs romcom/action-adventure

Page 5: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Basic Essay Structure

1. Introduce your answer including the case studies you intend on using…‘A clear and developed argument’ ‘Clearly relevant to set question ’

Page 6: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Basic Essay Structure

2. Compare and Contrast your Case Studies showing • ‘detailed reference to case study material’ • ‘frequent evidence from case study material’ • ‘a full range of examples from case study and own

experience’• ‘Excellent knowledge and understanding of

institutional/audience practices’.• Making sure your ‘factual knowledge is relevant

and accurate’.

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Basic Essay Structure

3. Conclude your essay summarising your argument proving• ‘Sentences and paragraphs, consistently

relevant, have been well structured, using appropriate technical terminology’

• ‘Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently ’.

Page 8: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Production: funding and making films.

Distribution & Marketing films and getting them into cinemas and out on DVD as well as any spin offs/related media products.

Exhibition: people paying at the cinema, renting or buying DVDs and downloading and purchasing related products.

Audiences: in the cinema, on TV, DVD/Blu-ray, on the Internet, NetFlix/LoveFilm.

This questions expects you to write about production and distribution & marketing and the audience.

What does the Film Industry include?

Page 9: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

What are the case studies in this essay and how are they used?

Case Study 1• Warp Films• Small independent British

production company• Films co-funded with

National Lottery, Film4/BBC Films

• Small budgets ‘This Is England’ (2006) £1.5 million

• Typical genre – social realism• Target largely UK audiences

and arthouse

Case Study 2• Working Title Films• Large internationally owned

conglomerate• Funded by Universal big

Hollywood studio • Mid to large budgets ‘The

Duchess’ (2008) £13 million• Typical genre

Romcom/Heritage Drama• Target US and UK audiences

- multiplex

Page 10: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Key Concepts in Film Production• Budgets – ‘In 2011, 62% of all UK films had budgets of less than £500,000’ vs

Hollywood

• What makes a film British?• Closing the UKFC – changing to BFI…• The Special Relationship with Hollywood – importance of

the US market - High Concept Cinema – Indiewood (Lost in Translation (2003))

• Growth in the DVD market - improvement in the hardware for watching films in the home - Digital cinema - growth of IMAX and 3D films

• Case Study - Lionsgate Entertainment

Page 11: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Film Budgets

• Micro budget – National Lottery/BFI/ Film London (Shifty £100k) and Vertigo Films (Monsters £500k)

• Small Budget – Warp Films, BBC Films, Film4• Mid Budget – Indiewood (Focus Features, Fox

Searchlight etc), Working Title.• Big Budget – Hollywood Studios.

Page 12: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Key Concept - Synergy in Production

• Synergy can be defined as a 'strategy of actively forging connections between directly related areas of entertainment'.

• What example is given in the essay?• What examples of Synergy can you think of?

Page 13: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Key Concepts in Distribution• How is the Internet changing things? Web 2.0 – YouTube vs

MySpace – Marketing Cloverfield?• Audience Fragmentation – ‘With broadband speeds increasing,

smartphone and tablet ownership on the rise and internet-enabled television sets becoming more commonplace the period of digital transition is by no means complete. The ways in which we choose and watch films has undergone an enormous change in the last decade and the next one is likely to be no different.’

• Classification • DVD vs VoD – ‘DVD/Blu-ray remains the most important element

of the film value chain’ (but not for long?)• UK Market Only 5 Major Distributors in the Uk – owned by

Hollywood – ‘the top 10 distributors had a 94% share of the market’ – is this a problem?

• Case Study - United International Pictures (UIP)

Page 14: Exemplar Essay Plan - Warp Films Research

Key Concept - Impact of Digital Technologies on Production

• ‘Smaller, lighter, quicker, easier, cheaper, more effective’

• HD-DV – much cheaper than 35mm film – do you remember the problem with Prints?

• HD-DV still excellent quality.• Lighter cameras mean easier for women to access film

production.• Allows easier addition of CGI.• Increasing use of electronic, 'moving image'

storyboards

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Piracy and Audiences

• Think of the issues surrounding film piracy at the moment including your own experience.

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Impact of Digital Technologies on Distribution & Marketing

• ‘Smaller, lighter, quicker, easier, cheaper, more effective’

• Digital distribution - developing use of direct-to-theatre satellite and/or the Internet to distribute.

• What other examples can you think of?

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Homework

• Case Study – Warp Films• Find out what you can about Warp Films• http://warp.net/films• Look for information on how they produce films, what kind of films

they make (genre) and who distributes their films.

• Research Four Lions (2010)• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1341167/?ref_=sr_1• Find out production companies, distributors in the UK, the budget, any

interesting aspects to the marketing campaign – start here…• http://warp.net/films/four-lions/four-lions-up-for-best-dvd-campaign• Choose ONE other Warp Films production and research the

production, distribution and marketing of your film.