Big Talk Productions

How long has it been around for?

Big talk productions has been in effect since 1995 (16 years) and was founded by Nira Park.

Who runs it?

It is run by a number of people and other investing businesses, such as:

·         Kenton Allen (Joint CEO, main company)

·         Matthew Justice (Managing director of the main company)

·         Simon Curtis ( Executive producer of drama, main company)

·         BBC worldwide (25%)

·         75% independant

·         That Mitchell and Webb company

·         (Completed a development deal jointly funded by Film Four and UK Film Council)

What does the company do?

The company produces television programmes and movies

What films have they made?

·         Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

·         Paul (2011)

·         Attack the Block (2011)

·         Sightseers (2012)

How a film is made (the process)

1) Development
In this stage you need to consider the following aspects:

• Who would watch your movie? / Whos your target audience?
• What do you want your film to say?
• How can you tell it in a new/original way?
• Where would people be able to view your film?

During this development stages you must:

• Develop your ideas
• Plan a script
• Plan and go over all the intricate details
• Plan the length of your film (aspects)
• Storyboard your film

2) Pre-Production (http://www.northernmedia.org/?mod=funding&pageid=104&id=15)
You begin this stage when you have a well developed script and you are clear about who you are targetting as an audience and what the project is about. This is the time for detailed and specific planning – for pinning down the schedule. This is a written plan of what will take place at each stage of your production - from casting, rehearsals, the shooting schedule, to the post-production and delivery of your film.

During the pre-production period you will usually:

• Prepare an overall schedule
• Audition and cast actors
• Book crew (Decide who will do what and make sure they are available when you need them)
• Prepare the shooting script (Pin down the locations and group your scenes together in the order they will be filmed)
• Identify the locations you will use and get permission to film there
• Prepare shooting schedule (Plan your shoot. Decide what will happen on what day – and prepare contingency plans for bad weather)
• Book locations and transport
• Book catering provision
• Sort out insurance
• Sort out copyright clearance for any pre-recorded music you intend to use
• Rehearse – directors and actors
• Prepare locations / sets (i.e. do any art work and set dressing)
• Sort out costumes and props if necessary
• Produce call sheets - daily plans that let everyone know when they are expected and what they are expected to do

3) Production
During this time you are set to put all your pre-production planning into action. You would carry out such tasks as:

• shoot scenes
• plan ahead for next days shoot
• reschedule if things go wrong

4) Post-production

This is the editing part – it falls into two sections – off-line and online. The key creative decisions are made in the off-line edit, so you may wish to involve members of your group in this part of the process.

Off-line edit             
Lower cost, lower picture-quality edit. All editing decisions are made during this time (except for special effects that will require sophisticated equipment).

On-line edit
High cost, high picture-quality edit. All the pictures in your film are replaced from the original tapes at the highest resolution available. Special effects and captions are added, and pictures are colour graded at this stage.  If you are hoping that your programme will be broadcast, the on-line editor will also make sure that signal levels recorded on your final master edit conform to the standards set for broadcast video/audio.   

Sound Dub
Additional sound effects and music are mixed with the recorded sound

5) Screening/ Exhibition and Distribution
You may want to screen your film at a cinema, or a non-theatrical venue. You will need to have publicity and marketing ideas to promote the film and encourage an audience to come and see it.  Plan to take good quality stills pictures during the production, so you have a strong image to promote your film.
Make sure you have sorted out the following issues early on the production process, otherwise you may find you are unable to show your film:

• Music - have you got copyright clearance?
• Release forms
• You may need to specify a viewing age for your film if there is strong language or violent/sexually explicit content.
• If you want to show your film to the general public, you will need to apply to your local authority licensing department for permission. 

Primeval - Notes on gender representation

In this clip taken from the ITV drama Primeval, gender stereotypes are challenged, this is conveyed through use of camera, editing, sound and mise en scene. One of the most significant pieces of prop is the JCB digger in which you see the female character Abby use in order to save her male companion, this already gives us evidence that the typical stereotype of the male domineer and the female damsel are being challenged. Stereotypically it would have been the male which would have been saving Abby from the Sabre Tooth, however this is the opposite. Abby is wearing no (if anything subtle) makeup and very casual working clothes, this goes against the popular stereotype for women which is that they wear a lot of makeup and generally take a lot of care with their appearance, so she is seen as a exception to her stereotype and if anything a "tom boy" character as she carries some more typically male traits.

However, the female stereotype is not completely outlawed as there is a female characters who is seen to be wearing quite overt makeup and formal/neat attire. This conforms to the stereotype. This is the same with a majority of the male characters, despite the exception of the one male character which does not follow his stereotype (as he plays the character in distress), the rest however do. For example toward the end of the clip the male characters save the damsel in distress, which is typical of their "heroic" or "dominant" stereotype. The majority of the male characters are also given guns which reinforce their position of power, a canted angle puts the audience at the other end of the barrel to establish the hierarchy of power (with the male at the controlling end of the gun).

Nick Cutter (the male in distress) is mainly show to be in a area of inferiority which subsequently emasculates and this is show through the angles in which the camera has been placed. For example when the camera is placed at a low angle which is tilted up to reveal the Sabre Tooth it shows the high position of power in which the animal has at that moment. This once again plays opposite to the male "dominant" stereotype as he is always in a vulnerable position. The editing in this scene is moved into a faster pace, this helps build up a gripping scene which supports Nicks vulnerability. The heavy drum beats and speedily played violin also add to the tension, as it is used to represent the pounding heart beat of the potential victim (Nick) and the swift movement of the Sabre Tooth catching up with him.

The traditional farmer/landowner stereotype is successfully conveyed through the mise en scene as typically a farmer would be of male sexuality (as is the farmer in this clip). He has a gun as his prop and is dressed in khaki, old worn farming clothes which we only really see on a male character. The gun here is very significant in fulfilling his male stereotype as this completes the powerful male alter-ego, it also gives the scene diegetic sound as the farmer shoots his rifle multiple times to enforce his power and masculinity. The editing brings about a slow motion sequence as the "heroes" arrive to aid the damsel in distress when in the landowners barn, this is effective in showing the exchange in power, which shows the younger men to be the alpha male.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl - Sound

As well as using the camera work and other aspects of production, sound is a very important factor in creating a representation, in this case it is the representation of disability. At the begging of the clip ambient sound of the wheel chair rolling along the carpet can be heard, this directs our attention to the chair straight away, which is of course backed up by the images of the man sitting in the chair. At this stage of the clip there is no sound track, this is to ensure that the audience feel the awkwardness in which the characters are subjected to feeling.

Dialogue is next on the repertoire of sounds in which the audience are to encounter. The dialogue sends off a signal of awkwardness right away as there is some use of phatic talk and the sentences are never fully finished before a reply is handed out. As the action starts to get going, we increasingly hear my ambient sounds, for example when Billy Piper is locking the door, these sounds are delivered to us quite clearly to make the audience aware that this is an important sound. Almost three quarters of the way into the clip a soundtrack now begins to play, the main instrument in which we hear is a harmonica, which is usually associated with the blues, as we are to feel sympathy for the disabled man. This sound is also sound bridged as is takes us from a clip of the father to a clip of Billy and the male.

Some other important sounds:

• Ambient - Rustling of paper, footsteps, the window opening and closing, nature
• Soundtrack - Harmonica song, radio, bib

Sound Terminology

Diegetic - sound that characters can hear

Non-diegetic - Sound that characters cannot hear

Soundtrack - music chosen to go with a scene

Score - Original music (made for the show)

Sound Effects - Recorded sounds, usually added in post production (editing)

Theme - Music that goes with characters or situations

Ambient sound - natural, environmental sounds

Dialogue - speech, intonation (how they say it), accent

Sound Bridge - soundtack starts in one scene and is carried to the other

Secret Diary of a Call Girl - Representation of disability - Editing

In the clip taken from ITV drama Secret Diary of a Call Girl, the subject of disability is very relevant and certainly on topic. Editing is used to make us feel certain emotions regarding this sensitive subject and to make us constantly aware of the topic of disability. Below is a list of some of the important features of editing used to create this representation of disability:

• Eye line shot of the disabled man, which instantly brings us to the subject of disability
• When dealing with the payments, there is an eye line match between Billy Piper, the father and the cripple. We view it as Billy looking down, then the father looking down, then their subject of interest (the boy) is show after
• Long scene when the father is rummaging through his sons bag, to build awkwardness
• Match on action when the father picks up his son and places him down on the bed
• Shot-reverse shot of Billy locking the door, to vulnerable boy, back to door. This shot shows concern
• Slow pace, generating a feeling of anxiety
• 180degree rule, Billy always on the left and disabled boy is usually to the right
• Eye line match, Dad looking at the penthouse apartment, shows anxiety and protectiveness
• Jump-cuts of the father in the van which are used to show boredom, time passing and anxiety. There is no relationship between each of the shots, they're discontinuous
• Cross cutting of the action taking place simultaneously
• Camera/editing is privileging the master shot (master shot shows both characters)

Editing Terminology

Eye line Match - A shot of someones face looking, then a shot of what they're looking at

Cross Cutting - Cutting from one scene to the other,. showing the action is happening at the same time. To suggest characters story lines will ,meet and converge.

Cut on motion/ motion cut - Cutting to a closer frame or different frame when there is movement to draw pour attention to it. Starts on one shot and is completed on the next.

Graphic Match - Two shots chosen for graphic similarity e.g. a clock face and rolo (both circular)

Shot - reverse shot - Used during conversations to show one characters perspective to the other in a conversation

Transitions -

• Cut (hard cut)
• Dissolve/cross fade
• Fade in/out
• Jump cut

Jump cut  - Draws attention to the editing and takes out some of the time in a chronological narrative

Montage - Shots chosen for thematic relationship and are often used to show development and crunch time

Pace - How does the edit affect the mood through the pace of the clip

Monarch of the Glen - Mise en scene (camera)

Here is the order of the most significant shots in this clip from the Monarch of the Glen. Most of these shots were created in order to backup the the age theme in this clip:

• Medium shot of two people conversing. Shows costumes in shot, which are typical of teenage fashion
• Close up of the 16 year old girl, in the driving seat. This shot shows uncertainty and nervousness in her face, which can be linked to the feelings one might get just before an exam perhaps
• Wide shot of car crash, used to establish new setting 
• Pan left to right to show conversation with headmaster 
• Two person shot, close-up, shows a vulnerable girl hiding behind a parent like figure
• Long shot, establishes new office location
• Close up, now at eye level of the young girl to show her perspective
• Wide shot, establishing another new location
• Mid shot of teddy bear on the bed, this relates to age again as a teddy has connotations of childhood innocence and naivety
• Tilt to reveal goodbye note
• Slow zoom on photograph, emphasising emotion
• Tilt up to show window in which she climbed out of, again there are connotations of childhood and teen rebellion 

Monarch of the Glen - Mise en scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQDipfN8JA&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLFB82E5E1AA5FBC19

Mise on scene consists of the following main sub-topics: Settings, lighting, actors, costume, makeup, props and body language. These are all contributing, and vital factors in the creation of a successful and authentic scene. In this clip from TV drama Monarch of the Glen, the main focus is on age, so therefore the mise en scene is very important in making that focus clear. Here is a bullet pointed list of examples of the mise en scene used:


Lighting 

• Natural outdoors lighting
• Dim/ Low key lighting inside the office

Actors

• Adults
• Predominantly men
• Workers, labourers 

Costume

• Traditional farming gear: tweed and Barbour jackets
• Casual clothing on the younger characters
• Academic type clothing on the head master

Settings

• Scotland
• Farm
• Rural area

Make-up

• Subtle facial makeup on female characters

Props

• Work tools
• Glass of brandy (establishing class/social status)
• Ladder
• Car

Body Language

• Nervous/apprehensive/confused
• Angry
• Betrayed
• Finger wagging

Stereotyping

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC6zFBji_vQ&feature=related

In this short clip from British teen drama Skins, we see a group of youngsters conforming to their media given stereotype. Many peoples, (particularly adults) perpetual ideas of how young people act are shown under the spotlight in this clip. However most of these ideas, which form a prominent stereotype, are inherited from the media's creation of this "folk devil" being youths in revolt. So referring back to the clip, we witness a clique of young teenagers carrying out anti social and very illegal practises such as: underage drinking, recreational use of drugs and smoking. The media portray all "youths" to be in some which way affiliated with these practises, not to mention stabbings and violence, hence their positively negative stereotype. So in this clip we see these characters conforming to their stereotype in order to please and confirm to the audience that this is indeed how young persons act. Many members of the audience watching may also be able to identify with this clip, whether it be teenager or adult. As many people can give in, or have experienced peer pressure, being in a situation involving drink and alcohol and maybe even a situation in which they or someone with them have participated in anti social (criminal) behaviour. The mise en scene such as the: low key lighting, props and the predominantly young electro house music all add to this screening of stereotypically youthful behaviour, in which they all like to party, and get "wasted." The low key lighting and angular close-ups of the characters all add to the illusion of intoxication or "being high" which put the audience into the characters perspectives. To conclude, the props of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes are all used to show how young people stereotypically spend their time, doing illegal activities for people of their age.

First Assignment

What are the key concepts?

• Cinematography - camerawork, angles, movement, frame
• Editing - pace, transition, order
• Sound - diegetic, contrapuntal, parallel, dialogue
• Media Language - the nuts and bolts of media products
• Representation - how people, especially certain groups such as men, women, young people, ethnic groups etc, are portrayed by the media
• Audience - the ways of describing and appealing to consumers of media
• Institution - the producers and regulators of the media
• Mise en Scene - what is in the scene/shot?

What does each one refer to and mean?

- Cinematography: refers to the camerawork which is used during the production of the given programme. This includes looking deep into the shot in which we see, such as analysis of the camerawork, the angles and frames used to create a shot.
- Editing: refers to the process in which the footage in modified to create the desired product. For example during the editing, factors such as pace, transition and order can all be modified to improve a shot and to replicate the directors idea
- Sound: refers to the music, dialogue and anything that we are to hear in a clip. This also includes voice overs and narration. Films such as Fight Club and Kill Bill all feature narrations from the main characters.
- Media Language: refers to the technical jargon for aspects of media, for example there would be specific names for each part of an article, such as the image, title, etc.
- Representation: refers to the way in which a certain character is shown to be like. For example in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow is represented as an idiotic pirate with the same tendencies as your local town drunk.
- Audience: refers to the receiving end of the media, so therefore the media is dependant on its audience
- Institution: refers to the people behind the creation, distribution and profiting of the media. For example the directors, editors and journalists (the creations or regurgitates of information).
- Mise en Scene: refers to what it is that you can see in your clip, for example the lighting, props, makeup, costume, settings, etc.

How does the exam test your knowledge of each concept?

The exam tests your knowledge by getting you to analyse a clip using all the technical vocabulary to show your understanding. For example you may get a question to analyse the camerawork, in which the examiners would expect you to use the technical words for the angles as such, to show that you know what it is that you're writing about.