Plan B Collage

Focus Group

Focus Group

Seems different, I would like to check out the first episode if it’s good I would carry on watching it.

I like that they involved twitter to get involved with the younger audience,

Sounds really good, I would watch it, it takes place at a bench all the time, like friends are always at a café but theirs is a bench.

So it works in terms of the location? Nice.

I like that there’s 3 characters so you can keep up with them, but there’s no female characters which I’m not interested in so I can’t really relate to it. But if they do add female characters, yeah I will tune in.

I don’t know anything about the storyline they just said that the concept…

I like the whole concept but I think the whole thing is targeted mostly towards males instead of females.

I think the ideas really good but the names kind of boring because the names something that grabs the audience’s attention but the bench it kind of, boring you know  Like ‘the bench’ what’s that?

If you had a more exciting name I think it’d be better and urm if you had females as well because there are only males, I think unless the females found the men attractive but otherwise more females would be better

I not sure if I’d watch it because if it’s just about three boys then I wouldn’t as I would want to see more females characters.

Yeah I like it I would watch it but are you going for like a comedy or something?

Cause I don’t know if it would be successful if you can’t swear.

I think hargio’s point is a good one.

Well I don’t know enough about the show to know whether I would watch it I mean you haven’t even explained what it’s about or even the characters names.

We learnt a lot from the focus group as it helped us in improving our idea and our final project. we was told that it would be a good idea to add a female character. I think this is good, however this will be done later on in the series as we do not want to introduce too many characters at once, as this would give away the storyline. We also learnt that the class believed that our TV show is targeted at only male and does not have a female audience. I believe this is incorrect as the genre we are going for contains a female audience as well as a male audience, for example Kiduthood has a wide female audience and also contained mainly of male characters. However I believe once we introduce our female characters we will gain more female viewing. During the focus group it came across that our name seemed quite boring. I believe that this name suites the concept of our idea, as the focus group did not understand where we was coming from, as they do not know why we have named the TV show the bench. Furthermore they will later find out what the meaning of the bench is as the TV show progress. as the TV show goes in the audience will then come to an understand of why we named the TV show the bench as it will be an obvious answer. We had more than one negative comment about no female characters, therefore I believe we should of stated in our focus group that we are going to introduce female characters later on later on. I believe that it is possible to make this TV show successful because other pre watershed TV shows, such as Waterloo Road and Eastenders have done this with success. We will aim to use mise en scene and camera shots to make the first 2 minutes to hook viewers. This will then make the viewer want to carry on watching the rest of the series. This would be done by giving an hint to the characters’ lives but not giving too much away, of any of the narrative.

Ill Manors Tedx lecture Website

Ill Manors Tedx lecture Website

Plan Bs beliefs are what he states in the title of his lecture, find out what kids are good at. It will change their lives. Plan B believes that just because a child comes from a certain background and environment does not mean they have no talent what so ever. Plan B also believes that no one wants to take chances on a council child, as they automatically down grade them as human beings. He believes are by someone taking interest in these kids you can learn a lot from them and who they are as people. From there you will understand their talents and put them to some use which would benefit everyone.

Plan B views towards politics are more negative than positive. This is because Plan B believes where he comes from the politics not treating them well and is always bad mouthing them. David Cameron created a campaign called “hug a hoodie” which was later on forget about as he believes he was just saying that to get publicity. Plan B also mentions this in the Ill Manors song, “hug a hoodie", wait don’t you might get robbed.” Plan b is connoting to the audience that just because someone wears a hoodie does not mean they are going to too bad. Plan B believes the politicians have labelled anyone who wears a hoodie as “Chav”. Plan b also believes the word chav as been used wrongly to label and target at council kids.

Plan Bs values are music and rappers that he has never met before in his life and will most likely never meet, however he followers in their footsteps. This is because he believes the Government has never given his kind of people a chance in life, which would be the council estate kids. He was kicked out of school when he was in year 10 and was sent to a place where he could relate to the other kids there as they were there for the same reason, also they all listen and followed the same rappers. He also believes that council upbringings are misunderstood and have never had that parent model in their lives, therefore they have never had a role model to put them on track. This is why Plan B wants to fit into this slot by being a role model to these misunderstood kids and show them that there is more to life then just violence.

I think the audience for Plan Bs lecture would be, class A/B this would be the class that is educated. I believe this would be the target audience as to understand the true meaning behind Plan Bs lectures you would need to want to have an interest in what he is talking about. Therefore I believe this would be the right class as they had patience and also the right mind into understand and taking up what Plan B is offering. I believe this would be a lecture for the Succeeder as they would have gone through university as would have a high standard and have an education. They would also be interested in learning about other people beliefs and would be extra interested in Plan Bs lecture, as it would have been the first time they would off heard of this topic. I also believe this is a lecture for the explorers as they would want to be the first to hear about this topic. This is because Plan B is the first person to raise this matter so high that it is being listened and understand by more and many people. As the explorers want to be the first onto this topic and to understand it they would attend the lecture. From there they would take up this topic and build on it.

Plan Bs views on the media are negative as he believes they twist every story and only write and publish what they want whether it is downgrading someone. Plan Bs also believes that the media have a negative view on the council estate kids. They believe that they are out to course danger and are also using weapons. Plan B states in his lecture that he was approached by a group of young lads who wanted him of their “ends”, Plan B then said he was about to get knocked out by these teenagers, however he then got saved by a group of lads who brushed aside these teenagers. He then reported this to the media who still managed to twist the story and not mention how he was saved, and it was just said that there was a fight. This is why Plan B believes the media only care about what they think will sell whether it destroying someone’s life.

When you enter the Ill Manors website it catches you attention as, the layout is very unique. The website contains the characters faces in the background and the display of the trailer as soon as you get into the website. The website also contains their Facebook and Twitter links which will enables the audience to keep up with the film through social network. The Website also contains videos of the making of Ill Manors. This attracts interest as audience will see the setting of the Ill Manors and also see how it is being made. The website also provides links to where the DVD can be purchased from and in what forms. I believe the strongest part of the website is the links, which provides the audience with quotes and views celebrities and famous people have on the film. I believe if someone sees someone they look up to praising the film they will watch it as they look up to them. The website also using synergy (cross promotion) to advertise the Ill Manors album. There is a link of the website providing the album and where is can be purchased from. Plan B is promoting not only his film on the website but also his music.

Plan Bs lecture can relate to the theory of moral panic as, the moral panic theory states that the media is brainwashing the audience into believing that teenagers are a threat to the society. This is done by demolishing the youth by exaggerating on stories when published in the media. For example when the riots took place last year the media labelled the blame at the teenagers but not providing the full story. Which was the teenagers putting a stand of all the community centres being closed down. The media also stated that the government should come down harsher on these teens by placing stricter punishment. Teenagers then got sent to prison for 6 months just for stealing a mars bar. 

Broadcast – DVD

The website provides a link which tells you where you can purchase the DVD from. This would be useful as if someone enjoys the film they then have a chance to find where they can purchase it from. It will also be effective as if their DVD sales high it will show that their film was a success.

Print - Characters

The website provides the characters names and a picture of them. This is effective as it gives the audience a chance to get to know the characters. If the audience know the characters have been in films that have been successful before they will then watch the film. it also gives the audience a chance to understand the role of the characters in the film.

E-media – Trailer

As soon as you enter the website you come across the Ill Manors trailer. This is effective as it gives the audience a chance to find out vital information about the film. It provides the audience with the release date and also the important settings of the film. The trailer also gives the audience a chance to find out which characters are who and briefly what their part will be in the film. By having the trailer at the start of the website it is the first thing the audience will notice therefore catch their attention. They will then watch the trailer and hopefully like it and then watch the film. Which they then may like a purchase the DVD. This would then make Ill Manors money and also establish them. 

Print

http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/2713/ben-drew-aka-plan-b-interview

Plan B conducted a magazine interview on Ill Manors explaining where he has come from and his past. he explains about his past and how he was treated and left by his dad at a young age. This is effective as he is explaining to the audience how can relate to the council kids in his film as he was one of them, so therefore he knows how they are feeling to be undermined by the media all the time. He also explains why the children are like what they are as they have no parent love and guidance to follow in. This is useful in promoting the film because if someone sees that the person who has made a director the movie has been in the characters situation, they are more likely to watch the film as they know it will be about reality and the truth.

Broadcast (talk show)

Plan B featured on Jonathan Ross talk show in order to talk about the ill Manors album and film. This is effective as Plan B is talking about the riots. He is explaining that these kids are the way they are because they have never been shown love by their parents, or their parents have left them and a young age. he also states that the media are always negative towards these kids steriotyping them as "chavs" therefore when the public read this they believe it and then see them as that. This is useful in the release of the film as Plan B is saying that these kids are the reason he has made the film Ill Manors. Also that due to the riots he also decided to create this film. 

Ill Manors (Twitter and Facebook page) 

Ill Manors has its own Facebook and twitter page in order to let their target audience keep up with their updates. By using this it will enable them to update their target audience. This is good as their target audience will spend most of their time on social networking sites as it is the best way to communicate with them. This is also effective as if the public see that this is famous on the social networking site they will then look into it and maybe even watch it. This is useful for the movie as it will attract many people. Also if someone only knew about the album or just the film, they are then able to come across the other this will then be useful for them. Also this is effective for Plan B as it is the best way to advertise as it will boost up their sales. Also most advertisement is done through social networking sites as the internet is now the main source for advertisement. 

Awards 

Ill manors received a Mobo award for the Ill Manors song itself. this would be good for promoting the film as it gives Plan B the chance to address everyone and talk about the film. Also if someone likes the Ill Manors song they would then think of watching the film. Also if they enjoy the theme of the song they would then be interested in finding out what the movie will hold. By Plan B winning a Mobo award it would establish him more as a artist, from here he would then be trusted when it comes to film making as he would be taken more serious. This would be effective for Plan B as he would then receive more offers for when creating his next film or sound track. 

Magazine interview for shortlist.com 

"My songs are about real life" 

Plan B conducts an interview which he talks about issues that concern him and the only way to get through to people is by conducting them through music. He brings up issues that he believes are keep away and are not dealt with the way they should be. That is why he created Ill Manors in order to build awareness of why trouble kids are how they are. This would be useful for Plan B in the release of his movie as it would let people know that it is about a real life situation, and how he has been where all these kids have so he knows what it is like to be treated in a certain way. Therefore this would attract viewers as they would know it is based on reality, therefore making them interested in the matter. This would be effective for Plan B as the public would know that he is creating films about situations that happen all the time. This would then make him be seen as a real artist therefore attract more viewers and also fans. 

I Tunes Download 

Ill Manors soundtrack is available for download on the I tunes site. This also enables Ill Manors to climb the I tunes chart. This is useful for the release of Ill Manors as it would enable them to get noticed and also enables fans to be able to download the track therefore increasing the ratings of Ill Manors. This is also effective for the release of the film as once someone notices the sound track and like it they would then be interested in watching the film. 

Mr Bush

Ill Manors Trailer Analysis

Media

What are the typical codes and conventions of film trailers – what information is usually provided?

Ill manors provides the most important information during the trailer as they have such a little time, they want to provide the main information which the viewers will see and then be interested in the film and then watch the film. However Ill Manors would provide the most important information at the end of the film which would be the release date, this is done as the last thing the viewers will see and will stick in their head. The trailer would also provide the institutions, stars names, the director’s names, the names of companies who funded the film and the ratings they receive from the film reviewers. As this film I slow budget film they would provide names of stars or famous directors names. This is done in order to attract more viewers as they may of saw a previous film of a directors or a stars film. Viewers would then want to watch the film as they may believe they will enjoy the film. Most trailers would also provide “coming soon” on their trailers as this would give the audience an idea that they would not have to wait long to actually see the film. Also the information that is provided at during the trailer would be writing in bright bold so viewers will not miss it and will notice it being their. The Ill Manors trailer also provides quotes which would help the audience understand what the film is about. At the end of the trailer the date would be left on screen for around about 4 seconds. The trailer also provides lines from the film as this would create suspicion off what to expect in the film. Also at the end of the trailer they provide their website name and any social network sites they belong too. This is because viewers can find extra information, also by providing it at the end of the trailer it would be the last thing viewers see and will stick in their mind. Everything is normally promoted a lot on social network sites as everyone is apart of them and check them on a regular bases.

How are trailers distributed?

The distributor for Ill Manors was Revolver Entertainment. Even though Ill Manors was a low budget film and was not known off as much. Revolver Entertainment has worked with successful British films in the past for example Kidulthood and Adulthood. These films were really successful in Britain as the genre urban teen drama is very popular. Some may say it relates to most London teenagers who are from the street. Also the director of Ill Manors ‘Plan B’ has worked with Revolver Entertainment before in Adulthood, therefore he is familiar with their work as he was apart of one of their most successful films. Due to the link between the too Revolver Entertainment gave Plan B his first break in the film industry, as some saw as too big of a risk too pay off. Normally trailers will be played before films start at cinemas, however this is seen not be a good idea as many people skip or miss the trailers as they would arrive just for the film. Also trailers are mostly shown on YouTube this would be a better way to distribute trailers as many people will watch the trailer. Also it would give you idea of how many people will watch your film from the views you receive from the trailer. Another way to distribute your trailers would be on social network sites. This would be an idea that would get the most peoples attention as everyone is apart of social networking sites therefore attract the most viewers to your film. As the film is targeted at teenagers the directed Plan B is famous to all the teens as his fan base is mostly teenagers.

How does Ill Manors use trailer conventions?

Ill Manors uses convention to be effective during the trailer. The trailer provides the distributor companies name which they then provide a main part of the film to create tension and make it more effective. However they do not give too much away about what will the storyline will be in the film. They did this in order to attract the audience attention and also get them to watch the film. The trailer also uses the directors own song during the trailer (Plan B). This is done in order to promote the Plan b music career while also promoting his film, which is called synergy which is also known as cross promotion. The trailer also provides parts of the film which are effective in the film. however because there are so many storylines in the film all happening at once by providing effective parts it will not give the storyline away, as there are many storylines to follow the viewers will have to watch all the film to get a clearly understanding of the storylines. Also by using the effective parts it makes the viewers want to watch the film as the trailer has persuaded them it is a good film and also encouraged them to watch the film. Also by adding Plan B soundtrack in the background and parts of the video it will encourage the viewers to also check out his music video. Once the audience has seen one of his videos they would then want to see the rest of his videos as they may tend to enjoy his music. This would then promote his music career further. From there Plan B would then get more sponsors in creating another film as they believe he has become established.

Who is the target audience?

The target audience for this film would be 18-40. However due to the violence in the film and the inappropriate scenes that are shown the film was giving an 18 rating. However I believe the target audience would start at 13. Whether the younger age finds a way into the cinema or they watch it online or purchase the DVD when it comes out. I also think it would be targeted at both men and women as one of the main characters is a woman, it also shows how some woman are treated bad and have done nothing wrong to deserve that. So this would therefore interest women to watch it. However I do believe it is 60% male and 40% female. I believe the audience of the group would belong to the group D/E as it would be mostly school drop outs who would want to watch the film. This is because it would relate to lives therefore they would understand the film more. However this film could be used to show how street kid’s lives are and how it’s not their fault. I also think the film audience could fall under the group A/B as it may interest students as they may have been in that life before but got out, they may want to see how it is for the life opposite to them is like to live, or they know someone in that lifestyle. Whereas maybe they just enjoy that kind of genre in a film.

Does it have a unique selling point or use particular techniques to appeal to the audience?

Ill Manors uses Mise en Scene effectively to appeal to the audience. The use of stereotype of the hood clothing would appeal to the target audience. This is because as soon as the target audience notice the clothing being worn they would be attracted to the trailer. Which they would then bee hooked into the storyline has it would relate to them. This would be a usual stereotype look of someone who would live in a council estate and could not go to school. Also the covering of some of the background actors would connote the hidden identity of the stereotype and also the target audience. The uses of guns, knifes and guns would be the typical stereotype view of teenagers that there out to cause trouble all the time and start violence whenever they can. However Plan B is trying to send a message that if you think we behave like this then why we should stop. Also the setting makes the trailer more effective as it is filmed in Plan b own estate. This would be effective as it shows Plan B is not ashamed where he has come from which is like most rap artist. He still has respect for his town and his sending a message that fame will not make him one of them rich boys.  

Consider the way the scenes are edited together – does the trailer give away any clues about the narrative?

The trailer uses shots from the film and edits them which fast pace. This connotes to the audience that the film will be full of action. Also it catches the audience’s attention to the trailer. As the fast pace creates suspension and excitement to the film and also creates excitement in the viewers head. By the film showing parts of the film it attracts the audience’s attention as they want to try work out the storyline of the film. However as they can’t understand the storyline they want to watch the film, as the storyline has interest them. As there is so much going on in the movie at once and every storyline is linked together at some point in the movie, this then is hard for the viewer to understand the film by just watching the trailer they would need to watch the entire film to understand the storyline. I believe that the trailer does not give any narrative away at all as there is too much to understand just from a 1:45 second trailer. This is a good thing as it would encourage viewers to go and watch the film.

Are the main stars visible in the trailer?

The Trailer provides some of the main characters. The main two characters they provide are Kirby and Chris. This is because they have had a long past relationship which has led them to a point which they meet again. However the audience will try and understand their relationship but they would not get the true story behind the relationship until they watch the film. They trailer also provides brief showing of main characters however, you don’t not come to a clearly understand that they are the main characters, but you do understand they have a dominated role in the estate that they live in. the main characters in the film that have been in previous successful films will be provided in the trailer as it would build viewers for the film. As the audience would believe if they were in a previous film that they enjoyed they will enjoy this one. But however if they believe they actor has been in films they did not enjoy then they would lose many viewers.

Is there information about the director of the film?

The trailer provides information on the director as the director (Plan B) name is provided. Also the cross promotion of plan b music in the background lets the viewers know it is the directors music. Also Plan B the director is in the trailer as they provide parts of his music video during the trailer.  This was done to promote his music career as well as his directing career. Also this was done as if the audience knew about Plan B before and listened to his music they would then watch his film, as his target audience is the same age as his fan base. This would then enable him to attract more viewers to his film.

Is there information about the release date?

The trailer provides the release date. However the release date is provided at the end of the trailer and is on screen for about 4 seconds. The release date is also written in bold writing which would stand out to the audience. The release date is provided at the end as it would be the last thing the audience would notice so it would stick in their head. Also the trailer says coming soon this is done in order to let the viewer know that they do not have to wait ages to see the film. This would be provided at the start of the film in order to get the audience to watch the trailer the whole way through.

Is a narrator’s voice-over used?

A narrator’s voice is used in a form of rap in the trailer. This is not usually heard in the trailers. However the person doing the narrator is the actual director of the film (Plan B). He says during the trailer “I am the narrator”. This would connote to the audience that he is the voice of the trailer and the film itself and he is trying to send a story out to the viewers, with a message behind it. You never normally see the narrator doing his own narrator voice on the trailer is this case the cross promotion is used again, as Plan B is rapping during the trailer which would interest and excite the viewers.

How has the genre of the film been represented through characters, setting, lighting, colour, music, camera shots/movement/angles and editing?

The genre of Ill Manors is crime urban teen drama. This is represented through characters as they way they would talk would be the same as a street council kid would talk. This would be in the form on slang. Also the characters are violent and have weapons and drug on them which is a stereotype view of seeing the characters. The setting of the film is in a council estate and the streets which would represent the genre, as the target audience would live in the same kind of environment to the characters. The setting is mostly at night as it would create tension and connote to the audience at when the crime takes place. The lighting of the film is the dark shots would represent the emotion of the characters and the film which was mostly angry, sad and fear. The colour of the costumes used by the characters were dark this is a stereotype view of teenagers. Also one character tells another character he needs to dress dark as it hides the identity of the character. The music during the film relates to genre as it is fast music would relate to the fats pace of the film, to connote action to the viewers. The film was also about violence and crime where the music related to that as it had swearing in it. Also the songs used were angry songs to relate to the mood of the film. The music also used in the film was Plan b own songs, this was used in the form of cross promotion. The camera shots in the film related to the genre as the close up shots were used to show when the characters were scared or upset. Also the establish shots were used to show the setting of the scene would be near an estate or inside an estate. The editing related back to the genre as the fast pace editing connoted to the audience the action and crime taking place in the film. Also the use of fast editing was used to show the many storylines taking place all at once. 

Creating Media: Research and Planning

Creating Media: Research and Planning

Waterloo road

Waterloo Road relates to our intro as it has a similar style of genre. It also relates to our intro as the characters in Waterloo Road are similar to ours. The start of the program starts with a student selling drugs in the school play ground. It also looked like he was the dominant character as everyone looked scared of him. This relates to our film as our main character is a drug dealer. This also relates to our idea as throughout the opening 2 minutes there was non diegetic sound playing. This relates to our intro as we plan to have non diegetic sound during our opening sequence. Also at the end of the opening scene the title Waterloo round appears in bold. This also relates to our intro as we plan to put our name The Bench at the end of our opening scene. We also plan to have it in bold. Also the opening scene uses established shots to show the viewers where it will be set which is a school. However in our intro we decide to show where our opening scene will be set at the end of our intro. The difference is in our intro we plan not to have any sound of characters talking during the intro. Also we do not give away much in our opening sequence about our storyline. Another difference is that we introduce and provide our characters name during the intro.

Misfits

Misfits relates to our opening sequence as it also has a similar genre to our intro. It’s similar to our opening sequence as we attend to introduce our characters in the opening scene and also provide their names. Also there is sound playing in the background which we also plan to do, in order to relate it to the mood of the intro. Another similarity our intro has with misfits is they provide their name at the end of the opening sequence which we also plan to do. Also a difference is between our intro and misfits is that they used the opening sequence to introduce all their characters, however with our opening sequence we show characters in action, whereas misfits just show their characters face with their names. Also the difference between the two intros is that we have sound from our characters speaking, whereas in misfits the characters do not talk. Also another difference between our intro and misfit’s intro is that, misfits do not provide any shots of the setting for their TV series. Also misfits also do not give any idea away off what their storyline would be, whereas our intro will provide some idea of what our storyline will be, but not giving too much away.

Kidulthood

Kidulthood is a film whereas our opening sequence is part of TV show. The similarities between the two are that the genre is very similar and we are going for this type of genre. We are planning to do a opening sequence which would relate to Kidulthood, however Kidulthood contains a lot of swearing which some could say will appeal to the target audience more. A difference between kidulthoods opening sequence and ours is that Kidulthood do not give away their setting, they just show that the main characters are school kids which would attract the younger viewers as it could relate to most of them. Another difference is that the name of the film is not provided after the intro, whereas we will provide that. Kidulthood provides non diegetic sound in their opening sequence to set suspicion and tension. It mostly creates tension when the character is drilling into something which the audience want to know what it is which we later realise is a gun, which would interest viewers to carry on watching. This is one reason why we have gone for a Kidulthood genre it attracts viewers of the younger audience as it was a highly rated movie. Also the movie hooks the viewers with its tension throughout the whole film leaving the viewers wanted to know what is going to happen next. However during the opening sequence of Kidulthood they do not provide the characters names or their original names. Whereas we plan to do that in order to introduce our characters efficiently.

Ill Manors

Ill manors relates to our opening sequence as the storyline is what we are looking to go for, also the characters is what we would like to have in our intro. However the Ill Manors characters swear a lot during the film. The opening to Ill Manors sets shows the viewers part of the setting of the scenes in the film, by using establishing shots. They also show shots of the main characters, however they do not give anything away to the viewers on which characters is the most dominant during the film. This then attracts the attention of viewers as they want to know what will be happen and keep them interested.  A difference between our open sequence and Ill Manors is that Ill Manors did not personally introduce all their main characters, however this was because they had too many to introduce. Whereas our intro we will be personally introducing every character. Ill Manors also did not provide their title after the opening sequence this could be because most films do not do that, however in our intro we plan to have our title The Bench in big bold writing. This is because it will enable us to provide mystery to the audience. Also the clothing that the characters use during the entire film is the clothing we will be looking to have our characters wearing. The clothes would be dark clothing, also stereotype clothing of what a teenager would wear if he’s hanging out on the street. This is because it will set the tone and mood for the rest of our TV show.

Ill Manors Research

1. Research all the Institutions involved in the production of Ill Manors. List them with a   summary of what their contribution to the film was.

Directed - Ben Drew known as Plan B. He is a English rapper, singer-songwriter, actor and film director from Forest Gate, London. 

Distributed - Revolver Entertainment – is film Distribution Company. Founded in 1997, the company has operations in both London and Los Angeles.

Studio -

Film London- is the capital's film and media agency - promoting and developing London as a major international film-making and film cultural capital.

BBC Films - is the film-making arm of the BBC. It has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years.

2. How much Ill Manors cost to produce (its budget)

The budget for Ill Manors was £100,000.

3. How was Ill Manors funded?

Ill Manors is the 5^th film to be release through Film London Microwave. Established in 2006, Microwave who partnered with BBC Films and supported by Creative Skillset, was the first of its kind and has gone from strength to strength in the past few years. Microwave challenges filmmakers to shoot a film for no more than £120,000 including cash and in-kind support. Creative Skillset’s contribution to the scheme’s crucial training, mentoring and talent development is key to ensuring that the filmmakers have the right support and guidance to achieve.

4. Who is the main distributor for Ill Manors?

Ill Manors main distributor were Revolver Entertainment.

5. What is the target audience for Ill Manors?

I think the target audience would be young adults, I think this because this is plan Bs fan bases average age. I also think the use of language in film is to relate to the younger audience rather than the older. I also think this is targeted at the younger audience as what they are showing in the film is some peoples actual reality life, therefore the younger audience can relate to this more. I also think the target audience for this group would be groups D/E.

6.       How does the trailer for Ill Manors hook audiences into the narrative and pose questions that the film will answer? Identify 3 ways/techniques.

I believe the trailer for ill manors hooks the audience in many ways. The trailer starts by hooking the audience as the whole way through trailer you do not get a true understanding of who the actual main character is. The trailer shows near enough every character however they don’t give away who will be the top man in the film. This then attracts the attention of the viewers as they want to know what happens to who. I think the trailer also does not give the storyline away. As there are so many things happening at once during the film, the trailer then does not give away anything. However the trailer did use the opening and final shot in the trailer. This then interests the viewers. The music used in the trailer is fast throughout the whole trailer. This then creates connotes to the audience that the pace of the film is going to be fast as something will always be happening. The music also creates tension. I also think the camera shots hook the audience into watching the film. I think the trailer used close ups to show the characters emotions. The trailer also used established shots to show the setting of the film. The director Ben Drew (Plan B) used his own song in the trailer in order to hook the audience in.

7.  How was Ill manors promoted?

Ben Drew (Plan B) promoted the film Ill manors by himself. The way he promoted his film was by promoting his single and performing it live for the public notice. On 11 May 2012, Ben Drew (Plan B) premiered the album tracks "Lost My Way" and "Deepest Shame" during a performance on Later with Jools Holland. The official studio version of "Lost My Way" received its first play on BBC Radio 1 on 23 May 2012. It was made available in the form of a lyric video on Youtube later that same evening. On 13 June 2012, Drew performed a live session in the BBC Radio 1Live Lounge.

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

Friends with Benefits

The difference between Ill Manors and friends with benefits is that the budget for Ill manors was £100,000 and friends with benefits were given $34 million. Therefore that enables friends with benefits to be able to hire out better scenes than Ill Manors. Also it enabled them to get better actors who are better known and will attract more attention in the media. Also by friends with benefits been given more money to spend they are also enable to hire better directors. Whereas ill manors was put together and everything was done by one person Ben Drew (Plan B). Another difference between the two was, that friends with benefits were able to promote more as they were given enough money to promote. Whereas Ill Manors had the same person director and promoting himself which was Plan B. Therefore Plan B had to rely on his own fans to promote his film. This would be mostly done through social networking. I believe with the money Ill manors were given to make their film and promote with I think they done a very good job. However if they were given more funding I believe Plan B could of made the film better, or he could of gone over the top as he would have had too much funding. Therefore the small funding could also have benefited him, as he may off also changed the storyline if he had more funding which could of backfired. 

9. How does the trailer for Ill Manors balance plot and spectacle?

Ill Manors trailer balanced plot and spectacle with certain parts in the trailer sticking in the minds of the viewers and wanting them to know what happens next. The trailer catches the eye of the audience with the camera shots used to show the emotion of the characters. The trailer suggests to us that there are many characters in the film, however we do not know who is the most dominant character and who survives the whole way. The trailer also gives us an idea of the storyline. The trailer also gives us an idea of the setting of the film.

10.Think about the certificate of Ill Manors (18 certificate). Research film certification and outline what is deemed acceptable for this certificate and 18 certificate, what is the difference to a 15 certificate and 18 certificate?

Until recently, 18 certificate films could not contain an actual sex acts. The R18 certificate was created to allow the sale of these films in sex shops.  Although the BBFC allowed pretend sex scenes in 18 certificate films, actual sexual acts were still not allowed to be depicted in 18 certificate films until recently.

The acceptable for a 15 certificate films would be the following.

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. Promotions of drugs which are easy to obtain are unlikely to be allowed.

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) can be allowed provided the detail of such is low so that it can not create too much of an impression of the viewer. Abuse of weapons which are easily obtained will not be tolerated.

Frequent use of strong language can be permitted, although very strong language needs to be restricted and would have to be seen as reasonable in the context. Frequent usage of very strong language would be seldom allowed.

Nudity in a sexual content must be restricted however nudity in a non-sexual content does not

Sexual activity without strong detail would most likely to be allowed. Some strong sexual references may be allowed to, but very strong ones may not, unless used within reason. Sexual acts or references with the intention of causing arousal are not likely to be permitted.

As long as the film is appropriate for 15 year olds, no certain themes are prohibited.

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. The same applies to references. Any sexual violence should be discreet and be strongly justified.



Preliminary Exercise Evaluation

Preliminary Exercise Evaluation

The storyboard helped us in creating our final product in many ways. One of the ways it helped us was we was able to have a group discussing and write down all the scenes we were going to shoot, also the timing of the shots and the shots we were planning to use. This helped us as we were able to pre plan what we was going to do which saved us a lot of time, then having to plan what we were going to be doing on the stop. However we did make slight changes to what we wrote on our storyboard, however they were minor changes which we thought would fit better for our preliminary exercise or to fit the time we were given. What I would do differently next time would be take more time on planning before we start filming. My group including me were too excited to film so we just used the first idea that came to our head and put it on paper and then when filming, we later on realised this and hoped our storyline was effective, which in the end it was. Therefore I think we rushed our planning stage. I would also take more time and film a shot more than once. This is because I believe the slightest error could ruin the whole project. Also by filming a shot more then once it gives you more of a variety to film with. I would also film shots in more than one angle, I would try and film a shot in 3 or 4 different angles this is because when it comes to editing it will also give us a more of a variety of shots to work with, also if we think a certain shot would look better from a different angle we would have already covered it. 

Our weaknesses for the preliminary exercise were, we did not take enough time in planning our project. I think we rushed our storyboard as we wanted to start filming. However we did take some time in thinking and planning what we were going to do, but just not enough time. I also think we did not spend enough time on filming. I believe this as we did not film shots as many times as we should of which we later regretted. I also think we should of filmed a shot from more then one angle, this is because we would have had more of a variety of shots when editing, however as we did not do that we were stuck with the shots we had. Our overall downfall when it came to filming and pre production was we rushed the process. I also think another one of our weaknesses was our prop selection, which would relate to mise en scene I think we used inappropriate props that took the attention away from the audience and were not effect or needed in the shot. So for next time id select the right props and also not have that many props in a shot, as it takes the audience attention away. 

I think one of our strength is that we used good camera movement and used the correct shots to make it effective. I also think we used good camera shots to show the dramatic tension and the emotions in the film. I also think we stayed in character; Stefan created a good shot of him looking at the window which creating tension. I also think we used sound well as it added to the tension of the clip. I also think we created attention on detail with the close up shots. Finally I think the editing pace and putting all the shots together was done well. Overall I think we conducted our preliminary exercise well. However our main objective for next time would be to work on our pre planning more and take more time with it. Also take more than one shot and from more than one angle.

Mr Halsey