Photography - the foundation of every video production
No matter what you try to do and what is your field of expertise - be it a video production, aerial footage using drones or wedding videos, you have to gain some skill in photography to be a true expert in your trade.
Best commercials from the UK
Creation of commercials
Those who are interested in commercial
video production should constantly expand their knowledge. There is formal education,
of course, but nowadays you can also gain new information quickly yourself and
try to create something, so go ahead! There are a lot of job opportunities in
this business, so learning seems like a great idea and the best investment in
your future. New marketing companies show up every day and they have their own
clients, so you don’t have to worry that you will be left unemployed. Of
course, commercial videos are not easy to produce, but with a bit of effort you
can manage to create something that will be noticeable both by your clients and
their potential customers.
Some people choose their path very early
and decide to study PR and marketing on an university, but often it is not
enough and many would-be creators are jobless. Why? It’s simple – aside from
education, you need talent. Of course, formal courses can give you a lot of
info on theory of filmmaking and ins and outs of the production process, but
you cannot learn true creativity – you have to be born with it!
One of the most beautiful fashion videos I've ever seen
What do you think? In my opinion it is one of the best videos of this kind.
What is the main purpose of a corporate video?
Although
corporate videos are not usually directed to the wide audience and are used as
a business2business promos or showcases for the clients, it doesn’t mean they
cannot be creative, engaging and well produced.
High-quality
corporate video will be a content much better remembered than a boring,
run-of-the-mill movie like hundreds business promos produced every year. And remembering
the content of your video is the most important factor – even when you talk
about statistics, sale figures and all the strictly work-related stuff, you
want to get your message across and doing it differently than your competition
gives you an edge.
Thus, you should find a video production
company that has all the means to make a corporate video that will be well
received. Such enterprise should have the tools needed for the job, especially
technologically advanced software to animate and enhance parts of the video you
wish to see. A good video production company is also able to devise an
entertaining concept.
Short film that puts blockbusters to shame
Everything, from the simple, yet moving script, to unbelievable aerial photos of a destroyed city (made with 3D animation software) makes this little piece of movie production an art comparable to the biggest sci-fi titles out there. I reccomend checking it out, especiall if you are an aspiring director or producer to get a glimpse at really great production values and ideas.
Some tips for begginers
Simple and Quick video production tips:
You would not believe how many ways there is to produce a video. By the use of cinematography, editing, directing, performance, production design, mise en scene and many more you get a huge opportunity to experiment with your film production.
These are the tips that can help you in the future:
- You may want to plan as much as you can as you can save so much time by being organised and prepared for a filming.
- You can experiment with your camera by simply changing your auto focus to manual focus as it will then allow you to play around with your focuses the way you want them.
- You do not want your whites to be yellow or grey (just like your washing) so make sure that you always set up your white balance when moving from an external to and internal location and vice versa.
- You also don’t want your main subject to be this black blob on the screen so make sure that the sun is behind you and the subject is nicely lit up.
- Use a tripod or some kind of stabilizing device because nothing is more annoying than watch a shaky video.
- However, if you do want to film using your hands then use a rig or something that will give you a steady control of the camera.
- To make sure that your subject is properly focused then zoom in as much as you can so that you can see the fine details being in focus.
- Another great tip is to plan out all your shots on a storyboard so that if you ever want to make a cool editing effect but you need a certain type of shots then voilà, you have it.
- 5 to 10 seconds is enough for an average shot duration. However, you can also film some long take to create a unique look and represent a certain feeling or mood (e.g. 12 years of slave hanging scene).
- However, do not experiment too much. By this I mean don’t film all of your footage in pans and close ups as when you get down to editing you will have no static shots and it will look too jumbled.
- When working with sound you definitely should invest in an external microphone. That is because it will eliminate all the unwanted sounds and your video will sound much more professional.
- Also using headphones is a great idea as it will allow you to concentrate on the sounds more and also let you eliminate the sounds.
Don't forget to do
your research and see what company are out there so look through some
film blogs and choose the right company for you.
How is a film marketed and distributed ?
I do many short movies and this defiantly has taught me many interesting facts which you have to consider when releasing a film or a video.
I hope this helps not to just film makers but also to any business, as some of these marketing techniques can also help you awareness of different types of products.
After spending a very enormous budget on film production, the distribution companies such as The Universal need to make sure that the Exhibition also becomes a success. To do that the film company will have to work hard on the films marketing and distribution stages, which hugely relies on the intended audience for the film . There are many ways a film could be marketed; firstly, Advertising in different Media sources such as the radio, magazine, TV, internet and outdoor advertisement. Another source is an advanced screenings, which is set up to build a wider understanding of the audience expectations and feedback. Publicity could also be arranged such as interviews on TV or radios to extend the audience awareness of the film. And lastly, the most important film marketing feature is ‘word of mouth’ that is spread, as the feedback of the film can most intensely persuade the audience to visit the cinemas, and make the exhibition a success.
1#
One of the most important stages of marketing is having a marketing plan. A marketing plan outlines the aims and objectives of the films marketing; making it easier to plan more efficiently and beneficially. The plan normally contains different techniques that the film has to use to be marketed and also futures on how they have to be developed. For example it could contain the information of when and where the free advertisement from the press is going to take place. Also there are also more expensive techniques such as advertisement on outdoor billboards, which would also be included in the plan, containing the information on the design and contacts.2#
Understanding the Target Audience of the film can hugely rely on the success of the film. To do get this understanding the film company will have to precede an extensive research using industry data. The reason why this is so important to know, is because it will help when deciding what contents can be included and which can not. This means that the company has to be confident of understanding the films target audience i.e. what film genres they like, type of film styles, editing styles etc. This also means that film makers and marketing directors do not have to worry and spend money as they don't have to appealing to a wider group of tastes.3#
By getting a deeper understanding of the target audience of the film, it will be easier for the film company to promote the film using billboards and advertisement. For example the advertisement such as billboards, bus posters, ads in newspapers, ads on the internet websites, are ways the film can build different target audience’s awareness. By the wide range of advertisement sources, different range of audiences can be reached. An example of this could be an older audience that may watch the TV later on in the day, the trailer that can reach this audience will be purposely aired at the time that it is most viewed by its target audience.4#
Technological convergence’s and Synergy are also very popular film marketing techniques when marketing a film. That is because this could allow different Media sources to cross promote each other, providing the film with promoting benefits. This can also involve two companies working together to increase profit for both. Technological convergences can also involve different technologies combining together in one device. A great example of this is a film such as Johnny English Reborn as this film provided their audience with an app available for IPhone and android mobile phones, containing games and ‘skying’ tools. It also created a website containing the information about the film, which is open to any person to view, reaching a wider audience. This could be a great way to advertise a film and get to create a greater diversity of audiences, as many people use mobile phones and internet .Synergy is used in film marketing as it aims to cross promote different media sources. For example, again the film Johnny English Reborn used Synergy to connect with a social networks such as Facebook.. But they also linked a Facebook page on their official website so that both of the companies get rewarded profit and ability to grow awareness.5#
Another factor within the marketing of a film that has a huge influence on the audiences choice of watching a film is ‘Word of mouth’. Word of mouth is a social recommendation that could be one of the most influential triggers when choosing to visit the cinema. That is because you trust the recommendations of somebody that you know like a family member or a friend, more than something that you hear or see from an advertisement source such as the magazine that isn't as trust worthy. A positive ‘word of mouth’ brings high level of awareness and strong interests. However if the ‘word of mouth’ was negative it could very quickly influence the films success and be very difficult to defeat. This is why many films are post-released in a test screening so that the film company could get informed if the film fulfils the audience's expectations but also it could hopefully also provide the company with a good ‘word of mouth’ which could increase the films likeness of success.6#
Digital (viral) Marketing is an online source such as a video or a quiz , which could be sent to different audiences. This is feedback could be spread virally and could reach new audiences in different countries. An example of this is a link of a review or a link of the trailer on Twitter or Facebook, which could influence someone's interest into watching this film.7#
The film could also be scheduled for the release at a certain time of the year as it it could reach its target audience more. The date of the release is carefully considered as a target audience that was clearly identified may visit the cinema at a certain time or a day of the week. An example of this is, ‘Wild Child’ distributed by Universal as this film was released in August 2008 and the end of summer as the film was aimed at young teenager girls.short films
5 great Short films you have to see !
#1 SIGNS
Emasculation in Fight Club
So I am a big fan of the film 'Fight Club' and I have recently noticed that this idea of Emasculation is a recurring theme throughout the film. I have studied this film at school and I have read few interesting theory's that I wanted to share with you. You may disagree with this idea and Its OK ! because when I was learning about this film I also disagreed with many themes and theory's too.
I am going to approach the masculinity identity and the emasculation theme in the film 'Fight Club' (Fincher 1999), as this approach carries many interesting issues involving the consumer capitalist society and how it developed emasculation to the male characters in this film.
Emasculation becomes a central theme in Fight Club as men are not presented in a fearless, proud and strong way like they used to. They are tamed by a more organized economic system of production, which made the consumer culture take over their masculinity. This makes men feel emasculated, leading them to create their own way of escapism by creating violent fantasies like the 'Fight Club'. This relates to the masculine identity perspective of Charles Guignon who refers back to the Middle Ages to show how the world has changed. Because it was a violent period, courage, honor, strength and power were what men got valued for. Whereas now, because the western civilization evolved, these rogue noblemen were tamed and slowly evolved into today's consumer capitalism.
The Narrator also finds a different way of taking out his frustration by visits support groups.. In a testicles cancer support group he meets Bob who has developed feminine features resulting from his treatment. This loss of manhood is the worst possible fate men could imagine; therefore it is clear that this film tries to show men at their worst. Even though the narrator didn't loose his masculinity by having testicle cancer, he burst into tears and sobbed to Bob, which is also a very ironic as men usually don't express their emotions and are known for not crying as crying denotes weakness. Then trying to comfort the sobbing Jack, Bob says in a high pitched voice, 'We're still men,' with Jack confirming "Yes, we're men. Men is what we are." This could be seen as a sarcastic comment as in that state, they are the complete opposite of being manly. This could be why Bob and the rest of emasculated men feel they have to appreciate their masculinity due to fight club and Project Mayhem
In today's society masculinity has become a brand and a way of selling products to men. Being a masculine man now means having a fit body and owning brand clothing, watches or cars. Like Tyler said 'the things you own, will end owning you' as it is not that important any more if a man is powerful, strong and fearless and it is what they own and what they look like that gives them power and masculine value. This is also shown in the bus scene as the narrator points out the Gucci advert of a well-built man and says that he feels sorry for men that try to look like him. He comments 'Is that what men should look like?' and Tyler then laughs, criticizing self-improvement while having a body that is the result of hours spent in the gym.; this could be seen as a glaring contradiction.
Tyler exists in the Narrator’s mind as a prime male physical inspiration. He is someone that is suggestive to how advertising says men have to look. The narrator later on in the film feels aromatic jealousy and rejection from Tyler after he becomes close with Marla Singer. The Narrator also experiences emasculation because of Tyler’s relationship with Marla. This could be because he has lost his place next to Tyler, who embodies a perfected sense of masculinity.
Another reason for both the narrators and Tyler's emasculation could be because their fathers were not a major part of their lives. The narrator mentions that his father left when he was young and also Tyler says his father is a distant figure which he rarely spoke to. This could be why both the narrator and Tyler didn't have a role-model figure, just men in society and advertisement. You could also argue that because his father rejected the narrator/Tyler, that was the reason for them to reject what their fathers wanted which was to have a good career with a high salary, get a wife and children.
Most importantly the whole context of creating the 'Fight Club' and putting men to fight and go through pain is so that they can strip away their worries and issues with their masculine identity. Of course, their need to fight is so that they can feel physically masculine again but you could also say that it is a rejection of what they have been taught masculinity is by the mass generation, mass media and the consumer society.
Linking to the men's need to redeem their masculinity by fighting, Tyler also believed that by creating chaos through the 'Project Mayhem' would not only gotten some attention in the world, it would give the narrator and Tyler a sense of purpose. This could be because they did not have a war or a historical/political challenge to overcome; therefore they could have felt like they had no identity's and great resolutions. Also if they gave the world a great purpose, the world would change and people maybe then would stop worrying about their consumer lives and what they want and own.
Cinema Du Look
What is Cinema Du look ?
Then I discovered that some films that I have already seen such as 'Amelie' and 'The Big Blue' also have aspects of this Film style so I have evaluated them along with the Cinema du look legendary film 'Diva'. I recommend also watching 'Subway' (Besson 1985) , La Femme Nikita (Luc Besson, 1990) and 'Bad Blood' (Leo Carax, 1986) WATCH THEM !
Traditionally, French cinema is considered too represents meaningful themes of psychological and social realism. Cinema du look was a film movement through the 80′s and 90′s that excised as both legacy and a rejection of its history. In this presentation I will be talking about what aspects make this film style so unique, the critic attack on this film style and how cinema du look evolved in the history of French cinema.
Cinema du look is a post-modern film making style, which has been influenced by Hollywood films, popular pop and advertising culture. Beineix, Luc Besson and Leos Carax were the three main directors that were involved in the ‘New New Wave’ film movement, which included sharing a similar visual style. The most specific feature of cinema du look films is the privilege visual spectacle they have over narrative substances. Most of these films show absence of social, political concerns and psychological realism. However, they manifest themselves through highly stylish mise-en-scene and strong visual context.
Diva (Beineix 1982) was the primary film of cinema du look, which emerged at a time where many political and social changes in France were being made. One of them was the ‘new new wave’ film movement began by Beineix. He started a cinematographic language which iconographies advertising and sub-cultures in the highly visual mise en scene in his films. The characters within his films (Jules in Diva) represent the marginalized youth of Francois Mitterrand’s France. They connected to contemporary young film audiences and became cult films that created debates with critics about the films lack of ideology.
Even before cinema du look films had a name, this film style was recognised by people such as David Russell in the Sight and Sound magazine, which talks about Beineix films reaching a wide audience with his idiosyncratic approaches to style character and narrative. Beineix believed that his films are defined as a style not technique and it is not a matter of fashion but metaphysics, which makes his films so different.
According to ‘Cinema of France’ book the film surrounds race and multiculturalism presenting a ‘Liberal utopian vision of a world’. This could be considered a French debate that involves a positive view on multi-racial society and being against the traditional republican traditions. Even though there was a firm rejection of public recognition of cultural or ethnic differences in early 80′s, Beineix presented a rebellion against the social and political views.
Mise en scene is highly strong in the Juxtaposition of objects (wrecked cars in Jules apartment, huge empty space in Gorodish apartment with a bath tub in the middle)
Divas ethnicity creates an exotic look of contemporary culture and positivity towards a more democratic society. This links to the Socialist’s return to power and the rise of anti-racial groups such as SOS Racisme in France at that time.
Diva also covers one of the most popular aspects of Cinema du look which is a continuing theme of young lovers in urban and alienated surroundings; they are outside of cosy familiar situations.
Cinema du look films were taken by task by critics because they ‘embarrassed’ traditional French cinema as they were a complete opposite of a films that included plot and a social messages. Academic guide to cinema mentions how critics mocked cinema du look films, stating that they were an ‘embarrassment of consumer culture’ and that they chose ‘advertising over intellectual, depth and art’. Cahiers du cinema (a French film magazine) argued that characters in le look films were represented as ‘objects rather than complex individuals’.
Changing generation created a greater demand on cinema du look films. Luc Besson followed Beineix steps after Philippe Rousselot won the Cesar (French Oscar) for his cinematography in Diva. Besson's style in films also was influenced by aesthetics of the music video and advertisement, which originally came from the speciality of American culture. This is why maybe critics disliked the nature of cinema du look as it was greatly inspired by the Americans. One of Besson's most famous cinema du look films is Nikita (1990) as it emphasises the strong visual context over narrative. However, I am going to be focusing on Le Grande Bleu (1988), also called as (The Big Blue) as I feel like this film is a great example of a film that shows tension between reality and fantasy, which some cinema du look films have. This shows how cinema du look evolved, by capturing different types of outtakes on this postmodern film style.
Le Grande Bleu is a movie, which carries the audience into an extraordinary world of passion towards the sea and diving, which evolves around the characters of Jacques Mayol and Enzo Molinari and their fierce rivalry. This film is different than other cinema du look films as the visual aspects are not over powering and still allow the audience to get lured into the simple plot of Joana sacrificing her happiness for love. This film takes the audience on a thoughtful journey as the characters emotions allow the audience to connect to them.
Cinema du look in Le Grand Bleu:
Besson uses visual effects to emphasise the love Jacques has for the sea and diving (which is this films subject). The scenes underwater hypnotize you into a state of relaxation with the lush scenery; highlighting this films greatest message, which is freedom.This film almost doesn’t much plot, dialogs are short and rare but the cinematography and mise en scene is enough to create a captivating atmosphere.
The young protagonists are also the specific feature of cinema du look in this film, as the young audience (this films target audience) have a better relationship with these types characters.
However, not all critics saw these types of films as an ‘embarrassment’ .Some critics saw this film as an art form and not a source of advertisement. Steve Macfarlane stated that this film is a ‘primal yearning for minimalism gives the story another layer of autobiographical paint.’
The most popular time of this film style was the 80's and the 90's. However, that doesn't mean that there were no cinema du look films after that era. 'Amelie' (2001) directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet is considered one of the most iconic cinema du look films made, because of its extremely strong visual aspects and mise en scene that play a huge role in the film. This film is a great example when talking about the evolution of this genre as it was made in 2001. This film also clearly shows how one director's work influenced and inspired another.
Amelie is a shy cafà waitress who thinks of schemes which could make other people's lives better. She is an alienated young character who falls in love with a man she has never met, which follows the constant pattern of romance in cinema du look.
Amelie's postmodern style of filmmaking was also recycles from popular pop cultures, films and literature. This film has realistic elements; however it is 'more surreal in the way it plays with received expectations' . The film is considered to be both a heritage and a cinema du look film as they both share the context of visual images being more dominant over the narrative.
Cinema du look features in Amelie:
Dramatic Grades and Colour Filters (greens, reds, yellows, blues)Idyllic Version of Paris (no graffiti, no traffic, no crowds)
Direct address to camera
Sudden Camera movement
CGI elements ( Amelie melting)
‘ Perfect Paris’well-known locations (Notre Dame, Montemarte, Sacre Couer)
Alienated Characters
You could say cinema du look was influenced by Méliès, who played a huge role in the history of French cinema. He was the first film maker who made films as an art form rather than a documentary. He created first sparks of surreal cinema, filmed in specific ways to create first ever special effects and also used vibrant colures by hand painting each frame of the film. Cinema du look films such as Diva, Amelie and Le Grande Bleu deploy veritable arsenals of motifs and techniques like Méliès. They also share visual images that create great metaphors throughout. Cinema du look created dynamic films such as ‘Nikita’ directed by Besson. This film was manifested into many other films and even Hollywood created a TV series based on this character. This unique film movement evolved rapidly in the 80′s and 90′s but still inspires artists all over the world, till this day.