Weekly News 24.

Hackney Nightclub Acid Attack.

In a nightclub in East London, 12 people were suffered burns after a man sprayed acid into the club. Two men are in serious but stable conditions and ten other people were treated for minor injuries. Police were called to the club at about 01:10 am and officers believe that a man threw acid at two men after an argument between two groups inside the club. The fire service said the substance was an unknown corrosive but it was later said to be a strong acidic substance. 600 people were in the club when the incident took place and all had to be evacuated. No arrests have been made but the police continue to investigate. The police added that there was no evidence to suggest that it was a gang related incident.

Weekly news 23.

Westminster Attacks.

Four people were killed and 50 people were injured following Wednesday's terrorist attack in London. BBC news reports that Khalid Masood carried out the attack in which he drove a car through a crowd of people and went on to stab and kill a police man. Masood was shot dead shorty after the attack. Massod was said to be born in Kent and was previously known as Adrian Russell. He was known to the police as he has had previous knife crime related incidents. The Westminster attacks affected 11 different countries including Romania and China. One of the people who died in the attacks was from the USA.  There has been massive social media support from celebrities and people all over the world and even a donation has been set up for the family of the police officer killed. Theresa May and many other politicians have spoken about the events that took place on Wednesday saying that the attacks will not cause London to change its way of life.

This is a massive news story as it has targeted the capital and has also affected many people. With a string of terrorist attacks occurring all over the world, it was a matter of time before it came to London. What is important about this news story is that it has highlighted that the attacker grew up in Kent which shows that anyone anywhere can carry out theses sorts of attacks which makes it more worrying for everyone. In my opinion, because it has targeted somewhere that is close to home, it makes the news story that more relevant to anyone living in London. 

Exam Question.

To what extent do your three main texts challenge genre conventions. 

Genres have elements within them that the audience associate with the genre and expect to see in the films.  Films use these genre conventions as a way for the audience to identify what genre they are watching and what they can expect to see, for example actions films tend to include explosions (form of genre convention). Most films follow genre conventions rather than go against them, however this is not true in most of my case studies. Two out of my three case studies go along way to challenge the conventions usually seen in films of the same genre.

One of the most noticeable genre conventions used in the romance genre includes the idea of a 'happy ever after' between a male and female character. This is seen in many romance films as it is a convention that is often not challenged. An example of a film that does challenge this genre convention is the film 'Weekend' directed by Andrew Haigh in 2011. The film firstly goes a long way to challenge the genre conventions of a romance film by depicting the relationship of a homosexual couple rather than the 'traditional' heterosexual couple. Secondly, the film goes even further into challenging the genre conventions by going against the fairytale ending. Romance films often show couples splitting due to a disruption in the equilibrium but then shortly reunite at the end. Weekend goes against this by bringing the protagonists to a more uplifting conclusion to the relationship. Weekend goes a long way to challenge genre conventions because it is not a stereotypical film as it tells a story that is not commonly shown in other films, this being the struggles of two men in a romantic relationship and the issues they face. The film purposefully challenges conventions linked with the genre in order to get it's intended message across, which is to show a true and realistic representation of relationships unlike the ones seen in big Hollywood films.

In order to challenge genre conventions, films also completely flip them which is commonly seen in comedy's. A film in which this is evident in is Kingsman: Secret Service (action, comedy) directed by Matthew Vaughn in 2014. The film does still follow major comedy and action conventions but challenges what the audience expects to see in spy films. My other case study 'Skyfall' (directed by Sam Mendes in 2012) doesn't obviously challenge or tries to challenge the genre conventions seen in action spy films. Skyfall has set the standard of spy films by showing the audience an idealised spy (James Bond). In Skyfall, Bond is shown to be intelligent, sophisticated and strong who always saves the damsel in distress which is what the audience expect to see. Skyfall does not challenge the stereotypical genre conventions seen in action film especially when it comes to spy driven narratives. Going back to Kingsman, it completely contradicts and almost mocks the genre conventions seen in Skyfall. Unlike James Bond, the protagonist (Eggsy) from Kingsman is from a working class background and lives on an estate in South London. He is shown to be intelligent but from a disadvantaged background which is one way the film challenges the conventions. By comparing the two films it is clear that Skyfall doesn't go along way to challenge conventions where as Kingsman does.

In conclusion two out of the three case studies go out of their way to challenge genre conventions as a main way of showing more realistic depiction of certain scenarios. Weekend and Kingsman go a long way to purposeful go against what the audiences expectations when it comes to genre conventions, whereas Skyfall sticks to the conventions in order to keep more traditional links to the genre.

Exam Question.

Discuss marketing strategies used by your selected industry. Refer to your three main texts.

Marketing is a significant part of the process when it comes to making films. Films will be marketed differently as there are factors that can influence the success of the marketing, for example a target market. Each individual film has its own target market and therefore use different strategies within marketing. Marketing however does not just occur during the run up of the films released but does so after.

One way of marketing a film is through merchandise. Merchandise is a way of creating awareness of the film to a possible viewer or existing fans of the film. What is important about merchandise is that it creates a reputation behind the film already for possible viewers as they can assume that the film is clearly successful and existing fans of the film are able be more involved. Merchandise is mainly used to create interest and intrigue in order to persuade the viewer to watch/buy the product but also to add more money into a film. An example of a film that does this is the James Bond film 'Skyfall' directed by Sam Mendes in 2012. The Bond franchise has a massive audience backing and because of the success of the film there are many forms of merchandise linked with the films. This includes, replica model cars, T-shirts and its own 007 perfume line. The sheer mass of merchandise available show how significant merchandise is to the films marketing. The merchandise allows the Bond name to reach different audiences and attract more potential viewers. The use of merchandise is one way in which the Bond films try and promote their films and ultimately make money.

Another marketing strategy is film festivals as films tend to get more recognition on a larger scale when they are nominated or win awards from events. The festivals offer the film another platform in which to promote or market their film, as having awards and nominations under their belts give them another selling point. A film that this marketing strategy applies to is 'Weekend' directed by Andrew Haigh in 2011. This film is very different from the Bond film (Skyfall being a tentpole film and Weekend a Independent film), so like mentioned earlier it has to find a different way to market and advertise the film. Weekend has won 20 awards at many different festivals but the most noted ones include Most promising New Comer (Tom Cullen) in 2011 at the British Independent Film awards and Emerging Vision (Andrew Haigh) at SXSW Film Festival also in 2011. From winning awards from well known and respectful festivals means that it is another way for the Weekend to market their film to a different or larger audience. The awards give the film a reputation and also opens up the film to people who may not watch the type of film before. Awards are important within the film industry because it gets more publicity which is the main idea behind marketing and it is another point in which the film can be sold on.

In conclusion, marketing strategies vary depending on who the film is trying to reach in regards to it's target audience. What works for a tentpole film wont't necessarily work for an independent film and because of this there are many marketing strategies that could be used. The ones mentioned above are probably the most obvious and commonly used marketing techniques used within the film industry.

Weekly News 22.

Orly airport: Man killed after seizing soldier's gun.

Orly Airport in France was closed following an incident. A man who's motive is yet unknown fired at police in North Paris at a checkpoint with a pellet gun before escaping in a car. 90 minutes later at Orly Airport, the man tried to take a gun off of a soldier before being shot by other soldiers on patrol. The man was on a watch list of radicalised individuals. It is unsure why the man tried to cause an attack and if it could possibly be part of a bigger story. Luckily, the attack was stopped before any one was killed or injured. Witnesses say that the airport was evacuated shortly after the incident took place and that it was chaos as passengers and airport staff ran out of the airport after hearing shots fired. The soldiers were to provide back up for the police after the Paris attack in November 2015.

Exam Question.

Explore the different audience appeals of your three main texts. 

Audience appeal is the media texts ability to attract it's target audience. The film industry make films aimed at a specific audience so that there is a market for the film and an audience to watch it. Some films aim to target a larger and broader audience whilst others aim towards a more niche audience. In the three films I have studied, there are many ways and methods used to attract a specific audience. 

Looking at more 'niche' film, they tend to show characters that are not often portrayed within films, therefore the characters and the situation tend to relate to a smaller audience. A film that shows this is 'Weekend' directed by Andrew Haigh in 2011. The film depicts a romantic relationship that takes place over a weekend between two men. The significance of this, is that the film goes into more detail into the protagonists lives and their experiences as homosexuals.The film shows both positive parts to homosexual relationships by showing the development of the relationship but also shows negative parts by showing the verbal abuse they receive. This film is targeted at men around the age of 18-25 because of the issues that arise in the film and the protagonists are of a similar age. The audience appeal in this film is based on the actual subject matter. It attracts audiences such as the LGBTQ community and also people who may what to know more about the subject matter. By having a niche story and not one that is particularly shown within stereotypical Hollywood films, is a main method to attract an audience as they could be more inclined to watch it as they could relate more to the characters. Having relatable characters along with the subject matter is important in niche films and their ability to target and attract and audience.

In more main stream films they use star power as a way of appealing to an audience as it draws in an audience who may not have watched the film based on the actual content and story. For example, a film that uses this is Skyfall directed by Sam Mendes in 2012. Part of the James Bond franchise, it already draws in a massive audience because of the history of the films. However using star like Daniel Craig draws in previous fans of his and create a larger audience pool for the film. He is a big name within the film industry and therefore brings a positive image to Skyfall. Sam Mendes, the director, also is part of the star power the film uses as he also has fans from his previous work. He has directed films like Jarhead (2005) and after Skyfall went on to direct Spectre (also part of the Bond franchise). Having big names behind the film is part of the audience appeal because it creates a certain reputation for the film. Another aspect that affects the audience appeal is the awards the film has won, in particular the Oscar award for the song Skyfall at the 85th academy awards. Not only does the film have a link with the Oscars from winning an award, the song was sung by Adele who is a massive name in the music industry. This is also significant when it comes to audience appeal because Oscar winning films become more recognized and advertised, which again reaches and attracts a larger audience.

Another way in which films appeal to the audience is through the genre of the film and the relatability of the conventions it uses. For example, the film Kingsman: Secret Service directed by Matthew Vaughn in 2016, depicts the story of a young British boy living on a South London estate training to become a spy. This film can be clearly linked and compared to Skyfall as they are both spy films with similar conventions. The popularity of the genre will draw audiences from Skyfall to Kingsman which is one method of how Kingsman appeals to an audience. However, unlike Skyfall, Kingsman is based around the relatability of the main protagonist Eggsy. In Skyfall, the audience is introduced to the posh and more upper class side to London and show James bond to be sophisticated and smart. This may be hard for the target audience to relate to as this only represents a small part of the possible audience. However, Kingsman shows the more working class side to London by showing the main protagonist living in a run down estate and also getting in trouble with the police. The film shows Eggsy as a normal charcter as he is not dressed in the way the audience would link to a spy wearing. Most of the audience for this film will be late teenagers and also come from a similar background. This makes Eggsy more relatable if he is wearing or looking like the films target audience. The film looks at British culture but in a different way to the Bond films. Kingsman almost spins around the Bond films by showing a different depiction of spies and it could be argued that it almost a spoof of the Bond films. By changing what the audience already know about the spy genre and making it more relatable by showing a more honest side of London is the main way in which this film appeals to the audience.

In conclusion, in the films I have studied, they almost all try and relate to their target audience as that is one of the most important ways to appeal to the audience. From all the methods listed above, the films try and sell their films on a certain point. Films need to be able to appeal to an audience to become successful as without an audience they don't have a film. In my opinion I think that in my three case studies show just how important relatability is. Films tend to try and use multiple methods to appeal to different audiences to make sure they get a larger pool of people to watch the film.

Weekly news 21

Following previous news about Russia's adult rating, 16, on the new Beauty and the Beast film, the release of the film in Malaysia has been halted after also raising the issue of the homosexual references in the film according to the Guardian. The country's main two cinemas have postponed the film indefinitely due to this issue. Film censors have said that the film will only be approved following the cut of a minor gay scene. According to new rules in Malaysia, gay characters can be depicted only if they are shown in a negative light.

In my opinion I think that the small 'gay moment' shouldn't have this much negative attention or should be blown out of proportion. The rule in Malaysia and the fact that other countries are putting adult ratings on this film is definitely shedding negative light onto the film when there doesn't have to be. Today, the issues regarding homosexual relationships have improved as it has become more accepted by a lot more people. However the controversy surrounding the small gay scene is an indication that it is still a massive problem as there are still people who still don't agree with it. I think that the parents should decide whether or not they want their children to watch the film as I think it is important for them to decide what they are and are not exposed to.