Film 4

Film 4 is a free digital TV channel in the UK and republic or Ireland

Film 4 was originally known as Film four; it used to say the word four but changed to the number. It changed when channel 4 bought it. It became channel 4 second channel when it launched in 1^st November 1998. It is know owned and operated by Channel 4 that screens films.

Before it joined to channel 4 it cost to pay for it, the price range was £5.98-£6.00 but went up to £7. It then shut down and relaunched as film 4. It spread to 300,000 subscribers to 18 millions households the highest it’s ever been. The broadcasting was originally at 11:00am-8:45pm but changed to 1:00pm-8:45pm with commercial breaks when it relaunched. Tessa Ross became head of film 4 and channels 4 drama. Film 4 is known for some of its popular films such as Borat Cultural Learnings of America and Slumdog Millionaire. In my case I will be using Slumdog Millionaire of an example of Film 4’s success.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is a popular film with its big success. The background on Slumdog Millionaire is about a young man from the  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slum" \o "Slum" slums of  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai" \o "Mumbai" Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Wants_to_Be_a_Millionaire%3F" \o "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? And exceeds people's expectations, thereby arousing the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials. 

Slumdog Millionaire was a British film created in 2008; the film was directed by  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Boyle" \o "Danny Boyle" Danny Boyle. Danny Boyle is very successful British director, and by getting Danny Boyle to direct this film would help it to become more successful than if someone was to direct it. The screenplay written by  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Beaufoy" \o "Simon Beaufoy" Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loveleen_Tandan" \o "Loveleen Tandan" Loveleen Tandan. When slumdog Millionaire was produced it was not expected to become a success of which it has today. When realised they expected it to only reach a small number of the UK, as it did not have any particular Genres, or moods that people enjoy watching in the cinema, the reason of its success was because the producers showed the struggle of what people in the slums of India had to live in, they should the pain that people have to go through in everyday life, therefore this helped for it to become more successful as it created awareness. 

When creating this film, two posters were designed for it; this is unusual for a film to do. The poster on the right you are able to see two characters, a girl and the face of a boy. You can tell that they are the main characters as they are the only people you can see in the poster. The girl in the poster, you can see most of her body, and you can tell that she running this could suggest that she is trying to aim for something e.g. a goal that she wants to achieve. The boy in the poster is mainly focused on his head as this is all you can see. His face takes up most of the poster and it is hard to see his face clearly this could suggest he is a important character in the film. With his face blurred out it may show that he doesn’t have authority but might gain it during the film, this could explain why his head takes up most of the poster but is hard to see. 

The poster of the left is showing the same things but placed differently, it is showing the girl and the boy together, and seems like they have achieved something as they are both smiling and looking up together. Both of the posters set different moods, the one on the right could suggest the beginning of the film as they are both struggling, this is also suggested by the background (the colour black) suggests darkness and struggle, but then in the second poster it could suggest the end of the film when they have achieved something and they are smiling and the colour background (white) suggests purity and happiness. On both of the poster it both shows the question “What does it take to find a lost love” in the style of ‘who wants to be a millionaire?’ so by adding this in of that particular style may suggest to audiences that it is linked to the British television program who wants to be a millionaire? So therefore this could increase the UK audiences. Also they have included on both posters that it is a Danny Boyle film, so people that like films produced by Danny Boyle may go to watch it as they may think it will be another film they will enjoy by him. 

Audience

Before the film was created, there would have been a set audience which is highly likely to be the most popular people to watch this film. The film was targeted for people over 16, as children under 16 would not get the storyline. Also it was targeted for both male and female, even though it was more likely that females would go to watch the film as the genre was based on Comedy, Romance, and Drama, which would normally attract females. All social classes would have been targeted, as it would help to raise awareness of the film and improve profits. The estimated target audience was very similar to the actual audience that went to view the film, the most common age group was 15-24 as 46% almost of the viewers were between this age group. There was almost an equal number of male to females that went to watch it, as 44% were male and 56% were female, these are both very close, but more women were suggested to see the film, and more women did go to watch the film. 

Film success

Slumdog millionaire was not created to become a successful film; this is because it was created in India, and as a successful film has never been created in India before they was unsure whether it would be a big hit, also another reason why it was not expected to be a big film was because it was a Art House film, this is a low budget film so therefore its likely to follow a unusual genre, so it will be targeted at a niche market, also as this film was co-directed in India it can be classed as a foreign film, and foreign film are very likely to come under a art house film. Even though Slumdog Millionaire was predicted not to become a successful, it did become very successful and went on to win lots of awards. Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for ten  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/81st_Academy_Awards" \o "81st Academy Awards" Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight, the most for any film of 2008, including  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture" \o "Academy Award for Best Picture" Best Picture,  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Director" \o "Academy Award for Best Director" Best Director, and  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Adapted_Screenplay" \o "Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay" Best Adapted Screenplay. It also won seven  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/62nd_British_Academy_Film_Awards" \o "62nd British Academy Film Awards" BAFTA Awards (including  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAFTA_Award_for_Best_Film" \o "BAFTA Award for Best Film" Best Film), five  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast_Film_Critics_Association_Awards_2008" \o "Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2008" Critics' Choice Awards, and four  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/66th_Golden_Globe_Awards" \o "66th Golden Globe Awards" Golden Globes. This shows that it became a very successful film.

Film sales/budgeting

When Slumdog Millionaire was created, it only had a budget of $15.1 million; this is not a lot of money when creating a film, so therefore they only had a low budget to create this film, this one of it reasons why it was so big, as it had such a small budget and then became a big worldwide known film. The gross revenue was $377,417,293, this is large number for a film that only had a budget of $15 million. After the expenses were paid the gross revenue would have been slightly lower, as they would need to pay the cast, director etc. and also the equipment used to create the film. Before the film was created,  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Searchlight_Pictures" \o "Fox Searchlight Pictures" Fox Searchlight Pictures made an initial offer that was reportedly in the $2 million range, but  HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Independent_Pictures" \o "Warner Independent Pictures" Warner Independent Pictures made a $5 million offer to help support the film, and then they would also been known as the American distributors. 

Casting

When Slumdog Millionaire was created, there were no successful actors included in the film, this is because the cast are originally for the slums of India, and by getting the cast from the slums of India will help to create the awareness of the life they have. Casting can have a large impact on the success of a film, this is because if there are successful actors/actresses in the film people will see them when in advertisement and recognise that someone famous is in the film that they like so therefore there is a higher chance that people will go and watch it, as they liked a previous film that they were in. By having no famous actors known to the British of American can deeply impact because audiences could possibly think that as there is no one famous or successful in the casting, it is only a small film which will not be all that good to watch, so this could reduce the lack of people that go to see it.

Director

The director can also largely impact on the success of a film, this is because people are happier watching a film with a successful actor that they have heard of before and created good films. Danny Boyle is a much known director in the UK, so this will have a good impact on the sales and success of the film, but for America it would not be such a success as Danny Boyle is not a big success in America, so it will impact on the sales and success of the film. 

Location

Location is very important to the success of a film, normally successful films are created in America, so hearing about a film that was created in India, may drift the audience away, as it may seem unusual for a film to be set in India, also it may draw a very small group of people as some others may want to see a change in where the film is based and filmed. The location of this film was proved to be a success as many people went see it. 

Storyline

The storyline can impact on the success of a film because if they public do not think that the film has a good story line to it, then it will not become successful as people will not go to see it. It is important when creating a film that the producers and script writers create a good storyline that will always keep people attached to the film. The storyline of this film was very unusual as it involved people in the slums of India. The storyline of this film also had an advantage because it involved program ‘who wants to be a millionaire?’ so viewers of this show are more likely to go and watch it before they know what the story line is about. 

Advertisement

Slumdog Millionaire was advertised in different ways, these were by posters, TV and online. TV is a very important part in advertisement, this is because many people watch TV so therefore lots of people will see the trailer on TV and may possibly go to see the film. Posters are a very successful way of advertising, because many people will see the posters in the street and think that it could be a good film to watch. Online is a good way to advertise a new film, this is because many people go on to the internet everyday so therefore lots of people will see the trailer of it online. 

The Godfather 

Camera 

The camera shot first starts with a black screen. the music then stops and in comes a voice, the person is talking for a few seconds before you see any face. The first shot you see is an close up of a man talking. it then zooms out until you see that the camera shot is originally an over the shoulder shot. You can tell  that he is talking to someone from the police force, such as an inspector. It stays on the same shot while the man is talking to the other person.

Sound:

First of all music starts playing this is non diegetic. After a while you can hear a voice talking about a women. This sound is diegetic, not being able to see the face of the man talking suggests that the man doesn’t want to be seen. When the man is talking you can tell that he has emotion so maybe he knew the person. when you first see the face of the man you can see that he is proud as he is talking proudly about America. 

Editing:

During the opening, it is very slow. the editor tries to give a calm effect as you can hear relaxing music. although this music can also sound intense as it makes you think what is going to happen next. this is good because it will make the audience continue on watching it. The music then cuts and in comes a voice but you cant see no face. this seems mysterious as you want to know who’s talking so you continue watching it. 

Mise en scene:

During the opening of the film, all you see is a man talking to another person. you can see that it is in a interview room of some kind.

Characters:

during the opening of the film the only characters that you see is the man who is being interviewed and the interviewer this suggests that something has happened with other characters and you know that the is going to be a story line that you have to solve. 

Location:

We can tell that it is set in America as you can her the accent of the man, and he         is talking about his pride of America. But we are unclear on where about. Also you can tell that they are in a small room.

Narrative:

We are unclear on the narrative as it doesn’t mention nothing to do with the story line. But it is suggested that it is a crime scene.

Themes:

The theme for this is death. 

Genre:

The genre for this film is thriller.

28 days later

Camera

During the opening of the film the camera is directing on the same thing, this is a liquid of some kind. Although it changes as it starts to blurs out and you  When you first look at the film the first impression that you get is the sight of blood as you see a red liquid mixing in with another liquid maybe water as it Is clear. You can’t see what the liquid is in so that suggests something mysterious. During the opening you can see a birds eye view of this liquid but it is also a close up as you can’t see nothing else. 

Sound:

All of the sound is non diegetic. It is a piano playing at first and it sounds calm and also intense. During the beginning other instruments join and it makes the opening more intense as it gets faster and louder. Half way through the opening a beat starts and it is louder than before this makes it more dramatic as you start to get more excited.

Editing:

During the opening of the film, there isn’t really a lot to edit as it filmed on the same thing mostly through it. Although it changes and the editor makes it different as he edits in a bit where it blurs, this makes the opening more in intense and scarier as it blurs where you can just about see the outline of a person. This makes it better as people will continue watching it.

Mise en scene:

All you can see through the opening is liquid, you also see it where it blurs out and they try to show something else but it is hard to see it as its only shown for a second.

Characters:

During the opening you see know characters, so it is hard to tell what kind of people will by in the film. This seems mysterious as you have no idea who is going to be in the film.

Locations:

We are unsure of any locations

Narratives:

We are unsure of the narrative, but from watching the opening it is suggesting something to do with death maybe as the red liquid suggests blood.

Themes:

Survival 

Genre:

Thriller

Panic room

Camera

In the beginning of panic room, there is many camera shots but they are all focusing on the same things. All the camera shots are focusing on tall buildings in America. To camera shots are: bird’s eve view, high angle shot, low angle shot, tracking, mid shot, close up. All of these angles are showing different buildings, this suggests that it is in a busy place. Also when the names are shows of the cast and crew shown, they are shown like they are floating in the sky. You don’t get to see any people during the beginning so it gives a sense of suspicion. 

Sound: 

All the sound is diegetic during the beginning, it has a small beat but it gradually gets bigger, when it gets faster its makes the scene more intense. Also during the opening there is non-diegetic sounds, these are cars tooting, this shows that they are in a busy area because there is traffic. Also you can hear sirens this shows that dangerous things happen where they are. 

Editing:

During the opening, all you see is buildings and the roads, this may show that the film s going to be mysterious as it is shown in a busy place. During the opening it is unknown on what the film is about as you don’t get to see no one and you don’t get any clues on what it could be based on but you get to see the location. The location is in America, so it is more than likely that it will be dramatic.

Mise en scene:

During the beginning all you see is buildings, cars roads, this suggests that it is a busy place as there is lots of buildings with lots of traffic. 

Characters:

During the beginning no characters are shown so we have no idea what kind of people will playing the roles, also this makes us guess about the story line. As we unsure of what it could be about. 

Locations:

All you see in the beginning of the film is the location, it is set in America this shows that it will probably become a famous film. Also set in America it shows that it could be a wide variety of things.

Narrative:

We are unsure what the film is about, but It suggests that something is going to go wrong as you hear the sirens at the beginning. 

Themes:

The theme in panic room is in a busy area, with lots of people.

Genre:

the genre for panic room is a thriller.

Analysing to film openings

Seven

Camera:

The scene begins with a close up of a book, its difficult to make out to much detail because most of the book is blurred, however you can see a hand in the background moving the pages from right to left. The camera constantly focuses on the antagonist. the persons hands a lot and holding different objects, maybe the objects could be dangerous. During the opening you see the antagonist peeling skin of his fingertips, with a razor blade possibly to hide his identity. The man is finding lots of information. Most of the shots are close up of the mans hands, this makes it more dramatic because you can’t see fully what is going on. the opening scene is dominated by close up and extreme close ups this is allows the audience only brief glimpses, they are never in a position to see the whole picture, this creates uncertainity and tension 

Sound:

The opening sequence consists of diegetic sound. The beat makes it seem more intense. The diegetic sound is added to replicate a girl screaming, the snap of cellowtape and the keys of the typewriter. 

Editing:

At the beginning of the opening it is hard to see what is going on as the cuts ares very quick, but then you are able to see the hands of the antagonist. This gives a clue about what the film is about. The editing focuses on the antagonist who is searching for information and writing the results down. Also they have blurred the names which makes it seem more mysterious. 

Mise en scene:

During the opening it is mainly the antagonist hands that are shown. His hands come in contact with man objects.The show things such a paper, books, pens, a photograph. The lighting is deliberately low key which generates a mood of mystery and suspense. 

Characters:

In the opening all you see is a handoff someone. This person seems to be doing a lot with his hand but you can’t see their face. This may suggest that they are mysterious. Also showing this hand of this person could suggest that they are the main person of the film.

Locations:

He is somewhere like a home laboratory. This is because he is doing work/ finding and writing information. He would be somewhere not open because he wouldn’t be peeling his skin in an open area.

Narrative:

We are unsure what the film is about but it is more likely to be about something mysterious e.g. a murder.

Themes:

several themes suggest themselves, death, revenge, a serial killer and consequences of his actions. 

Genre:

Thriller, psychological horror.

Information on Slumdog Millionaire 

Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A (2005) by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup. Set and filmed in India, the film tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Kaun Banega Crorepati in the Hindi version) and exceeds people's expectations.

Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight, the most for any film of 2008, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also won sevenBAFTA Awards (including Best Film), five Critics' Choice Awards, and four Golden Globes. Slumdog Millionaire has been criticized concerning language use, its portrayals of Indians and Hinduism, and the welfare of its child actors.

Slumdog millionaire 

Character poster:

In the poster you are able to see two characters, a girl and the face of a boy. you can tell that they are the main characters as they are the only people you can see in the poster. 

The girl in the poster, you can see most of her body, and you can tell that she running this could suggest that she is trying to aim for something e.g. a goal that she wants to achieve. the boy in the poster, is mainly focused on his head as this is all you can see. his face takes up most of the poster and it is hard to see his face clearly this could suggest he is a important character in the film. with his face blurred out it may show that he doesn’t have authority but might gain it during the film, this could explain why his head takes up most of the poster but is hard to see. 

Unique selling point:

The unique selling point for the film is that it is based in India in the slums, this is different because.