What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Since my film is a war film based in WW2, I decided to look at films that are similar to my one. The three that I will look at in more detail are Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and Saints and Soldiers. All three of these films feature US Paratroopers, which are the main characters in my film.

Saving Private Ryan
Distributor: DreamWorks
DreamWorks: Is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses totalling more than $100 million each.It began in 1994 with the aim of becoming a new Hollywood studio.

Band of Brothers
Distributor: HBO (Home Box Office)
HBO: Is an American television network owned by Tim Warner. In  December 2010, HBO's programming reached 28.6 million subscribers in the US, making it the largest premium cable network in America (in terms of the number of subscribers). In addition to its U.S. subscriber base, HBO also broadcasts in at least 151 countries worldwide.

Saints and Soldiers
Distributor: Excel Entertainment Group
Excel Entertainment Group: Is a media company founded in 1995 by former Disney executive Jeff Simpson. It is associated with Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, which is a branch of Christianity, and many of its products are targeted towards the Latter-day Christians, and the particular distribution of many pieces of LDS cinema.

Director's Commentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfWR9noRNgk

DreamWorks Logo

HBO logo

Excel Entertainment Group logo



Who would be the audience for your media product?

The age for my film would be between 15-50 year olds as there is quite a lot of action and violence but not enough to make it an 18.
The film is aimed at those who are keen war film enthusiasts, particularly those who are interested in WW2, as the film is based on the experiences of a US Paratrooper in Normandy France 1944.
However, in my opinion, the film is almost anti-war as it shows a shell-shocked soldier staring at the life-less bodies of his fallen comrades. I think that it is also quite interesting to see the effects of warfare on the mind and how the struggle of war is not just to survive but to keep your sanity as well.
If the entire film was made, I would film it in the same style as the two minute opening sequence and it would feature action, drama and show the real effects of war.
I believe that the post traumatic stress and the occurring flashbacks that come with intense combat are good to watch and an interesting insight into the mind of a soldier involved in some of the heaviest fighting of the 20th Century.

This is a link to the annotated opening looking at the different aspects of the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMlnDwByma8

These images are scene in the beginning of the film and show the horrific aftermath of a battle

Images of death are a reoccurring feature in La Ferme

This shows a soldier just after he has been hit by shrapnel from an artillery shell

Films such as Saving Private Ryan, Saints and Soldiers and the mini-series Band of Brothers are all rated 15+ as they feature bad language and violence that is not suitable for people younger than 15. However, it can depend on the rating given to each film as it depends on the use of different moods and themes.For example, The Battle of Midway and All Quiet on the Western Front, are both set in a wartime context, the first examines the themes of honor, sacrifice, and valour, and the second is an anti-war film which emphasises the pain and horror of war. As a result of this, the rating may differ as the first is almost pro-war, showing heroism and gallantry yet the second would focus more on horrific scenes of death and misery in order to appeal to a more anti-war audience.

The poster for the Battle of Midway film

The horror of battle shown in All Quiet on the Western Front

Death, suffering and misery feature heavily in All Quiet on the Western Front

 

Sound Trouble

For one of the evaluation questions, I recorded myself talking about certain aspects of the two minute opening, such as the titles and genre, yet when I tried to place these over the actual footage on Final Cut Pro, it did not work so I then tried to convert them using Toast but this ended with the same result. As a result of this, I will have to wait unti next week to add the voiceovers.

Two Minute Opening

This is the link to my two minute opening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-pTbM8nl5s

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The character in my film is the one on the left, who is sitting on the fallen tree, and the character on the left is Major Richard Winters, played by Damian Lewis in Band of Brothers.

The similarities between these two characters are that they are both from the same division, the 101st Airborne, and are dressed in the same clothing.

However, the outfit that my character is wearing is that of a paratrooper from D-Day and the outfit that Major Winters is wearing is that of a paratrooper from Operation Market Garden, the invasion of Holland in September 1944. This explains why the colour is slightly different.

The roles that the two characters play are also very different, as my character is a private yet Major Winters is a major, which means that their roles and the way in which they act are different.

The morality that can be seen in the two minute opening is good versus evil because the American Paratroopers are the bringers of freedom and goodness and the Germans  they are fighting are the upholders of tyranny and evil.

The Paratroopers run through the system of trenches and foxholes to reach their destination

A machine gun team opens up with their 30.Caliber machine gun

The Paratroopers hold their positions in a gruelling fight for survival

Evaluation

Today I have been carrying on with the evaluation of the two minute opening and have started to film the director's commentary. I have also exported the film so that I can upload it onto YouTube as the quality on blogger is not up to scratch, and I will upload it later.

Finished!!

 Today I managed to adjust some minor parts of the title sequence and as a result of this I have finished editing the 2 minute opening. I will now start evaluating the film and will upload the opening soon .