lights

 

Lighting

Lighting is a very important aspect for shaping meaning in films. A room that is brightly lit by neon lights might seem to be sterile or a shadowy room might be weird or scary. The lighting technicians in a film crew have the task of creating lighting to suit the mood and atmosphere of each scene in a film.

For instance, in Example Three the two people are very happy and the scene is lit brightly.

Cinematography

Cinematography is the combination of the techniques includes camera shots, camera angles, camera movement and lighting.

Mise en Scene

Mise en scene refers to all the objects and characters in a particular frame. More specifically, it refers to the composition of the frame, discussing where the composer or director has placed all the elements of the scene within the frame.

 What is a short film?

Definition:  The Academy (Oscars) define a short films as anything under 40 minutes. 

 

Narrative structure: 

It can be either subjective or objective but is usually subjective as a result of the length of the film, tends to be single stranded with an open ending such as in the film.

Themes: 

the short film genre can cover any number of genres in the same way a full length feature does, but due to the length of the film it has to be much more obvious to the viewer, themes include social realism,  community, crime and  immigration, family, segregation and war.

Style and Genre: 

the style of the short film usually differs from that of the full length films, the main reason is usually the budget, for example it is common in short films to see kinetic movement with the camera, due to the camera not having tracks to run across whilst moving. it uses relativly unknown actors as the famous  stars hesitate to working for such low budget films. the directors are usually unknown and they tend to be making short films in the hope of getting a big break for a larger film with a big budget. A notable style in short films is the open ended storyline. A style which is not common with the genre is a special effects one but in the film 

Cinematography:

The cinematography of short films usually involves   very basic camera shots and movement of the camera.

Sound: 

It can sometimes have a score playing throughout the entire length of the film, sometimes uses a voice over in the film rather then any asynchronous diagetic sound,

Editing:

 Usually uses a linear style editing, usually made in real time, not many cuts from one location to another, due to both budget and length of the film, uses the documentary style,  can sometimes use visual flashbacks.
Purpose of a short films

When dealing with short films there are three main reason in which are they are produced. These include promotion, education and experimental reasons.

Promotion:

Unknown directors and film makers are desperately wanting to get their name put out in the film market industry, therefore producing such films enables them to promote themselves. Short films are usually screened at films festivals or film competitions.

Education:

Short films mainly deal with contemporary issues, and some include elements of controversial themes. Short films are found to tackle social issues that are found in current society, these then provoke thought and discussion surrounding moral and ethnic issues. For this reason, they are useful to use in classes for educational purposes.

Experimental:

Thirdly, experimental reasons demonstrates how film makes have the opportunity to try out new techniques in a narrative. There are common conventions and techniques that can be found in short films, however since there is no wide audience to please, as there is no economic reward, it gives directors the option to expand on new ideas and new techniques. 

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Film Genres

In film theory  genre  refers to the method based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed. Films were not really subjected to genre analysis by film historians until the 1970s. All films have at least one major genre.

Film genres can be categorized in several ways. They are 

1.    The  environment or setting where the story and action takes place, 

2.    The theme or topic refers to the issues or concepts that the film revolves around. 

3.    The mood is the emotional tone of the film. 

4.    The Format refers to the way the film was shot or the manner of presentation (e.g.: 35 mm,16 mm or 8 mm).  and 

5.    The target audience. 

Listed below are some of the most common and identifiable film genre categories, / type or category.

Action films 
Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc. A major sub-genre is the disaster film.

Adventure films
Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre. 

Thriller

Thriller and suspense films are  types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. The acclaimed Master of Suspense is Alfred Hitchcock. 

Dramatic films

Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets. Melodramas,epics,historical dramas or romantic  genres. Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction.

Horror films
 Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from  CGI monsters to deranged humans. The fantasy and super natural  film genres are not usually synonymous with the horror genre. There are many sub-genres of horror: teen terror, serial killers, Satanic, etc. Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a purifying experience.

Crime (gangster)

Crime (gangster) films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters, particularly bank robbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hood who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life.  This category includes a description of various 'serial killer' films.

Comedies

Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter jokes, etc. by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This section describes various forms of comedy    including slapstick,   and parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy, and more

                                      

Biopics
Biopics' is a term derived from the combination of the words "biography" and "pictures." They are a sub-genre of the larger drama and epic film genres, These films depict the life of an important historical personage (or group) from the past or present era

Sci-fi films

Sci-fi films are often quasi-scientific, visionary and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters, either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc. Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind

 Film noir 

Film noir (meaning 'black film') is a distinct branch of the crime or gangster  the crime/gangster sagas from the 1930s. Strictly speaking, film noir is not a genre, but rather the mood, style or tone of various American films that evolved in the 1940s, and lasted in a classic period until about 1960.  film noir, or suspense or thriller films that focus on the unsolved crime usually the murder or disappearance of one or more of the characters, or a theft, and on the central character - the hard-boiled detective-hero, as he/she meets various adventures and challenges in the cold and methodical pursuit of the criminal or the solution to the crime.

Fantasy films
Fantasy films, usually considered a sub-genre, are most likely to overlap with the film genres of science fiction and horror, although they are distinct. They often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, and the extraordinary. One of the major categories of fantasy-action films are the super-hero movies, based quite often on an original comic-strip or comic book character. They may appeal to both children and adults, depending upon the particular film.

Road films

The on-the-road plot was used at the birth of American cinema but blossomed in the years after World War II, reflecting a boom in automobile production and the growth of youth culture. Even so, awareness of the "road picture" as a genre came only in the 1960s A road film is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. The genre has its roots in spoken and written tales of epic journeys.

The Motorcycle Diaries:The Motorcycle Diaries  is a 2004 biopic about the journey and written memoir of the 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara, who would several years later become internationally known as the iconic Marxist guerrilla commander and revolutionary Che Guevara.

War and Anti-War Films
War and Anti-War Films provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. Typical elements in the action-oriented war plots include  camp experiences and escapes,  personal heroism . Themes explored in war films include combat, survivor and escape stories, tales of gallant sacrifice and struggle, studies of the futility and inhumanity of battle, the effects of war on society, and intelligent and profound explorations of the moral and human issues.

War films can also make political statements - unpopular wars (such as the Vietnam War and the Iraq War), have generated both supportive and critical films about the conflict  

Holocaust Films:

Steven Spielberg's award-winning epic   Schindler's List (1993) presented the devastating story of the Holocaust through the actions of womanizing German industrialist/war profiteer Oscar Schindler (Liam Neeson) who saved a thousand Jewish lives. Spielberg And exiled Best Director Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002), with a Best Actor Oscar for lead actor Adrien Brody, was the harrowing story of survival for Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman during the Holocaust.

War films are often paired with other genres, such s romance, comedy (black), and suspense-thrillers.  War films as a major film genre emerged after the outbreak of World War I

 

Musical/dance films

Musical/dance films are cinematic forms that emphasize full-scale scores or song and dance routines in a significant way. This films are centered on combinations of music, dance, song or choreography. Major sub genres include the musical comedy or the concert film. 

Sports Films
Sports Films are those that have a sports setting (football or baseball stadium, arena, or the Olympics, etc.), competitive event or athlete that are central and predominant in the story. 

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Layout of Ad Copy (Six Layouts) - ADVERTISEMENTS

An ad copy consists of various parts, elements, or ingredients. Which parts and how many parts should be included depend on the media through which the advertising message is to be communicated?   It includes headlines, slogans, test, illustrations, pictures, sponsor, and logotype.

It is a physical arrangement of presenting the message. It is like a map, design, or structure of advertising message. It is a technical job that requires a high degree of expertise, skills, and experience. All ingredients are presented in such a way that attracts the reader, listener, and/or viewer to attend the advertisement.

Order must be decided carefully.

Practically, an advertising copy includes one or more of the following parts:

1. Headlines:

 Headlines are crucial for print advertisements. They include attractive description written in colorful bold letters at the top or anywhere in the advertisement. Attractive fonts are used to make the headline eye-catching. Headlines may contain slogans. For example, More Smile per Mile by TVS Victor, Japanese quality, at Chinese price, available in India by Orpat Home Appliances, Elora Times Ltd. Mostly, headlines are written in bold letters. Headlines suggest major benefits, offers, or time limit. For example, special offers open only for two days.

 2. Slogans:

Slogans are made of words and sentences. They are expressed in a rhythmic manner. Slogans are used for every type of advertisement such as TV, radio, outdoor, and print media. Slogans are presented or written at the beginning, at the middle, or at the end of advertisement.

In audio-visual media, a slogan is presented with musical effect by using persons or cartoon characters. Slogans have popularized some brands and companies.  Slogans are indicative of key themes the advertiser insists to appeal the audience.

3. Text:

The text is the central part of ad copy. It contains a description. It is prepared with reference to advertising objectives. For example, a company gives more description if company’s objective is to provide more information. Text should neither be too lengthy nor be too short. Text includes theme or appeal to the customers.

It describes major benefits of products. The claim must suggest an absolute or a comparative superiority of the products. Most text shows product benefits, special offers, time, availability, quality, etc. Text is prepared differently for different media. For example, space is important for print media; time is important for audio-visual media; size is important for outdoor media.

 4. Illustration:

Illustrations are used to make the advertising claim clear and attractive. Here picture, character, cartoons, charts, etc., are used to illustrate an use of the product. In the illustration, claims are made through celebrities. In many cases, they are shown using the products. TV advertisement uses film stars, artists, or cricketers to illustrate the use of the product.

5. Pictures:

Use of pictures is more or less similar to illustration. However, pictures are more relevant to print media. Pictures include products, brands, persons, etc., presented in systematic manner. Here, also, products and brands are associated with film stars, cricketers, and well-known cartoon characters.

6. Sponsor and logotype:

 Ad copy also includes name of company, sponsor, brand or logotype to assist customers recognize the name of producers and/or marketers. Name of producer or logotype is kept either at the beginning or at the end of advertisement. Some advertisements include full name and address of company, including registered office, regional offices, its website, e-mail, phone, fax, etc. Use of sponsor or logotype popularizes name of a company along with products and brands. In audio-visual advertisements, the name of company is shown and/or spoken.

 

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IMPORTANCE & CHARACTERISTICS OF ADVERTISING

 IMPORTANCE OF ADVERTISING

 Advertising has become an essential marketing activity in the modern era of large-scale production and serve competition in the market. It performs the following functions:

1. Promotion of Sales: It promotes the sale of goods and services by informing and persuading the people to buy them. A good advertising campaign helps in winning new customers both in the national as wet as in the international markets.

 2. Introduction of New Product: It helps the introduction of new products in the market. A business enterprise can introduce itself and its product to the public through advertising. A new enterprise can't make an impact on the prospective customers without the help of advertising. Advertising enables quick publicity in the market.

3. Creation of Good Public Image: It builds up the reputation of the advertiser. Advertising enables a business firm to communicate its achievements in an effort to satisfy the customers' needs. This increases the goodwill and reputation of the firm which is necessary to fight against competition in the market.

4. Mass Production: Advertising facilitates large-scale production. Advertising encourages production of goods in large-scale because the business firm knows that it will be able to sell on large-scale with the help of advertising. Mass production reduces the cost of production per unit by the economical use of various factors of production.

 5. Research: Advertising stimulates research and development activities. Advertising has become a competitive marketing activity. Every firm tries to differentiate its product from the substitutes available in the market through advertising. This compels every 5 business firm to do more and more research to find new products and their new uses. If a firm does not engage in research and development activities, it will be out of the market in the near future.

6. Education of People: Advertising educate the people about new products and their uses. Advertising message about the utility of a product enables the people to widen their knowledge. It is advertising which has helped people in adopting new ways of life and giving-up old habits. It has contributed a lot towards the betterment of the standard of living of the society.

7. Support to Press: Advertising provides an important source of revenue to the publishers and magazines. It enables to increase the circulation of their publication by selling them at lower rates. People are also benefited because they get publications at cheaper rates. Advertising is also a source of revenue for TV network. For instance, Doordarshan and ZeeTV insert ads before, in between and after various programmes and earn millions of rupees through ads. Such income could be used for increasing the quality of programmes and extending coverage.

 7. CHARACTERISTICS OF ADVERTISING

 · Paid Form: Advertising requires the advertiser (also called sponsor) to pay to create an advertising message, to buy advertising media slot, and to monitor advertising efforts.

 · Tool for Promotion: Advertising is an element of promotion mix of an organization. Advertising and Sales Promotion Page 6

· One Way Communication: Advertising is a one way communication where a brands communicate to the customers through different mediums.

· Personal Or Non-Personal: Advertising can be non-personal as in the case of TV, radio, or newspaper advertisements, or highly personal as in the case of social media and other cookie based advertisements.

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OBJECTIVES OF ADVERTISING

 The fundamental purpose of advertising is to sell something - a product, a service or an idea. 

OBJECTIVES OF ADVERTISING

There are 3 main objectives of advertising. These are:

 

TO INFORM: Advertisements are used to increase the brand awareness and brand exposure in the target market. Informing the potential customers about the brand and its products is the first step towards attaining business goals.

 

TO PERSUADE: Persuading customers to perform a particular task is a prominent objective of advertising. The tasks may involve buying or trying the products and services offered, to from Advertising and Sales Promotion Page 5 a brand image, develop a favourable attitude towards the brand etc.

 

TO REMIND:  Another objective of advertising is to reinforce the brand message and to reassure the existing and potential customers about the brand vision. Advertising helps the brand to maintain top of mind awareness and to avoid competitors stealing the customers. This also helps in the word of mouth marketing.

 

In addition to this general objective, advertising is also used by the modern business enterprises for certain specific objectives which are listed below :

1. To introduce a new product by creating interest for it among the prospective customers.

2. To support personal selling programme.

 3. To reach people inaccessible to salesman.

 4. To enter a new market or attract a new group of customers.

5. To light competition in the market.

 6. To enhance the goodwill of the enterprise by promising better-quality products and services.

 7. To improve dealer relations.

 8. To warn the public against imitation of an enterprise's products.

These subsets are:

· Brand Building

 · Increasing Sales

 · Creating Demand

· Engagement

· Expanding Customer Base

· Changing Customers’ attitudes, etc

 

The basic objectives of an advertising programme may be listed as below:

(i)                To stimulate sales amongst present, former and future consumers. It involves decision regarding the media, e.g., TV versus Print.

(ii)              To communicate with consumers. This involves decision regarding copy.

(iii)           To retain the loyalty of present and former consumers. Advertising may be used to reassure buyers that they have made the best purchase, thus building loyalty to the brand name or the firm.

(iv)            To increase support. Advertising impliedly bolsters the morale of the sales force and of distributors, wholesalers, and retailers, to instill confidence in organization.

(v)              To project an image. Advertising is used to promote an overall image of respect and trust for an organization. This message is aimed not only at consumers, but also at the government, shareholders, and the general public.

 

 

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