Thursday, March 24, 2016

Evaluation Questions For Film Opening

I have pasted this information on this blog rather than on my coursework blog for ease of reference.

Once you have finished you will need to complete your evaluation.

Your evaluation must be digitally presented - I will explain more in class.

Here are the questions as taken from the OCR syllabus. 
















CLICK HERE to go to the blog I use for the OCR Moderators.

You can see links to students' blogs on the right hand-side of the page.

You may find this useful as you can see what previous students have done in their evaluations.

You can see evaluations completed by students from other schools below:

CLICK HERE - 20/20 but too much writing - some of the video links may not work now.

CLICK HERE - 20/20 and all done as a video commentary lasting nearly 20 minutes.

CLICK HERE - 20/20 and, again, done as a video commentary. I like the inclusion of notes that were used to prepare responses.

CLICK HERE - 17/20 but a particularly strong Q1 response which is good for anyone who is doing this question to look at.

Finally, if you want to see what other students have done type 'G321 film opening evaluation' into Google and you will find thousands of examples to take inspiration from...


Easter Homework 3 : Section B Case Studies : Revision Guide and Learning The Facts

Download and email the 2 documents to yourself that I show in class.

The first of these contains facts and figures that you need to know for each film.

The second is a revision guide for you to read through which has lots of useful information, links and some past questions.


Read. Think. Digest. Develop. Learn.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Easter Homework 2 : Representation of Physical Ability and Disability : A Touch Of Frost

Complete the following Section A task in timed exam conditions of 1 hour:


Discuss the ways in which the following extract constructs the representation of physical ability / disability using the following:


  • Camera shots, angle, movement and composition
  • Editing
  • Sound
  • Mise-en-scene 
(50 marks)




Easter Homework 1 : Representation Of Gender : Wire In The Blood

Complete the following Section A task in timed exam conditions of 1 hour:

Discuss the ways in which the following extract constructs the representation of gender using the following:


  • Camera shots, angle, movement and composition
  • Editing
  • Sound
  • Mise-en-scene 
(50 marks)

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Papadopoulos and Sons : Full Costs Of Making An Independent Film

CLICK HERE to access an article on Stephen Follows' website which provides a breakdown of the full costs of Papadopoulos and Sons.

Stephen Follows is an award-winning writer and producer based in Ealing Studios.He also researches data and statistics in the film industry.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Fim Case Studies

We started researching information about the 3 films we will be using as case studies for the exam.

These are the films about which you will need to develop a knowledge base in relation to production, distribution, marketing, exhibition and exchange.

The films are very different to each other but are all classed a 'British'.




We watched a video titled The Making Of Papadopoulos and Sons in class. You can watch it again, or for the first time if you were absent from the lesson, by CLICKING HERE.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Film Distribution : Everything You Need To Know

You need to know how film distribution works and who are the companies, both big and small, who specialise in this area.

This is important not just for Section B of the exam but also for one of the questions in the evaluation of your film opening.

The questions you will have to answer can be found below. Take a close look at the 3rd question and you will see why this knowledge is important.


In order to develop your understanding of film distribution, you must read through The Film Distributor's Association step-by-step guide.

This can be found as a pdf document by CLICKING HERE - my recommendation is that you download a copy and save it for future reference.

This guide traces what happens to a film after the production stage has been completed and the film is ready for release to an audience. It does this by tracing the journey of a fictional film titled 'And Then What?'

The guide is broken down into the following stages:
  • The role of distribution.
  • What do film distributors do?
  • Who are the distributors?
  • How do distributors get their filmMaking a distribution deal.
  • Planning the release.
  • What? When? Who? How?
  • Film marketing.
  • Licensing films to exhibitors (cinemas).
  • The wider picture : further issues for distributors to weigh up.
One of the really useful things contained within this step-by-step guide is a breakdown of the journey that a film takes from beginning to end.

I have copied this below for ease of reference:


Producer/company acquires rights to film a story or treatment.


Screenplay is developed by one or more writers.


Production finance and cast and crew are confirmed.


Principal photography takes place, in studios and/or on agreed locations, followed by some months of post-production, editing and scoring.


Distributor gets exhibitors and journalists along to watch parts of the shoot, to build anticipation for the actual release.


Distributor develops release strategy, considers release date, and takes delivery of a master print of the finished film.


Distributor presents the film to BBFC to ensure no issues with certification. Then screens to exhibitors and negotiates bilateral agreements to have it shown in cinemas.


Distributor's marketing campaign aims to create a 'want to see' buzz among the target audience and launches the film.


DCPs including the British Board of Film Classification certificate are delivered to cinemas a few days before opening. KDMs issued.


Film's run extends any number of weeks subject to demand, which may be augmented by additional marketing.


Following its run in cinemas, the film is released in other formats (home entertainment, television) and quickly becomes a catalogue title.