The 'Empire' of 'Total film' reviews

For one of our subsidiary products we need to write a review of our short film, that could be featured within a magazine. But which Magazine?

Empire magazine

Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. It is the Uk's leading film magazine with over a circulation of 190,000 consumers a month.
As well as film news, previews and reviews, Empire has some unique features, which are generated both by themselves as well their readers and if popular they become regular features within the magazine. Some regular features are:

The At Home section covers DVD news and releases; Empire's editors consider this section to be of sufficient quality to term it a magazine in itself, which is also relevant to the growth and importance of the DVD market, where sales can often outstrip that of box-office.

Pint of Milk section presents celebrities' answers to silly or unusual questions, including the question "How much is a pint of milk?" This is intended as a guide to the Chosen Celebrity's contact with reality, and as such can be more informative than a direct interview, often reporting some surprising responses.

Each magazine includes a "Spine Quote", in which a relatively challenging quote is printed on the spine of the magazine. There are usually some obvious and obscure links from the quote to the main features of that month's edition. Readers are invited to identify the film source and the links to win a prize.


If you want to visit Empire's website and have a read of some of their great movie reviews and unique features then follow the link: http://www.empireonline.com/

Total Film

Total Film is also a British film magazine. It is Empire's main rival due to it being the United Kingdom's second best-selling film magazine offering film and DVD news, reviews, and features, but nevertheless it still has phenomenal circulation. The magazine was launched in 1997 and is published by Future Publishing.
Each month, a range of features are included: from full-length interviews with established and upcoming actors and directors, to major film previews and reviews, as well as top 100 lists of the greatest films ever made as well as specific titles such as best narrative and cinematic experience. These are all then illustrated with film stills and profile shots constructing the foundation of the magazine. All issues contain The Total Film Interview — which is an in-depth chat with a celebrated actor or director, along with a critique of their body of work and a rating of each major film to date.

If you want to visit Total Films website and have a read of some of their great movie reviews and unique features then follow the link: http://www.totalfilm.com/

These two highly respected and consumed magazines provides great movie reviews that myself and Blaine can read and get inspiration from in order to construct our film review but it also provides a target location for our review, which would then entail making our review to an industry standard and to the standard for these magazines which will be hard to achieve but we will give it a go. If our short film was the be reviewd and fetured within these magazines, this would be great way to get our film noticed, as the target audience for our film would be the same target audience that read these magazines therefore potential consumers would become aware of our film. This is a definate option that we will aim for but awsell as this we also want to feature our film within a free magazine that you can pick up when you go to ODEAN cinemas.

This magazine is free to millions of readers that go to the cinema which makes this a very effective way of making potential consumers aware of our product but also a very good place to feature a review which can then bee seen by critics and educated consumers who can then come to their own conclusion about our film.

Bellow are two movie reviews for the recently released, The social Network and this will provide a comparison of the two main magazines and their approach to writing film reviews and their overall ratings as this will then provide us with some ideas for he style of our review:

Empire's review of The Social Network:
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=136853
Total Film's review of The Social Network:
http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/the-social-network

Genre theory or Auter theory? That is the question

'Genres create order to simplify the mass of available information. Creating categories promotes organisation instead of chaos'

The quote above is written by Daniel Chandler-British visual semiotician based (since 2001) at the department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University.
I have chosen this Semiotician because I believe that his definition is the closest to defining genre.

Genres are broad enough to accommodate basically any film ever made, although film categories can never be precise. By categorizing various elements within a film into genres, it is possible to easily evaluate a film within its specific genre. As well as this, it also allows for meaningful comparisons on overall ratings from consumers and film journalists around the world. A film doesn't have to pick a genre and then stick to this category though. Overlapping genres or creating sub-genres within a category, is a major part of creating an epic film. These types of films could then be categorized as a hybrid or cross bread film, but this is done so much within the film industry it is seen as the norm and no categorization takes place.

The Auteur theory can be contrasted to the genre theory, in which films are rated on the basis of the expression of one person, their own creativity becomes individual to them. This is usually applied to the director for their unique style, vision or signature narrative structures, witty dialogue, camera angles, transitions anything which dictates their personal, look, and feel to the film and therefore become distinctive to them. Certain directors are known for certain types of films, for example, Woody Allen and comedy, Alfred Hitchcock for suspense and thrillers, as well as quentin tarantino for graphic thrillers and artistic dialogue.

Some of my favorite films nearly all fall into the same genre but have some different sub genres:
-Dead Man's Shoes/psychological thriller
-Phone Booth/ psychological thriller
-Memento/psychological thriller
-Lucky Number Slevin/Crime thriller
-Donnie Darko/psychological thriller-fantasy
-Inception/Science fiction thriller

The correlation between them all is that they all fall into the thriller category. This is my favorite genre of film as well as Blaine's and this is why we want to make a thriller. But we would also like to incorporate sub genres making our short film a psychological thriller, which matches many of my favorite films above.

Both myself and Blaine will categorize our film as a 'psychological thriller' and this will provide some basic conventions that make up the thriller genre but we are both very imaginative,intellectual and artistic young directors, so having total creative freedom and control over our film is vital in making our film to an industry standard as well as consequently giving us the chance to express our artistic visions and possibly make consumers think about the message within the narrative. Which would give me great pleasure in achieving.

If you want to read more into the historical context of Genre theory as well as many different philosophers views on genre and auteur theory then take a look at my co-directors blog and his post:
Genre Theory Vs. Auteur Theory

All Hail Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer is amongst the most respected composers within the film industry and as a composer in general, the German composer and music producer is most notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements.

A turning point in Zimmer's career occurred with the 1988 film Rain Man. Hollywood director Barry Levinson was looking for someone to produce some exciting soundtracks, and his wife heard the soundtrack CD of the anti-Apartheid drama A World Apart, for which Zimmer had composed the music. Levinson was impressed by Zimmer's work, and hired him to score Rain Man. Following from this, in nearly three decades he has composed music for over 100 films many of them exceptional films such as The Lion King, Crimson Tide, The Thin Red Line, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down,The Last Samurai, Pirates of the Caribbean series, The Da Vinci Code, Frost/Nixon, The Dark Knight, Sherlock Holmes and Inception. Many have won multiple awards each.

He, himself has won four Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Classical BRIT Award, and an Academy Award. He was also ranked 72nd in the top 100 living geniuses which was a poll collaborated by The Daily Telegraph.

Not only does Zimmer compose for films but he composed the opening titles to the world record holding video game, Call of duty: Modern warfare 2. sales reached $301 million dollars in the first 24 hours of release in the UK and U.S alone.

Myself and Blaine are adamant about using a soundtrack that was previously released on a computer game. The main narrative ideas have originated from a computer game and we want our main soundtrack to also be from a computer game. Our reasons for this is that 'we think it will give our short film a very post modern vibe, when people find out that the narrative and soundtrack originated from video games, this will enhance the sudden world wide interest that can be clearly seen above with Call of duty modern warfare taking over $310 million dollars within its first 24 hours of release.' The new instalment to the call of duty franchise: Call of duty Black ops which is set to release on November 9th 2010 is set to break records and this statement was released by one of the worlds biggest video game website. Gamespot UK regarding the progress. “We are ahead of where we were with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 last year, which previously set the industry standard.”

This one video game franchise is part of a much bigger industry and with such interest in just this one game, overall the video game industry must be booming.

Quentin Tarantino is quintessentially known for the soundtracks included within his films, many of his soundtracks pay homage to other films or novels that he has been inspired from. All the soundtracks that are used within his films are available to purchase on Itunes and many websites such as Amazon. The soundtracks he uses are more of a collaboration than original soundtracks which creates his own original style but this style is now associated with Quentin Tarantino and sets him apart from other directors, his quintessential blood and gore with very humorous, but controversial violence in my opinion is provides a great example for Auter theory, which is based around the concept that if a filmmaker has such a unique style which can be instantly recognisable then their artistic voice will transcend genre.

'I don't believe in putting in music as a band aid to get you over some rough parts or bad film making. If it's there it's got to add to it or take it to another level'

This statement from Tarantino himself sums up what soundtracks are all about. This is why we want to include soundtracks within our short film and the main soundtrack that we have chosen will defiantly add to the whole film taking it to another level.

Our Main soundtrack is from a video game called Black Mesa Source: Half life. the soundtrack is titled End credits and we want to use it to end our film, we think that the track will heighten the atmosphere as well as setting the mood that we want the audience to be feeling that will make them thoroughly evaluate the content they have just seen.
Because the soundtrack does not belong to me I sent an email to the original composer, joelnielsen asking permission to incorporate his soundtracks within our film. Generously Joel emailed me back granting permission for me to use his soundtracks within our films. This was very exciting news and I would just like to thank Joel for letting us use his exhilarating soundtracks. If you want to visit his website follow the link : http: http://www.joelnielsen.com/ and if you want to preview the soundtrack we are going to use, then watch or rather listen to the video below:



I have provided evidence below of the email I sent to Joel and the reply from him granting me permission:

An epic trip to Epic

Yesterday our media group had the chance to go on an amazing trip to Epic studios, an independent television production company within Norwich. It is home to many well known TV programmes over the years some of the highlights include: Trisha, Loose Women, Frank Skinner Opinionated, The Wright Stuff, Late Kick Off, Question Time, The Politics Show, Knightmare, Anglia News and many more.

The trip involved many different discussions about the different types of media institutions and how, if we wanted to get a Career within the media industry what would be the best way to do so, either higher education, work experience, starting off low in the job being a runner/tea service but then you have a foot in the door and you can work your way up through higher jobs. We had talks from local radio presenters, people within the field of journalism, website designers, music video directors and designers, documentary film makers and some people got chosen to have a hands on experience with some of the studios equipment.

I was lucky enough to be chosen and I got the chance to go into the gallery and look at all there equipment, we then filmed a small news programme and I was in charge of VT (video tape) this job involves playing pr-recorded footage, archival footage and opening titles. I was sat infront of a mac, given a script and a little instruction on how to use the software. I was very nervous but looked through the script, found out were I had to play footage and then played around with the software to find out what I had to do. We went through a practice run and then recorded the news programme. The thrill that I got from being on a recorded show was amazing, there was pressure to get it right and this made the adrenaline pump through my body and overall it was one of the best experiences ever
re-enforcing my desire to work within the media industry involving similar camera work to this.

The lighting and vision control part of the gallery makes sure that the composition of the camera shots are to perfection and the news reporters or characters look good on screen, changing the brightness of the shot if it is to dark or vise-versa.

Lighting and vision control from Tom palmer on Vimeo.

The production control part of the gallery is the heart of the production this is where everything binds together ans is run by around 5-6 people depending of the content. Some roles within the production control room can be from playing the opening titles and other VT's, running the autocue, pushing vast amounts of buttons to cut from camera to camera,two people instructing the cameras what type of shot they want and when they will go to your camera as well as counting down VT times and always keeping track on sound and lighting, overall gelling the whole production together and in some big production there may be another person instructing doing and controlling their own little section of fixed shots for example of the audience. This was where I was playing the VT and once again just to enforce my enjoyment it was brilliant.

Production control from Tom palmer on Vimeo.

The sound control centre would usually have 2-3 people Manning the station, depending on the content within a programme being filmed or broad casted. The screens are linked together so each part of the gallery sees the same production of their screens, this enables the sound quality and efficiency to be optimized because when an interview is taking place, microphones can be made louder or quieter in a split second which makes the recording run smoothly.

Sound control from Tom palmer on Vimeo.

Overall each section of the Gallery is as important as the others because if one section makes a mistake then the whole production is effected therefore everything must run smoothly.

Thank you To our teacher for arranging this trip it was very interesting both practically and theoretically and it provided me with lots of information about the media industry and ways to be employed and I gained some contacts which can help me with this because as you all know:

Its not what you know, Its who you know.

True leaders of film

I am part of a senior student programme that our school runs which gives me the chance to get my voice heard, we explore many issues around the school and help with non-curricular activities and various open evenings. As a part of this programme we went on a leadership course which enlightened us to become leaders of our school giving us confidence to stand up and lead a group in whatever task we face. We were asked to prepare a short speech about a leader that inspired us and I chose two of my favorite directors, Christopher Nolan and Shane Medows who have been role models to me, for many years, making so many truly touching films that you just cannot look away from.
Their ability to have a vison that they then process and turn into such amazing cinematic experiences just gives me an excuse to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a cinema ticket over and over again, (which in hindsight makes it less ridiculous).
Both directors have gained vasts amounts of respect for producing award winning films and one of the reasons that they inspire me is that they both became famous for their own hard work and determination. From a young age they both made short films which got them noticed within the industry, not straight away, but this didn't effect them they kept going with their passion and Christopher Nolan was talent spotted at a Cambridge film festival and Shane Medows got a job at Warp (an independent film and music production company) after many attempts.
Bellow are two films that were produced at the beginning of their carers which helped them acquire the respect they have within the industry to date.

Doodlebug-short film. Directed by Christopher Nolan:


The man with no name-short documentary. Directed by Shane medows:


If you want to view my leadership speech about the two directors, please follow the link bellow.
Leadership speech:
I have picked two leading innovators....
Another link that you may find useful directs you to Shane Medows official website which includes a list of all his different short film productions as well as music videos that he has produced.
Shane Medows official website:
http://www.shanemeadows.co.uk/

Market research

There are two different types of research: Primary and secondary. Primary research is up to date research that you have carried out yourself. For example questionnaires, face to face opinions, ringing someone on the phone to ask their views.










Secondary research is formally known as desktop research because you can acquire it all from the comfort of your desk on the Internet. It is data that has been collected by somebody else that you have access too, either for free or at a price.



Both types of researches have their advantages. Primary research is very up to date, you can acquire the exact data you want to because you are asking the questions, you can include as many people that you want in your research and you know the data is defiantly reliable because you have got it yourself.

Secondary research also has its advantages: A huge range of data is available, you can analyse trends in the market because you can get data that has been analysed over many years, it is cheap and it is easily accessible.

Myself and Blaine have to produce a five minute short film as well as two of the three subsidiary tasks. We have chosen to make a poster promoting the film and a review of the film that will be placed within a magazine. We have chosen to drop the radio advert for our short film as this doesn't interest both of us and it would be very menial to then find out lots of information that we are not passionate about.
All three tasks that need to be completed require vast amounts of research both primary and secondary, we will have to look at existing short films, film posters and reviews in order to get a rough idea of what we want to include within our products, then what is the best way to then construct our products always referring to our research on target audience and what they would both expect within the products as well as what they would like to see.

I was researching classification for short films because I wanted to find out whether the classification rules and regulations that are applied to a feature length film are the same for a short film. I found out that the same rules apply and whilst I was on the BBFC ( British board of film classification) website I found some very useful information for our film poster.

'The Video Recordings Act (Labelling) Regulations 1985 state the letter or number (U, PG, 12, 15, 18, R18) within the triangle, circle or square must be no less than 5mm in size. The size refers to the letter or number and does not include any shadow or other design elements'

This is just a small part of our poster but we have to be law abiding so this information is very useful and is just a small example of how desktop research can be very helpful.

The British Board of film classification

The British Board of film classification was set up in 1912 and is an independent,

non-goverment organisation that brings a degree of classification to films.
A film is classified by the BBFC to give viewers a understanding of the content a film will include, the classification is just a guidline that helps you to make your own mature decision but for younger people it is a guidline for their carers.

A film is first viewed by a group of examiners and is then stripped apart to catergorise sections of the film which fall into different age classifications. The producers then have the choice to change parts or keep the film the same but have the suitable age classification that is given. Some producers and some narrative do want blood, sex and violence, which then will consequently have a higher age classification.

For example a 12 or 12A may contain content that could be unsuitable for children under the age of 12. An example of a 12 could be You, me and dupree which contains scenes that may be unsuitable for children under 12.


Another example could be an 18 which would contain very graphic scenes so cannot therefore be viewed by people aged lower than 18 because they may me disturbed by the content. An example of a film with a classification of 18 could be saw.

Myself and Blaine are creating a short film. Do the same rules and regulations apply? I hear you ask. The answer to this is, yes. I did wonder if the was any change within the classification regulations between short films and the conventinal feature length film but there isnt which in my oppinion is very logical because a short film is just a variation of a film the same audience will consume them so the same rules therefore should apply. This means that the content of our film and poster will have to reflect the classification specifications of the target audience that we choose.

To view further information on film classifications click the link bellow.
BBFC Website:

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/general/index.php