Ill Manors broadcast platform: trailer analysis

What are the typical codes and conventions of film trailers - what information is usually provided?

• Institutional information - Actor // director // studio // production company 
• Title (usually appears at the end) 
• Release date 
• Narrative - Todrov (disequilibrium, some equilibrium representing normal life) Enigma codes and characters represented. We can usually guess the ending of the film from the given narrative. 
• Action sequence/ dramatic moments - Bartes action codes
• Voice over // text on screen // snippets of dialogue - in order to establish character and narrative
• Sound // music (usually non-diegetic) / dialogue 
• Promotional info - website // hash-tag // social media
• review // quotes - Usually to encourage the audience to watch/try the film.
• tagline 

How are trailers distributed? 

• Trailers are usually distributed on social media such as IMdb and YouTube, where it is easier for them to go viral and spread to a larger range in audience.
• However, previously they more often used to be played in Cinemas where the trailers of other movies where played before the viewing of the movie you had attended to see.

How does the Ill Manors trailer use trailer conventions?

• In the first section of the trailer you see text on screen which introduces the core belief of the movie and makes a statement, almost, just almost serving as a tagline. 
• 'Revolver entertainment' is the reference to institution 
• The trailer is introduced with what can be perceived as (Barthes) enigma code of a character knocking on the door, which nicely pulls together that start of the narrative at a equilibrium (Todorov)  point of everyday life. 
• The main text we see is the review quote of, "a film for our times", which gives the movie a professional stand point and helps to recommend it the audiences who may not be so confident in trying to try out a new directer, despite his loyal music fan base. This is interlaced throughout the whole trailer with references to magazines etc. who would appeal to a similar target audience. 
• The reference to "Plan B" and his viewing in the trailer (despite it not being a significant scene in the actual movie) is also like an institutional reference and is aiming to appeal to his loyal fan base and encouraging them to try out his new movie. 
• The cinema release date is put at the end of the trailer
• The film title is put at the end of the trailer
• The tagline is almost perceived as "every action has a reaction"
• At the end of the trailer there are also social media links which are like additional promotional information.
• There is a non-diegetic background sound track present throughout the trailer, which also helps to aid he narrative.
• There are snippets of dialogue to explain the narrative  
• Action sequences like the punching and holding the gun serve as action codes to provide the viewer with a thrill and leaning towards watching the movie. 

Who is the target audience? Does it have a unique selling point or use particular techniques to appeal to the audience? Consider the way the scenes are edited together – does the trailer give away any clues about the narrative? Are the main stars visible in the trailer? Is there information about the director of the film? Is there information about the release date? Is a narrator’s voice-over used? Why?

• The Target audience seems to be young teenagers/adults who may already be interested in this genre as well as identify with aspects of personalities shown. Moreover, it appeals to a crime movie audience as that is the manner in which it is represented as it tries to appeal to that type of audience. Also Plan B's loyal fan base too.
• The USP seems to be the fact that its directed by Plan B and he also 'features' in the movie. The techniques used seem to be the fact that the main 'action' parts of the movie are presented even though they may no that be that relevant to the overall plot. 
• The editing technique is fast and flows as each action seems to be carried through to a different scene, this represents a certain flow of the storyline despite the fact that in the actual movie the plot doesn't flow smoothly until roughly half way through the film. The narrative is slightly miss lead by the trailer, as emphasis to key characters and scenes isn't present and instead focuses on the more minor and less important scenes and characters. This therefore meant that the main stars aren't actually present in the trailer as much as they should be. 
• Information on/ reference to the director occurs fairly often as it is trying to appeal to a loyal audience from the music industry and trying to encourage them to give him a try in the film industry. But as this isn't too much of a plus point as it is his first full length film they use many quotes to account for the 'brilliance' of the movie. 
• The release date information is given at the end of the trailer alongside other promotional information. 
• A voice over is technically the soundtracks lyrics which are made especially to be in tune with the movie and its narrative. This is probably as the main plus point of the movie would be its music due to its artists background. 

How has the genre of the film been represented through characters, settings, lighting, colour, music/dialogue, camera shots/movements/angles and editing?

• The movie is presented as the crime genre a lot more than its actual social realism take. This crime genre is presented through various of the mise-en-scene techniques. For example, the costumes worn by the main characters consist of hoodies, leather jackets, caps etc, which are stereotypically associated with gang culture. Moreover the prop of the drugs etc. make it seem like the focus of the movie is on drugs and drug addicts which again isn't the case and miss represents the genre of the movie. 
• The characters also represent this gang/crime genre of the movie as there backgrounds are portrayed as suggesting being in prison, fighting for the turf and violence. 
• The lighting is also dark and low key where it gives it the darker and harsher aspects of the gang/crime movies
• The dialogue and music is also very aggressive and urban which works in synergy with the mise-en-scene of the trailer. 
• The editing is also very fast and shows various fight scenes one after the other suggesting the whole movie is about these aspects like drugs, crime, violence etc. 

Ill Manors Film Review

Key points	Evidence from Film	Your opinion
Directors – who is it and what else have they directed that you have heard of?	·         Ben Drew is the director
Main stars – who are they? Will people be familiar with them already? What are they known for?	·         Riz Ahmed also known for ‘Four Lions’ , ‘Nightcrawler’ and ‘The Road to Guantanamo’. ·         Ed Skerin ·         Lee Allen also known for ‘Run’ ·         Neil Large also know for ‘Tony’ and ‘Abducted’  ·         Anouska Mond also know for ‘Evil never dies’, and ‘we still kill the old way’.
Plot – what is the film about?	The film is about various characters who are involved In the world of crime, from drug dealers, Users to Prostitutes. It tells the story about how each came into the life of crime, what outcomes it had and what the end result is.
Characters – Who are the main ones and which actors play them? Comment on the quality of the acting.	Main characters; ·         Ed Skrein(Ed) ·         Riz Ahmed (Aaron) ·         Anouska Mond (Michelle) ·         Natalie Press (Katya) Fair Part in the movie: ·         Nick Sagar (marcel) ·         Lee Allen (chris) ·         Keith Coggins (Kirby) ·         Jo Hartley (carol) ·         Neil Large (Terry) ·         Lee Whitelock (vince)	The whole cast had very good acting, especially the main characters who were the focus, their natural and emotive acting helped to evoke various reactions in the audience.
Genre – What type of film is it? Does it fit your expectations for this type of film? How would you describe the mood?	Crime Drama An example of this was when Jake (Ryan De La Cruz) goes to kill a character we see that he has a ill dad/granddad for a short moment as he closes the door. As an audience we begin to understand why he might be so desperate the get into a group and was proud of the money he gets at the end of it.	Yes, it fit my expectations of this type of movie however it did evoke much more sympathy for ‘negative role’ characters than most crime drama films. The mood of the overall movie was tense, emotional and sympathetic throughout the movie. The audience were forced to dislike each character but immediately feel sorry for them after a while
Soundtrack- did you notice/like/dislike it? How did it create atmosphere?	Ill Manors is a soundtrack album by British musician and rapper Plan B Each character/short story within the film had a different single from the soundtrack	I did notice the soundtrack and I did like the lyrics of it, it helped to create a separate atmosphere for each character and situation while in turn explaining how each character felt in each given situation. This provided reasoning for actions which created a degree of sympathy and understanding towards each character.
Audience- who is it aimed at and do you recommend it? Why?	Plan B tried to aim the movie at 15-25 year olds (but the movie a gained a BBFC certificate of 18)	However, I felt the target audience was around 18-32 year olds probably of a demographics of C-AB class. This is due to the older characcters, but a problem younger audience usually are faced with and usually the lower classes. Also the London audience were probably interested due to it being based on a social issue that influences a fair amount of the audience. I would recommend it as it provides an insight to what we should be targeting, eg. Abuse, in order to prevent certain degrees of crime. Also it prevents a hypocritical and subjective view of crime as a whole and provides understanding which can be used to motivate audiences to find better routes and encourage individuals already caught up in similar lifestyles to find a way to get out due to the negative outcomes.

Think of three adjectives that you think sum up the film for you. Make note of these words to use later in your review.

Controversial, Emotive and Powerful. 

Review of the film of at least 750 words

***warning contains spoilers***

A movie targeting the darker and more nitty-gritty aspect of London but giving it a much more understanding and sympathetic spin compared to most like its kind.

Yes the movie has drugs, violence, sex etc. but it tries to give a reasoning which is found to be controversial to most viewers, but to me the movie was an accurate and realistic portrayal of certain important issues faced by West London.

The movie starts with various different plots that seem to be a bit confusing at first, however, as the story progresses Ben Drew cleverly intertwines each of the plots together, almost conveying the message that each events leads to another, each action has a consequence, an outcome. These chain events convey the message that Plan B aims to convey to the audience, that things such as government neglect to certain situations can lead to various more complex outcomes which the government, represented through the police, have a much harder time resolving. This is shown through the various times the police tries to arrest but fails to do so, each character right up until the end of the movie.

The motivation to creating the movie is complemented extremely by each of the characters, whose exceptional acting helps to convey the various emotions that Drew tries to create in the audience, from disgust to pity right to sympathy. Each of these characters has very strong and emotive back stories from things such as orphanage, abuse and neglect. These characters have a troubled past which Drew slowly and smartly reveals at certain intervals of the movie where the impacts are the greatest.

There are many moments where these short and carefully placed moments create an extremely strong message to the audience. One of my favourite examples is when Ed throws the baby out of the window and the photographer only takes pictures, which is shown by a still image for a fair amount of image. The picture shows Ed throwing the baby out of the window and that’s it, no resolve and no reasoning of things such as the building was on fire and that a mate was at the bottom reading to catch and save the baby at the bottom. This is the image that would have been conveyed to the audience and image that could easily be manipulated to show Ed as the Villain whereas ironically this is the only time he serves as the ‘hero’. This was an example of a way he targeted many controversial themes such as the media and government.

In the same scene we are also given an example of how many of the ‘villainous’ characters are given an accurate portrayal of having a past, humanity and aren’t portrayed as only ruthless without any reason, they are all given an emotional drive. This scene Ed dies in his heroic act, where his humanity is conveyed, Ed has been portrayed as extremely villainess and pained in a negative light yet when he dies the audience can’t help but feel sympathy for the character as Aaron remembers Ed as a child, smiling, full of hope and innocence, a message that we are all hopeful and innocent and sweet at a given point but an individual’s life and situation forces them to their negative deeds and behaviour.

The soundtrack of the movie is also a highlight for the movie which also aims to target the social issues faces by each of the individuals and provide reasoning for each of their actions and situations which drove them to their situation at the given moment.

Overall, the movie for me was a good 4 stars out of 5. The complexity of the issue that Drew aimed to face and express his opinion on is bound to have a fair amount of criticism but I think he curved his path carefully and efficiently and succeeded in portraying his message to a large proportion of its audience. The social issues which he addressed in his movie are not only faced in London but also in all areas of the world and are important issues that need to be addressed through artistic means such as films as they can be conveyed. I think his aim towards a young audience was fulfilled through its portrayal and the emotive representation in the way in which it was presented would have a long lasting impact on them, or anyone who views the film. 

I think this movie tackles an important issue as well as the main concept of every action having a consequence which is why we should always think before we act. Moreover, I personally found this movie showing how everyone’s life can be connected by unexpected means and you have no idea of what impact you may have even on loved ones, from an action you wouldn’t even think could influence anyone, let alone loved one.

We’re all born the same way, but the environment and life we choose has a huge impact on who we are and what we will become.  

Learner Responce

Question 1; 


How does the institution take an original and positive approach to road safety advertising?

The fact that most advertising campaign seem to shock audiences to deter them from what they are trying to portray as a message therefore the fact that they used a 'no shock tactic', as in a softer portrayal of the consequences of no wearing seat belts, trough the contemporary portrayal.Similarly, the outcome of the situation creates a much more positive feel, of family support and safety, whilst reinforcing the message of road safety which creates the equilibrium which is a much more positive view to take on such a dark situation of accidents etc. Another very positive part of the advert is the slogan of 'embrace life' which softens the feel and shock of the mock accident which has taken place and uses a much more positive , motivational and feel good message to serve as the core reason for the message which is a small and simple message which any audience can easily take away and apply to many other situations in life and not only the road aspects.

The extremely unique aspect of a contemporary and imaginary imagination of the whole situation of the car and accident and the reactions seem to theoretical which create a sonario which is unique and positive, This helps to promote family values and use them as motivation to get road users to ensure their safety as well as use a positive message which is an ideology many people already agree with. 

On top of that the techniques that are use to edit and portray the situation, especially the slow motion editing, helps to add to the originality of the advert's director and make the concept more memorable and therefore have a more long lasting impact on individuals. Moreover the more high-key lighting helps to add a more to the 'light hearted' message and feeling of that message, that family is extremely positive and we cannot lose that because of a simple small mistake.  

#132 on British Film.

2) Read the whole of Factsheet #132 British Film

3) Write a one-sentence definition of what makes a film British.

it means British involvement, so if the cast/director is British or even the subject matter. 

4) What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film?

British film productions have a lower budget, are driven by the characters and plot and uses the word of mouth technique much more heavily than Hollywood productions. Hollywood productions have much larger budgets and use celebrities generated attention to promote their movie. 

5) When did the James Bond franchise start?

1960's when the cultural norms where changing

6) In terms of film censorship and graphic content, what began to change in British film in the 1970s and 1980s?

sexual contexts and violence become much larger therefore in about 1985 BBFC certificates were made sure to be used correspondingly. 

7) What groups are often represented in British film? Give examples of films these groups feature in.

Young people, in terms of violence for example in clockwork orange. Also the representation of women from  either 'nanny mcphee' to 'confessions of a window cleaner'

8) What does the Factsheet suggest might be the audience appeal of British film?

When it focuses on British perspective, issues and characters are also British. The social context has to be British/from a British stand point. Or the characters and directors much be british in order for it to give it a sort of 'British' feel. 

#100 on the British film industry

#100 on the British film industry

• What is the 'cultural test' to see if a film counts as British?

A test that the film has to pass in in order to qualify as a co-production. The test is split into 4 sections, in which the film must score at least 16/31 in order classified as British. There are things such as if the film is set in the UK and if there is a British Script writer. 

• Complete the task on the Factsheet, researching the films listed and finding out what they score on the cultural test: Sweeney, Attack The Block, The King's Speech, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Skyfall.

The Sweeney  

1. set in London
2. based on British subject matter 
3. English spoken 
4. UK based production company
5. British writer
6. majority of cast British
7. majority of crew British 

Attack the Block

1. British writer/director 
2. main British actors 
3. set in UK
4. English language 
5. reflects British creativity 
6. set fully in London 

The kings speech

1. British director 
2. lead actors British 
3. British subject matter
4. set in UK
5. English language

We need to talk about Kevin 

1. directors birtish 
2. writiers british 
3. lead actors are bitish 
4. shot in UK

skyfall 

1. British actors
2. set in UK
3. British directors 
4. shot mainly in UK
5. British production company 

• What is the main problem for the British film industry?

 British film industry has been production led rather than distribution led/9

produce but sell to other distribution companies) - too small scaled to compete with large-scale productions such as hollywood

American actors are seen as more glamorous than their UK counterparts

UK, theatre acting is seen to be of greater worth than film acting

better pay in america than UK

Britain shares a native language with America so it is very easy for American films to be exported to the UK.

• What are three of the strengths of the British film industry?

very good creative skill 

outstanding facilities eg. studios 

earns a fair amount despite being a small country

• What are the two options for the future of the British film industry?

British filmmakers could choose to rely upon co-productions with American studios to keep the industry afloat.

o attempt to make low budget films targeted at a niche, 

• In your opinion, which of these two options would best safeguard the future of the British film industry?

I think they should attempt low budget movies that are targeted at a niche audience due to the fact that it would been it would hold more social and political views and culture which is meant to reflect all things 'British'. There is no point in making a 'British' movie if the actual reality, culture and situation of the country is lost.