The Relationship Between Audiences and Films: The Hunger Games

In this blog post I will be discussing the relationship between the film The Hunger Games and audience. I will be including how pre-post viewing experiences, fandom, social media networking, effects, conditions of reception, pleasure, active spectatorship and the media literacy relate to me and the audience of The Hunger Games.

Pre-Post Viewing Experiences

Before I watched The Hunger Games I didn't think I was going to enjoy the film because I have never seen a trailer and I didn't know much about the film, therefore I didn't have many expectations.When I saw the front cover of The Hunger Games, the poster didn't appeal to me because there didn't look like much was going on. After I had watched the film my opinion of The Hunger Games changed and I enjoyed the film and thought it was really good. By watching this film I now want to see the second film. I think my opinion changed on this film because I didn't know what it was about, I also didn't know what was going to happen next, I liked the storyline and all different actions was happening at the same time between all the different characters.

The audiences that have read the books would know what was going to happen in the films but still would go and see them because they enjoyed reading the books. This would give them higher expectations of the film because they knew what was going to happen next but would make them see the film visually. After they have seen the film they may be disappointed because they had higher expectations as they have read the book and they also knew all the plot twists. Other people may have found the film a lot better than the books as they saw what they have read visually.

Fandom & Social Media Networking

Fans of The Hunger Games will buy merchandise such as; t-shirts, sound tracks, screensavers, bags, props used in the film, posters, survival bags and pens. They buy the merchandise because they love the film and characters in the film. Also the fans may have gone out and brought the next book 'The Hunger Games Catching Fire'. They would have brought the next book because they want to know what is going to happen next as the film was left on an openin ending. Hunger Games fans wouldn't be able to wait to see the next film. Most fans may have already read the books so they may know what is going to happen next. Some fans may just want to read the books while they are waiting for the next film to be released. The Hunger Games fans or audiences may review the film to let others know their opinions on the film. To do this they may write a written review on their blogs, fanpages or on review websites and some audiences may ceate a vlog and talk about their opinions. Fans may also join or create fan blogs to give other fans information and spoilers about the next film. They create fan blogs so they can connect and speak to other fans in the same fandom as you. Here is one of the most popular fansite for The Hunger Games: http://www.hungergamestrilogy.net/

Fans in The Hunger Games fandom will use many different social media networks such as; twitter, facebook, tumblr and myspace. Fans in this fandom will follow other fans, the cast, production company and the offical Hunger Games accounts. They do this so they speak to other fans as they may have a lot of things in common, makes new friends with the same interests and know what the cast is up too and events they will be attending. They will also have these social media networks to see where the production is up to in the filming and behind the scene pictures from the offical pages for this film.

Effects

I think that all the effects used in this film looked realistic, the special effects used in this film were; explosions of fire moving towards the main character Katniss Everdeen to try and kill her, fire on Katniss and Peeta clothing as they arrive in the parade and hologram when the people working with the games were adding different props into the arena. By having realistic affects makes the film look a lot better and it will appeal to more audiences and the fans because they want to see betetr effects to make that film stand out. Also by using these effects I listed above they fit with the genre action adventure of this film which will make these genre fans want to watch these films.

By having realistic effects improves the audiences opinions of this film because if the effects looks good they will tell their friends and make better reviews of the films, so other people that reads the reviews before the film will want to see it. Also if the special effects look realistic the audience will want to watch the next film because they know they won't be disappointed as they know it will be look visually good. I think the special effects used in this film was very good because they looked realistic and made the film look more effective.

Active Spectatorship

The Hunger Games genre would be known as action and adventure because there are many sound effects, storyline and special effects used to make the film fit within this genre category. When the audience is going to watch this film they would expect the different codes and conventions used in action and adventure films. For example in The Hunger Games they used some of the main codes and conventions in action films such as; fire and explosions. They also used the main codes and conventions in adventure films which is the characters having to complete a quest/adventure to survive and going through may difficulties to complete the quest.

The Hunger Games storyline may relate to some of the audiences watching this film because they may have experienced having to complete something they don't want to do or relate to the characters emotions and bonds with other characters. For example; the love triangle between the three characters; Katniss, Peeta and Gale. This scenario may relate to some of the audiences because they know how them characters are feeling from previous experiences they have experienced.

You can't directly relate to the culture of this film because the film is based on the future as they have used technologies such as; hologram. This is because the culture in this age is completly different to the future culture in this film, although some of the audience may be able to relate to some of the characters experiencing the changing culture. For example Katniss and Peeta going from a poor distrinct but once they both win the Hunger Games they become famous to all the districts. They would be changing cultures becaus they have gone from a poor area to a more wealthy area. They would also be changing in the different cultures as they have gone into the games with no choice which is in a different atmosphere to where they live. The audience can relate to these characters because they might of had a difficult bringing up and becoming more successful as they grow up, as they may know how the characters are feeling as this happens to them.

Pleasure

There is one main pleasure the audience can get from watching this film which is emotional pleasure. This is because the two main characters Katniss and Peeta were told only one of them could survive as previously in the film they changed the rules that two competitors from the same district can both survive if they are the last two standing. But as soon as they are the last two standing they changed the rules that only one can survive. This would be emotional for the audience because they would of grown a bond and love with the characters throughout the film and they don't want them to die because they don't deserve too as they both have been through a lot throughout the games. This part of the film would effect the audience that haven't already read the books because they didn't expect this to happen. This part of the film may not of affected the audience that have read the books as much because they knew that this plot twist was going to happen. They still may be emotional as they haven't seen this happen visually and they may have also bonded with the characters more from watching the film.

Conditions of Reception

As I missed the first 5-10 minutes of The Hunger Games it changed the way I looked at this film because I didn't know what happened in the first 5-10 minutes. As I missed the beginning of this film, I may have looked at this film in a completely different way because I would of understood what was happening when district 12 was getting their bloods taken and they were all standing in the croud waiting for the leader to come on stage. Throughout this film I understood the storyline and what was happening after they had arrived at the games arena. For example; if some audiences was watching this film at home and they got a phone call they would miss what is happening unless they pause the film. They may have missed an important scene like I did to understand the storyline from the begining.

Media Literacy

As a television and film student I used my knowledge and anaylised the film in my head as I was watching The Hunger Games such as; I like this shot, why they may have used that shot, and how it relates to the genre. By doing this it may ruin the way I watch films because I know why they have used the different techniques. Other audiences that don't study teleivision and film, will see this film in a completely different perspective. This is because they are enjoying the content of this film instead of anaylsing it from a technicals perspective.

 

The Relationship Between Producers and Audiences: TED The Movie

In this blog post I will be discussing how the producers research their target audience and how the producers of TED publicised the film to their target audience.

There are many ways producers can research their target audiences, which are; focus groups, questionnaires or surveys and by looking at similar films. A focus group is when a production company will arrange a group meeting with the audiences in the same age brackets, they will then present the film idea or a trailer of their film to them. By doing a focus group the targeted audience in the meeting will be able to give the production company feedback on what they think of the idea and if they would watch it. They also use questionnaire and surveys to find out their target audience for a film which asks relevant questions to the genre and the idea. These questionnaires will be sent to many people around the world and they will receive feedback from the questionnaires. By looking at similar films to your idea is another good way to research who your target audience is because you can see who their target audience is and research why the film has been targeted to that audience. They do all of this different type of research because they can then use it do design posters and trailers for their films. This also breaks down all the different audiences into socioeconomic groups which then allows the producers to target their films to certain audiences as they have done their research.




There are many different ways that a producer will publish their films such as; advertisements, film premiers, trailers, reviews, awards, magazines, interviews with the cast or producers and social networking. Posters are a good way of advertising your film because they are mainly put up in places that are busy which people are going to see on a daily basis. This will make the audience think that, that film looks quite funny, so they go and see the film trailer when they get to work or home. For example in the film TED they created many different posters before the film was released and these posters where published in multiple locations such as billboards over motorways, in major cities on the side of buildings, bus stops, train stations, on the side of the buses and taxi's. These posters were mainly put up in the major cities such as; London and New York. The posters in New York had many different posters on the side of the taxi's and the billboards on the buildings. They also had large posters and cardboard cut outs of the main character TED to advertise the film in the cinema's foyaes. By having posters and cardboard cut outs in the cinema's, is telling the audiences that this film will be coming to that cinema very soon. The producers of TED had many different type of posters created from different scenes from the film and photo shoot pictures. On these posters they had the main details such as the title of the film, the date the film is released and which actors and actresses are starring in this film. By doing this it tells the audience when the film is going to be released who want to see the film. Also by putting the names of the main stars that are starring in the film makes their fans want to see it because their 'idol' is staring in that film.

Just before the DVD was released of TED they had TED the bear in many different interviews talking about the release of the DVD. As the bear become major famous to all audiences after the film was released, and the most famous bear 'TED' then presented an Oscar Award in 2013. This could of increased DVD sales because a more different audiences watch the Oscar Awards which will then see TED.

The main way to advertise a film to the audience is by showing a trailer of the film. These are normally shown on the internet 'youtube', TV and in the cinemas. TED's film trailer was released two months before the actual film was released in the cinemas. In a film trailer the producers use short clips, who is staring in the film and catch phrases from different scenes because they don't want to give to much of the film away to the audience before the film is released. Also by using short clips from different stages may explain to the audience what the film is about.

TED had many catch phrases used in the trailer and film such as 'that's my bad I was sending a tweet'. By using catch phrases makes the audience think of the film instantly after they have seen the trailer because most catch phrases from films are catchy and rememberable. The audience may use these catch phrases and tell their friends and they will ask where's that from and they will say the film TED.

Film premiers is another good way to publicise a blockbuster film because it gives the audience and fans a chance to get sneak previews of the film from interviews with the cast and producers. The TED film premier took place in Hollywood as where most film premiers are located, because it was a big blockbuster film. Many things happened at this premier such as; the cast signing autographs as they arrive for fans, thousand of photographers trying to get pictures of the cast on the red carpet and they had different online presenters interviewing the cast and producers. By having a film premier it helps publicising the film because many teasers of the film would be released in interviews from the cast and producers, and it lets the audience know that the film is being released just after the premier as most films are released after the film premier.

Interviews with the cast, directors and producers is another way to advertise a film because they give away different spoilers, and keep telling the audience that the films release date. For example the online presenters/company 'Clever TV' interviewed the some members of the cast a week before the film was released. By having interviews with the cast makes the fans of the stars watch the interviews which makes them talking about the film to other people, and also makes them want to go see the film. Jimmy Kimmel interviewed the stuffed toy TED on his live show in December 2012 taking about the film and the release of the DVD. By having this interview just before christmas it reminds the audience the DVD is released on DVD and they may ask for it for Christmas which will increase the sales of the film.

Sound tracks can also be another way to publicise a film to their audience. In the film TED they had a song written called 'Everybody Need's A Best Friend' sang by Norah Jones which was played in the film. This song become a huge hit which advertised the film because it was specifically written for the film. This song links with the storyline of the film because its about a boy wanted a best friend but then he wished his teddy bear could talk, he then grew up in life as TED being his best friend. Social networking is also another good way to advertise a film for example TED had his own twitter page which was verified. On this twitter page the producers updated how the film process was going on, and after the trailer was publish they kept tweeting different catch phrases from what TED had said in the film. This makes the audience want to watch the film because they thought the catch phrase was funny, and thought the film would be even better than they thought. By using twitter it advertised the film to their targeted audience which is late teenagers and early adults. This is because twitter is a major social network for these age groups. 

Independent, International Co-Productions and Developing Countries Production Contexts

In this blog post I will be discussing the three other production contexts; independent, international co-productions and developing countries. I will be explaining the difference between them regards to their finical detriments, distribution, exhibition and funding bodies.

Independent films are normally produced by small production companies outside of the major studios. Most independent film companies are distributed by subsidiaries of the major studies such as; 20th Century Fox or Disney. For a film to be known as an independent film they must have less than half of funding from the major studios. Most independent films may also get funding from investors which will invest into the film. For independent films to get out to the public they must have a well known distributor which may buy the rights off the company and publish the film to the public. For example; if a independent film had a well known star included in the film, it makes it easier for the production company for when it comes to the distribution stage because distributors will buy into the film if their is a star which is easily recognisable to the audience. This is because the distributors know there is more chance of making more money as the audience will watch the film if they like the star or a fan of them. Some independent films that don't include stars may get their distributors from entering film festivals and most of the time they will distribute you if you have won a film festival. For example; Sundance is a well known film festival. By having an film festival award in your film distributors will notice your film and buy the rights to all three stages of the film because the film won the film festival and must of become quite successful to the audiences at the film festivals. The advantage to this type of funding is that there is more chance of your film being more successful as you will be paid a bigger amount upfront for the rights of all stages of your film. These are normally bought by small major studios. The disadvantage to this type of funding/distribution is that the money you have been paid by the distributors for the film is all you will receive and won't receive any of the profit made. This is because they have sold the rights to the distributors. Here are some of the most popular independent films; Warner Independent Pictures, Paramount Classics, Think Film and Sony Pictures Classics. For example; Shifty would be known as an independent film because it was produced by an independent company in the United Kingdom. Even though Shifty was produced by three production companies in the UK it still makes it an independent film company because the film was originally produced by an independent company but some of the rights would of been sold to larger companies in the UK to distribute the film. Shifty won the best screenplay award at the Stockholm Film Festival in 2009.

International Co-Productions is when different production companies from different countries all work on the same project/film. Most films that are made out of one country such as; United Sates or United Kingdom are classed as international co-productions. All of the international co-productions normally open new audiences/markets for the film. This is because there are many different production companies from different countries which would be well known in their countries which makes the audiences from each country want to watch that film. This increases the output of the production such as; profit. Before two production companies from different countries go ahead and start the stages of making a film they will sign agreements between each of the countries. This is agreeing that the co-production will use each others countries economics, cultural and diplomatic goals. By signing this agreement also lets the production take place filming in all of the countries that have signed the agreement but must involve their culture and environment. There are also many advantages and disadvantages of a film being known as an international co-production. The advantages to being a international co-production are that you can share the budget and financial resources between each production company, more location opportunities in each company agreed to this co-production, the use of different cultural benefits, access to the partners audiences from their country and the chance to learn from the other production companies. The disadvantages to being a international co-production are that are more shooting costs, more costs of dealing with the government from the different countries, haven't got full control over the production stage as you are working with another production company and the other production company are taking it as a big opportunity to make their name bigger in other countries. International co-production films are normally funded by the different countries that are working together to produce this film. The profit made on these films are normally halved between the two production companies. For example; the film World War Z would be known as an international co-productions film because this film was produced by eight different production companies from different countries such as; Paramount Pictures, Sky dance Productions, Hemisphere Media Capital, GK Films, Plan B Entertainment, 2DUX, Apparatus Productions and Latina Pictures. World War Z could also be known as an international co-production film because it was distributed by many different distributors around the world from American and many different countries in Europe. These different companies distributed the film in different ways such as; cinema and DVD's. All the distributors distributed the film in cinemas and on DVD's in their countries, this is what makes World War Z a international co-production film.

Developing countries is when cinema is known as Third Cinema which is films mainly from Africa, Asia and Latin America. There is also another two types of cinema which are; first referred to Hollywood movies and second cinema is refered as the European Art House. The content and narrative of developing countries films are normally to do with politics in their countries. The third cinema was founded in the 1960's which produces low buget movies. This was founded by a group of Latin American filmmakers. Third Cinema in Africa made films on the countries independence and culture this started looking at the African tribes but then moved onto making films about Nigeria's upper class such as; business men and women, this is known as Nollywood. Most Nollywood films are produced very quickly sometimes less than two weeks with a low budget of £15,000. Nollywood films are normally sold on video CD's not in cinemas, this is because they are very cheap to sell to the audiences, where as Hollywood, British films and Bollywood normally distribute their films in the cinema's. As these films are sold on video CD's means they can sell them a lot cheaper, so poor areas can watch the Nollywood films. Even though developing countries don't make high budget films they still include stars which are quite famous in Nigeria and they also include a lot of the famous local songs. Nollywood films are normally funded by Nigerian investors which will invest small amounts of money for them to create a film. For example; some of the Nollywood directors are trying to produce Hollywood styled films and move away from producing similar Nollywood narratives. This would be very hard for them because they will need more investors to invest more money into the films because they will need a higher budget to make different style of films such as; Hollywood styles.