Film Company Logo Research

Homework 

Below is the research findings of five logos: Disney, Warner Bros, Columbia Pictures, Paramount and MGM. 

Disney

1985

- the words 'Walt Disney Presents' was changed later to 'Walt Disney Pictures' 

1995

- in the 1995 logo, it included the 2D depiction of Cinderella's castle 

1998

- The logo became animated when Disney made an agreement with Pixar. The technological advancement of the logo shows how much Disney has advanced.  It contained details such as moving flags, towers and balconies. There was the animation of a star drawing a line to link the letter 'Walt Disney Pictures' to the castle. 

- Shows state-of-art graphics 

-It used a recognizable font

2006

-Clouds and fireworks were included to increase feeling associated with dreaminess and excitement. It links with the imagery of Disney being a fantasy land. 

Warner Bros

- Warner is the last name of the founders who are four Jewish brothers emigrated from Poland hence Bros

- the Warner Bros. shield is iconic (introduced in 1993). The details of the first logo of 1993 was highly detailed and difficult to use in digital context (using it in a smaller scale). The logo could not be used across various platforms and scale.   In 2019, the logo was redesigned: the shield and letter monogram "WB" remained. The shield colour became a contemporary blue while the wordmarker was slightly darker to create a contrast.

- a dimensional version of the logo was created to be used exclusively for on-screen content. It would e used for the opening and closing moments of individual movies and shows and the logo would be customised to it. It would function as a window for imagery and sequences.

1923

1937

1999

2019

Columbia Pictures: The Torch Lady (1919) 

- At first, it was nicknamed "Corned Beed and Cabbage" since it produced low-quality movies. In 1924, the studio was renamed Columbia Pictures Corporation to improve the image. The Logo is the "Torch Lady" which is the female personification of America. It was associated with the idea of enlightenment. Apparently, it used three models. In 1993, Michael J.Deas  digitally designed the Torch Lady logo to the 'classic' lady. The model in this logo was Jenny Joseph.  Designer Deas added computer-generated features to create a composite face of the model. 

(Research below copied from myfilmview website with own observations added)

1924-1928

-Before the Torch lady appeared in 1928 the studio used the image of a female Roman Soldier holding a stick and a shield.

1928-1936

In this version, the Torch Lady had a headdress and had rays on the torch that flickered.

- in1933, Jeff Kleiser and Diana Walczak from Synthespian Studios used inspirations of 2D elements from paintings and converted it to 3D. 

1936-1976

This updated version removed the headdress and a pedestal was added.

- In the 1940s a federal law was passed which stated that it was illegal to wear the American flag.  There was a change from wearing a draped flag and holding a torch to wearing stola of ancient Rome- this is based on Evelyn Venable.  

1961-1976

Although the image remained much the same a coloured widescreen version was introduced.

-The logo was animated by Robert Abel and was accompanied by a score composed by Suzanne Ciani. 

1976-1980

Although this version started with the torch lady, it zoomed in on the rays of the torch to end with the stylised Columbia Pictures logo.

1981-1992

This version was similar to the previous one, although less detailed, with the stylised version shortly appearing before Columbia Pictures appeared.

1992-1998

In 1992 a new matte painting was made by artist Michael J. Deas. It was Jenny Joseph who was the model for this updated version. Deas created an oil painting based on her, which has been later digitised and animated. I was able to interview the artist about painting it. 

1999

For their 75th Anniversary it showed a quick transition of the lady to the current version with “75th” appearing as well.

1999-now

Paramount: The Majestic Mountain 

W.W Hodkinson drew the "Majestic Mountain" logo. It was based on his childhood of the Ben Lomond Mountain in Utah. The 24 stars of this original logo symbolised Paramount's 24 movie stars.  Original matte painting was used and it is replaced with a computer-generated mountain and stars.  Adolph Zukor and Frohman brothers: Daniel and Charles are founders of Paramount Pictures Corporation (1912)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM): Leo The Lion 

In 1924, "Leo The Lion" was designed by studio publicist Howard Dietz. It was based on his alma mater Columbia University athletic team, the Lions. These were the five lions showing the progress of how the Columbia logo developed: Slats which features in film openings from 1924 to 1928 with silence; Jackie- growl sounds played on the phonograph while logo appeared on screen and appeared in technicolour in 1932; Tanner- the most famous lion; and Leo which has been used since 1957. 

Logo Process

Earlier logo for Pill Productions

This was the basic template used for the logo. Initially, the pill logo had only the light blue colour at  the top of the pill. The bottom of the pill was left colourless. This design was slightly too simple. 

The second design included the red colour at the bottom. The bright red colour creates a sense of alert and  an 'edginess' to the pill which links with the genre of the movies we are making.  Both  were missing the name of our film company called "Pills Production" which had to be added onto our opening scene individually. 

Latest logo for Pill Productions

"We decided to keep the logo pretty simple as we didn't have too much time to work on it during the holidays. I came up with this design because our name is Pill Productions (P-Priscilla, L-Levi,
L-Luci) and then red and blue resembles a pill. The decision to make it blue and red was because in our films we often have a dark character who poses as a good person or seems to be a good person but really they have some dark secret, seen in our latest film, called Split, where the girl has two personalities one who tries to save the doctor and one who kills him."

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Technological Changes Essay Question

9th June 2020 火曜日
"Technology has been rapidly evolving and this has meant significant changes to the film production process at every level.  Outline these changes and discuss their impact on the film industry and what it means for audiences consuming the media produced."

There are many technological changes impacting the film production process. This essay will be focusing on production, post-production and distribution in particular. Marketing methods are changing as the ways audience consumes media are changing. A key development of technology is the digital camera which is replacing the traditional film-making process of 35mm film. The manufacturer has ceased the production of film cameras as digital cameras are becoming increasingly popular. 

Production: 

Digital cameras enables the cinematographer to see what is being captured which gives more scope of creativity as it allows the cinematographer to play around with different technical elements, for example, lighting. This immediate playback feature allows director and actors to view the scene, it shows whether the scene needs to be shot again. Because it is easy and fast to retake shots the director and the actors are given more flexibility.  There is less pressure on actors as mistakes mean that the scene can be retaken again without it costing and becoming waste, unlike film.

Technologically developed cameras such as Red Digital Camera Wooden Box contain 4K sensors and superior quality images at 8K resolution used to film blockbuster films. However, digital cameras are becoming less expensive enabling more purchase of cameras.  It allows for numerous shots of scenes at different camera angles. This helps to aid the narrative of the movie by adding perspective and makes it more visually interesting for the audience. As Jason Chan co-founder of BananaMana, a Singapore-based production company says, '"The digital revolution has levelled the playing field in that anyone can make films with a certain degree of technological polish". This is evident by the young adult contemporary romance TV show it produced called Perfect Girl which became award-winning and shows on Netflix Asia.  There are state-of-art cameras that capture images and allow other images to be inserted onto it. To give an example, the actor Cody Walker superimposed his image on his brother's image in the film, Fast & Furious 7.

There is technical equipment to go alongside the camera such as the lens and steady-cam equipment which helps to change the atmosphere of the shot.  Both boost the quality of the movie by making it more realistic. For instance, a high-quality lens means a higher resolution and steady-cam equipment stabilizes the handheld filming. 

Other advancements in technology include drone cameras, 4K 3D cameras, cloud technologies and 3D printing. The 4K 3D cameras allow virtual reality scenes in the movie. Virtual reality is the use of computer technology in a movie involving the audience's five senses allowing the audience to be fully immersed in the movie experience. Cloud technologies are the hardware, software and infrastructure components that deliver computing services such as Saas (software as a service), Paas (platform as a service) and IaaS ( infrastructure as service) via a network (i.e the Internet). The advantage of cloud technologies for the film industry is that it cuts production costs meaning films can be made at a lower cost a result of this are the many films that can be made. 3D printing prints out equipment such as movie costumes and camera gears. Drone cameras capture moving objects in high definition this is particularly good for scenes with overhead shots of car chases, for example. It automatically operates with knowledge of camera techniques and angles which can be experimented with until the best shot is reached. 

According to the NZ trend, phones are the most used devices. It has the camera feature allowing videos to be made. Also as mentioned digital cameras are becoming less expense. Both of these factors are making it easier to increase the output of films. Because of this the style of storytelling is changing. For example, vlogs on youtube are becoming interesting content to watch as they are casual and relatable. 

Post-production: 

Editing software replaces the manual task of cutting and pasting film which was time-consuming especially if mistakes were made. It manipulates photos and adds enhancement such as white balance, filter and also visual effects and sound. 

The ease of editing on a computer means there is a risk of the original idea being lost. This is especially important for films with complex plot lines where the editing could add to the confusion. Continuous technical development in digital cameras and software means the nature of storytelling will be changing. 

In terms of storage, digital files can be in many formats of many quality.  Because of that movies can be shared on various platforms reaching a wider number of audience. There are five platforms which are ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD), subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), transactional video-on-demand (TVOD), cable video-on-demand and free video-on-demand. Pro-Res 422.mov format is the best for the above, H.264 format is best for streaming online and 1920x1080 (1080p) is best for cinema screening. The archival process of storing cans of films is high-maintenance as if it not done properly can damage easily. There is also the cost of storage whereas digital films can be stored on servers without taking up much space. The raw shots of the digital archives act as a backup so it is easy to restore the data if something happens that causes it to be lost. For example, there had been an incident for the movie Toy Story 2 where backup saved the animator from losing nearly the entire movie content.

Globalisation is resulting in the understanding of different cultures which has a positive demand for foreign movies. Including subtitles or closed captions help to reach a vast audience. The website Rev helps to translate to foreign subtitles. Closed captions mean viewers who have difficulty hearing can watch because it includes atmospherics such as sound effects and on-screen music both which are important elements to the narrative. 

Distribution: 

YouTube is the most common marketing method. It is an example of an AVOD or free video-on-demand platform.

There is an increase of audiences from being passive to active participants. Through the audience youtube accounts they can interact with the media by clicking on the thumbs up button to show that they have enjoyed the content.This saves time searching for for similar content as youtube would personally recommend youtube clips to the individual. Studios with big-budget trailers have more views because of two reasons: the quality of the content which gives the production company a brand identity so audiences tend to watch movies produced by the company and secondly by paying youtube to promote the movie trailer.

Another way is by using a pre-packaged set of promotional materials (includes the film synopsis, image and personal story about the movies) called press kit. This information can be given out on an official website where news on upcoming screenings and factoids are included.

57% of the world's population is connected to the internet. This had led to the growth of web 2.0 as evident by the growing active social media users of 3.4million according to data taken in 2019 based on a survey. This indicates out of 4.2 million internet users only 0.8million are not active on social media. The top 5 most used social media sites are Facebook, Youtube, Whatsapp, FB Messenger, Wechat and Wbxin. iGens are the first generation to have access to iPhones, iPads, iPods etc. which provides digital platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter keeping them digitally connected. They are considered to be the latest generation of cinema audiences. So, using trailers and posters of the movie is not enough to engage with the iGen. Businesses are using social media to attract potential audiences by setting up an official page regularly giving content about the movie this will generate hype about it. Viral marketing is done by the hashtag feature which helps to grow the audience knowledge about the movie. All this contribute to feeling the movie is a 'must go to' social event by the time it is released in the cinema. 

Other ways the internet contribute to marketing is through the strategy of synergy and cross-media convergence. Synergy is the combining of media and non-media products to promote a film whereas cross-media convergence includes media products only. Both strategies play an important part in immersing the audience about the movie. Technology is the key to all this.

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How to distribute a film

WAYS TO DISTRIBUTE FILM 

- major studios has the advantage of getting immediate deals from major production companies

- different regional distribution rights make distribution of movies at different regions different

a.  use festivals to premiere the movie and target audience. 

b. sales agent connects the film to the distributor. there is a fee.  The sales agent may be in the movie cast. 

c. distributor screening is the screening of the film to invite movie distributor. Connections made with movie distributor and sometimes offers are made. 

d. Self distribute by using the digital platforms

e. Film hub is a digital marketplace for filmmakers to connect with movie distributors. This is becoming the most used method. 

HOW TO DISTRIBUTE AN INDEPENDENT FILM 
- Film distribution is the commercial process of making a movie available to the public. It determines the marketing strategy. 

- Ancillary rights are supplementary rights arising from a primary right. It gives distributor right to distribute movie on VHS, DVD, cable and network TV, soundtracks CD, posters, games, toys and other merchandising. 

Common film distribution strategies

Think about distribution early 

- research to understand audience to find the movie's potential position in the marketplace (demographic)
- filmmakers identify elements that consistently work in the trends to help produce fresh yet familiar movies 

1. film festivals. 

- This can generate the buzz that could attract distributors such as Lionsgate, Universal, Paramount or Warner 

2. Sell movie to online platform 



How to self-distribute a film
Step 1: Use crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo to get funds for film distribution campaign

- cast- name recognition, talent, 'strong media presence' 

Leg: the long popularity of the movie cast 

Factors influencing leg: movie buzz- official movie info

- attract potential investors by posting trailers, scene previews and 'making of' footage- this also generates more fans. 

- add subtitles to reach a more global market. use REV.  

- using close captions to reach viewers with hearing difficulty. Includes atmospherics such as sound effects and on-screen music important elements to the narrative. 


Step 2: Change film to suitable formats  

- include deliverables such as film, contract, legal documents,  SAG time card, digital assets such as trailers, raw negative in 4K and photographs


- digital format: .mp4 is the international standard; H.264 format encodes high quality video & audio for streaming online; 1920 x 1080 is the best resolution for cinema screening 
- online format: pro-Res 422. mov format is best, AVC/H.264 in mp4, m2t and ts format & MPEG-2 format is also accepted 

Step 3: Decide on streaming release strategy 

There are two ways:

i. Third-Party Aggregator

- role is to deliver the film to the digital platform once a deal has been made with online platform

- fee cost has to be paid 

ii. Do it yourself

Distribution rights
- by region- domestic rights, international rights 
- there is theatre or streaming rights

2 financial models that distribution agreements: 

Leasing model- distributer buys rights to distribute film for a fixed amount 

Profit-sharing- distributor gets % of profit

Step 4: Decide on VOD Distribution Platform 

There are 5 different types of VOD platforms:
i. ad-supported video-on-demand  (AVOD)
- ads before, during or after film
- e.g hulu, youtube and crackle

ii. Subscription Video-on Demand (SVOD)
- picks popular anticipated movies with following on youtube or indie film with festival wins 
- e.g netflix 

iii. Transactional Video-on-Demand (TVOD)
- pay-per-view through electronic sell through and download to rent

iv. Cable video-on-demand
- buy rights to stream film on their premium channel

- distribute media through cable boxes at hotel
- e.g HBO, STARZ and showtime

v. free video-on-demand
-reach numerous audience
- e.g youtube and vimeo

Step 5: Decide whether the film will have a theatrical release 
- theatrical booker: specialises in booking, advertising and collecting tickets
- diy: pay flat-rate to cinema to have a showing of movie. 

2 ways a theatre may release a movie: 

Bidding- theatre pays for showing movie at a fixed price

Percentage- theatre gives distributor % of net / gross box office. 

1. theatre negotiates amount of house allowance ( nut: set figure to cover basic expenses each week ) with distributor. 

2. set percentage split for net box office

3. set percentage split for gross box office

4. set engagement length ( four weeks normally) 

loss leaders- according to google: "a product sold at a loss to attract customers"  e.g first run movies. Low profit. 

Step 6: Promote the film 
- a trailer 
- press kit include one-pager (synopsis of film, images and a personal story 
- create a website include authentic stories of major above-the-line team members, factoids about film and news on upcoming screenings 
- create an email list of potential fans to announce film 

Opening: movie official debut 

Factors influencing opening: studio, target audience, star power, buzz and season 

At the time of this article "The Art of the Deal", how many theatres were there across USA and where are they mostly located?

37,000 cinemas in urban areas of USA