The Big Six - Research

Walt Disney Studio's

Who is Walt Disney Studio's 'parent' company? (Usually called a conglomerate)

- The Walt Disney Company

Who 'owns' their parent company?

- Bob Iger

What does the conglomerate also own?

- Disney Media Networks, Disney Parks and Resorts, Walt Disney Studios, Disney         Consumer Products and Disney Interactive.

What other companies does The Walt Disney Company control?

- Assets and Interests since 2001:

  Film Production/Distribution:

• Walt Disney Pictures
• Touchstone Pictures
• Hollywood Pictures
• Caravan Pictures
• Miramax Films
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment

  Buena Vista Internet Group:

• ABC.com
• ABCNews.com
• Oscar.com
• Disney.com
• Family.com
• ESPN Internet Group
• NFL.com
• NBA.com
• NASCAR.com
• Soccernet.com (60%)
• Infoseek.com (43%)
• Toysmart.com (Majority Stake)

  Music:

• Buena Vista Music Group
• Hollywood Records
• Lyric Street Records
• Mammoth Records
• Walt Disney Records

  Books:

• Walt Disney Book Publishing
• Hyperion Books
• Talk/Miramax Books

  Magazines:

• Discover Magazine
• Disney Magazine
• ESPN Magazine
• Talk
• US Weekly (50%)

Daily Newspapers:

• County Press
• Oakland Press And Reminder
• Narragansett Times
• St. Louis David Records

Sports:

• Mighty Ducks Of Anaheim
• Anaheim Angels (Partial Ownership)

Theme Parks:

• Disneyland
• Walt Disney World
• Disney-MGM Studios
• EuroDisney (Partial Owner)
• Disneyland Japan
• Epcot
• Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Disney's California Adventure
• Disney Cruise Line

Theatre:

• Walt Disney Theatrical Productions

Networks:

• ABC
• The Disney Channel
• SoapNet
• ESPN (Partial Ownership)
• A&E (Partial Ownership)
• The History Channel (Partial Ownership)
• Lifetime (Partial Ownership)
• E! (Partial Ownership)

Television Stations:

• 10 Television Stations

Television Production/Distribution:

• Buena Vista Television
• Touchstone Television
• Walt Disney Television,Animation

Radio:

• ABC Radio Networks
• Radio Disney
• ESPN Radio
• 27 Radio Stations

What market share do they have?

-

Which films and franchises we'd associate with them?

- A Few Films:

• The Lion King
• Star Wars
• Indiana Jones
• Aladdin
• Lady And The Tramp
• Beauty And The Beast
• Frozen
• Toy Story
• Monsters Inc.
• Finding Nemo
• Tangled

How much money do they earn the institution? 
(Could Only Find Info On The Conglomerate)

- At the end of the 2013 fiscal year, the Walt Disney Company reported taking in a total of       $11.57 billion in the fourth quarter for an overall profit of $1.39 billion for the quarter. As of     May 2014, the Walt Disney Company was worth approximately $143 billion.

Representation Of Ethnicity

 Representation Of Ethnicity 

• Mise En Scene

Throughout the clip, there is a dark and oppressive tone, this relates to terrorism in the sense that the subject of terrorism is dark in itself and this inevitably relates to ethnicity as the stereotypical terrorist is unfortunately an Arabic or middle eastern man. This stereotype can be noticed in the background. On the flip side, the Dark and Oppressive tone could relate to both the seriousness of the situation itself and the occupation of Danny. Due to him being a black male, a spy is not a stereotypical occupation of his ethnic group. Incredibly, the white, middle class man who is stereotyped (unlike the other races) as law abiding is out of harms way. 

• Sound

Throughout this clip there is tense sound which in my opinion reflects the conflict between the two previously mentioned stereotypes, Black and Arabian. This is illustrated by the bongo's which play at the start contrasting with the Call to Prayer at the end. The bongo drums emphasise the common tribal, soulful, African or Jamaican accent stereotype of a Black man, this sound of bongo drums then goes once the expectation is defied and Danny is revealed to have a 'Queens English' speech. The music towards the end that reminds me of the Call to Prayer, highlights a middle eastern or Arabic connection and it being the final music, it shows how the Arabic side in the ethnic battle eventually prevailed but also indicates a common stereotype that religion is a cause for terrorism, especially the Muslim religion practised by the middle eastern ethnicities.  The drumming throughout the clip gives a sense of otherness and makes the whole clip surreal but also builds tension to foreshadow the grizzly scene to come.

• Editing

In this clip, a white screen is shown towards the end, this may highlight a flash grenade of some kind which inevitably links to war, specifically the war on terror which is stereotypically the middle eastern ethnicities.  The lots of cuts show the bravery of the black man and the evil of the terrorist, also the fact that from the start Danny has more screen time, indicates how he has the moral high ground which is unusual according to the stereotype of black men only being physically strong. Another unexpected defiance of a stereotype is the binary opposites of a strong black man compared to the weak white man, even though Danny is stronger than adam, it isnt the physical stereotype, it is the strength to do what is necessary (another unlikely mment from an unlikely Danny). 

• Camera Shots, Angles, Movement and Composition

During this scene, a handheld camera is used which creates a shaking effect, which could suggest the overall nervousness of the scene or the nervousness of the characters involved. Also there are lots of close ups to Danny’s face, this is because the director wanted to fully capture the reaction of Danny to what is going on and emphasise my previous point that he takes the moral high ground so inevitably deserves the increse in screen time, unfortunately this gets shot down. Camera work is also used to show the power in the scene, they use low shots looking up at the ‘terrorist’ to show his power and dominance and also indicate racial profiling and indicate that the cameraman is someone underneath or oppressed by the terrorist as if a slave or weaker human being.

Audience and Institutions

During year 12 I will study a specific studio or production company within the film industry that targets a British audience, looking at how films are produced, distributed, exhibited and consumed by audiences. I will also have to study how films are distributed (digital cinemas, DVD, HD-DVD, downloads, etc) and their impact upon production, marketing and consumption.

In the exam I will be tested on one of the following areas:

• The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;

(how does who owns a media company influence the type of film made and its potential success? For example do BIG companies make BIG films and therefore make all the money? Is it possible for small companies to succeed?)

Avengers is made by marvel which on its own is a huge company and the movie making part is now in convergence with any so the films have endless amounts of money to spend on them to make a huge profit. Bigger company's like these make money more so than smaller ones.

• The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing:

(how do companies work together to produce, distribute and publicize a film? How can Disney use their size to promote and publicise a film? How can small companies work together to promote their business' when making and promoting a film?)

This movie is a strong example of synergy Is that Thor and Hulk etc.. are in this film linking all of the films together and putting them all in one movie and Disney distributed the film which means that it is a convergence because it is working together on one film.

• The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange:

(how has the introduction of digital film, 3D, DVD, Blue Ray, internet streaming, downloadable content, home cinema influenced the types of films made, the way we watch them and the way we 'buy' them?)

The Avengers movie was effected by the internet in case of its profit, the internet has thousands of websites that you can watch movies on illegally which a lot of people do and this affects the profit greatly.

• The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences:

(how and why have film companies had to alter the way they work now everyone has web enabled phones, PC's, consoles etc? How have audiences changed their viewing habits now we no longer need to go to the cinema to watch a film)

Films are now viewed in various different ways then they were say ten years ago, people now watch movies on the phones and game consoles now and don't really go to the cinema, the way people watch movies have changed drastically 

• The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences:

(can you think of examples of how different technologies have come together to help the film industry?) 

In most major blockbuster films, technological convergence is key to the production of a film as many different technologies are behind the process such as CGI, 3D adaptation, Digital Conversion and so on.

• The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions:

(how do film companies try and attract their audience? Do they do different things in different countries?)

it is very common for films to have global audiences in places such as china, Thailand, India, etc.. a lot of filming is done in these places, this will attract audiences from these country's 

Representation Of Regional Identity

Areas to think about in relation to regional identity:

1. Accents
2. Location/ setting
3. Slang
4. Clothes
5. Pastimes
6. Attitudes/ behavior

Stereotypes of the following regions:

Scottish

1. Glaswegian
2. Wet, Mountainous, Heather, Thistles
3. "Och Ay the Noo", "Wee lass"
4. Kilt, Tam o'shanter
5. Drinking whiskey, Playing bagpipes, Eating haggis, Toss the caber
6. Aggressive, Anti-English

Example: Peter Capaldi

Liverpool

1. Scouser
2. City scape, Anfield Football Club
3. "Aey"
4. Black curly hair, moustache, track suit
5. Watching football
6. Chavvy yet welcoming

Example: Steven Gerrard

Newcastle

1. High pitched, Strong
2. Rough estates, Large cities, Tyne bridge.
3. 'Howay'.
4. Newcastle United Tops, Tight clothing
5. Gym, Newcastle United, Fake Tanning

Example: Geordie Shore

Irish

1. High pitched, happy.
2. Countryside, cities filled with pubs.
3. 'Top of the morning to ya' - Have an enjoyable morning.
4. Green.
5. Guinness and Murphys drinking.
6. Welcoming, Drunk.

Example: Sheamus

London

1. Chavvy in areas and upper class in others (Queens English).
2. Built up cities, skyscrapers.
3.  'Brown bread' - Dead, 'Apples and pears' - Stairs.
4. Upper class - Suits, Chavvy areas - Tracksuits.
5. Work at markets and Stalls, Visits to the Pub, Shopping.
6. Looking down on homeless people and hating the upper class

Example: Downtown Abbey, Eastenders

Welsh

1. Easy to spot
2. Rural Areas
3. "Valleys"
4. Tweed
5. Farming, Sheep Herding
6. Happy, Friendly.

Example: The Valleys

Birmingham

1. Strong accent.
2. Large city, Built up area, Cars.
3. 
   
4. Chavvy, Tracksuits
5. Concerts, Shopping, Partying.
6. Aggressive, Rough.

Example: Peaky Blinders

Representation Of Disability

Representation Of Disability

In the film Of Mice and Men there are many representations for the second main character Lennie, who is described throughout as unintelligent, childish and even animalistic, he also strives for George's approval. This is emphasized by this clip due to the fact that Lennie is dependent on George, who in some ways his opposite, but also how Lennie gets excited that he can remember illustrates the common stereotype of being pitiable, the fact that Lennie must have his card held by George in fear of loss reinforces this point clearly. Lennie acts very inane, especially when you notice his "bear like" size, however when he starts to cry, Lennie emphasizes the stereotype that mental disability is a burden and are impotent, but also that they are deserving of pity. The fact that the camera is nearly always on Lennie emphasizes that there is a common belief that those who are disabled are purely for observation and that their difference is highlighted and made fully aware. Lennie is also very humorous, not intentionally but do to the fact that his disability is unexpected to say the least. Due to his size, a child like man who plays with mice and enjoys soft things is in some ways make his represented personality a binary opposite to his physical stature and appearance. This emphasizes the view that those who are disabled are binary opposites to those who aren't.

In this clip, Lennie is alot different. Although at the start he is represented as the same as the first clip, in this clip the previous pitiable and pathetic Lennie is overwhelmed by the common stereotype that disabled people are sinister or evil such as Freddy Crueger  especially as Lennie finally shows his true strength. This in ways emphasizes the view of many people that disabled people need to be controlled a little but also indicates that the binary opposites that were discussed previously now come together. Which inevitably relays a new belief that those who are disabled and those who arent can come together.

Cross Media Convergence and Synergy in Film Industry

The Dark Knight Rises Documentary - Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAm4B2MfEIM