LO2 - TASK 3 : Analysisng a Media Product

1. Gender

In NATM, we can observe and come to the conclusion that, although this is family film that is intended for all, it's audience gender demographic is more male than female.

We can assume this due to the fact that a majority of the cast/characters are male, (evidenced below), so they'll probably appeal more to a male audience as they can relate primarily on gender.

 *Above is the cast list of the main  characters/cast members of the film. Highlighted are the names of the male actors. Owen Wilson, another main male actor, was uncredited.
 The cast list is from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477347/.

 We can also look at marketing and how certain movie tropes rely on gender stereotype of what certain genders find appealing.

The film does include some romantic moments, for example the presentation of the growing relationships between Larry and Rebecca as well as Teddy and Sacajawea. However, whilst you could argue that this is proof that the film is not gender biased as includes aspects that are aimed at males and females, you also make the point that perhaps the only reason the romance scenes were included was to add to the plot or as an attempt to attract a wider audience range, as to pull in some of the female demographic into their audience.

Furthermore, despite these romantic moments, the film heavily includes action scenes, such as Atilla the Hun's threats, Octavius and Jedidiah driving a monster truck, and the horseback riding finale of the film; These can serve as proof that the main focus of the film creators is to appeal to a male demographic by mainly using sequences that would appeal to them.

2. Age

NATM is a family film, so it is intended for all ages. It is clear that the makers of the film want to appeal to all ages with this film. This is evident through the casting choice and the wide age range of the cast involved, from the youngest (Jake Cherry) being 10 years old, and the oldest (Mickey Rooney) being 86 years old. This wide age range amongst actors allows the audience to relate and/or recognise at least one of the characters based on age demographic alone.

Another example of the film makers attempts to appeal to all ages is the content of the film and how quickly the tone can, like how it can go from the talking Easter Island head, a prop used to entertain the younger demographic, to a suspenseful chase as Larry is hunted down by murderous soldiers, aimed more to please an older audience.

In one comical scene, Larry and Dexter (the ape) proceed in a slapping fight, taking turns to slap each other across the face. This is slapstick used to create comedy and, whilst it appeals to most, it a simple to understand and find humourous so this is primarily for the younger audience members. Teddy then enters the scene and, upon witnessing the actions taking place, asks "Why are you slapping a monkey?", which is in reference to a euphemism, so this question has sexual connotations which makes it an innuendo; whilst the younger audience member will not understand the second meaning to this, the older members will as this joke was added for them.

It is possibly due to humour and scenes like this that resulted in the film being labelled with a PG (Parental Guidance) rating. The PG rating could also be a result of the film's sometimes dark and graphic nature; though rare, scenes such as the dinosaur's first appearance and Attila the Hun's threats of disembodiment, could be deemed as too scary, violent or inappropriate for the younger end of the film's wide demographic. These subject must be put into consideration and analysed closely before the film is aired.

Below is IMDB's Parent's Guide which includes items that may potentially offend some audience members and, based on the 5 subjects listed, has received a 9/50 mark, meaning that although inappropriate content worthy of an age restriction is rare, it is still advised that those under the age of 6 should be accompanied by an adult/guardian when watching the film.

The Parent Guide above was from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477347/parentalguide

3. Lifestyle

We could assume/create a relatable audience demographic's lifestyle based upon the lifestyle of the protagonist and other character's within the film, and how an audience can relate to this.

For example, we already know that this is a family film that is better suited for a male audience, so from this we can conclude that it will appeal more to fathers and sons; This is also evident from the sub-plot, another key asset of the story, as it focuses on the relationship between Larry and Nick Daley, a father and son, so this relates to the audience group the film is aimed at.

We could go further into this analysis as to suggest that the film is also trying to appeal to those within a certain situation that relates to those of the main characters. Obviously the idea of exhibition mannequins coming to life is pure fiction and fantasy, however some of the sub-plots can relate to real life dilemmas that some audience members may also be dealing with; Teddy struggling to find the courage to admit his love to another character, or Larry's challenge to find a job are two scenarios that are realistic and appeal/relate to to its audience on an emotional level.  This also applies to the fact that Nick's parents in the film are divorced, so this film may serve as a form of escapism and/or support to a child being raised by a single parent, if we were to study it analytically.

Below, within the highlighted section, is an audience profile I created for NATM:
Mike is 10 years old. His favourite lesson at school is P.E. and History. Mike's parent are divorced and though he lives with his mum he gets to spend time with his dad over the weekend. Mike and his dad will spend this time to catch up, discuss how Mike is doing at school and then watch a film together. Mike's favourite films to watch with his dad are 'Mrs Doubtfire' and 'Night at the Museum'.

4. Spending Power
 
Due to Larry's lack of skills in maintaining a job and struggling to get enough money to support his kid, if a majority of the audience does relate to him them then they're ABC1 audience demographic is probably B - C2 or D. This can be seen from the protagonist's working class.

Whilst being within the  B - C2 or D demographic, this still allows the parents spending power. This means that the parents are still capable of buying Night at the Museum DVD's, products and merchandise. This profit from merchandise is important for the film and 20th Century Fox Film company to strive. As a family film, this helps to receive profit from merchandising rights as they are more capable to sell their toy products to the young demographic of their audience, who will ask the older demographic to purchase the product for them.

The company would also receive a larger profit  from cinema tickets, again as a result of it being a family film. As a family film, it is most likely that the cinema audience will mostly be made up of families and less likely that people would go to see it on their own. From more families going to the film in cinema mean that more people will be going into the cinema, therefore there should be a distinctive and favorable profit. This is evident from the film becoming the 5th highest grossing film of the year, shown below.

In the list below, NATM has been highlighted in yellow, along with other family films which were amongst the highest grossing films of 2006, showing how successful family films are in the box office. Family films have a great success rate in the box office as film companies are aware that families are more likely to go to the cinema, increasing ticket sales, and they are then able to sell merchandise, bought by the adult demographic for the young demographic.

Films listed below highlighted in orange are films with a PG - 13 rating but can still be classed as family films. Other none highlighted films that have the same PG - 13 rating, such as The Da Vinci Code or X-Men: The Last Stand, would not be classed by many people as family films nor appropriate for a younger audience, despite if children still do watch them. These decisions on which PG - 13 film were intended to be family films (or not) were based upon my own views and from provided parents guide opinions from IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/swiki/special?ParentalGuideHelp

Highlighted blue sections signify films within the list created by the 20th Century Fox film company. With three films within the list, 20th Century Fox had the most films within the top ten list of highest grossing films than any other company, beating other successful film companies such as Columbia, Warner Bros. and Disney.

The list of the highest grossing films of the year 2006, shown above, is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_in_film.

LO2 - Analysis of Chosen 20th Century Fox Film

My chosen 20th Century Fox Film is Night at the Museum.

Night at the Museum was created with the purpose to entertain. The film also educates viewers on historical events and figures, whilst at the same time teaching morals of the importance of learning, understanding and taking responsibility for your actions.

In terms of genre, Night at the Museum falls under the categories of adventure, due to the constant adventure and exciting plot throughout, and fantasy, evident by its multiple magical elements (e.g. the enchanted tablet that can bring objects to life.).

Whilst the movie’s theme is history, I wouldn’t class its genre as a historical piece, due to it being set within present day. From the film’s humour and casting of comedic actors (e.g. Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, etc.) it also works as a comedy film.

Despite these hybrids in genre, the film’s form is clearly a family film. This full length film contains a story presented in a way that is intended to appeal to all ages, containing special effects and humour to entertain kids, and characters and innuendos that adults will also enjoy (though these may attribute to the PG rating).

The style mostly relies on its fantasy and comedy elements. As a result of the fantasy and historical side to the story, it allows more freedom with the costume and setting.  Night at the Museum creates characters in clothing from different periods and locations (e.g. Stone Age, Ancient Egypt, 1900’s America, etc.). Whilst a majority of the film is set within the museum, the film crew were able to experiment with the style and appearance of the different exhibitions.

The tone of dialogue depends on the style of the actor/character. For example, Ricky Gervais, Ben Stiller and Robin Willaims differ from each other as they must act as their own character, but in some cases, as result of typecasting, the character will be based on their own comedic style delivery (Williams is witty and zany. Gervais is awkward and judgemental.).

Content and Meaning: Night at the Museum contains impressive visuals, visual and witty comedy and a balance of education and entertainment.

The narrative is single stranded as it focuses around the character Larry. The story is presented in third person, showing Larry to the audience. Although, the film contains small intervals where it transitions into a first person perspective. For example, when Larry is shot by a dart the camera angle then shows who shot him from Larry's point of view, allowing the audience to see through his eyes.

The reasoning behind the film being focued on Larry is because he is the protagonist who progresses as a character as the film developes. The film shows him struggling at the beginning due to issues with maintaining a job and earning the respect of his son. He progresses as a character once recieving the job of night guard as he shows determination to keep this job, despite the danger once he realises that all the exibits come to life. From working at the museum, Larry also learns responcibility as he must look after each living exhibit. The scene where a caveman leaves the museum building at sunrise, causing the caveman to dissapear into dust, could be a visual metaphor showing Larry that a lack of focus and protection could also result in Larry losing his son.

Sound effects are used throughout NATM, whether it's the the sound of the glass being smashed or the lions roaring. The sound effects are diegetic and can be used in the background, such as the occasional distant animal noise, or the main focus, like when the dinosaur stomps it's feet.

The film also contains non-diagetic sounds, which are part of the film's soundtrack. Below is a video of the main theme specifically created for the film. The composer has made the music sound mystical to match the mystery, magic and fantasy behind the museum to match the theme of the film.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRO_5HR5ats

NATM's non-diegetic soundtrack isn't completely made up of original scores like the one above, as it also includes popular and pre-released songs such as 'Weapon of Choice' by Fatboy Slim and 'Dancing in September' Earth, Wind & Fire. 20th Century Fox and/or makers of the film would have had to required permission for the musiscians/producers to include these pieces of music in the film as not to breach any copyright laws. These pieces of music were used as they suited the style of the film/scene. 'Weapon of Choice' is used for a montage sequence of Larry using different props/items to keep the museum attractions under control, so you could make the arguement that these props are his chosen weapons as he uses them as protection against other characters. The award winning music video for 'Weapon of Choice' depicts famous elderly actor Christopher Walken performing impressive and skilled stunts whilst dancing around an empty hotel; this ties in well with the movie as it includes three famous eldererly actors who perform impressive fighting skills and also dance inside an empty museum, so the audience will subconsciencely make the connection between the two through the music being played. 'Dancing in September' also works well with its scene as the characters are dancing and this music creates a party atmosphere.

One piece of music incorporated is a tune whistled by Larry. The tune that Larry whistles is a public domain song that is not covered by copyright, and because Larry whistles the tune it is not a recording by any other artist but instead their own rendition; this means that film makers did not have to aquire any copyright permission to feature this piece of music, and it also means that this is a diagetic piec of music instead of non-diagetic as Larry is creating the tune himself. The tune that Larry whistles is used to create humour through irony as he walks past the empty dinosaur skeleton display, not noticing that the skeleton is gone, but ironically and subconsciencly whistling the tune "Dry Bones (Dem Bones)". These show how entertainment and atmosphere can be created by sound, diegetic and non-diegetic.

As the title of the film indicates, most of the film's action takes place at night. This means that the lighting used most of the time is dark to establish the dark setting of night. However, the filmmakers also saw this as an opportunity to use bright lighting to stand out agains the dark backgrounds. An example of this is Larry's torch, which shines onto significant props and items within dark settings, such as when he is shinging the torch onto the Golden Tablet in the dark,egyptian themed room. Other examples include the bright sunrise against the night sky and the lights focused on certain artificat settings, which also reveals and emphasises when an exhibit is empty, showing that an items is missing.

 Picture above: Larry's brightly lit torch stands out against the dark background.

The camera work for NATM is an interesting subject due to the range of sizes of characters. The dinosaur, a large and threatening looking character, it presented mostly through low angle shot to make it appear larger and more dominant. At the other end of the size spectrum as the cowboys and roman, who ar minature display figures. These characters are shown mostly through high angle shots to exaggerate how small and pathetic they are. Both low and high angle shots are used to show other characters as Larry sees them in terms of height.

 The small figure are shown from Larry's perspective through high angle shot.

Meanwhile Larry is shown from the small figure's perspective through low angle shots.

As well as these shots showing a characters perspective, NATM also uses P.O.V. shots allowing the audience to witness the scenes, not only as if they are there but also as if they were a part of the action. Two good examples of these are shown below, where audiences can seen Larry literally through the dinosaurs eyes and see what Teddy sees through his binoculars. The opticle outline has the effect of creating a frame for the people in shot, making them stand out more as the main focus.

Interestingly I noted three occasions where birdseye shots were used to show Larry in life threatening situations, picture below. The director may have chosen to use these shots as to clearly show Larry's face and reaction even whilst lied down and to make less significant by making the audience look down down on him to establish that Larry is the victim whilst creating a sense of danger.

One of the shots above shows Larry tied down by all the tiny figure cowboys. This shot seems to be in homage to the iconic image from Gulliver's Travels of Gulliver tied down by tiny people. It's possible that achieving this effect was inspiration for 20th Century Fox for their 2011 live action adaptation of Gulliver's Travels.

These camera angles can be used for comical effect as visual humour such as in the scene where Larry is about to be hit by a train.The shots of the train are edited and presented in ways that make it appear faster and more threatening (e.g. sped up extreme close ups) only then to reveal that it's a small toy train. Another example of a shot used not only to humour and entertain but also work as a big reveal is a panning shot (imaged below) which pans across following Larry as he walks, but the audience may notice that in the background as the camera pans round is the dinosaur display but with the dinosaur missing. Larry is oblivious to this at first whilst the audience saw from their camra angle; this is dramatic irony used to suprise and entertain the audience.

Establishing shots are often used to inrtoduce scenes as it shows where the scene takes place. These establishing shots may show outside the museum or iside with signs establishing which section of the museum they're in.

The establishing shot pictured above lets audiences know that it takes place at the Museum of Natural History at night time. They can see this from how dark it is and from the building itself along with the posters providing the Museum's name.

Props stand out in this film, such as Larry's torch which is used to shine a light on specific items within dark lit areas, making those items stand out more. One of those items/props is the Golden Tablet; this prop is significant to the prop as it is the magical source that allows all the museum exhibits to come to life, so this prop is introduce and presented in a way that makes it stand out and show it's importance and relevance. Whilst most features of the museum are based on real people and events, the Golden Table of Pharoah Akmenra is fictional, although the props team have made it appear as if it were a real artifact by basing it's appearance on other Eygptian artifacts by decorationg it with heirogliphics and giving it age with sections breaking/crumbling away and covering it in dust.

Most of the costumes for  NATM are based upon actual historical dress of the period(s).  Octavious the roman is dressed in stereotypical roman  emperor armour. Sacajawea was a Native American, so she is dressed in traditional Native American dress. Below is a picture depicting Teddy Roosevelt as played by Robin Williams (left) and the real Theodore Roosevelt (right); listed are the similarities in appearance and clothing so you can see how the costume designers based it upon the original images, following it to the smallest details.

*Western hat with folded brim.
*Round rim glasses.
*Moustach.
*U.S.V. uniform with belt.
*Horse riding gloves.

By recreating the original costumes, the designers are making the characters appear more authentic as an attempt to dupilactate the original source, just as an museum would aim to achieve with its exhibits.

Other characters, such as Larry and the other night guards, are not exhibits so they are not dressed in historical clothing but are instead dressed in clthes of the period. Larry and the other night guards work at the museum and so all dress in night guard uniform. Dr. McPhee is the boss of the museum, aswell as a doctor and historian, and so he dresses very formilly in a suit due to his higher status/job role. Meanwhile Nick is only a kid so he dresses informally as any kid would in a shirt and jeans.

The film seems to follow mise en scene through the techniques mentioned above. The dark/dim lighting in the museum create a sence of danger, espeically in the Eygptian room where the want to create a scary and threatening atmosphere. The museum exhibit sets make it clear to the audience what the exhibit is supposed to present, like the animal section which is decorated with trees and snad to make it appear like an African jungle, or the Roman exhibition which idicates rome with Roman structures, statues and chariots. Even sets such as Nick's room which looks the way you'd expect a young boy's bedroom to look like, which contain toy dinosaurs and cowboys, showing his love for historical icons and foreshadowing his friendship with the cowboy and dinosaur later on in the movie. The characters are also dressed to make it clear who they are supposed to represent.

Film analysis: I personally enjoy this film, as I believe to be well crafted and feature some clever ideas. The actors in the film are clearly putting their effort into developing these characters and historic figures with their moments of silliness but with a much more serious side to them as well. Whilst most family films of today will force a moral or miss out on one completely, this one comes with multiple complex lessons that people of all ages can learn from but also come to their own conclusions about - they even touch on this subject with the them of knowledge, as they teach the importance of learning and education, but at the same they also show through the main character that as well this it is important to come up with you own ideas, plans and solutions.

The Production Process would have required a large budget to be agreed with the studio beforehand, and the crew hired and trusted with making this film would have been relied on to produce a film of their greatest quality whilst avoiding going over the studio's budget. The producers and directors would be responsible for instructing the other members of the crew. These include lighting (who do a very impressive job for creating a worrying atmosphere for the dark museum at night), costumes and set design, casting director (who chose a good range of talented comedians/actors), scriptwriters (who prove themselves to very talented with an evolving script that can quickly change the mood of the movie quickly and keep an audience entertained throughout), camera crew (who do okay at some creative angles, such as the changing high/low angle shots between tall and small characters, and a clever use of panning for a big reveal), special effects (who also did alright, considering how their early attempts at CGI have not yet dated too badly), and the acting cast (who, once again, display a great range of characters with great humour and acting ability).