Saturday, 20 July 2013
Summary of Task
For my main production piece i will have to plan, script, storyboard, shoot and edit the opening sequence of a new fiction film from which is based off one of my ideas. The film opening must contain footage and opening titles and must be 2 minutes long. My blog will be used to provide eveidnec of my work towwards my final product.
Friday, 19 July 2013
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Biohazard begins with an element of mystery which aims to draw the audience into watching the whole film. This shows similarities to other films which share the same genre such as "28 days later" - a heavy influence on the film which begins with an unknown virus being released from an experiment. This leads the audience to wonder how this individual scene will pan out and fit into the entire film. The opening shot is a reverse zoom which shows a solitary character containing something in a shed. This follows the element of mystery as you are not quite sure what he is containing. However due to popular conventions of the film such as its title which gives connotations such as "virus" and disease" (these link with similar themes in other zombie films) the audience can guess what is being held back. This immediately shows the audience the agent of change in the film as the "zombie" character has been partially introduced from this. This is shown in other zombie films such as "Zombieland" which opens with a series of clips showing various people being attacked by zombies. This early introduction to the main villain of the film makes the audience comfortable with what they expect to see throughout the rest of the film and although it may remove some of the initial tension, most zombie films contain large quantities of zombies at any given time which means the audience becomes familiar with them anyway. The opening scene also creates an early tension which propels the audience into the genre of the film and provides an early scare, this style of opening is shared with other classic horror films such as "Scream" and "Halloween" as the audience experiences the horror genre as soon as the film starts.
The plot of Biohazard also follows the broad story-line of other zombie films in that the group of characters are struggling to survive. This is shown in the opening as they aim to kill the zombie as it is a massive danger to them and provides the main threat to the characters. After the initial footage during the credits several stills of newspaper headlines are used to create the backdrop of the story and provide the origin of the Biohazard seen in the film. These stills eliminate the need to delve deeper into the beginning of the zombie outbreak as the audience is left to imagine the events using the details provided by the headlines. The characters also follow conventional characters as they are both male. In films about survival the main character/s are usually male as they are stereo-typically more suited to a hostile environment than woman due to their increased strength and stamina. Other media texts which share the same genre and character styles are "The Walking dead" whose main character is police officer Rick Grimes and "The evil dead" whose main character is Ashley Williams. Both these films contain male lead roles who are dominant figures within their group who act as the leader.
My film also starts in a the back-garden of a house in a small town. This relatively small and local set shows similarities of other independent horror films such as "State of emergency" where the locations used are supposed to mimic real life settings opposed to big budget films such as "Zombieland" which uses sets such as amusement parks and mansions. This makes the film appear more down to earth and realistic, matching my objective of making my film opening look like an independent film opposed to a hollywood blockbuster.
My film opening also follows strict continuity meaning that all the shots used are edited as to appear fluent with actions carrying on throughout different shots. I broke the 180 degree rule on purpose as to unsettle the audeince. Since this may confuse the audience as to where the characters are situated it creates a sense of unease which i hope increases the effect of the tension in the opening scene.
Generic enigma codes seen in almost every film are used to ask questions such as who are the main characters and where is the film set. However adapting to the genre of the film - an enigma film in the form of a strange thumping noise is used to ask the question about what is in the shed, coupled with the question = why is it being kept inside there? These enigma codes share the element of mystery brought by the film to create tension and horror for the audience to experience. Expositional information is shown through the speech of the characters to tell the audience the main characters name and why he is guarding the shed. It is also used to show the audience the type of characters they both are. An enigma code which asks the question - what happens when he attacks the zombie" is not answered until further on in the film. As at the end of the credits the audience learns that the scene in fact takes place during the middle of the film and not the start as the audience is shown that the next scene takes place "24 hours earlier"
The plot of Biohazard also follows the broad story-line of other zombie films in that the group of characters are struggling to survive. This is shown in the opening as they aim to kill the zombie as it is a massive danger to them and provides the main threat to the characters. After the initial footage during the credits several stills of newspaper headlines are used to create the backdrop of the story and provide the origin of the Biohazard seen in the film. These stills eliminate the need to delve deeper into the beginning of the zombie outbreak as the audience is left to imagine the events using the details provided by the headlines. The characters also follow conventional characters as they are both male. In films about survival the main character/s are usually male as they are stereo-typically more suited to a hostile environment than woman due to their increased strength and stamina. Other media texts which share the same genre and character styles are "The Walking dead" whose main character is police officer Rick Grimes and "The evil dead" whose main character is Ashley Williams. Both these films contain male lead roles who are dominant figures within their group who act as the leader.
My film also starts in a the back-garden of a house in a small town. This relatively small and local set shows similarities of other independent horror films such as "State of emergency" where the locations used are supposed to mimic real life settings opposed to big budget films such as "Zombieland" which uses sets such as amusement parks and mansions. This makes the film appear more down to earth and realistic, matching my objective of making my film opening look like an independent film opposed to a hollywood blockbuster.
My film opening also follows strict continuity meaning that all the shots used are edited as to appear fluent with actions carrying on throughout different shots. I broke the 180 degree rule on purpose as to unsettle the audeince. Since this may confuse the audience as to where the characters are situated it creates a sense of unease which i hope increases the effect of the tension in the opening scene.
Generic enigma codes seen in almost every film are used to ask questions such as who are the main characters and where is the film set. However adapting to the genre of the film - an enigma film in the form of a strange thumping noise is used to ask the question about what is in the shed, coupled with the question = why is it being kept inside there? These enigma codes share the element of mystery brought by the film to create tension and horror for the audience to experience. Expositional information is shown through the speech of the characters to tell the audience the main characters name and why he is guarding the shed. It is also used to show the audience the type of characters they both are. An enigma code which asks the question - what happens when he attacks the zombie" is not answered until further on in the film. As at the end of the credits the audience learns that the scene in fact takes place during the middle of the film and not the start as the audience is shown that the next scene takes place "24 hours earlier"
Thursday, 18 July 2013
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My film represents the social group of gender and ability/disability.
It does this by showing comparison of two male characters and how they react differently to the same situation. One of the characters is tasked with killing the zombie by stabbing it with a kitchen knife, he chooses this task himself and this demonstrates the stereotypical masculine male as being in charge of the situation and being tough, whilst the other character is some what hesitant to act and shows a more passive attitude towards the situation. It also demonstrates the ideas of ability/disability as it shows the ability of certain individuals to rise and take control of a dangerous situation. These social groups are also shown in films such as "Resident Evil", "Shaun of the dead" and "28 days later" as they all show a certain character rising to the occasion and trying to take charge. They also feature key male roles, opposed to "Resident Evil" who uses gender as a social group to represent a strong female lead character which challenges the stereotypical male leader.
These social groups appeal to my audience as the target gender for my audience is males so by having a male lead they can relate to them. Also the idea of stepping up and being a leader appeals to the male audience as they want to be in that dominant role, this does not apply so much to females so it makes my target audience more clear. Saying this however "Resident Evil" is still targeted towards a male audience despite having a female role as it exposes the sex appeal found in the female lead.
It does this by showing comparison of two male characters and how they react differently to the same situation. One of the characters is tasked with killing the zombie by stabbing it with a kitchen knife, he chooses this task himself and this demonstrates the stereotypical masculine male as being in charge of the situation and being tough, whilst the other character is some what hesitant to act and shows a more passive attitude towards the situation. It also demonstrates the ideas of ability/disability as it shows the ability of certain individuals to rise and take control of a dangerous situation. These social groups are also shown in films such as "Resident Evil", "Shaun of the dead" and "28 days later" as they all show a certain character rising to the occasion and trying to take charge. They also feature key male roles, opposed to "Resident Evil" who uses gender as a social group to represent a strong female lead character which challenges the stereotypical male leader.
These social groups appeal to my audience as the target gender for my audience is males so by having a male lead they can relate to them. Also the idea of stepping up and being a leader appeals to the male audience as they want to be in that dominant role, this does not apply so much to females so it makes my target audience more clear. Saying this however "Resident Evil" is still targeted towards a male audience despite having a female role as it exposes the sex appeal found in the female lead.
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
What kind of media institution might distribute your film and why?
I would choose to distribute my films through 20th Century Fox.
I chose 20th Century Fox as they are one of the major film distributors and therefore have masses of resources to use to broadcast my film to the public. They are one of the most established film distributors with films being distributed by them for nearly 100 years. This shows that they are highly experienced and respected meaning my film will gain the same reputation as it will bear the 20th Century Fox name.
Although they distribute a large variety of genres they have been known for distributing several highly successful horror films such as:
I chose 20th Century Fox as they are one of the major film distributors and therefore have masses of resources to use to broadcast my film to the public. They are one of the most established film distributors with films being distributed by them for nearly 100 years. This shows that they are highly experienced and respected meaning my film will gain the same reputation as it will bear the 20th Century Fox name.
Although they distribute a large variety of genres they have been known for distributing several highly successful horror films such as:
- 28 Days Later
- Aliens
- Hide and Seek
- Mirrors
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience for my film are males aged between 15-25. I have chosen this demographic as it reflects the audience for several similar films such as 28 days later which share the same genre and theme of my film. To follow thes guideline my film will have a 15 BBFC age certificate meaning only people who are aged 15 or above may buy and watch the film as some of the content may be inappropriate to younger age groups.
I have given my film an age certificate of 15 as it contains "strong violence" and "frequent strong language". This adheres to the official BBFC ranking system seen here: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15 .
Although there is no direct violence or strong language in my opening, it will be present in the rest of the film. Other films which share the same age certificate and genre/themes include "Shaun of the dead" and "Quarantine".
The reason for aiming my film at ages 15+ is because if i aimed my film at 18+ i would be ignoring an age gap of 3 years who are some of the most likely people to watch films. This could mean my film would lose out on sales because people may be too young to view my film. It also means that my budget will not be as large seeing as my film will not contain any gore/ extreme violence which may take expensive special effects to pull off. My target audience research shows that my film is suitable for my audience and the most popular choice for people of that age group.
I have given my film an age certificate of 15 as it contains "strong violence" and "frequent strong language". This adheres to the official BBFC ranking system seen here: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15 .
Although there is no direct violence or strong language in my opening, it will be present in the rest of the film. Other films which share the same age certificate and genre/themes include "Shaun of the dead" and "Quarantine".
The reason for aiming my film at ages 15+ is because if i aimed my film at 18+ i would be ignoring an age gap of 3 years who are some of the most likely people to watch films. This could mean my film would lose out on sales because people may be too young to view my film. It also means that my budget will not be as large seeing as my film will not contain any gore/ extreme violence which may take expensive special effects to pull off. My target audience research shows that my film is suitable for my audience and the most popular choice for people of that age group.
Monday, 15 July 2013
Audience Research
What is your age?
10 or
below 1 11-13 0 14-15 2
16-18 9 19-25 4
26+ 4
What is your gender?
Male
10 Female 10
Which is your favourite film genre?
Action
3 Comedy 6
Horror 6 Romance 1
Sci-fi 2 Thriller 1 Other 1
Which is your favourite horror
sub-category?
Slasher
4 Gore 2
Psychological 2 Monster/Alien 1
Zombie
6 I don’t watch horror
films 5
What is your favourite zombie film?
28 days
later, Dawn of the dead, The Crazies, Resident Evil, 28 days later, Dead Snow,
How do you think a film opening
should be constructed?
Fast
Paced- straight into action 7, Slow build up introducing the characters and
plot 6, Flashback/Future 3, A mix of things 4 (all generalised)
What attracts you most to a film?
Plot
9 Actors 5
Director 4 Adaptation 2
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