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
Sunday, 14 July 2013
How did you attract/address your audience?
To appeal to my target audience i followed the results of my research.
My research told me that the two most popular genres for people aged between 16 and 18 were comedy and horror. Based off of this data i chose to make my film the horror genre as i felt that i could make a successful film using the horror genre. I then chose to narrow the genre down and make a zombie film as this matched a niche audience i had discovered via my audience research. By targeting a niche audience i was able to put more focus on specific conventions - namely those found in other successful zombie films. For example i chose to brand my zombies as "infected" rather than George Romero's stereotypical zombie. This is because the term "Infected" is more modern and makes the film seem more realistic as a certain chemical which changes a person into aggressive killer is more realistic than an animated corpse. Other films which share this style of zombie is "28 Days later" where the zombies all contain "The rage virus" which completely changes there mental state. I appeal my film to the more modern zombie audience by adjusting things such as the title (Biohazard gives connotations of a chemical outbreak) and mannerisms of the zombies in my film. This matches the expectations set by my target audience.
As my target audience mostly resembled males i made my main character male so they find it easier to identify with the character. I also set my film in England to match the English audience i hope to cater for.
My research told me that the two most popular genres for people aged between 16 and 18 were comedy and horror. Based off of this data i chose to make my film the horror genre as i felt that i could make a successful film using the horror genre. I then chose to narrow the genre down and make a zombie film as this matched a niche audience i had discovered via my audience research. By targeting a niche audience i was able to put more focus on specific conventions - namely those found in other successful zombie films. For example i chose to brand my zombies as "infected" rather than George Romero's stereotypical zombie. This is because the term "Infected" is more modern and makes the film seem more realistic as a certain chemical which changes a person into aggressive killer is more realistic than an animated corpse. Other films which share this style of zombie is "28 Days later" where the zombies all contain "The rage virus" which completely changes there mental state. I appeal my film to the more modern zombie audience by adjusting things such as the title (Biohazard gives connotations of a chemical outbreak) and mannerisms of the zombies in my film. This matches the expectations set by my target audience.
As my target audience mostly resembled males i made my main character male so they find it easier to identify with the character. I also set my film in England to match the English audience i hope to cater for.
Saturday, 13 July 2013
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Before the start of my project i had minimal experience with programs such as imovie as i had never fully been in charge of editing a piece of footage before. I'd also never been able to add other sounds alongside video before but after finishing my project i had gained these skills and felt confident in using them.
Throughout the course of my project i have used a series of devices and programs to film, edit and construct my film opening. To film the physical footage of my film i used a Samsung video recorder - this was essential to the production of my film as it was my sole recording device. I used various features of the camera such as the zoom function to add a variety of shots to my film opening. When all psychical footage had been shot i then uploaded each individual scene into imovie - a program i had never used before. However as i became used to process of cutting down clips and placing them into a timeline i was fairly confident at editing any pieces of footage i uploaded. Using imovie i was also able to import separate clips of music such as "What you want" by Kevin Macleod and a clip i used to build tension. after importing them to the program i then learnt how to overlay them onto my video. Whilst using imovie i also learnt how to insert title credits pictures into my film, this helped develop my coursework as without this my film opening would not contain any elements of back story and wouldn't contain any credits.
To produce the edited news headlines i used Adobe Photoshop CS3. Although i had knowledge of how to use this before applying it to my coursework, i helped develop these skills further and i continuously practiced whilst producing the edits. I developed my skills on how to use clone stamp to sample an area and overlay it on another piece of the picture. I also improved my skills with the colour sampler as i used it to cover up the actual headlines of the news reports.
The internet has also played a large role in the production of my film opening as i have used to research things like genre and target audience, as well as obtain music for my film opening. Sites like slide-share and YouTube have been crucial as through them i have been able to upload videos and power-point presentations. I have also used the internet to maintain my blog and organised the pieces of work i have completed.
Due to the skills learnt and developed whilst producing my film opening, if i were to create another i would be able to use all the software with confidence and perhaps used more advanced software to edit my final piece.
Throughout the course of my project i have used a series of devices and programs to film, edit and construct my film opening. To film the physical footage of my film i used a Samsung video recorder - this was essential to the production of my film as it was my sole recording device. I used various features of the camera such as the zoom function to add a variety of shots to my film opening. When all psychical footage had been shot i then uploaded each individual scene into imovie - a program i had never used before. However as i became used to process of cutting down clips and placing them into a timeline i was fairly confident at editing any pieces of footage i uploaded. Using imovie i was also able to import separate clips of music such as "What you want" by Kevin Macleod and a clip i used to build tension. after importing them to the program i then learnt how to overlay them onto my video. Whilst using imovie i also learnt how to insert title credits pictures into my film, this helped develop my coursework as without this my film opening would not contain any elements of back story and wouldn't contain any credits.
To produce the edited news headlines i used Adobe Photoshop CS3. Although i had knowledge of how to use this before applying it to my coursework, i helped develop these skills further and i continuously practiced whilst producing the edits. I developed my skills on how to use clone stamp to sample an area and overlay it on another piece of the picture. I also improved my skills with the colour sampler as i used it to cover up the actual headlines of the news reports.
The internet has also played a large role in the production of my film opening as i have used to research things like genre and target audience, as well as obtain music for my film opening. Sites like slide-share and YouTube have been crucial as through them i have been able to upload videos and power-point presentations. I have also used the internet to maintain my blog and organised the pieces of work i have completed.
Due to the skills learnt and developed whilst producing my film opening, if i were to create another i would be able to use all the software with confidence and perhaps used more advanced software to edit my final piece.
Friday, 12 July 2013
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
From my preliminary task i have learnt just how important continuity is to a film and how it can alter your films success. For example after completing my preliminary task i took more time and effort into carefully cutting my clips down so that that flowed correctly and appeared realistically I also payed more attention to background details as so the smallest thing changed between cuts. An example of this is when i had to completely re-film after the weather suddenly changed and it started snowing. To combat this i halted production and continued filming on a different day when the conditions were the same - making sure the actors wore the same clothes and appeared the same as in the first shoot.
I also learned the importance of the 180 degree rule which shows that the actors need to appear to be on the same side in every shot, if not the scene doesn't look right. However i used this to my advantage and broke this rule on purpose. By showing a side angle view of the character each on a respective side and then using a shot reverse shot with them appearing on different sides i make the audience feel uneasy and this provokes a certain response i want out of the audience. So from my preliminary task i have learnt rules that shouldn't be broken and used this to my own advantage.
I also learnt how to successfully use shot reverse shot in conversation with two characters and how i should use this in conjunction with the 180 degree rule.
Thursday, 11 July 2013
"Biohazard" Opening Summary
"Biohazard" begins with a reverse zoom from the main character's (Max) left eye. From this it is revealed that he has his back to a garden shed's door as he is keeping something trapped inside it. This is shown by the constant thumping in the background. A second character then approaches and the two talk about what to do with "the thing in the shed". The second character reveals a knife and indicates that he'll kill it. Max then starts to countdown until he opens the shed door. At this point the second character lunges at a figure who stumbles out of the shed. It then cuts to black as music plays and credits appear. At first the actors are credited, followed by the directer and production company. In between these credits stills of several new headlines are shown which give indications towards the origin of the biohazard experienced in the film. These credits then end with the "Biohazard" title screen, followed by a screen saying "24 hours earlier" indicating the rest of the film will lead up to and past the scene shown in the opening.
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Biohazard Storyboard
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Biohazard Script
*Scene is set following a reverse zoom and Max is seen trying to contain something in a shed, a secondary character approaches*
Max: Where the hell have you been?
Secondary Character: I've had other problems to deal with Max, what's going on?
Max: I trapped one of those..... things in the the shed. What am i supposed to do with it? I cant stand here all day.
Secondary Character: I think I've got a solution to your problem.
*Secondary Character pulls out a knife he had hidden behind his back*
Secondary Character: Open the door.
Max: Alright, on the count of three. One. Two. Three.
*Max opens the door and a figure stumbles out of the shed, the Secondary Character lunges towards it with a knife and the scene cuts to black*
Max: Where the hell have you been?
Secondary Character: I've had other problems to deal with Max, what's going on?
Max: I trapped one of those..... things in the the shed. What am i supposed to do with it? I cant stand here all day.
Secondary Character: I think I've got a solution to your problem.
*Secondary Character pulls out a knife he had hidden behind his back*
Secondary Character: Open the door.
Max: Alright, on the count of three. One. Two. Three.
*Max opens the door and a figure stumbles out of the shed, the Secondary Character lunges towards it with a knife and the scene cuts to black*
Monday, 8 July 2013
Music for Opening credits
What you want - Kevin Mcleod
https://soundcloud.com/brady-on-96-9-the-rock/what-you-want-by-kevin-macleod
0:30 - 1:26. This will be the segment of music i will use when my credits appear on screen. I have chosen this extract as i feel it contains the conventions of other music used in other horror texts. The basis of my choice for this music is from the soundtrack of the popular video game "Call of Duty Black Ops". I also gained some inspiration from the 28 days later soundtrack, more specifically the song, "In the House, In a Heartbeat". I thought that this music would be suitable as "28 Weeks Later" is an example of a zombie film which was successful in the box office, grossing around $28,000,000.
https://soundcloud.com/brady-on-96-9-the-rock/what-you-want-by-kevin-macleod
0:30 - 1:26. This will be the segment of music i will use when my credits appear on screen. I have chosen this extract as i feel it contains the conventions of other music used in other horror texts. The basis of my choice for this music is from the soundtrack of the popular video game "Call of Duty Black Ops". I also gained some inspiration from the 28 days later soundtrack, more specifically the song, "In the House, In a Heartbeat". I thought that this music would be suitable as "28 Weeks Later" is an example of a zombie film which was successful in the box office, grossing around $28,000,000.
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Location/Props
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Ideas for my film opening
1) The film opens with a middle aged man having a nightmare about his time spent as a soldier on the battlefield. Here we see brief experiences he went through including being tortured and watching his comrades die on the battlefield. He hears his wife say goodbye and leave for work whilst he gets out of bed. We then follow him through the day as he reads the morning paper, has breakfast, goes to work and comes home to his wife – all cut short into a montage. His wife says that she is going out for the night and he retires to bed. He wakes up in the morning to go downstairs and unable to find his wife, he assumes she has left for work but when he picks up his usual morning paper he discovers his wife has been murdered. From here he vows to find his wife’s killer and using his training as soldier get revenge. He follows a series of clues as the murderers spree continues throughout the city. With each murder a clue is left behind. The film ends with the man chasing the suspected killer from a crime scene but only shadows are seen throughout the chase. This chase scene comes to an end as the man trips and blacks out. He awakes in police custody where it is revealed that he is the killer. During a moment of reckoning with a therapist flashbacks are shown of the man being mentally scarred during his time at war and developing a severe case of schizophrenia and split personality. The final scene is of him struck with grief in prison committing suicide.
2) The opening scene starts with the sound of banging in complete darkness. There will be a reverse zoom which will zoom out of the pupil of someone’s eye. The person will be hunched against a door struggling to keep it closed. The character will have a frantic and scared expression on their face. As the banging continues a second character will approach and short dialogue asking if the first character is ok and whether he needs any help. The first character will say that he needs help and the second character will pull out a knife and gesture towards the door. Here tension will build up as the character prepares to open the door. As he swings it open the screen will cut to black and the opening credits will appear.
3) A new kid moves town and joins a new school. The kid is a very talented footballer and aims to join the schools team. However the school’s football team is very bad and hasn’t won a trophy in years. He plays a match and shows off his ability by winning them the game. The team’s rivals are introduced and when playing against them their rivals win by miles. The team swear to win against them in the upcoming tournament. At the beginning of the tournament the team only just win and the new kid volunteers to coach them. A montage is shown of the team training and eventually getting better. The next match shows the team being much stronger and winning by a lot. Another montage is shown of the matches leading up to the final and the team scoring against their opponent using techniques learnt in training. The last section of the film is that of the final against the team’s rivals. During the first half of the match the rival team scores and the team is downbeat during half time. The new kid then delivers an inspirational speech which drastically improves the team’s moral. They then proceed to score twice with the rivals scoring once more. Because of the draw the game goes into extra time where the new kid is injured – the team’s worst player takes his place. The game goes into penalties and the team’s worst player scores the winning penalty winning the cup for them.
Film I chose:
2) I chose this film idea because it belongs to my preferred genre of film to make. I also feel that it will be the most accessible to produce due to the resources and time available for production. Because of the first ideas complex nature I don’t think that I would be able to successfully set up such an intricate plot in the 2 minutes given and with idea 3 I feel the idea is too cliché and therefore presents nothing new to the film industry.
Friday, 5 July 2013
Title credits
Titles and credits have many different roles for a film. They are used to portray important information to the audience such as who is starring the the film, the director of the film, the production company and many other roles. But they are also used to set the tone and mood of a film. They can do this by the footage shown behind the credits, the font of the credits and how they appear on screen. Credits are an essential segment of a film which help to introduce the films genre and major themes. They can appear for as long as the director wants and can either contain minimal information on characters/cast (majority shown after the films ending) or contain many roles which would normally only be scene at the end of the film. One of the best examples are the Austin Powers opening scenes which are usually very long comical scenes removed from the general plot of the film. During these expansive scenes credits are continuously pumping out names of crews and people associated with the film. Directors have to find a balance between the length of credits at the start of the film and the opening scene.
Se7en
The titles for Seven were one of the most ground breaking set of credits shown in modern cinema. They helped define the genre and style of the film through the use of background footage and font coupled with eerie music. The scratchy music helped to introduce a completely new antagonist to the audience and set him up to be very creepy.
The handwritten credits makes a link to creepy character shown on screen as all you ever see are various clips of bandaged fingertips furiously scribbling words into pages of a notebook. When the credits appear it is only for seconds at a time, this gives further links to the fast paced writing of the mysterious character. The fast paced fashion of the credits may also give indication to the pace of the overall film. This personal link helps to make the audience feel uneasy as they do not know the character and he appears very mysterious and unusual. This builds tension as the audience do not know what to expect from this character. Dark lighting accompanies most shots in this opening sequence and this represents the dark theme of the film on a whole. A black background is used when displaying text and this helps to contrast the credits giving them more emphasis. The colour black also gives connotations of death and decay - major themes of the film's narrative and characters.
After the production companies and director have been introduced by the credits , Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are the first two credited actors - showing the audience the lead roles in the film. By putting these names first it helps to solidify the films target audience as people who are fans of their previous films are alerted to their presence in this film. The early inclusion of their names may also give indication that they might be a U.S.P to the film.It is here that the credits play the role of information giver as throughout the disturbing imagery they continue to tell the audience the various actors in the film as well as things like casting crew and music.
All the transitions used are so fast you cant quite tell what they are. This adds to the unease of the opening credits and the theme of mysteriousness is continued. This fear of the unknown is a common convention of horror films and in seen in countless other films. This is because it acts on a human's primal fear of not knowing what is happening or what is going to happen. Here that fear is exploited to a great extent as the audience is constantly unaware of what is happening.
Other Credits
Not all credits act in the same ways as seen above however.For example the famous opening credits crawl seen in the original Star Wars is used purely as a setting on which to propel the story. The credits are used to show the complete back-story of the star wars universe and appears before any mention of any actors. The only thing that appears before this is the production company 20th Century Fox.
Se7en
The titles for Seven were one of the most ground breaking set of credits shown in modern cinema. They helped define the genre and style of the film through the use of background footage and font coupled with eerie music. The scratchy music helped to introduce a completely new antagonist to the audience and set him up to be very creepy.
The handwritten credits makes a link to creepy character shown on screen as all you ever see are various clips of bandaged fingertips furiously scribbling words into pages of a notebook. When the credits appear it is only for seconds at a time, this gives further links to the fast paced writing of the mysterious character. The fast paced fashion of the credits may also give indication to the pace of the overall film. This personal link helps to make the audience feel uneasy as they do not know the character and he appears very mysterious and unusual. This builds tension as the audience do not know what to expect from this character. Dark lighting accompanies most shots in this opening sequence and this represents the dark theme of the film on a whole. A black background is used when displaying text and this helps to contrast the credits giving them more emphasis. The colour black also gives connotations of death and decay - major themes of the film's narrative and characters.
All the transitions used are so fast you cant quite tell what they are. This adds to the unease of the opening credits and the theme of mysteriousness is continued. This fear of the unknown is a common convention of horror films and in seen in countless other films. This is because it acts on a human's primal fear of not knowing what is happening or what is going to happen. Here that fear is exploited to a great extent as the audience is constantly unaware of what is happening.
Other Credits
Not all credits act in the same ways as seen above however.For example the famous opening credits crawl seen in the original Star Wars is used purely as a setting on which to propel the story. The credits are used to show the complete back-story of the star wars universe and appears before any mention of any actors. The only thing that appears before this is the production company 20th Century Fox.
Target audience
"In marketing and advertising, a target audience, is a specific group of people within the target market at which a product or the marketing message of a product is aimed at." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_audience
Target audeinces are usually divided between several different social groups and these are then combined to find an audience specifically for the consumption of your product. These social groups contain things such as: gender, age , social class, location, favourtie genre, race and many more factors. Companies can then pick specific guidleines of an audeince that a product needs to follow, for example if it was found that most people who went to the cinema were families then you would make a product intended for that certain group. These does not mean however that only that demographic of people will enjoy the film, target audience is used to determine the mass audience for a product.
To determine the target audience for a product there needs to be research. The two main types of research are Primary Research and Secondary Research.
Primary Research consists of research collected by you personally. This can be obtained through things like questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. Using this information you are able to construct your product to suit the needs of the target audience, meaning your product will become more successful.
Secondary Research involves collecting data that already exists. This data can be accessed via the internet, journals or articles. Although secondary research is a faster way of gaining data. The data found may not be as personalised to your product as you want meaning Primary Research is more specific to your product.
The film then needs to be categorised into its age group and needs to have an age certificate which represents the age of the intended audience for the film. Certificates are awarded by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) after they have watched and reviewed the film and its content.
The process for giving a film a classification invloves a team of two examiners who whilst watching the film write down comments concerning things like plot, characters, themes and imagery. They then check these things against an official BBFC guidline and suggest a suitable age certificate. This is then verified and any nessasery actions are put in place so the film reaches the required standards. This age certificate then determines the minimum age required to view the film in cinemas and buy the film when it is ready for home release.
The guidelines for the age ranges of 15 and 18 are shown below. I have chosen to present these two age certificates as they are the age certificates most used in conjuction with horror films.
This is the symbol used to represent the 15 age certificate. It indicates that a person needs to be at least 15 years of age to view or purchase material containg this rating. Products that adhere to a 15 age certificate may include any of the following topics:
strong violence
frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
portrayals of sexual activity
strong verbal references to sex
sexual nudity
brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
discriminatory language or behaviour
drug taking
very strong violence
frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’)
strong portrayals of sexual activity
scenes of sexual violence
strong horror
strong blood and gore
real sex (in some circumstances)
discriminatory language and behaviour
Information provided was obtained from http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
Target audeinces are usually divided between several different social groups and these are then combined to find an audience specifically for the consumption of your product. These social groups contain things such as: gender, age , social class, location, favourtie genre, race and many more factors. Companies can then pick specific guidleines of an audeince that a product needs to follow, for example if it was found that most people who went to the cinema were families then you would make a product intended for that certain group. These does not mean however that only that demographic of people will enjoy the film, target audience is used to determine the mass audience for a product.
To determine the target audience for a product there needs to be research. The two main types of research are Primary Research and Secondary Research.
Primary Research consists of research collected by you personally. This can be obtained through things like questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. Using this information you are able to construct your product to suit the needs of the target audience, meaning your product will become more successful.
Secondary Research involves collecting data that already exists. This data can be accessed via the internet, journals or articles. Although secondary research is a faster way of gaining data. The data found may not be as personalised to your product as you want meaning Primary Research is more specific to your product.
The film then needs to be categorised into its age group and needs to have an age certificate which represents the age of the intended audience for the film. Certificates are awarded by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) after they have watched and reviewed the film and its content.
The process for giving a film a classification invloves a team of two examiners who whilst watching the film write down comments concerning things like plot, characters, themes and imagery. They then check these things against an official BBFC guidline and suggest a suitable age certificate. This is then verified and any nessasery actions are put in place so the film reaches the required standards. This age certificate then determines the minimum age required to view the film in cinemas and buy the film when it is ready for home release.
The guidelines for the age ranges of 15 and 18 are shown below. I have chosen to present these two age certificates as they are the age certificates most used in conjuction with horror films.
This is the symbol used to represent the 15 age certificate. It indicates that a person needs to be at least 15 years of age to view or purchase material containg this rating. Products that adhere to a 15 age certificate may include any of the following topics:
This is the symbol used to represent the 18 ager certificate. It indicates that a person needs to be atleast 18 years of age to view or perchase material containing this rating. Prodcuts that adhere to a 18 age certificate may include any of the following topics:
Information provided was obtained from http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Narrative Theory
Narrative theory is used to describe how a narrative is structured so that a plotline can be followed by the audience. It includes what should happen to the plot at different stages of the film aswell as who should be involved.
Narrative stucture is composed of a: Beginning (Equilibrium), Middle (Disequilibrium) and End (Resolution).
The Beginning: Here is where the film shows the audience the natural state of its universe. For example if the film was about a serial killer, the opening scenes would show the setting during a "normal" situation the character would experience. The state of equilibrium represents normality for the main character.
The Middle: This is where the main plot of the film begins as it marks the start of the disruption in the equilibrium, resulting in disequilibrium. This forms the majority of content of the film as the heroes role is to re-establish the quilibrium demonstrated at the start of the film.
The End: This is where a resolution to the problem occurs. There may be a return to the original equilibrium or a new equilibrium may occur dueto the events which took part during The Middleof the film.
Narrative Codes
Enigma Codes
These are used in films - usually seen at the beginning- to presents questions to the characters based on the scene. They range from questions that will be answered quickly, such as "what is the characters name?", to questions which will be answered towards the end of the film like "who is the serial killer?". Enigma codes are used as hooks to attract and lure the audience into watching the film. Some films even end with an enigma code which leave the audience with a sense of intrigue and the possibility of developing a sequel.
Enigma codes used in "Biohazard" Opening
Who is the character against the shed door?
What is making the thumping noise?
Why does the character look worried?
Who is the secondary character?
How are the characters connected?
Why does the secondary character have a knife?
Action Codes
These are the answers to the enigma codes presented to the audience in the film. These will be used to answer enigma codes at various points in the film and will provide the information needed by the audience in different forms, such as visual and audio cues. These are usually expressed through expositional information which can lead to unrealistic dialogue.
Action codes used in "Biohazard" Opening
Expositional information is shown through the characters dialogue, as the first character is referred to as "Max" and Max reveals he trapped something in the shed. A side on camera angle is used to show the figure exiting the shed and so information is also shown through camera angles in my film opening.
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Inglourious Basterds "The Bear Jew" Characterisation
Inglourious Basterds is a film set in world war 2 where a group of american Jews are airdropped into Nazi controlled France for the sole purpose of killing Nazis, as well as plotting to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
One of the Jews in this squad is referred to as "The Bear Jew" and is mentioned several times during the film by other people, but he is never actually physically seen until a Nazi commander is captured and refuses to give up information to the basterds. In conversation Aldo Raine says “You must of heard about the Bear Jew”, this tells the audience that he is notorious/infamous amongst the Nazis and that he is like a “myth” to the soldiers. This also raises enigma codes as the audience want to know why he well known and what he has done to gain such a reputation. The commander , when asked if he knows what The Bear Jew does, responds with “he beats German soldiers with a club” this gives a quite vulgar and violent view of him and gives connotations of quite a thuggish and brutish person due to the use of the word "club". Raine then expands on what he says by saying "he bashes their brains in with a baseball bat", this once again gives very violent imagery and supports the nickname given as bears are usually seen as very fearsome and vicious animals. This gives further indication to his personality and appearance as bears are also quite large and powerful. However this perception is slightly changed when you hear his voice as it is quite high when compared to expectations.
The shot then changes to a dark tunnel where a rhythmic tap is heard of the baseball bat being hit against the tunnel wall. The sound slowly gets louder and louder as he gets closer and closer. This makes him a very intimidating character as the tension keeps raising since you don't know what he looks like. The dark lighting of the tunnel also makes him seem a very negative character and gives opposite expectations to his "good guy" persona. Outside of the tunnel several weapons are lined up giving further connotations of violence. The fact that he is situated in a tunnel also gives the audience an idea of a "den" which reinforces imagery of a bear.Non-Diegetic sound is then played in the form of music, the music further raises the tension and contains various low notes which make his character seem more sinister.
The shot then continuously switches between the entrance to the tunnel, the German Commander and another German soldier who is sweating with fear and on the brink of tears. The close up of this soldier gives more indication into what The Bear Jew is like as it provides evidence for the fact that he is well known. It also shows the audience the effect he has on the soldiers and how terrifying he appears to be.
When he exits the tunnel the music reaches a climax and he is seen wielding a prop baseball bat which shows his violent side. As he walks towards the German commander a point of view shot is used to show how intimidating he looks to the commander. A low angle shot is then used when he talks to the commander to show that he has the power in the conversation. The rest of the Basterds cheer which shows he is well respected. When raising the commanders medal with his bat he asks "Did you get this for killing jews" this shows that he has a lot of anger towards the Nazis and is passionate about killing them. He then slowly lowers his baseball to the commanders head before taking a massive swing which knocks him over. Here the music suddenly cuts out whilst he batters the commander on the floor. Even though the German is twitching and clearly in pain he doesn't flinch which shows his ruthlessness.
After finishing he then makes several baseball themed remarks whilst continuously swearing, this represents his character as it is very vulgar and he talks about killing the man very casually and jokingly showing his attitudes towards violence.
One of the Jews in this squad is referred to as "The Bear Jew" and is mentioned several times during the film by other people, but he is never actually physically seen until a Nazi commander is captured and refuses to give up information to the basterds. In conversation Aldo Raine says “You must of heard about the Bear Jew”, this tells the audience that he is notorious/infamous amongst the Nazis and that he is like a “myth” to the soldiers. This also raises enigma codes as the audience want to know why he well known and what he has done to gain such a reputation. The commander , when asked if he knows what The Bear Jew does, responds with “he beats German soldiers with a club” this gives a quite vulgar and violent view of him and gives connotations of quite a thuggish and brutish person due to the use of the word "club". Raine then expands on what he says by saying "he bashes their brains in with a baseball bat", this once again gives very violent imagery and supports the nickname given as bears are usually seen as very fearsome and vicious animals. This gives further indication to his personality and appearance as bears are also quite large and powerful. However this perception is slightly changed when you hear his voice as it is quite high when compared to expectations.
The shot then changes to a dark tunnel where a rhythmic tap is heard of the baseball bat being hit against the tunnel wall. The sound slowly gets louder and louder as he gets closer and closer. This makes him a very intimidating character as the tension keeps raising since you don't know what he looks like. The dark lighting of the tunnel also makes him seem a very negative character and gives opposite expectations to his "good guy" persona. Outside of the tunnel several weapons are lined up giving further connotations of violence. The fact that he is situated in a tunnel also gives the audience an idea of a "den" which reinforces imagery of a bear.Non-Diegetic sound is then played in the form of music, the music further raises the tension and contains various low notes which make his character seem more sinister.
The shot then continuously switches between the entrance to the tunnel, the German Commander and another German soldier who is sweating with fear and on the brink of tears. The close up of this soldier gives more indication into what The Bear Jew is like as it provides evidence for the fact that he is well known. It also shows the audience the effect he has on the soldiers and how terrifying he appears to be.
When he exits the tunnel the music reaches a climax and he is seen wielding a prop baseball bat which shows his violent side. As he walks towards the German commander a point of view shot is used to show how intimidating he looks to the commander. A low angle shot is then used when he talks to the commander to show that he has the power in the conversation. The rest of the Basterds cheer which shows he is well respected. When raising the commanders medal with his bat he asks "Did you get this for killing jews" this shows that he has a lot of anger towards the Nazis and is passionate about killing them. He then slowly lowers his baseball to the commanders head before taking a massive swing which knocks him over. Here the music suddenly cuts out whilst he batters the commander on the floor. Even though the German is twitching and clearly in pain he doesn't flinch which shows his ruthlessness.
After finishing he then makes several baseball themed remarks whilst continuously swearing, this represents his character as it is very vulgar and he talks about killing the man very casually and jokingly showing his attitudes towards violence.
Friday, 7 June 2013
Layer Cake opening sequence analysis
Layer Cake starts with a voice over introduction from Daniel Craig the film’s protagonist, however this is not revealed yet. He opens with the line: “When I was born, the world was a much simpler place; it was all just cops and robbers”. This immediately hints towards the films genre of crime and gives indication as to when the film is set as the style of the cars in the scene give an indication to the time period.
A reverse zoom is used on a set on van doors as they are blown apart. As it continues to zoom out several masked men holding shotguns are shown shouting at everyone to get down. This imagery of a robbery links with what the narrator has just said and further supports the genre of the film. The camera then focuses on a woman crouched behind a car and pans across her hair. A graphic match is used as a smooth transition between her hair and the hair of a hippie. This transition marks the changing of time period. This is also shown by a slight variation in music and a change of lighting. IN this scene a new breed of criminal is introduced in the way of a hippie smoking and presumably selling drugs. This emphasis on drugs gives further hints towards the overall plot of the film.
As the camera pans across the room another graphic match is used to match the wall of the hippie’s room to that of a wall inside a prison. Here the criminals from the robbery and the hippies are shown talking about the money they made and the amount of time they got in prison. The narration explains that the robbers got 12 years for trying to rob around 10 thousand pounds whereas the hippies received 12 months for shifting around 2 million pounds worth of drugs. The narrator voices over one of the robbers saying “We’re in the wrong fucking game”. This once again gives an indication that the plot of the film involves the selling of drugs.
The camera is then on a track looking at various brands types of drugs each of them being labelled with the FCUK brand. This may show the audience that the drugs are quite stylish and slick – this also may reflect the traits of the protagonist. The narrator is finally revealed by the voice over saying “They won’t leave it to people like me” as he walks onto the screen. The audience then associates the voiceover with the character and links them together showing that they are the same person.
The drugs on the shelves then suddenly start to change into products sold at a pharmacy – this change has a sweeping effect. It may represent the buying of products (drugs) and how it is normality for him.
The scene changes to that of a darkened room where him and a colleague are separating and weighing the drugs. The dark lighting represents the shady business the characters are partaking in. His colleague also has slicked back hair – this gives connotations of a shady and corrupt kind of character. An action match is used with a police car in London transforming into a police car in Amsterdam. Here the protagonist says to stay away from “loud attention seeking wannabe gangsters” as a character called Duke is shown on the screen. Just like with the protagonist the audience links the narrative with the character on screen. The fact that this character is being shown and the narrator has said this shows that he will become part of the plot.
The perspectives then switch between what the protagonist is doing in London and the actions of the Duke in Amsterdam. This cross-cutting shows that the two characters’ lives will become interlinked somehow.
The scene then skips to a meeting where the protagonist hands over the money he has made to his bosses “right hand man”. The narration says that you should never screw over your boss – the fact that he has a boss but also “only deals with kilos” shows that he not at the top nor the bottom of the chain. This links with the film’s title “Layer cake” by showing that there are different levels of business.
The protagonist is instructed that he has a meeting with his boss the following day – this however is shown to always be a bad thing. This acts as the hook for the opening of the film which makes the audience want to watch the rest of it. The protagonist tells us that he also owns a share in a rather successful estate agents. This is how he earns 2honest money” this is important to tell us as it puts the audience on his side. Drug dealers are usually the bad guys and the audience dislike them. To be a successful film the audience need to like the main character and by making him a trustworthy and honest drug dealer it puts us on his side.
The opening segment ends with him saying “quit when you’re ahead” showing that he wants to get out of the drug dealing business however this acts as another hook as the audience knows that he will not be able to leave.
Thursday, 6 June 2013
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