Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Target Audience

We have decided that our thriller film will be for age rating of 15+ because there is a various selection of mature themes and reality footage of  graphic images. We are going to make our movie appeal to our audience as we have incorporated young characters throughout the different events of the film which then is easier for the audience to connect to the scenarios making the film more relatable. However, there are some scenes that are very graphic and would not usually be seen in someones everyday life which creates a sense of excitement for the audience. The ABC demographic is a system of classification in social classes used in the United Kingdom. They were originally developed by the National Readership Survey to classify readers.

Demographic profileLetter coding:A
  • Higher management
  • Business people
  • Bankers
  • Lawyers
  • Doctors

B
  • Middle management
  • Teachers
  • Creative/media people
  • Graphic designers

C1
  • Office supervisors 
  • Junior managers
  • Nurses
  • Specialist clerical staff
  • White collar jobs 

C2
  • Skilled manual workers
  • Plumbers
  • Builders
  • Blue collar jobs

D
  • Semi skilled and unskilled workers

E
  • Unemployed
  • Students
  • Pensioners
  • Casual workers

In our film, we think that our audience will fit into B,C1 and E profiles. Perhaps not pensioners but students would definitely be a large quantity of the audience. Our audience will be interested in the creative aspect of the film and how it does not fit in to society or its not expected to happen in todays society. 


Sunday, 13 November 2016

Mood Board

Thriller films mostly always include various elements of mystery and suspension and want to portray a state of adrenaline for the audience as i want to in  my film opening. Whilst researching various different thriller openings i have decided that a mixture of both thriller and horror genres would be acceptable for my film opening. I have discovered the range of camera angles and different conventions linked to horror/thriller genres and will corporate the different elements of thriller/horror repertoire.
A typical stereotypical convention of thriller is dark scenic surroundings where a character is usually alone or in danger. Also in mostly all openings I've watched there are dark neutral colours which don't allow the viewer to see as much which creates a strong sense of tension. I think that by including different aspects from both genres i will be able to create a sense of mystery and horror as then this could portray a state of confusion.
One idea we had for the editing of the narrative was that, like most thriller movies, the ending which is usually the most important part of the film is shown first meaning that the audience then wonder about the story leading up to that event. This would be effective as it leaves the audience confused and leaves a certain mystery about the opening and i will be doing this in my film opening.

This is my moodboard showing the different convention types I will include:




Saturday, 12 November 2016

Mood Board Analysis



Strengths 
Weaknesses 
Mood board one- Dan Edwards’ Mood Board.
Very clear and specific about location
Outlines all categories necessary in his film
Speaks about connotations of things like costumes, setting etc.
At some points he makes speaks as if he is unsure or questioning what he’s saying.
Pauses in certain parts and stutters a little.

Mood board two- Emily Roberts’ mood board.  
She has clearly discussed the narrative and what happens in the film. Stays very focused on the narrative.
The characters are described briefly then clearly illustrates the character’s involvement in the film on her mood boards.
It is very descriptive and concise.
She has discussed every aspect of her film; from location to characters clothing.
She has provided an example to show what they aim to achieve.

She has not changed her sentence structure and begins with “We” often. 
We struggle to see what the information on the mod board says.
She focuses on only on one location.
Mood board three- Annie Wilford’s mood board.
A strength of her photo mood board with clear narrative is that it links to the genre of the film and thoroughly shows clear convention. We get a good overview of the research she has done to show the stereotypical conventions of the genre as well as including some of her ideas that she has incorporated into her film opening. She explains and gives reasons for her location choices and has mentioned the different camera angles she may use.

A weakness of her photo mood board is that although she has incorporated text with her photos she lacks detail of explanation when coming to describe what her film opening is going to be about as she only describes the genre and research she has completed.

Wednesday, 9 November 2016

Planning: Initial Ideas

This was a quick story line of the 3 components of my film, the beginning middle and end, which establishes the basics of the
film opening. 

This is some planning of the story-line, target audience, sound and representation of the film opening. These are the ideas of how we are wanting to portray these different aspects.  

Further planning for ideas we wanted to incorporate into our film opening but focusing more on actors, editing and camerawork. 

Tuesday, 8 November 2016

Genre Specific Film Opening Analysis

Pre Production Planning - Further Thriller Analysis

https://youtu.be/3ibgWtcvj5A


Careful What You Wish For (2016)

The film begins with the film idents, firstly Hyde Park Entertainment, Troika Pictures and Image Nation (Abu Dhabi) which are all production corporations that developed this film. They are only on screen for seconds until we are given a P.O.V shot of someone's arm at 0:03. The hand is stretched out and spread apart elegantly, this suggests the person is stress free which straight away creates a positive and happy aroma. During this shot type we are also given slow calming music and slow motion of the hand against the flowers witch shows the audience the simplicity of this scene .


At 0:07 we are given a close up of the characters face which is effective because it gives the audience a quick overview of the characters emotion. Shortly after the close up shot we are given a P.O.V shot of the beautiful landscape that the character is looking at. However, we are then given a montage of happy events that have previously happened during this characters summer which is effective aas it shows the audience how many happy memories he has had and also allows us to quickly get an idea of the different people and locations that are connected to this specific character. A voice over of the character starts at 0:04 and ends at 0:16, the voice is very gentle until the shot of the two boys jumping into the water where it takes a turn. As soon as they hit the water a black screen cuts the shot suggesting something bad has happened leaving the audience in suspense.


Straight after the black screen we are given the same landscape image that was seen through a point of view shot in one of the first shots. However, we are now seeing this high angled establishing shot as the repeat of this landscape suggests that this specific land is important although the audience are not sure why. At 0:18 we are then given a selection of more events that have happened through montaging. This gives the audience more information about what the character has been doing and what interests him. There is no clear narrative at this stage of the opening which is effective as the audience are then interested to continue watching so that the narrative is clear. Throughout the different shots we are given up beat music which suggests fun however to contrast at the end of these lightning strikes which is considered bad weather and usually occurs at the start of a storm. This suggests that something bad is about to happen further in the film. 


Throughout the whole clip we are given a very fun and cheerful song combined with the scenes shown, however at the scene of the storm, the lightning interrupts the music and it suddenly stops. This suggests that this is maybe happening to the main character as all is well and there is something not quite right about the perfection of his life so far. At 0:44 we are given a shot of the female and main character interacting which is the first time this is seen throughout the whole clip. Although, the scene is very dark and only parts of their faces are being shown due to shadows, this gives the impression that they need to stay hidden from each other or that they shouldn't be talking. This is then reinforced by the position of the female character as she is seen in the bottom left hand corner and out of site of anyone as he doesn't even notice her until she speaks. As this is right after the storm interrupted the cheerfulness of the character it also implies that this female is trouble and the lightning may symbolise her.


From 0:47 to 1:03 the two same characters are seen with each other however only in the dark of night, this could show that they are hiding from civilisation and being secretive. She is confident and her actions make you feel uneasy, for example, she is seen stood behind as he looks over his shoulder just staring at him which is unusual behaviour for a person who has just met. We are given a more slow and powerful music with these scenes which helps create suspense especially as it builds up and as soon as the two characters make eye contact the music has a dramatic stop.
This implies that this female character is a big problem and is looking for trouble. We are given an over the shoulder shot of him staring at her which also conveys that all eyes are on her at this point as the audience are now wondering about her role in the film.


Once again at 1:08 the music changes to a neutral calm rhythm and they are seen in light even though they have done wrong. There is an establishing shot to show that the next scenes are in different location which is effective as we are then given cross cutting of the two characters at different events which implies and shows there relationship getting stronger. All scenes are in light which implies the connection is brighter than the first interaction however they are only ever seen in doors and alone which is obvious they are still a secret. A point of view shot shows the female being abused by her husband which creates a sense of remorse and worry for her as the audience get a better insight of the husbands personality. Whilst this is happening the main character is seen watching by an over the shoulder shot which makes the audience feel like they are watching with him but shouldn't really be doing so. Also the lighting is dark and we are only given a section of light on the main characters face showing the audience his emotion to what he is seeing.


Along the rest of the scenes the audience are given a brief over view of these characters everyday lives and their authority compared to one another. Most of the scenes are involving these three specific characters, the husband and wife and the young boy. This implies that the main problem or trouble is going to occur from one of the three. Throughout the montage of events we are given there is a voice over of different people suspicious that there's a secret. The montage of events are not in order which confuses the audience as to when why and what has happened which intrigues them to find out. The actors names are also involved through the montage which is effective as we are given them at an unusual time which links to the film being confusing. We are given a lot of information in a small amount of time in the clip which makes the narrative unclear which is effective for this genre film. Also, by having the title page at the beginning it fits conveniently into the clip as the audience have found out what the film is called right at the very end which relates to the film as all will become clear near the end of the film.





The Common Thriller Conventions

The genre of thriller can be seen in the film se7en (1995) and Old Boy (2003) which have been produced in different years which shows that the aim of every thriller movie is to cause adrenaline for the audience.

  • Usually in thriller genre films there is a sense of mystery and a problem involving an antagonist and protagonist which then suggests an disequilibrium and that is when we are given a series of events which link to the disruption. The antagonist sets out to cause a disruption of the equilibrium however the protagonist sets out to restore normality and create a new equilibrium. 
Common Conventions With Camera
  • Quick Cuts Through Shots 
  • Low Lighting 
  • Dark Shadows 
  • Variety Of Shot Types 
  • Spacious Surroundings 

Common Conventions Within Characters/Theme
  • The antagonist usually is hiding something either about themselves or the other character which makes the audience confused. Throughout the film this secret will be uncovered but not till the end. 
  • Antagonist will usually wear unusual dark clothing to stay out of sight which relates to the secret they're usually hiding. To show contrast the protagonist will be shown in everyday attire to show the normality of their life. 
  • A realistic event will usually be used in the story line so that the audience can relate and feel more involved into the film. 
Common Conventions Music/Sound

  • Loud music with a strong beat creates suspense to the drop
  • Use of voiceover can be useful to explain the storyline without using more shot time 
  • Loud sounds of breathing and frantic sounds 
  • Quiet when needed