Group 16

Saturday, 5 January 2013

Student film -Deadline

Special FX- Follows the conventions of a thriller film, shaky text infers
instability in the storyline. Builds tension. White text on black background
gives positive contrast which may suggest a break through within the story. Mise-en-scene: Red lipstick suggests possible seduction, death and blood.

Make up suggests main character is covering up. A crime and has a motive to
fool both the audience and other characters creating suspense.
Props are part of a everyday morning routine, making us question
the mental state and motive of the character.Glass of water; the transparency
tells us that another character is bound to see through the main characters
mask. Thus giving as a potential positive ending. Music: repetitive, resembles bells gives us the idea of a ringing phone which links with the title "Dead line." Creates tension and builds suspense.

Editing: Slower paced cuts throughout- Consistency. Builds tension as well
as bringing the story together. Creation of perspective shows the female
throughout although we know that a male is also featured as a close up of
his hand is shown which is effective as it doesn't spoon feed the audience
making them more likely to watch the rest of the film. Multiple fades are
used in order to create a sense of thrill to the narrative. Camera: Close ups are used in order to highlight significant props which may
or may not be relevant for the narrative.

Thursday, 3 January 2013

Research | Thriller Film

I watched the Thriller 'The Stepfather'

I really enjoyed this film because it had a lot of false plateaus such as the killer looking for their victim and opening doors, you expect him to find them but he doesn't. This is really effective in keeping the audience on the edge of their seat, especially me as I had had enough time to grow attached to the characters and didn't want anything bad to happen to them.

The bomb theory was used effectively throughout as you knew the guy was a murderer and he would kill them at any point since the beginning of the film, this adds tension as you root for the characters to work out who he is.

The title sequence was using a discrete opening which made it hard to see the titles and they were easy to miss, they had the Ident first then the production crew then the title and then the big acting names.

I think that the audience for this movie is 15-30yr old people because the main characters are males who will attract a large female audience, however, there are 2 attractive females that get the male half of the audience too therefore I don't think its gender biased.

Intertextuality is used with the shower curtains and the sound of running water to connect it to the well knows film Psycho. The shower curtains fall and the big knife is used to kill just like in Psycho, this is effective because its well known and people think they know what will happen therefore the director can use that to add in twists.

Research | Different Types of Film Openings

There are 4 main types of film openings, there are; Discrete, Stylized, Narrative and Credits over a blank screen.

Discrete openings are usually titles and sequences that stand apart from the film itself, it tries to give out as little information as possible. An example of this would be from the film Arlington Road.

This screen shot from the opening shows the title placed upon a shot which doesn't give away any plot information, this is effective because its creates an eerie setting and makes you eager to tee something to do with the story, it also allows you to focus on the titles a long with Idents and actor names.

Stylized openings are very fun and developed, they are heavily edited titles that take up lots of time in post-production. The Taking of Pelham 123 is a perfect example of this because as you can see the titles are much more animated and they connect more with the film and nature of the titles.

Narrative openings are when the text overlaps the film sequence, such as in The Shining, as the car moves and shows a short journey, the titles roll over it all the way. It differes from he rest because it's really visible and creates a slow and creepy feeling unlike The Taking Of Pelham 123 which is very fast paced and upbeat.

Lastly we have titles over a black screen which are presented perfectly by Donnie Darko as they show all the Idents, producers and Actors first and then proceed to give footage. This is a really bod effect and gives off mystery as you only see names and nothing else, it also adds tension as to what the opening will be and what you'll see first.

Research | Health and Safety

We were given a health and safety talk regarding cameras and equipment.

Firstly we were handed the cameras in order to get a feel for them and understand how to work them, we learned things such as;

Turning it off and on
Switching memory cards and recording from one to the other
Zooming in and out
Opening the shutter
Replacing the battery pack

We then had to set up the tripod correctly and securely place the camera on it to get a stable shot.This included tilting and adjusting parts of the tripod.

Health and Safety outside of the class and college were also discussed, things like being careful when filming in the dark or at night and filming in appropriate places with the proper permission. We must always inform our teachers of where we are going and shooting footage so they can make sure we're being safe and there's no risk to ourselves, the equipment and others.

Tuesday, 1 January 2013

Research: Target Audience

Target audience for many thriller films are usually 18+ such as American Psycho and Se7en although many begin with 15 (such as The Butterfly Effect) until 25 and have a slight female skew. They also contain violence and psychological thriller films may be very disturbing for younger viewers, which is why many movies/DVD's have warnings stating why it is rated the way it is. It is also important as to what age the main characters are, whether they're young/teenagers or much older.

The specific gender being targeted isn't always clear as it may appeal to both, depending on the storyline and the message brought by the director.

Research: Catechize

Sound is eerie and fits the thriller genre perfectly, in particular this exact opening which goes along with the editing and constant quick flashes of light/brightness throughout. Along with eerie sound we can hear a heartbeat which once again plays continuously throughout the opening to add suspense, danger and anxiousness.

Editing is vital and in this case is quite heavily stylised. The quick but constant flashing which is very noticeable goes along with the sound of the heartbeat and the shots themselves. Such as the circling of the name with a pen becomes more erratic and so does the lighting.

Mise-en-scene is just as important and in this opening the props and the lighting are the main focus.
Lighting is crucial due to the rapid flashing which possibly creates the sense of a rundown area, erratic behaviour and so forth.
The props which are important seems to be the pictures and the passports as there are more images of them, possibly because they are critical for the main plot.

Camera angles in this sequence focus on key props which are insights into the movie itself and give the audience an idea of what to expect to see. For example the extreme close up of the eye and a hand holding someone down in water drowning them.

Research: Health and Safety

We firstly went through Health and Safety requirements before we were allowed to film and this briefing begun with turning on and off the camera and led to locations

We learned how to

turn on/off, zoom in/out
use the tripod correctly and safely
how to attach the camera to the tripod
making sure the shots are straight

inserting memory cards

There are certain locations which may be concerning regarding health and safety, and train tracks would be one of them. Which is why it is important to let our teachers know of the locations, incase there may be possible threats to safety, alternative options may be given so no marks are lost.

If filming is taking place in public, it is important to remember not to leave any equipment unattended.