Friday, 12 December 2014
Thursday, 11 December 2014
Friday, 5 December 2014
Character profile
The Detective:
Luke Crane playing as the detective will be dressed in a typical attire that reflects a detective job role; simple suit with a long jacket, we have chosen these clothing due to the audience will be familiar with the look as we see this type of clothing on famous detective characters such as Sherlock Holmes. Interpreting this into our opening thriller will benefit us as we don't have to explain too much on the characters job role and maintian the myterious nature of the film. Overall the audience should already be knowing of Luke's role due to his typical clothing of a detective, and of course reinforced with him walking around the crime scene investigating. We have chosen one of the roles to be a detective to reinforce our crime/thriller genre, we normally associate crime with a detective and so this character would work perfectly. Relating to the thriller conventions, we can see that a detective works perfectly to add mystery to the atmosphere, as we can put the audience into perspective of the detective as he is as unknowing as the audience watching on the scene shown.
The innocent victim:
Sam Payne will be acting as the innocent victim. The innocent victim will be seen as quite vulnerable and unknowing, we will do this by making him casually dressed with a white shirt. The white shirt will connote purity and innocence of the invidual and the casual attire will reinforce that he is almost unprepared on what will eventually happen. Adding an innocent victim into our film opening will allow us to heighten tension, in which is quite typical in a thriller, also the innocent victim adds anticipation as we can put the audience into perspective and make them feel as if the murder was actually nearing to them.
The murderer:
We, the audience will not see much of the murderer in the opening, however the murderer will be wearing some specific clothing such as a military vest and overall dark clothing. The military vest is to hint ideas of the persons past and what they might do as a living and the dark clothing will be used to connote aspects of death and anguish. The murderer is quite typical in a thriller as this character is key to increasing tension in scenes due to they bring danger in the most unsual and unexpected times, allowing us to include jumps into our thriller, making the audience intrigued into what is happening. Bringing aspects of danger to our thriller will keep action flowing.
Luke Crane playing as the detective will be dressed in a typical attire that reflects a detective job role; simple suit with a long jacket, we have chosen these clothing due to the audience will be familiar with the look as we see this type of clothing on famous detective characters such as Sherlock Holmes. Interpreting this into our opening thriller will benefit us as we don't have to explain too much on the characters job role and maintian the myterious nature of the film. Overall the audience should already be knowing of Luke's role due to his typical clothing of a detective, and of course reinforced with him walking around the crime scene investigating. We have chosen one of the roles to be a detective to reinforce our crime/thriller genre, we normally associate crime with a detective and so this character would work perfectly. Relating to the thriller conventions, we can see that a detective works perfectly to add mystery to the atmosphere, as we can put the audience into perspective of the detective as he is as unknowing as the audience watching on the scene shown.
The innocent victim:
Sam Payne will be acting as the innocent victim. The innocent victim will be seen as quite vulnerable and unknowing, we will do this by making him casually dressed with a white shirt. The white shirt will connote purity and innocence of the invidual and the casual attire will reinforce that he is almost unprepared on what will eventually happen. Adding an innocent victim into our film opening will allow us to heighten tension, in which is quite typical in a thriller, also the innocent victim adds anticipation as we can put the audience into perspective and make them feel as if the murder was actually nearing to them.
The murderer:
We, the audience will not see much of the murderer in the opening, however the murderer will be wearing some specific clothing such as a military vest and overall dark clothing. The military vest is to hint ideas of the persons past and what they might do as a living and the dark clothing will be used to connote aspects of death and anguish. The murderer is quite typical in a thriller as this character is key to increasing tension in scenes due to they bring danger in the most unsual and unexpected times, allowing us to include jumps into our thriller, making the audience intrigued into what is happening. Bringing aspects of danger to our thriller will keep action flowing.
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
Location Profile
The place:
Our location is an abandoned building down the slipe it is on the eastside of Bourne and it is a great place to film our thriller opening for many different reasons.
The main reason we picked this location is because it has been rundown for many years, so this means that nobody has been there for long time. This also means that there is a high chance that nobody will go there for a long time. In our opening we will have a death of a character and we want to project that is a perfect place for a murder, this place would therefore be perfect to film due to it's deserted outer area, fitting our thriller narrative perfectly , as there is no chance of any body finding the body; it gives the feel of isolation and gives the atmosphere an inescapable feel . The place is desolate and it's rundown look will reinforce our thriller film with an eerie atmosphere.
Why will it be effective?
The building is in a fairly remote area, there are two houses near by but that is it, the rest of the surroundings is just land, this is good as it gives a sense of realism; if there was a loud shout nobody would hear it. I feel like this location fits the thriller genre because it is an abandoned location, therefore it gives a sense of mystery to the location as nobody has been there before; it masks the history of the building. Also it is in a remote location, so there is nobody around, giving the location a sense of isolation which can give the audience a sense of uncertainty.
The rundown building can be used to manipulate and almost foreshadow the events that will be shown, it's unstable structure and rotting look can foreshadow an negative ending, and connote such areas of death. The overall look gives no sense of hope and this is what we need to create tension and keep the audience intrigued, as by outputting these connotations we can lead the audience to one point of view but then completely change on what they thought was about to happen, making the narrative quite distorted and mysterious.
This area can relate to our target audience, as this age group would be looking for excitement and scenes that are unpredictable to keep adrenaline flowing, so we are going to manipulate the area to make the narrative ambiguous, making those who watch to be on their edge of their seats.
Our location is an abandoned building down the slipe it is on the eastside of Bourne and it is a great place to film our thriller opening for many different reasons.
Why did we pick this location?
The main reason we picked this location is because it has been rundown for many years, so this means that nobody has been there for long time. This also means that there is a high chance that nobody will go there for a long time. In our opening we will have a death of a character and we want to project that is a perfect place for a murder, this place would therefore be perfect to film due to it's deserted outer area, fitting our thriller narrative perfectly , as there is no chance of any body finding the body; it gives the feel of isolation and gives the atmosphere an inescapable feel . The place is desolate and it's rundown look will reinforce our thriller film with an eerie atmosphere.
Why will it be effective?
Saturday, 29 November 2014
Monday, 24 November 2014
Auditions
This is our auditions tape for the roles of the innocent victim. Auditions were hard to take and analyse on who would be best suited for our thriller due to the lack of dialogue we will have in the film and so we had to analyse purely on the way they position themselves as a dead or almost dead victim.
Our first actor was Sam Payne, through looking at the tape we found Sam good at not moving around a lot and actually look as if dead, he made it seem realistic. Also Sam's specific build and size is great for the role of the innocent victim as he would be deemed as potentially more vulnerable in the eyes of the audience.
The second actor was Luke Crane, although he has many experiences of acting due to he is studying drama,we feel that Luke is more of a person who would be good at playing an exaggerated lively character rather than a role who is not so much in the spotlight. As you can see we want the victim to be seen dead, however Luke is unable to stay still, leaving an unrealistic look. A thriller is good when realism is incorporated into the film, Luke is unable to do this and so we will not be including him as an innocent victim.
Finally we have Matthew Bolland, he has no experience in acting and can not simply act dead.Matthew is a charismatic individual who would rather do comedy film types and make scenes more funny, unfortunately this is not what we was looking for due to we want the thriller to be portrayed as serious. We will not be casting Matthew as the innocent victim due to we feel that Matthew will not depict a vulnerable person.
Overall we have chosen Sam Payne to cast as the innocent victim due to his well preformed audition, we feel that Sam can be more easily deemed as a vulnerable person and so we will use this our advantage to heighten tension in our thriller.
BBFC
What does the BBFC do?
What are the BBFC age ratings?
The ratings include:
U - Universal, if placed on a film, it means it is suitable for audiences of 4+. There will be low or no accounts of such areas in violence, sexual scenes and bad language.
PG - Parental Guidance, a PG film will have to be viewed with an adult for the parent to consider if the film is suitable for their child. The film will have no reference to drugs without carrying an anti-drug message, bad language will be mild, nudity is allowed without any sexual reference and violence will be moderate without detail.
12A/12 - 12A's may contain content unsuitable for audiences 12 under, however an accompany of an adult, allows the adult to consider if the content is suitable for the child. 12 rated films are for those 12 and over. Drugs is low and not emphasised as good, moderate bad language, discreet nudity and sexual scenes and low detailed violence, so it is not disturbing.
15 - No one younger than 15 should see a film rated 15. Discrimination is not endorsed, drugs is not promoted, language may be strong depending on the manner of it being used, sex and nudity is not in strong detail but may be shown and violence may be strong but not emphasised fully.
18 - No one younger than 18 can view rated 18 films. Adults free to choose their entertainment, this rated films will most likely have high accounts on all aspects such as violence, sex, nudity, discrimination, bad language etc.
R18 - Explicit works of sex or strong fetish material.
What factors affect age ratings films get?
Drugs - How promoted drugs are in the film
Imitable behaviour - How glamorised violence and criminal violence is.
Discrimination - The amount of discriminating material there is in the film, including sexism, racism, disability, religion etc.
Sex - The detail of sexual activity shown.
Language - How strong offensive language is.
Nudity - How nudity is shown; if sexual or not.
Threat - Frequency and strength of threating material - how realistic and frightening it may seem.
What age rating would your thriller get and why?
Our thriller would probably get an age rating of 15, the opening itself will have accounts of violence and use of weaponry, this will not be emphasised fully and any aspects of blood and gore will be very low and so indeed it will not be classed as an 18. Our opening will not be suitable for those aged under 15 as the opening may have some accounts of 'imitable' behaviour which can be disturbing to the younger generations. The sinister aspects on how the weapons are used may be classed as disturbing and so it would be more suitable for 15 year olds and older because these ages are when they become more understanding from right and wrong without strong explanations to point this out.
Age ratings are guidelines on who can watch a specific
entertainment content, including films, games etc. Age ratings provide the age
in which is suitable for viewing specific content, this is done to protect
children and younger audiences from viewing unsuitable content that may cause
the individual to be upset and disturbed by the film or game shown. The ‘BBFC’
(British Board of Film Classification) gives information to the public on
specific content that may be found within the film and gives a general guideline
on the age which is suitable for viewing the film.
The ‘BBFC’ (British Board of Film Classification) examine films before release in order to protect
those (mainly younger audiences) from viewing inappropriate scenes that may
cause harm. The ‘BBFC’ has a right to cut any content which show any harmful
material that could influence young audiences.
What are the BBFC age ratings?
The ratings include:
U - Universal, if placed on a film, it means it is suitable for audiences of 4
12A/12 - 12A's may contain content unsuitable for audiences 12 under, however an accompany of an adult, allows the adult to consider if the content is suitable for the child. 12 rated films are for those 12 and over. Drugs is low and not emphasised as good, moderate bad language, discreet nudity and sexual scenes and low detailed violence, so it is not disturbing.
15 - No one younger than 15 should see a film rated 15. Discrimination is not endorsed, drugs is not promoted, language may be strong depending on the manner of it being used, sex and nudity is not in strong detail but may be shown and violence may be strong but not emphasised fully.
18 - No one younger than 18 can view rated 18 films. Adults free to choose their entertainment, this rated films will most likely have high accounts on all aspects such as violence, sex, nudity, discrimination, bad language etc.
R18 - Explicit works of sex or strong fetish material.
What factors affect age ratings films get?
Drugs - How promoted drugs are in the film
Imitable behaviour - How glamorised violence and criminal violence is.
Discrimination - The amount of discriminating material there is in the film, including sexism, racism, disability, religion etc.
Sex - The detail of sexual activity shown.
Language - How strong offensive language is.
Nudity - How nudity is shown; if sexual or not.
Threat - Frequency and strength of threating material - how realistic and frightening it may seem.
What age rating would your thriller get and why?
Our thriller would probably get an age rating of 15, the opening itself will have accounts of violence and use of weaponry, this will not be emphasised fully and any aspects of blood and gore will be very low and so indeed it will not be classed as an 18. Our opening will not be suitable for those aged under 15 as the opening may have some accounts of 'imitable' behaviour which can be disturbing to the younger generations. The sinister aspects on how the weapons are used may be classed as disturbing and so it would be more suitable for 15 year olds and older because these ages are when they become more understanding from right and wrong without strong explanations to point this out.
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Titles/typography
Our titles for the thriller opening, we thought of three names that all relate in
some way to our narrative, in addition to this we chose two different fonts;
‘Mom’s typewriter’ and ‘Albertshal’, both were our most favoured fonts and
seemed to cohere to our genre.
They represent our genre as it relates to a type of
investigatory theme, the typography is rough as if someone had stamped it onto
a page; this is typical of a hybrid genre of a crime thriller as we normally
see this type of lettering on case files. The first chosen title ‘Classified’
relates to our narrative and genre, classified is a term of ‘hidden material’
which is of course kept secret, this relates to our thriller as the narrative
is all about the hidden truth behind a crime scene, we want the audience to
think of the question ‘is the government involved in this murder?’.
The second chosen title is ‘Veteran’, this relates solely to
our narrative, again relating to the question of is the murderer a veteran,
trying to cover a case which the detective should not have seen. Finally our
third chosen title is ‘Lawless’, the term meaning a society without rules and
regulations, giving this sense, the audience are manipulated into believing is the government becoming
corrupt in that laws are no longer valid, the film shows hints of the murderer carrying
military equipment- relating to governmental individuals.
Overall these titles relate and adhere to our hybrid of a
crime/thriller as it gives a mystery vibe – convention of a thriller, and a
sort of investigatory feel- relating to ‘crime’, the rough lettering relating
to incoordination and struggle, also depicting hopelessness as the titles show
no neatness. This type of typography relates and represents our audience
through its mysterious look; it expresses an eerie feel. We feel that 15-25
year olds are looking for a sense of mystery, which are active and wish to
think and resolve problems as they watch a film, so making a title that gains a
sense of mystery already into why is the film titled as that, leads to an
attraction of these audiences.
We used 'Polleverywhere' to gain audience feedback on which was the best title and typography to use for our own thriller opening, from this we gained valuable feedback from our target audience and which helped us to choose a title that is more appealing to them.
As you can see, the most preferred title was number 2. I also believe that this is the best title to use, the font matches nicely with our hybrid genre of a 'Crime/Thriller' due to the typography is a typewriter look which looks quite investigatory, after all the whole narrative is based on a detective looking at a crime scene. The title itself fits in nicely with our narrative, our opening is all about mystery and the hidden secrets behind the individuals involved in the murder and so by using the title 'Classified', it matches because classified means secret material that should not be shown, also in typical crime thrillers, you would see 'classified' on some case files; it all relates to crime.
Risk assessment
Risk assessments will be taken before filming our thriller
opening to ensure the health and safety of all the individuals involved. We
will be filming at an abandoned house in Bourne, where we will shoot a short
clip of a thriller opening.
Possible hazards and risks: Risk levels: 1-2 low, 3-4 medium, 5+ high
1.
Injury by falling or slipping (4)
2.
Falling through unstable flooring (2)
3.
Injury caused by sharp props e.g. knives (3)
4.
Tripping by rough grounds and debris left behind
(4)
To control these risks we will:
1.
Pay careful attention to the surrounding area
2.
Stay away from structures that look weak
3.
Use dangerous props with care
4.
Remove all debris and litter from the set
Lighting
When filming, the lighting we will be mostly using is the
natural lighting. Hopefully in the day it is quite dull with an overcast, to
give that sense of sadness, in the building there will probably be no lights as
it is abandoned so hopefully the light piercing in from the windows will give
an effect of it being dark and sinister. The overall lack of vibrant colours
and mostly a grey/white viewing from the natural light, we will gain no sense
of hope but rather despair as we want to project the seriousness of the crime scene.
If it is too dark in the building, we would use a spot light,
however this we be secluded on the corner of the wall, and it will be facing
the wall so the light is not strongly projected; enough to be able to see the
surroundings but keeping the dark atmosphere. During the last scene of the murder,
we will place the spotlight behind the antagonist, so the camera adjusts itself
to create a silhouette. Overall the saturation of our shots will have a lack of
colour or will be edited to do so, this gloomy atmosphere should heighten
tension and make scenes seem ambiguous.
Props
Knife
This prop will be
used in the opening for the victim getting stabbed by the antagonist. This prop
is typical of the thriller genre because it is an everyday object that everyone
owns and it is easily obtainable by anyone. This then links to that thrillers tend
to be more realistic to add suspense to the thriller. This prop connotes death
and darkness, the prop can also be seen as a foreshadow of someone that has
been killed. The prop represents that the character welding the knife is
murder.
Big Notice Board (For Titles in the Opening)
This prop is used for putting up evidence and pictures of
us; this will be used for the opening titles. This will also be used to put the
title cards of the thriller opening within the thriller opening. This prop will
be used for showing the opening titles for our thriller opening. Seen as our
thriller opening is crime thriller it is used to piece together evidence. When
we looked at other thriller openings, they would often use evidence to show the
opening titles. When you see the notice board you actually see a notice board
in crime thrillers you automatically think of dark thoughts. The prop
represents police and an investigation.
Evidence Markers
This prop is used for showing the evidence of a crime scene.
These will be used when the protagonist walks through the crime scene, he will
look at the different evidence that is shown by the evidence markers. It used
in most thrillers that have something with crime (murder). This connotes that
every time you see one of these it is part of a crime scene and instantly know
something bad has happened. This prop represents something bad that has
happened, however the people that used it are the police.
Newspapers
This prop is used for giving out information to the public
about the news. It is going to be used as a piece of evidence with the evidence
marker and the notice board as well. In thrillers you usually see people
cutting certain titles and sections of the paper out, this could be something
significant to the narrative. The headlines that are seen in the newspaper are
usually showing bad things have happened to someone. The prop can be a way of
showing where the setting is going to be for the thriller itself.
Photographs (Polaroid)
This prop is used to take photos of the crime scene, but
also can set the scene and identity main characters. This prop is going to on
the notice board and going to show evidence and the main characters of the
thriller opening (the actors and crew). The prop is typically seen at crime
scenes where they have taken photos of evidence. The connotations of this prop
are that something bad has happened and the protagonist is working for the
police solving a crime. This prop represents that someone has been killed, and
the evidence team have taken photos of the crime scene.
We will be using a rope as another piece of evidence that
has been used as weapon of murder – to strangle the opponent. In a thriller
genre we often associate and think of death, in relation to suicide. We can
therefore use it to foreshadow bad occurrences; the audience should see the
rope in the beginning in which could be hinted that it may be used later on in
the opening. This prop connotes such feelings of being trapped and restricted,
in which we could then use it to increase tension and it can be projected
towards the audience. This prop will connote death.
A
baton, typically used in police forces will be used as a weapon that the
antagonist uses. This specific prop could hint and represent the background of
the antagonist, relating the object with the individual to provide a job
aspect, making the audience think on why this person owns this type of
weaponry, could the antagonist be part of some type of Special Forces? This is
the question we want the audience viewing to think about, leading to the oddity
of the murder – giving the opening a sense of mystery which is typical of a
thriller where it keeps the viewer thinking, overall making the film not as
obvious. The colour of the baton being black could connote such things as
hopelessness and death due to we associate the colour black with dark feelings,
it relates to the antagonist and danger he could oppose with this weapon.
Costume/Make up
Luke the 'Detective' in our opening of a thriller will be
wearing a typical detective look, consisting of a formal suit with a long coat,
just as we see many of famous detectives to be wearing, by doing this typical
detective outfit, it clearly indicates a detective status as the audience are
so used to seeing this kind of outfit on a ‘detective’ in a thriller film. This costume choice is typical of a thriller
genre as the long coat covers most of the body, giving a sense of mystery as it
somewhat covers identity, the formal attire summarises his personality as it
makes the person seem serious and dedicated to his job. The formal and neat
look, will slightly indicate his role of a protagonist. We will also have
Luke’s hair a bit rough, to portray a hardworking man, we want to seem the
person as slightly stressed as we would of thought this type of job would be
quite stressful.
Sam will play the innocent victim, who will be seen being
attacked by the antagonist. For makeup choices, we will use fake blood to
indicate his injuries; also we will be using different tones of eye shadow to
create a bruise effect on Sam’s face. Makeup will be used to manipulate
injuries to emphasise brutality and to give a sense of realism in the film.
This is typical of a thriller as we always see some kind of violence so by
showing injuries clearly, we want the audience viewing a thriller to feel
involved and therefore feel unsafe as the narrative expresses its solemnity.
This will show Sam as seriously hurt and possibly dead. Costume choices for Sam
will be in casual wear, most likely a shirt and tracksuit bottoms, this type of
clothing represents him as unknowing and unprepared as he lead to an abandoned
house and killed. When the detective views him, his clothing will be rough, to
show that he has been murdered and to also express that there has been a
struggle of circumstances, as if Sam himself has put up a fight. His clothing
will be bright colours to represent and connote the good within the character;
to emphasise his innocence, in typical thrillers we would see use of colour to
be picked out specifically to divide the good from the bad and so we have used
this convention purposely.
Matthew will be playing the role of the antagonist. He will
be wearing dark clothing to connote death and danger and to clearly represent
his role of the antagonist, again typical of a thriller due to dark clothing is
used a lot in thrillers to portray and maybe foreshadow certain incidents that
may occur later on in the film, for an example, if we were to see the antagonist
standing in the darkness with the innocent victim being unknowing, it may
foreshadow an upcoming death. With his dark outfit, he will have some clothing
that may represent his past and his job title, such as a bullet proof vest,
this therefore may indicate his job role of being maybe in the forces; special
forces, again it keeps the audience thinking on the reason of why he has killed
this man; we can manipulate clothing to represent the background of the
individual.
Thursday, 20 November 2014
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
Production Company
What is it?
A Production Company is involved in the producing of an entertainment programme, film or live entertainment. They are usually responsible for supplying the money for the type of entertainment, this therefore allows the company to control the budget and most of the aspects included in the production of the film or programme such as choosing job roles such as who acts in it and who's the director.
What makes an effective production company indent?
- Originality: People like to see different and that shows something the public has not seen before, causing them to be intrigued more due to it's something new and out of the ordinary. Manipulating and somewhat copying other Production companies makes the opening much more dull and boring due to the public has seen it various amount of times.
- Eye catching: Although sometimes the best Production company logos are not as complex and abstract, a logo that is abstract and again original will most likely will attract. More simpler logos are also good, due to we want to create something for the public to remember, overall a mixture of simplicity but yet abstract leads it to be more remembered and well known. Ident's normally consist of large bold lettering, which makes it captivating as it clearly shows the title. The use of images can vary a lot in each ident, however what is mostly used is objects and the world around us but edited in a more unique way, this could aim to relate to the sense of global connections and how the world is connected, it gives the audience something to relate to that is memorable.
Which production company would I choose?
Universal Studios: It was formed in 1912 by Carl Laemmle. This production company is the second oldest running studio, just behind 'Paramount Pictures'. Universal Pictures had many accounts of mergers and acquisitions, all increasing their power and global influence: in 1946, they merged with 'International Pictures' , in 1962 'MCA' purchased 'Decca Records' who owned Universal Pictures. Few years later, it was renamed to 'Universal Studios' through the mass amounts of acquisitions and mergers that occurred throughout the years.
Universal Studios have produced many well known films such as:
- Jaws
- Jurassic Park
- King Kong
- The Bourne franchise
- Fast and Furious
I believe that this production company is a suitable institution to produce my thriller due to their well known status. This company is well known for it's mixture of genres but mostly well known for their produced thriller films. They have produced popular thriller films such as 'Fast and Furious' and 'Bourne' which are still to this day gaining profit and mass interest, which leads me to think that this production company is shown to be very successful, not only that but they are the second oldest running company, they therefore have a mass recognition from around the world and so by having this production company to produce our thriller, then it would initially gain more interest due to it's status of creating successful films, therefore people who begin watching a film and see that Universal Studios have produced it, will allow the audience to believe the film will be good and so captivates them to watch it. I believe using an American company would be useful as we are shown that many of the best and well known films are made in America and so by using a well know American company, it allows the film to be produced with more of a budget as the country itself is wealthy, leading to those watching the film and seeing the ident to believe that this film is worth watching due to it is American produced.
Their logo is simple yet effective, the Earth is manipulated by the editing of colour and tones, this is what makes it effective as it brings you in to the ident itself with it's bold features of an outlined Earth on a dark canvas (space). The title itself is bold and modern, which makes it stand out due to it's complementary colour of white on dark, making it stand out, it is memorable due to it's simple and well known image use, the Earth image is of course well known and seen on a daily basis and so leads to the audience knowing the company as it shows up through any programme or film. The logo is also clever in that universal means it's basically 'everywhere', so by designing the background as Earth itself, it makes a clear representation that this production is global and it relates clearly with its title.
A Production Company is involved in the producing of an entertainment programme, film or live entertainment. They are usually responsible for supplying the money for the type of entertainment, this therefore allows the company to control the budget and most of the aspects included in the production of the film or programme such as choosing job roles such as who acts in it and who's the director.
What makes an effective production company indent?
- Originality: People like to see different and that shows something the public has not seen before, causing them to be intrigued more due to it's something new and out of the ordinary. Manipulating and somewhat copying other Production companies makes the opening much more dull and boring due to the public has seen it various amount of times.
- Eye catching: Although sometimes the best Production company logos are not as complex and abstract, a logo that is abstract and again original will most likely will attract. More simpler logos are also good, due to we want to create something for the public to remember, overall a mixture of simplicity but yet abstract leads it to be more remembered and well known. Ident's normally consist of large bold lettering, which makes it captivating as it clearly shows the title. The use of images can vary a lot in each ident, however what is mostly used is objects and the world around us but edited in a more unique way, this could aim to relate to the sense of global connections and how the world is connected, it gives the audience something to relate to that is memorable.
Which production company would I choose?
Universal Studios: It was formed in 1912 by Carl Laemmle. This production company is the second oldest running studio, just behind 'Paramount Pictures'. Universal Pictures had many accounts of mergers and acquisitions, all increasing their power and global influence: in 1946, they merged with 'International Pictures' , in 1962 'MCA' purchased 'Decca Records' who owned Universal Pictures. Few years later, it was renamed to 'Universal Studios' through the mass amounts of acquisitions and mergers that occurred throughout the years.
Universal Studios have produced many well known films such as:
- Jaws
- Jurassic Park
- King Kong
- The Bourne franchise
- Fast and Furious
I believe that this production company is a suitable institution to produce my thriller due to their well known status. This company is well known for it's mixture of genres but mostly well known for their produced thriller films. They have produced popular thriller films such as 'Fast and Furious' and 'Bourne' which are still to this day gaining profit and mass interest, which leads me to think that this production company is shown to be very successful, not only that but they are the second oldest running company, they therefore have a mass recognition from around the world and so by having this production company to produce our thriller, then it would initially gain more interest due to it's status of creating successful films, therefore people who begin watching a film and see that Universal Studios have produced it, will allow the audience to believe the film will be good and so captivates them to watch it. I believe using an American company would be useful as we are shown that many of the best and well known films are made in America and so by using a well know American company, it allows the film to be produced with more of a budget as the country itself is wealthy, leading to those watching the film and seeing the ident to believe that this film is worth watching due to it is American produced.
Their logo is simple yet effective, the Earth is manipulated by the editing of colour and tones, this is what makes it effective as it brings you in to the ident itself with it's bold features of an outlined Earth on a dark canvas (space). The title itself is bold and modern, which makes it stand out due to it's complementary colour of white on dark, making it stand out, it is memorable due to it's simple and well known image use, the Earth image is of course well known and seen on a daily basis and so leads to the audience knowing the company as it shows up through any programme or film. The logo is also clever in that universal means it's basically 'everywhere', so by designing the background as Earth itself, it makes a clear representation that this production is global and it relates clearly with its title.
Monday, 3 November 2014
Analysis of a title sequence (Se7en)
Se7en:
Camerawork
The general camera shots shown in this specific sequence are close ups and extreme close ups. These shots allow the projection of mystery due to it's specific framing, it cut's out any other area and focuses the attention to the blade, it hides the identity and almost hints the narrative by the depictions relating to investigation. This shot show's a person who is quite dirty through his fingers shown, that is holding a blade, this could again symbolise the danger that may be found in the film and it almost emphasises the sharpness of the blade, the framing of this blurs out any other area and so again relating to mystery as it keeps the viewer intrigued on why exactly is this person is holding a bare blade in his fingers and who the person is, it leads the audience to believe that this person is the antagonist due to the person is holding a sharp and dangerous object, in which we would normally see the antagonist holding in any other thriller.
Editing
The editing is used to make the sequence seem disorientating and chaotic. From these two shots, it shows the use of a fade and a dissolve of the same image but differently placed (superimposed shots) to again make it seem disorientating and confusing, the first shot shows the superimposed editing, it expresses the films chaotic themes with it's dazed images, this could connote an unsteady mind of the person we see that is writing. The second again shows, a dissolve/fade effect but before this occurred we see quite quick jump cuts, these jump cuts causing a jarred effect and making the shots look more sharp and brisk. In these shot's we see a pen and diary, we see the person writing continuously in addition with the fades to create a sense of time passing, we can not see clearly what the person is writing and leads to the audience to be intrigued on how this relates to the narrative and what it all means. The distortions in framing, give off a dazed feel as we could relate to the person's mindset, maybe the person writing is not mentally stable and so these words may mean nothing.
Mise en scene
The props used in this title sequence all relates to something: investigation. The use of newspaper cuttings, pictures and notes with areas of editing, all could relate to a type of investigation, maybe showing us that they're picking pieces and putting them together to form a conclusion. We can see from the third shot they are cutting a picture out, in which it looks like a picture from a crime scene. The lighting shown by all three shots, is quite low key, portraying feelings of despair and just giving the atmosphere a gloomy and edgy feel. Although we do not see much of the setting through its careful framing, the atmosphere given off and the eerie creaking noises may suggest that it is in a quite run down area that is quite enclosed, we begin to picture the area as this through the persons dirty fingers and it's overall dark lighting suggesting that this person shown is not of the cleanest of people and so we could then parallel the dirtiness of the person with the room. Finally the typography used in this sequence is shown to be as if it's handwritten leading it to look rough depicting the film as uncoordinated and chaotic, the first screenshot show's this. Also with use of editing we can see that some words are multiplied and laid on top of each other again relating to confusion and unsteadiness.
How it relates to it's genre?
This title sequence is effective for it's film genre of a hybrid mystery thriller, through it's mise en scene, editing and sound. The use of props signifies and relates a lot to a mystery film through it's typical investigatory props, it seems as the title sequence progresses we see clues being added up, which leads to the audience wanting to know what the person is investigating - mystery. The fast jump cuts keeps the tension high in which a thriller would normally include. The sound is mostly non diegetic with some aspects of ambient diegetic sounds being blended in to give a quite sinister feel, the sound track at points is high pitched with some crescendos and stings keeping it interesting but yet uneasy and edgy, adding to the tension. The titles are manipulated as it flashes and fades into the scene promptly and therefore makes the introduction of the titles more interesting, captivating the audience to actually acknowledge the titles through its white lettering (stands out) and sharp transitions keeping you wary.
Camerawork
The general camera shots shown in this specific sequence are close ups and extreme close ups. These shots allow the projection of mystery due to it's specific framing, it cut's out any other area and focuses the attention to the blade, it hides the identity and almost hints the narrative by the depictions relating to investigation. This shot show's a person who is quite dirty through his fingers shown, that is holding a blade, this could again symbolise the danger that may be found in the film and it almost emphasises the sharpness of the blade, the framing of this blurs out any other area and so again relating to mystery as it keeps the viewer intrigued on why exactly is this person is holding a bare blade in his fingers and who the person is, it leads the audience to believe that this person is the antagonist due to the person is holding a sharp and dangerous object, in which we would normally see the antagonist holding in any other thriller.Editing
The editing is used to make the sequence seem disorientating and chaotic. From these two shots, it shows the use of a fade and a dissolve of the same image but differently placed (superimposed shots) to again make it seem disorientating and confusing, the first shot shows the superimposed editing, it expresses the films chaotic themes with it's dazed images, this could connote an unsteady mind of the person we see that is writing. The second again shows, a dissolve/fade effect but before this occurred we see quite quick jump cuts, these jump cuts causing a jarred effect and making the shots look more sharp and brisk. In these shot's we see a pen and diary, we see the person writing continuously in addition with the fades to create a sense of time passing, we can not see clearly what the person is writing and leads to the audience to be intrigued on how this relates to the narrative and what it all means. The distortions in framing, give off a dazed feel as we could relate to the person's mindset, maybe the person writing is not mentally stable and so these words may mean nothing.
Mise en scene
The props used in this title sequence all relates to something: investigation. The use of newspaper cuttings, pictures and notes with areas of editing, all could relate to a type of investigation, maybe showing us that they're picking pieces and putting them together to form a conclusion. We can see from the third shot they are cutting a picture out, in which it looks like a picture from a crime scene. The lighting shown by all three shots, is quite low key, portraying feelings of despair and just giving the atmosphere a gloomy and edgy feel. Although we do not see much of the setting through its careful framing, the atmosphere given off and the eerie creaking noises may suggest that it is in a quite run down area that is quite enclosed, we begin to picture the area as this through the persons dirty fingers and it's overall dark lighting suggesting that this person shown is not of the cleanest of people and so we could then parallel the dirtiness of the person with the room. Finally the typography used in this sequence is shown to be as if it's handwritten leading it to look rough depicting the film as uncoordinated and chaotic, the first screenshot show's this. Also with use of editing we can see that some words are multiplied and laid on top of each other again relating to confusion and unsteadiness.
How it relates to it's genre?
This title sequence is effective for it's film genre of a hybrid mystery thriller, through it's mise en scene, editing and sound. The use of props signifies and relates a lot to a mystery film through it's typical investigatory props, it seems as the title sequence progresses we see clues being added up, which leads to the audience wanting to know what the person is investigating - mystery. The fast jump cuts keeps the tension high in which a thriller would normally include. The sound is mostly non diegetic with some aspects of ambient diegetic sounds being blended in to give a quite sinister feel, the sound track at points is high pitched with some crescendos and stings keeping it interesting but yet uneasy and edgy, adding to the tension. The titles are manipulated as it flashes and fades into the scene promptly and therefore makes the introduction of the titles more interesting, captivating the audience to actually acknowledge the titles through its white lettering (stands out) and sharp transitions keeping you wary.
Title sequences
Dexter
What titles are shown?
- The main title, production and actors are shown through this title sequence.
How do the titles fit in the narrative?
- The title is simply the name of the person being shown throughout, it is shown on a kind of fabric canvas where it shows the red title on its complementary white background- it therefore stands out a lot. The use of a blood like smudge effect fits the narrative perfectly as it is about crime and murder in which blood splatters relate such as a crime scene would show.
How is typography used?
- The typography for 'Dexter' is shown again as a kind of blood splatter effect, as if it is on a piece of fabric that is smudged, this connotes such things as murder and crime and relates a lot to the narrative.
How is camerawork, editing, sound and mise en scene used in the title sequence?
- The camera shots are mainly close ups and extreme close ups, this adds a sense of mystery as it leads up to showing the actual character. It also adds tension, relating to a thriller genre through it's carefully framed shots, showing little of the character 'Dexter'. The editing used is mostly simple jump cuts, these cuts are quite quick, causing the shots to be quite jarred, leading to depictions of chaos and danger. The sound used throughout is non diegetic, the music is quite mysterious but yet mischievous, again relating to a investigation kind of depiction but with an oddity, makes the audience feel that something is not right. The mise en scene is very carefully chosen, although most of the props used in the opening title is of a normal household standard, it is manipulated to be used in a quite sinister way; the use of sharp objects such as knifes is used a lot, the extreme close up him shaving is manipulated to be quite ambiguous, the hand placement symbolises a 'strangling' look. Also with the knife cutting through the packet of meat, the audience do not know exactly what meat it is and could be misinterpreted as a more sinister way - murder.
How does sequence indicate genre and suggest narrative?
- The sequence shows a lot of symbolism relating to blood and blood splatter - scenes where he is cutting the orange, shows the splatter of the juice or when he had cut himself during shaving, the blood drips on the sink. Also it shows a lot of red, again connoting death and so suggesting a narrative of a crime sort of show, blood splatters could relate to a crime scene investigation etc. The genre is also shown through this as with the symbolism's of crime suggests a crime/thriller genre.
How does the sequence engage your interest?
- The sequence engages interest by keeping you guessing, the extreme close ups and close up shows little of the person involved in the sequence and so adds mystery, leading you to want to know more as the sequence continues. Also with a lot of ambiguous shots, We are lead to be manipulated in thinking what the show is actually about and so again leading you to watch it to find out. The clever editing also shows graphic match in some shots and so emphasises actions which are normal in daily life and makes them seem more sinister and leading it to be more interesting.
What titles are shown?
- The main title, production and actors are shown through this title sequence.
How do the titles fit in the narrative?
- The title is simply the name of the person being shown throughout, it is shown on a kind of fabric canvas where it shows the red title on its complementary white background- it therefore stands out a lot. The use of a blood like smudge effect fits the narrative perfectly as it is about crime and murder in which blood splatters relate such as a crime scene would show.
How is typography used?
- The typography for 'Dexter' is shown again as a kind of blood splatter effect, as if it is on a piece of fabric that is smudged, this connotes such things as murder and crime and relates a lot to the narrative.
How is camerawork, editing, sound and mise en scene used in the title sequence?
- The camera shots are mainly close ups and extreme close ups, this adds a sense of mystery as it leads up to showing the actual character. It also adds tension, relating to a thriller genre through it's carefully framed shots, showing little of the character 'Dexter'. The editing used is mostly simple jump cuts, these cuts are quite quick, causing the shots to be quite jarred, leading to depictions of chaos and danger. The sound used throughout is non diegetic, the music is quite mysterious but yet mischievous, again relating to a investigation kind of depiction but with an oddity, makes the audience feel that something is not right. The mise en scene is very carefully chosen, although most of the props used in the opening title is of a normal household standard, it is manipulated to be used in a quite sinister way; the use of sharp objects such as knifes is used a lot, the extreme close up him shaving is manipulated to be quite ambiguous, the hand placement symbolises a 'strangling' look. Also with the knife cutting through the packet of meat, the audience do not know exactly what meat it is and could be misinterpreted as a more sinister way - murder.
How does sequence indicate genre and suggest narrative?
- The sequence shows a lot of symbolism relating to blood and blood splatter - scenes where he is cutting the orange, shows the splatter of the juice or when he had cut himself during shaving, the blood drips on the sink. Also it shows a lot of red, again connoting death and so suggesting a narrative of a crime sort of show, blood splatters could relate to a crime scene investigation etc. The genre is also shown through this as with the symbolism's of crime suggests a crime/thriller genre.
How does the sequence engage your interest?
- The sequence engages interest by keeping you guessing, the extreme close ups and close up shows little of the person involved in the sequence and so adds mystery, leading you to want to know more as the sequence continues. Also with a lot of ambiguous shots, We are lead to be manipulated in thinking what the show is actually about and so again leading you to watch it to find out. The clever editing also shows graphic match in some shots and so emphasises actions which are normal in daily life and makes them seem more sinister and leading it to be more interesting.
Sunday, 2 November 2014
Sunday, 19 October 2014
Vox Pops
Gaining public opinion through:
- Interviews
- Chat shows
- Questionnaires
- Vox Pops
- Forums
Vox Pop: This is an outside broadcast (OB), a street interview. Vox populi is a Latin word which means 'Voice of the people'.
What is included in a Vox Pop?:
- Normally the interviewee is on the right side of the frame.
- It is a mid shot of the interviewee, close enough to provide information and not too uncomfortably close.
- There is also a bar spanning across the lower part of the frame which provides information about the interviewee, such as; name, age and occupation.
- It is also done in a public area so we know that the interview is genuine and not set up.
- We also do not hear the interviewer but rather a question appearing beforehand in the video.
- It's short and snappy.
Questions to ask the public about thrillers:
- What's your favourite thriller and why?
- What keeps a thriller interesting?
- What makes a thriller thrilling?
- What would you include in a thriller genre?
- What doesn't fit in a thriller?
- What scares you in a thriller?
By looking at my Vox Pop, it has gave me ideas on what to include later on when planning and producing my own opening sequence.
I asked two questions including: 'What's your favourite thriller and why?' and 'What scares you in a thriller?', these questions are suitable as it can provide the right information in what i can manipulate and add into my own thriller opening.
For the first question, i asked 4 students: Matthew, Peter, Luke and Archie.
Peter has gave me a response of "I like Snatch, it's got a good range of characters and it uses graphic match quite a lot". From this it persuades me to add a good use of editing to my thriller, to make it effective just as 'Snatch'. Through Peter's opinion it allows me to point out that what attracts him to a thriller film is the use of good editing and effective transitions.
Luke gave me a response of "Dark Knight, good story, good characters, got a lot of suspense in it". From this, I can conclude that what makes the Dark Knight good is a good narrative overall. Luke also point's out that the suspense within the film intrigues him and so by this response it allows me to try and include a lot of suspense within my thriller to heighten interest.
Archie's response was "Birdemic, it's a very realistic film", Archie implies that a film that captivates him, is a film that is realistic. This again influences me to consider realism and make my thriller realistic and not too exaggerated that may cause it to be impracticable.
For the second question, 'What scares you in a thriller?', I asked Matthew Johnson and Alfie Hopkinson,
Matthew say's music is what make's him scared in a thriller. This allows me to understand that to make a typical thriller which keeps you on your 'edge of your seats' i will have to add tense music which may be sounds which are minor keyed, high pitched, fast tempo-ed and so on.
- Interviews
- Chat shows
- Questionnaires
- Vox Pops
- Forums
Vox Pop: This is an outside broadcast (OB), a street interview. Vox populi is a Latin word which means 'Voice of the people'.
What is included in a Vox Pop?:
- Normally the interviewee is on the right side of the frame.
- It is a mid shot of the interviewee, close enough to provide information and not too uncomfortably close.
- There is also a bar spanning across the lower part of the frame which provides information about the interviewee, such as; name, age and occupation.
- It is also done in a public area so we know that the interview is genuine and not set up.
- We also do not hear the interviewer but rather a question appearing beforehand in the video.
- It's short and snappy.
Questions to ask the public about thrillers:
- What's your favourite thriller and why?
- What keeps a thriller interesting?
- What makes a thriller thrilling?
- What would you include in a thriller genre?
- What doesn't fit in a thriller?
- What scares you in a thriller?
By looking at my Vox Pop, it has gave me ideas on what to include later on when planning and producing my own opening sequence.
I asked two questions including: 'What's your favourite thriller and why?' and 'What scares you in a thriller?', these questions are suitable as it can provide the right information in what i can manipulate and add into my own thriller opening.
For the first question, i asked 4 students: Matthew, Peter, Luke and Archie.
Peter has gave me a response of "I like Snatch, it's got a good range of characters and it uses graphic match quite a lot". From this it persuades me to add a good use of editing to my thriller, to make it effective just as 'Snatch'. Through Peter's opinion it allows me to point out that what attracts him to a thriller film is the use of good editing and effective transitions.
Luke gave me a response of "Dark Knight, good story, good characters, got a lot of suspense in it". From this, I can conclude that what makes the Dark Knight good is a good narrative overall. Luke also point's out that the suspense within the film intrigues him and so by this response it allows me to try and include a lot of suspense within my thriller to heighten interest.
Archie's response was "Birdemic, it's a very realistic film", Archie implies that a film that captivates him, is a film that is realistic. This again influences me to consider realism and make my thriller realistic and not too exaggerated that may cause it to be impracticable.
For the second question, 'What scares you in a thriller?', I asked Matthew Johnson and Alfie Hopkinson,
Matthew say's music is what make's him scared in a thriller. This allows me to understand that to make a typical thriller which keeps you on your 'edge of your seats' i will have to add tense music which may be sounds which are minor keyed, high pitched, fast tempo-ed and so on.
Saturday, 18 October 2014
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
What makes a thriller thrilling?
How these films are typical of a thriller?:
These films I have chosen, all have the same aspects which are typical of a thriller. The two screenshots are from the film 'Divergent' and 'Godzilla', the lighting of both these films are low key, which is normally integrated to a thriller film to aid tension, bringing a dark atmosphere projecting feelings of overall despair.
In thriller's there is various amounts of shot used depending on the location and sub genre of the film. For example in the first screenshot, 'Gravity', the most used shots are of extreme long shots or long shots, these are used specifically to the narrative and location, we know that space itself is a vast array of barren emptiness and so by manipulating the camera shots to the film, it signifies clearly how dangerous and lonely space is for humans, therefore creating not only the typical tension but suspense due to as we view the actions of the character, we are unaware of what will happen due to the endless possibilities space may have to be encountered. Typical thrillers such as 'Divergent' will have many close up shots and extreme close shots, to project feelings of claustrophobia and isolation leading to an increase in tension due to the framing purposely cuts out any other area and so the audience are more unaware of the surrounding area, this gives a sense of enigma. As you can see, the 'Divergent' screenshot just shows the protagonist surrounded by darkness as we are unable to see the outer area - we are wary about what is about to happen.
Characters and their roles are almost the same in a typical thriller, consisting of a protagonist, the first screenshot shows George Clooney, typically perceived as heroic and all knowing and powerful, there is also normally an innocent victim such the second screenshot shows of Sandra Bullock, a person who is unaware of danger and more susceptible to danger and death than any other character. Also there is sometimes a antagonist depending of the narrative, shown as powerful and seemingly unstoppable. For the film 'Gravity' the danger is brought about through physical events rather than a human creating danger. Overall what creates a good thriller is keeping the viewer intrigued and aware of the narrative, so by integrating a typical innocent victim, it keeps tension high through creating an unsafe atmosphere as we are almost a part of the victim. The large jumps of sound, 'stings', keeps tension high but also provides a fast paced feel, keeping the action flowing therefore keeping suspense high as we are surrounded by action at every point of view.
Word's associated with a thriller:
- Excitement - Protagonist/ Antagonist
- Unknowing - Crime
- Tension - Heart pounding
- Mystery/Enigma
- Suspense
- Fast paced
- Puzzle
- Action
- Cliff-hanger
Feelings projected from Shutter Island:
- Trapped/Claustrophobic - Paradox (multiple feelings)
- Uncomfortable - Uneasy
- On edge - Nervy
- Thrilled - Scared
- Captivated - Engaged
- Confused - Enigma
Mise-en-scene:
- Weapons - Non diegetic sounds
- scenery - dark - Tense music
- Low key lighting - Set outside
- Black and white - Abandoned setting
- Shadows - Special equipment
- Uniforms - Law enforcements - guns, badges
Themes of genre:
- Mystery - Solving a problem - Mind games
- Stopping trouble - Political conspiracy
- Escape - Paranormal pursuit
- Chase - Crime scene
- Revenge - Terroism
- Anxiety - Life message
-Mind games - Assassination
Characters:
- Protagonist:
. Hero . Civilian
. Teacher . Innocent bystander
. Journalist . FBI
. Student . Side kick
. Explorer . Soldiers
- Antagonist:
. Villian . Assassin
. Psychotic . Stalker
. Mental . Prisoner
. Seek revenge
. Supernatual
Narrative:
- Beginning:
. Introduces characters
. Finds problem to solve
- Middle:
. Tension builds up to a point
. Realises he's/she's been tricked
- End:
. Problem resolved- possibly death
. Cliff-hanger
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