Since analyising a series of our particular genre of films, as a group me, soph, xen and ellie finally decided that we would explore a sub-genre of Physcological thriller. We chose this as it will allow us to experiment with different camera shots and different camera techniques that do not necessarily have to be tidy or neat becuase of the context we are filming in. It also allows us to lose the hassel of having too much dialogue in our opening as we can experiment more with background dialogue and non diegetic and diegetic sounds.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
common codes and conventions
Whilst watchign my chosen films, i decided to note down similar aspects and codes and conventions i noticed in each film. I then sent these to the rest of the girls in my group and along wiht their notes we was able to create a superb powerpoint that was very impressive and helpful to not only us but other groups doing the same genre.
These are the notes that i got from my chosen films........................
Most common codes and conventions in horror/thriller films
Costumes………..
Most the time the victims are dressed in normal clothes to create realism and allow us to connect with the characters, this is especially displayed in the victims. Scream (kacy) cabin fever (the college kids) they are also dressed in colours which connote innocence, youth and naivety (pink, white, cream, beige and blues). This can portray their characters and reinforce the realism to the viewers.
Editing…..
In the majority of films I have looked at scream, creep, cabin fever, signs. The editing is always straight cut and jump cuts. The straight cuts help speed up the pace of the film, and create tension and enigma for the viewers. It make them on edge as there is so much going on in the scene, it can also create a feeling of disorientation for the viewers and they are not quite sure what’s happening at the time.
Jump cuts are used, in horror films to connect characters and scenes with each other, there are more commonly used in horror/thriller films then any other genres because the audience like to piece together the story to try and find out who the killer is; who’s dead., who is innocent, who is going to be next etc Jump cuts help piece the story together bit, by bit and also create enigma too.
Credits….
Colours most commonly used in the films for credits are red (scream) white (cabin fever) and black. All these colours are used because they are more commonly associated with death, danger and evil. Red is almost always used as it can connote blood which is continuously associated with horror/thriller films.
Costumes………..
Most the time the victims are dressed in normal clothes to create realism and allow us to connect with the characters, this is especially displayed in the victims. Scream (kacy) cabin fever (the college kids) they are also dressed in colours which connote innocence, youth and naivety (pink, white, cream, beige and blues). This can portray their characters and reinforce the realism to the viewers.
Editing…..
In the majority of films I have looked at scream, creep, cabin fever, signs. The editing is always straight cut and jump cuts. The straight cuts help speed up the pace of the film, and create tension and enigma for the viewers. It make them on edge as there is so much going on in the scene, it can also create a feeling of disorientation for the viewers and they are not quite sure what’s happening at the time.
Jump cuts are used, in horror films to connect characters and scenes with each other, there are more commonly used in horror/thriller films then any other genres because the audience like to piece together the story to try and find out who the killer is; who’s dead., who is innocent, who is going to be next etc Jump cuts help piece the story together bit, by bit and also create enigma too.
Credits….
Colours most commonly used in the films for credits are red (scream) white (cabin fever) and black. All these colours are used because they are more commonly associated with death, danger and evil. Red is almost always used as it can connote blood which is continuously associated with horror/thriller films.
Analysis of essays presentation
Once me , xenia, sophie and ellie had all finished analysing our films. We got together as a group and discussed what we found similar and different in each of the films we watched. We compared how horros are different from thriller and physcological and so on. We also discussed the different techniques and codes and conventions used in our particualr sub-genre of film to see what was aeffective and waht wasnt when watching our films. This task allowed us to express our each individual ideas about what we think a horror/thriller/physcological film should or should not include.
After we had evaluated our films and come together as a group we then had to create a powerpoint presentation on what each of us had found common in these films.
We found the narrative structure at the opening of most of the horror/thriller films we observed and analysed contained similar narrative structures…
They either open with a flashback of an event, such as My Bloody Valentine (2009) and The Amityville Horror (2005)… giving the audience information to lead them into the rest of the film or building up tension and enigma setting them up for the rest of the film.
The time scheme used in horror films is mainly set in our time; the time that’s on the film is the time it is here. However sometimes the narrative structure can feature, flash backs or flash forwards. Creating a scene of past and history in the film.- We found that the diegetic and non diegetic sound were one of the most important conventions of a horror/thriller film for the enjoyment of the film. The fear factor of any horror film would almost totally disappear if the auditory features were removed or altered to something not benefiting a horror film. Striking sound effects and well composed music play in creating a truly frightening horror/thriller film experience for the audience.
In the majority of films we have looked at such as, Scream, Creep, Cabin fever, Signs. The editing is always straight cut and jump cuts. The straight cuts help speed up the pace of the film, and create tension and enigma for the viewers. It make them on edge as there is so much going on in the scene, it can also create a feeling of disorientation for the viewers and they are not quite sure what’s happening at the time.
This is some of the information off our powerpoint presentation. ^^^
Textual analysis preveiw
This is a little example of different parts in my textual analysis of the horror films i have studied. I found this task very beneficial as previously mentioned becuase i found it gave me an insightful vewi of what the audience want and what is common in our specific horro/physcological thriller genre of film.
2012
Costumes
The man that we initially see in the film, is a young man dressed all in beige and pale colours, which can connote innocence and vulnerability. The way a character dresses can give more of an impact in thriller/horror films than any other films because the way they are dressed helps us as the audience differentiate between who maybe the victim and who is the villain. We presume the man in this scene is the main character and is could be a victim due to the colour clothes he is wearing.
Signs
Stock setting
The setting used meets the generic codes for a thriller films because normally a haunted house, forest or school is used and this setting is exactly that. The way we just see the garden in the opening of the scene can give an implication to the audience that something is going to happen or take place there. The garden looks deserted and quite and props used in the garden likes a wooden swing and a crooked wooden bench all add to the effect the director is trying to create. The garden looks eerie and the inside of the house matches this setting, as it’s a dark house decorated with all dark wood and has no bright colours anywhere. This could connote danger, mystery and the unknown about the house.
Jaws
Props
All the pros were realistic, drinks, phones, food around the camp fire. These props create normality and reinforce realism to the audience creating the effect that the characters are just normal young people.
I am legend
Narrative structure/function
The way the narrative has been structured really helps the thriller genre be portrayed. As the audience we do not as of yet know what’s happened to everyone in the city, we don’t know why only will smith is left, how his dog survived, why he has a gun, where everyone else has disappeared too. The way the film does not answer any questions for certain in the opening creates enigma and anticipation for the audience as they will be on the edge of their seats wanting to find out more and more about what happened to the characters. Also by only having one main character it gives a twist on the normal thriller we see, and creates more suspense for the viewer as they want to know why will smith is the only human that is still alive.
Cabin Fever
Editing
The blurring of the two colours red and cream off the credits kind of looks like water swishing around, which fits in well with the first image we see as the audience is of a lake which could connote that something bad is going to happen to the lake due to the comparative colours used.
The editing used is straight cut editing, to show what is going on in one scene and what’s happening in the other. This is generally used more in horror films to build up tension of two scene colliding together and the horror part happening. As we see the scruffy man find the dead dog, as the blood splats at his face he screams and it automatically straight cuts to the college kids screaming form excitement about going on their vacation. This helps the audience link the two stories together and creates enigma as too what will happen next.
2012
Costumes
The man that we initially see in the film, is a young man dressed all in beige and pale colours, which can connote innocence and vulnerability. The way a character dresses can give more of an impact in thriller/horror films than any other films because the way they are dressed helps us as the audience differentiate between who maybe the victim and who is the villain. We presume the man in this scene is the main character and is could be a victim due to the colour clothes he is wearing.
Signs
Stock setting
The setting used meets the generic codes for a thriller films because normally a haunted house, forest or school is used and this setting is exactly that. The way we just see the garden in the opening of the scene can give an implication to the audience that something is going to happen or take place there. The garden looks deserted and quite and props used in the garden likes a wooden swing and a crooked wooden bench all add to the effect the director is trying to create. The garden looks eerie and the inside of the house matches this setting, as it’s a dark house decorated with all dark wood and has no bright colours anywhere. This could connote danger, mystery and the unknown about the house.
Jaws
Props
All the pros were realistic, drinks, phones, food around the camp fire. These props create normality and reinforce realism to the audience creating the effect that the characters are just normal young people.
I am legend
Narrative structure/function
The way the narrative has been structured really helps the thriller genre be portrayed. As the audience we do not as of yet know what’s happened to everyone in the city, we don’t know why only will smith is left, how his dog survived, why he has a gun, where everyone else has disappeared too. The way the film does not answer any questions for certain in the opening creates enigma and anticipation for the audience as they will be on the edge of their seats wanting to find out more and more about what happened to the characters. Also by only having one main character it gives a twist on the normal thriller we see, and creates more suspense for the viewer as they want to know why will smith is the only human that is still alive.
Cabin Fever
Editing
The blurring of the two colours red and cream off the credits kind of looks like water swishing around, which fits in well with the first image we see as the audience is of a lake which could connote that something bad is going to happen to the lake due to the comparative colours used.
The editing used is straight cut editing, to show what is going on in one scene and what’s happening in the other. This is generally used more in horror films to build up tension of two scene colliding together and the horror part happening. As we see the scruffy man find the dead dog, as the blood splats at his face he screams and it automatically straight cuts to the college kids screaming form excitement about going on their vacation. This helps the audience link the two stories together and creates enigma as too what will happen next.
Textual analysis
For part of our coursework we had to analyse 5 openings of the particular film genre we chose and 3 full films. In these essays we had to include the codes and conventions presented in the films, we analysed mise en scene, costumes, sound, editing, lighting, camera shots and movements, props, stock settings and stock characters. By analysing different horror films we were able to focus on the technical codes and conventions that are shown in these films and apply them to our own opening to create a realistic effect for the audience. We also want the openign to be as big an impact as possible and in order to do this we had to evaluate other horror films in order to help us do this. Personnaly i thoguht this was a very helpful excercise as it enabled us to really pull apart the different techniques used in horror films, how we could use them in our opening and what effects work best as we were watchign as the audience
Film analysis...i am still yet to finish two of the whole films
i am ledgend
signs
cabin fever
scream
2012
jaws
I chose to analyse these films as they were particular horror/thriller and physcological films that i specifically remember watchign and have left an impact on me after watching them. To me this is what a good horror/thriiler or physcological film should do.
Film analysis...i am still yet to finish two of the whole films
i am ledgend
signs
cabin fever
scream
2012
jaws
I chose to analyse these films as they were particular horror/thriller and physcological films that i specifically remember watchign and have left an impact on me after watching them. To me this is what a good horror/thriiler or physcological film should do.
Thursday, 11 February 2010
British film studios or companys
In todays lessons we presented our powerpoint on the topic we were given by Mr Cramb (Current British Film Studios Or Companys). Together with the rest of my group we created a powerpoint presentation on film studio's that are primarily british. We got research on films that Ealing studio and Pinewood studio have previously produced, such as the new St Trinians and the award winning Slumdog Millionaire. The research we did was very helpful towards our project too, as it informed us about just how many British Film Makers there are, and that films that are made and produced by British Film Companies are no less of a good quality than American made films. This is proven just by the amount of films that have won the Best British Film BAFTA. We also got shown other groups in our class's powerpoints, they were very insightful and full of important information we need to know about BBFC Regulation and Control, Hollywood, 20th Century Fox and infomation about the 5 most recent films produced in the UK.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Results Analysis Powerpoint
In our last few media lessons, we have been preparing two powerpoint presentations. We had completeed all of our questionnaires and found the average answer to each question to allow us to present a powerpoint on our results. Our first one that we did in Mr Crambs lessons, was an analysis of our results from our questionnaire. We found it helped us alot by doing a questionnaire then carefully looking at the results, as it gave us a good insight into what the majority of people we surveyed want in a horror film. It was also helpful as we gave our questionnaires to a variety of aged people young to old, to ensure that we had a wide variety of accurate results and when we start filming our opening we know exactly what the veiwers want.
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Questionnaire Results
During todays lesson me and my group finished off our results of the questionnaire we had developed. We then analysed the results and processed them into a powerpoint presentation. This questionnaire was very benificial as it allowed me and my group to find out what the audience want and look for in horror films. Due to the results from our survey we have found out that the majority of people would like to see an opening to a horror film that establishes key characters, explains their background and builds tension. The results also showed that the audience find that music in horror films helps build the most tension, and they would like to feel emotions of enigma, tension and scariness. These results will now help us to develop an opening that is suitable and that the audience will find enjoyable as we will have catered to their requests of what they like to see in a horror film. We also had a brief talk with Mr Cramb about progress in our group and our questionnaire results, he also explained to us about our media portfolios that we will have to complete as part of our coursework, we are going to present all our past and future work in a folder for the examiners to act as evidence for our horror film and show all the work we have been doing for it .
Monday, 18 January 2010
Horror film discussion
In todays lesson me and my group got together and had various discussions over ideas for our opening to a horror/thriller film, we haven not yet decided on a definite story, but we know that it will be a horror!
To help us decide what the audience look for in horror movies we divised our own questionnaire to give out to people, and hopefully their feedback will help us ensure that our opening is what our target audience want. We put various relevant questions in our survey from age and gender, to favourite all time horror film and specific sub genres wanted. W e showed our questionnaire to Mr Cramb who then told us that we needed to tweak some of our questions but overall it was very useful. Hopefully by doing this questionnaire we will be able to find out exactly what people want and look for in a horror film, ensuring that the opening we create targets our specific demographic.
Horror/Thriller Research Questionnaire
This questionnaire is about your views and opinions on Horror/Thriller films…
1) Gender:[ ] Male[ ] Female
2) Age:
[ ] 12-15
[ ] 16-17
[ ] 18-21
[ ] 22-26
[ ] 27-35
[ ] 35-40
[ ] 41-50
[ ] 50+
3) Occupation?
[ ] Student
[ ] Employed
[ ] Unemployed
[ ] Retired
[ ] Other, if so, please state- ________________________________________________
4) State 2 hobbies and interests of your choice?
1.
2.
5) Do you like watching Horror/Thriller films?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
6) Name 2 of your favourite Horror/Thriller films?
1.
2.
7) Is there anything you would find inappropriate in the opening of a Horror film?
Please state what you like about the opening of Horror/Thriller films and what you would expect to see in one?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
8) How often do you watch Horror films?
[ ] Not at all
[ ] Sometimes
[ ] Quite Frequently
[ ] A lot
9) What types of films do you prefer to watch? (tick 2)
[ ] Action
[ ] Fantasy
[ ] Romance
[ ] Sci-Fi
[ ] History
[ ] Thriller
[ ] War
[ ] Comedy
10) What is your preferred sub genre of Horror films? (tick 1)
[ ] Comedy Horror
[ ] Disaster Horror
[ ] Gory Horror
[ ] Thriller Horror
[ ] Light hearted Horror
[ ] Vampire Horror
11) What elements do you think are of up most importance to create tension and suspense in a Horror film? (tick the appropriate ones)
[ ] Sound track
[ ] Settings
[ ] Plot twists
[ ] Language
[ ] Props
[ ] Characters
[ ] Murders
12) Where do you think would be the best location to film a Horror film?
____________________________________________________________
13) What type of characters would you expect to see in a Horror
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
14) What emotions would you like to feel whilst watching in the opening of a Horror/Thriller film? (tick the appropriate boxes)
[ ] Enigma
[ ] Tension
[ ] Anger
[ ] Scared
[ ] Happy
[ ] No emotion
15) What do you expect to see in the opening of a Horror/Thriller film?
________________________________________________
Thankyou for your time!
This questionnaire is about your views and opinions on Horror/Thriller films…
1) Gender:[ ] Male[ ] Female
2) Age:
[ ] 12-15
[ ] 16-17
[ ] 18-21
[ ] 22-26
[ ] 27-35
[ ] 35-40
[ ] 41-50
[ ] 50+
3) Occupation?
[ ] Student
[ ] Employed
[ ] Unemployed
[ ] Retired
[ ] Other, if so, please state- ________________________________________________
4) State 2 hobbies and interests of your choice?
1.
2.
5) Do you like watching Horror/Thriller films?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
6) Name 2 of your favourite Horror/Thriller films?
1.
2.
7) Is there anything you would find inappropriate in the opening of a Horror film?
Please state what you like about the opening of Horror/Thriller films and what you would expect to see in one?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
8) How often do you watch Horror films?
[ ] Not at all
[ ] Sometimes
[ ] Quite Frequently
[ ] A lot
9) What types of films do you prefer to watch? (tick 2)
[ ] Action
[ ] Fantasy
[ ] Romance
[ ] Sci-Fi
[ ] History
[ ] Thriller
[ ] War
[ ] Comedy
10) What is your preferred sub genre of Horror films? (tick 1)
[ ] Comedy Horror
[ ] Disaster Horror
[ ] Gory Horror
[ ] Thriller Horror
[ ] Light hearted Horror
[ ] Vampire Horror
11) What elements do you think are of up most importance to create tension and suspense in a Horror film? (tick the appropriate ones)
[ ] Sound track
[ ] Settings
[ ] Plot twists
[ ] Language
[ ] Props
[ ] Characters
[ ] Murders
12) Where do you think would be the best location to film a Horror film?
____________________________________________________________
13) What type of characters would you expect to see in a Horror
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
14) What emotions would you like to feel whilst watching in the opening of a Horror/Thriller film? (tick the appropriate boxes)
[ ] Enigma
[ ] Tension
[ ] Anger
[ ] Scared
[ ] Happy
[ ] No emotion
15) What do you expect to see in the opening of a Horror/Thriller film?
________________________________________________
Thankyou for your time!
ror/Thriller Research Questionnaire
This questionnaire is about your views and opinions on Horror/Thriller films…
1) Gender:[ ] Male[ ] Female
2) Age:
[ ] 12-15
[ ] 16-17
[ ] 18-21
[ ] 22-26
[ ] 27-35
[ ] 35-40
[ ] 41-50
[ ] 50+
3) Occupation?
[ ] Student
[ ] Employed
[ ] Unemployed
[ ] Retired
[ ] Other, if so, please state- ________________________________________________
4) State 2 hobbies and interests of your choice?
1.
2.
5) Do you like watching Horror/Thriller films?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
6) Name 2 of your favourite Horror/Thriller films?
1.
2.
7) Is there anything you would find inappropriate in the opening of a Horror film?
Please state what you like about the opening of Horror/Thriller films and what you would expect to see in one?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
8) How often do you watch Horror films?
[ ] Not at all
[ ] Sometimes
[ ] Quite Frequently
[ ] A lot
9) What types of films do you prefer to watch? (tick 2)
[ ] Action
[ ] Fantasy
[ ] Romance
[ ] Sci-Fi
[ ] History
[ ] Thriller
[ ] War
[ ] Comedy
10) What is your preferred sub genre of Horror films? (tick 1)
[ ] Comedy Horror
[ ] Disaster Horror
[ ] Gory Horror
[ ] Thriller Horror
[ ] Light hearted Horror
[ ] Vampire Horror
11) What elements do you think are of up most importance to create tension and suspense in a Horror film? (tick the appropriate ones)
[ ] Sound track
[ ] Settings
[ ] Plot twists
[ ] Language
[ ] Props
[ ] Characters
[ ] Murders
12) Where do you think would be the best location to film a Horror film?
____________________________________________________________
13) What type of characters would you expect to see in a Horror
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
14) What emotions would you like to feel whilst watching in the opening of a Horror/Thriller film? (tick the appropriate boxes)
[ ] Enigma
[ ] Tension
[ ] Anger
[ ] Scared
[ ] Happy
[ ] No emotion
15) What do you expect to see in the opening of a Horror/Thriller film?
________________________________________________
Thankyou for your time!
This questionnaire is about your views and opinions on Horror/Thriller films…
1) Gender:[ ] Male[ ] Female
2) Age:
[ ] 12-15
[ ] 16-17
[ ] 18-21
[ ] 22-26
[ ] 27-35
[ ] 35-40
[ ] 41-50
[ ] 50+
3) Occupation?
[ ] Student
[ ] Employed
[ ] Unemployed
[ ] Retired
[ ] Other, if so, please state- ________________________________________________
4) State 2 hobbies and interests of your choice?
1.
2.
5) Do you like watching Horror/Thriller films?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
6) Name 2 of your favourite Horror/Thriller films?
1.
2.
7) Is there anything you would find inappropriate in the opening of a Horror film?
Please state what you like about the opening of Horror/Thriller films and what you would expect to see in one?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
8) How often do you watch Horror films?
[ ] Not at all
[ ] Sometimes
[ ] Quite Frequently
[ ] A lot
9) What types of films do you prefer to watch? (tick 2)
[ ] Action
[ ] Fantasy
[ ] Romance
[ ] Sci-Fi
[ ] History
[ ] Thriller
[ ] War
[ ] Comedy
10) What is your preferred sub genre of Horror films? (tick 1)
[ ] Comedy Horror
[ ] Disaster Horror
[ ] Gory Horror
[ ] Thriller Horror
[ ] Light hearted Horror
[ ] Vampire Horror
11) What elements do you think are of up most importance to create tension and suspense in a Horror film? (tick the appropriate ones)
[ ] Sound track
[ ] Settings
[ ] Plot twists
[ ] Language
[ ] Props
[ ] Characters
[ ] Murders
12) Where do you think would be the best location to film a Horror film?
____________________________________________________________
13) What type of characters would you expect to see in a Horror
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
14) What emotions would you like to feel whilst watching in the opening of a Horror/Thriller film? (tick the appropriate boxes)
[ ] Enigma
[ ] Tension
[ ] Anger
[ ] Scared
[ ] Happy
[ ] No emotion
15) What do you expect to see in the opening of a Horror/Thriller film?
________________________________________________
Thankyou for your time!
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Group discussion
In the lesson today, my group printed off our questionnaire and showed it to Mr Cramb. He said it was a good quesitonnaire but a couple of the questions just needed adjusting to enable us to get specific accurate answers to our questions in order to have the right knowledge for filming our horror opening. We then had a group discussion on people that would be in our opening and where it would be set. Our questionnaire will help us decide the setting of our film and the type of characters we would like to feature in it. We also discussed the different sub genres of horror films and which of those we would like to portray. Our questionnaire will also help us with these queries as we aim to find out what the audience would like in a horror film.
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Research
Today, we decided on the genre of film we would like to develop, we initially started by doing a mind map of existing horror/thriller films. We made a list of technical codes that are generally used in horror films and we discussed what they connote and how to use them in our opening. We researched the different codes and conventions typical in a horror film or example the settings, stereotype characters, colours and lighting. The research we have done will help us create a realistic horror opening which will have the traditional codes and conventions to help reinforce realism. Also we designed and typed up our quesiionnaire that asks specific questions to do with our genre of film, this will help us to find out our target audience and what they look for and want in a horror/thriller film.
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