Jamie's Media AS Blog

Media Evaluation – 46 Horns Lane

2010-04-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our crime thriller, ’46 Horns Lane’, has been developed on the idea of dark lighting to add suspense and mystery. This convention is used mostly in noir thrillers; such as Disturbia and Shadow of Fear. The dark lighting that is used helps to set the mood of the film, with light darkest during points of danger in the film. While the lighting used also represents the characters and their attitudes, mainly the villain - Curtis Clarke where the dark light shows his evil side. The idea for the location came from Essex Boys

and The Take,

with a British urban scene which is dimly lit with damp pavements being used in both. I chose to use this location as it signifies the gritty nature of British thrillers and reinforces the genre. The location also makes the characters seem more realistic and this is very important for audiences to identify with the characters. The idea for the costume of the villain was also taken from Essex Boys, with the character wearing sports trainers, jeans and black jumper. This shows the characters as a working class person, helping to make a connection with the audience. The camera angles used in the production develop on those used in real media products. The use of low and high angles shows the power of the character and how much dominance they have in the film.

I have used this in our own production, mostly in the closing stages, to create a fear of the villain, while showing the vulnerability of the victim. With The Take being a favourite show of mine and being highly rated by critics I decided that I wanted to represent crime in a similar way to how it was in The Take. I have used the basic idea of what The Take is based on and developed it into a new storyline.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

We have used two stereotypical social groups in our thriller, with each character differing from the way they are portrayed as in their stereotypical view made by the public. The victim in the thriller is a young male who is wearing a ‘hoodie’ along with sports tracksuits. The costume represents the stereotype of anti-social youths who terrorise their neighbours on council estates. With this character being the victim it challenges the stereotypical view that the ‘hoodie’ is always at fault and the person who is likely to commit a villainous act, not the one who is on the receiving end of it. While the fact that the victim is male also challenges the stereotypical view of males being the more dominant and stronger gender instead of females who are usually seen as vulnerable and weak, for example in films such as The Take. Curtis Clarke, the villain, has a disability with his limping leg follows the stereotypical view of disabled characters. Characters that have a disability are normal seen to be vulnerable and weak, but Paul Hunt of Stirling Media Research Institute identifies an disabled character to be evil or sinister at number 3 in the top 10. The past of the character shows that he is a strong, violent character. The ethnic colour of Curtis is white, this would of challenged the stereotypical view on the link between skin colour and crime in the 1970’s to 1980’s with black people situated with crime and seen as the problem of rise in crime.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Our media product would more than likely only get as far as being a ‘You-tube film’ or any other Internet websites. With it being a 2 minute opening to a thriller film for an A-level course production companies like Working Title Films or Warp Films would not be interested in funding and developing it into a feature film, with the exception of it being of an extreme high quality. Our film can be put up on You-tube, social networking sites and other Internet sites. These websites allow amateur film makers to put their short films up as a way of getting to get noticed, either their idea or themselves a director. With our thriller opening uploaded onto You-tube users would be able watch, rate it and then give advice/comments about what they thought of it. For the research stage of the film-making I used social networking sites to interact with people and find their beliefs on what attracts them to a thriller film, while also finding out their view on the film industry. This was done so I could make our film appealing to an audience, making them want to carry on watching the film to find out what happens at the end. I also used http://www.imdb.com/ to learn about target audiences of thriller films to see what type of people are mostly likely to be interest in watching the type of thriller that our group was making.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience that our thriller opening is most likely to appeal to is males aged from 20-35 as they are the same age of the characters in the film making a link between the audience and the characters. This is the target audience as this demographic group would find the film appealing because of the storyline is unique and exciting, but not being made excessive. A female audience may feel alienated however, as our thriller focuses mainly on male characters giving females nothing to relate or connect to. The audience would also watch crime television programmes like Spooks and real thriller films like The Bourne Trilogy because our film conforms similar aspects of these, such as the genre, lighting and narrative structure. Although with the thriller not being mainstream many viewers will judge the film without watching it as the budget is low and the actors are mainly unknown.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I researched a number of people to find what attracts them to a thriller film and films in general. I used the information that I gathered and included the features in our film to make our film as attractive to the audience as possible. When the film was finished I published our film on my ‘Facebook’ page to gain feedback. These are some of the feedback comments that I received; the use of hidden identities of characters is used well and adds mystery to the thriller making the audience ask question about how the killer got his foot injury and how the killer acquire his knife. The font used for the titles fit the genre of the film really well. The time elapses used for the tittles and action in the mise en scene are very effective. The soundtrack of the film gives it the feel of a detective film, such as spooks.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Before the project I had a limited knowledge of how to use a digital video camera. I now feel confident to use one and could easily pick one up and use it without any difficulties or problems. Digital cameras enabled me to immediately view the footage that we had just shot informing us if we had to re-shoot the scene. Using computers for editing (Adobe Premiere) allows the immediate capture of raw footage. Through reviewing this I could select the most effective sequences to include in the narrative. I have learnt massively about the importance of editing is in strutting raw footage into a readable narrative. The most important aspect of using a camera is how camera angles are used. I have learnt how they are used to project a hidden meaning, and how they effect what is happening in the mise-en-scene. I have also learnt how to use and maintain a Blog. With using a Blog I was able to store my work safely and organised while also show what I have done in a clear way, without the Blog my work would have to be shown written out on paper giving me a problem with carrying the work around at the risk of losing it all. Editing is very important in the production stage of film making, and by having to do this stage it has made me learn the importance of the narrative structure with how each shot is sequenced to tell a story clearly and effectively. The effects I have used, introducing non-diegetic sound and titles, have shown that these are a strong part of the film making process. I have merged two songs into one to go with the tempo of the action in the mise-en-scene in our production, one of the editing techniques that I have learnt along with cross cutting two pieces of video together to signify the change in the mood and atmosphere. Along with using a video camera, I also used a stills camera and a phone camera. I used these to take pictures for locations ideas for the thriller film, and to choose which location to shoot the film in. I have learnt that technology is very important in every stage of the making of a film, from planning and constructing the idea to editing the final shots and uploading onto the Internet.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

In the preliminary task that I completed, the only problem with it was the film did not fit the 180 degree rule, while the planning was very brief and wasn’t posted onto my Blog. I have realised that everything that goes into the production has to be researched and written out as a plan. With the soundtrack having to be non-copyright this made the choice of appropriate soundtrack harder of that for the preliminary when it didn’t matter if the music was copyrighted or not. The individual contributions that I made towards the film making was doing all of the editing, being at every shooting of the production that was planned while my other group member was there for half of them, and the taking of the location photos. The planning stage of thriller was shared out with my other group member who thought of an idea while I developed them into a suitable idea that we could both agree on, before I’d write them up in a suitable way to be put up on the Blog. The main strengths of the production are the soundtrack, the camera angles used in the shots and the linking between some of the shots. The soundtrack is two tracks which I merged together to suggest the build up of suspense. The merging of the two songs helps to dictate the tempo of the production. The camera angles used in the production helps to show the difference between the villain and the victim, with the villain shown as a big dominating figure in the mise-en-scene and the victim shown as small vulnerable figure. The links between the shots make the narrative structure flow helping to tell the story of what is happening in the mise-en-scene. The weaknesses of the production is the acting of the main character, while some of the shots may be seen as too dark if watched in a brightly light room. The acting of the villain is very amateur and is over exaggerated, especially the character’s limp. This takes away the fear that the character holds and should put into the audience. The problem however was overcome by using slow motion to make the over acting look less obvious and to a member of the audience who doesn’t have a high knowledge of films or media then it wouldn’t be a problem.

Our Thriller Production

2010-03-31T06:21:00.000-07:00

Storyboards for the production

2010-03-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

Final Narrative Idea

2010-03-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

The final part of our thriller opening ended like this:

Curtis walks into Jerry's flat and slowly closes the door behind him.
He then holds a sharp knife by his side, readying himself to attack Jerry.
Curtis stumbles into the kitchen of the flat.
He finds Jerry laying on the floor already dead.
In a panic Curtis leaves the flat in a hurry, going back down the stairs and up the road.

This idea was chosen as it was much easier to film than the other ideas. This idea was easier to shoot as my brother had to film as my other group member was unable to take part in the shoot. My brother has limited camera experience, so we couldn't make the shots that we wanted to complicated. The shots we were able to get though were very effective and important for the opening of out production, helping to add the generic conventions. The narrative structure works for the production as the new shots were able to fit into the production without a huge change having to be made, with the shots flowing smoothly.

Chosen Title For The Thriller

2010-03-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

The title that we finally decided on wasn't on the shortlist that we made at the beginning of the planning stage of the project. After all of the shots came together we thought of a new idea for the title and decided that this suited the production much better than any of the names that were on the shortlist.

The name that we came up with for the production was "46 Horns Lane". The idea came from the address of the victim's flat in the film. The title is short and has a sinister feel to it, putting a chill down the spine of the audience. The use of the 'horns' in the title symbolizes an evil creature like a demon or the devil. This is a connotation that some villainous and evil will happen in the place.

Permission For Soundtracks

2010-03-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

After choosing the soundtrack for the thriller production, I decided to contact the two artists asking permission to use their work. I asked them by sending them a message on myspace.com explaining my reason for the use of the music and where it would be seen. The following two messages are below with the replies from the two artists.

Soundtracks

2010-03-10T11:23:00.000-08:00

We went to http://www.unsignedbands.com/ to choose the music for our thriller. From there, we made a shortlist of songs that we could use. These are the seven songs that were on our shortlist:

Arto - August
Audio Companion - Night Pushes Through
Feral Men - Cling Onto Freedom
Hyperions Fate - Sunny Days Are Over
Dark Sonority/Jari Ylamaki - Gauzy Dark Matter
KDream - Who Killed The Cat
Unmorph - Memento Mori

After we tested them out with our film to which one worked best we decided to use Hyperions Fate - Sunny Days Are Over and Dark Sonority/Jari Ylamaki - Gauzy Dark Matter. I managed to merged to merge the two songs into one so the tempo of the music becomes faster and dark as the tension has built up and the action is about to happen. These were chosen as the soundtrack that is used first (Hyperions Fate - Sunny Days Are Over) has a slow beat that builds up the tension of the production, while it also has a eerie sense to it which installs fear into the audience. The second soundtrack ( Dark Sonority/Jari Ylamaki - Gauzy Dark Matter) has a much more faster beat and is much louder than the other, this makes sets the scene has the music starts during a important stage of the thriller. The soundtrack symbolises danger and a sense of fear, which alerts the audience that a villainous act is about to take place.

These are the links to the Myspace pages of the artists of the songs (I couldn't find some of the artist's Myspace or songs on YouTube)

http://www.myspace.com/audiocompanion
http://www.myspace.com/hyperionsfate
http://www.myspace.com/jylamaki
http://www.myspace.com/unmorphproject

Internal Ideas

2010-03-09T04:57:00.001-08:00

These were the screenshots that I made for the other ideas that we came up with, while we we were brain storming ideas. We decided that these ideas were not as good as the chosen one, hence why we did not take them any further.

Perfume advert mark sheet

2010-03-03T02:24:00.000-08:00

Mock Exam

2010-03-01T04:05:00.000-08:00

As the writing is small and difficult to read in the screenshots above, I have written my mock exam out below.

Name of film: Layer Cake
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Year Made: 2004
Genre: Gangster Thriller
County of Origin: UK
Production Company: Man Films
Certification: 15
Awards: 3 won and 8 nominated

The target audience of Layer Cake is Males from 18-29. However the demographic group that found the film most appealing was Males under 18, who voted it 7.8 out of 10. While the 'target audience' gave the film 7.6 out of 10. The demographic that found it least appealing was Females over 45, who gave it 6.9 out of 10. This maybe due to the fact there is only a few female characters in the film. The female characters that are in the film are seen as sex symbols, for example Sienna Miller's character who having only just met the man, she calls him for, while joking that she is naked on the phone. This grabs the attention of a young male, while a older female would find this insulting and be repulsed by the film, for example in a review made by a user on IMDb "This is one of those films that blokes will walk out of very pleased but their partners may not feel the same." Similar films the target audience would find appealing to is 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Snatch'. Both of these films conform to the same conventions with drugs, alcohol and women being used as sex symbols. For example from a review made by a IMDb user, "For the first 20 minutes I couldn't decide whether it was going to be a Lock, Stock or Honest."

In the opening shot, the director straight away has used the mise-en-scene to install fear, tension and violence into the film. It starts with the back doors to a van to a van, this is a generic convention savagely utilised in 'Essex Boys'; and a voice over of the main character talking the audience through what is happening, this is also utilised in 'Essex Boys'. Loud music is introduced when the back doors explode, leaving the mise-en-scene just full of grey smoke, unable to see anything. This adds tension and fear into the audience of what is behind the smoke and what is going to come out of the van. When the camera zooms out of the smoke, the audience can hear voices shouting, before seeing masked men run towards the van, while another guard with a machine gun is shouting at police to "Stay back". This alerts the audience and puts a sense of fear into them. As the camera moves round a car parked nearby, making it look like you, the audience, are running away from the danger and hiding behind the car. There is a extreme close up of a person's eyes. These show distress and fear, which immediately installs the same feeling into the audience. As the camera moves along the person's eyes the music starts to change before the camera moves to a different shot playing calm music with calm and safe colours in the mise-en-scene. This gives the sense that the audience have escaped and the mood of the film is now safe. The shot is of people sitting in a flat smoking drugs, this connotates the safety people feel when they take drugs.

There are cultural signifiers of London used in 'Layer Cake'. A review from Empire Magazine agrees with this, "captures London's essence but doesn't Americanize it. This is the first time in a while that we've seen London as it is - an affluent European capital." The shots of urban London scenery do this. While famous cultural signifiers for London are used as well, examples of these are the black taxi and the English cafe serving cups of tea and full English breakfasts. While they tell the audience about the location of the film, they also tell the audience about the characters. Being in a English cafe shows that the main characters are firmly stuck in the stereotypical view of being a middle-class citizen. While at the end of the film after the job has been completed they are eating cake and drinking tea in a big mansion, suggesting that they have 'made it' and moved up in the world to become upper class.

The narrative structure of Layer Cake uses flashbacks and flashforwards often in the film. At the beginning of the film flashbacks are used to set the situation of the storyline, with a series of 4 flashforwards explaining drug trade and how it developed dyring time. While flashbacks are also used when a character is telling a story of what happened, for example Gene (Colin Meany) telling the main character (Daniel Craig, his character isn't given a name) what happened to the Duke (Jamie Foreman) and where he disappeared to. During the mid point of the film a number of flashforwards and flashbacks are used. This is at the stage of the film where the main character realises his life is indanger, and the flashforwards and flashbacks are used in quick succession to show his stress and worry.

The location of the film is mainly London, England throught the film. The way the location is filmed advertises it as the 'Real London' to the audience, although it wouldn't make the audience rush there for a trip. The London that is shown is not the main attractions of 'Big Ben' or 'The London Eye', it shows London as a European working city. This shows that London isn't just "a concrete shrine" but a working middle class city, with the dull shades of grey in the mise-en-scene of the cloudy sky and the tall buildings.

There are many parts of 'Layer Cake' that involve stereotypical views of particular social groups. Many of the gangsters that are in the film have a cockney London accent, suggesting to the audience that 'all' cockneys are violent people. This goes along with the idea of 'Green Street, where the most violent characters are cockney, while the American is weak and vulnerable indicating that the director is having a dig at the USA. There is also a representation of the English class system, with the idea of 'Middle class vs. Upper class'. The middle class are having to work for the upper, like slaves expected to do what they are told, and the middle class try to break this by outsmarting them. There is a very strong misrepresentation, which is used in many films not just thrillers, of the evil gang from the eastern side of the world, for example countries like Russia, China, and the Middle East. In Layer Cake, all of the gangsters that are from aboard are seen as evil and the enemy, thus there is xenophobia in the film. The ideology is not a major factor in Layer Cake though, as there is no exact good or evil side, both could be seen as good or evil. The characters themselves decide to work with people at the risk of their own lives. The film is misogynist and xenophobia with the negative representation of women and foreigners.

Layer Cake reflects historical and social context to build up the storyline. The film uses explores the violent underworld of drugs and the violence of football hooligans. These subjects are still in the minds of peopele making the sense of danger higher. There is the social context of Easteners being evil because of terroism and communism. These groups are seen to evil to people in real life, so when someone from a countrywhere terrorism and communism exists they are stereotyped as evil even if they are against these ideas.

Alternative endings to our thriller

2010-02-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

With our thriller needing a more clearer, sinister way of ending we thought of two alternative endings.

Idea 1

Curtis draws a knife out ready to attack Jerry.
Curtis then walks into the room where Jerry is. Curtis finds Jerry's body laying on the floor, already dead.
In the shock of finding the body, the limping character drops the knife onto the floor

Idea 2

Jerry picks up a letter and opens it with a knife.
Jerry read the letter with the audience able to see what is written on it. There is a court date written on the letter.
Curtis walks into the flat, and picks up the knife that is on the side, the knife that Jerry used to open the letter with.
Curtis then walks into the room where Jerry is. Curtis finds Jerry's body laying on the oor, already dead.

Characters

2010-02-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is the information of the characters in the thriller film:

Main Character (Villain)
Name: Curtis Clarke
Age: Early 30's.
Job: Hit man.
Costume: Normal darkish clothes. (Black Jumper/Dark Jeans/Trainers)
History: He had a troubled past, got into trouble a lot as a child and left school with no qualifications. He was sent to prison for an attack on a old man when he was 17. In prison, Curtis was adopted by Jimmy, leader of London's most feared gang. When Curtis sentence is over he goes on the word of Jimmy on the outside, doing his dirty work and keeping his authority in order. Curtis' next job is too assassinate Jerry (the other character) so that another member of the gang is safe from the threat of a prison sentence.

Second Character (Victim)
Name: Jerry Tanner
Age: Late Teens.
Job: Sports shop assitant
Costume: Sportswear (Tracksuit/Trainers)
History: Left school with 8 qualifications, and wants to be a sports coach. Is always being a joker which ends up with him getting in trouble with the wrong people. He saw a murder take place, went to the police as a witness and is now set to appear in court. The man that he is giving evidence against is a important member of Jimmy's gang.

Type of Thriller

2010-02-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

The type of thriller that we are making is in the sub-genre of noir and crime. It is in the noir sub-genre as most of the film is dark and creepy, using limited lighting. The film is also in the crime sub-genre as it is involved in the criminal word of the gangs of the city.

The researching that I done helped to draw an idea in my head about what type of thiller we were going to do. The major factor in the films and TV programmes that I researched was the location. The location of what I researched helped with the crime sub-genre being chosen, for example Essex Boys and The Take. The noir sub-genre was chosen with the lighting seen as another major factor. The way it was used in the film made me as a member of the audience feel and react in a negative way, putting tension and fear into me, for example Disturbia.

What is an Independent film?

2010-02-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

A film that is produced mostly outside of a major film studio.
Less than half of the financing should come from a major studio.
Independent films are sometimes distinguishable by their context and style and the way in which you can see the filmmakers' personal artistic vision.
Sometimes they are made with considerably lower budgets than major studio films.
Generally, the marketing is by limited release designed to build word-of-mouth or to reach small specially audiences.
Full-length independent films are of ten showcased at film festivals such as Sundance and Cannes.
The camera angles used gives the audience more of a role in the film.

Disturbia (2007)

2010-02-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

Name of film: Disturbia
Director: D. J. Caruso
Release Date: 14 September 2007 (UK)
Genre: Mystery Thriller
User Rating: 7/10

Disturbia is a much different thriller to the others that I have researched. Disturbia is a mystery thriller set in modern 21st century following a normal teenage male compared to gangsters and thugs set in the 20th century. It doesn't start with a dark act of villainy, instead a car accident which ends with Kale, the main character, losing his father. The film isn't packed full with crime and violence, it just follows the life of Kale after he has been sentenced to 3 months of home arrest.

The film starts with a dark blank screen, and the voice overs of Kale and his father. They are talking about watching something, and not getting caught or seen. This installs mystery into the audience about what is happening, while also giving the audience an idea of what the film is about. The camera then pans out and to the right. The darkness of the mise en scene is turned to grey water, flowing with the camera. This symbolizes drowning and a body floating down the river. The scene uses only diegetic sound of the water flowing.

The shot of the car mirror looking behind at the speeding car behind gives the sense of being followed or chased by the someone. The extreme close up of the mirror gives the audience a point of view. It also makes the car seem like it's going to hit the audience, this puts a sense of danger and fear into audience. The diegetic sound of the car is thumping and controlling, having that effect on the audience and characters in the car.

The title of the film comes onto the screen after the last scene fades to darkness, while the text fades in. This symbolizes the confusion of Kale after his father's death. The only sound is of the music played in the background. The music is slow symbolizing the sadness and despair that Kale feels at his father's death. The title then fades out to a white screen, this symbolizes death and the idea of going towards the bright light of heaven. During the fade out transition, the sound of the school bell from the next scene is heard, suggesting it is like a dream waking the audience up.

With boredom, Kale starts to take an interest in his neighbours and what they get up to. During looking through the hole in the fence the mysterious Mr Turner, he starts calling out asking why something or Kale, who the director wants them to think, is there.
The extreme close up of Kale's eye makes the audience feel like he is watching them, connotating that at this stage he is the bad guy for watching his neighbours. This makes the audience think of the values of good and evil. The non-diegetic sound of the music is a long drowning noise, which puts the audience on edge. The music sounds like something is going to get you, getting closer and closer, by starting off quietly before getting louder and louder. The use of the close-ups in this scene shows the fear in Kale's facial expressions, installing fear into the audience. The camera looks through the hole in the fence, this makes the mise en scene very dark and a small glimpse of light showing Mr Turner adds mystery at what is going to happen, while also fear and danger that Kale could be in. The angle of the shot gives the idea of hiding. The scene has diegetic sound of Mr Turner cutting his grass and walking through his garden and bushes. The crunching of the leaves and branches installs fear into the audience, this goes with the rough voice of Mr Turner. This relates to the car in the second shot I revised, being controlling giving him a power over the audience, a power in which he also has over Kale.

After being suspicous of the actions of Mr Turner, Kale and his friends start to watch him and his activites during a bored day. When he comes home that night, he returns with a woman. As Kale watches, on his own, the woman seems to be distressed. Kale, watching on his video camera, tries to zoom in, but ends up putting the flash off, sparking the attention of Mr Turner.
Non-diegetic sound of the music is used to get the heart beat of the audience going, adding fear and making the audience paranoid. The music then slows down when Kale cannot see Mr Turner in the house. It does however start up again, with aa loud bang of the drums to make the audience jump, when Mr Turner is seen standing at the window. He is staring towards to the camera. This made to seem like he is staring at the audience. The cold murderous stare of Mr Turner installs fear into the audience for the safety of themselves and of Kale. The fast paced editing and the continous moving camera is also a connotation a heartbeat. With camera always moving and the angle of it gives the audience a point of view. It is connoation that the person is shaking in fear. The only diegetic sound in the scene is of Kale breathing, this gives the sense of panic and danger.

More possible locations

2010-02-08T10:53:00.001-08:00

These are some more photos that I have took for locations that we are using for our thriller or are considering using.

This is location was photographed in the last section, but this shows it more clearly and shows more of the location. The outside of the alleyway is a urban setting, with dull, boring colours used in the mise en scene.

These are the steps coming up from the path that we are using (see below). This gives the sense that the villain is coming up from hell to earth, like a devilish creature, to take someone back down with them (murder them).

This part of the path is just used for a close up of the characters feet walking so it doesn't matter if it contains the genre conventions of a thriller.

This is the path we are using to film the characters walking to the flat where the murder takes place. The path has a dirty, dark feel to it that installs fear into the audiene. It also feels away from the public, so no one could be able to hear if you got attack here adding more fear into the audience.

Primary Characteristics and Conventions of Film Noir: Themes and Styles

2010-01-25T03:47:00.000-08:00

The primary moods of classic film noir were melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia.

Heroes (or anti-heroes), corrupt characters and villains included down-and-out, conflicted hard-boiled detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf, socio-paths or killers, crooks, war veterans, politicians, petty criminals, murderers, or just plain Joes. These protagonists were often morally-ambiguous low-lifes from the dark and gloomy underworld of violent crime and corruption. Distinctively, they were cynical, tarnished, obsessive (sexual or otherwise), brooding, menacing, sinister, sardonic, disillusioned, frightened and insecure loners (usually men), struggling to survive - and in the end, ultimately losing.

Storylines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like and convoluted, and typically told with foreboding background music, flashbacks (or a series of flashbacks), witty, razor-sharp and acerbic dialogue, and/or reflective and confessional, first-person voice-over narration. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device, as was the downfall of an innocent Everyman who fell victim to temptation or was framed. Revelations regarding the hero were made to explain/justify the hero's own cynical perspective on life.

Film noir films (mostly shot in gloomy grays, blacks and whites) thematically showed the dark and inhumane side of human nature with cynicism and doomed love, and they emphasized the brutal, unhealthy, seamy, shadowy, dark and sadistic sides of the human experience. An oppressive atmosphere of menace, pessimism, anxiety, suspicion that anything can go wrong, dingy realism, futility, fatalism, defeat and entrapment were stylized characteristics of film noir. The protagonists in film noir were normally driven by their past or by human weakness to repeat former mistakes.

Film noir films were marked visually by expressionistic lighting, deep-focus or depth of field camera work, disorienting visual schemes, jarring editing or juxtaposition of elements, ominous shadows, skewed camera angles (usually vertical or diagonal rather than horizontal), circling cigarette smoke, existential sensibilities, and unbalanced or moody compositions. Settings were often interiors with low-key (or single-source) lighting, venetian-blinded windows and rooms, and dark, claustrophobic, gloomy appearances. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with deep shadows, wet asphalt, dark alleyways, rain-slicked or mean streets, flashing neon lights, and low key lighting. Story locations were often in murky and dark streets, dimly-lit and low-rent apartments and hotel rooms of big cities, or abandoned warehouses. [Often-times, war-time scarcities were the reason for the reduced budgets and shadowy, stark sets of B-pictures and film noirs.

Some of the most prominent directors of film noir included Orson Welles, John Huston, Billy Wilder, Edgar Ulmer, Douglas Sirk, Robert Siodmak, Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, Henry Hathaway and Howard Hawks.

Femmes Fatales in Film Noir:
The females in film noir were either of two types (or archetypes) - dutiful, reliable, trustworthy and loving women; or femmes fatales - mysterious, duplicitous, double-crossing, gorgeous, unloving, predatory, tough-sweet, unreliable, irresponsible, manipulative and desperate women. Usually, the male protagonist in film noir wished to elude his mysterious past, and had to choose what path to take (or have the fateful choice made for him).

Invariably, the choice would be an overly ambitious one, to follow the dangerous but desirable wishes of these dames. It would be to pursue the goadings of a traitorous, self-destructive femme fatale who would lead the struggling, disillusioned, and doomed hero into committing murder or some other crime of passion coupled with twisted love. When the major character was a detective or private eye, he would become embroiled and trapped in an increasingly-complex, convoluted case that would lead to fatalistic, suffocating evidences of corruption, irresistible love and death. The femme fatale, who had also transgressed societal norms with her independent and smart, menacing actions, would bring both of them to a downfall.

(The above piece is from WWW.FILMSITE.ORG)

Thriller Audience Research Results

2010-01-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

Interviews

What is your expectations of a Independent film?

Matt: Not that good because the actors are lower class and are not known. There is also not enough advertisement.
Beth: Lesser known actors and locations.
Izzy: No special effects used, storylines that deal with factors that mainstream films don't, and rising actors.

What is your expectations of a Mainstream film?

Matt: Good because special effects are used, known actors and SFX.
Beth: A higher budget is used and more stereotypical features.
Izzy: A common storyline and famous actors (well-known).

What is your preferred genre of thriller?

Matt: A noir thriller.
Beth: Psychological thriller, it plays with the mind.
Izzy: Noir Thriller.

What attracts you to watch thriller films? What doesn't?

Matt: The trailer has to be good, making the audience want more.
Beth: The plot has to be unique and hasn't been done or seen before. It also has to be well lit, as I saw a film before that had a good plot and storyline, but you couldn't see what was happening.
Izzy: The excitement of a thriller. Although they can sometimes be excessive.

What location would best suit a thriller?

Matt: A Basement in a old rundown mansion or old prison.
Beth: A claustrophobic/coffined space or dark space.
Izzy: An old empty warehouse.

What type of characters fit into the thriller genre?

Matt: A young, curious, innocent character who ends up getting caught up with the evil character. And the evil character who has two sides to him.
Beth: The villain that holds the storyline. The victim that goes along with the villain's idea or is stalked. There is also the innocent victim, this is usually a women character who is the femme fatale.
Izzy: The femme fatale and the stalker like villain.

The results I have gathered show that there are stereotypical views towards mainstream and independent films, where Matt's expectation of a independent film is bad because the actors are less known. While his expectation of a mainstream film are high because the actors are known and special effects are used. This shows that Matt sits very much in the mainstream audience group. Whereas the other results I got for the first two questions are very much from a all round film viewer, where they understand about the films they are watching and do not judge them based on money and popularity.

Synopsis Of Our Thriller

2010-01-04T04:17:00.000-08:00

A limping figure is walikng up an alleyway.
He leaves the alleyway and comes out onto an roadside.
The character removes a piece of paper from his pocket.
Looks at the piece of paper, audience can't see what is written.
The limping character is seen stumbling up a street towards some flats.
Character again looks at the piece of paper. Audience see what is wriiten this time, just a address is on the paper.
The audience see a close up of the road name.
Another person looks down onto the limping character from a flat.
The other perso retreats into a flat, showing the door number to the audience. This number is the same that is on the piece of paper.
The limping character is walking up a flight of stairs.
The limping character stumbles towards the camera.
Looks at the door number.
Places hand on door knob and opens. The character then walks in.
Flashforward - a bloody hand print on window.
The flat has been ruined, with flower pots destroyed, turned over table and chairs etc.
Forensic scientists are searching the flat - crime scene.
A body on the floor can be seen on the floor of the flat.
Flashback to present day.
Door is pulled closed, bloody hand print is seen.
Shadow seen leaving the scene (the flat).

Representation of gender in 'Our Friends'

2009-12-17T04:55:00.000-08:00

How does Mary change? How does this represent the wider context?

Mary seems more independent and mature since the last clip. She is currently studying for exams, which she will hopefully get a job from in a few years time. She is still scared of Tosca though, when he walks into the room she acts shifty and her body language seems scared of his presence. This represents the time where women are becoming more independent and are starting to become more equal with men.

What signs are there that Tosca and Mary hold different ideologies?

The way that Tosca is presented to the audience to be smartly dressed, arrogant and hard working . Tosca is wearing a suit to work and looks comfortable, while in the last clip he only wore a suit to a posh resturant and looked uncomfortable, it shows that he has moved up in the world and making money. While Mary is presented to be stuck at home (she is her dressing gown, we are not sure what the time of day is) studying for exams which will help her to get a job, while someone else is looking after their children and doing the housework, what Tosca believes she should be doing. This shows that Mary is becoming a independent woman.

Who is struggling with the shift in hegemony?

Both characters are struggling as they seem to have two different values to each other and it causes tension between them. Mary believes in women being more rights, making them more equal with men, while Tosca believes that they should stay at home looking after the children and doing the housework. This means that Tosca is having more trouble with the shift in hegemony as he doesn't like the new system in the country and is not accepting it like Mary is.

How are the camerawork and editing used to empasise difference in the clip from 'Our Friends In The North'?

2009-12-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

The footage begins with the master shot. This is a two shot of Nicky and Helen Windsor. They seem to be comfortable in their surroundings and are dressed smart casual. This contrasts to the next shot where Tosca and Mary are dressed smartly and do not seem to be comfortable in their surroundings. Tosca is wearing a suit which goes against the stereotype of a working class northern. Nicky and Helen are shown to be smiley and happy, this again contrasts with the shot of Tosca and Mary where seem to be awkwardly looking at Nicky as he is presenting his new girlfriend to them. The shot transitions in these shots are slow which goes with the mood of the two couples.

This is the first shot that looks onto the table rather using a two shot/over the shoulder shot. The camera angle that looks onto them makes them seem there is a gap behind Nicky and Helen, the southern, and Tosca and Mary, the northerners. This gives a awkward look to the situation between the group of people. You can tell by their body language as well that the situation is awkward as they have their hands under the table and are looking downwards.

The use of the close up in this shot makes Helen seem evil, glaring at Mary across the table as if she is looking down on Mary in a snobbish way. This also symbolises the first sense of awkwardness between the two couples. The close up of Helen's face makes her seemed closed in and trapped, like a animal caught in a trap.

This close up of Tosca happens while Helen and Mary are talking, this gives the sense that he is always involved when Mary is doing something, this gives a controlling and dominating side of him to the audience making them look at northerners as controlling and quite arrogant that they can treat women in that way. The shot also shows the daftness of his character as he is struggling to eat spaghetti, while someone like the character of Helen finds this difficult task to Tosca very easy to achieve. This shows the difference in intelligence between the two characters and between northerners and southerners.

Thriller Audience Research Proposal

2009-12-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

This is the proposal for the audience research into thriller films.

What I want to find out:
1. The audience expectations of Independent/mainstream film.
2. What is the preferred genre of thriller? E.g. Noir Thriller, Crime Thriller.
3. What attracts you to watch thriller films? What doesn't?
4. What location would best suit a thriller?
5. What type of characters fit into the thriller genre?

How I am going to find out:
1. Questionnaire.
2. Filmed Interviews.
3. Visual Poll.
4. Screening.
5. Recorded Interviews.

What I expect to find out:
1. What people think about Independent and mainsteam.
2. People's favourite thriller sun-genre.
3. The attraction of thriller films.
4. The location that puts most fear into the audience.
5. The characters that are genre conventions of a thriller film.

Possible Location Pictures

2009-12-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

These are the location pictures we took for where we could base our film:

The flat that we will use is down this road. The limping character will walk down this road towards the flat. The flats are down a hill suggesting that they are lower down in the world, like a hellish area. The location of the flats is an urban part of Norwich.

These are the stairs that go up to the flat. This shot isn't that daunting and doesn't really fit into our idea/storyboard. We may have to use some stairs from a different flat or area without making it noticeable to the audience in the film.

This is the balcony next to the flat. The flat that will be used is the one in the shot. This shows a very urban view of Norwich, instead of the bright clean city centre everyone sees.

This is the view looking down from the walkway/balcony on the second floor. This could be used to see a character walking without seeing their face, adding mystery.

These are the stairs next to the flat, the surrounding area looks very closed in adding the fear of being trapped. The lighting of it also makes the bottom of the stairs look dangerous, while the top looks safe.

This is the front door of the flat. There isn't a number on the front door, so he may have to use a different door for this purpose.

This was taken in the one of the alleyways we might use. The darkness makes it look very dangerous, while the bright light of the exit makes it look like that's a safe place. Also the lighting makes the alleyway look like 'the light at the end of the tunnel' suggesting that you could be killed in there and death surrounds the area.

This is a shot of the alleyway from the outside. It gives off a negative effect to the audience. The crookedness of the alleyway symbolizes the crookedness of the characters and the surrounding area. This gives the audience a sense of danger and fear for the safety of the characters.

This is another alleyway we could use, although this is more open than the other two. There is the symbolic sign of a street light and urban surrounding, but they don't add to the mystery of the thriller.

This is the last possible alleyway we could use. This goes very well with the drawing on my storyboard. The alleyway closes into itself, making it look like a dead end. This gives the fear of being trapped and enclosed closed spaces. It also looks a very urban setting.

The urban settings of the locations that we have looked at are similar to the locations that are used in films that I have researched like Layer Cake, Essex Boys and The Take. The locations used in these were made to make the films look and feel like a normal, working class British place and I wanted to give the same kind of feeling to come off my own production. The location in these films help to tell the audience a bit about the characters instead of using dialogue.

Prelim Video.

2009-12-06T03:17:00.000-08:00

In our film we used close ups, pan shots, over shoulder shots, two shots, long shots, extreme close ups and point of view shots. We started off with a point of view walking out of a door giving the effect it is the start of a journey. There is then a pan shot which follows our character as he walks out of the building and towards the path. The shot makes it look like it you are watching a person walk past you. This shot is important as it is the first time we see the character. The close of the feet walking makes the character seem dominating, the footage also goes with the music in the background which talks about his shoes when you see them, this gives the audience a clue about what the film is about. The long shot where the character walks right up to the camera before slowly stopping makes the audience know that he has arrived where he set out to go. When the audience see the other character sitting at the table looking towards something near the door, this isn't in the mise-en-scene, this gives them a clue what is happening before the idea is deemed right when the walking character walks into the mise-en-scene and sits down at the table.

In the construction and planning of our film we used a stills camera to make practise shots so we knew what we wanted each shot to look like. We all have good skills with using a camera so this was not a problem. For the filming of the film we used a video camera. We had practise with using the selected camera, although it still took a few times to get the shot right. We tried to zoom in and out of shots during filming and this proved to be difficulty, resulting in poor shots, shaking of the camera or zooming too far in and getting something we didn't want. There is one shot in the film where it is zoomed out and the camera shakes a lot, unfortunately we did not have time to change this. Even with these problems we did not ask or need any help with using the video camera. We used editing technology to edit the film at the end of the project. We used this to get rid of parts of shots that we did not want and put some transitions in between different shots to fade them into each other, the transitions I believe worked well and went smoothly. We put music in the background of the film and it went superbly well with the visual action that happens in the film. Even though we had not used the editing program more than once before we had no major difficulties in using it. We only asked for help with the complicated parts of the program, for example putting subtitles into the film. We then uploaded the film onto 'YouTube' and our blogs without any help apart from the help sheet for what file type the film had to be saved in. Uploading our film onto our blogs was not a problem and we assisted each other with putting it up.

Our final product successfully meets the brief apart from the 180-degree rule, where we broke this once during the conversation. Other than that we had a character that opened a door walked over to his friend, sitting down in a chair and then had a few lines of dialogue with him. We used the match on action rule with the character walking in one shot and in the next is still walking while the camera has changed it's position. We also used a shot/reverse shot during the conversation part of the film where one character is talking to the other character who is not fully in the mise-en-scene.

Perfume Advert

2009-12-03T14:02:00.001-08:00

Perfume Advert
Originally uploaded by jamie_cnsmedia

The target audience for my aftershave is aimed at young males from 15 to 24. The advert appeals to the audience as at a young age males are very interested in women. The advert shows two women standing in the background, looking at the male character. This makes the audience think that they will get attention from women as well if they wear the aftershave. I would put my target audience in the 'individuals' section of target audiencess. The type of people that it is aimed would care most about their appearance, and the style that the product they wear is seen by others, this is how they live their lifes. My advert would be shown in mens magazines, for example sport and music, on the windows of perfume shops and on public transport. This is one of the most effective ways to send out a message to young males as they are involved with the places and sources regulary in day to day life.

The use of technology helped a lot. The picture of the male character and the women characters were took in the same shot, but a picture of them was better from another picture taken so I took them out of it and put them into the picture with the better picture of the male character. I took about 5 pictures of the same shot in case something was wrong with one of them. Without the aid of photoshop it would of been very difficult to make my advert. I was very comfortable with using all the programs which helped me make my advert.

I believe that my advert is, even though I am not, in a way sexist towards women, but this is the same with all male perfume adverts. They make women look incensed by the male character in the advert, giving the sense that they are objects to men. This also shows that some young males want to treat women like that and aspire to it.

Initial Planing For Our Thriller Film

2009-11-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

The title of the film

The title of the thriller film is yet to be decided and depends on what me and my other group member believe will be a decent name which suits the film. The name is likely to be decided when the shooting of the film has been finished. These are a few name ideas we have had:

Crippling Intentions
Distorted Shadows
Crooked Shadows
The One With The Limp
The Terrace
Murder In The Dark
Addressed To You
No Need For Introductions
Murderous Memoirs
Usual Shadows
It Was Written In Blood
Secret Shade Of Shadow
Cruel Intentions
Blood Red Sky At Night, Murderers Delight
Stranglehold
Red Knife, Blue Heart
Fluctuation Of Shadows
The Comedown
Cold Case
From Dusk Til' Dawn
Shadow Sneak
Chasing Shadows
Chasing Chances
Tracker
Crippled Knife
The Block
The Scene
On The Edge

Narrative Structure

Shot 1
A limping figure is seen progressing up an alleyway, coming towards the camera. The character leaves the poorly lit alleyway to come out onto a roadside.

Shot 2
The character removes a piece of paper from his pocket (close up action). Close-up of face looking down at paper,Camera focuses on face of character. Only parts of face can be seen due to dull lit street (flickering street lights, noir lighting).

Shot 3
The character is seen stumbling up a sloped street heading towards a block of flats. Noir lighting shot taken from other side of street. (Noir lighting used to show faded effect of character outline.)

Shot 4
Like in shot 2, the character looks once again at the piece of paper (close-up) the camera sees a number which appears to be part of an address.
The camera then rotates to view the block of flats which were seen in the foreground in one of the previous shots(2). The camera then shows a close-up of a street name sign.

Shot 5
Cuts to the block of flats, where the shady, limping figure is seen from a different personnel's perspective. This character is located on the flat balcony footpath. The camera angle is an over the shoulder shot which also features the other character below him showing dominance.

Shot 6
The character retreats into a flat, the camera follows him up until the point were the door is basically shut in the face of you (engaging audience,Point of view). The camera is then looking straight at the door number of the flat, which relates to the piece of paper that the limping man has.

Shot 7
Tracking shot of the limping man, staggering up the flights of stairs during this sequence of filming there will be close-ups of the characters feet and waist upwards except face.
Poor lighting in stair well. Eerie feel to place connoting tension.

Shot 8
Have ascended the flights of stairs the character limps towards the camera like with first shot except the location has changed, he is this time on the flat walkway.
Extreme close-up of eyes, suddenly looks at the door number (extreme close up), then reverts back to eyes.
The character places the his hand on the door knob/handle and twists. Having then opened the door the character progresses through the door(pitch black nothing can be seen).
The door closes.

Shot 9
Transition of a strong flash from a camera. The camera then films from the inside of the flat, The camera immediately shows a slurred bloody hand print on the glass window Paine connoting struggle and violence). The camera then draws back to reveal the state in which the flat is in, Broken objects lay on the floor (e.g.: flowerpots). Forensic scientists can also be seen searching the crime scene.
When the camera has drawn back enough it starts to lower and a body can be seen(close-up) however the face of the murdered victim can't be seen connoting suspicion mystery.

Shot 10
Again a flash transition is used to return to the night of the murder. The door is pulled closed and the bloody hand print is seen. (close-up).
To end the filming the camera catches a glimpse of a shadow leaving the scene of the crime connoting suspicion and mystery.

Locations

Photo's of our chosen locations will be posted along with information why we chose that location on here ASAP. We already have one definite location. For the shots we need to use an flat and we have been given permission by my group member's sister to use her flat for some of the shooting.
These are the ideas that we have had for where we could film our film:

Block of flats with staircases
Cul-de-sac
Roadsides
Alleyways
Footpaths

Characters

Limping Man - The person playing the lead role would need to be male, aged between 35-55. He would have to already be suffering from a limp to make it appear more realistic.

Murdered Figure - Again a male character, this time he would be aged between 25-35(max). He would need a rough look to him as he is perceived as a 'Tough-guy'.

Photographer - Could be either male or female. Fairly young aged between (18-25), it would also help if the photographer had access to there own camera.

Forensic Scientist(1) - Either sex as it wouldn't matter as there faces wouldn't be seen. They would be dressed in White overalls and face masks.

Forensic Scientist(2) - Same brief as above for 'Forensic Scientist (1)'

Costume Ideas

Limping Man

Jeans
Trainers
White Suit (worn untidy)
Black tie (faded, loosely worn)
Black suit jacket (faded)

Photographer

Smart Jeans
Jacket (Black)
T-shirt (White)
Watch (Silver, expensive looking)
Smart shoes (Black)

Murder Victim

Old football shirt
Tracksuit bottoms (Dark/grey)
Jewellery (Chain round neck, Rings on fingers)

More planning ideas will be uploaded ASAP.

Research of 'The Take'

2009-11-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

Name Of Program: The Take (Episode 1)
Broadcast Date: 17 June 2009
Director: David Drury
Production Companies: Warner Sisters Productions
User Rating: 8.6/10
Target Audience: Males Aged 18-29

The low angle shot used makes Freddie look more important thank everyone else in the prison. The fence in front of the camera makes the audience seem trapped and worthless. The colours in the prison are dull making the prison seem sinister and, but also gives the sense of danger. This connotes the hardness of the prisoners and the storyline. The sound is of other prisoners calling Freddie's name and cheering, this shows him as an important figure in the prison and makes the audience know that he is dangerous. The other non-diegetic sound is the tension music quietly in the background. The diegetic sound in the mise-en-scene is of Freddie's slow clunking footsteps, this puts fear into the audience as if something dangerous and horrible is coming.

The camera angle makes Freddie seem like he has got the audience up against the wall, making the audience scared of him. The way he was walking up to the camera, he was strutting, also makes the audience scared of him as he seems like a strong and dangerous person. Freddie is about to see his boss and the high angle camera shot shows that he is entering a place where he has less importance than where has just been. The voice over of Freddie's boss talking about crime makes Freddie seem like he is under his control.

The dark background symbolizes the darkness of the characters, this gives the audience a clue that something bad is going to happen. The font is big and urban with a dirty look, this symbolizes the characters and where they live. The soundtrack to the credits is 'Club Foot' by Kasabian. The song has a urban feel to it suggesting where the program is located. The song gets the audience's blood pumping as if they are getting ready for a fight, this symbolizes the danger of the characters lives and gives the audience a sense of what is to come.

The lighting in this shot shows the two different worlds between the innocence of Jimmy and the violent and cocky character of Freddie. The light represents good and the darkness of the prison represents evil. The darkness of the prison show that there is a lot of evil in there. The deserted road shows that good and evil never cross each other.

The camera angle gives the sense that they are being followed by someone or being watched, this could be that they are being followed by the audience. The deserted road gives the sense that something could happen to the two characters. The dull colours in the shot represents urban London and the underworld of gangsters. All the light arrows are pointing to the exit of the tunnel suggesting something might be following them and they are in danger, the lights are symbolizing a fire exit/escape. The sound of the car echoing in the tunnel suggests there maybe two cars in the tunnel, one of which is following them. This shot is similar to the one in "Essex Boys" where Billy and Jason are driving through the tunnel. Freddie and Jason are very similar characters, they are both just out of prison after someone else got away with all the money and didn't visit them in prison. They are both angry characters and it doesn't take them much to get into or solve a problem a fight. The tunnel looks like a barrel of a gun, this suggests that the pressure (their anger) will get too much for them making them explode, not controlling their actions. This ends up being their weakness and it gets them killed. This shows the similarities between both scenes and thriller conventions.

The close up of Freddie and the tension music in the background makes the audience know something is going to happen. The close up of Freddie makes him look dominant, dangerous and strong compared to the small figure, weak figure of Jimmy in the background.

Research Of "Shadow Of Fear"

2009-11-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

Name Of Film: Shadow Of Fear
Director: Rich Cowan
Date Of Release: 14 July 2004
Tag line: Once trapped inside, it's murder to get out
Production Company: Nu Image Films
Target Audience: Males aged 45+
User Rating: 5/10

The establishing shot is of rain falling into a puddle, the rain symbolizes that that things are getting washed away, for example blood. It also gives off a dull and cold vibe to the audience. The red of the word 'Shadow' represents blood and doesn't stand out as much as the whiteness of the words 'of fear'. This is like it is lurking in the dark, waiting to attack someone installing fear into the audience. The lighting is noir with the only light coming from ahead and reflecting on the water. This makes it seem like there is something waiting in front but the audience can't see it putting fear into them. The sound is of the rain hitting the ground and the soundtrack is quiet tension music slowly building up mystery of what is going to happened.

The low angle camera shot of the main character makes him look big and dominating, and that he is in charge. He is also looking down on the audience showing that he is more important than them and as if they are worthless compared to him. The scenery of the old house gives off a spooky vibe and installs mystery into the audience. It is also a signifier of the upper class. The tension music is still quietly in the background continuing to put mystery into the audience.

The camera angle makes the audience seem like they are sitting at the table and looking over to the main character. The angle is a point of view shot which is slightly looking down on the main character, it tells the audience that he isn't the most important person in the room anymore. The tension music is starting to fade out, gives the sense that something is about to happen. The diegetic sound of the waiter talking to the main character is only just loud enough for the audience to hear giving mystery to what he said and why he is pointing to the camera. The lighting in the shot gets brighter at the top of the screen, so that the main character is in the dark at the bottom and the waiter is towering over him in the light at the top, this shows the class of each character and that the main character isn't that important as the waiter is more important than him.

The sound in this shot is nearly all diegetic, the rain on car windscreen, the windscreen wipers pushing the rain away and the car driving through the water on the road. The non-diegetic sound is the tension music that has started up again adding the fear that something will happen back into the audience. The man from the old house telling him that only the upper class are there on Tuesday nights is speaking in a voice over, this suggests that the man has control over him. The windscreen is blurred from the rain, this is suggesting that his mind is blurred with the voice over going over in his head.

In this a shot a over the shoulder shot is used giving the audience the same view as everyone else. It also makes him look evil the way he's head has been angled. The sound of the brakes puts the audience on edge with the screeching sound, even though they know what is going to happen. A small figure can be seen in the background through the windscreen, the figure looks small compared to the main character. This makes the figure seem powerless and shows his importance again that he showed over the audience. The tiny bit of light on the main character's face gives him an evil look, it seems that he is coming out of the darkness like an evil monster.

The car in this shot seems alone and isolated in the middle of the screen, this makes the car and the main character seem innocent suggesting it was an accident. There is a dark figure flying through the air, this is the person who has been hit by the car. The figure looks helpless in the air, it also seems that he is coming down with the rain and going to crash into the earth suggesting that he is falling from heaven down into hell. The figure also looks like he is crawling or sliding down the screen, this is to scare the audience as if he is some monster crawling down the screen to get them. The sound in the shot is diegetic and very quiet when the car hits the figure and the person hits the ground. This symbolizes that the main character's mind is quiet with shock. The windscreen wipers sound like a heart beating quickly, this symbolizes the shock of the main character is in and his panic of the situation. The sound of them then fades away when he realises the person is dead/the audience have seen the bloody face of the person. The sound stopping also tells the audience that the person is dead as it is like he's heart has stop beating. Tension music slowly fades in and gets louder as the main character starts to worry more about what is going to do next, the tension music is a screechy noise which puts the audience on edge like when the car brakes went on. The rain get heavier as time from when the accident happened moves on.

The high angle shot used shows that the main character isn't in control of the situation anymore. He is also seen as the same size of the dead person showing that he is also powerless now. The main character's shadow is alongside the dead body looking like it is lying alongside it. This goes with the name of the film, 'Shadow Of Fear'. Both characters are dressed in black, this represents death. The lines in the middle of the road stop from where the dead body is and where the car is. This symbolizes that everything in the main character's life has now stopped in that space. The lighting in the shot goes from dark (right of screen) to bright (left of screen), the darkness represents hell and the brightness represents heaven. The main character's shadow is going into the darkness suggesting that his soul is being sucked out and going to hell. The setting is a deserted road symbolizing that the main character is on his own and alone in the dark. The only sound that is diegetic is the rain falling, this symbolizes that his mind is empty and quiet with fear.

How Tarantino challenges the conventions of the thriller in Jackie Brown?

2009-11-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Name of Film: Jackie Brown

Director of Film: Quentin Tarantino

Release Date: 20 March 1998

The lead character in 'Jackie Brown' is a woman and is Jackie Brown, hence the name of the film. The film starts off with Jackie Brown on the right hand side of the mise en scene. The camera angle is a one shot, this symbolises that she is on her own but she can cope. She is standing still in the shot, while the screen behind her is moving, this shot gives the sense that she is moving somewhere in her life or something important is going to happen to her soon. The colour of the background is getting brighter as she moves along, e.g going from dark/dull colours to bright/happy colours. This is an symbolier that she is moving in her life, but is going from sometime bad and boring to something good and fun. The music played in the opening shot is "Across 110th Street" by Bobby Womack. It gives off a confident vibe that goes with her body language, it is also a happy song which gives her a kinda innocence about her making the audience think she is the 'good guy' in the film and wouldn't hurt anyone.

Jackie Brown is the femme fatale in the film, this can be seen in the last shot as well. The low angle camera shot makes her look strong and powerful to the audience while she is also attractive and amazing, with the camera angle making the audience look up in awe at her, like the little boy is in the screenshot.

In this shot the Statue of Liberity has a gun and is shooting into the air. Tarantino does this to suggest that America is a violent place and violence is seen as a good thing. This is also sexist to women as the women are in bikinis while they are shoting guns, this seems to make them see like a object to men.

This shot uses a few genre conventions. The lighting in this shot is noir lighting adding a sense of danger and fear into the audience. The camera angle used is low angle/worm's eye, making the two characters seem powerful and dominant to the audience. The camera makes the audience feel like they are in the boot of the car, this makes the audience feel trapped, which Sammuel L. Jackson's character makes Chris Tucker's character do and in the next scene he is killed in the boot of the car. Sammuel L. Jackson's character is more dominant character out of the two. He is more muscluar than Chris Tucker's character making him strong compared to Chris' small and weak character. He is better dressed, wearing smart clothes making him look stylish and more important to Chris' character who is wearing a plain/dirty vest. He is also carrying a shotgun which puts fear into the audience that he is going to hurt someone. The scenery in the shot is an run down part of the city in which all the low lifes live, i.e drug takers, small time criminals. The darkness of the scenery and the sound in the background make the audience feel scared and frighten.

Results For Questionnaire On Film Marketing

2009-11-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

These are the results that I got from the people who filled out my questionnaire. The amount of times the answer was chosen is the number next to the answer.

Where do you find out about the films you watch?

TV Trailer 5
Magazine 0
Interviews 1
Radio Interviews 1
Word of mouth 0
Reviews 0
Listings in Newspaper 0
Websites 3
Billboards 0

Most Chosen Choice: TV Trailer

What attracts you to watch a film after seeing the trailer?

Actor/Actress 2
Director 1
Genre of Film 6
Date of Release 1

Most Chosen: Genre of Film

What attracts you to the films you watch?

Trailer 0
Actor/Actress 2
Director 1
Genre Of The Film 5
Good Reviews 1
TV Interviews 1
Radio Interviews 0

Most Chosen: Genre Of Film

If you wanted to find out if a film was worth watching or not what would be the first place you would check?

Website Review 5
Friend’s opinion 3
Newspaper Review 1
Trailer 0
Film TV Programs 1

Most Chosen: Website Review

What do you think is the best way to market a film to people your age?

Internet 5
Radio 1
Television 2
Newspapers/Magazines 0
Word of Mouth 2
Interviews 0

Most Chosen: Internet

How much money do you think is spent on advertising?

10% 0

20% 0
30% 1
40% 5
50% 2
60% 2
70% 0
80% 0
90% 0
100% 0

Most Chosen: 40 %

From my results I can tell that people find out about films from TV Trailers, are attracted to films by their Genre Of Film, check Website Reviews to see if the film is any good, believe the best way to market a film to youngsters is the Internet, and that 40% of the film's budget is used to advertise the film.

Initial research into the habits of British Film Audiences: The Proposal

2009-11-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Questionnaire - Film Marketing
Interview - Film Exhibition

For the questionnaire I shall do 6 questions on film marketing and have 10 people to answer them. This will be the quantitative part of the research. I shall ask them these questions:

Where do they find out about the films they watch?

-TV Trailer -Magazine Interviews -Radio Interviews -Word Of Mouth
-Reviews -Listings in Newspaper -Websites -Billboards

What attracts them to watch a film after seeing the trailer?

-Actor/Actress -Director -Genre Of Film -Date Of Release

What attracts them to the films they watch?

-Trailer -Actor/Actress -Director -Genre Of The Film -Good Reviews -TV Interviews -Radio Interviews

If they wanted to find out if a film out if a was worth watching or not what would
be the first place they would check?

-Website Review -Friend's Opinion -Newspaper/Magazine -Word Of Mouth -Interviews

What is the best way to advertise a film to people of your age?

-Internet -Radio -Television -Newspapers/Magazines -Word Of Mouth -Interviews

How much money do you think is spent on advertisement of a film?

-10% -20% -30% -40% -50% -60% -70% -80% -90% -100%

For the interview I will ask one person a series of questions about Film Exhibition. This will be qualitative part of my research. They will be based on how they access films.

Research of 'Once upon a time in America'

2009-10-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Name of Film: Once upon a time in America
Director: Sergio Leone
Release Date: 1st June 1984
Funding Company: Warner Bros. Pictures
Audience Response: Average rating for the film is 8.4/10
Demographic who find it most appealing: The group that find it most appealing is males under 18.

The establishing shot of Eve is a close up (silhouette) of her framed in a door way. Noir lighting is used to create the effect of fear and danger as you just a figure at the door. The first sound is the door opening before you can see anything, this installs fear into the audience as they can't see what is happening and what is there.

The noir lighting in this shot gives the feeling of isolation and danger. We can only see her face so anything could be about to jump out in front of her. The sound used in this shot is diegetic, with only footsteps being heard and the rustling of which we hope is her coat and not someone ese's in the dark.

The sound in the background is ‘God Bless America’. This is an ironic statement about the condition of New York in the 30’s, suggesting that they were violent, making them a dangerous place to be. It also gives the audience a clue of what is going to happen next in the scene. The purpose of the shot is to increase fear into the audience. Eve looks small and vunerable in this shot making her seem powerless to what ever is waiting for her in the darkness of the room. She is seen as the same size as the bottles on the table at the sides of the mise-en-scene, this suggests that she is worthless in the big world of 'gangsters' and is important as two glass bottles.

This is the first shot in which we see Eve's face. The light gives off a warm glow which gives the sense that with the lights on Eve is safe from the danger of the dark. The light alos makes her seem like a beautiful angle, symbolizing that Eve is the femme fatale. There is no music being played at this moment int the time, this makes the scene feel eerie and adds the sense of danger and being powerless.

This shot gives a sense of mystery of what the holes are and what is under the bed. The audience want to know what is underneath, but they also know that if Eve pulls the covers up she will be in danger and willing her not to. This is a genre convention that is in most thrillers, the woman doing something which she shouldn't and the audience know that in the end she will die because of her mistake.

How Terry Winsor Utilises The Forms And Conventions Of The Thriller Genre In "Essex Boys" (2000)

2009-10-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Name Of Film: Essex Boys
Director: Terry Winsor
Release Date: 2000
Funding (Company Credits): Granada Film Productions
Audience Response: 5.9 out of 10
　
The black background behind the opening credits immediately anticipates a dark and dangerous story. The soundtrack suggests suspense.

　
　　
The first shot is generic, the chiaroscuro lighting infects the mise-en-scene with a sense of illusion whilst the enclosed space suggest claustrophobia, vulnerability and intimidation in the first two seconds of the film. The dietetic sound sets a mise-en-scene a realistic or authentic tone because the story is based on true events, but no ambient lighting indicates a “stylish interpretation” of events. The voice over brings the audience in/make them feel connected with the film because the driver is speaking directly to the audience. The setting of the shot, a garage, is full of cobwebs which increases the fear.

　
The car is going away from the camera into the tunnel, this symbolizes that the character is heading into danger. The lights in the tunnel are leading to vanishing point which shows they are heading towards no man’s land. Also gives the sense that they are heading into the barrel of a gun, this makes Jason look lost now he is out of prison. The setting in the shot is a damp, urban, gloomy streets sets a bad and dull mood in the shot, so does the soundtrack that is screeching which inflicts fear and the sense of danger into the audience.

The lighting in the shot gives the effect that the main character is in jail or heading there. It is also symbolising that now he has got the job of driving Jason around and is in Jason's world he is trapped and won't be able to get out safely, either he will end up dead or in jail. In the background Jason is placed on the main character's shoulder symbolising that Jason is the devil on his shoulder.

The purpose of the point of view shots at the going into and coming out at the tunnel are to position the audience in the car with Jason, thus increasing audience engagement. The camera shot makes it look like they're both heading into danger. This is made by the scenery, it is dull/horrible/bad going away from the bright/sunny/nice/good.

Terry Winsor uses a white van for Jason's vehicle as it is often associated with dead people and people being kidnapped. The blank scenery suggest Jason has nothing in his head, it's also gives the sense of danger. This shot is a metaphor for Jason's world.

Presentation Of The Industrial Process

2009-10-05T03:29:00.000-07:00

This is the presentation that I done in class about 'Audiences and Institutions':

How Sergio Leone utilises Thriller generic signifiers in “Once upon a time in America”

2009-09-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

First signifiers is non-dietetic sound (aural signifiers) of ‘God Bless America’ and the footsteps of Eve. This is ironic because USA is represented as violent in the next 5 minutes of action. This could be an inter textual reference “The Deer Hunter” (1979) where ‘God Bless America’ is also used ironically in the last moments of the film. The footsteps suggest fear and anxiety, like you are being followed. The establishing immediately suggests the genre because of a close up of a shadowed female in a doorway, noir lighting/chiaro scuro lighting to suggest illusion or nightmare. The femme fatale in the film is the character of Eve. A low angle shot of the cop with a gun, which he killed Eve with, makes him look more powerful/superior.

When Noodles returns to the café, Leone utilises the generic lift shaft with extreme low angle shot from Noodles’ point of view. This signifier indicates cause of danger that Noodles may face. The low angle shot uses low key lighting. There’s no sound apart from the lift shaft slowly lowering down, this creates tension. The sound of the lift is diegetic.

Calvin Klein Advert

2009-09-24T04:40:00.001-07:00

Cosmopolitan_Advert 003
Originally uploaded by jamie_cnsmedia

Please click the picture to go to the website and then hover over the picture to see the notes.

Define Media Terms

2009-09-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

These are three important terms for media and their meanings:

Connotation - Metaphorical/Symbolic meaning
Denotation - What something is
Mise en Scence - Everything in the picture that we, the audience, can see eg. lighting, costume, props, setting etc.

Welcome!

2009-09-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

I'm Jamie Allison and this is my blog for media studies AS level at CNS.

The purpose of this blog is so I can put all my media studies work up and get feedback from you :)

2009-09-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

2009-09-10T04:36:00.000-07:00