Opening credits

These are the credits (in order of apperance and relitive font size) to appear at the start of the film at the bottom of the screen as the detectives walk in:

• Albert Rendle
• Thomas Popay
• Costume design-Luke Swain
• edited by- Samuel Valente
• Producers- Albert Rendle
• director- Samuel Valente

This style and apperance of the opening credits was inspired by the opening credits to "Drive"

Provisional Research and Planning Mark

You need to revisit research posts and explore further target audience, editing, mise en scene, locations, camera compostition, sound, light, branding, use of titles, genre indicators, key moments. Create an animatic using your storyboard materials and comments on its strengths. You need to evidence your music research and choices. Post on the history of your genre. Make sure you haven't posted something without commenting on it fully. Where would a picture or a title benefit your research? 12/20

history of crime drama

Timeline
1900's

1930's

1940-50's

1960-70's

The 80's

 brought about several new versions of the mystery film as well as the re-emergence of the film noir genre from the 40's, in a new style of film known as Neo-noir erotic thrillers, this added to the moody atmosphere with more sexuality being explored in the films and more and used a lot of sexually explicit scenes, the best film of this genre was Sea of Love with Al Pacino. Other film styles that became popular in this time period was military and Police films, which were complex films based around military matters, cover-ups and conspiracies, some of these films include State of Play, The general's daughter and Bloodwork. These also led to the introduction of period piece films based around LA in the 40's and 50's, these often had some message about current problems. LA confidential was probably the best of these films because it won 2 academy awards and was nominated for 9.
The 60's and 70's was were the period of 30's films were being made tributes, with many films going back to the old times of more classic detectives like Sherlock Holmes, but the lead film in this period was Chinatown by Roman Polanski, this film is considered as one of the best mystery films ever made and it won 9 awards. The film was also credited with providing more awareness of the water issues involving Los Angeles during the 1910's.
Humphrey Bogart was one of the major actors and influencing figures of this genre, as he was able to fit into the cruel and violent world many of these films were based in, the clip above was from one of his films 'In a lonely place' this film was one of the first psychological films.
During the 40's and 50's the genre took a much darker tone due to the second world war. This lead to an increase in macho, tough guy detectives who were almost as bad as the bad guys they were meant to be catching, the genre began adding new crimes such as corruption, making them appeal more to the audiences as corruption was a major issue in the US at this time and tales of corrupt businesses during the second world war fuelled this idea.
In the 1930's many films came out with a detective that used Denouement, which is were the detective pools together all the clues to discover who the real bad guy is, this time period was also a period of so-called Gentlemen detectives who don't use violence but intelligence to solve murders, they normally carry no weapons and have eccentric personality's, however this style of detective only survived until 40's as the relative success as films like 'The Kennel Murder Case' were very popular and successful. But the introduction of tough detectives who used more brute force made audiences more excited.
This is one of the very first examples of mystery films, despite Sherlock Holmes being unrecognisable, it was one of the first films to be based on a book or novel, most mystery films of this period were being based on novels such as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
The crime/mystery genre is a sub-genre of crime films, in which a investigator has to unravel a mystery, usually based around some kind of murder. The earliest mystery film was a 30 second film of the classic Sherlock Holmes, made in 1900 and registered in 1903 by Arthur Martin.

Media makeup tutorial

we used gelatine to create a fake layer of flesh on the face of the actor playing the dead body, we did this by placing the gelatine in a bowl with hot water  allowing the gelatine to absorb the water so that when the gelatine is placed in the microwave (for 10 seconds) to melt it does not burn. once the gelatine has melted we had to wait a little while for it to cool down so that it would not be runny but instead would be like a gloppy slimy substance which is very sticky; if the substance was too runny it wouldn't stick to the dead persons face instead it would just run of onto the floor. it is important to get the consistency of the gelatine correct; if the gelatine has cooled down too much it will form a solid structure again and won't be able to be placed onto the dead persons face (unless re-heated) and if the gelatine is still really runny then it won't stay on the dead persons face. once the gelatine is at the correct consistency it can be placed onto the dead persons face or any other area which wants to be seen as a cut/scare, the gelatine should be applied using a t-spoon the gelatine should then be left to set on the face but whilst it sets you have to use the back of the t-spoon to grab the sticky gelatine and lift it up this adds the texture to the flesh and also looks like skin has been pulled off. After adding the texture to the gelatine the gelatine should be in a solid form on the face of the dead person by now so the actual makeup can now be added. The first layer of makeup we used was the red as that is the lightest colour and can be covered easily by a darker colour. next we used blue and red together to form purple which we then added to the create the second layer this made the gelatine then look like flesh with blood underneath also it allowed us to make half of the dead persons face look bruised. lastly we added a tiny amount of black which outlined the gelatine making the flesh stand out more also it  made the gelatine look darker (as blood is not bright red it is normally dark red) also the black made the bruise come alive to make it more realistic.

crime genre research

Film diary 3

 

On Friday 10/01/14 i am going to be filming/ taking pictures of how i made the make up for the dead body to do this i am using my video camera which can film and take pictures.

At the moment in the lessons we are editing the footage that we have filmed already so that we can see what we need to re-film (if we do need to). In the editing we are cutting the shots down so that they flow smoothly when played (one shot links well with the other) we are also getting rid of bad footage that is either too wobbly or doesn't link well with the other shots around it.

influences and issues of film production

we planned to go last weekend which was the 7/12/13 and film the rest of the film that we needed however we could not as Sam fell ill and had to go to hospital so we couldn't film that weekend we could have done it the next day but i was busy doing family things and Sam was still ill. We now plan to go this weekend 14/12/13 and hopefully get all the filming done. Another problem that set us back was the fact that our main actor Albert could not make it and he was our main actor and we were using his camera so we couldn't film at all last weekend. when we did go out and film 17/11/13 we couldn't find any police tape which meant we had to delay further however we managed to go to B&Q and find some electrical wire tape which when cut in half looked similar to police tape we also managed to find a instillation suit which looks similar to forensic suits so we used that to create a crime scene feel towards the audience. Our media lessons switch between two classes and only one of those classes has the right computer software to edit our footage so it is taking longer than usual to edit our film together which is setting us back even further.

Filming vlog

This filming vlog will be about setting up the case for filming

Film diary

so far we have filmed the opening shots of our film and one of the last shots this is because we had to borrow a police vest and we had a limited time to use and film the vest so we filmed all the shots that the vest would be in so we can carry on filming without the vest another day. we practiced each shot at a different angle with a different method of doing a continuous shot, methods like trying to use a bike to follow the characters as they walk in to the crime scene or using a tripod and holding it by hand trying to keep it steady as the camera follows the characters or maybe just holding the camera on its own seeing which one would be the most steady. as it turns out it was more steady using the tripod because with the bike it was too low and still too bumpy and using the camera with just your hands was too wobbly so the tripod added balance to the camera so we went with that. we couldn't find any police tape to tape off the crime scene so we used electric warning tap and cut it in half so it would only say caution on it and it looked really good it even fooled people walking past to think that it was a real crime scene.

Filming vlog

This filming vlog will be about Setting up the crime scene for filming

Filming problems we faced

we ended up not being able to go film part of our film on Friday or Saturday so we ended up filming on Sunday instead we were able to get the first and last shot done it took us a while because we had to try and get it as steady as possible so we were basically doing the same shot over and over again seeing which one was better we found that using a tripod and carrying it backwards because it allowed balance whilst walking backwards so there would be less wobble.

Timeline

6th September - Started AS level media coursework

First time we learnt about the course and what kind of media product we would have to make, also set up the blog, learnt about how to analyse opening 2 minutes.

11th October - Preliminary task completed

Learnt several filming techniques including shot reverse shot and Match on action, it was also our first use of the school cameras.

9th November - Initial filming shots and planning shot ideas

Produced ideas about how to use our location to the best we can, also decided what kind of shots we will use and how we are going to film.we went to our film locations and practise filming the shots and scenes that we plan to use in our actual filming this is so that if we make a mistake we have time to think about it and make changes if need be so that when our actual filming comes round we know exactly what we want to do so we will be more organised this way we don't waste any time and this means the extras in our film will be happier as we wouldn't have wasted any of their time whilst filming.

17th November - First filming weekend

30 seconds of filming produced. Began editing in class over the week, also tried to come up with institution name and the font we will be using.

7th December - Final filming weekend where we filmed most of the shots during the day and the flashback shots in the evenings.

Monday 10th December - We have now got our filming footage and we are now editing the footage and trimming it so that each shot has good continuity. We produced about 6 minutes of footage and is currently being edited down to 2 minutes in class, we also produced our own non-diegetic sound for use in the film.

Script

Witness: please! Come quick, I've found a body by the bridge, I think he fell.

Cut

Detective 2: you should really stop smoking you know.

Detective 1: My family thinks so too, Maybe a new year’s resolution?

Officer enters scene

Detective 1: Morning officer.

Officer: Sir, the body’s over there in the corner, initial reports are here along with forensics reports,

, this looks like a weird one sir.

Detective 1: Alright, I’ll take a look.

Cut

Detective 1: What’s this?

Throws/catch cut

Detective 1: What’s in there?

Detective 2: Diamonds.

Detective 1: Looks like robbery wasn't the motive.

Cut

Detective 1: What’s this? Huh, foreign licence.

Cut

Detective 2: So what was the killer actually after then?

Cut

Detective 1: I don’t know but I plan to find out, there’s a blood trail over there, looks like something was dripping the victim’s blood.

Cut

Detective 2: Let’s see where this leads.

Cut

Detective 1:  What’s that? Looks like a briefcase or something.

Cut

Detective 2: there it is

Cut

Detective 2: So what do you think happened?

Detective 1:  Well…

Narration of flashback begins

Detective 1:  The killer knew the victim would be there, so he waited for him and simply took him by surprise and pushed him off the bridge later throwing the case in the river.

Narration of flashback ends

Detective 2: that makes sense, but what’s in the case?

Detective 1:  Let’s find out.

Cut to opening of case

Detective 2: Shit.

filming vlogs

This filming vlog will be about the Gelatin fake cuts on the victims face

titles

Film title

 

 

Our title is called the case. straight away the audience can see that our film is a crime thriller this is because by reading the title they automatically link the word case with detectives which links to crime and they understand that it is a thriller because of the font style which is in the middle of horror and crime which gives a kind of psycho appearance of the film towards the audience. we wanted to use this kind of style because it clearly shows what genre our film is and it is kind of a window in to what our film is about for the audience because it shows the audience that our film is going to include blood and violent scenes this also prepares the audience for the film which will raise the tension of the opening scene; the audience our thinking about what is going to be in the film which gets them worried. our title is similar to other crime films because most crime films have thin text so this also allows the audience to recognize the font as crime also most thrillers have a kind of scratched/scribbled text that gives off a kind of psycho vibe towards the audience this is similar as our title so the audience can also recognize our title/film as a thriller (crime thriller)

institution research

For my institution research I plan to research institutions that are famous for producing crime thrillers to use in conjunction with a fiction institution i will create. I will also use other institutions as inspiration for my own institution.

Candidates for real institutions are:

-Summit entertainment.

Summit entertainment would be used due to their experience in crime mystery field having had a major role in the production of memento, a film with very high ratings, as well as having strong roles in many other significant films.

-New line cinema

new line cinema would be used as they have good experience in crime mystery field having had a major role in the production of seven, a film with very high ratings, as well as having strong roles in many other significant films.

-Warner brothers.

Warner brothers would be used as they have good experience in crime mystery field having had a major role in the production of the popular Sherlock Homles films as well as having strong roles in many other significant films. They also are arguably the most famous film institution in the world.


Fabricated institutuion research ideas:

- Last post studios.

Last production studios is create from a combination of the first letters of each of our names Luke, Ashley,Sam and Tom. the Post part of the name came from the famous wartime song the last post.

Our production company name 

We have decided to create our own production company for our film instead of using a already existing film company. Our production company is going to be called last post studios we were going to make it last post production however by coincidence it is already a film company so we had to change it from productions to studios. To come up with the actual name of our film we took the first letter from each of our forenames and re-arranged it to make the word LAST (Luke, Ashley, Sam, Thomas). Our actual logo of our film production company is a bugle this is because the bugle is the instrument which is played at the funeral for fallen soldiers the traditional song which is normally played is the last post which is also where we got the name from.

Film title

Our title is called the case. straight away the audience can see that our film is a crime thriller this is because by reading the title they automatically link the word case with detectives which links to crime and they understand that it is a thriller because of the font style which is in the middle of horror and crime which gives a kind of psycho appearance of the film towards the audience. we wanted to use this kind of style because it clearly shows what genre our film is and it is kind of a window in to what our film is about for the audience because it shows the audience that our film is going to include blood and violent scenes this also prepares the audience for the film which will raise the tension of the opening scene; the audience our thinking about what is going to be in the film which gets them worried. our title is similar to other crime films because most crime films have thin text so this also allows the audience to recognize the font as crime also most thrillers have a kind of scratched/scribbled text that gives off a kind of psycho vibe towards the audience this is similar as our title so the audience can also recognize our title/film as a thriller (crime thriller)

costumes vlog

Need our group to send in photos

list of shots featured in film

birds eye view- used as a establishing shot at start of film.
long shot
medium
close up
extreme close up
low angle
tracking shot-Used in second scene
Two shot
shot reverse shot
match on action

film breakdown

the case

Genre: crime/murder investigation.

Basis: Two detectives solving mystery of a man pushed off bridge and had hand cut off for what the detectives find out was a briefcase(The case) which will become a point of question for the audience as they won't find out what is actually in the case until much later.

Planning Targets

By the end of term everything should have been filmed and put into a timeline and all of the research and planning must have been put on your blog.  You need to comment on things like your questionairre results so I knwo you understand them and you need to evidence much more planning - its hard to see what's being planned as a film based on your blog - it is inadequate at the moment Sam.  Photos and video-blogging of what you're doing is needed and when you film you need to video-blog too, along with interviews of actors, script and storyboard.  You need to evidence palnning your music and you need to show the titles you're going to use.  There is a lot to do between now and Christmas!

sound research

We looked into fast paced music used in action scenes of films and found that short, repetitive and fast music. we have decided to create our own music and so have created a short piece to be repeated throughout the short action scene in our film.

Other Sounds we will use include the ambient sound of birds to represent the early mourning the film is based in.

Sound research

We are planning on using software on the computer which allows us to create the precise sound we need for our film this way it is not copy right and it is our very own music that we created. There are different types of software that allows us to create our own music however not all of them give us the full independence we need to create our own music. one of the software's that we considered was e-jay dance 3 this software allows us to easily create a sequence of music however it only lets us create a sequence using the beats and rhythm that the software gives us this wasn't good we couldn't find a good sound that would go with the film so we decided to try and find another software which would allow us to create the sound we wanted. after a long search we found a website on the internet which would allow us to create music like e-jay dance 3 however you could change the pitch and the volume of the music however like e-jay dance 3 it didn't allow us to create the sound we wanted so we went to music and asked about how we could create our sound and we were told about a software which would allow us to specifically allow us to create a sequence of music using different instruments and change the pitch and volume of the music but unlike e-jay dance 3 and the website the software allows us to control the pace of the music so we can control how fast we want it which is perfect for when we have a chase scene. We wanted to have a sound in the background when a chase scene occurs so that it would make the audience get excited and interested in the film so we decided to have a fast beat snare from the software and because we can control the pace of the music this was possible.

classification research

Universal rating
All audiences admitted but cannot contain anything inappropriate for children.

Parental guidance rating

All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for young children. May contain mild language and sex/drugs references. May contain moderate violence if justified by context (e.g. fantasy).

12A rating

  Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for very young people. Those aged under 12 years are only admitted if accompanied by an adult, aged at least 18 years, at all times during the motion picture. However, it is generally not recommended that children under 12 years should watch the film. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, infrequent strong language and moderate violence, sex references and nudity. Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sexual violence may be implied or briefly indicated.

12 rating

 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. Nobody younger than 12 can watch.

15 rating

Only those over 15 years are admitted. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, frequent strong language and limited use of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may be shown if discreet and justified by context. This what we will aim for our film to be rated as.

18 rating

Only people over 18 are admitted. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and explicit sex references along with detailed sexual activity are also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context. Very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence is usually permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is eroticised or excessively graphic.

Preliminary task

Waiting for this

Title research

Intial ideas for the title came from the title of the films se7en and momento.

these fonts reprented the nature of the crime as being written in a scribble as if it was done by a phsycopath.

costume research

Needed:

Detectives
- Main detective suit should be slightly eccentric but formal. e.g. Patrick Jane from 'The mentalist'

- sidekick detective suit should be professional and formal.

- These suits were chosen to conform to stereotypes created by other crime media such as:

enter image

Police
-Black police vest can be borrowed.
-Black trousers and white shirt worn.

Extras
-Press will be wearing slightly unusual clothes.
-Forensics will be wearing disposable white suits.
-witness and other civilian roles wearing casual clothes.

mood board

This mood board was created to show a representation of crime thrillers and how our film will  follow its conventions.

Audience questionare

audience profile

The audience profiling rule is a guideline regarding the on-screen position between a character and another character or object within a scene. The axis runs between the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be to the right of the shots position, while the second will always be to the left of the shots position to avoid disorientating the audience.

this rule should also apply to a character or object moving, for example, if a man was walking and being filmed from the left side and so walked off frame to the left , the man should come back onto frame in the next shot from the right and continue to be filmed from the left. this always applies unless the director wishes to create a sense of time passed between shots.

location research

This was our fist idea for location.

originally our location was 30 mins away and we realised it would take too long to get there if we wanted to re shoot a bit of footage even the tiniest bit so we decided to go for a location in our local area for this reason we decided to film in the local area which just so happened to have a suitable bridge.

one problem that could arise whilst filming could be the road next to one of our scenes this could produce sounds of cars passing and this might mean that the audience can’t hear what the characters are saying .Another problem could be that because the crime scene is on a public footpath people out for runs or walking their dogs may need/want to get past this may force us to take longer filming then it would normally. we are going to use the camera angle to make the victim appear as if he is falling off the high bridge when actually he is falling of the town bridge which isn't high this means that the actor playing the victim will be safe when falling off the bridge and the viewer will think that the victim has fallen off the high bridge. originally our location was 30 mins away and we realised it would take too long to get there if we wanted to re shoot a bit of footage even the tiniest bit so we decided to go for a location in our local area. in the crime scene there is a lot of over grown plants and shrubs this gives the viewer the impression that they are in the country and that it is normally a dark and dim place.

We filmed our film in two locations the first location was the town bridge leading to Bridge Street this location was used to film the victim falling off the bridge. we thought it would be best to film it when it was dark but we didn't want it to be so dark that you couldn't see the characters so we filmed it at dusk just as the sun was going down however it still was too dark so we are thinking on going back there to re film it at an earlier time. The bridge was perfect because it matched another bridge further down the river however it was smaller so we were able to use certain camera angles to make it seem like the victim is being thrown off the big bridge when actually it is the small bridge. there is part of the bridge that goes over grass and it is low as well so we were able to hold the actor playing the victim up on the edge of the bridge so it seemed like he was hanging on by himself so the small bridge allowed us to give a more realistic effect on the murder of the victim.

the second location which we filmed was underneath the second train bridge by the river mole it is the 3rd bridge down from the town bridge and made a perfect spot for filming where the victim fell as the bricks matched the ones on the town bridge and it is all over grown with graffiti on the walls making it look run down and it just so happened that there was a fence that had fallen down so we decided to use that as an advantage and make it look like the victim landed on it giving the viewer an idea of how high the victim fell from. another reason why under the train bridge was a perfect spot was because it was next to the river this meant that we could include more in our shot when filming the victim holding on to the side of the bridge because the scenery around the two bridges are more or less identical they both have tall trees around them and they both have the river mole under.


one problem that could arise whilst filming could be the road next to one of our scenes this could produce sounds of cars passing and this might mean that the audience can’t hear what the characters are saying .Another problem could be that because the crime scene is on a public footpath people out for runs or walking their dogs may need/want to get past this may force us to take longer filming then it would normally.

Storyboard

paranormal activity 2 opening

The first thing that comes up is a black screen with white writing saying “Paramount Pictures would like to thank the families of the deceased and the Cartsbad police department”. This immediately implies to the audience that the events are real and that Paramount is a big name so people will automatically think that it is good as they have that big name supporting them. I think that it was effective that it was on a black background as you would associate that colour with a spooky feel which matches up to the genre of horror. Also by saying the families of the deceased and the police department that also makes the audience know that something bad is going to happen and that it will be scary, this also keeps the audience on the edge of the seats.It also comes up on the screen that it was set in Carlsbad, CA this tells us the location and that the characters will be American. It goes straight into a point of view shot with handheld camera this makes it scarier as it is then more realistic. First you hear the character holding the camera before you see her which gives you the suspense what she looks like but you can tell by her voice that she is a teenage girl who comes across as very upbeat and happy. She then shows us the outside of her house which is a nice house which lets us know that she is from a rich background and has got a nice life. I think that this is a typical code and convention of a Horror film as they make out that everything is perfect and that they are really happy but the abnormal things happen to them. You then see a car pulled up and she is happy to see them by the tone of her voice as it is happier, we then get introduced to other character who are the mum, dad and baby the camera really focuses on the baby as it puts the audience on edge as the baby is vulnerable and you know that something bad is going to happen.The parents come across as really loving and normal which makes us as an audience like them and be on their side. Also it gives the imprecations that they have got a very good family life. It then goes inside the house still as the girl point of view when other character gets introduced which is the nanny this reinforces the fact that they are a wealthy family if they can afford a nanny and this also confirms that the girl is a young teenager as she is not old enough to stay in the house alone. It then has a jump cut to the mum and baby where it is showing that the mum is being very protective and doesn’t want to put the baby down.

Notting hill opening

At the beginning of the film we see a  slow montage of the famous actress Anna Scott to calm music, this shows her to be glamorous and well off. the next scenes show contrast to this with william being a unsuccesful book shop owner This helps raise early questions for the audience such as is it possible for a someone so glamerous to fall for an common guy?
we continue learn about William, as he talks about meeting Anna. We learn that William was left by his wife and now lives with his friend Spike. This introduces the ordinary character of William and also the wound that he suffers that has created a psychic scar that makes it difficult for him to find love. We meet William at home with Spike as they talk about romance. Spike has clearly different views about it as he wears different t-shirts with differing slogans. This shows the sad existence of William clearly wants love but unable to open up to it. Spike in contrast has a character all too eager to embrace his sex life. But William is clearly romantic and looks for good things in life.
Next William is at work in an unsuccessful book shop. Anna Scott happens to walk in. Same time a customer tries to steal a book. William threatens to call the Police then lets off the thief. Thief asks Anna for a date but is turned down before he leaves. Wiliam’s character is shown to be weak. He cannot go through with his threat. Even the thief has the courage to ask Anna for a date, William does not.William’s shop assistant friend returns to show he is obsessed with famous people but unknowledgeable. This is the inciting incident that changes William’s life when Anna walks into his shop. Character is unsuccessful running the shop in contrast to Anna’s success. He is clearly a forgiving man by letting off the thief which makes him more likeable. Anna is not about to fall for any thief. William’s shop assistant friend highlights the culture of celebrity and how some people embrace it. Anna buys a book and leaves showing William’s task will not be that easy.
William leaves the shop to fetch coffee and bumps into Anna spilling coffee on her. He offers her his place to clean up. This is an important plot point that they are forced to spend more time together.

Love Actually

 soft non-dietetic music is played immediate which indicates the storyline following by giving off a tranquil feeling to the audience. The same music is played throughout the sequence and due to the fact the pace and tone stays identical, a comforting approach is once again handed to the audience, this instantly knocks out the possibility of the film being orientated around a thriller or crime. 30 seconds into the clip, a man starts to talk; everything he says is associated with love and this, for the audience, is the final clarification of the genre in hand which is obviously romance. "When the planes hit the twin towers, as far as I know none of the people on board were messages of hate or revenge, they were all messages of love, if you look for it I've got a sneaky feeling you'll realise that actually love is all around." This is one of the lines which the speaker reads, and for the reason that this was a very sensitive issue to be raised for a large number of the population we can tell that the film is going to be somewhat emotional, and evidently as real life as possible which makes the audience want to watch on to identify with themselves personally, referring to the uses and gratification theory.Secondly, the camera movement holds a great influence in demonstrating the genre. By specifically choosing a long shot of two people hugging to open the scene, we promptly gain an insight of the devoted and affectionate relationship between the two. The camera then cuts away a number of times to show a variety of diverse people in equivalent situations, all hugging and kissing one another. This is the point in which the camera zooms in to the blissful faces of these girlfriends,boyfriends,friends,mothers and fathers which generates narrative enigma with curiosity of why these people are so contented and warm within this situation. This similarly links in with the representation of the characters, as the stereotypical American lifestyle is portrayed as being joyful and grateful of those around them, which is reinstated in the screen shots of the people appreciating life below.

silver linings playbook

 soft non-dietetic music is played immediate which indicates the story line following by giving off a tranquil feeling to the audience. The same music is played throughout the sequence and due to the fact the pace and tone stays identical, a comforting approach is once again handed to the audience, this instantly knocks out the possibility of the film being orientated around a thriller or crime. 30 seconds into the clip, a man starts to talk; everything he says is associated with love and this, for the audience, is the final clarification of the genre in hand which is obviously romance. "When the planes hit the twin towers, as far as I know none of the people on board were messages of hate or revenge, they were all messages of love, if you look for it I've got a sneaky feeling you'll realise that actually love is all around." This is one of the lines which the speaker reads, and for the reason that this was a very sensitive issue to be raised for a large number of the population we can tell that the film is going to be somewhat emotional, and evidently as real life as possible which makes the audience want to watch on to identify with themselves personally, referring to the uses and gratification theory.Secondly, the camera movement holds a great influence in demonstrating the genre. By specifically choosing a long shot of two people hugging to open the scene, we promptly gain an insight of the devoted and affectionate relationship between the two. The camera then cuts away a number of times to show a variety of diverse people in equivalent situations, all hugging and kissing one another. This is the point in which the camera zooms in to the blissful faces of these girlfriends,boyfriends,friends,mothers and fathers which generates narrative enigma with curiosity of why these people are so contented and warm within this situation. This similarly links in with the representation of the characters, as the stereotypical American lifestyle is portrayed as being joyful and grateful of those around them, which is reinstated in the screen shots of the people appreciating life below.

saw 5 opening

Minority report opening

In the opening sequence of Minority Report we see what looks to be a distorted flashback of a brutal murder, as a woman and a man are brutally killed, then man being stabbed in the back with scissors, and then the woman stabbed with the scissors repeatedly. The setting then goes back to the present  and we see one of the ‘precogs’ which are three mutated humans that can see into the future. We then see John Anderton walk through the police headquarters. The audience are automatically introduced to a couple kissing, so are positioned to like them from the start making them the protagonists. The audience are positioned to like John as he is made out to be a superior character of high power through the way he is smartly dressed, and greeted by a black character as he walks through the office. The opening sequence reveals that the film is definitely set in the future, through the use of superimpose telling us that the film is taking place in the year 2054, but the set itself also looks futuristic, with alot of glass in the building, and high key lighting mainly. A close up of the couple kissing is used as an establishing shot, showing their affection for each other, which then fades into a close up of a pair of scissors, which as we later see proves to be the murder weapon of the antagonist. A two shot is used showing the woman being stabbed, which then leads to numerous quick cuts of her husband, somebody drowning in a bath, and finally to a close up of her eye, this merges into the eye of a precog, seamlessly taking the audience to the present and the setting for the film. The rhythm of the editing through the opening sequence changes throughout, with some parts using temporal ellipsis, for instance as the murdered is walking up the stairs, and some scenes using temporal extension, such as when the man is stabbed in the back as he trys to get away. The non-diegetic music within the opening murder sequence has a dark and murky sound to it, created by mostly string instruments and some drums, the tempo shows parallel sound as it changes in order to match the action on screen. The volume crescendo’s as the murderer is walking up the stairs creating tension and suspense for the audience. The diegetic sound of the scissors being used to stab the woman is amplified to add intensity to the scene, other diegetic sounds such as splashing as someone is being drowned are also amplified for the same effect. The opening sequence to Minority Report clearly sets out the tone and setting of the film, but does so without giving away a huge amount of the plot, but gives enough for the audience to feel the atmosphere intended to be created, and get an insight of what the film is about.

bourne Identity

The first thing we notice in the first shot is sound. Lightning/wind and rain drops are classic elements of thrillers such as in witness the damp streets with the gangs presents the criminal activity well. The lightning is used like a roar to scare. The wind sends a cold chill to the viewer, leaving them feeling insecure and uneasy. Raindrops also ad an uneasiness about the scene, the audience could almost feel the rain on them. Furthering on in the shot strings can be heard, creating a tense and dark atmosphere. Once we enter the boat foreign voices can be heard which leave the viewer questioning where they are from, which is also a cultural signifier as to where they are and can establish a setting. The conversations going on set a mysterious mood. Another main element is the deep bass which proceeds with the strings. This goes well with the roaring lightning and thunder. The viewer is then drawn in with this bass line also giving a tense mood. The clattering and tinny sounds of surgical instruments being moved have a clinical and cold feeling to it furthering elements of coldness and mysteriousness. The sound break featuring Bourne shouting and attacking the man alerts the audience and wakes the silence.Another key aspect in thrillers is lighting. Lightning in the Bourne identity is presented in the lighting dark gloomy cabin rooms and shady silhouettes. From the first shot Bourne can be seen floating as a silhouette on the water. This gives a very mysterious feel to make the audience question who it could be. Lightning together with the sound seems very menacing. This adds shock and awe. The waves of flashing light seem as is Bourne is some kind of monster. The small amount of lighting on the boat ads a warm feel and a good contrast to the outside and sets a happy feel on the boat. From this the audience can recognise safety. Camera angles are possibly the best way to put the audience in the action. Going back to the first shot, the viewer is set under water in a claustrophobic space far below the surface (worm’s eye view). Giving a slight discomfort to the audience. A long shot of the boat presents loneliness and seclusion from any surroundings. A first person shot from Bourne on the floor puts the audience in his place for an added authenticity of the scene.Close ups such as the knife on Bourne together with the piercing tare of the wet suit adds an element of fright and horror. Added to all these effects are props. These can give the audience different emotions of fright, security and horror. The rickety fishing boat adds grittiness to the scene and insecurity for the audience. Entering the cabin we notice cigarettes wine and cards, three things we relate to sins gambling drinking and drugs. This presents a negative first impression of the crew and makes the view feel furthermore insecure. The surgical tools gives an element of horror to scare the audience. Characters are furthermore an element of danger or security. Bourne lying on the bed seems to be some kind of monster like Frankenstein with the lighting going on the background and doctor operating on him also with objects place in him like a machine making him seem very mysterious.It can relate to Frankenstein in that he himself has been rejected by his owners to. From the objects in his back we can identify him as strange or different with some kind of motive. The doctor we can identify as French from his name and language seems kind and caring so the audience can feel safe with him.

Sherlock holmes (2009)

Black hawk down opening

horror conventions

romance conventions

Action film conventions

Actor interviews

                              
I asked the actors i plan to Feature in the film on their favourite genres actors and directors and filled their answers into this table.


                           Albert Rendle                Thomas Popay                 Luke swaine

Favourite                                                                                                                                                    
Drama-            prince avalanche             Pursuit of happiness         Shawshank redemption                   
Action-            dark knight                      Skyfall                              Skyfall                                             
Sci-fi-              moon, gravity                  Serenity                            Star trek: into darkness                    
Comedy-         21 jump street                 This is the end                  Shaun of the dead                            
Adventure-      3:10 to Yuma                 Inception                           Indiana Jones : last crusade            
Thriller-           Oceans 11                      State of play                               Oceans 11                              
Genre-             Crime                              Action                               Action adventure                            
Male actor-     Heath Ledger                  Idris Elba                          Harrison ford                                   
Female actor-  Maggie Gyllenhaal        Maggie Gyllenhaal           Angelina Jolie                                 
Director-         Christopher Nolan          Christopher Nolan             Steven Spielberg                            

Initial film ideas

the case

Genre: crime/murder investigation.

Basis: Two detectives solving mystery of a man pushed off bridge and had hand cut off for what the detectives find out was a briefcase(The case) which will become a point of question for the audience as they won't find out what is actually in the case until much later.

V for vendetta

The opening scene is very effective, it starts with the sound of a news reporter on the television who is describing the current events around the world and showing the audience how things have changed, but the audience quickly realises that things are very different as the reporter starts becoming more extremist and racist, this is very shocking for the audience as we are not at all used to reporters,resposible and trusted people, being so inappropriate. The scene contiues on and introduces two charicters and immediatly starts showing contrast between these significant two characters, as they both appear to watch the same show while getting ready to go outside, this would make it look like they might be meeting somewhere but the difference in clothes suggests one could be going to some kind of party while the other looks like he might be preparing for a fight. the camera is in a first person view of the main protagonist putting on his mask and looking at a mirror this would add mystery to man and make the audience wonder why he wears it and what is underneath, it also portrays him as guy Fawkes which would make the audience believe he is some kind of revolutionary. As the TV anchor says the word Judgement there is a quick cut away to V putting swords on, this could be suggesting that the TV anchor has something he is going to be judged on it could also suggest however that V is Judgement for all people who have done something wrong.

Scream

The initial 5 minutes of the film are set relatively innocently with the man on the phone mysterious with now immediately obvious threat, but the audience would already know that he is the killer, he tries to get to know the woman and he seems to try and befriend in an attempt to get her to let him in. He also seems very calm and friendly which shows he is trying to befriend her, However as the scene progresses the killer becomes increasingly threatening and he actually shouts at the woman trying to get her to do things, the killer is also trying to learn more about her, this could be to try and learn about her fears and her hobbies such as she likes horror movies. Then as he starts to get annoyed with her, he starts playing with her by doing things to make her more spooked like knocking on her door, which makes her terrified and more likely to do something he wants. As the scene closes she is told to turn on the garden lights, after explaining she has a boyfriend, this could lead to the killer showing her boyfriend dead.

The Girl in the film is expecting a quiet night in with her boyfriend, watching a scary movie, she quickly becomes agitated by the man on the phone as he insists on talking to her, she seems to play it cool and answers his questions, but it is clear she doesn't want to talk to him. However as he becomes more threatening she becomes scared and begins to panic, as she locks the doors and begins to look for him outside, this suggests to the audience a sense of fear and mystery as she doesn't know where or he is and the scene shows a growing tensions.

Continuity editing

180 degree rule

The 180-degree rule is a guideline regarding the on-screen position between a character and another character or object within a scene. The axis runs between the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be to the right of the shots position, while the second will always be to the left of the shots position to avoid disorientating the audience.

this rule should also apply to a character or object moving, for example, if a man was walking and being filmed from the left side and so walked off frame to the left , the man should come back onto frame in the next shot from the right and continue to be filmed from the left. this always applies unless the director wishes to create a sense of time passed between shots.

In a dialogue scene between two characters the camera may be placed anywhere on the green 180° arc without disorientating the audience even when one of the characters is not on screen. Shifting to the other side of the characters on a cut, so that the two men have switched positions may disorient the audience.

shot reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is when one character is shown looking at another character ,and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

Match on action

Matching on action is where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. Matching on action gives the impression of continuous time when watching the edited film by having a charicter or object begin an action in one shot and carry it through to completion in the next .

Saving private ryan

Establishing shot on Omaha beach from a low angle making the tank traps appear massive and scenes continue to introduce what is happening. Extreme close up of characters hands shows that he is nervous and supports the idea that they are soldiers going into a battle. Camera moves out form the main character to introduce the audience to the men ahead of him on the landing craft this adds humanity to each character and has the audience relate. Audience are shown close ups of the men showing them as praying and scared. Throughout the scene the pace of the shots is slow as the soldiers are waiting for the landing and adding a slight air of surprise as people the audience has just been introduced to are gunned down.The costumes in the scene only really serve to show the audience that the characters are World War 2 US soldiers. Lighting in the scene is initially bright and sunny but, as the soldiers get closer to the landing and to demise, the lighting gets darker and more miserable predicting how the scene will end. Props Just show the audience the setting of the film.

Dark knight

Dark knight

Shots and actions

Single long establishing shot sets the scene in a city and then surprises the viewer by having a window smash, which tells the viewer that trouble, is occurring. Scenes cut between two events continuously throughout to give the impression the events are occurring at the same time. Close ups show the two bank robbers talking which is used very effectively to show this as there is very little suggestion they are talking otherwise. A mix of medium and close ups is used to show detail of the actions of the thieves, this draws attention to what they are doing and expressions of the characters. At the beginning the clips are fairly long but speed up as the action starts.

Mise en scene

The thieves’ costumes add an air of mystery to them and raise questions among the audience as well as making the thieves easily identifiable from each other. The lighting of the main customer area in the bank is well lit as expected while the areas the other thieves are in has lower level lighting to show they are outside of the area they should be in as if they are ‘behind the scenes’ of the bank.

children of men

children of men
This scene is very effective because from the onset the intro is telling us what is happening in the world, to give us some background about this movie. The film is also quick in introducing the main character as he is scene walking in the centre of the shot going through people to make his way to the front, this allows the audience to quickly  identify him as the main character and it gives them time to relate to him. The sound of the music in the background along with the sound of people crying gives the audience the idea that it is very emotional moment and is very saddening for the people in the scene. There is also a quick contrast in environment from the quiet claustrophobic cafe to the much noisier outdoor city streets, this change signals to the audience a possible change of scene, it also increases the amount of chaos in the scene for the audience to look at, they also as he emerges identify the location as London, so people know where the movie is set, they also give a date so the audience is aware that the movie is set in the future. In the final seconds of the film the noise in the city quietens until the explosion occurs, this is effective because it is like the quiet before the storm and it is something the audience would not have expected. As the mist clears the audience gets a glimpse of what looks like a women holding her arm, this shows the audience that the country is in chaos but it is cut shot of fully showing us because it cuts to the title this is effective as it leaves the audience interested to see the rest of the film.

Quantum of solace

Quantum of Solace starts with a slow build up with music playing to build up tension, it also uses a long shot of what looks like a unknown mountain pass to show that a exotic location is being used, which is one of the things an audience would expect from a James Bond film. The scene then cuts away to showing the side view of a sports car which would also suggest that there are fast cars in the film, this would also make the audience feel tense as the car seems to be speeding up as if it was being chased or chasing. The film then cuts to a scene of guns being loaded which suggests to a unknowing audience that the film has a lot of action taking place. The film quickly starts cutting to a lot of different shots of the cars racing down a road and the antagonists are shooting at James Bond's car. There are then quickly developed scenes were stunts are used, such as a car being smashed by a lorry or a police car falling down a cliff, all this would make the audience feel excited and make them want to watch more of the film. At no point in the clip is there speech from the main character James Bond and this shows the audience the he is in a very difficult position also a lot of the music is being used and it uses similar notes to the original James Bond music this would build up tension because there is a slight mystery to way he is being chased and also if an audience doesn't know what film there watching the music will be a big give away.

This scene is very effective because from the onset the intro is telling us what is happening in the world, to give us some background about this movie. The film is also quick in introducing the main character as he is seen walking in the centre of the shot going through people to make his way to the front, this allows the audience to quickly identify him as the main character and it gives them time to relate to him. The sound of the music in the background along with the sound of people crying gives the audience the idea that it is very emotional moment and is very saddening for the people in the scene. There is also a quick contrast in environment from the quiet claustrophobic cafe to the much noisier outdoor city streets, this change signals to the audience a possible change of scene, it also increases the amount of chaos in the scene for the audience to look at, they also as he emerges identify the location as London, so people know where the movie is set, they also give a date so the audience is aware that the movie is set in the future. In the final seconds of the film the noise in the city quietens until the explosion occurs, this is effective because it is like the quiet before the storm and it is something the audience would not have expected. As the mist clears the audience gets a glimpse of what looks like a women holding her arm, this shows the audience that the country is in chaos but it is cut shot of fully showing us because it cuts to the title this is effective as it leaves the audience interested to see the rest of the film.

Skyfall

In the opening scene of Skyfall it starts very dark and blurry, with a unknown figure in the background, this sequence is very effective because it adds mystery, and tension to the scene, as the audience doesn't know what's happening. Then the figure is identified as James Bond, this will excite the audience as they know the film will feature things like Guns and car chases. The scene is very dark and it shows there is mystery behind Bond as a character, the close up shows a concerned look on Bond's face and shows the audience he is very professional in his job. As he enters the room there are a few bodies lying on the ground, this suggests action in the film, which would be expected from a James Bond film. The voice on the radio would be easily recognizable to James Bond fans as M, suggesting the film has major characters in it. However the room seen is very dark and it doesn't give away the location, so the audience doesn't know where the location is, this adds to the idea that the film is a spy film with secret locations and unknown killers. James then quickly moves outside to unveil that he is in turkey which shows the audience that the film takes place in exotic locations. The music in the scene also builds tension as it is very quiet but it makes listen to what is being said and what is occurring, as the scene progresses and Bond approaches the door the music quickly changes to some middle eastern music to tell the audience that there is a change of scene.

shawshank redemption

Shawshank redemption

Shawshank redemption opens with characters in a prison yard with a narration, this quickly introduces its main character "Red" and the role he will be playing as "the guy who can get it for you". The