Case Study Four

Case Study Four

1)Institution

Name of thriller: The Da Vinci Code

Director: Ron Howard

Production Company: Columbia Pictures

Release Date: May 19 2006

Country Made: United States

Box Office: The film opened with an estimated $29 million in box office sales which averaged $7764 per screen. The film earned/grossed $758 million worldwide in 2006 and it only became the 2nd movie of the year to pass the $200 million mark in the USA.

2)Audience

The film was aimed at adults and college type students as the film was quite challenging mentally to understand, especially with all the clues and quick paced puzzles etc. That said it is available for teenagers to watch although they may not understand the film very well due to the challenging scenes.

A user from IMBM said this about the film. "its presentation of the controversial dialogue moments coupled with special effects, that will make you go WOW. Truly, the technique is nothing original, and some of the visuals used looked like Return Of The King and Kingdom of Heaven rejects, but as a whole, combined with the narrative, it helps to present the controversies in a more palatable manner."

3)Technology

The technology used in this film is mostly the props that are used by the main characters as these are needed to look at certain clues, to do certain things or to create a certain atmosphere for the film and audience. These items include:

-UV light which is used to look at writing on the painting of the Mona Lisa, if this item hadn't of been created then they would never of found the text with was a clue.

-Flashlight to look around in the dark and highlight certain areas so that the audience can see what the characters are looking at

-Handgun which is used by the villain to kill and to scare anyone that oppose the character.

4)Codes/Forms and Conventions of the Thriller Genre

The camera actions and movements in the film are quite mixed as there are quick shots of the characters expressions to show their emotions yet there is also shots to show the location of where the characters are e.g. the chapel near the end of the film which catches the background and the actual building.

The sound in the film is mostly Non digetic as speech is used quite a lot as is the music for the chase scenes so there isn't a lot of need for Digetic sound to be in the film. That said there is some bangs and knocks in the film but they don't relate to the plot at all.

There is a few main characters in this film which include:

-Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon who is the main clue solver throughout the film.

-Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu who also helps solve clues.

-Sir Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing knows everything to know about the chalice.

-Paul Bettany as Silas who is the main villain and killer.

-Jean Reno as Bezu Fache etc.

The female on the left is known as Sophie Nevue and is played by Audrey Tautou who is the main female character of the film. She seems to be a nice/good character as she is wearing white (a colour of purity), is smiling towards the camera and the fact that white light is shining on her from the background which again hints that she is a good character. The swirls around her head from the background image could hint at her being quite clever or important as they seem to revolve around her. The cross that is aimed towards her could also hint that she is religious or that she has some religious ties.

The male on the left is a character known as Silas who is played by Paul Bettany and is the main villain of the movie. The dark colour of his clothes hint at him being evil or having a nasty personality. The fact that he also tries to hide his face is shown as the hood keeps part of the males face in shadow which could suggest or hint that he has something to hide. The character is looking at the audience yet he isn't smiling, this backs up the idea that he doesn't have a very nice personalty. The fact that the background is also dark could hint that he is isolated or alone, it could mean that people are scared of him. The cross in the sky than shines on the male could hint that he is religious or that he had religious ties however the cross is shining a red colour on Silas which could signify blood, showing that hes evil or it could hint that he is angry.

The male on the right is a character known as Professor Robert Langdon and is played by Tom Hanks, a well known actor and the main character throughout the whole film. He is encased in darkness which could show that he might have something to hide although the light on his face could suggest that the thing he is hiding is not sinister. The light is aimed directly at his eye and forehead which could suggest that he has an eye for clues or adventures and with his mind he can work them out which suggests that he is quite a clever character. He isn't smiling yet he doesn't look evil so the male is probably thinking about something again hinting that he is a clever character and likes to solve clues.

The genre for the film is puzzle solving/conspiracy/thriller film which most people who know about anyway seeing as the film was a book before being made. The genre fits the film well as the main plot has a lot of conspiracy to do with religion although the thriller side kicks in when they are being chased etc.

The narrative structure to the film is that it shows a scene of the past at the start which them flows into the present although there are a few parts of the film where the characters are talking about past events which is when flashbacks are shown. There are also parts when they talk about various events in history which are shown to the audience. This gives the audience/consumer a chance to get involved with what the characters have been through and lets you relate to them.

5)representation

The characters that are stereotyped are the professor who is always seen as smart and that he can figure out any clue that is given to him. That said he seems to enjoy solving clues which is what most professors do. The male however doesn't seem to be boring which is a break from the stereotype.

Case Study Three

Case Study Three

1)Institutions

Name of thriller film: The strangers

Director: Bryan Bertino

Production company: Rogue Pictures

Release Date: May 30 2008

Location Made: United States

Box Office Returns: After its release being postponed twice the film opened in the united states and Canada on May 30. On its opening weekend the film grossed $20,997,985 in 2467 theaters. Box office worldwide the film earned an outstanding $81.6 million making it one of the highest ranking films of all time.

2)Audience

The film is aimed at anyone over the sage of seventeen as the film was rated an R to due with the violence and language. The director wanted the film to be a scary horror/thriller and not just a common one so he added scenes such as a man getting shot through his chest which caused blood to splatter on the wall.

The film is directed to the male gender more than the female one as the film contains strong violence and graphic scenes which are more aimed at males as they are stereotyped to liking horror whereas females are generalised to run away from horror and thriller films. That said it was still aimed at a more male audience.

A user from IMBM said the following about the film "At first, i was enjoying the set, costumes, and i believe the acting was pretty well done. I believe the director achieved a very creepy feeling, but too many times did he use to obvious cop-out of making loud noises to startle the viewer instead of genuinely scaring them."

3)Technology

The film uses a various amount of technology in this film with most of it being dark vision cameras as the film is taken at night however you can see the characters and their surroundings quite easily and it almost looks like they are surrounded with light even though you know that they aren't. A old piece of technology however is used in this film to create a various effect and that technology is called a phonograph which plays records.

4)Codes/Forms and Conventions Of The Thriller Genre

Camera angels and effects in the film vary from a panning shot of the house to a point of view shot from the characters eyes. All of the different shots give the film completely different reactions which could be making someone jump or to making someone feel nervous. Some camera angels and their effects on the audience etc include the following:

-shot of the female character with a man in a mask hidden in the shadows in the background which makes the audience shout out and jump as they see the male. They also think that something bad is going to happen and you want the female to notice the evil character although at this point she doesn't see him at all.

-shot of a female in the background through a window which shows the location of the movie and hints that there is going to be a scene in the woods. It also creates some questions as you wonder what the female is doing outside in the dark and on her own.

-shot of the knife with blood on it makes the audience feel shocked as you wonder whats happened, who's blood it is and why the knife is just left in the middle of the floor.

Lighting is as i pointed out before is used a lot as the filming takes place at night yet the director wants the audience to see the action taking place otherwise their would be no chance for making the film. It creates a feel around the film as the lights go off at one point which makes you wonder what is in the darkness but the film uses this to an advantage because as soon as the lights come on she gets attacked instead of it happening in the dark which is when is usually happens, this makes you jump even more than normal.

There is a lot of sound in the film, Digetic and Non digetic which is mostly used to create an atmosphere in the film. The digetic sound includes:

-bangs

-music playing

-knocking

-footsteps

These all make consumers sit on the edge of their seats as you wonder whats going to happen and these make you jump when they happen unexpectedly. That said they give the film the atmosphere that makes the film a thriller/horror. The non digetic sound is again used mostly by music playing for a chase scene.

The location for most of the film is the couples house however there are also scenes in the woods near the house and a shed that rests is placed on the other side of the woods. These makes the film scarier as it makes it more real like as it happens in someones home, making them think that it could happen to them, giving the fright factor to the audience.

The male figure on the right is one of the man characters in the film, he is the boyfriend of the couple that get attacked by the two strangers. He seems to be quite an organised and well paid man which could suggest that he is quite smart as he is wearing a suit and is in a beautiful house that is rather large. He doesn't look tough to begin with but in the actual film he seems to be rather tough as he protects the female a lot and even goes out into the darkness after the figures that tried to attack him and his girlfriend. He seems to be well looked after as he is clean shaven and hasn't got a single dirt ,ark on his face so again this suggests that he is either well paid or well known, he could even be both.

The female character on the right is again one of the main characters and she is the males boyfriend who gets stalked and attacked by the figures. In the photo she seems to wearing average type clothes which could suggest that she is working class although this is not known. The house doesn't appear to be hers although she knows her way around it meaning that she must spend a lot of time around/in it. The female isn't very brave as you can see by her expression that she is scared and frightened which gives a big clue on what her character is like, as she is just an average women who is thrown into a nightmare.

The female character on the right is another main character although this one is one of the people that attack the couple. The fact that the background is black shows that she is an evil character as black is associated with darkness and bad events. She is also wearing a mask which hides her identity making the character that more mysterious as you are not sure what she she looks like and think that she could be just about anyone. The character is also holding a knife which reflects the fact that she is evil and could also mean that she has killed before as she is holding the knife by her face showing that she isn't scared as she has done it before, she is not afraid to kill.

The genre of the film is a cross between three different sub headings which are suspense/horror/thriller which is shown in different parts throughout the film. The strangers is a film that covers quite a loud of different genres yet they all tie together to create a superb film.

The film is compared to that of the film Saw as it is about being trapped which the couple are and the fact that the attackers are masked which is just like jigsaw as he uses a doll to speak through while the strangers use masks.

The narrative structure of the film is back to front as it starts with the end and shows a bloody knife on the floor, a house broken in to, shot gun on the table, blood splattered on the wall and two children making a call to the police saying that they have found dead bodies. This makes you wonder what happened to the people in the house at it switches to the past and shows you exactly how and why the items were where they were, this doesn't ruin the movie as you aren't sure who is dead until the very end of the film so it does keep the suspense throughout the whole film.

5)representation

There is social group representations or stereotyping apart from the male character acting tough and fearless while the female is scared and cries at various points which is stereotypical for both genders of characters. This effects the film because the audience can connect with the characters as most of them would react in the same way, the females being scared and turning away from the film while the males stand tough and watch the film.

Case Study 2

Case Study Two:

1)Institution

Name of thriller film: Terminator 2 Judgement day

Director: James Cameron

Production Company: Tristar pictures

Release Date: July 3 1991

Country Made: United States of America

Box Office Returns: The film grossed $204.8 million in America alone and was the highest grossing film for that time period, it also beat the ratings for its first film which only made $38 million for its US run. This gave the film a 434% increase which was a record for the sequel.

2)Audience

The intended target audience for the selected film was the consumers who watched the first film first so they wanted to keep some of the ideas the same thus keeping the ideas and some characters/actors the same. It was then aimed at people who hadn't watched the film so that anyone could watch it and understand it without having to have seen the first film produced. That said you would have a better understanding if you saw the first film before watching the second edition.

Age wise it was intended for teenagers and above due to the age limit and the fact that they wanted to include some horror type scenes and they wanted to show death a lot in order to prove how dangerous the machines are. This meant that they could increase the action dramatically without having to miss out any type of gore as the age was fairly high, although they didn't want it to become a horror so they kept too much gore at a minimum.

A user from IMDM said this about the film. "This story is a special one where humans are our own worst enemy. Arnold's line where he says its in your nature to destroy yourselves is something that sends chills down my spine because its true. I loved the relationship between Arnold and Eddie Furlong, interesting to see a terminator take the place perfectly of a father and you see the pain in Eddies eyes of never wanting to let go of the terminator. Like Sarah Connor said the terminator wouldn't stop, it would never leave him. It would never hurt him or shout at him or get drunk and hit him or say it was too busy to spend tine with him. And it would die to protect him meant a lot to me. It is an excellent film and one that will always stand out against cinematic history.

3)Technology

For this film technology was a great help, especially for the scenes that needed CGI such as showing the robot changing to a human and the big explosions. It wasn't used too much as it was still quite new however the film did need the computer sequences for some scenes in the film that couldn't be shoot through a camera straight away and those that couldn't be made from dolls or models etc. The biggest part of technology shown in the film would be the structure of the robots and the arm that it shown half way through the film, this had to be created but it looks real and thus could be classed as a piece of technology due to technology actually building it in the first place.

4)Codes/Forms and Conventions Of The Thriller Genre

The camera angles and movements for this film are quite complex as it is a blockbuster film which could on the millions to make so there aren't going to be too many simple shots. That said they do seem to use the dolly a lot especially for car chases and such, they also show the most well known shots which are a high and low shot. High shot which makes the person seem more powerful or strong and a low shot which makes the character seem timid or weak. This is probably to create tension and to give the film different aspects so that the audience don't get bored of watching it.

Lighting is changed throughout the film but in certain points it is quite dark to show that the character is trapped or confined whereas in others it is quite bright which shows that there is still hope or that the character will find a way out of the mess. These are just two examples and trust me there are many many more throughout the film. Most of them are used to show the change in time, location and characters. This is used in order to give the audience hints about what a character is like or what is happening to them.

Non digetic sound and Digetic sound are both widely used in this production from screaming and explosions to the soundtrack during a chase or fight. These both create tension and tries to give the right atmosphere to the scene so that the audience will hopefully react in a similar way to what the characters do.

The locations in the film are quite isolated which could show that the characters think that they are isolated or the fact that they are isolated, for example the terminator is the only good robot in the film so he is defiantly isolated from all of the other characters in that way. The locations vary from a desert to the city which gives off an opposite feel to the desert which gives off a feel and could mean that they are surrounded or blocked up/trapped. They are used to give the film a sense of location and familiarity to the film while setting the scene as well.

There are various character types in the film but the main ones that the film focuses on are the terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sarah Connor played by Linda Hamilton, John Connor played by Edward Furlong and the evil terminator known as T-1000 who is played by Robert Patrick. There personality's are quite different due to their ages, past and their species. The good terminator is strong and blunt as he is a robot meaning he has no feelings to think of, not even pain whereas Sarah Connor is also a fighter yet is only one because she wants to protect her son from the machines showing that she expresses love. The characters are used to show the difference between the robots who have no feeling to humans and the film tries to make you connect to the humans in the film. This makes the idea of the film seem real as you don't judge it to being fake you just accept that the film is real. The most common prop in the whole film is the weapons which are usually guns, the good terminator and Sarah Connor use these quite a lot in order to kill the T-1000 or just to get away from it. They are used to show the strength of both characters and to show that they are in real dangerous situations.

The genre of the film is a mix between three which is thriller/action/science fiction, these all show exactly what the film is about as it covers all of the elements of the film. The action associates with the guns and explosions while the science fiction associates with the idea of robots and time travel, the thriller is the plot line of the film.

The narrative structure of the film is linear however there are dreams of the future and a lot of talk about the future as the robot comes from that time period and explains what could happen if evil wins or gets a certain amount of power. This makes the audience think about the characters and hope that they win because as i pointed out before they accept the idea of the film as real so if the machines win and take control over the world then they would associate their world with being destroyed. A lot of films do this and even soaps now include this to their story lines because these makes some consumers shout out at the screen showing that they are involved in the film and enjoy it.

5)representation

The female character Sarah Connor is represented at the start as being mentally ill because she keeps going on about the fact that machines will take over the world and only her son can stop them. This is a typical scene of a person who knows that the world is going to be destroyed yet no one believes them until something happens, in this case when the evil machine tries to find and kill Sarah.

The other character which is stereotyped is the young boy John Connor who is in the film a kind of criminal, he is living with step parents and is shown to break into a cash point to steal money by using a device that he built which gave him and a friend some money. Again this is a typical troubled youth type of character who then finds out that he is destined to save the world, he initially tries to fight this but later on accepts it when he sees how much his mother believes in it and how much she fights to save him so that he can save the human race.

The robot seems to be what most people would think of because its strong, doesn't think much and if it does speak that its just quick, short sentences. That said the audience does connect to the terminator which gives him a sense of character. However the audience also connects to the bad character who hardly ever speaks as he shows his words through his expressions. It is the typical bad character who is stronger than the original terminator yet it defeated by the forces of good.

The culture ideology however is the value of Sarah Connor at the start of the film as she is seen as being low down in the food chain and not as important as everyone else. This shows the discrimination towards women and towards mentally disabled people as she is seen as one and is ignored and treated how a human shouldn't be treated e.g. by being strapped down and injected.

Case Study 1

Case Study One:

1)Institutions

Name of film: Paranormal activity (Thriller/SuspenseHorror)

Director: Oren Peli

Production Company: Independent film produced by Steven Schneider and Jason Blum but distributed by Paramount pictures and Dreamworks pictures.

Release Date: October 14 2007 (Screamfest Film Festival) January 18 2008 (Slamdance Film Festival) September 25 2009 (limited) October 16 2009 (wide).

Country Made: United States

Box Office Returns: The film opened on September the 25 2009 to 12 theaters taking $36,146 on its opening day and $77,873 on its first weekend for an average of $6,489 per venue. When it expanded to 160 theaters on October 9 it grossed a total of $2,659,296. It then quickly went on to gain $19,617,650 as it was shown in 600 more theaters. On the weekend of October 23 the film rose to the number one spot for box office, beating the expected film Saw 6, in total Paranormal Activity has grossed over $141,423,097. It has become the most profitable film ever as it only cost $15,000 to produce/make.

2)Audience

The film was targeted originally for teenagers although the film became so popular that most adults are also watching it. That said the film was intended to be more horrific but people apparently left the cinema as it was too much for some to handle, too frightening, so the producers let the director have his original film back which was then shown around cinemas to get a unbelievable profit. Consumers have quoted the film as being scary but just enough to make you want to see more and not run away.

One user comment from IMBM shows their view on the character known as Katie who is played by Katie Featherston. "In the beginning we meet a young female who was concerned with what was happening to her, this could be a metaphor for the fears of the new house and her boyfriend Micah. As we get to the final scenes she has been reduced to a person on the verge of a breakdown, and we are deeply concerned for her well being. Each night that passes makes you experience a deeper and greater feeling that something bad was going to happen and most people wont like it. The actress creates a believable and sympathetic character which turns the film from an effective thriller into something quite extraordinary.

3)Technology

New technology has increased the way that films are now made and produced for cinema use. The way that this film is different to the rest is the way that the film has been filmed which is through a camera that the characters own, similar to the Blair witch project. That said the camera is also used at night when the couple is asleep by recording the room in night vision, again a great jump in technology. Films can now be produced in completely different ways and this film is just one of those ways. It is possibly made in this way because the film is based on a real life event which was shot with a camera thus its almost like reviewing the film that had originally been produced/made.

4)Codes/Forms and Conventions Of The Thriller Genre

There is a lot of digetic sound in the film which is usually shown out of screen e.g. a loud bang. These sounds are believed to be from the "demon" which has been following Katie since she was only little (8 years old) the sounds that are heard through out the film include:

-loud bangs

-whispers

-gasping

-footsteps

-shouting

-screaming

-knocks etc

This raises tension as you see how the characters react thus it makes you conform to the ways and react in the same way, which is to be scared or nervous which is what the film aims to do to the audience/consumer. That said there is also non-digetic sound which aims to make the consumers react in exactly the same way, they want the audience to be scared, that's what the film is there to do. The sound is usually music which is usually played at night when the couple is asleep.

The film has been filmed through a camera that the characters hold however there are different effects. There are high shots of the male acting tough to the loud noises and low shots of the female being scared which shows their personalities clearly. The camera is often shown as the two main characters point of view as they are the only ones who hold the camera during the full film.

Katie as shown on the left is wearing her clothes which she wears for bed, you can see this as she isn't wearing clothes that you would wear outside. The female is wearing a white vest which could be worn in order to keep her warm and the white colour of it suggests that she is a good or pure character. The checkerboard shorts that she is wearing gives a hint that they are for bed use and the typical underwear/bed clothes are checkerboard so this had been stereotyped. The character isn't wearing any make up, again showing us that the female isn't going to go out or leave the house as most women that age wouldn't leave the house without wearing makeup so this suggests the fact that she is going to or has been in bed. You can clearly see a railing of a banister that Katie is holding on to, possibly for support as she is scared, this hints at the location which is presumably at the top of a set of stairs. The lighting is from the night vision on the cameras thus showing us the characters.

The two characters are wearing clothes which are pretty normal clothes, nothing too smart or fancy which could suggest that they are middle class or maybe slightly higher as the background looks rather expensive. He is wearing a shirt and tie while the female is wearing a black top. They are both smiling at the camera and are sitting quite close to each other which could show that they are a good couple and have an sexual relationship. He is wearing white while the female is wearing black which could hint at their personality's as the female could be the villain character yet she is smiling with a typical good character thus she may not be aware of what she is or that she is evil/bad. The location looks like a living room as they are sitting on a couch near a window however they could be in a conservatory so by this still image the location is not yet known. The lighting is coming from the camera and the artificial light of the lamp which is in the room.

The genre is a cross between a thriller/suspense horror as the film intends to scare the audience as well as create a well produced film. This is shown by the poster which is at night and has the words "don't watch alone" which suggests that the film is scary or has some fright factor. The fact that there is screaming and an unusual injury which cant be explained also shows the genre of the film. The injury is a bite mark made by something unseen which shows that this film fits the genre of thriller and horror well.

The film has been compared to The Blair witch project, which is also filmed through a camera, for various reasons. These things include:

-never seeing the actual creature (witch in the other film and the demon in this one)
-loud sounds

-seeing just the characters that the film is about.

The Narrative Structure of the film is linear which means that it goes in a straight timeline with no going back in time. That said there are a few gaps in the timeline as nothing happened for a few nights so they took it out of the film, this meant that it went from night after night to missing a couple of night yet the film explained what night it was so the consumers wouldn't get confused. Most of the sequences are seen through the male character Micah which could be because the camera is his however Katie does hold the camera at various points. Although all the night scenes start with the camera filming the couple by its self. The producers probably used these methods so that the audience could experience the film through three different eyes so that they would experience three different things and emotions. Katie with being scared and frantic, Micah with being a joker, tough and investigative and the Camera which shows both emotions mixed together and films most of the action.

5)Representation

Three characters in the film, i believe, are stereotyped. These characters are Katie, Micah and the demon. I think that they are all used in different ways that is exactly how someone would view them as being. For Katie and Micah is is to due with their gender while the demon is stereotyped with how it acts.

First of all I'm going to start with Katie. She is always seen as being timid and scared at night which is a typical female character, the "female in distress" She never seems to want to connect with the demon but she is seen as wanting to leave the house apart from when she is possessed by the demon, which again makes her seem like a typical girl who is always scared. Katie wants to call the male who specialises in demons straight away yet her boyfriend stops her from doing so which makes her and Micah fight quite a lot.

Micah however is the complete opposite to Katie. He likes to joke around and doesn't believe in the ghost or demon which is a typical male character. He is also stereotyped as he goes to look for the demon in the house and tries to connect with it, he also swears at the demon when he gets annoyed with it. Katie at various points calls him immature as he is always with a camera thus bringing the well known quote "boys and their toys" to mind.

The demon is stereotyped by making it invisible, scary and angry which is what a typical demon is. The fact that it also possesses Katie makes it that more typical for a demon yet for awhile the consumers and the characters in the film think that the demon is actually a ghost until a physic tells them that its not a ghost/spirit. This makes the creature seem like it could be anything and that its scary to think that they thought it was a ghost for all of that time.

The departed

Sub Genre- gangster thriller

The thriller starts with a fight scene and a voice over which could signify that the film has a lot of flights or conflicts etc. It is a very loud opening which draws you in and makes you notice the film more as the shouts and yells of the characters fighting are the only ones you can hear before the voice over starts.

The next scene is in a cafe which introduces a few characters with completely different personality's and traits. There is also music which is almost rock like and it gives the scene a beat yet it also gives it a slightly weird type feeling. It shows money being giving to a male in typical gangster clothes who is possibly being payed for looking after the shop from other gangs or just because he owns that area. The male has his face hidden although you can clearly see that he is an authority figure and powerful as the other characters are scared of him and they do exactly what he tells them too.

The owner of the cafe gives a child a bag full of food and drink as the gangster tells him too while talking to the young boy. You wonder why he is being nice to the boy but you realise as the gangster tells him that if he ever wants some money then he should go and see him. The child already knows where he lives meaning that even though they haven't met the young boy knows about him, again giving him that feeling of power.

The gangster seems to be a ladies man of some sorts as he asks a female behind the bar if she has started her period yet, suggesting that he either wants sex or children. He also gives some money to her telling the female to buy herself some make up. The females father is in the same room however he doesn't say anything as you can see the scared look on his face, meaning that he knows what the gangster is like.

The scene again changes to another on a beach with the gangster killing a male and a female, they look almost like the cafe owners yet in the opening this is not proven or even acknowledged. The gangster laughs as the female falls onto the male, both being dead, and says that didn't she fall awkwardly.

You hardly see the males face as it is often hidden in the shadows. This could show, corruption, darkness, mystery, danger, something to hide, killer where as the boys face contrasts this by being innocent, emotional and naive. This suggests that the gangster in maybe trying to control or mold the child. However the gangster character is very typical by what he wears to his stereotypical voice which is deep and dark. This again shows danger and mystery.

Vacancy film

Opening of the film. Sub Genre is horror and thriller. Characters involved are a husband, wife and another male.

Titles- Dark red colours which give off a feeling of danger and they run like blood which might mean that there is going to be blood in the film. Music with the film is high paced and accelerating which gives of a eerie type feeling. It has intense and jumpy music which gets worse as the music increases again raising the tension. The titles then turn into a maze which could signify escape or entrapment.

The film has a typical scene when they try to dodge an animal in the road which results in them losing control of the car. This is typical to thriller and horror films which usually result in the characters being stranded or stuck somewhere they wouldn't usually be. They are also surrounded by darkness which could be hiding something or someone that is watching them. It gives an eerie feel as you don't know exactly what could be in the dark, a few metres away from the characters.

The characters try to put on the radio although all they get is static, again this is typical to horror type films. The static also gives off the feeling of isolation as it is just the husband and the wife in a car with lots of space around them and their seems to be no one in the distance or even close by. This shows that they must have been travelling for quite a while as they are driving through the night.

There is a scene where the couple pull into an isolated gas station which seems to be open yet it gives questions to the audience as the station is only small and is on an isolated road so they couldn't possibly stay open all night as they wouldn't be able to afford it. This males you wonder why it is open. A man suddenly appears at the car window making the couple jump which again makes you wonder why the man is wide awake at such a late time.

In the car there is low lighting which again gives off an eerie feeling but it could also be trying o hide he characters faces, this could signify that they are hiding something from the audience. The couple argue in a lot yet it is far more than the average couple supposedly argues. The male character (husband) gives humour which tries to lighten the mood although this is at the females expense which her expression clearly shows as she gives him daggers. The couple look as though they are in different cars due to them being so far apart from each other which might mean that they are separated but they are could have been forced to some events together.

The male character constantly rubs his eyes at various points and this tells the audience that he is tired. Yet the tired feel could also refer to the fact that he is tired of the relationship that he has with the female as he rubs his eyes the most when they are arguing in the car.

The music changes as they pull into the gas station which becomes more apparent as they get closer to the location. The background also comes into view which again shows that they have come from a long distance away. The road seems to go on for miles although most of it is encased in darkness which could mean that they are alone or trapped.

The female (wife) keeps asking her husband who is driving the car various questions. These include: where are we? which the male completely ignores possibly showing that he doesn't know where they are either. The husband is shown to be agitated while the wife seems to be more calm and quiet. The male stills wears a wedding ring although the female doesn't seem to be wearing one, this could prove the fact that they are separated.

The CD player seems to be old fashioned for the car showing that its not supposed to be there possibly like its owners not supposed to be at the station. The characters introduce a name which is proven later on to be their child who died although it doesn't tell you why at the start of the film, this could of been the event which caused the couple to end their relationship.

The motel is possibly a false oasis of light which means that it seems to be a good omen as they can get their car checked but is the motel really safe? The male at the station tells them that a certain road leads to a dead end which could mean the end of life or the end of a destination etc. Their is sharp music playing as the male at the motel appears which raises tension and makes you jump. He is wide awake in the middle of the night which means that he could be expecting them or waiting for them.

James Bond film

Expectations- The theme tune, guns, gadgets, large explosions, death, attractive women, action, fast cars, blood, film starts then credits then it goes back to the film.

Camera Angles and Movements of Camera during opening:

-low shot of building looking upwards which shows that it is powerful and important
-middle shot of head and torso which shows the character
-close up of character makes you see his emotions
-close up of elevator number showing you what floor hes on
-shots from character to character raising tension
-close up of broken glass which suggests a break in of some sorts
-James bond wears dark colours around him which hide him but possibly show that he does have a dark streak to him (being a killer)
-shot of gun which is a symbol that shows power and danger
-fight scene has many different angles which raises tension
-close up of face shows the characters emotion
-shot of the victims head shows that he is dead
-low shot of victim tells the audience that he was weak and unimportant
-high shot of James shows that he is powerful and strong
-barrel of gun is taken after he shots the vic which goes into the screen/camera

The film is able to be viewed by most age groups as it has glamorized violence- you don't see blood or much of it, no gore etc.

Credits suggest:
gambling
corrupt
danger
death
violence
linking violence and gambling

Labels

Hollywood Film

Deja vu (2006 crime and science fiction thriller)

The film was directed by Tony Scott, produced by Jerry Brucheimer, co written by Bill Marsilli and Terry Rossio. The plot involves ATF agent Douglas Carlin, who travels back in time in attempts to prevent a domestic terrorist attack that takes place in New Orleans and to save a women whom he falls in love with, Claire Kuchever. Filming took place throughout post Katrina New.

The film premiered in New York City on November 20, 2006 it was then released in states two days later and to Mexico and Canada by the end of November. It was then released worldwide in the early months of 2007. It received mixed reviews from the critics. It was the twenty third successful film worldwide for 2006grossing in $180 million worldwide.

Main Actors include, Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Adam Goldberg, Elden Henson, Bruce Greenwood, Val Kilmer, Erika Alexander, Matt Cravan, James Caviezel etc.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film is rated 57% which Metacritic gave it 59% out of 100 based on thirty two professional critics. It was called a bravura set piece by IGN who gave the film a smashing 8 out of 10. Likewise Michael Wilmington of the Orlando Sentinel rated the films three out of three stars adding, good cast and unyielding professionalism to the mixture too.

Deja vu was premiered in NYC on November 20th 2006 before anywhere else on the planet which helped to give the film $64,000,000 which it got from US domestic box office earrings. This was a lot of the total amount of money which as i pointed out before was $180,000,000, a lot of money.

The film was still nominated for five awards, one being the best science film but that was won by children of men. It was also up there for best breakout performance, film composer of the year, best fire stunt and best work on a vehicle however they lost them too. The film did win one award which was the international gold reel award, a merit derived from the nielsen EDI gold reel award ceremonies.

The film was released on DVD approximately five months after its release to American theaters on April 24 2007. In the following two weeks the film was the second most purchased entity in the US, just being beaten by Night at the Museum.

British Film

Doomsday (2008 British science fiction action film)

It is a post apocalyptic film which is written and directed by Neil Marshall. This film takes place in the future where Scotland has been quarantined due to the onset of a deadly virus. When the virus breaks out in London, political leaders send major Eden Sinclair to Scotland in order to find a cure based on evidence of survivors. Sinclair and her team run into two groups of survivors: marauders and medieval warriors.

The film was released on the 14th march 2008 in the us and Canada but only came out in Britain on the 9th of may the same year.it did not perform well at the box office and the critics gave it mixed and average ratings. The cast for the film include Rhona Mitra, Snake Plissken, Bob Hoskins, Malcolm Mcdowell, Alexander Siddig, David OHara, Craig Conway etc.

For its theatrical run, the film was originally intended to be distributed by Focus Features under Rogue Pictures but the company transferred Doomsday among other films to Universal pictures for larger scale production, marketing began in 2008. It was brought out march 14th which grossed $4,926,565 in its opening weekend and ranked seventh in the box office which box office mojo reported a failed opening. The film grossed $500,000 in Italy and $ $11,008,770 in the UK and Canada however worldwide, the film has grossed over $21,614,869.

Rotten Tomatoes reported that 48% of critics gave the film positive write ups based on a sample of 61 with an average score of 5/10. While Metacritic gave the film a score of 51 based on 14 reviews.. Alison Rowat of the Herald perceived the film as a decidedly every way for a thriller type film, with the characters being only half developed despite a decent cast of stars. Philip Key of the Liverpool daily post described the film as a badly thought out science saga which leaves more questions than answers.

However Alonso Duralde of MSNBC described Doomsday as ridiculous, derivative, confusingly edited and laden with gore but its so over the top that wears down your defenses and eventually ,makes you just go with it. He believes that the main character would have qualified as a memorable fierce chick if the film wasn't so silly. the Philadelphia Inquirer rated the film 2.5 stars out of 4.

The film was released on Blue ray making it the first film by Universal pictures to ever be blue ray. That said people said that the DVD was a pretty straight up behind the scenes take on the film and the visual effects were the only things worth watching" So all in all it wasn't a very well thought out or liked film. There is no record of it ever winning an award or actually being nominated for one.

Once upon a time in the west

This thriller film uses a lot of different things in order to make it seem tense, dangerous and exciting. For instance the characters that they use, the props they have/wear, the way some of them walk and sounds or music.

Within the first few seconds of the film their is no dialogue whatsoever but the scene is not quiet, you can hear a few things at the beginning of the opening. Some of them include:
The wind - which creates a kind of tension as it sounds like screaming and it also lets the audience know that the place is deserted.
Chalkboard - the chalk that scratches on the blackboard give an eeriness to the scene making you wonder whats going to happen.
A bird in a cage - there is a bird that keeps making a high pitch noise that almost sounds like a scream which could mean that he is trying to warn his owner due to the fact that it is scared.

Their are cowboys positioned at each door way which stops the audience from looking out of the cabin which makes them feel trapped and isolated. The old man behind the counter is weak, small and timid compared to the cowboys who are wearing strong clothes and a gun each, these show that the characters are quite powerful or dominant. As the cowboys walk slowly towards the man you can see only there feet which again shows you that they are strong characters.

The director also uses symbols in order to give you even more clues on the characters, these include:
-The cowboys have guns that are clearly shown to the audience this shows that they are powerful characters and that there may be danger coming up within the movie.
-The cowboys are wearing dark clothing this usually means that they are villains this is very symbolic because you know that black represents evil and white good so as soon as you see their clothing you can quickly identify who is the villain and who is the hero.
-The cowboys are both wearing cowboy hats this shows that they are actually cowboys and they are a well known symbol as soon as you spot you know exactly who that character is.

Diegetic sound means that it is natural to the film e.g. wind, voice etc. Non diegetic sound means that it has been added to the movie e.g. music etc.

This film is similar to another thriller western known as “no country for old men”. These are the fact that they are both set along the lines of the western genre, the characters are similar and the following:

The weapon that the cowboys wear, which are guns which shows that thy are powerful.
The lack of dialogue in both films.
The locations are both deserted and alone.
The feeling that you have when you watch the film, the fact that you feel scared, nervous, excited etc.

As you can see there are a few different ways that the director purposely shows the audience symbols etc in order to give clues to what may happen and to what the characters are like. He could also be using them to make you watch the clip a few times i order to identify what they are.

Notes from Somers end

British films are mostly influenced by the french and are usually about the working class, and real life events, not fantasy or myth, they are also mostly in black and white. They have a strong sense of place which means that the cameras are cheaper as the filming is usually done on an urban landscape e.g. london. Films are also focused on the north and the journey in life.

The film is based on finding new identities, outsiders are usually in the film e.g. black, pregnant mothers, unemployed etc. Soaps also come from the same ideas, corination street which started in the 60s, eastenders which started in the 80s.

Brit grit also known as Brit fim are films like vera drake by mike leigh, looking for eric by ken loach, full monty by shane meadows. People also recreate Billy Elliot. Shane meadows was self taught and was in the working class , he made this is england.

Somers town is about two boys, one had no background and is streetwise while the other one is polish and innocent. The location is never mentioned eventhough the film is called Somers town, the film shows the growth of eurostar as they sponsed the film. The boys are both constantly reinventing themselves.

What is a Thriller?

(A thriller is something that thrills, especially a suspenseful, sensational genre of story, book, play or film)

Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Writer Vladimir Nabokov, in his lectures said that "In an Anglo-Saxon thriller, the villain is generally punished, and the strong silent man generally wins the weak babbling girl"

Here are a few examples of thriller films:

The matrix
Alien
The godfather
Jaws
Fight club

No country for old men

No County For Old Men Intro Scene:

There are many ways that the film conforms to the conventions of a thriller, these include the sounds, use of music, objects in the film, characters and their clothes, behaviour of certain characters in the film etc. Thrillers are known for many things such as being scary, gory, nail biting, exhilarating and much more.

This thriller uses all of the above to make it a worth while film to watch and to show what type of film it is. The colours are used most efficiently in what the characters wear, for example dark colour of the sunset which makes the scene seem scary and desolate, in then leads into a more lighter scene but abnormally which raises the tension even more. The dark red colour of the wet blood which stands out along the light brownish coloured sand, which is dry and dusty, as the intro scene is about half way through.

The weather is also used to give hints in the scenes of thrillers, in this film it is used to show that something bad is about to happen. This is shown by the shy getting darker and by clouds which cover up the sun, almost hinting that something is hiding just round the corner.

Sounds are one of the biggest things that raise tensions in films, especially thrillers and horrors. The silence at the start of the films raises tensions and draws you into the film, the silence is then broke by a man talking yet you can hear some quiet sounds in the background. The intro scene doesn't have a lot of dialogue between characters as the sounds are mostly based on the wind etc.

The film shows many scenes which are typically in thriller films, they include a murder/death a scene of deception which is when the killer pretends to be a police officer in order to get a car. The film also introduces a question quite early on in the film which is based around the metal device that the killer takes everywhere (an oxygen tank). This makes the audience wonder why the man is keeping the tank so close to him which could mean that there is something inside of it. There is also a scene where the killer is taken in a police car to the police station on a open road, which gives off a feeling that there is no where to run. The final typical scene that i am going to talk about is the one where the main character sees a blanked out car door which he slowly walks up to, this raises attention and makes you wonder what is behind the door, this type of scene is used time and time again in many films.

The scenes are compared quite similar to each other as they feed into each scene quite a lot e.g. after the killer has killed someone by saying hold still it goes to the hunter who also says hold still, another similarities is the fact that the killer is classed as a hunter, hunting humans and leads to the man who is hunting animals.

So all in all the thriller genre film uses many similar things used in other thrillers which gives it more tension and gives it a better quality feel, it also gives the audience hints to what type of film it actually is so that they will know if they want to watch it or not. e.g. the dead bodies with the flies around them which shows that they have been dead a long time could be used in mostly either a horror, action or a thriller movie.

Final Cut Express And What I Learned =)

Final cut express is a must need for anyone studying media or just for fun if you like to make films etc. It is rather quick and easy to use once you know what your doing although you have to be focused as it is difficult to learn at first. Its best to get some hands on learning by actually using the software as your brain will process it quicker then just being told what to do.

You can do a multiple amount of things which include, uploading a complete DV tape and then if you delete a section of it because it doesn't work or such you can again film but over the part that you deleted on final cut meaning that you don't have to waste the tape space. You can also go forwards and backwards on the timeline by pressing the left and right arrows. You can even go frame by frame forward or backwards in the film which gives you a better look in case there are any problems with shots etc.

If you thought that the things above were good then your gonna love what follows: the editing and placing the film, music etc in the timeline is the best part of the software (in my opinion). This is because it makes you think about what your doing, you cant just place clips here and there you want to fit the music beat with the clips/effects to create the effect that the film is of a good quality.

Choosing the music is one of the hardest things as you don't want music too fast or you will need a lot of footage, where as if you have it too slow then it will be boring watching it. This most useful type of music for clips with no dialogue in them would be ones with no lyrics, this lets you hear the beat easier and the audience wont get dragged into the lyrics instead of the film however if the lyrics fit with what the film is talking about or describing then it would be better to have the lyrics in.

Final cut express is especially useful for making things like trailers as you can edit a lot of footage with music in order to give a variety of effects and ideas. All in all the software is easy to use once you know what your doing but you have to get some hands on experience and just try things out as you go along. e.g. special effects- you never know if they are going to work but once you look through a few the right one with stand out.

My First Post

Hey my name is Jonny Holmes and i am currently going to Reepham College to learn my four A levels. They are as follows:

Media (the study of audiences and the media)
Sociology (the study of social groups)
Photography (the study of how to take good quality photographs)
Psychology (the study of the mind and behaviour)

I am creating this blog so that the school can save on paper (save the planet =D) and so that my work is easy and quicker to complete, process and mark. This is the first post so i hope that you have enjoyed knowing a little about me!