Our final task was paramount to the success of me and my group because it provides a demonstration of the skills I have learnt and the different skills I have utilised during the few months that I have been studying AS level media.
Personally, I found the final task one of the hardest and most stressful parts of the coursework and there would be things I would change if I had the chance to complete the final task again. However I now will explain the problems we faced as a group and how we finally overcame them, producing the final task that we were all pleased and proud of. Firstly I began planning our final task and began concentrating on the questionnaire results to discover the most popular genre of film and who their favourite director was. These questions in particular were helpful during the planning of the final task because they told me what genre of film and director was popular and therefore this meant if we wanted our final task to be well-liked, we could choose the most popular genre and replicate the shooting style and ideas of that particular director. I found the most popular genre was horror and this one of the major reasons I chose to use horror as a major theme in my final task, however it also helped that I am interested in the horror genre and have watched a vast range of horror films, so I thought my vast knowledge on the horror genre would assist the chances of my groups final task being successful. After choosing the genre of film, I analysed several film openings and 3 entire horror films, so we had thorough knowledge on what a typical horror film should look like. It also gave me a chance to refresh my knowledge on horror films and gave me some good ideas to utilise in the final task. During analysis I noticed how some horror films, such as ‘Jeepers Creepers’, use a certain technique to confuse and disorientate viewers so that when the villain is introduced this increases the fear factor for the viewers.
‘Jeepers Creepers’ opening began in an extremely bright and at first analysis, picturesque landscape. This contrasts with most horror films because a frequently used convention in horror films is dark lighting and isolated, sordid settings. I realised the benefits of opening the film in the unconventional way because it makes your film original and also disorientates viewers as it is not what they anticipate, so me and my group decided to also use this technique after our title sequences to also disorientate viewers. Another idea I got from the evaluation of the films was a masked villain; all of the films I evaluated used this common convention of the horror genre and I noticed it was extremely effective. This convention was effective because it adds an element of mystery to the drama and keeps audience members guessing who the villain is, therefore engaging them, which is why we also used this convention in our final piece. After analysing films, me and my group concentrated on the planning of our sequence and exchanged ideas, discussing the codes and conventions used in horror films and which were effective and which were not. My group finally came up with an idea which we all agreed and were happy with and we chose this idea for several reasons. Firstly a big part of the initial idea was the location; we decided to have the location in a school because it is a location which is relatable to the audience, and therefore this makes it scarier for audience members, also it meant I had a safe and secure place to film in, rather then a potentially hazardous one, so we could follow the briefing of our final piece. Finally it allowed us to film at any time, rather then us setting out to a particular location which would take up crucial time – it was extremely convenient and allowed us more editing and planning time. As our idea was in a school we decided to
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Final Task
Finally I have finished the final task and most of the coursework. Although it was extremely challenging and stressful, I am now glad it is mostly comeplete and all I have to do is my evalution and auidence feedback. I will post these in a few days time!
Monday, 2 March 2009
The Script:
(A bunch of girls begin walking down the corridor after the bell has just gone)
Girl 1: Are you coming to Laura’s house after school Jess? We’re all watching a film and getting a pizza.
Jess: Ah you know I would love too, but I have to go to the library to finish my coursework! Its due in tomorrow and I think I should start it otherwise I’m going to get so behind!
Girl 2: Jess! You’re so geeky! Come on its just one night!
Jess: No I really need to start it… I think you can all survive without me for one night!
Girl 1: Ah ok then, if you change your mind call us!
Jess: Ok see you tomorrow? Have a good night!
(Jess continues to walk down the corridor, entering the library. After attempting to start her work she looses interest and is finally the last one left in the library. Becoming sleepy, she falls asleep and is awoken abruptly in the pitch black tied up and gagged. She struggles and is interrupted by the door opening, the masked murderer entering the library. He walks towards her with a weapon and we hear her muffled screams as it fades to blackout…)
Girl 1: Are you coming to Laura’s house after school Jess? We’re all watching a film and getting a pizza.
Jess: Ah you know I would love too, but I have to go to the library to finish my coursework! Its due in tomorrow and I think I should start it otherwise I’m going to get so behind!
Girl 2: Jess! You’re so geeky! Come on its just one night!
Jess: No I really need to start it… I think you can all survive without me for one night!
Girl 1: Ah ok then, if you change your mind call us!
Jess: Ok see you tomorrow? Have a good night!
(Jess continues to walk down the corridor, entering the library. After attempting to start her work she looses interest and is finally the last one left in the library. Becoming sleepy, she falls asleep and is awoken abruptly in the pitch black tied up and gagged. She struggles and is interrupted by the door opening, the masked murderer entering the library. He walks towards her with a weapon and we hear her muffled screams as it fades to blackout…)
Character Profile
Character Profiles:
Jessica Jones aged: 17
Gender: Female
Hobbies: Enjoys spending time with friends and going out to the cinema.
Music: Indie, classical
About her: Jessica attends Oldbury high school and is currently at 6th form studying Maths, Biology, and Chemistry and is trying to get in Liverpool University as a Veterinary nurse.
Features: Blond Hair, Blue Eyes, 5”3
Links to the killer: the murder grows an obsession towards the character due to the fact she is always in the library. Which is were the murder is located.
The ‘Mask’ Murder
Gender: Male
Age: 20
About him: He’s used to be a care taker at the Oldbury High School. Over the years he grew a close relationship with a student which is forbidden. The head of year sacked him for having a relationship with an underage girl. Due to his obsession with that student and not being able to see her, He snuck in and lived in the library where he’s cleaning tools were.
Over the years she left and he never saw her again. Couple years later a New Year group of 6th forms joined Oldbury High School. A current student who joined the 6th form looked very similar to the student he loved. He grew an obsession with Jessica who was always located in the library. Knowing that she would be leaving year 12, he couldn’t bear losing her like he lost he’s old lover, so he seeks to kill her so she will forever be with him. He kills her in the library one day after school where she needs to complete her courswork
Couple years later, it’s the anniversary of Jessica’s death and a bunch of 6th formers decided to investigate. The ‘Mask’ Murder finds outs which is his motive not to be found out, which is why he kills them.
Jessica Jones aged: 17
Gender: Female
Hobbies: Enjoys spending time with friends and going out to the cinema.
Music: Indie, classical
About her: Jessica attends Oldbury high school and is currently at 6th form studying Maths, Biology, and Chemistry and is trying to get in Liverpool University as a Veterinary nurse.
Features: Blond Hair, Blue Eyes, 5”3
Links to the killer: the murder grows an obsession towards the character due to the fact she is always in the library. Which is were the murder is located.
The ‘Mask’ Murder
Gender: Male
Age: 20
About him: He’s used to be a care taker at the Oldbury High School. Over the years he grew a close relationship with a student which is forbidden. The head of year sacked him for having a relationship with an underage girl. Due to his obsession with that student and not being able to see her, He snuck in and lived in the library where he’s cleaning tools were.
Over the years she left and he never saw her again. Couple years later a New Year group of 6th forms joined Oldbury High School. A current student who joined the 6th form looked very similar to the student he loved. He grew an obsession with Jessica who was always located in the library. Knowing that she would be leaving year 12, he couldn’t bear losing her like he lost he’s old lover, so he seeks to kill her so she will forever be with him. He kills her in the library one day after school where she needs to complete her courswork
Couple years later, it’s the anniversary of Jessica’s death and a bunch of 6th formers decided to investigate. The ‘Mask’ Murder finds outs which is his motive not to be found out, which is why he kills them.
Synopsis of Film
Our group have completed a synopisis of the film and have done a detailed overview of what will happen throughout the whole film:
Opening: School
We see a young group of teenage college girls, chatting among their peers walking down the corridors. The bell goes to indicate the end of the school day and the friends question plans for the evening. One girl insists she has to stay behind to finish her coursework and heads off to the library. Upon starting her work in a corner of the library, she gets tired and falls asleep slowly. Woken up with a start, she realises she is tied up, gagged, dazed and confused. Attempting to escape she is interrupted by the door opening by a masked villain holding a weapon. He slowly walks towards her and we can hear the diegetic sound of her muffled screams… (Fade to blackout)
Beginning: 2 years later, the anniversary of Jessica’s death and a group of friends begin to speculate on what actually happened, bearing in mind the murderer had never been caught. Strange events begin to occur in the school which only the group of friends notice, such as masks being left in the library and bells and fire alarms malfunctioning. Slowly, one by one they are forced to stay behind after school due to the incidents which they are accused of. They are put in isolated detention room all together and teacher hears a noise to leaves them to investigate.
Middle: An hour later, they begin to question where the teacher has gone and one friend goes to investigate. Walking down the deserted corridors, the lights are switched off and she notices the toilet light is open. Checking herself in the mirror, she sees the teachers tie from the corner of her eye. Bending down to pick it up she sees some blood on the tie, realising the teacher has been murdered. Standing up to escape the masked murderer is behind her, grabs the tie and strangles her with it, killing her. Then we are taken back to detention room where 2 friends remain. Wondering why the teacher and friend have gone so long, they decide to both investigate further deciding to start in the library. Realising the date is the two year anniversary of Jessica’s death, they become scared and begin to panic. All lights are switched off and they hear a crazed laughter, and the library door opens. They both run and hide under desks.
Ending: The murderer realises they are hiding and slowly walks up and down the library desks, periodically peering under them, increasing tension in the room. When he is about to look under the table that the main character is under, the other friends accidentally knocks off the book shelf, causing it to collapse, alerting the murderer. He runs over to her and grabs her by the throat, slowly strangling her until her death, all in front of her friend. The main character, realising she is about to be found gets up and pushes another book shelf onto the murderer, then runs out. Running down the corridor, she attempts to leave the school but all doors are locked. Grabbing a fire extinguisher she hides behind a corner, waiting for the murderer. She hears him approaching and hits him with the extinguisher, knocking him out. She then carries on hitting him with it, finally killing him. She manages to escape and the last shot is of the police approaching the school, with the girl cowering inside. However we are then shown another masked murderer, leaving the school through a different exit, escaping the police. Therefore there were two murderers and the main character only killed one, leaving enough room for a sequel…
Opening: School
We see a young group of teenage college girls, chatting among their peers walking down the corridors. The bell goes to indicate the end of the school day and the friends question plans for the evening. One girl insists she has to stay behind to finish her coursework and heads off to the library. Upon starting her work in a corner of the library, she gets tired and falls asleep slowly. Woken up with a start, she realises she is tied up, gagged, dazed and confused. Attempting to escape she is interrupted by the door opening by a masked villain holding a weapon. He slowly walks towards her and we can hear the diegetic sound of her muffled screams… (Fade to blackout)
Beginning: 2 years later, the anniversary of Jessica’s death and a group of friends begin to speculate on what actually happened, bearing in mind the murderer had never been caught. Strange events begin to occur in the school which only the group of friends notice, such as masks being left in the library and bells and fire alarms malfunctioning. Slowly, one by one they are forced to stay behind after school due to the incidents which they are accused of. They are put in isolated detention room all together and teacher hears a noise to leaves them to investigate.
Middle: An hour later, they begin to question where the teacher has gone and one friend goes to investigate. Walking down the deserted corridors, the lights are switched off and she notices the toilet light is open. Checking herself in the mirror, she sees the teachers tie from the corner of her eye. Bending down to pick it up she sees some blood on the tie, realising the teacher has been murdered. Standing up to escape the masked murderer is behind her, grabs the tie and strangles her with it, killing her. Then we are taken back to detention room where 2 friends remain. Wondering why the teacher and friend have gone so long, they decide to both investigate further deciding to start in the library. Realising the date is the two year anniversary of Jessica’s death, they become scared and begin to panic. All lights are switched off and they hear a crazed laughter, and the library door opens. They both run and hide under desks.
Ending: The murderer realises they are hiding and slowly walks up and down the library desks, periodically peering under them, increasing tension in the room. When he is about to look under the table that the main character is under, the other friends accidentally knocks off the book shelf, causing it to collapse, alerting the murderer. He runs over to her and grabs her by the throat, slowly strangling her until her death, all in front of her friend. The main character, realising she is about to be found gets up and pushes another book shelf onto the murderer, then runs out. Running down the corridor, she attempts to leave the school but all doors are locked. Grabbing a fire extinguisher she hides behind a corner, waiting for the murderer. She hears him approaching and hits him with the extinguisher, knocking him out. She then carries on hitting him with it, finally killing him. She manages to escape and the last shot is of the police approaching the school, with the girl cowering inside. However we are then shown another masked murderer, leaving the school through a different exit, escaping the police. Therefore there were two murderers and the main character only killed one, leaving enough room for a sequel…
Friday, 27 February 2009
Evaluation of preliminary task:
For our preliminary task before we make our proper title sequence, we were required to make a short sequence which involves someone walking in, sitting down and exchanging dialogue with another person.
However we must follow the 180-degree rule, demonstrate match on action and include a shot/reverse shot. This task should also show continuity not be confusing for audience. When I and my group first decided on ideas for this task, we completed a storyboard and mind map so that it included all of our ideas and that we had a thorough overview of what exactly we were going to do. However I believe we decided to make our task too complicated and became too absorbed in the plot and storyline, whereas we should have actually concentrated on the task guidelines. During filming we found it difficult to match continuity as we filmed it in different lighting and places. This meant the sequence did not flow very well and confused audience members. During editing, we attempted to rectify this by changing the lighting and making some bits longer but it didn’t look effective and therefore as a group we made a decision to film it again so it was perfect.
We made sure we found an isolated room which was quiet; this meant we wouldn’t have to stop halfway through due to interruptions and this would improve our continuity. Also we realised during filming last time, we hadn’t followed the 180-degree rule effectively so we ensured it was perfect this time. Because we made our second sequence a lot less complicated, it took a lot less time to produce and we were able to complete it in one lesson, allowing us more time to concentrate on editing. I am glad we re shot the sequence again as it gave us more experience and taught us the importance of the 180-degree rule and continuity. We also ensured our dialogue was short and simple so didn’t interfere with our filming. We tried to add variety to our shots by using lots of different camera movements and shots, as we found this would help keep the audience engaged and overall, improve the quality of our sequence.
We decided to use an over the shoulder shot firstly as this fit in with the ‘story’ we had chosen, as the character was untrustworthy. We then had a long shot of the character opening the door from the inside of the room, giving the sequence more variety and continuing continuity. The next shot we used was a shot/ reverse shot of both characters dialogue, which I think worked effectively as it was engaging to watch. The different camera movements we used was tracking, panning and zooming and we also chose these particular movements to add variety to our sequence. During the making of our second sequence, we also ensured lighting and sound was the same throughout so as to show continuity.
During comparisons of the two sequences, I think the second sequence is a major improvement in contrast to the first one, which was too complicated, did not show continuity and did not follow the 180-degree rule. Making a second sequence allowed all of us to learn from our first mistakes and make the huge improvements that were needed in order for the sequence to be effective. From completing the preliminary task, I and the group now have more knowledge on how to film effectively, which will help us in our main title sequence. From the preliminary task I have learnt the importance of continuity; as it means audience members will not be confused and it will improve the quality of the sequence. I have also learnt the efficiency of the 180-degree rule as the entire sequence looked a lot more ‘polished’ when we followed it effectively, making our sequence easier to follow and overall, a vast improvement on the first attempt.
1st attempt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xOzrOaqPEk
2nd attempt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zyBS4raKTU
However we must follow the 180-degree rule, demonstrate match on action and include a shot/reverse shot. This task should also show continuity not be confusing for audience. When I and my group first decided on ideas for this task, we completed a storyboard and mind map so that it included all of our ideas and that we had a thorough overview of what exactly we were going to do. However I believe we decided to make our task too complicated and became too absorbed in the plot and storyline, whereas we should have actually concentrated on the task guidelines. During filming we found it difficult to match continuity as we filmed it in different lighting and places. This meant the sequence did not flow very well and confused audience members. During editing, we attempted to rectify this by changing the lighting and making some bits longer but it didn’t look effective and therefore as a group we made a decision to film it again so it was perfect.
We made sure we found an isolated room which was quiet; this meant we wouldn’t have to stop halfway through due to interruptions and this would improve our continuity. Also we realised during filming last time, we hadn’t followed the 180-degree rule effectively so we ensured it was perfect this time. Because we made our second sequence a lot less complicated, it took a lot less time to produce and we were able to complete it in one lesson, allowing us more time to concentrate on editing. I am glad we re shot the sequence again as it gave us more experience and taught us the importance of the 180-degree rule and continuity. We also ensured our dialogue was short and simple so didn’t interfere with our filming. We tried to add variety to our shots by using lots of different camera movements and shots, as we found this would help keep the audience engaged and overall, improve the quality of our sequence.
We decided to use an over the shoulder shot firstly as this fit in with the ‘story’ we had chosen, as the character was untrustworthy. We then had a long shot of the character opening the door from the inside of the room, giving the sequence more variety and continuing continuity. The next shot we used was a shot/ reverse shot of both characters dialogue, which I think worked effectively as it was engaging to watch. The different camera movements we used was tracking, panning and zooming and we also chose these particular movements to add variety to our sequence. During the making of our second sequence, we also ensured lighting and sound was the same throughout so as to show continuity.
During comparisons of the two sequences, I think the second sequence is a major improvement in contrast to the first one, which was too complicated, did not show continuity and did not follow the 180-degree rule. Making a second sequence allowed all of us to learn from our first mistakes and make the huge improvements that were needed in order for the sequence to be effective. From completing the preliminary task, I and the group now have more knowledge on how to film effectively, which will help us in our main title sequence. From the preliminary task I have learnt the importance of continuity; as it means audience members will not be confused and it will improve the quality of the sequence. I have also learnt the efficiency of the 180-degree rule as the entire sequence looked a lot more ‘polished’ when we followed it effectively, making our sequence easier to follow and overall, a vast improvement on the first attempt.
1st attempt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xOzrOaqPEk
2nd attempt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zyBS4raKTU
Friday, 6 February 2009
Information on film 4 and differences between two film companies:
Film 4 Production:
-Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel 4.
-Some of the famous films they have produced ‘This is England.’ ‘Four weddings and a funeral.’ and ‘Trainspotting.’
-They are one of the most famous British film companies and have produced the highest grossing films in the 21st century within Britain.
Differences between American and British film companies:
-The American film company has been running for a lot longer period of time and therefore has been able to become a lot more established within the film industry.
-Because 20th century fox is a lot more established then film 4 it is able to produce bigger budget films which are more likely to become a success.
-20th century fox also produces more series of films, such as ‘Star wars’, whereas film 4 produces one of successes such as ‘four weddings and a funeral’. This could connote the power of 21st century fox because they are able to produce more series of a popular film, but film 4 do not have the power to do so.
-Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel 4.
-Some of the famous films they have produced ‘This is England.’ ‘Four weddings and a funeral.’ and ‘Trainspotting.’
-They are one of the most famous British film companies and have produced the highest grossing films in the 21st century within Britain.
Differences between American and British film companies:
-The American film company has been running for a lot longer period of time and therefore has been able to become a lot more established within the film industry.
-Because 20th century fox is a lot more established then film 4 it is able to produce bigger budget films which are more likely to become a success.
-20th century fox also produces more series of films, such as ‘Star wars’, whereas film 4 produces one of successes such as ‘four weddings and a funeral’. This could connote the power of 21st century fox because they are able to produce more series of a popular film, but film 4 do not have the power to do so.
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Information on 20th century fox and BBFC
I have recently found some information on 20th century films,and the BBFC and this will help me and my group because we will have some sucsessful film companies to base our idea on and we will also know what is acceptable in a 15 classification film.
2Oth Century Films
-Also known as 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, or Fox.
-One of the six Worldwide major American film studios.
-The company was founded in 1935.
-Some of 20th Century Fox's most popular movie franchises include the Star Wars, Home Alone, Die Hard, Ice Age, Revenge of the Nerds, X-Men (film series), Alien and Predator series.
-Is a result of the merge of two entities; twentieth century pictures and fox film corporation.
-Also has a telivision company called: 20th Century Fox Television.
BBFC:specifically 15 classifications:
DEFINITION:'15' – Suitable only for 15 years and over
No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video or DVD.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (eg 'f**k'). But the strongest terms (eg 'c**t') will be acceptable only where justified by the context. Continued aggressive use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
Violence
Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.
Imitable techniques
Dangerous techniques (eg combat, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on imitable detail. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
Me and my group will ensure we follow these guidlines during the production of our title sequence.
2Oth Century Films
-Also known as 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, or Fox.
-One of the six Worldwide major American film studios.
-The company was founded in 1935.
-Some of 20th Century Fox's most popular movie franchises include the Star Wars, Home Alone, Die Hard, Ice Age, Revenge of the Nerds, X-Men (film series), Alien and Predator series.
-Is a result of the merge of two entities; twentieth century pictures and fox film corporation.
-Also has a telivision company called: 20th Century Fox Television.
BBFC:specifically 15 classifications:
DEFINITION:'15' – Suitable only for 15 years and over
No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video or DVD.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (eg 'f**k'). But the strongest terms (eg 'c**t') will be acceptable only where justified by the context. Continued aggressive use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
Violence
Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.
Imitable techniques
Dangerous techniques (eg combat, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on imitable detail. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
Me and my group will ensure we follow these guidlines during the production of our title sequence.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Presentation
This is my presentation on my results of my film anaylsis and what I found out, which I tried to go through in extensive detail so it would help me and my group decide what stock codes and conventions to use in our film opening.
Friday, 23 January 2009
Analysis of 3 films
I have now completed the 3 entire film analysis which has helped me realise the key codes and conventions of most horror films:
Media Studies:
3 film analysis:
Prom night
House of Wax
Final Destination 1
During my analysis of the three films I ensured that similarly to analysing my five film openings, all the complete films I chose to analyse were of the 15 classification. This is because this classification is what I and my group will be expected to produce and therefore only analysing 15 classification films will be more relevant to me and my group. The first film I analysed was Prom Night – a stereotypical ‘teen slasher horror’ – I noticed this followed most of the stock codes and conventions I had seen in the 5 film openings I have already analysed.
1. Prom Night
Key generic codes and conventions used throughout the film are:
Firstly dark and obscured lighting is used when the murderer is seeking the victim, which connotes to the audience something bad is about to happen.
A relatable event, such as a high school prom is used to lull audience members into a false sense of security and therefore they will be more scared when the actual disruption happens.
Props, such as knives are used, which is typical of the horror genre.
Normal settings are used, such as houses and schools to also lull the audience into a false sense of security.
The soundtrack used is slow and eerie music which contrast with the fast paced music during the high school prom; therefore when this music is played viewers know something bad will happen because of the build in tension. This keeps audience members engaged and ‘on the edge of their seat’.
I noticed that the narrative structure is not like most horror films because the film opens with the murderer chasing the victim, which audience viewers so not usually see until the equilibrium has been firmly established. However, this gave audience members a background to the story and therefore made them more engaged and involved in the story. The disruption is when Candy, a friend of the main character is murdered by the villain and this lets the audience know there will be more horror throughout the film. The realisation is when the police realise the villain has escaped prison and they need to protect the main character. There is then equilibrium, where the main character is back safe at home, and then the disruption of the killer attempting to murder the main character at her home. Finally there is a realisation by the police that the murderer is at home and they manage to kill the villain.
The key character types I picked up were:
Candy = first victim and lets audience members know the genre of the film.
Vicky = Princess and heroin, because she needs to be saved by the police and also helps with defeating the victim.
Tony = Villain
Ben, Carly and Tom = Helpers, because they are friends of Vicky and help her defeat the villain.
2. House of wax
Key generic codes and conventions used throughout the film are:
Isolated settings – completely deserted town, ‘made of wax’, miles away from other towns or assistance.
High key lighting during the equilibrium at the beginning of the film.
Props used, such as knives and guns typical of the horror genre, are used by the villain.
Villain wears normal clothes and is introduced to characters during the equilibrium, which does not make the audience suspect them, following the key generic convention, ‘the villain is always the person the audience least suspect’.
Non diagetic sound is used; a fast paced, high pitched soundtrack is used during the murders which help to build tension and keeps audience members engaged.
The narrative structure is also very similar to the other films I analysed, Prom Night and Final Destination 1 because it had an equilibrium, disruption, realisation, disruption, realisation, disruption. The only difference was that there was a disruption at the end of the film which was not resolved. The equilibrium was the 6 teenagers going on a camping trip in the middle of nowhere. The disruption was then their car broke down so they had to enter the local town, which iconic of horror films, was deserted. The teenagers were then murdered by the local psycho. The realisation was the two teenagers that stayed behind at the campsite realising their other friends had been murdered. In an attempt to save their friends they also enter the town which becomes their downfall as they also become victims of the killer (the disruption). However the police help them when the town becomes engulfed in flames However at the end of the film audience members are shown an extreme close up of the villain, and realise he has not been caught. This unresolved drama increases the terror factor of the film and also gives it a chance to be remade.
The key character types I picked up were:
Andy, Lara and Randy = Helpers, because they are friends of Verity and help her defeat the villain.
Local psycho = Unnamed and masked villain, which increases tension as audience members are constantly trying to second guess who the villain is.
Sarah = first victim and lets audience members know the genre of the film.
Verity = Princess because she needs to be saved by the police and is the only one to survive.
3. Final Destination 1
Key generic codes and conventions used throughout the film are:
Isolated settings – such as empty houses apart from the victim during the state of disruption which connotes to the audience the victim is helpless.
Non diagetic sound is used; a fast paced, high pitched soundtrack is used during the murders which help to build tension and keeps audience members engaged.
Normal settings are used, such as houses and schools to also lull the audience into a false sense of security.
A relatable event, such as a high school trip is used to lull audience members into a false sense of security and therefore they will be more scared when the actual disruption (the plane crash) happens.
Dark and obscured lighting is used just before the victim is killed, which connotes to the audience something bad is about to happen.
The narrative structure used during Final destination is extremely similar to the first two, but has fewer structure changes and simply only has an equilibrium, disruption, realisation and disruption. The equilibrium is where the main characters are sent off to a high school trip and a plane crash which most of the main characters should have been on miraculously got off before the crash happens, then the victims start to mysteriously die. The realisation is when the characters realise the pattern where the survivors of the plane crash start to also die and they maintain help of the police, and think they have beaten this pattern. However at the end of the film, one of the plane survivors dies again which connotes to the audience nothing has been solved and also increases the ‘terror factor’ for the viewers.
The key character types I picked up were:
David, Graham and Tony = Helpers, because they help the survivors of the plane crash realise their trauma is not over.
Villain = Not an actual person, but described as the devil by characters, and the threat of “it” is always their, heightening the audiences fear factor.
Chelsea = first victim and lets audience members know the genre of the film.
Dorothy = Princess because she needs to be saved by the police and is the only one to survive.
From analysing these 3 films I picked up lots of stock codes and conventions which most horror films use in order to increase tension and keep audience members engaged. The key generic codes and conventions I will consider using in the opening of my film will be:
Isolated settings
Non diagetic sound; a fast paced, to help to build tension and keeps audience members engaged, or slow paced to lull audience members into a false sense of security.
Use of normal settings; such as houses and schools to also lull the audience into a false sense of security.
A relatable event, such as a high school trip to lull audience members into a false sense of security and therefore they will be more scared when the actual disruption happens.
Dark and obscured lighting, to connote to the audience something bad is about to happen.
Iconic props of the horror genre, such as knives and guns, in order to emphasise the genre of the film to the audience.
Media Studies:
3 film analysis:
Prom night
House of Wax
Final Destination 1
During my analysis of the three films I ensured that similarly to analysing my five film openings, all the complete films I chose to analyse were of the 15 classification. This is because this classification is what I and my group will be expected to produce and therefore only analysing 15 classification films will be more relevant to me and my group. The first film I analysed was Prom Night – a stereotypical ‘teen slasher horror’ – I noticed this followed most of the stock codes and conventions I had seen in the 5 film openings I have already analysed.
1. Prom Night
Key generic codes and conventions used throughout the film are:
Firstly dark and obscured lighting is used when the murderer is seeking the victim, which connotes to the audience something bad is about to happen.
A relatable event, such as a high school prom is used to lull audience members into a false sense of security and therefore they will be more scared when the actual disruption happens.
Props, such as knives are used, which is typical of the horror genre.
Normal settings are used, such as houses and schools to also lull the audience into a false sense of security.
The soundtrack used is slow and eerie music which contrast with the fast paced music during the high school prom; therefore when this music is played viewers know something bad will happen because of the build in tension. This keeps audience members engaged and ‘on the edge of their seat’.
I noticed that the narrative structure is not like most horror films because the film opens with the murderer chasing the victim, which audience viewers so not usually see until the equilibrium has been firmly established. However, this gave audience members a background to the story and therefore made them more engaged and involved in the story. The disruption is when Candy, a friend of the main character is murdered by the villain and this lets the audience know there will be more horror throughout the film. The realisation is when the police realise the villain has escaped prison and they need to protect the main character. There is then equilibrium, where the main character is back safe at home, and then the disruption of the killer attempting to murder the main character at her home. Finally there is a realisation by the police that the murderer is at home and they manage to kill the villain.
The key character types I picked up were:
Candy = first victim and lets audience members know the genre of the film.
Vicky = Princess and heroin, because she needs to be saved by the police and also helps with defeating the victim.
Tony = Villain
Ben, Carly and Tom = Helpers, because they are friends of Vicky and help her defeat the villain.
2. House of wax
Key generic codes and conventions used throughout the film are:
Isolated settings – completely deserted town, ‘made of wax’, miles away from other towns or assistance.
High key lighting during the equilibrium at the beginning of the film.
Props used, such as knives and guns typical of the horror genre, are used by the villain.
Villain wears normal clothes and is introduced to characters during the equilibrium, which does not make the audience suspect them, following the key generic convention, ‘the villain is always the person the audience least suspect’.
Non diagetic sound is used; a fast paced, high pitched soundtrack is used during the murders which help to build tension and keeps audience members engaged.
The narrative structure is also very similar to the other films I analysed, Prom Night and Final Destination 1 because it had an equilibrium, disruption, realisation, disruption, realisation, disruption. The only difference was that there was a disruption at the end of the film which was not resolved. The equilibrium was the 6 teenagers going on a camping trip in the middle of nowhere. The disruption was then their car broke down so they had to enter the local town, which iconic of horror films, was deserted. The teenagers were then murdered by the local psycho. The realisation was the two teenagers that stayed behind at the campsite realising their other friends had been murdered. In an attempt to save their friends they also enter the town which becomes their downfall as they also become victims of the killer (the disruption). However the police help them when the town becomes engulfed in flames However at the end of the film audience members are shown an extreme close up of the villain, and realise he has not been caught. This unresolved drama increases the terror factor of the film and also gives it a chance to be remade.
The key character types I picked up were:
Andy, Lara and Randy = Helpers, because they are friends of Verity and help her defeat the villain.
Local psycho = Unnamed and masked villain, which increases tension as audience members are constantly trying to second guess who the villain is.
Sarah = first victim and lets audience members know the genre of the film.
Verity = Princess because she needs to be saved by the police and is the only one to survive.
3. Final Destination 1
Key generic codes and conventions used throughout the film are:
Isolated settings – such as empty houses apart from the victim during the state of disruption which connotes to the audience the victim is helpless.
Non diagetic sound is used; a fast paced, high pitched soundtrack is used during the murders which help to build tension and keeps audience members engaged.
Normal settings are used, such as houses and schools to also lull the audience into a false sense of security.
A relatable event, such as a high school trip is used to lull audience members into a false sense of security and therefore they will be more scared when the actual disruption (the plane crash) happens.
Dark and obscured lighting is used just before the victim is killed, which connotes to the audience something bad is about to happen.
The narrative structure used during Final destination is extremely similar to the first two, but has fewer structure changes and simply only has an equilibrium, disruption, realisation and disruption. The equilibrium is where the main characters are sent off to a high school trip and a plane crash which most of the main characters should have been on miraculously got off before the crash happens, then the victims start to mysteriously die. The realisation is when the characters realise the pattern where the survivors of the plane crash start to also die and they maintain help of the police, and think they have beaten this pattern. However at the end of the film, one of the plane survivors dies again which connotes to the audience nothing has been solved and also increases the ‘terror factor’ for the viewers.
The key character types I picked up were:
David, Graham and Tony = Helpers, because they help the survivors of the plane crash realise their trauma is not over.
Villain = Not an actual person, but described as the devil by characters, and the threat of “it” is always their, heightening the audiences fear factor.
Chelsea = first victim and lets audience members know the genre of the film.
Dorothy = Princess because she needs to be saved by the police and is the only one to survive.
From analysing these 3 films I picked up lots of stock codes and conventions which most horror films use in order to increase tension and keep audience members engaged. The key generic codes and conventions I will consider using in the opening of my film will be:
Isolated settings
Non diagetic sound; a fast paced, to help to build tension and keeps audience members engaged, or slow paced to lull audience members into a false sense of security.
Use of normal settings; such as houses and schools to also lull the audience into a false sense of security.
A relatable event, such as a high school trip to lull audience members into a false sense of security and therefore they will be more scared when the actual disruption happens.
Dark and obscured lighting, to connote to the audience something bad is about to happen.
Iconic props of the horror genre, such as knives and guns, in order to emphasise the genre of the film to the audience.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Analysis of 5 film openings
i analyised 5 film openings and this is my analysis of them
Media Studies:
Analysing 5 film openings
To help me and my group during the making of our opening I am analysing 5 film openings to see if they follow the stock codes and conventions of the particular genre we have chosen. Because horror was the most popular result from our questionnaire, we will be concentrating on horror and therefore I chose 5 films of the horror genre; ‘Sixth sense’, ‘Gothika’, ‘Jeepers Creepers’ ‘When a stranger calls’ and ‘long time dead’. I also chose these specific films because they are all 15 classification films, which is also the classification of film we are expected to make and therefore I felt it would help us because we would know what is acceptable in a 15 classification and what is not.
The first film I analysed was ‘Jeepers Creepers’ and the first camera shot the audience views is a long shot of a car, on a deserted highway in America. Although we cannot see the two characters, almost immediately audiences are confronted by the diagetic sound of the two characters in conversation. This conversation is relatable to audience members because it is a friendly, relaxed conversation between two siblings and therefore this automatically relaxes the audience. I noticed this was not a conventional opening of a horror film because it is in broad day light, the two characters are laughing and joking and the long shot of the car is relatable to the audience as it is a modern day object. The weather and settings – rolling countryside and fields- is pleasant and not at all scary, which contrasts with the genre of the film entirely. However I realised that this is done to lull the audience into a false sense of security, which is often done in horror films so that when the frightening moments of the film are revealed the audience will not anticipate it and therefore find it scarier than if tension had been built slowly through dark settings and slow paced music. The costumes used in ‘Jeepers Creepers’ are modern and casual, with both characters wearing t-shirts and jeans and this gives audience ideas of when the story is set (modern day times) and what class the characters are from (working/middle class), It also makes the characters more relatable to the audience. The only idea the audience get the genre of film is the long shot of the car on the deserted highway, which connotes the isolation of the two main characters, and in some way, their helplessness, which later on in the film becomes their downfall.
The second film I analysed was ‘When a stranger calls’, which is also a modern day film. I noticed the opening of this film was a lot busier and compact than ‘Jeepers Creepers’, with lots of different camera angles and movements. The first camera movement audiences’ view is a low angle, medium close up of a house, which later becomes the focal point of the film as it is where most of the action happens. The low angle shot represents this as it connotes its importance and also the isolation of the house which is emphasised by the mist surrounding it. Audience members are then confronted with a slow motion running shot of two children, with non diagetic sound of other children’s laughter in the background. Not only does this confuse audience members as the sound and picture are not in sync, it also gives the opening a sinister feeling as the children are unaware of any danger that could possibly be coming. The two children link in with the storyline of the film because the story is about babysitting and therefore this gives viewers an idea to what the film will involve and keep them engaged and interested. During these different scenes, audience also hear a non diagetic sound of a phone call, obviously between the victim and murderer which also links in with the storyline and helps build tension as the phone call becomes more sinister as the opening continues. The costume is modern, ordinary clothing which the audience can relate to and therefore find the horror film scarier as they can imagine it happening to them. Lighting is dark throughout the opening sequences, which is scary to the audience as they cannot see everything in the foreground and this connotes to the audience something – or more importantly – someone could be lurking in the background. This typical convention of a horror film is used because the dark is seen as unsafe and unwelcoming, so therefore audience members will instinctively be on edge and anticipating something terrifying to happen.
The third film analysis I completed was the ‘Sixth Sense’ and although this is still a modern day film, it was made in the late 1990s, not the early 2000s and therefore it is now seen as a classic horror film by many avid horror viewers. The first setting audience members are confronted by is in a cellar, with a long –obscured- shot of a female looking for something. The fact that the shot is obscured by shelving is sinister because it connotes to the audience someone is watching her, hiding behind the shelving. The lighting is extremely dark and dingy, so the film is following the typical stock convention of most horror films and therefore audience viewers are aware of the genre of the film almost immediately. The sound accompanying the picture helps to build tension because it gets faster and louder as the scene continues and audience members expected it to reach a crescendo, which instead it abruptly stops, which is also scary for audience members as something unexpected happens. The costume the female character is wearing are smart and modern, which connotes to the audience the character is a working professional with a large yearly wage. The fact that the first character introduced is female and not male also puts the audience on edge because stereotypically the females are usually helpless and the fact she is introduced on her own connotes to the audience she is isolated and helpless, which becomes a problem later on in the film.
The fourth film I have analysed was ‘Gothika’ and the first scene audience member’s view is an extreme close up shot of a female face, and her expressions connote that she may be mentally disturbed as she is highly hysterical and crying. The next camera shot used is a close up shot of another female face; however this contrasts with the first shot seen because the female is extremely composed and patient, which connotes to the audience that this female is in charge. This is also emphasised by the two characters clothing; the first female looks dishevelled and is wearing a uniform, whereas the second female looks smart and professional – this connotes to the audience she is of higher importance. The fact the shot is obscured – by bars- makes the audience feel trapped and therefore threatened, which increases the audiences tension. The next shot the audience see is an over the shoulder shot of both characters, which shows the characters are linked in some way, and also makes the audience feel more involved in the drama. The lighting used is dark and this also emphasises the sinister mood, foretelling the audience the genre of the film. Audience members can also hear slow non diagetic sound as well as the two characters speaking, which helps to build tension throughout. Although audience members are not shown a clear view of the setting, from the hints given, it is obvious that the setting is either a mental institution or prison because of the bars and the controlled surroundings which viewers would not anticipate to see in everyday life.
The final film I chose to analyse was ‘long time dead’, which I thought was most different from the other four film openings. The first camera shot used is a long shot of a group of men sitting around a table. These characters are wearing old, peasantry cloaks and therefore this connotes to the audience the opening is set back in time, more than 100 years ago. The sound used is the characters chanting, enhanced by wind noises, and from this it is clear to the audience the characters are taking part in some kind of ritual. Other camera shots used in the opening of the film are extreme close ups of the male characters faces, which help audience members see the characters expressions clearly and engage more with the drama. The lighting used helps set the scene because it is dark, like many of the other horror film openings and the only light seen is candle light, which also helps connote to the audience the pre modern setting of the film. The next camera shot is an extreme close up of a pendant which also emphasises the ritualistic feelings of the film.
I thought all of these films followed certain stock codes and conventions and used certain stereotypes of horror films, such as having the opening in dark lighting and using eerie music during the title sequence of the film. This is done so that audiences can quickly identify the particular genre of film and become more engaged quicker. After analysing the openings, I now have a better idea what ideas are effective and therefore will consider using some similar codes and conventions for my groups’ film opening, which will make it more effective.
Media Studies:
Analysing 5 film openings
To help me and my group during the making of our opening I am analysing 5 film openings to see if they follow the stock codes and conventions of the particular genre we have chosen. Because horror was the most popular result from our questionnaire, we will be concentrating on horror and therefore I chose 5 films of the horror genre; ‘Sixth sense’, ‘Gothika’, ‘Jeepers Creepers’ ‘When a stranger calls’ and ‘long time dead’. I also chose these specific films because they are all 15 classification films, which is also the classification of film we are expected to make and therefore I felt it would help us because we would know what is acceptable in a 15 classification and what is not.
The first film I analysed was ‘Jeepers Creepers’ and the first camera shot the audience views is a long shot of a car, on a deserted highway in America. Although we cannot see the two characters, almost immediately audiences are confronted by the diagetic sound of the two characters in conversation. This conversation is relatable to audience members because it is a friendly, relaxed conversation between two siblings and therefore this automatically relaxes the audience. I noticed this was not a conventional opening of a horror film because it is in broad day light, the two characters are laughing and joking and the long shot of the car is relatable to the audience as it is a modern day object. The weather and settings – rolling countryside and fields- is pleasant and not at all scary, which contrasts with the genre of the film entirely. However I realised that this is done to lull the audience into a false sense of security, which is often done in horror films so that when the frightening moments of the film are revealed the audience will not anticipate it and therefore find it scarier than if tension had been built slowly through dark settings and slow paced music. The costumes used in ‘Jeepers Creepers’ are modern and casual, with both characters wearing t-shirts and jeans and this gives audience ideas of when the story is set (modern day times) and what class the characters are from (working/middle class), It also makes the characters more relatable to the audience. The only idea the audience get the genre of film is the long shot of the car on the deserted highway, which connotes the isolation of the two main characters, and in some way, their helplessness, which later on in the film becomes their downfall.
The second film I analysed was ‘When a stranger calls’, which is also a modern day film. I noticed the opening of this film was a lot busier and compact than ‘Jeepers Creepers’, with lots of different camera angles and movements. The first camera movement audiences’ view is a low angle, medium close up of a house, which later becomes the focal point of the film as it is where most of the action happens. The low angle shot represents this as it connotes its importance and also the isolation of the house which is emphasised by the mist surrounding it. Audience members are then confronted with a slow motion running shot of two children, with non diagetic sound of other children’s laughter in the background. Not only does this confuse audience members as the sound and picture are not in sync, it also gives the opening a sinister feeling as the children are unaware of any danger that could possibly be coming. The two children link in with the storyline of the film because the story is about babysitting and therefore this gives viewers an idea to what the film will involve and keep them engaged and interested. During these different scenes, audience also hear a non diagetic sound of a phone call, obviously between the victim and murderer which also links in with the storyline and helps build tension as the phone call becomes more sinister as the opening continues. The costume is modern, ordinary clothing which the audience can relate to and therefore find the horror film scarier as they can imagine it happening to them. Lighting is dark throughout the opening sequences, which is scary to the audience as they cannot see everything in the foreground and this connotes to the audience something – or more importantly – someone could be lurking in the background. This typical convention of a horror film is used because the dark is seen as unsafe and unwelcoming, so therefore audience members will instinctively be on edge and anticipating something terrifying to happen.
The third film analysis I completed was the ‘Sixth Sense’ and although this is still a modern day film, it was made in the late 1990s, not the early 2000s and therefore it is now seen as a classic horror film by many avid horror viewers. The first setting audience members are confronted by is in a cellar, with a long –obscured- shot of a female looking for something. The fact that the shot is obscured by shelving is sinister because it connotes to the audience someone is watching her, hiding behind the shelving. The lighting is extremely dark and dingy, so the film is following the typical stock convention of most horror films and therefore audience viewers are aware of the genre of the film almost immediately. The sound accompanying the picture helps to build tension because it gets faster and louder as the scene continues and audience members expected it to reach a crescendo, which instead it abruptly stops, which is also scary for audience members as something unexpected happens. The costume the female character is wearing are smart and modern, which connotes to the audience the character is a working professional with a large yearly wage. The fact that the first character introduced is female and not male also puts the audience on edge because stereotypically the females are usually helpless and the fact she is introduced on her own connotes to the audience she is isolated and helpless, which becomes a problem later on in the film.
The fourth film I have analysed was ‘Gothika’ and the first scene audience member’s view is an extreme close up shot of a female face, and her expressions connote that she may be mentally disturbed as she is highly hysterical and crying. The next camera shot used is a close up shot of another female face; however this contrasts with the first shot seen because the female is extremely composed and patient, which connotes to the audience that this female is in charge. This is also emphasised by the two characters clothing; the first female looks dishevelled and is wearing a uniform, whereas the second female looks smart and professional – this connotes to the audience she is of higher importance. The fact the shot is obscured – by bars- makes the audience feel trapped and therefore threatened, which increases the audiences tension. The next shot the audience see is an over the shoulder shot of both characters, which shows the characters are linked in some way, and also makes the audience feel more involved in the drama. The lighting used is dark and this also emphasises the sinister mood, foretelling the audience the genre of the film. Audience members can also hear slow non diagetic sound as well as the two characters speaking, which helps to build tension throughout. Although audience members are not shown a clear view of the setting, from the hints given, it is obvious that the setting is either a mental institution or prison because of the bars and the controlled surroundings which viewers would not anticipate to see in everyday life.
The final film I chose to analyse was ‘long time dead’, which I thought was most different from the other four film openings. The first camera shot used is a long shot of a group of men sitting around a table. These characters are wearing old, peasantry cloaks and therefore this connotes to the audience the opening is set back in time, more than 100 years ago. The sound used is the characters chanting, enhanced by wind noises, and from this it is clear to the audience the characters are taking part in some kind of ritual. Other camera shots used in the opening of the film are extreme close ups of the male characters faces, which help audience members see the characters expressions clearly and engage more with the drama. The lighting used helps set the scene because it is dark, like many of the other horror film openings and the only light seen is candle light, which also helps connote to the audience the pre modern setting of the film. The next camera shot is an extreme close up of a pendant which also emphasises the ritualistic feelings of the film.
I thought all of these films followed certain stock codes and conventions and used certain stereotypes of horror films, such as having the opening in dark lighting and using eerie music during the title sequence of the film. This is done so that audiences can quickly identify the particular genre of film and become more engaged quicker. After analysing the openings, I now have a better idea what ideas are effective and therefore will consider using some similar codes and conventions for my groups’ film opening, which will make it more effective.
Friday, 16 January 2009
creating a powerpoint presentation
I have now created a power point presentation and in doing so have created an audience profile, which will help me and my group during the making of the 2 minute sequence as we will know who to target and why it will be effective.
From my findings, I realised I will target more of the female demographic because that was the majority of people we asked. The age group will be 16-17 year olds because that was also one of the most popular answers, and being of that age group myself I know what will be most effective and what will engage that particular audience the most. The favourite genre of this particular audience will be horror, as this was one of the favourite genres and also came up in favourite film and director, so overall it was more popular than comedy.
From my findings, I realised I will target more of the female demographic because that was the majority of people we asked. The age group will be 16-17 year olds because that was also one of the most popular answers, and being of that age group myself I know what will be most effective and what will engage that particular audience the most. The favourite genre of this particular audience will be horror, as this was one of the favourite genres and also came up in favourite film and director, so overall it was more popular than comedy.
Finished analysis of questionaire
Me and my group have finished our analysis of our questionaire results and this is what we came up with.
Media analysis of questionnaire results
After taking a look at our groups results we decided to compare them to consider whether there were any similarities or differences between them, and to see if we could find any trends which would give us an idea of who our demographic audience should be and what genre of film we should choose when we produce our final piece.
The most common question that we all began with was ‘what is your age?’ we chose that questions first because we felt it is important to understand the age of our audience to get a clear idea of who we are targeting. Looking at the results the most popular age group was [15-21]. The average number of people we asked individually was between 20-25. We felt that this was a good number of people to ask because we thought that it would give us a variety of answers and findings. Finding out the age can also be linked to what genre and hobbies they share. In the group we felt that we should have asked more of an older audience, however we felt it was better using our original idea of a much younger audience.
The third question we asked on out questionnaire was the occupation of the person completing the questionnaire and we felt this was an important question to ask, so again we ensured we had a varied amount of people filling in our questionnaire. The most popular answer we got was student, which again reflects where most of our questionnaires were filled in. However from this, our group realised we should probably target this market during production of the title sequence because otherwise the answers during the questionnaire may not reflect the older generation/ other working professionals and therefore they may not like the certain genre of film we have chosen. Other answers we got from this question were incredibly varied, with answers such as Teacher, Librarian, Unemployed, Landlord, IT technician and Bartender, so although we didn’t get an equal amount of people for each group, we managed to get a fair representation of lots of different working professionals. From this question our group has realised we should probably target our film at the student demographic, if we also decide on the genre of film and other questionnaire results based on the results of the questionnaire.The fourth question our group asked in the questionnaire was probably the most important; ‘what is your favourite genre of film’ - this is important because it will help us decide what genre to base our title sequence on, as we will know which genre is most popular and therefore which genre would be most liked. We noticed we had two most popular answers, Horror and comedy which although in comparison are entirely different genres; both genres are popular within the student demographic. Another popular answer we got was action, and the least popular answers we received were Sci Fi and Thriller. From this question our group know not to produce a title sequence on either the genre of Sci Fi or thriller, as they received no votes during the questionnaire. However we will have to decide which genre to choose, out of Horror and comedy based on other answers during this questionnaire and personal preference.The next question we completed, number 5, was ‘what activities you do in your spare time’ and we decided to ask this question so that we would have an idea of how important films were and film watching was to our questionnaire fillers, and also to analyse if we could use any of the participants favourite hobbies during the title sequence, so they could relate to the title sequence more, and therefore find it more engaging. The most popular we found was ‘socialising with friends’ and we found this answer important because we can use this during our title sequence if we are unsure of our own personal ideas. Other answers we received were ‘going to the cinema’, ‘shopping’ and ‘live music’ which will also help us during the making of our title sequence because we know to include a soundtrack and used varied locations which the audience can relate to, such as cinemas and shopping centres.
Question 6'What is your favourite film and why?'
Question 7 in our questionnaire was 'How do you mostly view your films?'. As a group we felt this was an important question to ask becuase it helps us understand the most popular way which could help us understand differetn ways in which people view their films. This would help us find the best way in which we could help show our film. Comparing my results, in the cinema and on the TV where the most popular way to view their films. Not many people download films and the reason for the possible low number could be the fact that there’s a wide range of films on TV or the cinema, we can see them like that. We was shocked with the results, as we imagin that downloading films would have been quite popular due to the possible fact that the people we mainly asked were students, who are normaly up2date with technology. It's clear to say that technology as imporved the way where see our films and this is through digitital. without digital we wouldnt be able to view our films at home or on the TV. There are many Digital televesion programs such as Film4, which shows FREE films during 3pm-3am. We belive that this could porsibble be the resons why watchin films at home. The cinema offers a wide range of choice to see new films. We linked seeing the films in the cinema with ' what activities do you do in your spare time'. Looking back at out results Going to the cinema and watching films was the popular choice.
Question 8 was 'how often do you view our films'. The most popular response was 'often'. We all knew this would be the response from the questionnare due to the fact that looking at what you activites do you do in spare time,Being with friends and seeing live musicListening to music and playing computer gamesWriting and readingSports/ hockey and footballGoing to the cinema and watching films were all very relaxing way to do in their spare time. looking at what they do in their spare time it clear to say they have alot of time on their hands, so no wonder why they have so much time to view their films. we wanted to see the different attitieds towards watching films becuase with the use of Media Convegance were you can watch DVDs on your Computers or phone, its understanble why 'often' was the response to the Question.
Our next question was 'Do you buy DVDS of the film you saw in the cinema?' and the results show that the morjarity of them actually do. We felt that this was a good question to ask because it showed whether or not if the films they make produce any profit after the film by having DVDS of it. We felt that if the film was succesful in the cinema, people would buy the film, so we thought that if out product was really good, people would buy it. However there are problems due to the fact of pirate copying. This means that people illegaly copy the film and make copys of it and sells it illegaly to other people. This runis the profit of the film industry aswell as running people viewing quailitys.
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Analysis of questionaire results
I have analyised some of my questionaire results which have helped me and my group make some important decisions about our project:
Media Studies Questionnaire: Analysis of results
For the First question, ‘How old are you’, we tried to get a varied group of people in order to make sure our questionnaire was a fair representation of all different social groups and ages. Although our most popular answer was 10 – 20, which wasn’t surprising because we had many of our questionnaires completed at school, were obviously the most common age group is 10 – 20. I also managed to get 2 people in the 21- 30 age group, 1 in the 31 – 40 age group and 4 people in the over 40s group. I think this means all age groups have been catered for and so therefore it is a fair ‘random’ selection, so the results will be fair. Also, we can now analyse if age group matters to the favourite genre, actor, ect and who we should target our film at, to help our group decide these important queries.
The third question we asked on out questionnaire was the occupation of the person completing the questionnaire and we felt this was an important question to ask, so again we ensured we had a varied amount of people filling in our questionnaire. The most popular answer we got was student, which again reflects where most of our questionnaires were filled in. However from this, our group realised we should probably target this market during production of the title sequence because otherwise the answers during the questionnaire may not reflect the older generation/ other working professionals and therefore they may not like the certain genre of film we have chosen. Other answers we got from this question were incredibly varied, with answers such as Teacher, Librarian, Unemployed, Landlord, IT technician and Bartender, so although we didn’t get an equal amount of people for each group, we managed to get a fair representation of lots of different working professionals. From this question our group has realised we should probably target our film at the student demographic, if we also decide on the genre of film and other questionnaire results based on the results of the questionnaire.
The fourth question our group asked in the questionnaire was probably the most important; ‘what is your favourite genre of film’ - this is important because it will help us decide what genre to base our title sequence on, as we will know which genre is most popular and therefore which genre would be most liked. We noticed we had two most popular answers, Horror and comedy which although in comparison are entirely different genres; both genres are popular within the student demographic. Another popular answer we got was action, and the least popular answers we received were Sci Fi and Thriller. From this question our group know not to produce a title sequence on either the genre of Sci Fi or thriller, as they received no votes during the questionnaire. However we will have to decide which genre to choose, out of Horror and comedy based on other answers during this questionnaire and personal preference.
The next question we completed, number 5, was ‘what activities you do in your spare time’ and we decided to ask this question so that we would have an idea of how important films were and film watching was to our questionnaire fillers, and also to analyse if we could use any of the participants favourite hobbies during the title sequence, so they could relate to the title sequence more, and therefore find it more engaging. The most popular we found was ‘socialising with friends’ and we found this answer important because we can use this during our title sequence if we are unsure of our own personal ideas. Other answers we received were ‘going to the cinema’, ‘shopping’ and ‘live music’ which will also help us during the making of our title sequence because we know to include a soundtrack and used varied locations which the audience can relate to, such as cinemas and shopping centres.
Media Studies Questionnaire: Analysis of results
For the First question, ‘How old are you’, we tried to get a varied group of people in order to make sure our questionnaire was a fair representation of all different social groups and ages. Although our most popular answer was 10 – 20, which wasn’t surprising because we had many of our questionnaires completed at school, were obviously the most common age group is 10 – 20. I also managed to get 2 people in the 21- 30 age group, 1 in the 31 – 40 age group and 4 people in the over 40s group. I think this means all age groups have been catered for and so therefore it is a fair ‘random’ selection, so the results will be fair. Also, we can now analyse if age group matters to the favourite genre, actor, ect and who we should target our film at, to help our group decide these important queries.
The third question we asked on out questionnaire was the occupation of the person completing the questionnaire and we felt this was an important question to ask, so again we ensured we had a varied amount of people filling in our questionnaire. The most popular answer we got was student, which again reflects where most of our questionnaires were filled in. However from this, our group realised we should probably target this market during production of the title sequence because otherwise the answers during the questionnaire may not reflect the older generation/ other working professionals and therefore they may not like the certain genre of film we have chosen. Other answers we got from this question were incredibly varied, with answers such as Teacher, Librarian, Unemployed, Landlord, IT technician and Bartender, so although we didn’t get an equal amount of people for each group, we managed to get a fair representation of lots of different working professionals. From this question our group has realised we should probably target our film at the student demographic, if we also decide on the genre of film and other questionnaire results based on the results of the questionnaire.
The fourth question our group asked in the questionnaire was probably the most important; ‘what is your favourite genre of film’ - this is important because it will help us decide what genre to base our title sequence on, as we will know which genre is most popular and therefore which genre would be most liked. We noticed we had two most popular answers, Horror and comedy which although in comparison are entirely different genres; both genres are popular within the student demographic. Another popular answer we got was action, and the least popular answers we received were Sci Fi and Thriller. From this question our group know not to produce a title sequence on either the genre of Sci Fi or thriller, as they received no votes during the questionnaire. However we will have to decide which genre to choose, out of Horror and comedy based on other answers during this questionnaire and personal preference.
The next question we completed, number 5, was ‘what activities you do in your spare time’ and we decided to ask this question so that we would have an idea of how important films were and film watching was to our questionnaire fillers, and also to analyse if we could use any of the participants favourite hobbies during the title sequence, so they could relate to the title sequence more, and therefore find it more engaging. The most popular we found was ‘socialising with friends’ and we found this answer important because we can use this during our title sequence if we are unsure of our own personal ideas. Other answers we received were ‘going to the cinema’, ‘shopping’ and ‘live music’ which will also help us during the making of our title sequence because we know to include a soundtrack and used varied locations which the audience can relate to, such as cinemas and shopping centres.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Questionaire Results
I have recently had all my questionaires filled in and will now post the results. The answers to questions 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9 are in order of popularity. :)
Coursework: Media Studies
Demographic information research
1. How old are you?
11- 20 [ 13]
21 – 30 [2 ]
31- 40 [1 ]
Over 40 [4 ]
2. Are you Male [ 5 ] or female [ 15 ] (please cross)
3. What is your occupation?
Student, Teacher, Librarian, Unemployed, Landlord, IT technician, Bartender.
4. What is your favourite genre of film?
Thriller [ ]
Comedy [7 ]
Romance [2 ]
Action [4 ]
Horror [7 ]
Sci Fi [ ]
5. What activities do you do in your spare time?
Socialising with friends, going to the cinema, shopping, live music,
6. How often do you view films a month?
Rarely [1 ]
Once a month [ ]
Twice a month [4 ]
Once a week [7 ]
Twice a week [ 3]
More than twice a week [5 ]
7. Who is your favourite actor/ actress?
Hugh Grant, Jim Carey, Matthew Fox, Keira Knightly, Bruce Lee, Adam Sandler, Colin Firth, Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Jaime Winstone, Russell Brand, Meryl Streep, Eva Longoria, Jamie Bell,
8. Who is your favourite film director?
Quentin Tarintino, Steven Spielberg, Eli Roth, Mel Gibson
9. What is your favourite film?
Saw, The Omen, Sixth Sense, Misery, Love Actually, The notebook, Van Helsing, 28 days later, James Bond
10. How do you view films?
On TV [15]
At the cinema [3]
On the computer [2]
Thank you for taking some time to answer this questionnaire!
Coursework: Media Studies
Demographic information research
1. How old are you?
11- 20 [ 13]
21 – 30 [2 ]
31- 40 [1 ]
Over 40 [4 ]
2. Are you Male [ 5 ] or female [ 15 ] (please cross)
3. What is your occupation?
Student, Teacher, Librarian, Unemployed, Landlord, IT technician, Bartender.
4. What is your favourite genre of film?
Thriller [ ]
Comedy [7 ]
Romance [2 ]
Action [4 ]
Horror [7 ]
Sci Fi [ ]
5. What activities do you do in your spare time?
Socialising with friends, going to the cinema, shopping, live music,
6. How often do you view films a month?
Rarely [1 ]
Once a month [ ]
Twice a month [4 ]
Once a week [7 ]
Twice a week [ 3]
More than twice a week [5 ]
7. Who is your favourite actor/ actress?
Hugh Grant, Jim Carey, Matthew Fox, Keira Knightly, Bruce Lee, Adam Sandler, Colin Firth, Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Jaime Winstone, Russell Brand, Meryl Streep, Eva Longoria, Jamie Bell,
8. Who is your favourite film director?
Quentin Tarintino, Steven Spielberg, Eli Roth, Mel Gibson
9. What is your favourite film?
Saw, The Omen, Sixth Sense, Misery, Love Actually, The notebook, Van Helsing, 28 days later, James Bond
10. How do you view films?
On TV [15]
At the cinema [3]
On the computer [2]
Thank you for taking some time to answer this questionnaire!
Monday, 12 January 2009
Friday, 9 January 2009
Questionaire
I have recently completed a questionaire and will put it in my blog so if your feeling nice you can fill it in:
Coursework: Media Studies
Demographic information research
1. How old are you?
11- 20 [ ]
21 – 30 [ ]
31- 40 [ ]
Over 40 [ ]
2. Are you Male [ ] or female [ ] (please cross)
4. What is your occupation?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. What is your favourite genre of film?
Thriller [ ]
Comedy [ ]
Romance [ ]
Action [ ]
Horror [ ]
Sci Fi [ ]
4. What activities do you do in your spare time?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
5. How often do you view films a month?
Rarely [ ]
Once a month [ ]
Twice a month [ ]
Once a week [ ]
Twice a week [ ]
More than twice a week [ ]
6. Who is your favourite actor/ actress?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
7. Who is your favourite film director?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
8. What is your favourite film?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. How do you view films?
On TV [ ]
At the cinema [ ]
On the computer [ ]
Thank you for taking some time to answer this questionnaire!
Coursework: Media Studies
Demographic information research
1. How old are you?
11- 20 [ ]
21 – 30 [ ]
31- 40 [ ]
Over 40 [ ]
2. Are you Male [ ] or female [ ] (please cross)
4. What is your occupation?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. What is your favourite genre of film?
Thriller [ ]
Comedy [ ]
Romance [ ]
Action [ ]
Horror [ ]
Sci Fi [ ]
4. What activities do you do in your spare time?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
5. How often do you view films a month?
Rarely [ ]
Once a month [ ]
Twice a month [ ]
Once a week [ ]
Twice a week [ ]
More than twice a week [ ]
6. Who is your favourite actor/ actress?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
7. Who is your favourite film director?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
8. What is your favourite film?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. How do you view films?
On TV [ ]
At the cinema [ ]
On the computer [ ]
Thank you for taking some time to answer this questionnaire!
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Get This Up and Running
Welcome Alice Now I can monitor you even from home!!! It's like 1984!
( Big Brother reference). You must use this blog to monitor your work for this part of the course and to ensure that you are focused and on track to meet the assessment criteria.
Good Luck!
SLE
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