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.
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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