Questionnaire Results

Prediction:As a group, we predicted that people aged between 18-21 would prefer the genre horror and the sub genre comedy horror. Where as the age above 21 would prefer Romantic comedy or Thriller. We also found that more people would prefer watching movies at the cinemas rather than at home, maybe this is beacuse they prefer the experience of being at the cinemas with friends, especially at a young age. At the cinemas you would find the quality of the film is better and that the sound can add to the overal scary appeal to the film. Alot of people are unsure of why horror films actually appeal to people, from our questionnaire we found that the majority of people like the horrofic scenes and the thrill of being scared knowing that actually, they are in no danger at all.
Results:
1. How old are you?Here it shows that the majority of people that answered our questionnaire was between the ages of 18-21 where as 30+ was the lowest.
2. What gender are you?The most common gender we asked to do our questionnaire was female.
3. What is your favourite genre of film?
The genre Horror was most preffered and Thriller was the least popular from the people who filled in out questionnaire.
4. What do you enjoy about this genre?
For this questions people replied:
Romantic Comedy - They enjoyed the romance, the funny jokes, nice romantic scenes and jolly music. It also puts them in a happy energietic mood.
Horror - Most mentions that they enjoyed the scary and horrific scence which had proved one of our predictions. They also said it gives them a good scare and especially like it when it makes them jump out of their seats.
Thriller - They enjoyed the storylines, plots and the characters used in the film. But they specially liked the action, weapons and cars in the film.
5. Do you watch horror movies?As you can see, there is a huge mojority of people who answered yes for this questions. This shows us that many people would want to watch a horror movie.
6. What do you enjoy about horror movies?
For this question most people answered the same as they said in question 4 for the horror part. But the people who didn't answer 'horror' for question 4 but also watch horror movies was going along the same lines saying they like the horriffic scenes and the fact that some parts makes them jump out their seats and literally gives them butterflies in their belly.
7. Do you go to the cinema to watch horror movies or watch them at home?
The pie chart shows us that the mojority of people watch their movies at a cinema. Even though the results for cinema and home were very close, it still proves another of our predictions which was most people prefer to watch their movies at the cinemas.
8. What is your favourite horror sub genre?
9. What type of characters to you expect to see in a horror movie?

Pie Charts wont publish, ill try later on.

Summary of Pitch

On friday me and Ismail had to pitch four film ideas to the class, jake had turned up late to the lesson so me and Ismail had to present with only three of our ideas. The pitch ran fairly smoothly although the main point of our chosen story didnt cross over to the class well. Maybe this was because we were slightly unprepared and i'd left my notes on the blog. We were pleased that the class had some useful feedback on the ending to our story because we were debating whether our killer would be caught or remain on the loose for a cliff hanger type finish. They suggested that the murdered remained on the loose to for a climax to the story rather than simply getting caught. In all the pitch didnt go so well, but the knowledege we gained from the classes opinions could prove to be a huge help to our storyline, so in one way it could be deemed a success.

Fim Ideas (Horror)

Our first, and so far most developed idea is a horror film based around a masked serial killer, the film follows a psychopathic male in his mid 30's who's condition was brought on after his mother walked out on him as a child. The character suffered mental scarring throughout his teenage years which was added to by school bullies picking on him for his weird nature, he often has nightmares taking him back to the point of his life when his mother walked out on him and wakes up left in a rage which he struggles to control. The first sign of his illness was picked up by a teacher worried about his sudden lack of progression in his school work, he had also noticed that he was an unpopular student and was very much a lone wolf. The teacher advised him psychiatric treatment to build on his social life which he rejected without thought. The character kept a diary throughout school and regularly updated it with hateful messages aimed at fellow classmates. Although deemed weird he had an outward appearance of a calm and harmless nature which is why he was considered an 'easy' target for bullies. As a teenager he picked up an unhealthy obsession with serial killer Ted Bundy who killed what was believed to be around 100 victims. Bundy strangled his victims and later used various hospital tools to bludgeon them, our character imitated these techniques (copycat killer). Ted Bundy was almost a role model to him. His (character) victims were usually in their 20's with long blonde hair and a slim build, these targets resembled his mothers appearance at the time he last saw her. The murders occurred in depressive episodes following the nightmares of being abandoned as a child.The film will end with one of the killers victims managing to escape from his grasp and calling the police. When the police arrive the killer is left hiding in a barn surrounded by police but whether he is captured is left out in the open. We decided to end it on a cliffhanger so the audience are left feeling tense and answering questions themselves. This also leaves it open to a sequel film which can be decided depending on the success of this film.

Locations: For the opening sequence to our film we need a location that has a creepy, dark mysterious feel to it and have considered numerous possbilities in order to find the best one. At the moment the most appealing seems to be a basement owned by Ismails former employer. We are planning on going down to the location to have a mooch round and see if the location is right for us.

UNFINISHED

Questionnaire

1. How old are you?

18-21 21-25 25-30 30+

2. Are you Male? or Female?

3. What is your favourite genre of film from the following?

Romantic Comedy Horror Thriller

4. What makes you enjoy your chosen genre?

5. Do you enjoy horror movies?

6. What do you enjoy about horror movies?

7. What is your favourite sub genre of horror?

Cannibal Horror Zombie Horror Comedy Horror

8. Where do you watch horror films from?

Home Cinema

9. What type of characters do you expect to see in a horror movie?

Textual Analysis: Scream

My final textual analysis is on Scream a horror movie made in 1996

scream begins with a black background and Scream written in bold white lettering, we then hear a sound which appears to be the drawing of a knife shortly followed by a scream, as we hear the scream which belongs to a female, the title which was previously white turns red in a flashing affect. From the screaming we gather that the movie is a horror so instantly associate the red we see as blood, the flashing of the title could symbolize blood spill in a stabbing motion which eventually spreads across the whole screen. Before the film even begins we predict the killing is linked to a stabbing. The film opens with an initially calm woman answering the phone, after a brief conversation she puts the phone down to what was believed to be a wrong number. Shortly after, to her surprise she receives another call, the use of a medium shot portrays her confusion as she turns to answer it. When she answers the call she seems pretty eager to get off the phone and the conversation is again cut short, we then cut to a medium long shot of the house from outside, possibly the view of the mysterious caller. The shot has a creepy feel to it created through the swaying of the swing, the location is very quite which is exaggerated by the sound of crickets, from this we presume that the house is secluded from the city and that it is in the middle of nowhere, meaning the girl is practically doomed.

filming of opening sequence

On the 11th of November me Jake and Ismail set out to film our short opening sequence showing we understand the basic conventions of filming... the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot. Me and Jake have no previous experience in using a camera so decided to be the actors, Ismail however had used cameras before at GCSE level media so we chose him to film the sequence. When we set out to film we presumed it would be very easy, a couple of practice runs and then the final cut, however we stumbled across a few problems in health and safety and recording. We set up the camera to shoot the opening scene of the film in a corridor, the problem with that was lots of people were using them so we had to position the camera so we could film and people can get by. Once we found a suitable angle we began filming, we recorded a few practice shots which would later be the downfall of the day. We began filming the final take and realised we had not erased the practice runs which were spread over the clip, we had to erase the WHOLE thing and didn't have enough time in the lesson to film again, we must now film in tomorrows lesson. Hopefully we will have learned from our mistakes and use the previous attempt as a learning experience.

Filming of opening sequence attempt 2

The second attempt at filming was a success, we managed to film the sequence fairly easily and had it finished within half an hour. After talking to Paula on what had gone wrong we learnt that playing back footage confused the camera and left it recording in random places across the clip, with this in mind we got straight to work. Had we known this in the previous session we would have had the clip filmed easily. After one practice run we set out to film, without reviewing the footage back we had to match the sequences as accurate as we could. All in all there was no problems other than my bad acting to comment on, we kept it short and simple and were happy with the final result although if we had the chance to do it again we would include more complex camera angles and a better story line.

Textual Analysis: Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown is a 1997 crime film written by Quintin Tarantino, the film stars Pam Grier, Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson.

The opening song is funky, has a 70's 80's style sound to it. gives us an idea of the year the film takes place in.

Film title font aslo appears to be quite 80's the use of colours and font signal hippy culture (curly lettering, yellow, red) connects with song.

the film opens with a long tracking shot of a woman, it begins very slow and relaxed with a calming  song, as the song reaches its peak and becomes more upbeat the woman begins to rush to her location, the song is mirroring the momentum of the woman as she goes from relaxed to tense. 

we know from the way she is dressed that she is a air hostess.

Well presented, nice make up and hair. Air hostesses generally have personality qualities such as a good personality, good looking, patience, good people skills and generally always happy to help attitude. We immediately get the impression the character has all of these. 

Extreme close up to bag scanner and person scanner, this is showing a significant part of the scene. Why doesn't the woman get scanned? why does she have such a large bag? it leaves us asking questions about this woman. We wonder if she is the woman we picture from her appearance, could be using her appearance as a cover up. Unsuspecting and innocent.

"Hey how you doing" we know she is recognized by the woman working on the scanner. Could have worked there for a while. Built up trust with co-workers. Again unsuspecting.

Fixes appearance before greeting passengers. Greets with a smile (innocent)

Textual Analysis: Pretty Woman

For my first textual analysis i will be watching pretty woman, pretty woman is a romantic comedy set in 1990 and stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

Piano song - diagetic sound (party music) we get the impression the people attending the party are well off, listen to very formal music. Lots of well dressed people, drinking champagne etc. overall we know they are people in high places.

"have you seen Edward" centre of attention. always in demand" (focus point of every conversation)

"speak to your secretary more than i speak to you" very busy man, life revolves around work rather than family. Although at a party Edward is still talking about business, this also shows he lives to work. the fact he has a secretary indicates he is of a high profile.

'Edward' posh name, could be linked to a well of family.

As Edward leaves the party the guests stop and notice his departure, he is then followed out. This again indicates he is an important man and that everybody likes him. 

lawyer doesn't want him to drive his car, this shows that Edward isn't a good driver probably due to the fact he is chauffeured everywhere. He also gets lost on his way showing he isn't familiar with his own area, pointing to the fact he doesn't drive himself.

 drives the car anyway, authority figure, whatever he says goes.

Shot of Hollywood sign. establishing setting for the film

Song we hear is upbeat, reflecting the location (city) Used to introduce us to the film and what its about. 

Establishing shot of the city. new location. introduces us to city life, drug dealing, prostitutes. long way away from what Edward is accustom to.

The bright scenes indicate Edward is comfortable in his surroundings at the party, as he ventures into the city it is dark and he is uncomfortable in the area, the city is more of a disturbing place.

Whilst being introduced to Vivienne, a new diagetic track is being played, the track has a pop feel to it and the chorus includes the lyrics "wild one" which is used to reflect the personality of Vivienne 

woken up by alarm at during the night, shows she works through the night (prostitute)

Colouring in boots (cheap, lower class)

prostitute, opposite social class to Edward, sleeps in a hotel, can't afford to pay rent.

Stereotypical prostitute (big earings, short skirt, knee high boots)

Switching between shots of each character gives us the impression they are about to cross paths.

Research into Existing Products (Rom Com)

Romantic Comedies generally involve two central characters, a lead male and a lead female that wouldn't even consider to be romantically involved. The film would go on with these two characters being simply friends but the directors clever use of very suttle clues the two realise they have feelings for one another and live happily ever after. The genre is a blend between comedy and romance and can also be associated with stoner comedy and screwball comedy, the genre is known as a chick flick to many because of its plot filled by romantic gestures and stereotypical happily ever after ending. Which is clearly aimed towards females hence 'chick' flick. More recent films though have incorporated more comedy elements to appeal to a wider audience and make the film not to embarrassing for the male population to watch.

Rom coms are generally set in romantic areas like parks or churches or even every day settings like the work place, they use very bright lighting to set a typical good day and have a romantic theme song throughout. The editing in the films are generally slow and calm rather than fast paced. This sets a calm mood to viewers before hitting them with a piece of comedy, the directors tend to use camera work to capture the emotion on the characters face, close ups are the most frequent shot used in a rom com to show the hidden feelings or loved up couples love, this requires talented actors be able to make the connection look genuine. Another common shot would be the shot reverse shot as the couple engage in a conversation.

Reseach Into Existing Products: Thrillers

A thriller is a genre of film which features a fast paced story line and lots of action, the majority of thrillers follow a lead character or "hero" through his journeys for example Jason Bourne in the Bourne Supremacy. the heroes are often hard men who can handle danger and are trained in how to use weapons, they can be characters like spies or law enforcement. typically we follow the main character attempting to stop villainess plans but can also cross into the genre murder mystery and see the hero solving crimes like mass murder, terrorism or more commonly assassination. The plot elements used are usually include confrontational fights between the hero and villain and climaxes at the point when one is defeated. Directors often use literal devices like red herring, suspense and cliffhangers to keep the viewer guessing and wanting to watch on to discover the outcome of the plot.

Early thrillers were inspired by "film noir", a form of crime drama unknown to the American film industry before Nino Frank introduced it to Hollywood some time in 1946. They include a  range of plots with the central figure of the film being a private eye or a plain clothed policeman. Film Noir has inspired many films through the years and recent examples are The Man Who Wasnt There, Sin City and the hit tv series Veronica Mars.

Sub Genres

Action Thriller

an action thriller is the more common form of thriller, it has elements of crime and mystery and includes alot of explosions, guns and fight scenes. Popular action films are The series of Bourne films, James Bond and the Transporter. the Bourne film features elements of a spy film and follows Jason Bourne, a amnesiac former spy attempting to discover his true identity.

Crime Thriller

The crime thriller is almost backward to an action, rather than following "the good guy" we follow the criminals which are usually gangs. the plot usually includes shootouts, robberies, murders and chases. A prime example is The Godfather which was made from a 1969 novel of the same name. It has been voted the second greatest film in American cinematic history behind Citizen Kane and was followed by two sequals. 

Typically thrillers will be set in exotic places such as deserts, foreign cities or polar regions, and will always have a non-diagetic up tempo beat playing in the action scenes to heighten the drama, the films usually begin with the main characters living their day to day life before a twist in the plot sees this character take on some sort of terrorist plot. Directors will usually use up tempo editing during the film as the majority of it will involve action, each clip would last no more than a few seconds before transitioning to the next, Alot of scenes would use medium or long shots to allow the viewer to see the action take place and also get an idea of the surrounding area, thrillers often use stunning visual affects and locations to wow the audience.

Task 2:Research into Existing Products

A horror is a genre of film that aims to put fear into its viewer, the plots often include death and supernatural goings on to terror the viewer and are more than likely to include a villain. More recent horror films include subjects of mental illness and physcopathic characters such as Physco and Ted Bundy, they are set in places that have been built up as traditional horror settings like woodlands or hospital wards. Earlier horror films leant more towards fictional characters like Frankenstein, Dracula and Dr.Jeklll and Mr. Hyde.

Sub Genres
Comedy horrors came about in 1923 when director Frank Tuttle released Puritan Passions. it was the first of its kind and was followed by a string of different films years later, the more famous being shaun of the dead (2004) and the Scary Movie series (2000 onwards). They generally immitate popular scenes from different movies and divide the film up with comedy scenes and horror scenes, a good example is an early production Dr. Pycle and Mr. Pryde, a spin off from the famous book and film Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.
Zombie films
Zombie are fictional creatures that come back from the dead, known as the living dead. the main category they fall into is horror but of recent there have been more and more zombie sub genres like zopmbie comedys or zombie apopaclypse, the films often include an infectious disease that anyone comes into contact with becomes a zombie, generally there is a group that manages to stay clear of the disease and the film follows there survival, they begin by attempting to contact the authorities and fail soon realising they are on there own. zombies are usually slow and unintelligent which was first made popular by George A Romero in his film Night of The Living Dead. He is seen as the man who took the zombie film to a new height and is nicknamed the godfather of zombie films, all zombie films today were based on the work of Geroge's interpretaion of zombies. The films are often set in grave yards or towns that are abandoned or even large buildings with high security systems.
Cannabalism
Cannabalism films were first made popular by Italian film directors in the 1970's to 1980's, the first major one being Umberto Lenzi's The Man From the Deep River, this was the imspiration for other filmmakers to creat cannabal films with the genre reaching its peak between 1977 and 1981. The most influential between this period would of been Ruggero Deadato's Cannibal Holocaust in 1980. Later horror films have included hannibal tribes, a notable example being the hills have eyes. A recent popular cannibalism film is Hannibal which was adapted from the novel.
it is the follow up to the first film and book the silence of the lambs and was followed by Red Dragon.

When watching a horror film you seem to know when something bad is going to happen, this is done through the use of different devices such as camera angles and sounds that build up the tension. Clever shots like tracking shots or panning shots and plot devices like stalkers and isolation all make a good horror, pair these with violent imagery and screams of terror and the film would instantly feel like a scary movie.

Traditionally horror films are set in areas which are isolated and cut off from civilization, places like woods or houses that are "in the middle of nowhere". This makes the viewer believe that the victim has no-one to help them and are almost bound to be doomed, this is a great tool used by filmakers to build up tension and suspense in the film. The scenes are generally set at night with minamal diagetic sounds which adds to the realisation that nobody is around to help them. The surroundings of the main settings are usually foggy meaning that the victim can't see long distances, with this we think that anything can jump out at anytime. Even if someone isnt going to jump out it still puts you as a viewer on the edge of your seat with the impression they will.

The majority of horror films try to use sound to add to the affect of putting fear into their viewers, non-diagetic sounds will be played into a scene to heighten the tension and even reflect on the atmosphere of scene. For example if a character is happy, upbeat music will be played, or if a character is gradually becoming more angry, the music will do the same.