Film Research Analysis / Inspiration

Some of our film research has really helped us in terms of idea's for our film. We have drawn up some idea's from other thriller themed movies , my first example being from Lord of War.

I have linked in the movie title the opening scene from the film , because I think its useful to see how the POV shot of the ''life of the bullet'' is used.

It is this POV shot that we plan to use in our film opening. However we aim to do the shot from a persons perspective , running , rather than an object. This should be easier because the person has only to hold the camera , rather than attaching a camera to the object. Also , the person can then use their own ability to try and achieve the shot they feels works the most.

We then tried out this shot on our recce to wilderness woods , hoping that we could create a good moving image to use. It did work , and the shot looked good , especially since we tried it outside on rough terrain , compared to a flat road we hope to do it on.

This Lord of War opening scene provided valuable inspiration , and i personally think it was the best bit of research one of us carried out.

Another style we are going to use is the way the opening credits appear at key moments during the bullets life. We aim to do this with the title , as opposed to opening credits. For example we wish to slam a car boot , with the camera rolling , to create a perspective of how it would be for someone inside the car. This would then fade into black as the light disappeared. When this has happened , we plan to have the movies title appear on screen , adding drama to the situation.

JC - Moodboard, Murder Inc.

This is the moodboard that we have produced for our film, Murder Inc. It briefly sets out the locations we wish to include, as well as some shots that we are interested in implementing (particularly the shots where credits will appear). We have entailed these on our moodboard, because we feel that they are the shots that will set apart our work from that of another group studying the same genre.

JC - Location Recce: Beaux Bagels Pronto, Sevenoaks

 Having had monday off school, I decided to spend the morning at our location recce, at Beaux Bagels Pronto in Sevenoaks. This decision was inspired mainly by the fact that the premises has a warehouse and for the purpose of the recce, I shot the courtyard facing the warehouse, shots from inside the warehouse and the shopfront, where another part of the sequence will happen, in order to later evaluate the setting of the opening and for us as a group to make decisions and amendments to the choice of shots.

My initial decision was to shoot the warehouse from the outside, to provide an establishing shot for our opening. I tried some side-on shots from either side of the warehouse doors, before shooting the warehouse from the front, all at eye level. From this, I then decided to photograph the warehouse from the ground at a low angle, to connote the significance of the building and to imply that the audience should be intimidated by it. This shot also showed the backdrop to the setting - numerous buildings of some height - suggesting our location in urban and thus conforming to generic conventions. I also shot the courtyard, as this shot would be useful to help set the scene at the beginning of our opening.

Following this, I decided to move into the warehouse to shoot the area in which our sequence will predominantly take place. Once inside, I shot the corners of the room, as this is where our victim is to be bound and gagged. As I was on my own, it was hard for me to gauge how we would frame the shot regarding the framing size, however given that the victim is supposed to be in distress, I attempted to photograph each corner from a high angle, as if the victim were being looked down on, and at close up length, to denote the panic upon their face when we come to shoot this piece.

As our characters enter the warehouse, we intend to add an innovative transition to our sequence; the last character through the door - the supporting antagonist - will slam the door shut, and thus our shot will be black. At this point, the second character's name will appear on screen. The lights will then fade in as they are turned on, and the name will dissolve out. To grasp just what this will look like, I took three shots of the door: one with no lights on but with the door open; one with no lights on and the door closed; and one with the lights on and the door closed.

Technical Analysis of Sin City (Frank Miller , 2005)

Shot 1 - Opening shot (establishing shot) of her environment , MS of her walking

Shot 2 -MCU of men walking behind her , his face is concealed , with shadow patterning

Shot 3- Narrative voice over starts (symbolic of film noir style genre)

Shot 4 -As she turns to face him the image cuts , focusing on her from a POV shot over the shoulder. Her red dress is set against the dark backdrop of the city , while the dress is symbolic of her female beauty

Shot 5 - CU of cigarettes as she takes one , emphasising her actions

Shot 6 - CU over the man's shoulder of female character again

Shot 7 - Reaction shot to conversation , CU of man. Half his face is concealed in darkness

Shot 8 - POV over the shoulder shots as it cuts to both characters in sequence , engaging the

Shot 9 -audience in the conversation

Shot 10 - Cuts to her lighter , the flame having no colour to match the black and white surroundings , colour is symbolic of importance

Shot 11 - CU of her face , her eyes light up green to match the dialogue

Shot 12 - She turns away from him , they are both in the frame , one of the few times they are framed together

Shot 13 - As she turns back at him the music track becomes more evident, as the volume increases , with a sexy , romantic , slow tempo music backdrop playing

Shot 14 - Their white silhouettes are shown , MS , with them kissing (film noir style)

Shot 15 - Cuts back to normal , CU of her head on his shoulder

Well done, there is evidence here of thorough and in some cases technical analysis. You are using the blog collaboratively, commenting on each other's contributions, however there are gaps. There is no real record of your own concept development which is absolutely vital - any conversations on plot, genre, location should be recorded. Simon/ Timo you are also missing the technical analysis which is now overdue.

Jack - your work is paticularly detailed and thoughtful - at a low L4.

Simon, you too have produced some interesting research - 3/4

Timo, some interesting comments, but your research is not detailed enough - high L3

Wilderness Woods Relflection

On our practice recce we put some good shots into action , while also having the oppotunity to frame and practice the shots we needed to obtain the correct imagery. We enjoyed the experience because it was our first time using the HD video camera's.

We have drawn inspiration from some of the shots we filmed on the trip. For example , the POV shot of our ''male character'' running will be used in our actual filming. We like this style of shooting because it gives a good perspective on the viewpoint of the character. It's also a creative way to add excitement to our opening.

We found that inspiration can come from anywhere , and putting our idea's onto film is exciting , yet challanging , as we had to overcome physcial challanges.

JC Technical analysis: The Wrestler (Aronofsky, 2008)

The Wrestler is a thriller film starring Mikey Rourke, for which he won a BAFTA for best leading actor and received renewed interest in his acting career. The story follows Robbin Ramzinski, known in the wrestling world as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, who in the 1980s was a prominent proffesional wrestler. We emerge 20 years later in the period where he is past his prime, for Robinson to agree to a 20 year anniversary rematch against 'The Ayatollah'.

In this piece, I will attempt to deconstruct the opening sequence of the film technically.

Camera

When we first see Robinson, the camera is at a low angle, long shot, connoting that he is still of importance and should be respected. However in the same shot, his manager walks in and talks to him; in this shot, the top half of his managers' body is out of shot, implying that Robinson is of less significance than he once was. This is further implied when he leaves the arena, when the camera zooms out on him, suggesting that he is smaller than we are led to originally believe.

After leaving the arena and returning home, Robinson finds himself locked out of his trailer. He then proceeds to get into hist truck, where he turns the music on. At this point, we switch to a Close Up of his face; this, coupled with the melancholic music and the expression on his face, connote a stark realisation of the life he now leads in comparison to his former glory.

There is a continuous line of action following Robinson throughout the opening sequence.

Mise-en-scene

As the opening credits roll, there is a collection of nostalgic posters, tickets, programmes and flyers advertising the bouts that Robinson comepted in, quotes from Robinson in magazines and pictures of him. This conveys a sense of former glory and nostalgia, whilst also conforming to the generic expectations of similar films, in that the lead character often has their career destroyed in some way, only for them to be given one last shot at glory - for example, Rocky.

When he climbs into his truck, Robinson opens a can of energy drink. This suggests that his wrestling career is far less glamorous than before, as it is often common to celebrate a victory by drinking champagne. This idea of an unglamorous lifestyle is further enhanced when he returns home, and we find out that he lives in a trailer.

Sound

The film opens to the sound of cheering and chanting, as well as rock music and commentary, as we go through the montage of Robinson's nostalgic items, denoting his former glory. However, as these images fade out, we hear coughing and wheezing, and when the camera flicks back we see Robinson sitting on a stool.

ST - PRODUCT ANALYSIS

WATCHMEN
(Zach Snyder, 2009)GENRE

The film is a superhero action thriller. The audeinces generic expectations of the genre is quickly defined in the opening because of the fight scene which takes place between two heroes, with super-human qualities. However the generic experience is disrupted by being very violent and seeing the characters as drunks and murders rather than crime stoppers.

FILM LANGUAGE

Throught the use of mise-en-scene the main hero (Comedian) is seen as a washed-up and depressed hero, there is a glass of whiskey, a gun and a adult magazine he also seems to be dirty and undressed while watching TV. The other hero, who kills him is kept in shadow, so the premise of the film is created, the assaliant is much dressed more like a criminal with black leather gloves and a mask and therefore assurts more authority the the Comedian.

The camera throughout the opening uses a mix of close-ups on the comedian at different intervals to show his feelings, such as when watching TV compared to later on when mid-fight. As well as this the camera is used to show points of intrest for the characters, using point of view shots, such as the walking up to the apartment door, the gun and the knives during the fight. The camera uses a pan up on the assaliant entering the room, this connotes power to the audience.

During the fight the camera cuts to close-up on points of action such as when being punched in the face, this is extended when slowed down to focus on the action. There is also a huge pan across the entire apartment from the outside through the window, again in slow-motion, to once again focus the audience on the strenght an inhuman abilities.

Sound is used throughout the sequence, a slow song from the time (1960s) Unforgettable by Nat King Cole, it is very juxtapostious to the fight in the scene and makes the fight seem very depressing for the Comedian. As well as this the non-digetic sound in the sequence is added to in editing, throught the use of sound effects the punches and other soundes are enhanched to make the sound even brutal and stronger then a normal fight.

There is very little dialouge between the two, other then the comedian refering to ".....it was only a matter of time" implying that the Comedian knew his assaliant and had thereofre made enemies prior to the film. However throught non-verbal language of the Comedian he is contented to be by himself a drink and watching TV.

The use of symbols is key throughout the film and is very present during the opeing scene. The smiley face badge with a blood drip is iconic of the film and of the Comedian. The smiley face can also be seen on his gun, it is a refecene to the comedians morality, that war is just a joke and killing is a game.

NARRATIVE

The narrative is linear following the Comedian shortly before his murder, which sets one of the premises for the film, involving who killed him and why? The audience is positioned with the Comedian and later in the film with other heroes. The comedian is the only character the audience has seen at this point and the scene is set in his apartment, the audience is made to feel sorry for the character, who is lonely and wash-up as a vigilante. Whereas the assaliant is kept from showing his face which alienates him from the audience as well as his much better fighting ability then the character positioned with the audience. Tension is created in the scene through the use of point-of-view shots from the assailant while walking to the door, it tells the audience someone is coming for the unsuspecting Comedian. As well as this the scene ends with the death of the only character and narrative of the film so far, the audience is left wondering where, and who the narrative will move to. Moreover the assaliant is not shown to the audience creatign tension for the audience and asks questions about his identity.

REPRESENTATION & IDEOLOGY

The social groups conveyed in this scene is the old and the comparison of the young. The Comedian is quite old and seems to "washed-up" and possibly regretful of his youth because of his solitary life. This is compared to the youth of the assailant who is much faster and stronger during the fight.
The values of the Comedian is befily touched upon during the opening and is explored more throughout he film. There is also the ideology of urban crime and a criminal culture in urban areas, because of the Comedian's remark of "....it was only a matter of time." It also represents the ideology that the elderly cannot keep up witht the youth and are generally taken advantage of.
The use of semiotics is used throughout the film however in the opening the Comedian is wearing a dressing gown which connotes the eldery and sets a framework for the representation of the older man, who is unready and unable to keep up with the youth.

MEDIA AUDIENCES

The target audience of the film is adult males (18-35), it is not for the normal superhero audience of youths becuase it is over-stylized and mature subject matter. It has an already fan-based since it is based on a graphic novel of the same name. The audiences reading of the text is that is shows a different reality during a pivital time in US history, the audience during the opening is that the characters are morally flawed and are the opposite to the normal of the genre that is already known. The film delves into many ethical theories and questions weather they are correct in society, such as utilitarianism and the moral absolutes. However many of these ethical matters will be unnoicted by much of the audeince. As a young British teenager, who has studied the period of history and ethical theories influences my reading of the film, the text is quite relevant to me and I find it an intresting subject matter, however the over-stylized violence is appealing to teenage boys as well. The film is able to cater to those who who want to watch an action thriller, but also the people wishing to hear an alternate theories to ethics.

INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT

• There aren't many well known actors used in the film, because of budgeting issues, many of the actors showed intrest in the film and nomiated themselves for the part. In the case of Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) the fans wanted him to be the part, and the studio listened, giving Haley the part.
• The studios producing the film were, Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Comics and Legendary Pictures. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The film is an industrial film.
• The film was advertised to the already fans of the novel, by having director and actor apperances at Comic-Con. there was also several tie-in games released at the same time as the film.

JC product analysis: Deja Vu (Scott, 2006)

Deja Vu is a contemporary film with reference to science-fiction, and depicts ATF agent Douglas Carlin who travels back in time to save a woman with whom he falls in love from a terrorsit attack. The film is set in New Orleans.

Genre

The film is a crime-thriller, with some science-fiction undertones. The generic audience expectations at the beginning of the film are challenged in one sense, in that there is no dialogue to show how the narrative is progressing and there is no appearance of the main character. However, as with many thrillers there is a 'calm before the storm' effect, with joyuous scenes of celebration on the boat that the naval forces are on. This is reinforced by the music used in the piece, which seems eerily happy, creating tension and dramatic irony as though the setting is utopian, when in reality something is bound to go wrong, as it does.

Film Language

As with Cinderella Man, Deja Vu also uses typewriter font in its title sequence, however in this instance it is to convey the crime theme that underpins the story. We learn little or nothing about the characters within the film, as the main characters are not present within the opening sequence of the film.

The use of sound and mise-en-scene is particularly effective within the sequence; a security guard peers through the window of a car after hearing the radio on, and sees that the keys are still in the ignition. The sound in the background is the song 'Don't Worry Baby' by the Beach Boys, and as it plays a ticking noise starts to become apparent over the top of it; as the ticking becomes louder, the man moves further down the car, when he peers through the rear window to see bombs; the bomb the goes off and the boat explodes. The use of sound therefore creates dramatic irony, as the song creates a relaxed mood and feel as if there is nothing to worry about, whilst in reality, in the last few seconds of the guards' life he has a lot to be concerned with as he knows a bomb is about to explode.

Narrative

The opening sequence of the film is difficult to distinguish between being montage edited and continuity edited, as although it does show events unfolding through time, the events are not following one person constantly, and are at points shown in slow motion, meaning that time is being manipulated and therefore there is no continuous line of action. There are no major themes present in the narrative, but instead the sequence helps to set the scene for the rest of the film.

Representation and ideology

There is little to mention in regard to the representation of social groups within this opening, as there is no substantial dialogue within the opening sequence. However, conforming with contemporary viewpoints, there is equal representation of ethnicity in the sequence, and it could therefore be argued that the opening presents a dominant or even emergent ideology, and is therefore a progressive text.

Media Audiences

The film could be described as a tried and tested formula, in that it is a crime thriller with action sequences, and thus the target audience is likely to been male teenagers or young adults.

Institutional context

Denzel Washington is the main character, Douglas Carlin, and often plays lead roles in similar crime-thriller films, for example 'Inside Man'. The film was not produced by a large media conglomerate, however it was released by Touchstone Pictures.

JC Product Analysis: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)

'Cinderella Man' is a film based on the life-story of James Walter Braddock, who was a proffesional boxer between the 1920s-40s. The narrative follows his life through the great depression, and after a promising start to his career, it shows his rise from manual worker to World Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Genre

The film is a Drama/Thriller, consisting of a pulsating whilst dramatic, uplifitng and inspiring narrative, as we follow Braddock's life during the depression. The opening plays up to audience expectations, as it opens with cheering and immediate action, thus also conforming to the characteristics of the genre.

Film Language

The opening credits of the film are brought up in typewriter font, not to convey that the film is a crime-thriller, but instead to denote the setting of the film, as in the 1930s typewriters were used to type up stories and report on events - in this instance, boxing matches. The credits also feature a quote from Damon Runyon, who says that: "In all the history of the boxing game you find no human interest story to compare with the life of James J. Braddock." The opening shot of the scene also shows a man in a ring bleeding - these features help to define the background theme running through the film, that it is a boxing film.

One further technique that the director cleverly harnesses is the use of panning action to show a shift in time; as Braddock places his braces on his drawer, we cut to shots of it and see the items that are placed upon it, panning along. They are valuable items such as jewellery and perfume, however as the pan moves on we move away from the drawer and into the darkness in the corner of the room; we remain in the darkness for a few seconds, before panning into another room to another desk with little on it. We then see Braddock in the mirror, picking up his false tooth and place it into his mouth. This techinque innovatively shows the shift in time, and the changes that have occured during that shift. From here, we cut to a shot of the room, which seems basic and crammed, with little room for living, reinforcing the sense of change.

As the titles' run, there is an uplifting piece of music, which reflects the overall feel of the film.The music placed over the track helps to underpin the period setting of the film; the music as Braddock prances around the ring is classical/jazz, the main sounds of the era. The commentary placed over the music also helps to establishing the setting of the opening of the narrative.

The opening image we see in the film is a blurry still; this fades out twice and becomes clearer, before forming the image of a man's face bleeding, as if a photo for a newspaper; this is then cleverly cut into live action, as we see the man being punched.

Narrative

The narrative, as with most thrillers, takes a linear approach, though the scene is montage editid, as it does not reflect a continuous movement of time. The audience are positioned to see events unfolding in front of them, to witness the story as opposed to feeling involved with it.

Tension is created subtly within the scene as Braddock steps out of his car towards his house; he does so in darkness, connoting  that whilst everything is happy and cheerful at this point within the narrative, something dark may happen at a later point. Whilst it is briefly dropped, it returns later in the scene with a monotonous drone in the background, whilst Braddock looks into the mirror with a concerned expression upon his face.

Representation and Ideology

Within the clip, the main social group represented are middle class males, whom are commonly associated with the glamorous face of boxing of the time; whilst during the 1930s this representation would have been a dominant ideology, it would now be considered residual, as there is little intergration between social groups - for example, there is poor representation of ethnicities, different classes and genders.

There is also the representation of a typical middle-classed family - as Braddock walks back we see a shiny car and a decent-sized house, with his wife at the door to greet him as he returns. His children then all run out to hug him and congratulate him on his win; later on in the evening, Braddock and his wife Mae sit down in their garden with a glass of wine, connoting a subtle elegance about their lifes. Mae goes on to congratulate Braddock, telling him: "I'm so proud of you."

Media Audiences

The target audience for this film would have been boxing enthusiasts and a more specialised and mature audience, who would perhaps be attracted to the film after watching a blockbuster  - this is supported by the fact that the film was released on 3rd June, a typically busy time for films to be released.

Institutional context

Braddock was played by Russell Corwe in the film, whilst Mae was played by Renee Zellweger. It was distributed by Touchstone pictures, and produced by Universal, thus meaning Cinderella Man was an industrial film.

There were few marketing strategies used on the film, however AMC Theatres offered people in 34 market territories worldwide a refund on their ticket if they were dissatisfied with the film, after it had a relatively poor opening run in the charts, saying that: "AMC believes Cinderella Man is one of the finest motion pictures of the year! We believe so strongly that you'll enjoy Cinderella Man we're offering a Money Back Guarantee". This campaign was also employed by Cinemark theatres, and the box office revenue for the film was moderately increased for a short period.

TB: Jaws ( 1975, Steven Spielberg )

Representation and Ideology

In this clip , the only social group represented is young adults. In the clip, they are sitting around a camp fire, playing guitars and talking to each other. There are no examples of negative behaviour, so the representation can only be seen as positive. The 'young' adults are however positioned as 'victim's to the shark. They are also portrayed in a way that shows them as inferior to the shark , due to the fact that the shark , throughout the film , is shown to pick them off , almost personifying the sharks intelligence.

The opening starts off with the classic Jaws theme music track, and positions the audience with the shark. Spielberg aims to position the audience with the animal, however, at the same time does not wish to reveal where it is (creating suspense and intensifying the atmosphere). The juxtaposition of the POV from the shark , to that of the students sitting on the beach instantly connotes to the audience that at some point in the next following scenes , they will be the victims.


Narrative

During the first scene , when the girl is attacked offshore , the style of narrative is set for the rest of the film. She is attacked by something , yet the audience does not see the culprit. Her body is thrown around with extreme vigour , to connote something of immense power to the audience. The shark is rarely shown , only at the very end is it revealed to the audience , to keep the sense of mystery. Also , an example of iconography , the sharks fin is used to portray fear and is symbolic of an attack. This natural predatory way of almost stalking its prey is used well , adding a human sense of playing with its victim. This personification of the shark adds to the surreal way it seems to hunt ( and eat ) its human victims.

This high intensity atmosphere is a trait shared by thrillers, in order to keep the audience watching and interested. In this film , although be it a little dated , every time there is a thrilling scene the dramatic and iconic theme music starts to play. This identification of the thrilling moments helps establish exciting features in the film to the audience.

Another technique used in this genre is the way certain characters have 'premonitions' about bad things that are going to happen , and yet , the majority of characters barely listen to these warnings. This is normally used because the audience then feels the frustration , usually portrayed thought the protagonists viewpoint.

A young girl then tempts a man to swim with her in the nearby ocean , this position of power is evident when he follows her to the edge of the sea. She uses her sexual nature to entice him, demonstrating her position as the dominating character in this scene. This ideology is quite residual, since it shows the woman objectifying herself in order to gain the male's attention.

Through out the film , the shark is actually used as the antagonist. The antagonist being the 'bad guy' in plots , which is interesting because it is not very often that an animal can be used in this way. I think that giving the shark this unnatural feel helps add to the suspense and unpredictability surrounding this animal. This unpredictability is common in thriller style genre's , because it keeps the audience on the edge of their seat , entertaining and exciting them.

Media Audiences
I think that the target audience would have been all adults at the time, appealing to a mass audience since it was the first thriller style movie to bring the audience into the killers ''domain'' in this case, the sea. The genre generally appeals to all audiences that would enjoy thriller.

Genre

• The film is of the thriller genre
• I think the generic expectations of the film are confirmed in the first opening 2 minutes, confirmed by the stereotypical teenagers shown on the beach.
• The characters also conform to these stereotypes, an example being both the town police chief and professional ''shark hunter''
• The personifyed nature of the shark add's to the thriller style , the intelligence of the shark makes the entire plot and storyline seem more , on level , than if the shark was purely acting on basic instinct.
• The ''sadistic'' way in which the shark seemingly ''plays'' with its prey , is iconic in the way a killer would toy with the victim in a thriller. This power exchange engages the audiences from the seemingly more ''helpless'' perspective view of the humans. This is ironic because rarely are humans positioned in this helpless way. It reduces us to nothing more than 'animals' this is exciting because rarely in modern day society are people shown as simple and as animals.

In conclusion to this product analysis , I think that Jaws definitely conforms to stereotypical thriller conventions ( an elusive character , dramatic music etc.) I also think its one of the best thriller style genres to successfully use an animal as the main protagonist , without turning the plot slightly towards horror and gore. It is this which I think sets Jaws apart from all other thrillers , making it a classic.